Jankiel Jacob Epsztejn (Epszteyn)

a rabbi and Hebrew school teacher, family originally from Przerosl.

- 1 Steve Goldberg: Summary Using your 3-page tree document as a starting point - and my review of the JRI- Poland indexes - am giving you below several extra facts that go beyond what JRI has. The data are from: detailed notes I wrote decades ago from the Suwalki marr recs. - up to c. 1854; several “look-ups” of BMD recs. on the films my Associate did for you; and work I published on some members of your Epszteyn family [in one of the two issues you will be getting: Vol. 11, Nos. 1-2 - “A Priest in the Family: The Odyssey of Moses Margoliouth.”] [Note: The letter Z - as used below - is the Polish notation for “son of” or “dau. of”]

EPSZTEYN: The convert in England - a priest/ minister in the Anglican church and a historian of some note - who called himself Moses Margoliouth (b.c. 1818 in Suwalki ) was Moses Epszteyn - son of the wealthy Gershon (b.c. 1796-.1801; d.c. 1852) z Jankiel (a rabbi and Hebrew school teacher) z David, a family originally from Przerosl. Your Etka - aka Estera - nee Epstein Szlackiecki (b.c 1814 in village Pawlowka- don’t know where that village was) is Gershon’s sister. The mother of Gershon & Etka Epsztein was Chai z Hirsz “Peltyn” - that name originally used as a patronymic (i.e. a man of that name was father of either Chai or her husband Hirsz) but evolved into a surname for that family - who appear to have been landowners in the area around Przerosl .

SZLACKIECKI: Etka Epsztein’s husband Leyzer z Wolf Szlackiecki - a school teacher [read that as most likely a Hebrew school teacher] was born c. 1812 in Przerosl . Their daughter Chaja Gitla [not “Edel”] marr Szepszel z Manel Nochim z Leyb Gudelski. “Szepszel” [ a form of the name Sabbatai] - also a school teacher - was born c. 1837 in Wierzbelow [Lith. form is Virbalis ] - per his 1861 marr to Chaja Gitla. GUDELSKI: This family apparently all originated in Wierzbelow , since two sons of Manel Nochim’s brother, Josiel z Leyb, were also born there: Szepszel z Josiel (c 1833) & Szlomo z Josiel (c 1842). The youngest son of Josiel z Leyb Gudelski - Leyb - was born c 1851 in Suwalki had moved to Suwalki by c 1843-1851. . So apparently this family There are no surviving Jewish civil recs for Wierzbelow. We have other miscellaneous governmental recs for it, scattered throughout some of our issues (e.g. tax data) - consult our Index by Town on our website. SEJNENSKI: Manel Nochim Gudelski’s wife - Rejza, dau of Hirsz & Bejla (d. by 1858) Sejnenski - was born c 1807 in Wierzbelow . (per her 1885 death rec in Suwalki). Her father Hirsz z Josiel was a school teacher (born c 1798, d. 1858.). The surname Sejnenski is likely derived from the town of Sejny Note : There must be an error (estimated of about 10 years) in the death rec of either Hirsz (1858) - OR his dau Rejza (d 1885). If Hirsz was born c 1798, then his dau. could not have been born as early as 1807 (such errors occur often in the death recs). Best guess is that Rejza was actually born c 1817 [Her known siblings were born between c 1824-1834.]

Bachrach. In one of my emails I said there was another rabbinical family (a “biggie”) intermarried with one of your families. That is the marriage between a brother of Szepszel Gudelski -named Szmoyl/Samuel Gudelski - & Eyga Cywa Bachrach. Unfortunately neither my time nor that of my Associate permitted further exploration of that - but we had in mind the Bachrachs of Sejny - a member of which was the official -i.e. Govt. appointed - rabbi for the whole District of Sejny. Intermarriage between families of wealth and families possessing “Yichus” [ status in the Jewish community in view of their lineage - i.e. descent from either rabbis or persons admired for their religious learning] - was common in our area. So we are probably correct in that assumption, but can not at this point document that. The work my Associate does for us in assisting new members of the S-L SIG is not charged, but she also does private research work. I can refer you to her, should you wish to pursue the GudelskiBachrach connection further. Marlene Silverman