Monday, December 12, 2016
After Nathan Goldfoot Left Lithuania, What Happened There?
Nadene Goldfoot
We're so lucky to have been born. Our grandfather, Nathan Abraham Goldfus, was born in Lithuania at a time that was terrible for Jews. It may have been very difficult for his mother to get the proper nourishment when she was expecting Nathan.
We're so lucky to have been born. Our grandfather, Nathan Abraham Goldfus, was born in Lithuania at a time that was terrible for Jews. It may have been very difficult for his mother to get the proper nourishment when she was expecting Nathan.
Our grandfather,Nathan "Nokhim Avram"Abraham" of Abram Goldfus born in 1871 or 20 Tevet 1871, left Telsiai, Lithuania around 1890. What was going on there at the time? His father had died when he was 7 years old in 1878.
Jews settled in Telz at the beginning of the 17th century.
Telz, as it is called, was part of the Polish-Lithuanian kingdom until 1795.
1797: 1,650 Jews lived in Telz (66%) of population.
Napoleon's retreating army went through in 1812, leaving behind desolation and a big gun.
1863-Polish rebellions damaged the town of old wooden buildings of Telsiai.
1871-1895
1869-1872 famine in Lithuania-poor Jews hit the hardest
1870: 4,399 Jews lived in Telsiai (68% of city)
January 13, 1874, Russia's Czar Alexander II abolished the conscription of recruits, introduced obligatory military service for entire population.
1880s: pogroms in Ukraine and other places.
Jews conscripted into army for 6 years. immigration started
1882-1896 telephone lines were laid in Lithuania
March 3, 1892: Russia issued an order regarding persecution of underground Lithuanian and Polish schools.
In June 1893 Cholera epidemic, poor hit the hardest, a convention of the Polish Socialist Party (Polska Partja Socialistyczna - PPS) was held in Vilnius. Lithuania and White Russia were recognized as a territorial unit for the activities of this party. A Lithuanian PPS section was organized.
1893: Nathan left Lithuania and went to England and then Dublin, Ireland.
February 1893: Address: 13 Arbutus Place, SCR, Dublin, Ireland.
June 14, 1893: Nathan, married in Dublin to Lena Goldberg, was in Dublin heading for Winnipeg, Canada alone, Nathan Goldfo(r)t age 22, arriving in Quebec on ship Parisian.
November 23,1893 was the date of the Kraziai Massacre. The Russian government had brutally exterminated people who protested against the governement's closure of the Kraziai Monastery.
1897 was the year of the first census of the entire population, conducted by the Russian Empire. The data of this census states that the population of the Lithuanian areas of Kaunas, Vilnius and Suvalkai numbered 2.5 million people.
1897: 3,088 Jews remaining (51% of Telsiai)
1905, November 20th: Married Zlata "Hattie" Jermulowske from Lazdijai, Lithuania/Poland in Boise, Idaho, living in Council, Idaho.
Thus, in addition to Lithuania Minor, ethnographically Lithuanian territory was included in the Vilnius, Kaunas, Suwałki and Grodno gubernias. Presented below are the official Russian statistics of the time, which were later supplemented by the official institutions of the Republic of Lithuania. These data show that, as a result of a growing economy now freed from the shackles of serfdom, the population grew relatively quickly31:
July 19, 1912: Nathan Goldfoot was killed in a horse and wagon accident in Portland, Oregon on the SE side on a Friday. He was a freight man carrying boxes from the port to places in the city. His horse was spooked and ran amuck. He was thrown out and hit his head, becoming unconscious. Taken to St Vincent's hospital, he never woke up. His wife, our Bubba, was frantic as he didn't come home for Shabbas. Finally several days later she, 6 months pregnant at the time, she was told the sad news. Her daughter, Anne (Khammie), joining Charlie 6, Moshe 4 and Elsie 1, was born never knowing her father. Her mother never had a chance to learn any language other than Yiddish.
With the advent of World War I (1914-1917) , Russian Jewry felt that they could increase their substandard role in society if they participated in the defense of Russia. Over 400,000 Jews were mobilized and about 80,000 served in the front lines. Battles occured in the Pale of Settlement, where millions of Jews lived. Yet, when the Russian army was defeated, anti-Semitic commanders blamed the Jews and accused them of treason and spying for the Germans. Jews were even kidnaped and tried for espionage. Shortly after the trials, mass expulsions of Jews living near the front lines were organized.
In June 1915, Jews were expelled from northern Lithuania and Courland.
We know that Nathan Abraham Goldfus, our grandfather, was in Idaho in 1905 marrying Zlata Jermulowsky, our grandmother. His family had lived in Telsiai, Lithuania, part of the Pale of Settlement. Nathan was born August 5, 1872 and died July 19, 1912 in a horse and wagon accident at a young age of 39 years 11 months 14 days. He left 3 children and one on the way (Anne). They had lost one child in infancy, Abraham. We know he left Lithuania before June 13, 1893, when I found him heading for Winnipeg from Dublin, Ireland. He was 19 then. (other dates for birth have been January of different dates in 1871 and 1872, so this may not be very accurate.).
| Modern Town & Country | Other Names | c. 1950 After WWII Town / Country | c. 1930 Between Wars Town / District / Province / Country | c. 1900 Before WWI Town / District / Province / Country | # of JGFF Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Telšiai, Lithuania55°59' N 22°15' E 242 km NW of Vilnius | Telšiai [Lith], Telshi [Rus], Telzh [Yid], Telsze [Pol], Telsche [Ger], Telši [Latv], Telšē, Teltsch, Telshe, Telschi, Telsh, Telshie, Telšių, Telz | Telšiai Soviet Union | Telšiai Telšiai Lithuania | Telshi Telshi Kovno Russian Empire |
 |
| This map shows where churches and major Christian sites prevailed |
1882-1896 telephone lines were laid in Lithuania
 |
| Telsiai is next to Siauliai where Papile is. Our Bubba was from Lazdijai in Alytus next to the border of Poland In the war, it became part of Poland. |
| Modern Town & Country | Other Names | c. 1950 After WWII Town / Country | c. 1930 Between Wars Town / District / Province / Country | c. 1900 Before WWI Town / District / Province / Country | # of JGFF Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lazdijai, Lithuania 54°14' N 23°31' E 127 km WSW of Vilnius | Lazdijai [Lith], Łoździeje [Pol], Lazdei [Yid], Lozdzee [Rus], Lasdien [Ger], Lazdiji [Latv], Lozdzeye, Lazdyyay, Lazdiyay, Lazdey, Lazhdai, Lezdi | Lazdijai Soviet Union | Lazdijai Seinai Lithuania | Łoździeje Sejny Suwałki |
1897: 3,088 Jews remaining (51% of Telsiai)
1905, November 20th: Married Zlata "Hattie" Jermulowske from Lazdijai, Lithuania/Poland in Boise, Idaho, living in Council, Idaho.
Thus, in addition to Lithuania Minor, ethnographically Lithuanian territory was included in the Vilnius, Kaunas, Suwałki and Grodno gubernias. Presented below are the official Russian statistics of the time, which were later supplemented by the official institutions of the Republic of Lithuania. These data show that, as a result of a growing economy now freed from the shackles of serfdom, the population grew relatively quickly31:
Ethnic Lithuania's Inhabitants by Gubernia and Year
| Gubernia | 1897 | 1904 | 1910 | 1914 |
| Vilnius | 1,591,207 | 1,770,300 | 1,926,900 | 2,075,900 |
| Kaunas | 1,544,567 | 1,660,900 | 1,775,900 | 1,857,100 |
| Grodno | 1,603,409 | 1,788,900 | 1,951,700 | 2,048,200 |
| Suwałki | 528,913 | 625,600 | 667,200 | 718,000 (Grandmother came from Suwalki). |
Population Density Per Square Kilometer
| 1897 | 1914 | |
| Vilnius | 38 | 49.5 |
| Kaunas | 38.4 | 46.2 |
| Grodno | 41.6 | 53.1 |
| Suwałki | 47.3 | 58.3 |
These official statistics can be reliable in terms of the general population, but they are doubtless inaccurate when considering the number of Lithuanians. This is clear from the fact that the 1897 population census found no Lithuanians in Grodno gubernia although it included the southern half of the Lithuanian Varėna and Lazdijai districts as well as the town of Druskininkai.
In other gubernias the following numbers of Lithuanians were found (including the Samogitians, or Žemaičiai, who were counted separately32:
| Vilnius |
279,700
|
| Kaunas | 1,019,800 |
| Suwałki | 304,600 |
| Total | 1,604,100 |
In addition the Courland gubernia counted 18,000 Lithuanians, of whom 12,000 lived in the districts of Iluksta and Grobin. According to some sources, about half a million people emigrated from Lithuania between 1897 and 1914.33
The policy of Russification that was carried out through the schools hampered the Lithuanian peasants' struggle for an education. Parents began to withhold their children from the schools. Although the number of schools was in reality insufficient, some state schools closed down for a lack of pupils.80 The percentage of educated inhabitants steadily declined. The 1897 census showed that in Kaunas gubernia the percentage of older educated persons was greater than the percentage of educated youth:
| Age | Percent of Inhabitants with a Formal Education |
| 10-19 | 54.68 |
| 20-29 | 65.95 |
| 30-39 | 61.87 http://www.lituanus.org/1996/96_3_03.htm |
 |
| Horse and wagon in Portland, Nathan's had no writing, no identification |
July 19, 1912: Nathan Goldfoot was killed in a horse and wagon accident in Portland, Oregon on the SE side on a Friday. He was a freight man carrying boxes from the port to places in the city. His horse was spooked and ran amuck. He was thrown out and hit his head, becoming unconscious. Taken to St Vincent's hospital, he never woke up. His wife, our Bubba, was frantic as he didn't come home for Shabbas. Finally several days later she, 6 months pregnant at the time, she was told the sad news. Her daughter, Anne (Khammie), joining Charlie 6, Moshe 4 and Elsie 1, was born never knowing her father. Her mother never had a chance to learn any language other than Yiddish.
With the advent of World War I (1914-1917) , Russian Jewry felt that they could increase their substandard role in society if they participated in the defense of Russia. Over 400,000 Jews were mobilized and about 80,000 served in the front lines. Battles occured in the Pale of Settlement, where millions of Jews lived. Yet, when the Russian army was defeated, anti-Semitic commanders blamed the Jews and accused them of treason and spying for the Germans. Jews were even kidnaped and tried for espionage. Shortly after the trials, mass expulsions of Jews living near the front lines were organized.
In June 1915, Jews were expelled from northern Lithuania and Courland.
We know that Nathan Abraham Goldfus, our grandfather, was in Idaho in 1905 marrying Zlata Jermulowsky, our grandmother. His family had lived in Telsiai, Lithuania, part of the Pale of Settlement. Nathan was born August 5, 1872 and died July 19, 1912 in a horse and wagon accident at a young age of 39 years 11 months 14 days. He left 3 children and one on the way (Anne). They had lost one child in infancy, Abraham. We know he left Lithuania before June 13, 1893, when I found him heading for Winnipeg from Dublin, Ireland. He was 19 then. (other dates for birth have been January of different dates in 1871 and 1872, so this may not be very accurate.).
One month later, the use of Hebrew characters in printing and writing was prohibited, making it impossible to write both Hebrew and Yiddish. Western opinion united against the discrimination against the Jews, which made the procurement of loans from Western countries difficult. Shortly after, the Russians ceased enforcing the laws relating to discrimination of the Jews and Jewish refugees from Poland and Lithuania moved towards central Russia.
Austria and Germany’s conquests in 1915 brought 2,260,000 Jews (40% of Russian Jewry) under military rule. These Jews were freed from czarist abuses but also cut off from their families and neighbors. In Russia, the Jewish presses were silenced and Jewish youth were conscripted into the army. Yet Jews from the rest of eastern Europe were torn from Russian Jewry leading to social upheavals which affected all facets of eastern European Jewry.
Grant Arthur Gochin tells of this period of time in his book listed below in the town of Papile, Lithuania. His grandfather, Sam Gochin, was born in 1902 and was to be deported with others of Papile in 1915. He was forcibly abducted into the Russian army and taken to Byelorussia in 1917, when Americans were celebrating the end of WWI. He tells that many Jews then died in a terrible winter of 1919. What happened was that many Litvaks forced to fight against the Russians were fighting Jews that were Bolsheveks. Rather, it looks like both Russia and Lithuania used young Jewish boys as solders and they wound up shooting at each other. A secondary goal for both governments was to get rid of their Jewish population.
Updated 1/9/18
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXdUXEAPwvc
http://www.jewishgen.org -Telsiai information
Resource: http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/russia.html
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/wwi-and-the-jews/
New resource on era: Malice, Murder, and Manipulation: One Man's Quest for Truth, by Grant Arthur Gochin.
| Modern Town & Country | Other Names | c. 1950 After WWII Town / Country | c. 1930 Between Wars Town / District / Province / Country | c. 1900 Before WWI Town / District / Province / Country | # of JGFF Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Papilė, Lithuania 56°09' N 22°48' E 228 km NW of Vilnius | Papilė [Lith], Popelyan [Yid], Popelyany [Rus], Popielany [Pol], Popelian, Popilan, Papilės, Popyle | Papilė Soviet Union | Papilė Šiauliai Lithuania | Popieliany Shavli Kovno Russian Empire |
Grant Arthur Gochin tells of this period of time in his book listed below in the town of Papile, Lithuania. His grandfather, Sam Gochin, was born in 1902 and was to be deported with others of Papile in 1915. He was forcibly abducted into the Russian army and taken to Byelorussia in 1917, when Americans were celebrating the end of WWI. He tells that many Jews then died in a terrible winter of 1919. What happened was that many Litvaks forced to fight against the Russians were fighting Jews that were Bolsheveks. Rather, it looks like both Russia and Lithuania used young Jewish boys as solders and they wound up shooting at each other. A secondary goal for both governments was to get rid of their Jewish population.
Updated 1/9/18
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXdUXEAPwvc
http://www.jewishgen.org -Telsiai information
Resource: http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/russia.html
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/wwi-and-the-jews/
New resource on era: Malice, Murder, and Manipulation: One Man's Quest for Truth, by Grant Arthur Gochin.
Preserving Our Litvak Heritage: A History of 31 Jewish Comunities in Lithuania
Labels: aftermath, Goldfus, Grant Gochin, Lithuania, Papile, Russia, Telsiai, WWI
