Chust, Xyct, Khust, Hust, Huszt … Synagogue for Kovesliget, Drahiv, Drahovo, Drahova — #Genealogy #Jewish #HapsburgEmpire #Maramaros

The earliest mention of a Jewish presence in Kovesliget (Drahiv) is from 1735 when there were two Jewish families. By 1746 they had been counted as 17 (5 men, 5 women, and six children). In both instances the names were not recorded.

By 1768, there were a total of 16 individuals, including: Wolva (that is, Wolf), the head of a family of four, paying the sum of 12 florins per year rent; So this is the earliest mention of Stanczyk’s wife’s family. These scant details are from:  Sefer Marmarosh; as translated by Moshe A. Davis (accessed at https://www.jewishgen.org/Yizkor/maramures/mar270.html on 02/26/2019). Drahiv/Kovesliget was the village where they lived and the synagogue was in Chust. 

From FamilySearch – https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSK8-NS94-9?i=31&cat=231564, I found a census of the Maramaros region for Koveslegit on image 43 of 693 for Kovesligeth (starting at image 32), I found at line 104: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSK8-NSM1-H?i=42&cat=231564

I found Stryj Volvovits (Jud). It was in 1828 Census. 

When going back to Moshe A. Davis ‘s work (from above), He mentions:

62 years later, in 1830, Drahiv was already well-populated by Jews, in comparison to other neighboring villages. There can be no question that in the first third of the 19th century that there was already established in Drahiv a proper Jewish community with all of the institutions necessary for it’s proper functioning and development; that is, the triple foundation of a synagogue in which to pray and learn, a mikvah, and (to distinguish between the living and those who already have passed on) a Jewish cemetery.

This growth of the Jewish communtity of Drahiv is found recorded in a manuscript in the Hungarian National Archives in Budapest which lists the names of 18 heads of Jewish households from Drahiv, totalling 99 individual family members. A photocopy of this manuscript exists in the University of Tel Aviv (Muller Collection). The names listed are as follows (the numbers in parentheses is the number of individuals in each family):

Isaac Hofman (8, including a Jewish servant);
Barko Shimonovits (7);
Yanko Leibovits (10);
Mendel Zelikovits (3);
Moshko Hershkovits (6);
Sruli (=Yisroel) Wolfowitz (4);
Marko Shimonovits (10);
Folk Leibovits (4);
Yecheskel Davidovits (3);
Tzala (=Betzalel?) Davidovits (7);
Marko Sheyovits (9);
Chayim Sheyovits (3);
Pinchas Chaimovits (4);
Moshko Leibovits (4);
Hillel Leibovits (6);
Shlomo Gedaliyovits (6);
Itzko Hershkovits (3);
Shimon Itzkovits (2).

I see Sruli Wolfowitz in this 1830 census. Sruli is I am confident the same Stryj Volvovits from 1828. So perhaps Sruli/Stryj/Israel is the earliest forbear from which we have a full name.

 

Now these Wolva/Volvovits/Wolfowitz are all the same family and I am afraid you will have to take my word for it right now. I will be offering a further genealogical proof from US records (ship manifests, tickets records, HIAS records, etc.) that will make the case for these names being the same family who came to  Eastern PA (and some on towards Cleveland). My interest is in my wife’s family who settled in Philadelphia as the WOLF family (a common name to be sure).

 

 

Serendipity Continued … — #Polish #Genealogy

Alegata page 1

Alegata page 2

Stanczyk, wanted to discuss further the serendipitous alegata found last time.  So the two page alegata needed translating. So I translated the pertinent parts from Polish & Russian as shown below …

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Akt 11 1887 (Alegata)

Gubernia Kielecka

Uezd Stopnica

Parish Biechów

It happened in Biechów the 31st day of January 1864 at 5 o’clock in the evening. He appeared Józef Leszczyński, the townsman, wheelwright who lived at the Inn, age 20 (=>b. 1844) , with witnesses, Maciej Kopra, age 46 & Wojciech Fortuna, age 50 of Piestrzec who presented a female baby born in Piestrzec on the 30th of January, this year at 5pm to his wife, Agnieszka zd Godowska age 19, given two names, Marianna Apolonia , the godparents were, Marcin Major Of Piestrzec & Julianna Leszczynska of Biechow

Biechów 26th January 1887

Father Michał Królikowski

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Well that was some excellent serendipity. I not only got my 2nd-great-grandfather (Marcin Major), but the godmother is my great-grandfather Tomasz’s first wife (Julianna Leszczynska nee Kordos). I also decided that the father, Jozef Leszczynski was the wheelwright (carter) living at the Inn in Piestrzec (aka Piersciec). The Inn owned by his brother (?) Tomasz Leszczynski.

So I went and added Jozef Leszczynski & his wife Agnieszka Godowska and their 10 kids to the family tree. As a result of that work, I also found that Jozef later on (1879) owned his own Inn in Szydlow. This is very interesting as it appears that my Leszczynskich were, if not a szlachta/magnate family, at least fairly well off. This confirms other family lore about owning a mill.

Making Some Serendipity — #Polish #Genealogy

Last year, Stanczyk noticed that the site metryki.genealodzy.pl had added Stopnica to their collection and in particular, a long list of Alegata for the years 1887-1913. This jester adores alegata for finding echoes of lost genealogical records.

 

So in a case of making your own serendipity, this jester was sequentially scanning all of the above alegata looking for potential relatives, when I noticed a Leszczynski being born in Biechow. That caught my eye. My grandmother, Waleria Leszczynska,  was born in Biechow. So I downloaded the two pages of the alegata and the marriage record they went with. It was a goldmine! The years 1849-1874 are lost/missing from Biechow. So when I found an alegata, detailing a birth from 1864, in that lost range, I was ecstatic!

Let me provide some context. Dateline 1887, Stopnica, a marriage was recorded for Marianna Apolonia Leszczynska, the daughter of Jozef Leszczynska & Agnieszka Godowska. This is a family I have had my eye on, but could not gather enough genealogical proof to say they belong in my family tree, due to the lost records in this region of Russian-Poland. So, since Marianna Apolonia was born in Piestrzec (Biechow parish), she needed an alegata to proof she was able to be married in Stopnica (a nearby parish). So this jester was scanning alegata in Stopnica when her birth popped up. She was born in my grandmother’s parish, Biechow in 1864.  Her father, Jozef,  was a wheelwright for the Innkeeper in Piestrzec (my great-grandfather Tomasz?). Now I was really interested in that occupation because of the possible tie to my great-grandfather, Tomasz (the Inkeeper).  So I examined the birth record from the alegata. On the second page of the alegata, I noticed the godparents and I saw my great-great-grandfather, Marcin Major was the godfather! Ok I now know these Leszczynskich are my family! In fact, Jozef Leszczynski is probably my great-grandfather Tomasz’s brother (less likely a 1st cousin). Did I mention that the Godowskich are an affiliated family? There is enough circumstantial evidence to convince me to add some new relatives from whom I might one day find my 2nd-great-grandparents Leszczynskich.

The search goes on, but now I have new clues.