Meerov - Meerovitch - Meyerowitz - Meierov - Meyers genealogical tree, click to enlarge.
From News and site changes log:
September 12th 2020:
I still remember when on may 10th 2009, a lady from Germany (Maria), contacted me and asked: "How does it comes that I saw in your website, a photo of my grandmother? We realized that she had the same photo, as as her grandmother was one of the ten siblings of my grandfather. And, alas, it hapenned again. The 7th of September I got an email from Gil, from Winnipeg, Canada, saying that he had the very same photo I have of Nechama, that was giving to him by her grandma with a writing in the back. So one thing is for sure, we are relatives. But where is the link and how are we related? Who gave the photo to his grandmother? THERE, is the clue to establish the link. I still have a lot to investigate to find out . In the meantime, I will upload a new genogram of the Meyerov with Gil´s data and lets hope, somebody will get to it and help to
I am re-writing this chapter, not erasing yet, part of the oral information from my auntie, untill I wll have more data.
Meerov - Meerovitch - Meyerowitz - Meierov - Meyers genealogical tree, click to enlarge.
According to my aunt Nelly, Baske Meierov/Meierovitch had two brothers (Faivke and Yankel) and a sister (Golda) He married Dinamirelle Rozemblat, daughter of Faivke and Nechamah. Of Nechamah's siblings, she remembers the names of Max, Abram, Leipke and Motke.
Data to be checked as to merge with Gil,s ancestors.
Pale of Settlement.
Undoubtedly, as Jews, all the family had their origin in the Pale. In 1791, the Russian Empress, Catherine the Great, established the Pale of Settlement and decreed that all Jewish inhabitants of her realm
Consisting of a vast swathe of territory, the Pale included much of present-day Lithuania, Belarus, Poland, Ukraine and parts of western Russia. In 1809 the Russian Government ordered all Jews to adopt fixed, inheritable family names so that they might be more easily identified for taxation and conscription. In 1827, Czar Nicholas I decreed that Jews, who had heretofore been exempt from military service were now liable for up to 25 years of army services as common soldiers. As late as the middle of the 19th century, Russian Government officials complained about the frequent change of family names among Russian Jews who lived in different communities under different surnames.
Jews were forced to live in the poor conditions of the Pale, and were discriminated against; they paid double taxes, were forbidden to lease land, run taverns or receive higher education. A liberalization period in the 1860s, which granted Jews some privileges, was reversed under the May Laws of 1882. These laws restricted Jews in the Pale to urban areas, which were often overcrowded and offered limited economic opportunities. In addition thousands of Jews fell victim to devastating pogroms in the 1870s and 1880s. The pogroms, boycotts and other anti-Semitic depredations Jews faced in the Pale led to mass immigration to the United States (two million between 1881 and 1914) as well as a string of other developments.
Now, after so many years, a picture of Nechamah shows in Winnipeg, Canada. Ida Smordin (nee Meyerowitz) gave the picture to her grandson Gil. As he thinks, most probably it was given to her by some of Nekhama near family. That we are related, we are, but where is the link? My source of information was my auntie Nelly (Zlata). She had a fabulous memory and living with her sister Mireil and their mother Fraide Rebecca, used to think and talk about their elders and look at old photos. Late in their lifes, I came acroos, asking, and asking about family. Proofs: their word. They are not with us any more, as to check again with this new info. Data included in the JewishGen - KehilaLinks had a lot of information about Gil´s ancestors and there, it said that Elya Meerovich and Khaya Sora were the parents of Moishe Leib Meyerowitz. (Gil´s great-great-great grandfather). He sent me a clipping of The JewishGen Family Finder that shows that they also were the parents of Nekhama. That makes them siblings, but in nowhere is stated this and also there is a gap of 32 years of age between them.
The Meyerov's were linked to the Berk's by the marriage of Moishe Leib Meyerovitz to Khaya Freida Berk. Furthermore, a son of Moishe Leib, Max Meyerov, married his cousin Reisa Berk, daughter of Zalman Berk (brother of Khaya Freida). (Source:JewishGen-KehilaLinks).
How we are related, click to enlarge.
Zalman's parents were : Shimen, born 1823 and Merka Mera, born 1924.
Zalman Shneyer Berk, born in Raguva circa 1851, married Chaya-Feyga Zilberman.
Chaya-Feyga was the bobe (grandma) of the shtetl and served as the shtetl's midwife and healer.
They had 12 children, one of which was Reiza.
Zalman died in Trashkun the 6th of October 1929.
Raguva and Troškūnai (Yiddish name: Trashkun) are small cities in northeastern Lithuania.
Zalman's sister, Chaya Freida Berk, was born in Traskun, the 14th of may 1854. She married in Canada to Moishe (Moses) Leib Meyerowitz, born the 4th of May 1846. They had 6 children. Chaya Freida died before 1912. Moishe died in Winnipeg, Canada, the 15th of October 1909.
Berk Zilberman genealogical tree, click to enlarge.
There is data about their descendants
The following genogram will be the one, with the data, Gil so kindly sent me, that shows Elya Meerovich and Khaya Sora ascendants .
Eliash Meyerov ascendants, click to enlarge.
Itsko Meyerov was married to Sosia. Meyer/Meer Meyerov was their son. He was born between 1799 and 1800. He married Chaya Sora and they had at least three sons:
1. Orel
2. Eliash-Elya
3. Abram Leizer : born 1834. Died 24th of September 1906.
The three of them are included in the Box Taxpayers list of 1877. The list also stated that Eliyash had a hou. Also said about Abran that he was well-to-do and has a house.
He was born in 1823, married Malka and had a son named Nosel.
Orel, his wife Malka and brother Elias, were included in the 1858 Lithuania, LitvakSIG Census and Family lists.
Nosel married Khasya.
They had two children born in Snipiskes : Malka, born 25th of June, 1900 and Aaron, born the 5th of December 1901, being their parents Nosel and Khasya and their grandparents: Orel and Ruvin.
Nosel is included in the Voters list of 1906.
Note: What was the tax box? It was a tax on kosher mea6t, collected from the members of the jewish community and used to pay for it various social needs, including the Rabbi's salary. These lists always gave, first name and father's name of the head of each household of the community.
Eliash was born in 1825. He died after 1899. He married Chaya Sora (no other data of her).
There is data about four of them.
But ... there is also data that they were the parents of Nekhama, my great grandmother
Eliash Meyerov descendants, click to enlarge.
1. Moses (4th of May 1846-1909).
2. Markel (1849).
3. Rafal (1862).
4. Meyer Yankel, born in 1863, married Golda, born 1867. They had three sons: * Bentsel * Mordhel,born in 1891 * Sholom, born in 1893
Meyer and his threee sons are listed in JewishGen as "burgeois of Kurkliani and in the military list (6th of February 1915).
5. See chapter 5 Shuster - Meyerov
Nekhama, click to enlarge.
Left : photo of Nekhama
Right : written on the back of the photo (Canada)
Moses Meyerowitz geneological tree, click to enlarge.
Moses was born the 4th of May 1846 in Traskun. He died in Canada, the 15th of October 1909.
He married Chaya Freyda Berk, born in Traskun, the 15th of May 1854. She died before 1912.
They had 6 children:
1. Abram Yosel, born in 1873. Only dat I have is my auntie´s memory, saying that he was married and had two daughters : Guitke and Bramke. 2. Dovid Meyer, born the 9th of July 18877. He was a bricklayer, and he did military service from 1898 to 1902. 3. Morkel, later Max , born the 16th of August 1879. 4. Shimel, Max twin brother. He died as a child in 1884 or 1885. 5. Leyzer Wulf (Leib Louis), born 1863. 6. Bentzel, born 1888.
My auntie talked to me about him, and she was not sure about the exact relationship with my Grandma Nekhama.
Max Myerowitz came from Minks (actually Belarus). He was a brother or cousin of Nechamah Meirerov(note the different spelling). He migrated to Canada and the descendants changed the surname to Meyers. Most probably he was the one that claimed his niece Sarah (his sister Nechamah's daughter?) as she was the first one of the Shuster's siblings to migrate. Today most of them live in Winnipeg and in some way or another we are related.
Some time ago, I requested Cousin Marvin, to contact any one of the Meyers' cousins who live in Winnipeg like him. He did so, and on the 29th of February 2004, he met with George Meyers (one of Max's sons). He informed Marvin, that his father Max came from Minsk, Russia. Their name was originally Meirovich; however because it had a Slavic connotation, to which the family objected, they eventually adopted Meyerowitz. His brother Sam (age 92 and alive at that time) was apparently more knowledgeable regarding that facts, but unfortunately at that moment he was currently in hospital. George further informed Marvin, that he had somewhere, old photos with names of family members and promised he would try to find them.
I am hoping that on reading this site, some of them will be interested in the genealogical project and will check old trunks for records, documents or old pictures that will help me to find the possible city my great-grandmother Nechamah was born.
I am sure, Cousin Marvin will be willing to scan any old picture or document they may have. Maybe someone of the new generations will be able to take the genealogy torch?
Max married his first cousin Reyza (Rissel, Rishka). She was born in Trashkun in 1883 and migrated to Canada with the help of her brother. Complete information about her ascendants in site "Families of Troskunai (Trashkun)" , as well as beautiful photos.
Max Meyerov descendants, click to enlarge.
1. David : he was born circa 1908 and died th 5th of february 2001.
2. Sam : he was born 1912 and died 10th of July 2004. He married Dinah and had two daughters.
3. Hank (Hy) : was born the 1st of January 1913 and died the 13th of february 1997. He married Belle Minuk I cann't remeber at this very moment the relationship with her, but I that many years ago, two guys from her family came to Uruguay (Jeff and Marty Minuk), and we went with a cousin of mine, Alex, that is a doctor as I think one of them is, to have some drinks and talk about family.
4. George : he was born the 1st of June 1917 and passed away the 20th of June 2013. He married Barbara Sinder and they had three children.
5. Goldie married xx Kane.
6. Sophie: married Jack Feingold (born the 29th of November 1919 and died 2nd of May 2006).They married in 1945 and had three children.
Twin brother of Max, born 18 of August 1879 and passed away in childhood between 1884-1885
Also named as Leyzer Wulf in some data.
Leib Myerowitz - Katie Lazar genealogical tree, click to enlarge.
Leib (Louis Meyerowitz was born in 1983. He immigrated to Canada from Lithuania via South Africa. He married Katie (Gitel Lazar, born in 1893.They had four children:
* Ida : (born 10th of October 1912-died 6th of October 2011). Married in 1935 to Harvey Smordin (born 9th of April 1912-died 4th of April 1991).
* Hilda : no data about her.
* Harold : born 25th of October 1914-died1992). Married Sylvia (Babe).
* Sam: born 19th of August 1918-died 31st of May 2012. Married the 19th of October 1947 to Cecile Rutman (born 20th of December 1924-died 17th of July 2017. They had two children.
He was born in 1888.
He was born in 1849.
He was born in 1862.
He was born in 1863. He married Golda and had 3 children: * Bentsel * Mordhel (1891) * Sholom (1893)
Meyer Yankel - Golda genealogical tree, click to enlarge.
There is data in The JewishGen that states that they were "burgeois of Kurkliai",being Meer Yankel the head of household with 51 years and 3 sons:Bentsel; Sholom (24) and Mordhel (22).