Records from Around the World - Introduction
Primary Records of Other Nations Created about those from Lyakhovichi
by Deborah G. Glassman, copyright 2007
Most of these records indicated on this page have indexes available online at Ancestry, FamilySearch, Fold3.com and other sources. Do you want to Volunteer? We would like to find Lechovichers in records from various states, in the school records, and in the voting records. We need you to do the legwork and share your finds. Contact us using the link below.
Military Records
The United States has few records in the national jurisdiction and even less of them cite a specific town of birth. Social Security applications were a fairly late innovation for the last generations born in Lyakhovichi and privacy considerations prevent their release (except to next of kin) before a certain number of years. The major US record types that provide this information are immigration records, which we discuss on other pages of our site, and military registration and service records, which we look at here.
Jews have served in every war in US history, but the documents relating to Lechovicher Jews seem to indicate that their first service was in Spanish-American War where they are reported in the Philippines, Cuba, and in other theaters of the war. But the massive mobilization of manpower that was witnessed as modern nations geared-up for a Twentieth Century war, coincided with the arrival in the United States of the largest numbers of Lyakhovichi natives. Even our first clues to earlier service periods in the US military come from World War I Draft Registration cards which reported prior military service. The great preponderance of such military knowledge for Lechovichers was gained in the Russian Army, but a few refer there to the Spanish American war.
World War I impacted both those Jews still living in Lyakhovichi and those who had settled elsewhere. World War I moved and registered men on a massive scale. Lyakhovichi Jews still in their town were mobilized evenieven if they had fulfilled their "reserve" phase of compulsory service. Lyakhovichi emigrants in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and British territories (including Canada, Palestine, Australia, and more) were required to register for service even if they would claim an exemption. In the United States, if you were born between 1874 and 1900, you were legally required to go to your draft board for an examination, the filing of an officially witnessed draft registration card, and an opportunity to state your reasons that you thought yourself exempt from service. Those who had not begun the process of American citizenship and wished to be considered as Russian subjects, were required to go to the Russian consulate and file that country's necessary documentation. There was no relief though from service, through that route, the Russian government told you to pay your own way back to Russia and report for duty.
There are two major record groups :records related to Lyakhovichi emigrants who registered for service in World War I, and records related to Lyakhovichi emigrants who registered for service in the Old Man's Draft of WWII.
Lechovichers in WWI Military Records of the United States
Before we look at the specific records created for Draft Registration in 1917 and 1918, it is handy to juggle some numbers. Try this breakdown, which is just rough guessing and I would like to have someone knowledgeable handle the numerical evidence and come to some real conclusions.
Of approximately 2,000 immigrants specifically from our town, (so not counting people from the immediate surrounds and excluding those from Baranovichi specifically)
Remove all of the women and daughters who emigrated (say 60% of total emigrants which is stated as the usual percentage in various reports of movement through NYC and Philadelphia. There was a smaller percentage through the specialized recruitment for Galveston.)
Remove all of the men who were born before 1874 (I've no idea - twenty percent?)
Remove all of those of the right age group who died between their date of arrival and 1917 (this number should be low - adult men without close proximity to violence shouldn't die in great numbers between 18 and forty - so 3 percent?)
Conclusion - This would seem to me to suggest that there are around 300 draft-eligible men we should expect to find in US records between those who actually served and those who registered for the draft as required. Help us find them, count them, and learn about them. Or help me learn why this reasoning is flawed and the real number for which to search.
Using Death Records, Burial Records, and input from researchers investigating their Lechovicher connections, we have been able to ascertain that a number of men between 18 and 40 originated in our town.
The 1942 "Old Man's Draft"
It registered men born between 1874 and 1900. The age breakdown was unusual and in my family, it meant that older siblings of my grandparents were listed and younger ones were not. As a data source, it also provides interesting information. People who had entered the United States claiming a younger age, were less concerned about keeping up that pretense as they became aware that they were not going to be "sent back to Russia" for fibbing about their age on entry forms. Often, the later document shows a shared "birthday" but an earlier year, than the document created for World War I's registration, twenty-four years earlier.
United States Local Records
Records Created in the Jurisdictions of States and Municipalities
by Deborah G. Glassman, copyright 2009
Few of these records name Lyakhovichi in any context - the documents do not ask for a specific town of birth and it was rarely volunteered. But this page has a value that we have described elsewhere. It allows us to see what people who were born in Lyakhovichi put on their American records for the names of people who may have never left Lyakhovichi. The documents they filled in small towns and cities across the US, may describe relatives still resident in Lyakhovichi, as living or dead on a specific date. They may give other valuable clues for that particular family, and as part of a broad documentation of every former Jewish resident of Lyakhovichi, they bring value to all researchers of our town.
There are a variety of records available in the state and municipal jurisdictions.
Records Created in the Jurisdictions of Local and State Courts
by Deborah G. Glassman, copyright 2009
Court Records of the United States are public records. If one makes the effort to locate them, they can provide a wide variety of material that can aid in documenting a family or be an incomparable resource for a community's history. In the United States genealogical material that is covered in this jurisdiction ranges from United States Federal Records - Naturalizations and Declarations of Intent to become Citizens to Divorces, Name Changes, and a wide variety of civil and criminal cases. Specialty courts for probate, taxes, and property disputes are also a tremendous resource. With the exception of Naturalizations and Federal cases generally, most of the court records that will be available are from the state and local courts.
These are the court records that may in their relevant documentation include the mention of a place of birth and they are just starting to be available in online law databases. Such an online database led me to a suit by a Jewish native of Lyakhovichi, Minsk in a Kentucky Court. A certain Mr. Raffa of our town sued the members of his Jewish community in the American south, for convincing his wife to get a divorce from him! .
An older form of reporting on legal cases continues to hold value for researchers as well. Legal digests, court reports in newspapers, reports of bar associations and judicial reviews, all hold material that has largely been untapped. In the new world created by being able to access old newspapers digitally, or out of print materials via Google or specialty publishers, even long ago material is a keystroke away. I spotted one in Clark's Digest Annotations, vol 11, 1947. in this review of New York's Lower court decisions, it references "a 500.00 bequest given to the Congregation Bnai Isaac Anshe Lechowitz in the Bronx for the purpose of transmitting it to the needy of Lechowitz, Russia."
Genealogical and Lyakhovichi Community History Details in a Kentucky Court Case
206 Ky. 211
Okrent, etc.
v.
Raffa.
Court of Appeals of Kentucky.
Decided December 16, 1924.
Appeal from Campbell Circuit Court.
Page 212
FRANK V. BENTON and C. W. YUNGBLUT for appellants.
GEORGE HEROLD for appellee.
OPINION OF THE COURT BY COMMISSIONER HOBSON — Reversing.
Sam Raffa brought this suit May 18, 1922, against Joseph Okrent and his wife Ida Okrent. He alleged that they unlawfully, maliciously and wrongfully prejudiced the mind of Edith Raffa, his wife, and Maurice, his son, against him and so alienated her affection from him, and induced his wife and son to refuse to live with him, whereby he was deprived of the society, comfort and affection of his wife and son to his damage in the sum of $25,000.00. The defendants filed answers controverting the allegations of the petition. On the trial of the case there was a verdict and judgment in favor of the plaintiff for $6,500.00. The defendants appeal. It is insisted for the appellants that on the evidence the court should have instructed the jury peremptorily to find for the defendants, and that the verdict is clearly against the evidence and the amount of recovery palpably excessive.
Sam Raffa and his wife Edith were married in Lechovitz, Russia, in June, 1911. He had been married once before and, leaving that wife in Russia, had gone to South America. There he secured a divorce from that wife. After this he returned to Russia and there married Edith. About seven months after their marriage he left her in Russia and came to the United States, although she did not wish him to leave Russia. Their son, Maurice, was born two months after he left. He lived at Newport, Kentucky. There were a number of other people there who had come from the same place in Russia. They were all Jews, including Raffa. In 1922 a collection was taken up in the Jewish church and among other Jews to enable Raffa to bring his wife and son to Newport. He added some money of his own and the wife and son arrived in Newport on April 28, 1922. He met them at the station and took them to the house of a friend where they had breakfast. There one of the neighbors telephoned Mrs. Okrent, who was an aunt of Mrs. Raffa, that her niece had arrived. Mrs. Okrent said she was baking and could not come just then. Raffa owned a house and after breakfast he took his wife and son to the house. In a few minutes he left them there and went out to buy some things or make some arrangements. While he was gone Mrs. Okrent came to the house in her car. The proof varies as to the condition of things when she got there. According to the proof for Raffa the house had been cleaned and was nice… End of Introduction Summary of Case.
United States Federal Records
Naturalizations and Declarations of Intent to become Citizens
by Deborah G. Glassman, copyright 2009
The United States, as noted on the first page of these records has few records created in the national jurisdiction. The common categories are those of the national census, Social Security, military service, immigration documentation, federal courts for all purposes, citizenship, and documents to acquire the protection of the US State Department. The census, in the period for which it is open for public research, does not list specific birth towns. The military records of World War I and World War II which may specify Lyakhovichi birth, are introduced on other pages. Naturalization records, though they do include a town of birth after 1906, have largely been unexplored for searches by birthplace because there are so far, neither commercial or private indices for naturalization petitions by birthplace.
From Naturalization records we start to see those whom the Lechovichers who immigrated to your grandfather's town, asked to serve as witnesses. We might find vital records valuable to your search reported on the pages of another man's naturalization papers. We see who the single women, the widows, and the married women who pursued naturalization in their own persons, reached out to for witnesses. We have a snapshot look at the addresses and occupations of the petitioner, spouse, and witnesses.
Primary Records of North America - Canada
by Deborah G. Glassman, copyright 2007
Canada’s birthplace-citing records are more diverse, and in many cases, more accessible, than those from the United States.
Birthplace and “last residence abroad” reporting records include:
Immigration records of each port with some of the most complete records being in the provinces whose ports were where Jews were most likely to enter – New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Quebec.
Military Conscription and service records from World War I.
Canadian Russian Consulate records for those who maintained their Russian allegiance shows several Lyakhovichi-born Jews.
The Canadian Jewish Times
Another resource of the digital age is the online publication of old publications. Ancestry.com makes available The Canadian Jewish Times which was published from the end of the Nineteenth Century. Unlike in the US where new immigrants from the Russian Empire found that the news of the activities of that community were not of great interest for English-language publications, Lechovichers who settled in Canada, were eagerly reported as related to their congregational and communal activities.
United States Federal Records of the State Department
Passports, Visas, and Consular Records
by Deborah G. Glassman, copyright 2009
The digitized records of the State Department including US passport applications, US Visa records, and information filed by American Consular offices abroad make up the records of this category.
These records would include Passport Applications, Special Agent Letters, Reference Letters, et al for those seeking Passports.
A primary record is a document created in the normal course of daily events or for a particular event, not a compilation from published sources, and not a document whose audience was considered wider than the officials to whom it was presented. There are many primary documents that you will be able to access on individuals in your family, that do not list a place of birth or last residence in Lyakhovichi. We would like the information you can derive from them, or images of the documents themselves, for people who are otherwise confirmed as connected to our town. But some records required the reporting of a birthplace, some documented the past or current places of residence and included Lyakhovichi.
Records of Eretz Israel
by Deborah G. Glassman, copyright 2007
Lechowitzers Buried on the Mount of Olives, Har haZetim, in Jerusalem
The list of our landsmen buried in the Holy Land is barely started. The official count for those whose connection to Lyakhovichi was documented in the burial record is only 11 names but we know of a number that have not been included. Eleven from Lyakhovichi have been buried on Har haZetim.
The Israel Genealogical Society has done an immense service by indexing these records and further details on the plot location are available digitally or on a cd sold by that organization,.
When you refer to the Society's cd you will see that they have placed these towns in their modern nations and someone has made the decision that for all listings from Lyakhovichi, they will specify the modern country of Ukraine, which is certainly accurate for some of the Lyakhovichis. But I am not aware of anything that actually states a Russian province in the record by which today's nations could be deduced, and as the surrounding towns of Slonim, Nesvizh, Kopul, et al, are represented, I think it likely that at least some are from our Lyakhovichi. - DGG (the webmaster)
Immigration Records of Eretz Israel
It is not feasible for the Lyakhovichi shtetl website to undertake a full analysis of the records available from Eretz Israel. What we do hope to accomplish is an understanding of the materials that may be available related to Lyakhovichi people in those records.
Immigrant Registers 1919-1968 186 registers
"Statistical Cards" 1919-1948 Despite their name, they continue to hold individual names and data. There are 30,000 cards according to the CZA. The cards from 1919-1932 are in a computer database.Immigration Application files 1920-1964 A period in the 1950s is missing and best supplemented with records in the Israel State Archives for that same period. There are 650,000 Immigration Application cards in this set of data. These applications were made by people in Israel for their relatives abroad, so many are for people who did not make it out of Europe before the Holocaust. Communities like Lyakhovichi which had a strong and early active Zionist movement, are likely to be better represented in this material.
United States Federal Records - Censuses
by Deborah G. Glassman, copyright 2009
With the rare exception of the census enumerator who noted Russian immigrants by their province of birth - Podolia, Kiev, Minsk, Vilna, et al - there is no specific birthplace information in the US federal censuses. So how can we access and utilize this information for researchers studying Lyakhovichi residents? We have to backtrack into the records. After we have confirmed that at least one member of a household had previously had a Lyakhovichi residence, we can collect the data on the family's appearance in US national enumerations and see where the information takes us.
