Tolchinskys in 1920 Soviet Census--And How I Have It

My Tolchinsky great-great grandparents and their children had emigrated to America before the Russian Revolution.  But my great-great grandfather's siblings remained behind in what was then the Russian Empire, along with their families.  I've found bits and pieces of what happened to them later, but I'm always on the lookout for more.  This past week, I got some additional insight, using a strategy that I've mentioned before, but which is always worth a reminder.

1920 Soviet Census; Tolchinsky Family; Losinovka, Chernigov Guberniya

WWII Letters and Documents - Found Online

Last month, I wrote how I found out that my great-great grandfather's brother's family ended up in Moscow and that not only were he and his wife buried in Moscow, but so was at least one of their daughters, Bluma/Lyuba Tolchinsky Frolov, who would have been my great grandfather's half first cousin.  A reader pointed out that the Bluma/Lyuba's husband wasn't actually buried in the cemetery and had been killed in WWII.  Using that tip, I found information about the husband's service--as well as a handwritten letter that Bluma/Lyuba wrote to try to discover what exactly had happened to her husband.

Letter from Lyuba Frolov, 1944

Berel Tolchinsky's Fate

My great-great grandfather had a half-brother Berel/Berko.  I have his birth record, marriage record, and birth records for four of his children (and the death of one in 1915), plusa few census records (with the latest of those from 1909) all in Nezhin or nearby Losinovka in Chernigov Guberniya, Russian Empire (now Ukraine).  But after that 1915 death record, there was no sign of what happened to Berel.

Birth Record of Ber Tolchinsky, 1873

My Great-Great Grandfather's Russian Signature, and the Losinovka Jewish School

One of the cases I found reference to on j-roots was a 1903 list of those who voted for board members for the Jewish school of Losinovka.  Although my Tolchinsky family wasn't referenced in the title, since Losinovka was a village, I figured anything about its Jewish community had a pretty good chance of including something about my family.  I was not disappointed.
 

My Great-Great Grandfather's Signature

The Magic of Local Facebook Groups - My "Well-Known" Tolchinskys!

I belong to multiple local Facebook groups for my family's ancestral towns.  These aren't genealogy groups; they're groups used for the day-to-day sharing that the current inhabitants do.  Much of what is posted isn't of that much interest to me (people selling produce, livestock, and complaining about the state of the roads, etc.).  But every so often there's a gem.  And recently there was one.

A Magical Facebook Post

The Missing (Now Found) Death of Shimon Tolchinsky

I'd narrowed down the potential death date of my great-great-great grandfather, Shimon Tolchinsky, based on when children began to be named for him.  But despite painstakingly going through all of the Nezhin vital records, I never found his death record (but there were some gaps in the years around his suspected death, so I assumed that he died during one of those gapped periods).  I was confident that he would have died before February 1894 and likely after December 1889.  But I had no clue where in that window he died.

Shimon Tolchinsky Death Record, Priluki, 1893

Colwell Coincidence

My sister grew up in Baltimore; her father grew up in Baltimore and her mother grew up in McKeesport, Pennsylvania.

My brother-in-law grew up in Monsey, New York; his father grew up in Monsey and his mother grew up in Columbus, Ohio.

There's no reason to think their families would have had any previous connection.

My sister and brother-in-law now live in Baltimore with their 4 children.  I've done some research on my brother-in-law's side of the tree for those 4 children.  And it turns out that these two families may have known one another a century ago.

"Yallen" Family; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; 1910 Federal Census

Who was Devorah Tolchinsky? (aka How Blogging Helped me Find Two More Ancestors)

I've viewed 60 years' worth of Nezhin birth, marriage & death records (no, I don't sleep well) in the past few weeks.  I found multiple records for Tolchinskys who were registered in Lubny but living in Nezhin from around 1866.  All of these people are descended from my great-great-great grandfather Shimon Tolchinsky, and I've been able to fit them into my tree.  Well, all except one.

Devorah Tolchinsky Death - Full Page

Israel Tolchinsky's Soviet Military Record

Just three weeks ago, I wrote about the Soviet tribunal of my great-grandfather's half first cousin Israel/Vissarion Tolchinsky--and based on the outcome, I feared for what happened to this branch of the Tolchinsky family.  Thanks to a reader's direction, it turned out that not only did Israel Tolchinsky survive the outcome of this tribunal, but he received a medal for his military service in WWII.  And that post led Dmitry Pruss to point out that since Israel had been an officer in the Soviet military, he would have had an officer file--and he helped me to obtain it.

From Israel Tolchinsky's Soviet Officer File

The Other Tolchinskys--Into WWII

Last week, I wrote about my great-great grandfather's half brother Hirsch Tolchinsky's family who had stayed in the Russian Empire, while my great-great grandfather and his family emigrated to America.  That post discussed a tribunal held for Hirsch's son Vissarion/Israel-Isser (in which Hirsch was referred to as Grigory) in 1922--whose verdict looked like it spelled disaster for the Tolchinsky family.

But Eugene Krasnov commented on my Google Plus account to let me know that it was not the last we would hear of the Tolchinsky family--or of Vissarion/Israel-Isser.

Medal Citation for Israel Tolchinsky

The Tribunal of the Other Tolchinskys

My great-great grandfather Hillel had a half brother named Hirsch.  I discuss his family and some of the documentation I have on him here.  While Hillel came to America with his family in the first decade of the twentieth century, Hirsch and his children stayed in what was then the Russian Empire.  They had very different fates--and I now have a set of documents that give a bit of insight into the hardships that Hirsch's family underwent as the Russian Empire became part of the Soviet Union.

Cover Sheet - Food Provisions Session of the Chernigov Guberniya Revolutionary Tribunal, Vissarion Tolchinsky

Off to America!

A few years back, I emailed the few addresses I could find for the small village of Losinovka, just outside of what is now Nezhin, Ukraine.  My Tolchinsky family lived there, and I was hoping to find a contact who could help me with some ultra-local records.  I've since been in touch with a Ukrainian Orthodox priest who has an interest in history.  He was able to tell me that there was no Jewish cemetery in the village, but since the Jewish community wasn't much more than my Tolchinsky family, that didn't surprise me--they'd likely have been buried in Nezhin.  He also has been gracious enough to send me documents about my family when he comes across them in the local records.  The latest was incredible.

First 23AndMe DNA Success--Take That, Endogamy!

Last night, I had my first DNA success on 23AndMe.  (I won't say it's my first 23AndMe success because of this.)  In the past, my proven connections have mostly been with FamilyTreeDNA matches, with a few successes on Ancestry.  But I figured I should take a look at new matches on 23AndMe to see who else has tested.

23AndMe doesn't allow for sorting by largest segment, but it did allow me to sort by how much DNA I shared with other users.

My Top 23AndMe Matches, Sorted by Shared Percentage of DNA

Ber Tolchinsky Through Russian Empire Documents

Ber Tolchinsky was a younger half brother of my great-great grandfather, Hillel Tolchinsky.  Although to my knowledge Ber never left the Russian Empire, via a multitude of documents, I've been able to trace much of his life.

Ber Tolchinsky Birth, 1873

Tracing Hirsch Tolchinsky--With Beautiful Enumerator Handwriting (Russian Empire)

Hirsch Tolchinsky was the half brother of my great-great grandfather Hillel.  He was born about 1869 to Shimon and Risha-Frayda (nee Melanitsky or Mechansky) Tolchinsky in what is now Nizhyn, Ukraine (and was then Nezhin, Russian Empire).

The earliest mention I have of Hirsch is in an 1882 Russian Empire Households list.

1882 Households List; Nezhin, Russian Empire; Tolchinsky Family

Where Are My Samovars????

I've posted about the first pages in an 1899 court document regarding my Tolchinsky family here, here, here, here and here.  Gersh Tolchinsky (half brother of my great-great grandfather Hillel) had debts, and his family's samovars were taken to pay those debts--however the family entered an 1897 document into evidence to show that Gersh did not own the samovars and in fact had signed them and other property over to his mother and two of his siblings in 1897 for 48 rubles.

Here's the final summary & outcome of the case.

 Translation:

You've Been Served

I've posted about the first pages in an 1899 court document regarding my Tolchinsky family here, here, here and here .  Gersh Tolchinsky (half brother of my great-great grandfather Hillel) had debts, and his family's samovars were taken to pay those debts--however the family entered an 1897 document into evidence to show that Gersh did not own the samovars and in fact had signed them and other property over to his mother and two of his siblings in 1897 for 48 rubles.

Summons for the Tolchinskys to Appear in Court; 1899

Parties were summoned to court.

Translation:

There Goes the Inheritance

I've posted about the first pages in an 1899 court document regarding my Tolchinsky family here, here and here.  Gersh Tolchinsky (half brother of my great-great grandfather Hillel) had debts, and his family's samovars were taken to pay those debts--however the family entered an 1897 document into evidence to show that Gersh did not own the samovars and in fact had signed them and other property over to his mother and two of his siblings in 1897 for 48 rubles.  This is the second half of that 1897 document.

Gersh Tolchinsky Inheritance Relinquishment; 1897; Nezhin, Russian Empire

Translation below:

CSI: Nezhin

I've posted about the first pages in an 1899 court document regarding my Tolchinsky family here and here.  Gersh Tolchinsky (half brother of my great-great grandfather Hillel) had debts, and his family's samovars were taken to pay those debts--however this document was entered into evidence to show that Gersh did not own the samovars.

Tolchinsky Court Case Evidence Page 1, 1897

Translation:

Law and Order: Pale of Settlement

My last post introduced a court case that my Tolchinsky family was involved with in 1899.  The saga continues below. (Thanks to Mark Halpern for the title!)

Tolchinsky Court Document; 1899; Nezhin

Translation as follows: