Samuel Hers Eizikowitz kept popping up in my research. Since I had a great-great-great grandfather with this name, I suspected he was relatively closely related to me, but even with a pretty comprehensive Eisikovics tree, I couldn't fit him in.
I knew he had gone to America--his daughter's birth record has his place of residence as "New York, America."
He was listed in the Social Security death index, so I ordered his SS5 to find out who his parents were and how he fit into the rest of the family.
His parents were listed as Joseph and "Necher" Greenberger Eisikowitz. I know who these were--Yosef Leib Eizikovics was a brother of my great-great grandmother Mindel Eizikovics Joshowitz. His wife was Necha Grunberger, and I had names for eight of his children. Looks like I'd found a ninth!
I emailed my cousin Esther who is from this branch, but she had not heard of this brother of her grandmother who had moved to America. Such excitement!
I began tracing Samuel Hers' family. In addition to his daughter Berta, Samuel Hers and his wife Sara Fuchs had three other children--Malvin, Helen, and Herman Salamon. Only Berta and Herman Salamon survived early childhood.
Samuel Hers came to America twice--the first in 1911 (which is why he was in New York when Berta was born) and 1921. Sara and the two children joined him in 1927.
By the 1930 census, Berta was known as Blanche, but then she disappeared, likely due to a marriage between 1930 & 1940.
Herman ended up in California, where he married Elise Malinsky in 1954. And I was finally able to find Blanche with the help of a great genealogy tool--Google!
Blanche's married name was Vegh! With that last name, I was able to find Blanche's grave on FindAGrave:
Blanche's name is given as Bracha daughter of Alter Shmuel Tzvi. Tzvi is Hersh, but Alter?? I have an Alter Eizikovics in my tree already. Son of Yosef Leib and Necha. With children Bracha and Shlomo. Blanche and Solomon. Oh.
So Yosef and Neche only had eight children, not nine. And I was simply adding documentation to a branch of the family I already knew existed. SIGH.
Note: I'm on Twitter. Feel free to follow me (@larasgenealogy).
I knew he had gone to America--his daughter's birth record has his place of residence as "New York, America."
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| Berta Eizikovics Birth; Kolodne; 1911 |
He was listed in the Social Security death index, so I ordered his SS5 to find out who his parents were and how he fit into the rest of the family.
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| Samuel Eisikowitz's SS5 |
His parents were listed as Joseph and "Necher" Greenberger Eisikowitz. I know who these were--Yosef Leib Eizikovics was a brother of my great-great grandmother Mindel Eizikovics Joshowitz. His wife was Necha Grunberger, and I had names for eight of his children. Looks like I'd found a ninth!
I emailed my cousin Esther who is from this branch, but she had not heard of this brother of her grandmother who had moved to America. Such excitement!
I began tracing Samuel Hers' family. In addition to his daughter Berta, Samuel Hers and his wife Sara Fuchs had three other children--Malvin, Helen, and Herman Salamon. Only Berta and Herman Salamon survived early childhood.
Samuel Hers came to America twice--the first in 1911 (which is why he was in New York when Berta was born) and 1921. Sara and the two children joined him in 1927.
By the 1930 census, Berta was known as Blanche, but then she disappeared, likely due to a marriage between 1930 & 1940.
Herman ended up in California, where he married Elise Malinsky in 1954. And I was finally able to find Blanche with the help of a great genealogy tool--Google!
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| Google Search Display, Showing Sarah Eisikowitz's Death Notice |
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| Blache & Abraham Vegh Gravestone; Delaware |
Blanche's name is given as Bracha daughter of Alter Shmuel Tzvi. Tzvi is Hersh, but Alter?? I have an Alter Eizikovics in my tree already. Son of Yosef Leib and Necha. With children Bracha and Shlomo. Blanche and Solomon. Oh.
So Yosef and Neche only had eight children, not nine. And I was simply adding documentation to a branch of the family I already knew existed. SIGH.
Note: I'm on Twitter. Feel free to follow me (@larasgenealogy).
I don't recall where the first reference to Alter appears, but you might consider that since it means "old," it might be a "fool the angel of death" name, either because he was seriously ill or named for someone who died young.
ReplyDeleteIt might have been used informally to distinguish him from your Samuel Hers, the way my sister has a son who used to be called "Little Eliezer" and my father has a first cousin who was called "Little Larry" long into adulthood.
Samuel Eisikowitz was my great-grandfather and one of my namesakes (my Hebrew name is Shmuel Tzvi). I never knew my grandmother as "Berta," only as Blanche or as Bracha (my older daughter is named Bracha after her). I have a photo of my great-grandparents' gravestones in Beth David Cemetery, Elmont, NY.
ReplyDeleteI believe we may have been in touch a number of years ago about other names of relatives that appear in your genealogy, and I connected you with my mother as well.
I'd love to be back in touch!
DeleteMy email is heshmeister@gmail.com, we can stay in touch that way.
DeleteBTW, I have long had a suspicion that actor Martin Kove might be related via the Eizikovitz side. My mom had a cousin named Leo Kove or Cove in NJ who was doing some research in the 1990s. I spoke with him once or twice on the phone but didn't hear anything further from him.