[Update: Summer 2018 several descendants visited the Suwalki Archives where we located the 1864 taxpayers' list, which was translated by Witold Wrzosinski. See documents on the right.]

Przerosl in Suwalki, Poland was the temporary home during the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century until World War II to a number of Jewish families who intermarried and whose descendants live now in the U.S., Israel, the U.K., France, and Denmark.

We'll try to determine when the families moved to Przerosl, where they originated from, where they emigrated to, and collect all the souls who were born, lived, or died here from the first to the last, murdered during the Holocaust.

Background

The 1422 treaty gave the Rospuda (formerly Dowspuda) River Valley to Lithuania-Poland. In the 16th century several small urban centers were built, including Raczki, Bakalarzewo, Filipow, Przerosl, and Wizajny. At the same time, settlements were established in the Rajgrod, Lomza area and a road connected them. Augustow grew up on that road where it passed two lakes. Przerosl in 1558 was a village belonging to the Grodzinski family. It is said that the first Jews came to Przerosl at the beginning of the 17th century (1710). Between 1709 and 1710 a lot of them reached the town, and in 1736 the main Bishop of Vilnius, Zienkowicz, allowed them to build a synagogue and put the cemetery on Zusenkowska Street. The great development of Przerosl led Jews settle there at this time. In 1799 there were 205 Jewish dwellers in the town, but by 1819 their population had become larger and consisted of 598 people (301 men and 297 women).

In 1800 Przerosl was part of the Grodno Powiat and had a Jewish population of 205 (16% of total). By 1857 it had a Jewish population of 1,131 (60% of total). In 1897 due to the early emigration of Przerosl Jews, the Jewish population was down to 340 (25% of total). Przerosl Jews were found in Paris in the mid 1900s for instance, including the Hollandersky and Motulsky families.

Alternate names: Przerośl [Pol], Psherosl' [Rus], Psherosla [Yid], Preraslia, Przerośl Osada

Abramajtis

• A number of family members listed in Yad ve-Shem Database of Holocaust victims from Przerosl
• One branch lives in France. The name in France is Abramatic. Jean-François Abramatic is a descendant. A sister of his ancestor went to America.

Abramsky

• Variants: Aviram
• Nissan (Nisan) and Masha Abramsky of Przersol perished in the Holocaust
• Descendants live in Israel.
• Intermarried with a number of Przerosl families.
• Two of the Abramskis returned to Przerosl in 1988 after the fall of the Soviet Union.
• The schoolchildren write about the Abramsky family: "Motko's father, Nysko Abramski, was the local grocery shop owner. He also bought cereals from the local farmers. People who remember those times showed us the place where it was located (Suwalska Street). Now it is Mr. Rant's house. Our interviewees say that some young boys used to steal cereals from the local owners to sell them to Nysko Abramski, and then the army in Suwalki bought them... There was also Ruwko Abramski, Nysko's cousin, who had a shop together with Zelman Bramson and Jan Mariampolski, who were also Jews. Ruwko Abramski lived on the Market Place (now it is Mr. Kwiatkowski's shop). As we found out, Ruwko had two sons who escaped to Palestine just before the war....We asked our interviewees about some Jewish ceremonies they remember from the past. One of the oldest inhabitants of the town described the funeral of Abramski's mother-in-law. The celebration started in the house, where a dead woman was laid on the floor which was covered with straw, and her face was covered with a piece of linen. There were two lit candles behind her head. It lasted two days. After that she was wrapped around in white sheets and taken to the cemetery. The grave was rather shallow, and the family put a fist of Palestinian soil on her body."

Bialostocki

• A number of family members listed in Yad ve-Shem Database of Holocaust victims from Przerosl
• In the interviews with older inhabitants, the Przerosl schoolchildren hear about "Elko Bialostocki (a tailor)"

Borowski

• A number of family members listed in Yad ve-Shem Database of Holocaust victims from Przerosl
• Borowski marriage with Sterling (Osterun) family of nearby Bakalarzewo, who married extensively with the Margolis family. Grace McElhinny and Sue Wilson are Borowski - Sterling descendants.

Bramson

• Variants:
• Origin: Szczuczyn, Lomza (Szczuczyn [Pol], Shtutzin [Yid], Shchuchin [Rus], Szczuczyn Białostocki, Szczuczyn (Białystok))
• Current location of Bramson descendants: Israel and U.S. Elia Stern, Betsy Miller, Michael Margolis, and the Rubenstein / Frankel / Stewart families of Peoria and St. Louis are descendants (descendants of Harry Frankel and Hattie Bramson Frankel)
• Mentioned in the schoolchildren's essay are "There was also Ruwko Abramski, Nysko's cousin, who had a shop together with Zelman Bramson and Jan Mariampolski, who were also Jews."

Buslawski

• The Przersol schoolchildren's interviews with the older people describes "Chaim Buslawski lived on the west side of the Market Place behind the Motulski family. He was a soldier in the Polish Army in Suwalki. Chaim was probably the most handsome man in Przerosl, so Polish girls fell in love with him as well as Jewish ones."
• Also "Icko (Icek?) Buslawski (a carpenter)"

Chodnik

• A number of family members listed in Yad ve-Shem Database of Holocaust victims from Przerosl
• The Przerosl schoolchildren's essay remembers "Symcho Chodnik and Nachim Lozowski (travelling salesmen)"

Dworski

• A number of family members listed in Yad ve-Shem Database of Holocaust victims from Przerosl
• Dworski marriage with Goldsztok family of Rajgrod in Lomza, who also married with the Przerosl Margolis family.
• From an essay by Przerosl schoolchildren we learn that "Estera Dworska had a tea shop and a small bakery at the Market Place (today it is a kindergarten)."

Epstein

Frankel

• Variants: Frankiel, Frank, Franklin
• Origin: Joseph Frankel (Yosel) came to Przerosl when he married Chava Margolis of Przerosl in the middle of the 19th century. He was originally from Ratnycia near Merkine in Trakai District in Lithuania.
• Current location of Frankel descendants: U.S., Israel, possibly France. Most of the children of Yosel and Chava Frankel emigrated to Peoria, Illinois, Columbus, Ohio, Huntington, West Virginia, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Only one branch stayed in Przerosl (descendants of Rocha Leah Frankel Bryman) and either perished in the Holocaust or emigrated to Israel.
• Frankel descendants from the Przerosl branch include the descendants of Harry Frankel (Rubenstein, Stewart, Frankel from Peoria and St. Louis); Julius Frankel (Isabel Meth and Lee Frankel); Rebecca (Philadelphia Frankels); Isaac B. Frankel (Huntington WV Frankels); Charles Frankel (none in our network yet); Joseph (Judah) Frankel of Iowa (there is a single descendant, DNA tested even)

Freidel

• A number of family members listed in Yad ve-Shem Database of Holocaust victims from Przerosl

Grodzinski

• There are a large number of records from this family in Przerosl. I assume the surname was taken by families living in villages belonging to the Grodzinski family

Gutshtein

• Variants: Gotstein
• A number of family members listed in Yad ve-Shem Database of Holocaust victims from Przerosl

Kaplan

• A number of family members listed in Yad ve-Shem Database of Holocaust victims from Przerosl

Kawin

Klinkowstein

• Variants: Klinkowsztejn (JRI-P in Jewish Gen)
• Marriage with Margolis family.

Kozowski

• A number of family members listed in Yad ve-Shem Database of Holocaust victims from Przerosl

Lanowicki

• A number of family members listed in Yad ve-Shem Database of Holocaust victims from Przerosl
• The essay by Przerosl schoolchildren mentions "Chackiel Lanowicki (an ironworker)"

Lakhovtzki

• A number of family members listed in Yad ve-Shem Database of Holocaust victims from Przerosl

Lapin

• A number of family members listed in Yad ve-Shem Database of Holocaust victims from Przerosl

Lozovski

• Variants: Lozowski
• A number of family members listed in Yad ve-Shem Database of Holocaust victims from Przerosl
• The Przerosl schoolchildren's essay remembers "Symcho Chodnik and Nachim Lozowski (travelling salesmen)"

Manuszer

• Variants: Manusher
• A number of family members listed in Yad ve-Shem Database of Holocaust victims from Przerosl
• In an essay by Przerosl schoolchildren they recorded that the older people remembered: "Szlomo Manuszer (a grocery store owner)"

Margolis

• Variants: Margoliot, Kalwaryjska, Kalwaryski, Margolis-Kalvariski
• Origin: Kalwariya, Lithuania (very close to Przerosl)
• Ohio and Israel - Chaim Margolis-Kalwariski descendants in Israel (Simon, Gal); other Asher Margolis branches in Ohio (Cassia Margolis); Icko (Isaac) Margolis descendants (Bramson descendants above, Michael Margolis);

Mariampolski

• Mentioned in the schoolchildren's essay are "There was also Ruwko Abramski, Nysko's cousin, who had a shop together with Zelman Bramson and Jan Mariampolski, who were also Jews."

Markson

• Abram-Abel Markson was a publisher in Warsaw and later in Suwalki. He married Nachama, daughter of Eliasz Bardyni of Bakalarzewo.

Motulski

• A number of family members listed in Yad ve-Shem Database of Holocaust victims from Przerosl
• The schoolchildren of Przersol write that the older people remember "Izrael Motulski (known as "Babcuk") lived near Jankiel Szapiro. He was the richest Jew in Przerosl. The buildings along Koscielna Street belonged to him (he kept dry goods there). Izrael Motulski also had the ironware shop, and he sold food. Our interviewees remember that they could buy geese, sheep, herrings, and many other things from him. Izrael was known for gathering old clothes, carpets, and pots from people, and then he sold or exchanged them. He had one son, Abram."
• Gina Coco is a Motulski in the U.S.

Myszkowski

• Variants: Mishkowksy, Myshkowski, Mishkoff
• Married with Margolis and Abramsky families of Przerosl.
• Hank Mishkoff and Jonathan Misch and many more descendants in the U.S. and Israel

Orsekowski

Peltin

• A number of family members listed in Yad ve-Shem Database of Holocaust victims from Przerosl
• The schoolchildren's interviewees mention "The local administrative department was the property of Izrael Peltyn. In the past it was a bar, the only one in Przerosl. Peltyn was lame in both legs, and always supported himself with a walking stick. He had lots of children."

Rakovski

• A number of family members listed in Yad ve-Shem Database of Holocaust victims from Przerosl
• Remembered in the schoolchildren's essay is "Wiktor Rakowski (a horse seller)"

Reinszmit

• A number of family members listed in Yad ve-Shem Database of Holocaust victims from Przerosl

Shapiro

• A number of family members listed in Yad ve-Shem Database of Holocaust victims from Przerosl
• The schoolchildren of Przerosl in their essay recorded the older people's memories that close to the shop in Market Place owned by Ester Dworska ... "Nearby, around the corner (nowadays it is the local Center of Culture), there was the house of Janiel Szapiro (Shapiro). He sold drugs and haberdashery. He cured all the inhabitants, and he had various drugs to heal many illnesses."

Sidlovski

• Micheline Gutmann (Gen Ami, France) is a descendant of this Przerosl family

Szewczynski

• A number of family members listed in Yad ve-Shem Database of Holocaust victims from Przerosl

Wartelski

• Hirsz son of Notko (son of Hirsz) Wartelski born 1837 in Przerosl. Family probably from Vishtinetz.
• Large group of Wartelski descendants including families from South Africa and the U.S. and some in Israel today (Brian Wartell, Jon Horowitz, Bernie Lowe, Joseph Lowe)

Wierzbolowski

• A number of family members listed in Yad ve-Shem Database of Holocaust victims from Przerosl

Wilkowski

• Variants: Vilkowski, probably Wallk in Peoria, Illinois
• A number of family members listed in Yad ve-Shem Database of Holocaust victims from Przerosl
• The schoolchildren's essay includes "Szmejko Wilkowski (a butcher)"
• Wendy Hoechstetter and her Wolk cousins; perhaps Wallk of Peoria (TBD)

Wistinetzki

Wolowicz

• possibly also Wilk and Wilkiewicz, maybe be Wallk in Peoria, Illinois

Yelinski

• A number of family members listed in Yad ve-Shem Database of Holocaust victims from Przerosl

Zarembowitz

• Rivka Nochimovitch Kleinkowstein was the ancestor of Micheline Gutmann who married Wolf Zarembowitz.

Zyman

• The schoolchildren's essay also mentions "Dawid Zyman or Codyk (a shoemaker)"

Sources

1. Jewish Gen website entry for location Przerosl
2. The Central Database of Shoah Victims' Names, Yad ve-Shem, online and searchable by town, name, or person who gave testimony
3. Suwalk-Lomaz SIG publication Landsmen.