GENEALOGY

Berkman / Berman Somehow connected

This research started when I spoke to a 2nd cousin about family history Edna STOLTZMAN (nee Edwina Harvey) and she said that her grandmother Esther Berman had once said that her Husband Ians grandfather Alec Berman and her were cousins.

When she first met her husband. Her grandmother told her that his (the future husbands) maternal grandfather was her cousin (the grandmother) and had lived with her family when he first came to England. I was told by another relative that this man Alec BERMAN had a sister and a brother who was a Rabbi and went back to Poland and perished in the war. In another interview I was told there also may have been a brother had gone to America.

Freda (Ians mum , Alec daughter) says that Alec had a sister that she knew as 'Aunty Goody' and she doesn't remember her real name or her married name. Apparently there was also a brother who lived in Poland or Germany and he came here in 1936 and Alec said don't go back, stay here but the brother went back and was lost in the camps. He was apparently a Rabbi.

Arnold Berman (Alec Bermans grandson) told me "My grandfather Alec, and his brother, who we think was called Pesach, worked for their uncle when they first came over to England.  The uncle was manager at a large firm of mantle makers. The 2 brothers left because of low wages and Pesach immigrated to the USA.

Arnolds family - Auntie Goody's real name we think was Tsipka, my booba, Leah (Alec's wife) called her this, but my dad thinks that maybe she called her this as part curse, because she didn't consider that 'Goody' had supported her when she lost 2 children at young ages (9 and11) from diptheria. her name may have been a longer form like 'Sopora'

Alec BERMAN originally BERKMAN born 1886 was born in Vishnevo, Belarus. He had a sister called Goodie

Here is what I have pieced together so far based on family interviews, emails and FACTS from various documents

Goodie Berman - Marriage certificate - Goodie BERMAN (aka Lily) born 1882 married Joseph FOREMAN at the East London Synagogue 4th March 1906 her father is recorded as Simon Berman (Teacher) address South Street, New North Road, Islington.

Alexander Berkman arrived in the UK around 1904/5 he was known as Alec Berman from a sworn statement in his application for naturalisation he stated that he went to work with his brother Lewis of South Street, New north road as a tailor for three years.

Yishayahu Leib HaLevi was the Hebrew name of Alec Bermans father from gravestone, so Yishayahu Leib HaLevi is Schaya Leib Berkman his wife was Chaya Laya Berkman.

I have traced Simon BERMAN and his wife Kitty on the 1891 and 1901 census and by 1901 yes they lived at south street but Simon was a Tailor and there was no mention of a Goodie and nobody (well the people I have spoken too) in Simons direct descendants remember a goodie. Simon was born in Ivyanyets (Ivenets), Minsk, Belarus and according to family lore Simon came over around 1882 and married a girl here!! (UK)

Kitty BERMAN (nee BERMAN b abt 1866) and Simon (Sakolovitz) BERMAN b abt 1867 simon took his wife's name. I have not been able to find a marriage certificate for Kitty and Simon. Although their first born's birth certificate was corrected in 1915 from BELLMAN and I have seen them recorded on the 1891 census as BEARMAN.

They had 6 children all born in London

Alec b19th Oct 1887
Leah b 7th Dec 1890
Esther 23rd Oct 1892
Sophy 25th Dec 1894
Mark 17th Nov 1896
Rose 11th Nov 1898

So at first looking at the dates I thought that Alec and Goodie could be other siblings. Then I went to Kew and got Alec BERMAN/BERKMANs naturalisation application and when asked in 1927. Have you any brothers or sisters in foreign countries?

He answered

Brothers; Aron aba BERKMAN 30 was married in Poland, Rabbi Samuel GERSHON (last name VERY difficult to read) 26 married in Poland Beny BERMAN 48 married, residing in New York (USA)

So looking at the dates it is unlikely that Simon BERMAN was Goodies father!! Alecs father is recorded as Schaya Leib BERKMAN and Yishayahu Laib HaLevi

Beny Berman abt 1879
Goodie Berman abt 1882
Alec Berman (Alexander Berkman) abt 1886
Aron Aba Berkman abt 1897
Samuel Gershon abt 1901

Moving on; Alec BERMAN also stated in his application that he came to England in 1905 and after a few days went to work with his Brother Lewis BERMAN of South Street, New North Road, in which employment (tailoring) he continued for three years.

So Alec Berman and his sister are connected to my Simon BERMAN probably through his wife her father was Isaac.

With all this information I still can't connect Simon or Kitty with Alec or Goodie (Simon and Kitty Berman are Russells gt gt grandparents)

These are the things that are inconsistent

Goodie stated on her wedding certificate that Simon BERMAN was her father, Could this just have been a mistake? Why might she have said simon was her father.

Alec stated that he had a brother called Lewis I suppose Lewis could possibly be Beny!! (looked on Ellis island and found nothing that matched.)

Both Arnolds father and the declaration confirm a brother was already here (Lewis in the documents and Pesach in the family, Alec also attested that brother Beny was in New York by 1927) 

one last nugget Goodie (Lily) may have re-married a Jack GOLDMAN but I have as yet found nothing to help my research. No lily and Jack Goldman that fits.

There is a link here but as yet I SILL can't see it!!  

vishnevo around WW1
www.shtetlinks.jewishgen.org/vishnevo/vishnevo.html

Vishneva (Belarusian: ??´?????; Russian: ???????, Vishnevo) is a township in the Valozhyn raion of the Minsk Voblast, Belarus, near the border with Lithuania. In 1921-1939 the town was part of the Second Polish Republic as part of Nowogródek Voivodeship. The population of Vishneva in 1907 numbered 2,650, of which 1,863 were Jews. However, the entire Jewish population has since disappeared. Most were exterminated by the Nazis during World War II. On August 30, 1942 some 1,100 Jews from the town were killed by the SS. A Jewish cemetery remains in the town. The survivors have emigrated. The city was the birth place of Shimon Peres, the current president of the State of Israel (emigrated to Palestine with his family in 1934) and Nahum Goldman (founder and longtime president of the World Jewish Congress).