Friday, June 30, 2023
The Towns of Telsiai, Lazdijiai, Papile, Augustowa and Vilnius and Seltz and Counties, Territories of Lithuania and Importance in Our Genealogy
Nadene Goldfoot
Suwalki is where Nathan Goldfoot's wife, Zlata Jermulowski was from (yellow section). She actually lived in Lazdijai, Suwalki, Lithuania/Poland as it had then been taken over by Poland. Lazdijai was on the border. From 1855 to 1857, Lazdey's Jewish population was 1,546, which was 60% of the town. By 1897 it had dropped a little to 1,439 which was 57% of the population. Lazdijai has been a part of Poland though originally it was part of Lithuania. Lazdijai (Lazdey)54*14/23*31' According to contemporary Russian Empire statistics, from 1889 the Suwałki Governorate was predominantly Lithuanian since they comprised 57.8% of the population. Lithuanians formed a majority only in the northern part of the governorate in the counties of Kalvarija, Marijampolė, Naujamiestis, Vilkaviškis as well as the eastern part of the Sejny county.
Augustowa is where a new DNA match, R. Freedman's grandfather-Hayman Freedman was from. Hayman came to the US in 1881. At the time, Augustowa was in Suwalki which is now part of Poland.. Augustów ([au̯ˈɡustuf] ( listen); Lithuanian: Augustavas, formerly known in English as Augustovo or Augustowo) is a town in north-eastern Poland. It lies on the Netta River and the Augustów Canal. Coordinates: 53°50′37″N /22°58′46″E. Poles were in a majority in the southern part of the governorate in the counties of Suwałki, Augustów and in the western part of the Sejny county.
Augustów actually is a resort town in northeastern Poland on the Netta River. It's known for its therapeutic spas. Flanked by lakes, the town also borders the Augustów Primeval Forest. At the junction of the river and the Augustów Canal, the Augustów Canal Museum traces the waterway’s 19th-century origins as a trade route. Forests and wetlands cover Biebrza National Park to the south and Wigry National Park north of town.
A town called Alytus or Alite was also in Suwalk Gubernia and in 1897 had a Jewish population of only 481 which was 33% of the town's population. Augustowa was not listed. Alytus (Alite)54*24'/24*03'
"In 1815, after the defeat of Napoleon, all of Lithuania was annexed to Russia, as a result of which Lazdey was included in the Augustowa Province (Gubernia), and in 1866 it became a part of the Suwalk Gubernia as a county administrative center."
During the years of its existence, Lazdey suffered from many fires.
Papile, Siauliai, Kaunas was home of the Gochin family of whom one matches our Goldfoot line. Siauliai County In October 1795, Catherine II of Russia granted Šiauliai the city rights and the privilege to become the capital town of the region. Administrative division of Russian Empire remained unchanged up to the end of World War I. When the war came to its end, in 1918 Lithuania was restored as an independent state. So Papile was the closest place to Telsiai, and that's how the Gochins and Goldfus got together. One of our female Goldfus married a Gochin. What we have in common is the interest and work of genealogy, so were able to match our findings, pretty good work for two 4th Jewish cousins.
Notice that there is the Telsiai and Siauliai endings. In Lithuanian, each noun has 7 endings for the singular and 7 for the plural. So the word "vyrai," "men," has the ending -ai that tells the reader that it is plural and the subject of a sentence, so it is in the nominative case. If the word was "vyru", it would mean "of or belonging to the men" -- the genitive case. Both endings build on the same root "vyr-". Some cities and towns are always plural, like Siualiai. In the Lithuanian phone book you will see "Siauliu r." This means in the region (rajonas) of Siauliai. The root of Siauliai is "Siaul-"Other towns or cities may have the nominative ending "-as," such as "Kaunas" or the ending "-is," such as Virbalis, or "-ys" as in Pasvalys. The roots of these names are "Kaun-", "Radvilisk-", and "Virbal-"
Map Treaty Brest-Litovsk Stock Photo - Alamy
| From the Jewish Encyclopedia, published by Brockhaus-Efron (volume 14, page 121). During the Polish rule, Seltz belonged to the Brisk [Brest] District of Lita. According to the resolution of “Vaad Medinat Lita” [Council of the State of Lithuania] from 1623, Seltz belonged to the district of Brisk. In his book, “A Voyage of Mission from Moscow to Poland (1678),” the diplomat Bernard Tanner describes Seltz as “a city built of wood and full of Jews.” In 1766, there were 260 Jews in the city. At the time of the 1877 census, there were 680 people. In the 1897 census there were 2648 residents in Seltz, of which 866 were Jews. |
As it turns out, R. Freedman and my brother, David, and I have a DNA match. R. and David both also belong to the Y haplogroup (male line) of Q which gives them another common DNA fact. It doesn't always happen that men from the same male line also are related by having common DNA segments as well. My brother's line of Q-M242 has been tested again in the big Y test as being listed as QBZ67, new title pinpointing where he is on the tree of life. R. Freedman also tested as Q-M242, same as David, so he may also be the same or just slightly different to show he's a Freedman and not a Goldfoot. This Jewish line of Qs makes up about 5% of the Jewish population which is 0.02% of the total world population. We are related to a lot of Freedmans of several different Y haplogroups.
When the Q group was first organized at Family Tree DNA, we discovered a group of us of Ashkenazi Jewish (Eastern European Jews) were Y-DNA Haplogroup Q which at the time was considered to have originated in Siberia. We wanted to know how this could be and we started this group to find out what we all had in common. We were originally one of the few groups focused on Jewish men and so we invited any Jewish person to join our group if they were interested in our common ancestral origins.
This group is specific to the branches of Q that are found in any and all Jewish Diaspora populations from Ashkenazi Jews in Europe to Yemeni Jews in Africa. While many people with these lineages may not be practicing the Jewish faith today, we come together to explore our common history and heritage.(Family Tree DNA)
Just for comparison with the above towns, the coordinates-Latitude and Longitude for Portland, Oregon are:45.5152° N, 122.6784° W
Resource:
Preserving our Litvak Heritage by Josesf Rosin; Joel Alpert, Editor, published by JewishGen,Inc.
https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/littlelithuania/ending-of-towns-in-ava-iai-t6819.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suwa%C5%82ki_Governorate
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August%C3%B3w
Labels: Alytus, Augustow, Freedman, in Poland, Lazdijai, Napoleon, Papile, Seltz, Siauliai, Suwalki, Telsiai, Y haplogroup of Q
Monday, December 12, 2016
After Nathan Goldfoot Left Lithuania, What Happened There?
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.
| 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:
| 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). |
| 1897 | 1914 | |
| Vilnius | 38 | 49.5 |
| Kaunas | 38.4 | 46.2 |
| Grodno | 41.6 | 53.1 |
| Suwałki | 47.3 | 58.3 |
| Vilnius |
279,700
|
| Kaunas | 1,019,800 |
| Suwałki | 304,600 |
| Total | 1,604,100 |
| 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.).
| 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.
Labels: aftermath, Goldfus, Grant Gochin, Lithuania, Papile, Russia, Telsiai, WWI
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
Goldfus (Goldfoot) in Papile, Lithuania
My father, Maurice Goldfoot's (b: 1908 in Oregon) family came from Lithuania, and they were Jewish. "Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe bordered by Sweden,Denmark, Latvia, Belarus, and Poland. It was formerly united with Poland. The official language is Lithuanian." This is amazing because my mother's mother came from Sweden, and was not
Jewish. I have DNA
from people in Poland, Belarus, Lithuania and of course, Sweden. Mom converted to Judaism.
I have found some Goldfus families or people that lived in Papile, Lithuania besides Telsiai, Lithuania.
Papilė, Lithuania
56°09' N 22°48' E
One was a woman married to a Gochin. Gochin lived in Papile, Siauliai, Kuanes(Kovno) , Lithuania I've since found a Gochin that is a match to many of my family with DNA through Family Tree DNA in Houston, Texas.
 |
| Elsie Goldfoot, my aunt; born 1911 in Oregon. Perhaps Tsipa resembled her? Elsie actually looked more like Zlata, her mother from Lazdijai, Lithuania. |
Descendants of Faive Shrago Gochin (The closest I've found to the first name of Faive is the Russian name of Fajvl, meaning Eliezer, Ezekie, Iezekiil, Ioil, Iri, Irshrago, Khaim, Neemiya, Samson, Samuil, Urij, Urshrago
1 Faive Shrago Gochin b: Abt. 1837 in Lithuania
.. +Tsipa Goldfus b: Abt. 1842 in Lithuania
. 2 Sarah Gochin b: 1862 in Papile, Lithuania
..... +Sholem Piel b: Abt. 1859 in Tryskiai, Lithuania
..... 3 Child Piel
Tsipa's father was Abraham Chaim Goldfus b: c1820
Her mother was a Hinde,/Inde/Ginde b: c1820
Siblings were:
*Solomon Zalman Goldfus b: 1848-1849 in Dublin, Ireland-married Chaia-Feiga "Fanny" Fridjhon Frijon, died in South Africa
Gita Menukha Goldfus b: 2/23/1856
Fanny Goldfus b: c1861-married Isaac Joseph Kaitcher, may have died in Ireland
Isaac Goldfus 1861- married Annie Letowitch Spero; d: Brynmawr, Wales 2/28/1931
George Goldfus 1862-1866 married Rebecca Richmond; d: Dublin South, Ireland age 74
Louis Yehudah Leib ben "Hyman-" Goldfoot 11/19/1867; married Blume bat Yahudah Leib HaKohain Cohen died in South Africa
Chana Pera Goldfus c1869 married Dovid Isaacson, probably was born and died in Ireland
Rosie Goldfus c1870
Yankel b: c1780; had a son, Samuel born in 1802 who married Frieda.
Leyzer was born in 1806.
Leyzer b: c1806
Other Goldfus living in Papile, which is the name of the town, Siauliai-name of Uyezd, Kaunas-Name of the gubernia, were:
1. Leyba Goldfus in 1877 who lived in a wooden house.
2. Itsyk Goldfus in 1897 who was a shoemaker and his son with wife and 2 daughters.
3. Sheyne Eta Goldfus in 1904 most likely a female, who received money from South Africa. She lived with her husband and 3 daughters. Soon one daughter would be leaving on the next tax schedule.
On another listing:
1.Leyb Goldfus, 56, son of Abram, was never under investigation, registered at Jewish community Center 27 July, 1879.
Leyb Goldfus 57, son of Abram, paid tax on 24 October 1880.
Leyb Goldfus,66, son of Abram, signed in Yiddish with Russian translation on 17 June, 1885.
2. Shmuel Iosel Goldfus, 33, son of Leyba, paid on 17 June 1885.
3. Shoul Goldfus, 66, son of Mendel, had no real estate but can vote. paid on 17 June 1885.
Here's the information about this town that did not make it into the book, Preserving our Litvak Heritage by Josef Rosin which does contain information about 31 Jewish communities; cities with populations of Jews. Fortunately, Telsiai, did make it into that book
Here it says his father was Movsha, son of Iosel; mother was Beile. On his tombstone, Zlata had son of Chaim. Where did she get that? Chaim was someone important, evidently.
| GOLDFUS, Nokhum Abram | Movsha, Iosel Beile | 1/1/1871 20 Tevet | Telsiai Telsiai Kaunas |
| GOLDFUS, Khaim | Abram, Iosel Inde | 19/11/1867 4 Kislev | Telsiai Telsiai Kaunas |
Written by Dov LevinTranslated by Shaul Yannai
In Yiddish, Popelyan
A county town in the Siauliai district.
| Year | General Population | Jews | Percentage |
| 1841 | 207 | Tsipa Goldfus was one.. | .. |
| 1897 | 1,877 | 965 | 51 |
| 1923 | 1,432 | 257 | 18 |
A few artisans and merchants already lived in Papile in 1610. At that time, the town had a few taverns and public bath houses, which were owned by the region's Catholic bishop. Since 1702, the town had the rights to hold an annual market fair. The railway line between Libau in Latvia and Romny in Ukraine, which passed through Papile, was constructed during the years 1871-1873. As a result, the town began to develop economically and socially. A fire broke out in the town at the end of 1888 and all its houses burned down. Most of them were rebuilt. In 1895, a regional hospital was established in Papile. During the period of Russian rule (1795-1915), Papile was administratively part of the Vilnius gubernia (region) and from 1843 it was part of the Kaunas gubernia. The town burned down again during WWI. Papile was a county town during the period of Independent Lithuania (1918-1940) and also during the period of Soviet Rule (1940-1941)."
Going way back, "By the mid-fourteenth century, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania had expanded into a large state, including substantial territories that today are part of Latvia,Belarus, and Ukraine. In 1386, it was joined to Poland in a personal union; the same monarch occupied the thrones of the two states. In 1569, Lithuania confederated formally with Poland in the Union of Lublin, forming a state often called the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (Rzeczpospolita). With the Polish partitions of 1772, 1793, and 1795, virtually all of the historic Lithuanian lands were incorporated into the Russian Empire.
Following the annexation of Lithuanian territories by Russia, Lithuanian Jews
(except those in Suwałki province, which was part of Polish territories not
included in the Pale of Settlement) found themselves within the
boundaries of the Pale of Settlement and subject to laws applying to all
Jews in that territory in the western border regions of the Russian
Empire. Nearly half lived in rural areas and made their living from the
manufacture, sale, and distribution of alcoholic beverages, or the leasing of
inns, mills, fish ponds, and other agricultural activities. Other Jews were
involved in commerce and artisanry in roughly equal proportions.
My paternal grandmother, Zlata Jermulowske b: 1/11/1886, came from Lazdijai, Suwalki, Lithuania/Poland. It did come under Poland's rule when this town was annexed. She immigrated on 5/6/1903 at the age of 17.
The Jewish Settlements Till After World War I
The lists of donors from the years 1898, 1899 and 1903 for settling Eretz-Yisrael note the names of 15 Jews from Papile. The delegates were: Yitzkhak-Aharon Kotler, Avraham-Yake Lemkhen, and Shraga Levinson. A delegate from Papile participated in the Regional Conference of Russian Zionists which took place in 1899 in Vilnius. In 1902, 53 “Shekalim” (tokens of membership in the Zionist organization) were sold in the town.
In 1915, the entire Jewish population of Papile, as well as their brethren in the surrounding areas, was expelled to the interior of Russia.
After WWI, only a small portion of Papile's Jews returned to the burned down town. In spite of their difficult economic conditions, many of them responded favorably to Rabbi Lamdan's request to help the Jewish refugees in Russia and donated 20,000 marks, a substantial sum during that period." .
"On July 18, 1941 (23 Tamuz, 5701), dozens of armed Lithuanians broke into the stables, took the Jewish men to a nearby forest and after torturing and beating them, they shot them to death.
The women and children, who remained without food and in horrible sanitary conditions and who were sick and exhausted, were transferred on August 25 on wagons to Zagare, where they were locked up in the local Beth Midrash together with the surviving Jews from the surrounding towns. For more than a month, many of the women were tortured and raped by armed Lithuanians and Latvians. On October 2 (11 Tishrei, 5702), the women and children, together with the other Jews from Zagare, were taken to a nearby forest and where they were all shot to death. Only a very few of Papile's Jews remained alive."
- Telšiai (Alternate names: Telšiai [Lith], Telshi [Rus], Telzh [Yid], Telsze [Pol], Telsche [Ger], Telši [Latv], Telšē, Teltsch, Telshe, Telschi, Telsh, Telshie, Telšių, Telz):
- Telšiai is 28 miles S of Leckava
- Papile (Alternate names: Papilė [Lith], Popelyan [Yid], Popelyany [Rus], Popielany [Pol], Popelian, Papilės, Popyle)
| Uezd / District | Gubernia | Total Population * | Total # of Jews * | Jews as a % of Population | # of Jews in Remaining Records | # of Jewish Families in Remaining Records | % of Jewish Records Remaining |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kovna (Kaunas) | Kovno | 227,431 | 45,353 | 20% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vilkomir (Ukmergė) | Kovno | 229,118 | 30,153 | 13% | 4,291 | 834 | 14% |
| Novo-Alexandrovsk (Zarasai) | Kovno | 208,487 | 26,463 | 13% | 3,646 | 637 | 14% |
| Ponevezh (Panevėžys) | Kovno | 222,881 | 27,207 | 12% | 1,397 | 251 | 5% |
| Rossieny (Raseiniai) | Kovno | 235,362 | 26,447 | 11% | 1,083 | 194 | 4% |
| Telz (Telšiai) | Kovno | 183,351 | 22,695 | 12% | 607 | 82 | 3% |
| Shavl (Šiauliai) | Kovno | 237,934 | 34,348 | 14% | 713 | 161 | 2% |
| Kovno Gubernia Total | 1,544,564 | 212,666 | 13.7% | 11,737 | 2,159 | 5.5% | |
| Vilna (Vilnius) (not including city of Vilna) | Vilna | 1,728 | 316 | ||||
Other Resources: http://www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/pinkas_lita/lit_00470.html
http://cjh.org/p/pdfs/Lithuania07.pdf
Gochin family Tree
http://www.yivoencyclopedia.org/article.aspx/lithuania
Russian-Jewish Given Names by Boris Feldblyum
Labels: Gochin, Goldfus, Lithuania, Papile, Piel, Telsiai
