Tombstone Tuesday: Pesya Garber bat Shlomo Zelman, Labun Jewish cemetery

In June of 2013 I had the pleasure of visiting Ukraine and Labun (now Yurovshchina; once called Lubin in Yiddish), my paternal grandparents' community. We were able to visit the old Jewish cemetery, which I discussed in an earlier post. I illustrated that post with this tombstone and noted that the person interred in this grave shared my surname: Garber. I did not, however, also translate the rest of the epitaph.

[1#] Tishri 56[##]

1932

Here lies

a woman [of valor]

Pesya daughter of

Shlomo Zelman

GARBER

The date of death on the first curved line is worn away - although the number may start with י which would indicate a date between the 10th and 19th of the month of Tishri. The first two numbers of the year are clear: תר. But the last two are worn away. Just below the Hebrew date it clearly says 1932. Tishri in 1932 (the Hebrew year 5693), fell entirely in October.

The abbreviation for "here lies" (פנ), is split on either side of and slightly below 1932. 

Eishet (אשת), meaning woman, is clearly written, but the next word is mostly worn away. It may have been חיל , which with eishet would translate as "a woman of valor."

The letter mem (מ) before the name Pesya is an abreviation for marat (Mrs.). 

Above the surname Garber, carved in Cyrillic script, is an ornate G, also in Cyrillic. In printed Cyrillic, Garber would be written Гарбер.

As I 'd mentioned in the earlier post, I, unfortunately, have no idea who Pesya was or if she or her husband named Garber were related to me.

Treasure Chest Thursday: First Lubiner Progressive Benevolent Association incorporation papers

When the number of Jewish immigrants from a specific community in Europe reached critical mass in their new settlement, they often banded together to form a landsmanshaft - a community benevolent society. In 1911, Jewish immigrants from Labun, Russian Empire (now Yurovshchina, Ukraine) who had resettled in New York City formed the First Lubiner Progressive Benevolent Association. These incorporation papers are archives YIVO in New York City.

CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION

of the

FIRST LUBINER PROGRESSIVE BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATION

(the word "Lubiner" is the name of a town in Russia)

STATE OF NEW YORK      )

CITY OF NEW YORK        :   SS:

COUNTY OF NEW YORK )

                    We, the undersigned, of full age, being desirous of associating ourselves together for social and beneficial pruposes as hereinafter is more particularly described, pursuant to and in conformity with Acts of the legislature of the State of New York, relating to Membership Corporations, do hereby certify and declare that we are all of full age, two-thirds of us are citizens of the United States, and all of us are residents if the State of New York.

                    We further certify and declare as follows:

     First:       That the particular objects for which said Corporation is formed are as follows, viz:

                    To engender good feelings and brotherly love among its members; to promote sociability among its members; to aid its members voluntarily in case of need and distress; to voluntarily provide for a suitable funeral and burial for its members in case of death; to institute and maintain a common meeting place where its members may gather at certain intervals or meetings for social purposes, and to adopt by-laws by which said Association may be governed.

     Second:   That the corporate name by which said Corporation bereby to be formed shall be known and distinguished is and shall be

                    FIRST LUBINER PROGRESSIVE BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATION.

     Third:      That the territory in which the operations of said corporation are to be [line cut off on microfilmed copy]

     Fourth:    That the principal office of said Corporation shall be located in the City of New York, County of New York and State of New York.

     Fifth:       That the number of Directors of said corporation shall be five.

     Sixth:      That the names and places of residence of the persons to be the directors of said Corporation until its firth annual meeting are:

JOSEPH ROTHMAN                      178 Chrystie Street, N.Y. City

MORRIS SCHREIBMAN               30 Orchard Street, N.Y. City

LEO NATHANSON                        341 E. 82nd Street, N.Y. City

MYER MYERS                               41-43 E. 7th Street, N.Y. City

HARRY SIMON                              232 Bergen Street, Brooklyn,

     Seventh:  That the annual meeting of said Corporation shall be held on the first Tuesday of October in each and every year.

                     IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, we have made and signed this this Certificate in duplicate and have hereunto set our hands and affixed our respective seals this 29th day of April 1911.

/s/ Myers Myers

/s/ Joseph Rothman

/s/ Morris Schreibman

/s/ Harry Simon

/s/ Leo Nathanson

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Twenty five years later, only Myer Myers (my great grandmother Sarah Myers Morris' brother) and Joseph Rothman were still listed as members of the landsmanshaft.[1] And both Myer and Joseph were the only members of the original directors who are buried in any of the three FLPBA burial plots in New York.[2]

Notes:  

1. "First Lubiner Progressive Benevolent Association, 25th Anniversary," photocopy of original booklet; original in possession of family of Julius Reitman, Massachusetts. 

2. All three plots (two at Montefiore Cemetery, Queens, NY and one at Beth Moses Cemetery, Pinelawn, NY) have been phtographed by the author. All three may be accessed online via the JewishGen Online Worldwide Burial Registry. 

Tombstone Tuesday: Feiga bat Moshe, Labun Jewish cemetery

In June of 2013 I had the pleasure of visiting Ukraine and Labun (now Yurovshchina; once called Lubin in Yiddish), my paternal grandparents' community. We were able to visit the old Jewish cemetery, which I discussed in an earlier post. Over the past several Tuesdays I have posted photos and translations of tombstones from that cemetery. Most do not feature surnames.

 Died 19 [month not legible] 56[16?]

Here lies

Woman [unknown word] Feiga

daughter of Moshe

May her soul be bound in eternal life. 1855 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~

Reading and translating this  stone was particularly difficult. Issues with reading the stone are highlighted in red text.

נפ representing "died" on the first curved line is clear, as in the date, יט, which indicates 19. After that, however, the next words are unclear. 

פנ, "here lies," is written in large letters in the center of the stone. The next line below that seems to start with the word Eisha (אשה), which means "woman." Unfortunately the next word, likely an adjective describing this woman, is unclear. Her name is quite clear at the end of the line: Feiga.

The next line starts with bat (בﬨ), "daughter of," and is followed by the name Moshe (משה).

The last line includes the standard abbreviation of the phrase "may her soul be bound in eternal life" (ﬨנצכה). Interestingly, this is followed by a year written in Latin characters. 

Among those who looked at this on the "Tracing the Tribe" FaceBook page, there was disagreement about whether the number was 1955 or 1855. Both years would be unusual considering that the tombstones I have recorded in this cemetery seem to date from the 1910s through the early 1930s. The inscription at the end of the top curved line may serve to address the issue, however. 

1955 in the Hebrew calendar year is 5716 (ﬨשטז).  

1855 in the Hebrew calendar year is 5616 (ﬨﬧטז).

ﬨﬧ is near the end of the top curved line. Two characters that should represent the last two characters in the year are missing in an eroded area of the stone. 

If this is accurate, then we are looking at the earliest stone located thus far in the Labun Jewish cemetery.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Special thanks to Israel Pickholtz, Mark Jacobson, Lara Diamond, and Robin Meltzer (all posting on Tracing the Tribe FaceBook page) for their help deciphering this stone.  

Treasure Chest Thursday: Marriage of Evelyn Myers and Boris Paull

Evelyn Myers, the daughter of Myer and Yetta Myers, was born in New York City. Her parents and elder sister, Dorothy, were immigrants from Labun, Russian Empire.[1] Evelyn's father, Myer, was one of my great grandmother Sarah Myers Morris' brothers. So, Evelyn would have been my grandmother, Dora Moris Garber's first cousin (and my first cousin twice removed).

New York County, New York, Certificate and Record of Marriage no. 11131 (26 April 1927). Boris Paull and Evelyn Myers, Municipal Archives, New York, New York.

Items in red will be discussed further, below.
 
[1st page]
Groom: Boris Paul
Residence: 925 57th St.
Age: 29
Color: White
Single, Widowed or Divorced: single
Occupation: salesman
Birthplace: Russia
Father's Name: Peter
Mother's Maiden Name: Sophie Freedman
Number of Groom's Marriage: 5430

Bride: Evelyn Myers
Residence: 904 58th St.
Age: 19
Color: White
Single, Widowed or Divorced: single
Maiden Name, if a Widow: [blank]
Birthplace: Russia
Father's Name: Meyer
Mother's Maiden Name: Yetta Fell
Number of Bride's Marriage: 5430

I hearby certify that the above-named groom and bride were joined in Marriage by me, in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, at 298 Madison St. NY, in the borough of [left blank], City of New York, this 26th of April, 1927.

Signature of person performing the ceremony:
                                                        /s/ Rabbi Yeor Lerner
Official Station: 63 Montgomery Ave
Residence: 298 Madison St., N.Y.C.

Witnesses to }  Harry Shapiro
the Marriage }  55 E. 11th St., N.Y.C.
 
[2nd page]  
WE hereby certify that we are the Groom and Bride named in this Certificate, and that the information given therein is correct, to the best of our knowledge and belief.
                              /s/ Boris Paull  Groom
                              /s/ Evelyn Myers Bride  
Signed in the presence of  /s/ Rabbi Yeor Lerner
                                                /s/  Vivienne H. Barg 

--------------------

There are several interesting errors in this certificate compared to information known from other records. For comparison purposes, I  located the marriage license application on microfilm at the New York City Municipal Archives. This is my transcription:

Kings County, New York, Affidavit for License to Marry no. 5430 (6 April 1927; marriage date 26 April 1927 [two marriage dates on form: 15 Apr and 26 Apr. Based upon what appears to be written on marriage certificate 11131, correct date is 26 Apr 1927), Boris Paull and Evelyn Myers; "Brooklyn Marriage Licenses 1927, 5,300-6,199," Municipal Archives, New York City, microfilm roll K1927-410 MN 36410; transcription made from microfilmed image.

The first issue is the marriage date. It is difficult to read the date on the marriage certificate. There are two online indices of New York City marriages: one on Ancestry.com and one on ItalianGen.org. Both indicate that Boris Paull and Evelyn Myers married on 15 April 1927. The marriage license shows two different dates. 15 April 1927 is noted in the upper right corner of the affidavit. 26 April 1927 is shown (twice) in the text, below, where Rabbi Lerner and the two witnesses signed. Based upon a comparison of the relatively unintelligible date on the marriage certificate and the date written in the body of the license, I believe that 26 April was the correct date.

Boris' surname is spelled incorrectly on the top of the marriage certificate. Boris consistently spelled his surname with two Ls. His signature on page two of the certificate includes two Ls. 

Boris was born in the Russian Empire. The license adds the additional information that he was born in "Kerson," Russia. This could have been the gubernia (province) or community of Kherson, located on the Black Sea. 

Neither the groom nor the bride has been married 5430 times (!). This is the number assigned to the application for the marriage license.

Evelyn Myers was born in New York City, not Russia. While I have not yet located her birth certificate, the 1906 emigration of her mother and older sister, and subsequent census records indicate birth in New York. Her family members have told me she was born on 9 October 1907.

Yeor Lerner had been rabbi in Labun. I've seen his first name spelled in other records as Yoer or Yaer. He became a immigrant on 11 March 1921 when he landed in New York City on the S.S. Cedric.[2] 

Harry Shapiro was Evelyn's brother-in-law, her sister Dorothy's husband. 

Notes:

1. "New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957," digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 16 July 2009), manifest, Noordland, Antwerp to New York, arriving 9 April 1906, page A, line 05, Jette Meyers; citing National Archives Microfilm Serial T715, Microfilm Roll 689.

2. Yoer Lerner, Petition for Naturalization (1929), no. 161152, Southern District of New York; Records of the District Courts of the United States, record Group 21; National Archives - Northeast region, New York City. 

Tombstone Tuesday: Shmuel ben Khaim Kaplan, Labun Jewish cemetery

In June of 2013 I had the pleasure of visiting Ukraine and Labun (now Yurovshchina; once called Lubin in Yiddish), my paternal grandparents' community. We were able to visit the old Jewish cemetery, which I discussed in an earlier post. Over the next several Tuesdays I will post photos and translations (as I am able to decipher) of tombstones from that cemetery. Most do not feature surnames.

[first one or two lines unreadable]

Shmuel

son of Khaim [last word unknown] 

Kaplan

May his soul be bound in everlasting life 

Not the clearest photo, I'll admit. And I am actually amazed what one can determine when one closely studies inscriptions. There was no date discernible on this one but the full name is nice.

Treasure Chest Thursday: Joseph Myers and Rose Adler Marriage

Joseph Myers, the son of David and Ida Myers, was my great grandmother Sarah's brother.[1] He became an immigrant from Labun, Russian Empire, in 1906, joining his elder brothers, Myer and Louis, in New York City.[2]

Kings County, New York, marriage certificate no. 5484, Joseph Myers and Rose Adler (25 March 1913), Municipal Archives, New York City

[1st page]
Groom: Joseph Myers
Residence: 136 Rivington St.
Age: 24
Color: White
Single, Widowed or Divorced: single
Occupation: Glazier
Birthplace: Wolina Russia
Father's Name: David
Mother's Maiden Name: Ida Kestelman
Number of Groom's Marriage: first

Bride: Rose Adler
Residence: 136 Rivington St.
Age: 21
Color: White
Single, Widowed or Divorced: single
Maiden Name, if a Widow: [blank]
Birthplace: Wolina Russia
Father's Name: Isidor
Mother's Maiden Name: Sarah Mendel
Number of Bride's Marriage: first

I hearby certify that the above-named groom and bride were joined in Marriage by me, in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, at 73 Ellen st. NY, in the borough of New York, City of New York, this 25th of March, 1913.

Signature of person performing the ceremony:
                                                        /s/ I. Ehrlichman
Official Station: [blank]
Residence: 551 Grand St., N.Y.

Witnesses to }  B. Bogoslawsky
the Marriage }  Ike Rosenthal
 
[2nd page]  
WE hereby certify that we are the Groom and Bride named in this Certificate, and that the information given therein is correct, to the best of our knowledge and belief.
                              /s/ Joseph Myers  Groom
                              /s/ Rose Adler Bride  
Signed in the presence of  /s/ Barnett Bogoslawsky
                                                /s/  Ike Rosenthal

Notes:

1. Sarah Myers Morris was my great grandmother. Her daughter, Dora Morris Garber, was my paternal grandmother. 

 2. "New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957," digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 19 June 2009), manifest, Batavia, Hamburg to New York, arriving 16 November 1906, p. 18, line 10, Jossel Malzmann; citing National Archives Microfilm Serial T715, Roll 798.

Tombstone Tuesday: ...l offspring of Aizik Mendel

In June of 2013 I had the pleasure of visiting Ukraine and Labun (now Yurovshchina; once called Lubin in Yiddish), my paternal grandparents' community. We were able to visit the old Jewish cemetery, which I discussed in an earlier post. Over the next several Tuesdays I will post photos and translations (as I am able to decipher) of tombstones from that cemetery. Most do not feature surnames.

Several people participating on "Tracing the Tribe" FaceBook page have worked together to try to decipher this tombstone. Unfortunately the first name - likely on the sixth line from the bottom - has not been determined. A couple of people thought the name could be Doniel (and I agree that there appears to be an alef followed by a lamed at the end of the name), but I think the word "bat" might be at the end of that line (in which case the deceased would have been a woman). And I am not sure if the name starts with resh or daled. 

The date, located at the end of the fourth line from the bottom (after Mendel) seems to have two digits starting with the letter representing 20. I cannot make out the second digit. 

So, what we have, thus far, is:

D/R...l daughter[?] of

Aisik

Mendel 2[#?]

Nisan, in the year

5687

May his/her soul be bound in eternal life 

The 20th of Nisan 5687 would convert to 22 April 1927. The 29th of Nisan would have been 1 May 1927. So, the date of death is something between those two possibilities.

I have been asked why I did not clean the tombstone before taking the photo and why I did not record the text while I was there so that there would be no (or less) confusion in doing these translations. While I tried to make sure that the most moss-obscured letters were clearer, I was operating under the notion of do no harm - and all I had that might have been used to scrape off moss was a credit card.

In retrospect, I suppose I should have spent the evening trying to translate from the digital photos I'd taken that day and then gone back the next day for any I could not decipher. But, really, the mosquitos in the cemetery were carrying me away; I was crawling through mud to take the photos; and there was a local waiting for me who, through the goodness of his heart, was going to take us to some other local points of interest (especially the site in the nearby forest where the Jewish town's people had been murdered in 1941).

I tried during my trip to be flexible and open to changes in plans as opportunities presented themselves. That was an excellent strategy and one I would recommend to anyone doing a similar roots trip. Considering the state of this cemetery: on the side of a hill, in clay soil and overgrown with trees, I'm not unhappy with the results. Guess I'll just have to go back soon, better prepared for the state of this cemetery.