Gittel Bucher (1870 - 1926)

Gittel Bucher is the first wife of Nochum Aaron Steckoll, known as Aaron, the brother-in-law of Rachel Levin, my 2x great aunt. Levin family HERE. Steckoll family HERE.

Parents: Simon Bucher

Born: 1870 in Varaklani, Latvia

Hebrew name: Gitel daughter of Shimon

Married:

1) Nochum Aaron Steckoll on 16 August 1890 in Varaklani, Latvia. Aaron was 23 and Gittel was 20

Jewish metrical marriage record for Aaron and Gittel, who were married in Varaklani, Latvia on 16 August 1890. The dowry was 400 rubles. 

Groom: Nokhum-Aron Stekol
Groom's Name: Nokhum-Aron Stekol (Нохумъ-Аронъ Стеколь)
Father's Name: Iosel Stekol (Iosel' syn Nokhumova).
Status/Origin: Listed as a meshanin (townsman or petit bourgeois) from Varaklani.

Bride: Gitel Bukh
Bride's Name: Gitel Bukh (Гитель Бухъ)
Father's Name: Simen Bukh
Status/Origin: Daughter of a townsman

Marriage summary for Aaron and Gittel, who were married in Varaklani, Latvia on 16 August 1890

Children

Their first child was born in 1893 when Aaron was 26 and Gittel 23. The last child was born in 1903 when Aaron was 36 and Gittel 33

• Simon Steckoll (1893 - 1935)
• Maurice Steckoll (1895 - 1948)
• Jack Steckoll (1898 - 1989)
• Eva Steckoll (1903 - 1983)

Death

10 December 1926 in Ladybrand, South Africa age 57. She was buried in the Jewish Cemetery there

Burial

Jewishgen Cemetery record for Gittel

Place of Birth

Aaron was born in Varaklani, Latvia

The Jewish community in 

Varaklani

 officially began to form in the late 18th century, shortly after the region was annexed by the Russian Empire. While a few Jewish families may have lived in the area earlier, the community truly took root around 1780. By 1797, there were 413 Jewish residents recorded in the town, a number that grew steadily as Varaklani became an important trading post. Throughout the 19th century, the population expanded rapidly due to migration from nearby Lithuania and Belarus. By 1847, the number of Jewish residents had increased to 584 people, and religious life began to flourish under leaders like Rabbi Aharon Zelig Zioni, who headed the community during this mid-century growth.

The community reached its numerical peak in 1897, when a census recorded 1,357 Jews, which accounted for approximately 75% of the town's total population. During this era, the town was led by Rabbi Abraham bar Gabai, who served as the chief rabbi for five decades starting in 1873, and Rabbi Jacob Pollak, who served as the crown rabbi. This overwhelming majority meant that for several decades, Varaklani functioned almost entirely as a Jewish town where the rhythms of life were dictated by religious law and the Hebrew calendar.

The population began to fluctuate during the early 20th century due to the turmoil of World War I and the Russian Revolution. In 1920, the first census of the newly independent Republic of Latvia recorded 868 Jewish residents, a significant decline from the pre-war peak. However, the community remained the dominant group in the town, and by 1925, the number had climbed back up to 991 people. During this period of Latvian independence, Jewish citizens became deeply integrated into the town’s governance. Reuven Arsh achieved significant prominence as the town’s mayor, while Michael Kagan served as the deputy mayor.

By the eve of the Holocaust in 1935, the Jewish population stood at 952 people, making up roughly 57% of the town’s residents. This community was supported by a network of merchant families with surnames such as Zogut, Schneir, Chait, Kaplan, Morain, Matchevsky, Steiner, Boorenstein, Berzon, Kopolovitch, Kodish, Solevy, Shvalb, and Fingerhuts. These families maintained the town's shops, schools, and cultural institutions until the Nazi invasion in 1941.

The destruction of this community began shortly after German forces entered Varaklani in early July 1941. Immediate restrictions were placed on Jewish residents, and they were forced into a provisional ghetto established next to the Jewish cemetery. On August 4, 1941, a German SD unit known as the Arājs Commando, assisted by local Latvian self-defenders and police, carried out a mass execution. Approximately 540 Jews were taken to the cemetery and shot to death in pits they had been forced to dig themselves. Rabbi Eliezer-Yaakov Hacohen Grodsky, the final spiritual leader, was particularly mistreated during this event; he was dragged to the execution site with his beard tied to a horse’s tail. After the massacre, local peasants were forced to fill in the mass graves. Before their retreat in 1944, German authorities ordered the bodies to be burned to destroy evidence of the crime

Nochum Aaron Steckoll (1867 - 1933)

Nochum Aaron Steckoll, known as Aaron, is the brother-in-law of Rachel Levin, my 2x great aunt. Levin family HERE. Steckoll family HERE.

Parents: Abraham Steckoll (1847 - 1938) and Sheina Hena Diment (1845 - 1927)

Aaron's parents Sheina and Abraham Steckoll

Born: 1867 in Varaklani, Latvia

Hebrew name: Nochum Aharon son of Abba

Siblings

• Khana Steckoll (1866 - ?) married Elia Shapiro in Rezekne, Latvia on 7 July 1888
• Jacob Steckoll (1872 - 1965) married Rosa Skuy (1872 - 1956)
• Robert Steckoll (1875 - 1964) married 1) Leah Skuy (1878 - 1931), 2) Anna Forman (1891 - 1957)
• Israel Getzel Steckoll (1877 - 1947) married Ida Gilenson (1885 - 1980)
• Sonia Steckoll (1882 - 1966) married Modes Sandler (1875 - 1930) pn 16 July 1901 in Varaklani, Latvia
• Rebecca Ella Steckoll (1885 - 1941) married Ruven Goodman (1886 - 1985)
• Louis Steckoll (1887 -1942) married Sarah Ida Rosenthal (1892 - 1989) on 31 March 1912 in Marion, Indiana, USA

Photo of Aaron's parents and information on his siblings provided by Shelley Globman Osipov

Occupation: Merchant owning and operating several general stores in the Orange Free State, South Africa, in partnership with two of his sons. Aaron had a one third share and his sons Simon and Maurice also had a one third share (his third son Jack was not included as he already had a store at Pilgrim's Rest in the Transvaal). The stores were in Ladybrand, Hobhouse and Vinies (a railway siding in the Ladybrand district) - so one store for each of the shareholders. The firm was called A. Steckoll and sons

Married:

1) Gittel Bucher (1870 - 1926) on 16 August 1890 in Varaklani, Latvia. Aaron was 23 and Gittel was 20

Jewish metrical marriage record for Aaron and Gittel, who were married in Varaklani, Latvia on 16 August 1890. The dowry was 400 rubles. 

Groom: Nokhum-Aron Stekol
Groom's Name: Nokhum-Aron Stekol (Нохумъ-Аронъ Стеколь)
Father's Name: Iosel Stekol (Iosel' syn Nokhumova).
Status/Origin: Listed as a meshanin (townsman or petit bourgeois) from Varaklani.

Bride: Gitel Bukh
Bride's Name: Gitel Bukh (Гитель Бухъ)
Father's Name: Simen Bukh
Status/Origin: Daughter of a townsman

Marriage summary for Aaron and Gittel, who were married in Varaklani, Latvia on 16 August 1890

Children

Their first child was born in 1893 when Aaron was 26 and Gittel 23. The last child was born in 1903 when Aaron was 36 and Gittel 33

• Simon Steckoll (1893 - 1935)
• Maurice Steckoll (1895 - 1948)
• Jack Steckoll (1898 - 1989)
• Eva Steckoll (1903 - 1983)

Married:

2) Rachel Morris in 1928 in Thaba Nchu, Orange Free State, South Africa. Aaron was 61 and Rachel 54

Antenuptial Contract between Aaron Steckoll and Rachael Morris

The couple signed an antenuptial contract on 28 February 1928 in Bloemfontein. Rachel’s name appears in the document as “Rachael,” and she signed in Yiddish, which implies she may not have been able to write in English. At the time, Aaron was residing in Ladybrand and Rachel in Bloemfontein, both in what was then the Orange Free State Province of South Africa.

Under the agreement, Aaron undertook to pay Rachel £300 in cash. The marriage was entered into out of community of property, with each party retaining full control of the assets they brought into the union.

As can be seen below, Rachel was not mentioned in Aaron’s will. He died in 1933, after five years of marriage. Taken together, these details suggest that Rachel entered the marriage with the understanding that she would manage the household and care for Aaron in his later years—an arrangement that was not unusual in that period.

Death

7 October 1933 in Bloemfontein, South Africa age 66. He was buried in the Jewish Cemetery in Ladybrand, Orange Free State, South Africa

Death notice

Death notice for Aaron Steckoll who died on 7 October 1933in Bloemfontein. His wife Rachel has signed at the bottom in Yiddish

Burial

Jewishgen Cemetery record for Aaron

Will

LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT

I, the undersigned, NOCHUN AARON STECKOLL, (known as AARON STECKOLL), presently residing at Ladybrand, Orange Free State, being of sound and disposing mind, memory and understanding, capable of doing any act or deed requiring thought or reflection, declare hereby to make and execute this my Last Will and Testament.

I DECLARE HEREBY to cancel, revoke and annul any and all former Wills, Codicils and other Testamentary Acts, by me at any time heretofore made and executed, desiring that they shall be of no force and effect whatsoever.

1) DECLARE HEREBY to nominate, constitute and appoint my sons, SIMON STECKOLL, of Hobhouse, district Ladybrand, and MAURICE STECKOLL, of Ladybrand, to be the Joint Executors of this my Will and Administrators of my Estate and Effects, hereby giving and granting to them all such power and authority as are required by Law, and especially that of Assumption, and I hereby specially direct the Master to dispense with the security, which Executors are required to furnish by Law.

I HEREBY GIVE AND HEQURATH the following sums:-

(1) The sum of FIFTY FOUNDS (£50) to be divided equally smongst my grandchiloren, who may be living at my death.

(2) The sum of FIFTY FOUNDS (£50) to be given to such charities as my Executors may, in their discretion, deem fit.

(3) The sum of ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY FOUNDS (£120) to my daughter EVA STEIN (born Steckoll), married out of community of property to Woolf Stein, of Bloemfontein.

(4) The sum of ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY POUNDS (£120), to my son JACK STECKOLJ, of Pilgrimsrest, Transvaal.

(5) To my son MAURICE STECKOLL, of Ladybrand, the sum of ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY FOUNDS (£120).

(6 ) The sum of TWO HUNDRED AND FORTY POUNDS (£240), to my son SIMON STECKOLL, of Hobhouse, district Ladybrand;

It is a condition of the above bequests, that these be paid out over a term of three (3) years by my Executors, at the rate of one-third of each amount per annun in arrear. For this purpose, the liquidation of my assets is to be left entirely to the discretion of my Executors.

I DECLARE HEREBY TO nominate, constitute and appoint my sons, SIKON STECKOLL and MAURICE STECKOLL, to be the sole and universal heirs of all the remainder of my property, estate and effects, whether movable or immovable, of what nature soever and wheresoever the same may be, and whether the same may be in possession, reversion, remainder or expectancy, which shall be lent by me at my death.

I RESERVE TO SYSELF the right from time to time, and at all times hereafter to make all such alterations in or additions to this my Will, as I shall think fit, either by a separate Act or at the foot hereof, desiring that all such alterations or additions so made under my own signature shall be held to be as valid and effectual as if inserted herein.

THE FOREGOING, I declare to be my Last Will and Testament, desiring that it shall have effect as such or as a Codicil or otherwise as may be found to consist with Law.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have set my hand, at Ladybrand, this 19 day of July 1933, in the presence of the undersigned witnesses.

AS WITNESSES:

A. STECKOLL (signed)

1. I. Israel (Signed)

2. M. Sandler (Signed)

Last will and testament for Aaron, drawn up in Ladybrand on 19 July 1933

Probate

Probate for Aaron Steckoll. It was finalised on 19 August 1935 at Hobhouse

Place of Birth

Aaron was born in Varaklani, Latvia

The Jewish community in 

Varaklani

 officially began to form in the late 18th century, shortly after the region was annexed by the Russian Empire. While a few Jewish families may have lived in the area earlier, the community truly took root around 1780. By 1797, there were 413 Jewish residents recorded in the town, a number that grew steadily as Varaklani became an important trading post. Throughout the 19th century, the population expanded rapidly due to migration from nearby Lithuania and Belarus. By 1847, the number of Jewish residents had increased to 584 people, and religious life began to flourish under leaders like Rabbi Aharon Zelig Zioni, who headed the community during this mid-century growth.

The community reached its numerical peak in 1897, when a census recorded 1,357 Jews, which accounted for approximately 75% of the town's total population. During this era, the town was led by Rabbi Abraham bar Gabai, who served as the chief rabbi for five decades starting in 1873, and Rabbi Jacob Pollak, who served as the crown rabbi. This overwhelming majority meant that for several decades, Varaklani functioned almost entirely as a Jewish town where the rhythms of life were dictated by religious law and the Hebrew calendar.

The population began to fluctuate during the early 20th century due to the turmoil of World War I and the Russian Revolution. In 1920, the first census of the newly independent Republic of Latvia recorded 868 Jewish residents, a significant decline from the pre-war peak. However, the community remained the dominant group in the town, and by 1925, the number had climbed back up to 991 people. During this period of Latvian independence, Jewish citizens became deeply integrated into the town’s governance. Reuven Arsh achieved significant prominence as the town’s mayor, while Michael Kagan served as the deputy mayor.

By the eve of the Holocaust in 1935, the Jewish population stood at 952 people, making up roughly 57% of the town’s residents. This community was supported by a network of merchant families with surnames such as Zogut, Schneir, Chait, Kaplan, Morain, Matchevsky, Steiner, Boorenstein, Berzon, Kopolovitch, Kodish, Solevy, Shvalb, and Fingerhuts. These families maintained the town's shops, schools, and cultural institutions until the Nazi invasion in 1941.

The destruction of this community began shortly after German forces entered Varaklani in early July 1941. Immediate restrictions were placed on Jewish residents, and they were forced into a provisional ghetto established next to the Jewish cemetery. On August 4, 1941, a German SD unit known as the Arājs Commando, assisted by local Latvian self-defenders and police, carried out a mass execution. Approximately 540 Jews were taken to the cemetery and shot to death in pits they had been forced to dig themselves. Rabbi Eliezer-Yaakov Hacohen Grodsky, the final spiritual leader, was particularly mistreated during this event; he was dragged to the execution site with his beard tied to a horse’s tail. After the massacre, local peasants were forced to fill in the mass graves. Before their retreat in 1944, German authorities ordered the bodies to be burned to destroy evidence of the crime

Rachel Morris (1874 - 1982)

Rachel Morris, born Rachel Dik and known later in her long life as Rochel, is the sister-in-law of Rachel Levin, my 2x great aunt. Morris family HERE. Steckoll family HERE.

The original name of the family was Dik (Dikiene in Lithuanian) and the family, while registered in Raguva, Lithuania, lived in what is now Panevėžys, Lithuania. However, when Rachel's eldest brother Jacob arrived in England the clerk did not understand Yiddish and since Jacob called himself Jacob "Monnes" (Menachem), the clerk thought he said Munes was his last name. This was not English enough so the clerk anglicized it to Morris. Later when Jacob brought out other members of his family they changed their name to Morris as well

Parents: Joseph Dik (1851 - 1924) and Golda Chaya (1846 - 1923)

Born: 1874, in Ponevezh, Kovno District, Russian Empire, now Panevėžys, Lithuania,  Ponevezh [Russian], Ponevezh [Yiddish], Poniewież [Polish], Ponewiesch [German], Panevēža [Latvian]

Hebrew name: Rochel daughter of Yosef

Siblings

• Jacob Morris (1870 - 1947) married Rachel Levin (1873 - 1952) in Liverpool, England in (October - December) 1892
• Dinah Morris (1879 - 1969) married Barnett Bryer (1878 - 1958) in Liverpool in (October - December ) 1902
• Ely Morris (1880 - 1972) married Anne Katz (1888 - 1962) in Johannesburg, South Africa on 15 November 1911
• Michael Dik (1883 - ?)
• Tilly Morris (1886 - 1981) married Isaac Epstein (1884 - 1941)

According to AI searches there were several other children who were born in Panevėžys as well, but I have yet to corroborate this

Migration to England: In Lithuania, at that time, the eldest son was drafted to the Russian army when they reached the age of 18. Therefore, Rachel's eldest brother Jacob left Lithuania planning to travel to America but on arrival in Liverpool did not have enough money to complete the journey. The local Jewish Leadership offered help on condition that he marry a Jewish girl and settle in England.  Once settled in England he brought all his family to join him in Liverpool and all his siblings changed their name to Morris. It is not known when Rachel arrived in Liverpool, nor when she followed other family members to South Africa

Married: Married Nochum Aaron Steckoll, known as Aron, in 1928 in Thaba Nchu, Orange Free State, South Africa. Aaron was 61 and Rachel 54. Aaron was a widower with 4 adult children, all independent and married by 1928

Antenuptial Contract between Aaron Steckoll and Rachael Morris

The couple signed an antenuptial contract on 28 February 1928. Rachel’s name appears in the document as “Rachael,” and she signed in Yiddish, which implies she may not have been able to write in English. At the time, Aaron was residing in Ladybrand and Rachel in Bloemfontein, both in what was then the Orange Free State Province of South Africa.

Under the agreement, Aaron undertook to pay Rachel £300 in cash. The marriage was entered into out of community of property, with each party retaining full control of the assets they brought into the union.

Rachel was not mentioned in Aaron’s will. He died in 1933, after five years of marriage. Taken together, these details suggest that Rachel entered the marriage with the understanding that she would manage the household and care for Aaron in his later years—an arrangement that was not unusual in that period.

Recollection

Her great-nephew, Trevor Morris, remembered collecting her from Sandringham Gardens, the Jewish old-age home in Johannesburg, to take her to Shabbat dinner in Emmarentia when she was about 105. She was a very small woman and, as Trevor put it, she still “had all her marbles.”

Halfway to their destination she suddenly realised she had forgotten the chocolates she intended to bring as a gift. Trevor suggested they could easily buy some along the way, but she would not hear of it. She wanted to give the ones she had chosen herself. They turned around, drove back to Sandringham Gardens, she fetched the present, and only then did they set off again for the dinner.

Death

19 July 1982 in Johannesburg, South Africa age 108.She was buried on 20 July 1982 in the Westpark Cemetery in Johannesburg, grave block U, grave no 463

Tombstone for Rochel Steckoll
Inscription: In loving memory of Rochel [Steckoll] passed away on 19th July 1982 aged 108 years. Ever remembered by her nephews, nieces and families. MHDSRIP

Hebrew translation: Mrs. Rachel daughter of Mr. Yosef, died 28 Tammuz 5742. Abbreviation "May her soul be bound in the bonds of life."

Westpark Cemetery details for Rochel

Jewishgen Cemetery record for Rochel

Place of Birth

Rachel Morris was born in Panevėžys, Lithuania

PANEVEZYS (Panevezhis; Lith. Panevežys; Rus. Ponevezh), city in Lithuania. In 1766 the Jewish community numbered 254; in 1847, 1,447 Jews were registered, and in 1897, 6,627 Jews (50% of the total population) lived in Panevezys. An ancient Karaite community is also known to have existed there. A number of noted rabbis officiated in Panevezys, among them Isaac Jacob Rabinovich (Itzele Ponevezher), Joseph Kahaneman, and Jeroham Leibovich. The Hebrew poet Judah Leib Gordon served as a teacher in the city from 1853 to 1860. Naphtali Friedman, a noted advocate, served as delegate from Panevezys to the third Duma.

In May 1915, during World War I, the Jews of Panevezys were sent along with other Lithuanian Jews to the interior of Russia by the Russian military authorities. Most of them returned after the Russian Revolution. In 1923 there were 6,845 Jews living in Panevezys (35% of the total population), most of them occupied in small trade and crafts and some in larger business enterprises and industry.

The community had an active social and cultural life. Its educational institutions included Hebrew and Yiddish primary schools, two Hebrew secondary schools (one belonging to the Zionist-orientated Tarbut educational system and the other, for girls, to the religious Yavneh), a Jewish pro-gymnasium, and libraries.

The Panevezys Yeshivah, which had a high reputation, was founded by Liebe Miriam Gavronsky, daughter of K.Z. Wissotszky. When the Jews were expelled during World War I, the yeshivah was first moved to Ludza in Vitebsk province and then to Mariupol (Zhdanov) in the Ukraine. After World War I Rabbi Kahaneman founded the great Ohel Yiẓḥak yeshivah in Panevezys with about 200 students. In 1944 the yeshivah was reestablished by Rabbi Kahaneman in *Bene Berak, Israel.

Panevezys was occupied by the Germans in 1941 a few days after the outbreak of the German-Soviet war. A ghetto was established from which Jews were transported and murdered in September 1941. They were buried in 12 mass graves. In 1968 the Jewish cemetery at Panevezys was destroyed.