Thank you for the email December 6. I did some additional research on
Chaits from Birzai on the base of the information you sent me up till
this time.
1. In the birth records of Pasvalys we have (1882-1889,1893- 1914) I
found the birth records of childrens of Yudel ben Abram Chait and Asna
bat Zusman Kriger : Ovsey (23.06.1895), Sholom (18.04.1897),
Enta-Rocha (19.07.1899), Itzik (20.10.1901.) and Chana
(31.07.1903).Traying to find their marriage record I examined marriage
records of Birzai (1881- 1895), Pasvalys (1882-1895) and of some other
nearest towns- Zeimelis (1882-1895), Linkuva (1881-1895), Joniskelis
(1887-1895), Vabalninkas (1882-1895), Pusalotas(1883-86,88- 1895). But
I do not find this marriage record. Records of Vashki do not exist.
Besides, I looked through the birth records of Linkuva
(1884-1888,1897,98,1900-1903), Joniskelis (1887,1888,1893-1912),
Birzai (1876-78,1881-1887 and later years), Pumpenai (1900- 1909). But
I do not fiind any more of their childrens.
2. As far as Meyer Chait and Asna family; By your data Meyer was born
abt. 1866 in Birzai. I examined the birth records of Birzai of
1865-1869.- His birth record did not exist in these books. I examined
the marriage records of Birzai of
1881-1895 as well as of some other nearest communities
(Pasvalys,Linkuva,Vabalninkas,Joniskelis,Pusalotas,Zeimelis.)
But I do not find their marriage record. By your data, Asna the wife
of Meyer Chait died in Birzai in 1926. I looked through the death
records of Birzai of 1925-1939, but her death record is not among
these records. As I wrote you before,in the birth records of Birzai of
1881-1887,1893-1914 I found the birth records of Girsh (1882),
Gode-Ite (1887) and Shmuel (March 1,1893).Their parents were Meyer ben
Shmuel (not Abram) Chait and Asne. I do not find the birth record of
Sam Chait (b.1893.04.06 in Birzai, by your data) in
Birzai 1893 records book. So, probably,your information about this
family is not very correct.
3.On the base of information you sent me by last email I
found in Birzai records:
1.the marriage record of Meyer-Pinches ben Movsha-Leyb
Chait and Beile bat Berel (in 1882). Her maiden name is not indicated.
2.the birth records of their childrens- David-Michel (1894),
Reize-Braine (1896),Avadye (1900), Mere-Mindel(1903),Yente-
Freide (1905) and Leyzer-Abel (1908). It is strange that I do not find
any of their children in the birth records of Birzai of
1883-1887,1893.
4.As far as Itzik Chait family; I find the marriage record of Mendel
ben Itzik-David Chait 25 years and Civya bat Zusman Kriger 24 years in
Pasvalys records(1898 -I do not find the birth record of Mendel (1873)
in Birzai and Pasvalys records of 1873,1874 years.I do not find the
birth record of his brother Moris (1880) in Birzai records 1880,1881
years. Records of Pasvalys of 1875-1881 not
preserved.
Lastly. In the death records of Birzai I examined up till this
time (1881-1898,1902,1913-1914,1925-1939) I found some
records about Chaits. Maybe some of them is important for
you: died in 1882 Itzik ben Calel Chait 59 years,1884 Ber ben Abram
Chait 48,1887 Shmuel ben Zelik Chait 76 years, 1889 died
Meyer ben Lipko Chait 63,1894 died Gershon ben Abram Chait 60
years,1896 Mordtkel Ber ben Shmuel Chait 60,
1896 died Mones ben Itzik Chait 52,1898 died Chaia bat
Leyzer, the wife of Itzik Chait 73 years. in 1938 died Abram
Chait a widower, born in 1856, son of Elya-David and Roche- Leya
Zvidgal.
There are a lot of Chaits in all Birzai records. Of course, the
answers to many questions would give for us census records of Birzai
of 1850 and 1858 years. But,unfortunately,
these census records do not preserved. Without these documents it is
impossible to do more correct research.
If you are interested in copies with translations of some mentioned
before records I found, please inform me.
Sincerely yours,
Alfonsas
Thanks, Eilat, for helping me with a rare breakthrough. R.
----- Original Message -----
From: Rena W. Shankman
To: Len Lever ; Henry&Tina Lever ; Evan Lever
Cc: David and Ellie Korros ; Edward Wise
Sent: Monday, March 10, 2008 6:52 PM
Subject:Gesa Lever's death in 1939 at age 74
Lenard,
I received Pasvalys 1922-1939 death records where some of the Joniskelis/Vashki records apparently were recorded. I was amazed to find your grandmo as Gesa Lever, fa Shlomo, mo Malka, died in 1939 at the age of 74, of diabetic peritonitis. The names, age, all match. Gesa was the younger sister of my grandmother Ruchel Leah Vais/Wise Weiner and of Uncle Edel Vais/Wise; I believe I sent you marriage record of 1900 indicating she was 23 and your grandfa Sender (?) Lever of Linkova was 25.
Am copying to my cousin Eleanor Shein Korros and also Uncle Edel's grandson Edward Wise. What a blessing that she did not die in the Holocaust!! While I can not be sure, since her marriage and death were recorded in Pasvalys records, I assume she continued to live in Vashki. So will continue to watch for her daughters and your father's nieces Ita and Malka. I may have seen Ita in Vashki cemetery record a while back but can not seem to retrieve them now. If Malka survived, she may have been married and this would complicate the search.
Hope everyone is well. My best to all, Rena
Pasvalys Deaths-1922-1939.xls
Eilat Gordin Levitan to Rena
Mar 11
Dear Rena,
Did you check the Yad Vashem reports for Lever from Pasvalys? There is
no Malka but
there were 2 sons who gave reports for a Lever family members from
Pasvalys/Linkova who perished.
I am pasting it here. You'll see how little people know since each son
gives another first name to each of the grandparents.....
Lever Gabriel
Gabriel Lever was born in Pasvalys in 1878 to Shimon and Ester. He
was a ערד×?רבעטער and married to Khana nee Levitan. Prior to WWII he
lived in Linkuva, Lithuania. Gabriel perished in 1941 in Linkuva,
Lithuania. This information is based on a Page of Testimony (displayed
on left) submitted ( in Yiddish) on 06-May-1973 by his son Pesach who
came to Israel in 1973
Lever Gavriel
Gavriel Lever was born in Lithuania to Sender and Mina. He was an
agriculturist and married to Chana. Prior to WWII he lived in Linkuva,
Lithuania. During the war he was in Linkuva, Lithuania. Gavriel
perished in 1941 in Linkuva, Lithuania. This information is based on a
Page of Testimony (displayed on left) submitted on 01-Jan-1996 by his
son Simon Lever, Lancaster, Pa..
Lever Aleksander
Aleksander Lever was born in Linkova in 1924 to Gabriel and Khana.
He was a pupil. Prior to WWII he lived in Linkova, Lithuania.
Aleksander perished in 1941 in Linkova, Lithuania. This information is
based on a Page of Testimony (displayed on left) submitted on
06-May-1973 by his brother Pesach
Lever Sender
Sender Lever was born in Linkuva to Gavriel and Chana nee Levitan.
He was single. Prior to WWII he lived in Linkuva, Lithuania. During
the war he was in Linkuva, Lithuania. Sender perished in 1941 in
Linkuva, Lithuania at the age of 18. This information is based on a
Page of Testimony (displayed on left) submitted on 01-Jan-1996 by his
brother Simon
Lever Guta
Guta Lever was born in Linkova in 1927 to Gabriel and Khana. She was
a pupil and single. Prior to WWII she lived in Linkova, Lithuania.
Guta perished in 1941 in Linkova, Lithuania. This information is based
on a Page of Testimony (displayed on left) submitted on 06-May-1973 by
her brother Pesach
Lever Mina Gita
Gita Lever was born in Linkuva to Gavriel and Chana nee Levitan. She
was a child. Prior to WWII she lived in Linkuva, Lithuania. During the
war she was in Linkuva, Lithuania. Gita perished in 1941 in Lithuania
at the age of 14. This information is based on a Page of Testimony
(displayed on left) submitted on 01-Jan-1996 by her sister
Lever Khana
Khana Lever was born in Linkuva in 1891 to Gita and Hirsh David
Levitan. She was a housewife and married to Gabriel. Prior to WWII she
lived in Linkuva, Lithuania. Khana perished in 1941 in Linkuva,
Lithuania. This information is based on a Page of Testimony (displayed
on left) submitted on 06-May-1973 by her
Lever Chana
Chana Lever nee Levetan was born to Chonon Tanchum and Chaya pesha.
She was an agriculturist and married to Gavriel. Prior to WWII she
lived in Linkuva, Lithuania. During the war she was in Linkuva,
Lithuania. Chana perished in 1941 in Linkuva, Lithuania. This
information is based on a Page of Testimony (displayed on left)
submitted by her son Simon
-------------------------------------------------
the Lever family was from
Linkova including Gisa's husband. Also when Gisa's son Sam Lever, his wife
Becky, and son Alex and wife visited the U.S about 1971 they visited not
only our Weiner family in Ky, Tn., Miss. and Ga. but also I remember their
mentioning family in Pa, La, Md. etc.
I do have a hard copy of a Lever family tree from Gisa's grandson Alex
Lever indicating names and where family lived/ had immigrated. Gisa"s son
Sam had immigrated to South Africa in the 1920's where there were other
Lever family. I corresponded with Alex Lever, now deceased, and am still in
touch with his brother Lenard Gershon Lever now of Australia. Another
brother Henry Lever still lives in Africa. I notice one of the Levers was
married to a Levitan. Thanks for sharing the Lever information and for your
help. Rena
Name:
Chaim Lurie Friedberg
Arrival Date:
Apr 1894
Age:
67 Years 0 Months years
Estimated Birth Year:
abt 1827
Gender:
Male
Port of Departure:
Bremen, Germany
Ship Name:
Gera
Port of Arrival:
Baltimore, Maryland
Destination:
Bulto,MD
Last Residence:
Paswol
Microfilm Roll Number:
5
Page:
31
Name:
Sare Marshe Friedberg
Arrival Date:
Apr 1894
Age:
46 Years 0 Months years
Estimated Birth Year:
abt 1848
Gender:
Female
Port of Departure:
Bremen, Germany
Ship Name:
Gera
Port of Arrival:
Baltimore, Maryland
Destination:
Bulto,MD
Last Residence:
Paswol
Microfilm Roll Number:
5
Page:
31
View original image
Save This Record
Name:
Beila Krehmin
Arrival Date:
Aug 1902
Age:
19 Years 0 Months years
Estimated Birth Year:
abt 1883
Gender:
Female
Port of Departure:
Bremen, Germany
Ship Name:
Brandenburg
Port of Arrival:
Baltimore, Maryland
Last Residence:
Paswal
Microfilm Roll Number:
30
Page:
260
Name:
Bgomen Krehmin
Arrival Date:
Aug 1902
Age:
7 Years 6 Months years
Estimated Birth Year:
abt 1895
Gender:
Male
Port of Departure:
Bremen, Germany
Ship Name:
Brandenburg
Port of Arrival:
Baltimore, Maryland
Last Residence:
Paswal
Microfilm Roll Number:
30
Page:
260
Name:
Chaim Krehmin
Arrival Date:
Aug 1902
Age:
15 Years 0 Months years
Estimated Birth Year:
abt 1887
Gender:
Male
Port of Departure:
Bremen, Germany
Ship Name:
Brandenburg
Port of Arrival:
Baltimore, Maryland
Last Residence:
Paswal
Microfilm Roll Number:
30
Page:
260
Name:
More Krehmin
Arrival Date:
Aug 1902
Age:
45 Years 0 Months years
Estimated Birth Year:
abt 1857
Gender:
Female
Port of Departure:
Bremen, Germany
Ship Name:
Brandenburg
Port of Arrival:
Baltimore, Maryland
Last Residence:
Paswal
Microfilm Roll Number:
30
Page:
260
Name:
Tankol Krehmin
Arrival Date:
Aug 1902
Age:
20 Years 0 Months years
Estimated Birth Year:
abt 1882
Gender:
Male
Port of Departure:
Bremen, Germany
Ship Name:
Brandenburg
Port of Arrival:
Baltimore, Maryland
Last Residence:
Paswal
Microfilm Roll Number:
30
Page:
260
Name:
Sore Krehmin
Arrival Date:
Aug 1902
Age:
23 Years 0 Months years
Estimated Birth Year:
abt 1879
Gender:
Female
Port of Departure:
Bremen, Germany
Ship Name:
Brandenburg
Port of Arrival:
Baltimore, Maryland
Last Residence:
Paswal
Microfilm Roll Number:
30
Page:
260
Date: Fri, Feb 6, 2009 at 7:42 AM
Subject: [safrica] Pasvalys/ Poswohl on 101.9 ChaiFM
T
Tomorrow night - Saturday 7th February, on the radio show "The Yiddish Thing - Life in the Shtetl" I will be dealing with two major topics:
1) An interview with Veronica Belling re her latest book on Yiddish Theatre in South Africa
2) An interview with Dr Isaac Abramowitz who was born in Poswohl and his son David who has visited there.
Listeners outside the Johannesburg covergae area of 101.9FM can hear the show through audio-streaming on the website www.chaifm.com
e-Mails to info@chaifm.com
Eli Goldstein
Johannesburg
From: <g.balciunaitis@pasvaliomuziejus.lt>
Hi,
I'm writening from Lithuania, from the Museum of Pasvalys. I found
very important photos in Your internet site. We are preparing a new
booklet about jewish life in Pasvalys before World War II. So I want
to ask You about photos. Can we use some photos from Your internet
site? It would be very nice. This booklet will be designed for all
people, especially for schools. So I'm waiting Your answer.
Best respects
Grazvydas Balciunaitis
Pasvalys Land Museum
Shalom, I'm looking for information about my family, Gork, who lived
in Posvil. My father Abraham Emanuel (Manke) emigrated to SA. He
appears in a picture of a group of people in Posvil in 1932. I found a
record on your website
http://www.eilatgordinlevitan.com/kurenets/k_pages/chait.html. so I'm
writing to you perhaps you have more information about Roza and her
family who according to your record died in the holocaust with her
husband and children.
If anyone is interested in how my hypothesis (from January) that my New York GORDON family from Kovno Guberniya were actually GORK from PASVALYS turned out, I believe I now have enough evidence to consider this to have reached the level of genealogical proof.
First, I finally found the ship manifest showing my great-great-grandmother Hode GORDON and her daughter Rochel GORDON arriving in New York in December 1907, sailing from Liverpool. They are going to Hode's son "Solomon GORDON", who paid for the voyage. The destination address given is identical to that seen on my great-uncle Nathan Aaron GORDON's 1909 birth certificate. I am confident that "Solomon" is identical with Nathan's father, my great-grandfather Jacob GORDON, whose original name (as attested on his tombstone) was Schneier Zelman ben Nachum Aron. Presumably his family originally called him Zelman, and Solomon was their anglicization of that. The 1909 birth certificate lists him as "Jake", the name he eventually settled on to use in America.
The same address is also seen on the 1910 census as Hode and Rochel's residence, their names having been anglicized to "Ada" and "Rosa". This address links all three records, so I am positive of their identity. Their town of origin is Poswol in Kowno province, which I am sure is Pasvalys. I.e., they could have been from any shtetl in Kovno province, but they were actually from Pasvalys, the same shtetl that contained the GORK family, which matches my GORDONs in all respects but the surname.
Second, I discovered that the great-aunt who had once written to my mother that the GORDONs had a different surname in the old country was still alive and lucid. So I phoned her up and asked her directly about the surname story. She repeated a delightful anecdote that my great-grandmother Bessie GORDON had told her about the immigration experience: she said that at Ellis Island, the officials showed her and her husband a list of names and asked them to choose the one that was closest to their own name, implying that they were obliged to change their name to something more palatable. So they chose "GORDON". Of course this anecdote cannot be accurate in its detail (since no names were changed at Ellis Island, and my GORDONS did not even arrive at Ellis Island - family history is clear that they landed in Savannah), but it does indicate that they had another name in Lithuania.
With a bit of trepidation, I asked my great-aunt what the original name was. I had never spoken with her before, she has no computer and she had no idea of my research on the issue. She said "it was something like GORK or GARK", and then tried to pronounce something that sounded intermediate between GORK and GARK, obviously repeating a word she had heard years ago in this context. The Litvak records for the family I have targeted list both variants, suggesting that the clerks had the same question of which vowel it was.
For me, this seems proof enough. I don't believe it is plausible that my research could have come up with a false match identical to the name that my great-aunt, whom I've never spoken with before, independently claims is the original name.
The Ellis Island story is of course the classic American myth about name-changing, but I have to wonder what the kernel of truth in the anecdote might be. In the US, if the immigrant's details did not match the manifest, they would be sent back. Picking the name "Gordon" from a list could indicate the process of finding their names on the ship manifest page, but also implies that they usurped the place of some unfortunate couple named Gordon, who would then have been sent back. This seems implausible. I am wondering if the surname change actually happened in England, when presumably a new manifest would have been written for the transatlantic journey, but not by Russians nor dependent on Russian documents, especially if the emigrants had spent some time in England rather than just stopping off there as part of the transatlantic journey.
Years later, Jacob's mother Hode GORDON would sail to New York from Liverpool, but she used GORDON as her surname on the manifests (both UK and NY), that surname now being well-established for the family in the US. So she either started with papers that used GORDON in Russia, or she changed the surname along the way. Many of my Litvak family immigrated via England, and Hode sailed from Liverpool to NY. Family lore says that her son Samuel lived for a time in England, and indeed I have found a 1902 manifest for Schmuel GORK from Poswol in the Hamburg passenger lists. I presume this is the person who later became Samuel GORDON in America; I have not found his NY manifest yet, but I am betting he had become GORDON before he left the UK.
Another Litvak branch of my family was GINDES in the Litvak records, the family name being pronounced "Hindeson" (from PUMPENAI, PUSALOTAS and KUPISKIS). Their first pioneer emigrant went to England and lived there for some years. In England he was "Hinderson" and by the time he reached America he was "HENDERSON". Yet his uncle who went directly from Russia to Baltimore was GINDES on his US manifest in 1899, and by the 1900 census he was using the name "Gindason", which later became "GENDASON", the Russian "G" being stubbornly preserved.This suggests a pattern: direct travel to the US meant an accurate preservation of the Russian name (even to the point of adopting Russian transliteration errors) on the US ship manifest, but travel via England seems to have resulted in an anglicized name. Maybe the apocryphal "the clerk changed my name" events actually took place in England? I presume many Russian emigrants would have at least changed ships in England, and some, like my ancestors, may have first lived for a time there before deciding to emigrate further to the USA.
Does anyone else see this pattern repeating in their own research?
Thanks,
Jonathan Alcantara
Oxfordshire, England
Researching: GINDES (HINDESON/HENDERSON) in PUMPENAI, PUSALOTAS and KUPISKIS;
GORDON (GORK in PUMPENAI, PUSALOTAS and PASVALYS);
SANDLER in PUMPENAI;
DANZIG (DANCHIK / DANTSIG in PUMPENAI);
Passport Issuance Books for Linkuva and Pasvalys
The Panevezys District Research Group (PDRG) is posting the second part of a group of lists of passports issued for the Panevezys District on its Shutterfly website. These two lists recorded passports issued for the towns of Linkuva and Pasvalys for 1914 and 1915. In the case of Linkuva, 55 passports are recorded as having been issued between 5 January and 30 June 1915, roughly coinciding with the period from the invasion of Kovna Gubernia by the German army to the expulsion of the Jews from the territory subject to hostilities to the interior provinces of Imperial Russia. In the case of Pasvalys, 355 passports were recorded as having been issued between 21 January 1914 and 2 July 1915, roughly coinciding with Imperial Russia's preparations for war and the expulsion of the Jews from the front line of battle that bisected Kovna Gubernia.
The exact nature of these passports is not clear from the information on the Excel spread sheets. They are unlikely to be international passports since those that are specifically labeled indicate that they were issued for internal movement, and they are unlikely to be the usual type of internal passports because they were issued for a limited period, in most cases for one year and in a very few cases for longer periods, up to five years. In a large number of cases they are being sent to other locations such as Riga and other parts of Courland and Russia where presumably the individual is either traveling, residing temporarily or planning to reside. The passports issued in Linkuva were issued primarily to men and only a few women. In Pasvalys they were issued to more men than women. With a few exceptions, the individuals were over age 18. The list for Pasvalys includes a number of large families.
The passports appear to be color coded, with each color related to the individual's status for purposes of military conscription. White passports, which predominate, indicate that the individual is exempt from conscription. Blue passports indicate a military rank, and pink passports indicate an individual who is subject to conscription. The significance of the red passport is unknown.
It should be noted that recent studies assert that the management of the internal passport regulations in Imperial Russia, and their application to Jews, became increasingly chaotic in this period. Within two years - in 1917 - the regulations were totally abandoned by the Provisional Kerensky Government's reforms and were not replaced by the Soviet Government until 1932. (See Avrutin, Eugene, "Jews and the Imperial State: Identification Politics in Tsarist Russia", pp184-185, Ithica NY, Cornell U. Press, 2010; and Stein, Louis, " The Exile of the Lithuanian Jews during the Fervor of the First World War (1914-1918)", parts 9 and 10, http://www.jewishgen.org/Yizkor/lita/lit0089.html ). Shortly after the end of WWI, the newly formed Lithuanian state adopted internal passport regulations lasting until the outset of WWII.
The Panevezys District Research Group invites everyone who is interested in tracing family in the Panevezys District of Lithuania before and during WWI and in the inter-war period to contribute to the effort to translate passport records and other records by sending a tax deductible (in the USA) contribution of $100 to www.livaksig.org/contribute using a credit card or by check to the mailing address listed there. Contributors will have exclusive access to any newly translated records for 18 months before they become publicly available on the All Lithuania Database. Also for five years they will have access to all translated data in the Excel format on our Shutterfly website.
Lists of surnames on both passport lists are available to ANYONE on request to me at my email address below.
Bill Yoffee
Panevezys District Research Coordinator
kidsbks@verizon.net
The database and discussion group of LitvakSIG (litvaksig@lyris.jewishgen.org) are hosted by JewishGen
From: Bill Yoffee; Owners of Insured Property in Panevezys District 1910 (Six more)
Visit our home page at http://www.litvaksig.org
The Panevezys district Research Group is posting to its Shutterfly website a list of owners of insured real estate in six more towns in the District in 1910, and their insured value also in 1910. The towns being listed are Birzai (133 owners), Linkuva (112 owners), Pakruojis (124 owners), Pasvalys (195 owners), Pusalotas (65 owners) and Salociai (22 owners). Previously the Group posted lists for eight towns and shtetls of the District: Klovainiai, Naujamiestis, Nemunelio Radiviliskis, Smilgiai, Truskava, Krekenava Ramygala and Rozalimas. The first five of these had a relatively small number of property owners when compared with the last three and the newly posted six. These lists are significant for showing the extent of real estate ownership and give some indication of the wealth of the owners and of the Jewish community of each town. The data are in the Excel format which give the owner's surname and given name, the father's name in some cases, noting where the property is held in common (presumably with a co-owner not necessarily a spouse), street location in many cases and the value of the property in current (1910) rubles. All of the records are located in the same file at the Kaunas Archives.
The right to own real estate by Jewish residents in the Pale of Settlement was guaranteed during the reign of the liberal Czar Alexander II, and that right was subsequently extended to Jews who resided outside the Pale, especially in the major cities of the Russian Empire. However after his assassination, the succession of Alexander III and the promulgation of the May Laws of 1882, the right of Jews to own land was gradually restricted again to their place of residence in the Pale and excluded altogether from the western border lands. Even land that was leased or managed was also excluded in 1903. Jews were also prohibited from changing residence within the Pale so that they were unable to acquire land rights elsewhere in the Pale.
The stated insured value of the real estate is listed in 1910 rubles. The present consensus is that one ruble in 1910 was equal to $10 US in the year 2000. (Another suggested value based on the gold standard is that one silver ruble in 1910 equaled $0.514 US Gold). The inflation adjusted value of one 1910 ruble, therefore, was $13.37 US in 2012. From the lists of assessed values of the real estate, it can be assumed that Jews in these six towns were relatively more prosperous than the eight listed earlier. The exception was Pusalotas, apparently an agricultural town, whose buildings were listed as wooden (only three as stone). None of the property owners had property assessed as high as 5000 rubles in 1910. In Pasvalys, on the other hand, six owners had property assessed for more than 5000; the highest was 9900 rubles ($132,363 US in 2012).
The Panevezys District Research Group invites everyone who is interested in tracing family in the Panevezys District of Lithuania before and during WWI and in the inter-war period to join in our effort to have additional records translated. Access to the Panevezys District Research Group's (PDRG) Shutterfly website is available to contributors. Contributions totaling $100 or more qualify an individual, and, for the next five years, provides
access to the website, as well as exclusive access to all newly translated records for at least 18 months before they are made publicly available on the All Lithuania Database (ALD). Your tax deductible (for US taxpayers) contributions can be made to www.litvaksig.org/contribute by credit card, or by check at the address that is listed there. Please be sure to designate the Panevezys DRG as the recipient.
Lists of surnames for any of the 14 towns are available to ANYONE upon request to me.
Bill Yoffee, Panevezys District Research Coordinator, kidsbks@verizon.net
The database and discussion group of LitvakSIG (litvaksig@lyris.jewishgen.org) are hosted by JewishGen
LitvakSIG is a non-profit 501(c)3 corporation. Contributions to LitvakSIG may be made online at www.litvaksig.org/contribute and are
tax-deductible as provided by law. Contributions may also be mailed to LitvakSIG, Inc., c/o Eden Joachim, 41 Country Club Lane, Pomona, NY 10970. Please specify town(for vital records) or district research group (and town of interest) for other types of records, and include your e-mail address with your contribution.
Beniamin Agulnik was born in Posvol, Lithuania in 1930 to Yitzkhak and Khaia nee Rabinovitz. He was a pupil and a child. Prior to WWII he lived in Posvol, Lithuania. During the war he was in Posvol, Lithuania. Beniamin was murdered/perished in 1941 in Posvol, Lithuania at the age of 11. This information is based on a Page of Testimony submitted by his mother's brother Mordechai Rabinovitz of kibbutz Dafna.
1.Yitzkhak Agulneek was born in Kamajai, Lithuania in 1899. He was a rabbi and married to Khaia. Prior to WWII he lived in Posvol, Lithuania. During the war he was in Posvol, Lithuania. Yitzkhak was murdered/perished in 1941 in Posvol, Lithuania at the age of 42. This information is based on a Page of Testimony (displayed on left) submitted by his brother-in-law.
2.Khaia Agulneek nee Rabinovitz was born in Posvol, Lithuania in 1899 to Moshe and Hinda. She was a housewife and married to Yitzkhak. Prior to WWII she lived in Posvol, Lithuania. During the war she was in Posvol, Lithuania. Khaia was murdered/perished in 1941 in Posvol, Lithuania at the age of 42. This information is based on a Page of Testimony
3,Pesia Agulneek was born in Posvol, Lithuania in 1928 to Ytzkhak and Khaia nee Rabinovitz. She was a pupil and a child. Prior to WWII she lived in Posvol, Lithuania. During the war she was in Posvol, Lithuania. Pesia was murdered/perished in 1941 in Posvol, Lithuania at the age of 13. This information is based on a Page of Testimony (displayed on left) submitted by her uncle.
Beniamin Agulneek was born in Posvol, Lithuania in 1930 to Yitzkhak and Khaia nee Rabinovitz. He was a pupil and a child. Prior to WWII he lived in Posvol, Lithuania. During the war he was in Posvol, Lithuania. Beniamin was murdered/perished in 1941 in Posvol, Lithuania at the age of 11. This information is based on a Page of Testimony (displayed on left) submitted by his mother's brother mordechai rabinovitz of kibutz dafna.
Moshe Agulneek was born in Posvol, Lithuania in 1926 to Ytzkhak and Khaia. He was a pupil and a child. Prior to WWII he lived in Posvol, Lithuania. During the war he was in Posvol, Lithuania. Moshe was murdered/perished in 1941 in Posvol, Lithuania at the age of 15. This information is based on a Page of Testimony (displayed on left) submitted by his uncle.
6. Sheina Chazan nee Rabinovitz was born in Subata, Latvia in 1890 to Moshe and Dvora. She was a housewife and married. During the war she was in Pasvalys, Lithuania. Sheina was murdered/perished in Pasvalys, Lithuania. This information is based on a Page of Testimony (displayed on left) submitted by her brother.
7.Jcchak Chazan was born in Eishishuk, Poland in 1895. He was a merchant and married to Sheina nee Rabinovitz. Prior to WWII he lived in Eishishuk, Poland. Jcchak was murdered/perished in Posvol, Ghetto. This information is based on a Page of Testimony (displayed on left) submitted by his brother-in-law.
8.
Mordchai Chazan was born in Pasvalys, Lithuania in 1915 to Yitzkhak and Reizl. Prior to WWII he lived in Pasvalys, Lithuania. Mordchai was murdered/perished in Pasvalis, Lithuania. This information is based on a Page of Testimony (displayed on left) submitted by his uncle.
The uncle Mordechai Rabinovitz from kibbutz Dafna is forth from the left. His wife Mina is next to him. He gave the reports to Yad Vashem.
the paents marriage in 1925
| 2 | 11 | 3 | 1925 | 15 Adar | Kamajai | AGULNIKAS / [AGULNIK] | Isakas | Mause | Reize | 31 | Pasvalys | RABINOVICAITE / [RABINOVITS] | Chaje | Mause | Hinde | 22 | Pa |
From: Marks Family <marksfamily@discoverymail.co.za>
Date: Mon, Dec 16, 2013 at 2:44 PM
Subject: benjamin Agulneek/agulnik
To: egl.comments@gmail.com
Hi there-
I am a 12 yr old and live in South Africa.
It is PG my barmitzvah soon and to make it more meaningful, i decided to do some research through the yad vashem database on a boy my age, with a similar name who tragically died in the Shoah.
I have chosen Benjamin Agulnik and see from the research on the internet that his father was the last rabbi of Posvol.
It is interesting to see that many Jews from Posvol settled in South Africa.
Do you please have any other info for me about this family to help me with my research.
Thank you
Benjamin Marks
Asne Osnat nee Garnun was born in Pasvalys in 1923. She passed away in 2012 in Israel.
1923
2012
Garnun Family
son; Yerach Megido
From: Desiree Bean <desiree@majesticcharters.com>
Good day
My name is Desiree
I am trying to trace the history of my children's great grandfather.
A few days ago with the help of a Jewish Facebook group, a translation was made of his gravestone inscription for me. I found out that my children's great grandfather Nicolas Liepner's original name was "Nachum" son of Shloma(o) Yaakov. From the gravestone and death notice it is estimated he was born circa 1875.
According to two sources (one being his Rand Pioneer certificate, the other is mentioned at the end), Nicolas came to South Africa circa 1892/94 initially as a tailor. It is rumoured that he may have come to South Africa via Germany, as apparently that is where he worked as a tailor for a Mr Liepner, hence him adopting the surname for professional reasons. Which route he took to get to South Africa is not known. Unfortunately the date of his arrival is also before registers were kept by the Poor Jews Shelter in London, so I am not able to find any record of him there, nor on any online research sites for Lithuanian Jews.
His naturalization document in 1902 states he came from "Poswell", Kovno, Russian Empire. In an entry in the 1916, Who's Who of South Africa -( not the Jewish one) it has the following information:
Name: Nicolas Liepner
Event Type: Birth
Birth Date: 1875
Birth Place: Covno Goberna, Russia
Residence Year: 1916
Occupation: Speculator
Notes: Ashton Buildings, Johannesburg. Post Office Box 4649. Telephone 1952. Telephone and Cables, Liepnernie.
Other: Came to South Africa in 1894; Johannesburg from 1894 to 1899; Cape Town 1899 to 1902; Johannesburg 1902 to 1915. Educated: Riga. Single. Has spent coins
Title: South African Who's Who 1916
Page Number: 395
His will and death notice have no information that could help us either.
The only other information that might be of interest is that he sent both of his son's to Kenya to study and in 1945 his daughter Leila alias Lucille who had polio went to USA for treatment at the Mayo clinic after her 1st divorce. Leila was married 3 times. 1st to Edgar Isidore Edelstein, (one daughter) 2nd to Maurice Shartin (no children) 3rd to Alastair Byde Liebert (one son).
If anyone has connections to this family or can offer any assistance, the family would greatly appreciate it.
Kind regards
Desiree