Nathan Dobrofsky (1873 - 1950)

Nathan Dobrofsky is the brother-in-law of Sarah Ann Levin, my 2x great aunt. Helfet family HERE. Dobrofsky family HERE

Parents: Nachum Benzion Dubrowski (1845 - 1902) and Rosa Tander (1844 - 1918)

Tombstones for his parents Nachum Benzion Dubrowski and Rosa Hinda Dubrofsky. Nachum is buried in the Rice Lane Cemetery, Liverpool, England and Rosa in the Mount Carmel Cemetery, Sioux City, Iowa, USA

Born: 14 March 1873 (as per his WW1 draft registration document) in Mena, Sosnitsa, Chernigov in the Russian Empire, nowadays Mina, Chernihiv, Ukraine. On his death certificate his date of birth is given as 14 March 1872

Siblings

• Sarah Dobrofsky (1869 - 1951) married Barnett Charles (Boruch) Shubb (1891 - 1918) before 1891
• Hyman Dobrofsky (1872 - 1916) married Sarah Nepomnickcha (1872 - 1948) before 1898
• Katherine (Kalia) Dobrofsky (1877 - 1963) married Charles (Hatskel) Shubb (1879 - 1920) in 1901
• Rachel (Broche) Dobrofsky (1882 - 1961) married Barnett Ginsburg (1882 - 1960) in 1903
• Jacob (Jake) Dobrofsky (1883 - 1967) married Esther Helfet (1886 - 1956) in 1904

Charles and Bennett Shubb were brothers and Esther and Mary Helfet were sisters

Occupation: Cap maker and later on a grocer

Nathan listed as a grocer in a 1920 Sioux City directory

Migration: Nathan came to Liverpool, England in March 1897 when he was 24 years old. Nathan and his wife Mary then migrated to Sioux City in Iowa, USA in February 1908

Mary, age 27, Nathan age 33 and a cap maker, and their children Jacob age 6, Benjamin age 4, Leon age 2 and Barnett age 10 months, sailed aboard the SS Lucania from Liverpool on 1 February 1908 bound for  Chicago. They arrived in New York on 8 February 1908

Married: Mary Helfet in Liverpool, England in (October - December) 1899 when Nathan was was 26 and Mary 20

Children

Their first child was born in 1901 when Nathan was 28 and Mary 22. Their last child was born in 1911 when Nathan was 38 and Mary 32

• Jacob Dobrofsky (1901 - ?)
• Benjamin Dobrofsky (1902 - 1992). He married Eva Orlikoff  (1911 - 2003) in 1937
• Leon Dobrofsky (1904 - 1981). He married Bertha Newman (1912 - 2008) in 1939
• Barnett Dobrofsky (1907 - 1946). He married Vivian (1915 - ?) in 1939
• Lillian Dobrofsky (1909 - 2003). She married Abraham Berkowitz (1902 - 1994) in 1934
• Philip Dobrofsky (1911 - 2003). He married Gloria Nemirow (1914 - 1979) in 1940

Census details

1901

The family is living at 23 Warren Street, Liverpool, England. Nathan is age 25 and a cap maker on his own account. Mary is age 23 and their son Jacob is age 5 months

1920

In 1920 the family are living at 1304 west 4th street, Sioux City, Iowa, USA. Nathan is age 47 and a grocery man, Mary is age 41. The children are Jake age 19, Bennie age 17, Leon age 15, Barnett age 13, Lillian age 10 and Philip age 8

1925

In 1925 the family are still living at 1304 west 4th street, Sioux City, Iowa, USA. Nathan is age 50 and listed as owning the house. Mary is age 45. The children are Leon age 20, Barnett age 18, Lillian age 15 and Philip age 13

1930

In 1930 the family are still living at 1304 west 4th street, Sioux City, Iowa, USA. Nathan is age 53 and listed as owning the house. Mary is age 49. The children are Leon age 25, Barnett age 23, Lillian age 20 and Philip age 18

1940

In 1940 the family are still living at 1304 west 4th street, Sioux City, Iowa, USA. Nathan is age 65 and listed as owning the house and Mary is age 58

1950

In 1950 Nathan is age 76 and living with his daughter Lillian and her husband Abe Berkowitz at 225 Cook Street, Sioux City, Iowa, USA

World War I

World War 1 registration card for Nathan from 12 September 1918. He is listed as being short and of medium build with grey eyes and dark hair, going slightly bald

Biographical information

Nathan's brother, Jake Dobrofsky wrote a detailed autobiography entitled "THis is my Life", which is available HERE. Information on Nathan has been extracted from it.

Nathan was the oldest son and served nearly 4 years in the Russian army before working in the family dried fish business. Nathan, his father and sister Broche were the first members of the family to come to Liverpool, arriving in March 1897. He worked for his uncle David in a furniture manufacturing plant and became engaged to Mary in 1898 and they were married in 1899.

The family came to America in 1908 and settled in Sioux City, Iowa. Nathan went into the laundry business before becoming a driver and finally opening a grocery store

Death

27 November 1950 in Sioux City, Iowa from pneumonia. He was buried on 28 November 1950 in the Mount Carmel Cemetery in Sioux City in section B site 0116

Death certificate for Nathan

Tombstone for Nathan Dobrofsky

Place of Birth

Nathan was born in in Mena, Sosnitsa, Chernigov in the Russian Empire, nowadays Mina, Chernihiv, Ukraine

Mena is a historic town located in Chernihiv region of northern Ukraine, center of Mena district. Records from the early 19th century describe the general population in Mena at around 6,000 people. The Jewish population of this time is not mentioned but reference is made to the existence of a synagogue and another Jewish house of worship. Jews began to settle actively in Mena after the construction of the Liubavo-Romenska railway in 1873, which passed through Mena. The Liubavo-Romenska railway was one of the main routes for exporting grain from the Russian Empire. The Jews mostly lived on Shevchenko Street, which stretched from the centre of the town to the railway station.

According to the 1897 census, 6,277 people lived in Mena, more than a quarter of whom were Jews. The main activities of the Jewish population in the 19th and early 20th centuries were in trade and crafts. In 1902, the rabbi in Mena was Itshok- Isaac Lurvin (1865 -?) and in 1904-06, Shneur-Zalman Ginzburg (1876 -?).

Many Jews were involved in the purchase and resale of tobacco. Tobacco cultivation has been widespread since the 18th century, so Mena was called the capital of tobacco. This activity was pursued by small traders and merchants of the first guild, who had large warehouses in Mena. Jews would come from Mogilev, Shklov, and Gomel to buy tobacco. Before the Revolution of 1917, there were two synagogues in the town. 

Holocaust

At the war’s outbreak, many Jewish families found a way to evacuate to the east of the country. The main evacuation routes were railroads and water transport by the river Desna towards Bryansk. Those who remained in the city either had not been able to take a long journey or had been convinced of the “civilized” behavior of German soldiers. Many older adults remembered the Germans who occupied Mena in 1918 and did not want to evacuate. Also, for evacuation, money was needed, and most Jews in Mena were poor.

Nazi occupied Mena in September 8, 1941.

The German commandant’s office listed all the Jews and forced them to wear yellow circles on their clothing. After that, policemen and Germans began systematically abusing Jews, forcing them to work, beating and robbing them, and raping many Jewish women. Local non-Jews threw a gun clip into the house of a tailor named Shmerlin and reported to the Germans that he was hiding weapons. The Germans came to his home and shot the entire family.

On October 15, 1941, the Nazi units and local policemen shot 124 Jews (according to other sources, 31 Jews) at the local Jewish cemetery. The mass killing continued throughout November and December. From the night of November 30th to December 1st, 1941, the Germans began to go to Jewish homes and shoot everyone they found there. The Pergament family and many other families perished this way. Among the killed was Mones the Butcher, who was 104 years old. The local residents pointed out the Jewish homes. Part of the Jews were taken to the Jewish cemetery and shot there. There are two fraternal graves at the cemetery, one smaller and the other larger. The victims of the second, largest shooting are buried in the larger one.

On November 29, 1941 near railway bridge on the Desna River in Makoshino  50 local Jews were killed. On December 15, 1941 on the territory of the monastery in village Dominitsy of Menskiy district The Germans shot and killed 34 children from the local orphanage. Among the dead were five Jewish boys and girls. The last mass shooting that occurred in Mena was held February 2, 1942 in an open field near the road to the village, Kukuvichi.

Residences

By 1915 the family are living at 1304 West 4th Street, Sioux City, Iowa and lived there until the late 1940s. The property appears to no longer exist

In the 1950 census Nathan is listed as living with his daughter Lillian and her husband Abe Berkowitz at 225 Cook Street, Sioux City, Iowa, USA

Sarah Riva Helfet (1873 - 1947)

Sarah Riva Helfet is the sister-in-law of Sarah Ann Levin, my 2x great aunt. Helfet family HERE. Her name was also spelt Sara. Her younger sister Sarah (1884 - 1939) had the same English first name. I can only assume that their Hebrew or Yiddish names were different and when they came to England they both took the same English first name

Parents: Jacob Helfet (1849 - 1899) and Leah Cohen (1852 - 1898)

Tombstones for her parents Jacob Helfet and Leah Cohen. They are both buried in the Rice Lane Cemetery, Liverpool, England

Born: 1873 in Chernuch, Russian Empire, nowadays Chornukhy (Ukrainian: Чорнýхи; Russian: Чернýхи), a rural settlement in Lubny Raion, Poltava Oblast, central Ukraine.

Hebrew name: Sara Riva daughter of Yaakov

Migration: The family came to Liverpool, England in 1892 when Sarah was 19 years old. She and her family then emigrated to the United States in around 1901 at around age 28. They settled first in Chicago, before living in Sioux City. A few years after her husband Lazar's death in 1932 she moved to Venice, Los Angeles

Married: Lazarus Goldsmith in Chernuch, Russian Empire in around 1891 when Lazarus was 21 and Sarah 19 

Children

Their first child was born in 1899 when Lazarus was 30 and Sarah 26. Their last child was born in 1905 when Lazarus was 36 and Sarah 32

• Jack Maxwell Goldsmith 1899 - 1982 (born Jacob)
• Lillian Goldsmith 1902 - 1970 (born Elizabeth)
• Solomon (Sol) Goldsmith 1904 - ? (after 1947) (born Charles)

Census details

1901

Sarah is age 28 and living at 22 Vale Road, Rhyl, Wales, with her 19 month old son Jacob. Her husband Lazarus is living with Sarah's sister Nellie and her family in Liverpool, England. I have no idea why Sarah at this time is living in Wales apart from her husband

1910

In the 1910 census the family are living in 9a Cook Street, Sioux City, Iowa, USA. Lazarus is age 38 and a fruit peddler. Sarah is age 34 and the children are Jack age 10, Elizabeth (Lizzie) age 8 and Charles (Charlie) age 6. Living with them is a lodger, Emil Karas age 26 who is working in a retail grovery store

1915

Sarah's card in the 1915 census. She is living in Sioux City, Iowa

1920

In the 1920 census the family are now living in 1106 10th Street, Sioux City, Iowa, USA. Lazarus is age 49 and the owner of a grocery store. Sarah is age 47 and the children are Jack age 19, Elizabeth age 18 and Solomon age 15

1925

In the 1925 census the family are now living at 2023 Grandview Boulevard, Sioux City, Iowa, USA. Lazarus is age 52, Sarah is age 50 and the only child still living at home is Elizabeth age 22

1930

In the 1930 census the family are now living at 1003 Pierce Street, Sioux City, Iowa, USA. Lazarus is age 59, the manager of a grocery store and Sarah is age 56. Their surname is misspelled as Goldstein

1940

In the 1940 census Lazarus is deceased having died in  1932 and Sarah, now age 67, has living with her daughter Lillian Mushkin, age 37 and a lingerie saleslady. With them are Lillian's two children, Marilyn age 11 and Burton age 9. They are now living at 15 Paloma Avenue, Venice, Los Angeles, California, USA. In 1935 they were still living at Sioux City. Lillian's husband Arthur is lodging at 3042 Livonia Street in Los Angeles. They were still together in the 1950 census so I am not sure why they were living apart at this time

Death

10 June 1947 age 75 in Venice, Los Angeles, California. She is buried on 11 June 1947 in the Home of Peace Memorial Park, East Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, United States of America

Death certificate for Sarah Goldsmith who died on 10 June 1947. She is listed as living at 15 Paloma Avenue, Venice, Los Angeles, California. She died of heart disease

Tombstone inscription: Mother. Sarah R Goldsmith June 10, 1947

Hebrew translation: Sarah Riva daughter of Jacob. Died 22 Sivan 5707 (Jun 10, 1947)

Place of Birth

Sarah Riva Helfet was born in Chernuch, Russian Empire, nowadays Chornukhy (Ukrainian: Чорнýхи; Russian: Чернýхи), Chernich (Yiddish) and Chernuchi (German), a rural settlement in Lubny Raion, Poltava Oblast, central Ukraine.

Chornukhy

The earliest known Jewish community was by the end of the 18th century. In 1900 the Jewish population was 275 and in 1926 it was 366. Chornukhy was occupied by the Germans on September 17, 1941. During that month 132 Jews were shot by local police in the Chornukhy County park. The village was liberated by the Red Army on September 17, 1943. The present town population is 1,000-5,000 with fewer than 10 Jews.

Poltava Region
Jews began to settle in the region during the early 17th century in the process of Jewish participation in the colonization of Ukraine. By 1610 there was a Jewish community in Berezan (to the north of Pereyaslav), and within a few decades about a dozen Jewish communities were established in the districts of *Pereyaslav and Mirgorod, of which the largest were in Pereyaslav and *Lubny. Jews engaged in commerce and the leasing of estates, flour mills, liquor distilleries, breweries, and inns. There was strong competition from Christian towns-men, and during the *Chmielnicki massacres of 1648 these communities were among the first to be destroyed. After the region came under Russian rule Jews were not permitted to live there until the first partition of Poland in 1772. Individual Jewish families, however, settled in various estates under the protection of their owners despite frequent expulsions by the authorities.

After the first partition of Poland in 1772, Jewish settlement on the eastern bank of the river Dnieper was renewed, and by 1792 there were over 700 Jews in the region, most of whom lived on estates or in villages. In 1794 this region, which then formed part of the province of Yekaterinoslav, was incorporated within the *Pale of Settlement. In 1803 there were 82 Jewish merchants and 2,030 Jews classed as townsmen living in the province of Poltava, which was formed in 1802. The community of *Kremenchug was the largest in the district, and developed in particular owing to its position on the Dnieper, the main waterway from Lithuania to the south. It accounted in 1897 for 30% of the Jews in the province. In 1847, 15,572 Jews were counted in the 18 communities of the province (which also included the Jews in the small settlements and their environs). Their numbers increased as a result of a large emigration from Lithuania and Belorussia, and were estimated at 84,000 in 1881. The census of 1897 recorded 111,417 Jews (4% of the total population) in Poltava province (the lowest percentage of Jews in all the provinces of the Pale). The Russian-Ukrainian majority had a strong assimilationist influence on the Jews in the province, who were a minority in all the towns; it was only in Kremenchug that their numbers approached half the population. On the other hand, *Chabad Ḥasidism, which penetrated from the north, was an important spiritual influence (the tomb of *Shneur Zalman of Lyady, the founder of Chabad Ḥasidism, is in *Gadyach in Poltava province).

About one half of the Jews of the province of Poltava earned their livelihood from commerce (in contrast to 38.5% in the whole of Russia), and about 30 percent were engaged in crafts and industry. Commerce was principally conducted in grain and other agricultural produce. Although some Jews owned saw mills, brick-kilns, flour mills, alcohol distilleries, and other enterprises, the overwhelming majority of the workers in them were non-Jews. During the spring of 1881 pogroms occurred in the north of the province of Poltava. In 1905 a wave of pogroms swept across 52 settlements of the province. The most severely affected were Gadyach, Kremenchug, Romny, and Zolotonosha.

During World War I thousands of refugees and Jews expelled from the battle zone arrived in the province of Poltava and found refuge in the Jewish communities. During the Civil War, the communities of the western section of the province suffered especially from pogroms by bands of Ukrainians and the "volunteer army" of A.I. *Denikin. In 1926 there were approximately 93,000 Jews in the five districts (Kremenchug, Lubny, Poltava, Priluki, Romny) of the former territory of the province of Poltava.

Residence

In 1901 Sarah and her infant son Jacob are living at 22 Vale Road, Rhyl, Wales

In 1910 the family are living at 9a Cook Street, Sioux City, Iowa, USA. The property no longer exists

In 1920 the family are living at 1106 10th Street, Sioux City, Iowa, USA

In 1925 the family are living at 2023 Grandview Boulevard, Sioux City, Iowa, USA

In 1930 the family are living at 1003 Pierce Street, Sioux City, Iowa, USA

In 1940 Sarah is living at 15 Paloma Avenue, Venice, Los Angeles, California, USA. Living with her is her daughter Lillian and her two children

Augusta Lillian Wilks (1873 - 1934)

Augusta Lillian Wilks is the mother of Brenda Margaret Lyons, known as Peggy, the wife of my maternal great uncle, Simon Bernard Levin. Lyons family tree HERE

Parents: Jacob Wilks (1846 - 1916) and Bertha Rabinowitz (1847 - 1906)

Born: April 1873 in Middlesbrough, Yorkshire, England. I am unable to find her birth register entry. Records suggest she was born in 1873; however the 1921 census gives her year of birth as 1875

Hebrew name: Gittel daughter of Yacov

Occupation: She owned an antique shop specialising in small furniture and porcelain

Married: Abraham Lyons in July to September 1891 in Middlesbrough, Yorkshire, England. Abraham was 30 years old and Augusta was 18 years old

Children

Their first child, Gladys, was born in 1892 when Abraham was 31 and Augusta 19. Their last child Brenda was born in 1909 when Abraham was 47 and Augusta 36

• Gladys Eleanor Lyons 1892 - 1972
• Lewis Marcus Lyons 1894 - 1953
• Claude Lipman Lyons 1895 - 1975
• Dorothy Winifred Lyons 1898 - 1988
• Brenda Margaret Lyons 1909 - 1999

Census details

1881

Augusta and her family are living at Summerfield House, Woodlands Road, Middlesbrough, Yorkshire, England. Her father Jacob Wilks is age 34 and a pawn broker. Her mother Bertha is age 30. The children are Morris age 9, Augusta age 8, Sarah age 6, Cecilia age 4, Leah age 2 and Lipman age 1. Also living with them is Rachel Jacobs age 18, a domestic nurse and Annie Lee age 22 and a servant

1891

Augusta and her family are living at The Crescent, Middlesbrough, Yorkshire, England. Her father Jacob Wilks is age 43 and a financier broker. Her mother Bertha is age 42. The children are Augusta age 18, Sarah age 16, Cecilia age 14, Leah age 12, Rebecca age 9, Rosa age 7, David age 4, Henry age 3 and Charlotta age 2. Also living with them is Ellen Garrity, age 18 and a nurse. her fiance, Abraham, is listed as a visitor at his fiance's house. He is age 27 and a pawnbroker. She is age 18

1901

Abraham and Augusta are married and living at 52 Walter Road, Swansea, Wales. Abraham is 39, a pawnbroker and jeweler and has his own shop. Augusta is 28. The children are Gladys Ella age 8, Lewis Marcus age 6, Claude Lipman age 5 and Dorothy Winifred age 3. They have two helpers, Eunice Williams age 20, the cook and Margaret Jones also age 20 and a nurse

1911
Abraham and his family are at "Milverton", 52 Walter Road, Swansea, Wales. Abraham is 49, a pawnbroker and jeweler and has his own shop. Augusta is 37 and is an antique dealer also with her own shop. The children are Gladys Ella age 18, Lewis Marcus age 16, Claude Lipman age 15, Dorothy Winifred age 13, and Brenda Margaret age 1 year old. They have two servants, Elizabeth McIndoor, a widow age 41 who is the cook and Elizabeth Lewis age 21 who is the housemaid. The house has 12 rooms

1921
The family is still at "Milverton", 52 Walter Road, Swansea, Wales. Abraham is 59, still a pawnbroker and jeweler and has his own shop. Augusta is 46 and a housewife. Peggy, age 11 years and 9 months, is the only child still living there. The domestic servant is Hilda Bowens, age 22

Naturalization

Augusta and her family were naturalized in October 1886. In this document her name is given as Augustine

Electoral register extract

An electoral register from 1919

An electoral register from 1931

Death
23 February 1934 in Swansea, Wales at 60 years of age. Buried in the Townhill Cemetery, Swansea, Wales in Townhill section C, Row 3, Plot 15

Swansea Jewish Burial Record for Augusta Lyons

Tombstone inscription: In loving memory of Augusta Lyons who departed this life Feb 23 1934 aged 60 years. Many waters cannot quench love, Neither can the floods drown it: (Song of Solomon 8:7)

Hebrew translation: (abbr) Here is buried / the woman Gittel daughter of Mr. Yacov / died 8 Adar 5694 / (abbr) May her soul be bound in the bond of life

Probate

Augusta Lyons Probate dated 14 May 1934. She lived at 52 Walter Road, Swansea, Wales and died in 8 Yorke Avenue, Sefton Park, Liverpool, where her children Lewis, Gladys and Brenda were living. The value of her estate was £12,297 10s 7d. and the beneficiaries were her children Lewis Marcus Lyons and Gladys Ella Lyons. Note her middle name is incorrectly given as Gillian

Residences

In 1881 and 1886 the family were living in Woodlands Road, Middlesbrough, Yorkshire, England

In 1891 the family were living in The Crescent, Middlesbrough, Yorkshire, England

Augusta lived at 52 Walter Road, Swansea, Wales from some time before 1901 until her death in 1934