Family genealogy
What I learned from Grandfather's family
His entire family had lived in Warsaw since 1820.
The Leizerson-Raabe
His father, Salomon-Szlama, was born in 1848.
He was the son of Yehouda-Leyb Leizerson, born around 1820, and Sara Myriam Raabe.
And there is the name Raabe which appears, in fact that of the Grandmother of Herschen-Gedalia, called Gustave in France.
After investigation with the Genealogist at the Genealogical Institute of Warsaw: Yehouda and Sara Meryem Raabe were not married civilly but religiously at the time of the birth of their first two children:
Hersch-Beer (1841-1907) and
Gerschon Meir (1843-1912) who received the surname of their mother Raabe.
I am still investigating the descendants of the two Raabe brothers of Solomon.
For the previous generation, I found the names of Sara Meryem Raabe's parents: Yezekiel Raabe (born around 1800) and Szoszia (no known surname). Nothing on Yehouda's parents.
Genealogical research in Warsaw is very difficult due to the disappearance of more than 70% of the archives during the total destruction of the Warsaw Ghetto in May 1943 and of a large part of the rest of the city during the Polish uprising of August 1944.
But another hypothesis is possible. The Leizersons could very well have come to settle in Warsaw around the years 1800/1820, coming from some corner of Poland, Russia or Western Europe.
Grandfather's parents
Salomon and Sara Scheindle (Chwast) Leizerson had seven children:
Salomon ran a business selling "wooden shoe sticks and all kinds of shoemaking supplies" in Warsaw, as did his brother Hersch Ber Raabe. His brother's business was located at 2239 Nalewski Street, and his own at 969 Graniczna Street.
Nalewski Street was one of the main commercial thoroughfares of Warsaw's Jewish quarter from the 1800s onward, when Jews were able to resettle in the city. It is now located near the Polin Museum. Graniczna Street is near the square.
Salomon and Sara Scheindle (Chwast) Leizerson
They had seven children:
I found three of them in the Warsaw archives:
Abraham-Lejzor (1868-1917): I don't know what he died of? Perhaps in the war?
Icek-Jakob (1874-?). He may have gone to America, but when and where? I'm still searching.
Ryfka (1876-?): no information. There are several photos (1929, 1935) of a sister, either of my grandfather Leizerson or of my grandmother Kronental, named Soszia.
Grandfather listed three of them in his naturalization file; all their first names were Frenchified. They were born after Grandfather.
Maurice, who was 40 years old in 1922/23—so potentially born in 1882/83—was a glove maker in New York. The only record I've found is of his arrival in New York in 1898, where he stayed (at 15 or 16 years old) with a Wolf family. After that, there's nothing consistent!
Jeanne, 38 or 39 years old, born in 1884, known to our family as Gutchè (in Yiddish) and Goscia (in Polish). She married my grandmother Itzack's brother. Both were deported, he in July 1942, she in January 1943. They died at Auschwitz. For a long time, I thought their children had died. But I have just found their trail.
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Lola, the youngest, was 30 years old in 1922/23, so she was born in 1892. According to my grandfather, she also went to New York. I haven't found any trace of her. If she was married, it's a real challenge to find her, as I don't know her married surname.