Miss Jennie Dropkin (or Drapkin?) was born on 20 June 1887 ¹ in Mogilev (aka Mahiloŭ), Belarus which was, at the time, a part of the late Russian Empire.

Coming from a Jewish family she was the daughter of Jacob Dropkin and Masha Kovolove. Little is known of her early or family life but she is known to have had at least one sibling, her elder brother Abraham (b. 10 March 1879 ²) who migrated to the USA in 1907.

Jennie boarded the Titanic in Southampton, Hampshire, England on 10 April 1912 as a third class passenger (ticket number SOTON/OQ 392083 which cost £8, 1s) and she was destined for New York where she had a brother. She had spent time in London where she also reportedly had family.

Jennie survived the sinking but details about her time aboard and her escape are lacking.

Arriving in New York aboard Carpathia Jennie was described as a 23-year-old unmarried box maker and her next of kin was listed as her mother back in Mogilev and her destination address was to the home of her brother Abraham at 179 West 100th Street, New York. 

On 8 March 1913 Jennie married Max Matlin (b. 20 May 1882 ³). Matlin, who hailed from Dvinsk, Latvia was the son of Wolf Matlin and Rosa Westerman and had migrated to the USA in July 1899 and initially worked as a photographer, applying for US citizenship in October 1904. He later returned back to Russia before returning to New York aboard St Paul in September 1911.

Jennie and Max, the latter who later worked as a tinsmith, initially settled in Brooklyn and had four sons: Jakub "Jack" (b. 15 December 1913), Paul (b. 5 January 1917), Samuel (b. 8 December 1919) and Murray (b. 20 July 1923). Their son Samuel died aged four on 30 May 1924.

Shortly after marriage the couple moved to Hartford, Connecticut and had their first two sons there. Returning to Brooklyn in 1917 they had two more sons. The family is shown on the 1920 through 1940 census records living in Brooklyn; Watkin Avenue in 1920, 66 Powell Street in 1930 and Hendrix Street in 1940. By 1943, when Jennie applied for US citizenship her address was 1417 Avenue, Brooklyn.

Jennie, a Yiddish speaker, died in Brooklyn on 9 August 1951 and was buried in Mount Hebron Cemetery. Her husband Max died 5 November 1952 in Queens, New York.  Max is buried in the same cemetery as his wife but not together.

Their last surviving child Jack died in 2005 in Florida and is buried in the Star of David memorial gardens North Lauderdale, Broward county, Florida (Garden of Sinai plot). Other descendants still live in New York and New Jersey.