Monday, 4 May 2026

Morris, Ely (1880 - 1972)

Ely Morris, born Eliash Dik, is the brother-in-law of Rachel Levin, my 2x great aunt. Morris 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 Ely'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: 22 January 1880 in Ponevezh, Kovno District, Russian Empire, now Panevėžys, Lithuania,  Ponevezh [Russian], Ponevezh [Yiddish], Poniewież [Polish], Ponewiesch [German], Panevēža [Latvian]

Jewishgen birth record extract for Ely

The original birth record for Eliash Dik. On the left-hand page of that image, look for the entry numbered 18 in the second column (Male/Мужскаго). Left hand side of the page is in Russian, right hand side of the page is in Yiddish.

Name of the Child: Eliash (Еліяшъ). Parents:  Father: Girsh-Iosel, son of Naftel Dik (Гиршъ-Іосель Нафтелевъ Дикъ). He is listed as a citizen of Raguva (the text says "Роговскій мѣщанинъ"). Mother: Golda, daughter of Eliash (Голда Эліяшева). Date of birth: 22 January 1880. Circumcision: 29 January 29th 1880. Place of Birth: Panevezys.

Hebrew name: Elijahu son of Tsvi Yosef

Siblings
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, then South Africa: In Lithuania, at that time, the eldest son was drafted to the Russian army when they reached the age of 18. Therefore, Ely'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. Ely must have arrived in Liverpool sometime in the early 1890s and moved to South Africa in 1896

Occupation: Furniture shop owner

Marriage: Annie Katz on 15 November 1911 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Ely was 31 and Anne 23

Marriage certificate for Ely and Annie who were married in Johannesburg on 15 November 1911

Children
Their first child was born in 1913 when Ely was 33 and Annie 25 years old. Their last child was born in 1921 when Ely was 41 and Annie 33 years old 
  • Bertha (Bee) Morris 1913 - 2011
  • Nathan (Sonny) Morris 1915 - 1991
  • Leah Morris 1921 - 2011

Biography

Mazeltov - ELY MORRIS IS 90 YEARS YOUNG
Мг. Ely Morris of Johannesburg celebrated his 90th birthday last week.

Born in Latvia, Mr. Morris came to South Africa as a boy of sixteen after spending a few years in Liverpool. He arrived in Cape Town with two shillings in his pocket and started work as a cabinet maker. His firm insisted that he should work on Shabbat and therefore he resigned and moved to Johannesburg where he opened a general dealer's store, and later married Annie Katz.

The young couple and their family decided to immigrate to Palestine in 1928 as Mr. Morris had long been an active Zionist. Unfortunately conditions in Palestine were difficult at that time he lost his money and was forced to return to South Africa, this time to settle in Bloemfontein. Here he started a furniture business which is today run by his son, Nathan, and grandson.

Since the death of his wife five years ago, Mr. Morris has been living with his daughter and son-in-law, Bee and Henry Salkinder of Emmarentia, Johannesburg. His other daughter Lee Loewenson lives in Salisbury. Mr. Morris has nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. 

Longevity seems to run in his family Mr. Morris has two sisters, Mrs. Rachel Steckol who is 97 and Mrs. Tilly Epstein, who is 86. Both live in Johannesburg.

Death
14 February 1972 in Bloemfontein, South Africa age 92. He was buried in the Bloemfontein Memorial Cemetery on 15 February 1972, plot no 9:A276


Jewishgen Cemetery record for Ely

Place of Birth
Ely 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.
at
Labels: , , ,