The Rosenbaum Family

MY Jewish ancestors, the Rosenbaums, were farmers in the Polish town of Lukow. The family owned a farm and even hired seasonal goy (non-Jewish) workers to cultivate the land. There were many children in the family, but nothing is known about them today except for my grandmother Praskovia (born Perla) and her brother Leo (Louis). Some of my grandmother's brothers and sisters were rumored to have emigrated to Palestine as far back as the late 19th - early 20th century.

Moses (Moszko) Rosenbaum and his wife Gitla Rywka (born Spiewak). Lukow, late 19th century

There is a romantic family legend about one German who got married to one of my Jewish ancestors, whose names have been forgotten. Many years ago, in the late 18th or early 19th century, an epidemy of cholera swept across Lukow taking away many lives. Fortunately, my ancestors had immunity against cholera and went around the houses to collect dead bodies and save the survivors. They knocked on every door asking: "Anyone alive here?" Once they entered one house where a German family lived. The whole family was dead. Suddenly they heard a weak baby cry in the corner. It was a little a boy who was crying of hunger. The Rosenbaums adopted the little orphan and brought him up in Jewish tradition. Meanwhile, it turned out that the boy had relatives in Koln, Germany. The boy's adoptive parents sent the Germans a letter offering them to take the little boy, but the relatives showed no interest in the child's fate and didn't take pains to reply. So the boy grew up together with his Jewish stepbrothers and stepsisters. A local Polish priest taught him Polish grammar. The time passed until the boy turned 13, the age of adulthood for all Jews. It was the moment of truth for him whether to remain German or become a Jew. Difficult to say what decision he would have made, if it hadn't been for one event that dispersed his hesitations and doubts.

One day his German relatives recalled about his existence and arrived in Lukow to take the boy back to Germany. They had a shop in Koln and wanted a helper to handle customers. The adoptive father said: "I won't let you take the boy away without his consent, let him decide himself whether he wants to leave with you or not." He called the boy and told him: "Natan, you are free to do whatever you heart tells you to. You can join your relatives or stay here with us, we shall accept any of your decisions." Upon hearing these words, Natan fell on his knees and exclaimed: "My dear father and mother, I beg you not to let them take me away from you, you are my only parents!" "You see", said his father, "he doesn't want to go with you." So the Germans had to leave empty-handed. Then Natan told his adoptive parents: "You brought me up like your own child together with your children, so I want to live like all Jews. I want to be a Jew." He had circumcision made, underwent a conversion procedure (giyur) and later married his stepsister, whose name was Rachel. They had many children and grandchildren, one of which was my great-grandfather Moses Rosenbaum.

This is a family story. Now let’s turn to archival records.

In January-February 2010 I received vital statistics records from the Siedlce and Lublin archives (Poland).

Although no birth records for my great-grandfather Moses (Moszko) Rosenbaum have been found, a genealogical research conducted by the Polish archivits revealed important birth and marriage records of the Rosenbaum family (in the Polish records their name spellings and age may vary, see my comments relating to Charles Rosenbaum). One may assume from these records that Moszko Rozenbaum was born between 1839 and 1843.

Moszko Rozenbaum was married to Gitla Rywka Spiewak

Gitla Rywka Spiewak (born March 15, 1844)

original birth record | Polish typed record | English translation

They had children:

Chaim-Leib Rozenbaum (born July 10, 1863)

original birth record | Polish typed record | English translation

Perla (born September 30, 1884)

original birth record | Russian typed record | English translation

Szmul Rozenbaum (born June 16, 1892)

original birth record | Russian typed record | English translation

Chaim-Leib Rozenbaum was married to Dwojra Lotersztein.

original marriage record | Russian typed record | English translation