The following is an abbreviated timeline of the history of the descendants of Moses and Rachel (Rochel) Zeltzer (Novye Dorogi and Starye Dorogi, Belarus), with some notes on the related Weinstein family of Bobruisk. At this point, the chronology goes up until the Second World War. Please share corrections and more notes with me.
Note: For a narrative account of Zeltzer family history, please see the first half of: https://joeauslander90.blogspot.com/2020/09/joes-family-history-zeltzers-and.html
c. 1813. birth of Iosel Zeltzer (Belarus?)
c. 1840. birth of Moses (Movsha) Zeltzer 1840–1899, Novye Dorogi, son of Iosel Zeltzer
c. 1842. birth of Rachel (Bubba Rochel), maiden name unknown
c. 1860 Marriage of Moses Zeltzer and Rachel.
c. 1860 birth of Riva (Rebekah) Zeltzer, daughter of Moses and Rachel Zeltzer
c. 1867. Birth of Rachel Zeltzer, daughter of Moses and Rachel Zeltzer. Starye Dorogi.
.
c. 1860. birth of Sarah Zeltzer, daughter of Moses and Rachel Zeltzer. Starye Dorogi.
1870 birth of Joseph Zeltzer, son of of Moses and Rachel Zeltzer. Starye Dorogi.
1866. Birth of Chava Weinstein, daughter of Zalman Weinstein and Rose (Razel) Bereskin or Tulkocheva.
1878 birth of Pearl Zeltzer, daughter of Moses and Rachel Zeltzer. Starye Dorogi.
c. 1880. Marriage of Riva (Rebekah) Zeltzer to Hessel Osovskiy, Starye Dorogi.
1880, 6 June. Birth of Blume Osovskiy (Asofsky)(1880–1961), daughter of Riva Zeltzer and Hessel Osovskiy. Starye Dorogi
1883 Birth of Hirsch Osovski (1983-1943), son of Riva Zeltzer and Hessel Osovskiyi. Novye Dorogi
- Birth of Maria Osovskiy, daughter of Riva Zeltzer and Hessel Osovskiy. Novye Dorogi
- March 16. Birth of Hirsch (Girsh?) Vainshtein son of Zalman Weinstein and Ita. (perhaps half brother of Chava Wainstein>)
1890 July 20. Marriage of Joseph Zeltzer to Chava Weinstein, in Bobruysk
1890. Birth of Nison Weinstein, son of Zalman Weinstein and Rose (Tolkacheva?). Bobruisk, Belarus.
1899, 23 January Death (pneumonia) of Moses Zeltzer, Glusk (Hlusk). Russia
1900, 2 March. Marriage of Pesia (Pearl) Zeltzer to Rabbi Jacob Canick.
1902. Birth of Morris Canick, son of Jacob Canick and Pearl Zeltzer. Starye Dorogi.
1903. December. Hirsch Weinstein, clerk (possible brother of Chava Weinstein) arrives in Baltimore on SS Brandenberg. Line 14. From Bobruisk, headed for Chicago.
1904. Death of Pesia (Pearl) Zeltzer Canick, Starye Dorogi.
1905 January. Start of First Russian Revolution; Sema Weinstein and other family members evidently involved, leading to Sema’s emigration the following year, and other travails for family members.
1906, 11 April. Sema Weinstein, born 1 May 1888, daughter of Solomon Weinstein and Rose Bereskin of Bobruisk, arrives in New York City and then settles in Chicago with family of mother’s brother (?) A. Bereskin in Chicago.
1913 15 October Zimmel Zeltzer (born 1 May 1894), son of Joseph Zeltzer and Chava Weinstein, arrives New York City
c. 1913 Frieda Zeltzer (b. 1 May 1893), eldest daughter of Joseph Zeltzer and Chava Weinstein, leaves Novye Dorogi, evidently to escape a betrothal.
1914, 19 March. Frieda Zeltzer arrives Detroit, Michigan— settling in Chicago, then New York
1917, 12 March, Marriage of Sema Weinstein and Nathan Shaviro in New York City; their home at 249 W. 115th street (Apt 226) near Morningside Park, Manhattan, would serve as a place of refuge of many relatives from Novye Dorogi/Bobruisk over the coming five years.
c. 1917 Joseph Zeltzer imprisoned in or near Novye Dorogi (for suspected political affiliations, evidently; freed by the Red Army perhaps?)
- Death of Bubba Rochel Zeltzer. mother of Joseph Zeltzer.
- Death of Josef Zeltzer, evidently still ill from his imprisonment.
1920, 23 August. Sonia Zeltzer (daughter of Joseph Zeltzer and Chava Weinstein) arrives New York City.
1920. October 4, Birth of Vivian Shaviro, daughter of Sema Weinstein and Nathan Shaviro
1920, 22 September. Frieda Zeltzer leaves New York, to travel to Europe with her romantic partner William Zukerman, the journalist
1921, 20 August. Rebekah Zeltzer (daughter of Joseph Zeltzer and Chava Weinstein) arrives New York City. Travels via the Free City of Danzig and see her oldest sister Frieda (and William Zukerman) Accompanying children for the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. Presumably she stays initially with her aunt Sema Shaviro and Nathan Shaviro.
1921. 16 November. Pauline and Celia Zeltzer (daughter of Joseph Zeltzer and Chava Weinstein) arrives New York City. Travel via the Free City of Danzig where they see their oldest sister Frieda (and William Zukerman).
1922, 22 September. Arrival in New York of Rabbi Jacob Cannick, with second wife Bluma Osofskiy and son Morris Canick.
1922. October. Chava, Runya and Aaron Zeltzer evidently staying with Jacob Weinstein in Bobruisk, before departure for the USA, according to the Saxonia shipping manifest.
1922. November 8. Chava Zeltzer, with children Runya and Aaron sails on board SS Saxonia, Hamburg. Presumbaly seen off by daughter Frieda Zeltzer, then living with William Zukerman in Berlin.
1922. November 22. Arrival in New York City of Chava Zeltzer, with children Runya and Aaron on board SS Saxonia, departing from Hamburg on November 8. Stayed initially with her sister Sema and her husband Nathan Shaviro, we believe.
1924. April 3. Birth of Joseph Kerman, son of Frieda Zeltzer and William Zukerman, in England
1925. NY State Census. Chava Zeltzer living with her children, Aaron, Rebecca, Pauline, Celia, and Runya, at 411 Manhattan Avenue,
1926? Marriage of Frieda Zeltzer and William Zukerman, London, England
1926, January 19, Sonia Zeltzer returns to New York, from London visit to her sister Frieda Zeltzer and William Zukerman, living 66, Woodland, London, England., William Zukerman’s work address then 177 Fleet Street, London
- 13 June. Zimmel Zeltzer marries Yetta Kroll, New York City
1926, 26 October. Rebekah Zeltzer marries the physician Dr. Jacob (“Bi”) Auslander, who had arrived from Vienna in 1923.
1926, Nov 18. Vera Zeltzer (daughter of Zimmel and Yetta) born New York City.
c. 1927. Family members begin move up to the Northwest Bronx Co-op (Amalgamated Clothing Workers/ILGWU housing), Bronx, NY.
- Birth of George (“Dick”) Zukerman, son of Frieda Zeltzer and William Zukerman, London, England
c. 1928. Marriage of Sonia Resika to Abraham “Ressie” Resika.
1928, August 15. Birth of Paul Resika, son of Sonia Zeltzer and Abraham Resika.
1929 14 March. Pauline Zeltzer marries Solomon “Sol” Klein, an engineer in New York City
- April 21 Death of Chava (Eva) Weinstein Zeltzer (1866–1929) in the Bronx, NY
1929, 16 Jul. Celia Zeltzer marries Harry Shapiro, an artist
1930.Birth of Joseph Auslander to Rebekah Zeltzer Auslander and Jacob Auslander, New York City
1933. Irene Judith (“Judy’) Auslander born to Rebekah Zeltzer Auslander and Jacob Auslander, New York City
- Solomon Klein travels from New York to the Soviet Union. Soon after Pauline Zeltzer Klein with young daughter Eva travels from New York to London, staying with sister Frieda and William Zukerman, and then decides to travel to the Soviet Union.
1936, 9 January. Return visit to New York from London by Frieda Zeltzer Zukerman (not accompanied by husband William or by children)
1936, 21 February. Runya Zeltzer marries Harold D. ( “Harry”) Margulies, an attorney. New York.
1936, March 23. Sonya Zeltzer Resika returns to New York from London, having stayed with sister Frieda and William Zukerman.
1937. David Margulies born to Runya Zeltzer and Harry Margulies, New York.
1937. birth of Joan Shapiro, daughter of Harry Shapiro and Celia Zeltzer
1939. September 1. Germany invades Poland. England and France declare war on Germany on September 3.
1939, October. 12 Frieda Zeltzer Zukerman returns to New York City, from London, with sons Joseph and George (“Dick”) just after War has been declared. Met on pier by Dr. Jacob Auslander, and also Paul Resika, who famously plays poker dice with Dick! The Zukermans stay for some time in home of Frieda’s sister Rebekah Zeltzer Auslander and Dr. Jacob Auslander, 120 Riverside Drive, before moving to Convent Avenue.
1940. July 1940. Wiliam Zukerman returns to New York on the SS George Washington sailing from Galway, Ireland, listing as his address 260 Convent Avenue (So by that time Frieda, Joseph and Dick must have been living there.)
1940. Alice Harriet Shapiro born to Celia Zeltzer and Harry Shapiro. New York City
1941, April 8. Death of Rabbi Jacob Canick.
1941, June 22. Nazi Germany surprise attack on the Soviet Union begins, followed by mass murders of Soviet Jews, including in Novye Dorogi, Starye Dorogi and Bobruisk (Belarus)
- Summer or Fall. Hirsch Osovskiy, wife Gesia and son Efim evacuated from Bobruisk to Kazakstan
- Death of Dr. Jacob Weinstein (brother of Chava Weinstein Zeltzer ) in Moscow.
1942, Summer. At Shrub Oak, Westchester County, production of Steven Vincent Benét’s play, “They Burned the Books,” a wartime anti-fascist work. Cast including Dick Zukerman, Frank Dux.
1942? Pauline Zeltzer Klein and children Eva and Josef evacuated from Moscow (to the Urals)? Sol does factory work.
1943. Birth of Vicki Margulies, daughter of Harry Margulies and Runya Zeltzer Margulies.
1943. Death of Maria Osovskiy (married to Isaac Tarshis), while evacuated in Saratov, USSR.
1943? Death of evacuee Hessel Osofskiy and wife Gesia in Akhtubinsk or Kazakhstan (son Efim survives war, having spent time herding with Kazakh shepherds)
1944?. Pauline Zeltzer Klein and children Eva and Josef return to Moscow to their apartment, still partly occupied by Red Army officers.
1944 or early 1945?. Final visit by Cilli Auslander (sister of Jacob Auslander) to Pauline Klein in her Moscow apartment. Cilli, having just been seconded from the Comintern to the Red Army, gives Pauline her Soviet war bonds for the children.
Mark Auslander 