My Fifth Great Grandfather. Also My Fifth Great Grandfather. Avraham Vizel: Ancestor Deep Dive

Avraham Vizel was my fifth great grandfather in two different ways.  There is quite a bit written about him in the Yizkor book Sefer Maramaros on the page for his town of Bilovitz (also Kis-Kirva and Mala-Kirva; today Kryva).  Avraham (who was apparently called the very creative "Avrum Bilovitzer") is said to originally be from the province of Galicia, nearby Krakow, where he lived with his widowed mother; he was a descendant of the Taz.  While in Galicia, a prominent man in the village was impressed with him and wanted Avraham to marry his daughter--and promised Mrs. Vizel that she would be given money if this would happen.

Bilvaritz Entry in Sefer Maramaros

Ancestor Deep Dive: Shmuel Moshe Rutner--Updated!!

A while back I did a series of deep dives into my direct ancestors.  Until now, I haven't had to update any, but I have so much new information on Shmuel Moshe Rutner that it's time to update his deep dive.  The earlier version of the deep dive is here if you want to compare it to this to see what's new.

Shmuel Moshe Rutner was my great-great grandfather.  He was born in 1855 in the town of Kolodne (also called Darva) which was then in the Austria-Hungarian Empire and is now in Subcarpathian Ukraine.  Or else he was born 1841 in Kolodne, depending on what he told the record takers.

Shmuel Moshe's Self-Registered Birth Record

Ancestor Deep Dive: Rochel Brandman Sanshuck

My great-great-great grandmother, Rochel Brandman Sanshuck, was born about 1832 in what is now Krasnoye, Vinnitsa, Ukraine (then Podolia Guberniya).  Her parents were Yaakov and Tzipra Brandman.

Rochel had at least 3 siblings:

1. Dov Ber Brandman, born about 1828, died April 9, 1844 in Krasnoye
2. Golda Brandman, born about 1830, died November 15, 1852 in Krasnoye
3. Pinchas Leib Brandman

On November 9, 1849, Rochel married Aryeh Leib Sanshuck in Krasnoye.

Leib Sanshuck & Rochel Brandman Marriage Record in Hebrew; Krasnoye; 1849

Ancestor Deep Dive: Esther Rutner Joshowitz

My great grandmother, Esther Rutner Joshowitz, was born on March 25, 1882 in Darva, Maramaros, Austria-Hungary (later Slovakia, now the village of Kolodne in Subcarpthian Ukraine, and always called Kolodne in Yiddish).  Her parents, Shmuel Moshe and Rochel (nee Fuchs) Rutner had been religiously married before her birth but did not civilly marry until she was an adult--so she was only considered legitimized in the eyes of the government after she was already a married woman.  Because of that, she was often referred to as Esther Fuchs (also Fux & Fuksz) in official documents.

On February 8, 1912, Esther married Joszef (later Josef) Joszovics (later Joshowitz) in Darva, and they registered their marriage in nearby Uglya.

Marriage Registration, Joszef Joszovics and Eszter Fuksz

Ancestor Deep Dive: Mollie Supkoff Tolchin

My great grandmother Mollie Supkoff Tolchin was born Malka Zubkis in Shpikov, Ukraine (then Russian Empire) on April 7, 1893 (or 1892) to Yeshaya and Zlata Tzipra Zubkis (later Supkoff).

She came to America in 1906 with her sister Elka, arriving in the Port of Baltimore--stating that she was going to join her brother Leib (Louis Supkoff) in Pittsburgh.

Ship Manifest; Malka and Elke "Zupkin"; 1906; Rows 8-9

Ancestor Deep Dive: Zlata Tzipra Sanshuck Supkoff

Zlata Tzipra Sanshuck Supkoff

My great-great grandmother, Zlata Tzipra Sanshuck Supkoff was likely born in Krasnoye, Podolia (now Vinnitsa), Ukraine (then Russian Empire).  The Tzipra was in memory of her grandmother Tzipra Brandman who had died in the cholera epidemic of 1849.

Ancestor Deep Dive: Yechiel Suttleman

Yechiel Suttleman

My great-great grandfather, Yechiel Suttleman, was born about 1850 in Volhynia, Ukraine, likely in the town of Boremel or Topilya.  His parents were Pesach Hirsch and (likely) Sima Rivka.

Sonia Diamond, July 14, 1922 - January 2, 2015

Sonia & Paul Diamond, 1950s

My grandmother, Sonia Baich Diamond, passed away last night--on the 21st yahrtzeit of her husband Paul.  She was 92 1/2 years old.  She was born in what is now Horochov, Ukraine (then Poland), survived the Holocaust, and immigrated to America.  Her incredible story (based on an interview with her) through her arriving in America is below.

Ancestor Deep Dive: Avraham Tzvi Diamond

Even though he is a relatively recent ancestor, my great grandfather Avraham Tzvi Diamond didn't leave much of a paper trail.  He was born about 1879, likely in Biscupice, Russian Empire (now Berezhanka, Volhynia, Ukraine), just north of the road connecting Horochov and Lutsk, midway between the two cities.  His parents were Hillel and Hinda (nee Kreiss) Diamond, and his siblings included:

• Leibish (b. abt 1886)
• Shaindel (later Jenny Dorfman, b. 1891)
• Esther (married Motel Landman)
• Rivka 
• Basya (married Mordechai Landor)

Avraham Tzvi married Tzivia Zuttelman, and they had 5 children in Biscupice:

• Kreina (married David Mazurik), born about 1915
• Dvorah (later Deborah Schuster), born 1920
• Pesach (later Paul Diamond), born 1921--my grandfather
• David, born 1924
• Shlomo, born 1928

In 1925, when the two oldest children were in school, Avraham Tzvi signed a document allowing those children to be taught in Polish; the area recently had become part of Poland after WWI.

1925 School Declaration by Abram Diment; Source: State archive of Volyn oblast. Fond 454, opys 2, file 450, page 103

Sheva Baich and My First A-File

I've already done an Ancestor Deep Dive on my great grandmother Sheva Fine Baich.  But I recently received her A-file via the USCIS Genealogy program which contained a treasure trove of information on her, and some photographs that I'd never seen before.

While still in Germany, she applied for a visa.  The document verified her parents' names (my grandmother had been pretty sure of Sheva's mother's maiden name but had not been positive) and gives details of where she was during WWII.  Interestingly, Sheva consistently puts her married life as taking place in Lutsk whereas her daughter Sonia has always maintained that the family lived in Horochov.

Sheva Baich Application for US Visa, January 1947 (page 1)

Ancestor Deep Dive: Isadore Tolchin (Tolchinsky)

My great grandfather, Isadore Tolchin, was born Yitzchak Tolchinsky on December 26, 1889, to in Losinovka (just south of Nezhin, Ukraine) to Hillel and Pesha Riva Tolchinsky.

Yitzchok Tolchinsky Birth Record; Nezhin Metrical Records

Yitzchok was the oldest of the at least 11 children.  In 1902, Yitzchak appeared in the Russian Empire's Poll Tax Census as a 13-year-old living with his parents and siblings.  His uncle Hirsch lived next door with his family as well as with Hirsch's mother (and Hillel's stepmother), Risha Frayda.

Ancestor Deep Dive: Yeshaya Supkoff

My great-great grandfather Yeshaya "Shaya" Supkoff was born Yeshaya Zubkis, about 1859, likely in Shpikov, Ukraine (then Russian Empire) to Shaul Dov and Elka.  The earliest mention of him in records (that I've found so far) is in the 1895 Russian Empire census:

Russian Empire Census; Shpikov; 1895; Zubkis Family (left side)

Russian Empire Census; Shpikov; 1895; Zubkis Family (right side)

Ancestor Deep Dive: Hillel Tolchinsky (Part 2/2)

In an earlier post, I traced the life of my great-great grandfather, Hillel Tolchinsky, from his birth around 1865 in what is now north-central Ukraine, through the 1910 census, when he was living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Hillel Tolchinsky (left), my great-great grandfather and his son Isadore Tolchin, my great grandfather

In March 1911, Hillel's wife Pesha Riva and six of their children came to join Hillel and Isadore in Pittsburgh.  Unfortunately soon after their son Naftali Hirsh died.

Ancestor Deep Dive: Hillel Tolchinsky (Part 1/2)

My great-great grandfather, Hillel Tolchinsky, was born in 1865 or 1866 (although he later used the birthdate of January 10, 1869) in what is now Lubny, Poltava, Ukraine.  His father was Shimon Tolchinsky, and his mother was probably named Chaya.  His mother died soon after his birth, and by 1867 Shimon had moved with Hillel to Nezhin, Chernigov, Ukraine and married Risha Frayda Mechansky.

In 1882, Hillel was 16 (backing up the 1866 birthdate) and living with his father, stepmother, and siblings in Losinovka, a village just south of Nezhin.

Tolchinsky Family, 1882 Poll Tax Census, Nezhin, Ukraine; Hillel is the 16-year-old son

Ancestor Deep Dive/Tracing Mira's Children: Pesha Riva Lefand Tolchinsky

This post fits into both the series of Ancestor Deep Dives as well as tracing the children of my great-great-great grandmother, Mira Halperin Lefand Marienhoff.

Pesha Riva Lefand was my great-great grandmother.  She was born in what is now Nezhin, Ukraine (and was then in the Russian Empire) on May 24, 1874, to Yehoshua and Mira Lefand.

Birth Record for Pesha Riva/Rivka Lefand, Nezhin, Ukraine, 1874

Ancestor Deep Dive: Avrohom Beitch

My great grandfather was Avraham Beitch (also spelled Bajcz in Polish).  He was born around 1885 in the small village of Huben, near what is how Horochiv, Volhynia, Ukraine (then Horochow, Poland) to Tzvi Hirsch and Ronia (nee Lazovnik) Beitch but grew up in Horochow (when it was the Russian Empire).  He had one sister Etia, who died of typhus during the First World War.

Avraham Beitch, About 1932

He married Batsheva Fine in September 1918 in Lutsk, Volhynia, Ukraine (then Luck, Poland).  By 1922 they were living in Horochow, where my grandmother Sonia/Sara was born.  She was followed by Malia (accent on the first syllable) and Hershel, who lived for only one year.

Ancestor Deep Dive: Shmuel Moshe Rutner

(NOTE:  This post has been updated with much new information.  Read the updated version here.)

Shmuel Moshe Rutner was my great-great grandfather.  He was born in 1855 in the town of Kolodne (also called Darva) which was then in the Austria-Hungarian Empire and is now in Subcarpathian Ukraine.

Extract from Shmuel Moshe "Mosko" Rutner's birth Record--Extract from 1922, Birth in 1855

Shmuel Moshe (legal name Mosko) Rutner (also Ruttner)'s parents were Mendel and Yita (nee Farkas) Rutner.  So far as I know, he lived in Kolodne his entire life.

Yehoshua Zev Lefand - Ancestor Deep Dive

Now time for a break from conference recaps--so back to the regularly scheduled blog!

My great-great-great grandfather Yehoshua Zev Lefand was born around 1851.  As his family was registered in Nezhin, Russian Empire (now Ukraine) and he was married there, he was likely born in Nezhin as well.  His father was named Ber; unfortunately there were several Ber Lefands living in Nezhin at this time, so other than a hypothesis, I'm not completely certain of Yehoshua Zev's mother's name.

On April 28, 1871, Yehoshua Zev married Mira Halperin.

Marriage Record for Yehoshua Zev and Mira (Halperin) Lefand, Nezhin, Ukraine, 1871

Moshe Dovid Fine: Ancestor Deep Dive

Moshe Dovid Fine was my great-great grandfather.

Moshe Dovid Fine; this picture was saved from a pile of garbage in the destroyed ghetto by his granddaughter, Sonia Beitch

He was born around 1862 to Yechiel Mechel Fine; I haven't (yet) discovered his mother's name.  He had at least two brothers, Tanchan & Mechel; the fact that Mechel has the same name as his father implies that Yechiel Mechel died before that son was born (or that my grandmother misremembered a name).

Mira Halperin Lefand Marienhoff - Ancestor Deep Dive

As mentioned earlier, Mira Halperin Lefand Marienhoff was my great-great-great grandmother.  She was born about 1848 to Yitzchok Halperin and had at least one sister, Risha (later Risha Rubenstein).  Her parents were registered in Krasne in the Vilna District--what is modern-day Krasnoye, Belarus, northwest of Minsk.  She first married Yehoshua-Zev Lefand and had at least 5 children:

• Pesha Riva (my great-great grandmother), born 1874
• Nechemia, born 1875
• Sara-Margolia, born 1876
• Mayer, born 1879
• Leib, born 1882

Leib Lefand Birth Record, Nezhin, 1882

As Yehoshua-Zev died in 1881, Leib would have been born after his father's death; Mira would have been a young widow with 5 children.

In 1883, Mira married a widower, Yitzchok Marienhoff.  Yitzchok was 14 years older than Mira.  He had at least two sons from a previous marriage:

• Michel Marienhoff's children's births are documented in the Nezhin records
• Binyamin/Benoit/Benedict Marienhoff, who later immigrated to Belgium

Marriage Record for Mira Halperin Lefand and Yitzchok Marienhoff, Nezhin, 1883

Yitzchok had moved a lot.  He was registered and was born in Goldingen, which is currently Kuldiga, Latvia.  Binyamin had been born in what is now Mokra Kalyhirka, Cherkasy, Ukraine.  And he married Mira in Nezhin, Chernigov, Ukraine.