Clay in My Boots: A Romp Through My Genealogical Past

Lutzk, Ukraine Surnames: GOULINE, GALON, OKS, SHKURNIK Jewish Population: 1897:  9,468 (60% of 15,780 population) Family Members: Jacob Israel Gouline, G GFather (father of Jeanne Highstein) B 1875 Lutzk?; M Rachel Oks; Emigrated 1902; D 1944 Baltimore Moshe Tzvi Galon, GG GFather (father of Jacob Gouline) B ~1840  Lutsk? Shabsa Saftl Oks, GG GFather (father of Rachel Oks) B ~1850 Lutzk; M  Nekha Shkurnik; D b1919 Kremenets Nekha Shkurnik, GG GMother (mother of Rachel Oks) B 1852 Lutzk; M Shabsa Oks; D b1902 Yosef Shkurnik, 3xG GFather (father of Nekha Shkurnik) B 1809 Lutsk; M Sheyndil Gertsburg; D 1904 Kremenets Abram Oks, 3xG GFather (father of Shabsa Oks) B ~1830 Lutzk; D b1873 Lutzk History: Lutsk is an ancient Slavic town, mentioned in the Hypatian Chronicle as Luchesk in the records of 1085. The town began to prosper during the period of Lithuanian rule. Prince Lubart (died 1384), son of Gediminas, erected Lubart's Castle as part of his ...

Pumpenai, Lithuania Surnames: KHAIT, MUSICANT, PALIUKAR, ZAIDEL Jewish Population: 1900: 1,017 (69% of 1,471 population) 1766: 583 Family Members: Jacob Musicant, 3x GGFather (father of Yetta Bass; GFather of Lena Bass Snyder) B ~1820 Pumpenai; M Dora Musicant Bentsel Khait, 3x GGFather (father of Itsyk David Khait; GFather of Charles Highstein)  B 1801 Pumpenai; M Rivka Paliukar Rivka Paliukar, 3x GGFather (mother of Itsyk David Khait; GMother of Charles Highstein) B 1806 Pumpenai; M Bentsel Khait Shmuel Khait (Khaet), 4x GGFather (father of Bentsel Khait)  B ~1760 Pumpenai; M  Tankel Zaidel; D ~1820 Leckava Tankel Zaidel, 4x GGMother (mother of Bentsel Khait)  B 1778 Pumpenai; M Shmuel Khaet; D 1834 Pumpenai Movsha Khait, 5x GGFather (father of Shmuel Khait)  B ~ 1740 Pumpenai Iankel Khaet, 6x GGFather (father of Movsha Khait)  abt 1720 - Pumpenai Itsek Paliukar, 4x GGFather (father of Rivka P...

Radyvyliv (Radzivilov), Ukraine https://www.jewishgen.org/Yizkor/Radzivilov/Radzivilov.html https://www.jewishgen.org/Ukraine/GEO_town.asp?id=542 Surames: OKS, GERTSBERG Jewish Population: In the late 1800s, the Jewish population reached 4,000. Its residents were Jewish (50%), Ukrainian (31%), and Polish (17%). Between World War I and the civil war between Ukrainian nationalists and Bolsheviks, the Jewish population declined to around 2,000.  Family Members: Sheyndil Gertzberg, 3xG-GMother (mother of Nekha (née Shkurnik) Oks) B 1838 Radyvyliv; M Chane Gisa Gertzberg, 4xG-GMother (mother of Sheyndil Gertzberg) B 1816 Radyvyliv; M Shimon Lejbovich Gertsberg, 4xG-GFather (father of Sheyndil Gertzberg) B 1814 Kremenets; M ; D 1852 Radyvyliv Lejb Shulimovich Gertsberg 5xG-GFather (father of Shimon Lejbovich Gertsberg) B 1773 Radyvyliv Shulim Gertsberg, 6xG-GFather (father of Lejb Shulimovich Gertsberg) B ~1750 Radyvyliv Khaim Oks, 4xG-GFather (father of Abram ...

Pasvitinys, Lithuania Surames: SNYDER, SHNAYDER Jewish Population: 1897: 435 (59% of 737 population) Family Members: Isaac (Mike) Snyder, Grandfather (father of S. Sidney Snyder) B 1895 Pasvetin ; M Lena Bass ~1920; Emigrated 1912; D 1955 Baltimore Occupation: Tailor Yeshua Snyder, G-GFather (father of Isaac Snyder) B 1897 Pasvetin; M Maime Snyder ; D 1899 Pasvetin Shmuel Shnayder , GG-GFather (father of Yashua Snyder) B ~1845 Pasvitinys; M Tauba Riva Snyder Occupation: Tailor Tauba Riva Shnayder,  GG-GMother (mother of Yashua Snyder) B ~1845 Pasvitinys; M Shmuel Snyder Zelik David Shnayder, GGG-GFather B ~1825 Pasvitinys Occupation: Tailor History: Pasvitinys was a small town 12 km south of the Latvian border. The nearest railway station was at Joniskis. In 1902, the entire village was burned. Just before World War I, 120 Jewish families lived there, but before the Holocaust only 25 families remained as small merchants in the Wednesday weekly market and...

Kremenets, Ukraine Surnames: OKS, SHKURNIK Jewish Population: 1897: 6,539 (37% of 17,673 population) As far as we can tell, there are no Jewish residents in Kremenets today. Family Members: Rachel Oks, G-GMother (mother of Jeanne (née Gouline) Highstein) B 1876 Kremenets ; M Jacob Gouline ~1899; Emigrated 1901; D 1947 Baltimore Shabsa Oks, GG-GFather (father of Rachel Oks) B ~1850 Lutzk; M Nekha Shkurnik; D 1919 Kremenets Nekha (née Shkurnik) Oks (mother of Rachel Oks) B ~1852; M Shabsa Oks; D b1902 Kremenets Shabsa’s brothers and their families lived in Kremenets. History: Kremenets is one of the oldest cities of Ukraine. It was first mentioned in the Hypatian Chronicle for the year 1226. (Freenet.Kiev). The first mention of Jews in Kremenets is for the year 1438, when the Grand Duke of Lithuania gave them a charter. Such charters, or laws, were important because they decreed that the Jewish population “formed a class of free citizens under the immediate protecti...

On August 8, 1941, 2400 Jews living in the town of Birzh were force-marched to the Astrava forest, 3 Km outside of Birzh, and brutally murdered.  The victims lie buried in the forest in two large mass graves.  A fuller description of this horrific event is found at: https://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/birzai/Birzh_3.html   A major undertaking to build, at the gravesite, a memorial to the victims  is now in process, with the goal of dedicating the memorial in October  2018. Carol, Wendy, and I plan to visit this site when we are in Birzai, August 15-17, prior to the formal dedication. A list of victims has been constructed using data from the Yad Vashem  Database of Shoah Victims Names.  However, this list falls well short of  identifying a majority of those who died on that fateful day.   The organizers of the memorial project urgently seek people who can  contribute names of Jews who were resident in Birzh during WWII or Jews...