The Esterson, Gildengersh and Miller Roots

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Chana Stupak (1841 - 1926)
Chana Ortenberg (1841-1926). Daughter of Moishe Leib Stupak (Abt 1797 - Abt 1904). Michael Goldstein’s Maternal 2nd great Grandmother

Raizel Pekelis Esterson and DaveKofsky
Raizel Pekelis Esterson (granddaughter of Michael & Chana Stupak Ortenberg & great granddaughter of Moishe Leib Stupak) & Dave Kofsky (great grandson of Moishe Leib Stupak).

Esther Esterson Goldstein and Charlotte Ortenberg Huberman (3rd and 2nd great granddaughters of Fivish Ortenberg).

Tsirel Ortenberg Olin and Max Olin
Tsirel Ortenberg Olin (granddaughter of Fivish Ortenberg) and her grandson Max Olin.

Esther Pekelis Goldenberg.

Fanny Esterson Kugelmass (ABT 1940).

Searching for Descendants of David Gildengersh or Gildenharsh in London

Until April 2003 I knew only that a nameless son Israel Moshe Gildengersh's had moved to the UK early in the twentieth century and contact and knowledge of his family had been lost. Internet searches yielded no results until late February 2003 when a listing for a Davis Gildenharsh was spotted in the Enfield Town Cemetery database. In March 2003 I visited the cemetery and then applied for Davis (David) and his wife Miriam death certificates. On April 21, 2003 their death certificates arrived and indicated pointing me in the direction of Kalinsky and Lermer. descendants. An e-mail from Syd Kalinsky of London and phone call to Sylvia Lermer of Karmiel Israel filled in years of gaps and knowledge. In June of 2003 I met some of the Kalinskys in London.

Here is their history:

Davis Gildenharsh (or David Gildenharsh as on his Matsevah) was the son of Frieda and Israel Moishe Gildengersh of Brest-Litovsk, now in Belarus). His wife was Miriam. He moved to London early in the 20th century (I did not find him in the UK 1901 census). He and Miriam married either in Belarus or London and had three daughters, Leah Annie & Fay. David was a Master Cobbler or second hand clothes repairer.

David died on November 25, 1945 at age 65 survived by Miriam, his daughters, grandchildren and great grandchildren. At the time of his death David 71 Cable Street. Miriam died at age 80 on January 20th 1962. Both David and Miriam are buried in the Cartehatch cemetery Lane in Enfield Town.

Raizel Pekelis & Motl Esterson

Sura Ortenberg, (Michael Ortenberg and Chana Shtupak's eldest child) married Moishe Leib Pekelis (Abt 1863-1913) Their oldest child Raizel, was born in Ruzhin in about 1897 and married Motl Mortche Esterson (son of Bashe Gildengersh) of Kobryn (or Brest-Litovsk), Belarus. In September 1924 Motl about 27 suddenly died as he, a pregnant Raizel and their two young daughters Esther (my mother) & Faige (Fanny) were awaiting immigration to America. In 1925, Raizel and her three children, all under five years, including infant Mary, immigrated to Canada on the "S.S. Regina". They arrived in Quebec, where much of the Raizel's family now lived, on November 25,1925 and settled to Montreal.

Searching for Esterson, Gildengersh, Linetsky (Linet) Family Information

Over the years we had lost all contact with our Gildengersh family and had sketchy knowledge of our Esterson family.

I began with whatever details my Aunts Fanny Esterson Kugelmass and Mary Esterson Goodman could recall. One faintly remembered fact was added to by yet another and another. Parallel to this I decided to contact Esterzon Family in Argentina to reconnect find out more about my grandfather Motel Esterson’s great aunt Goldie Gildengersh Linetsky and her husband Meilach (Max) of New York with whom we lost contact in the ‘50s. To make it more difficult my aunts believed that Linetsky was an acquired name and original name was possibly Nikolinetsky and as well they believed that some children took on Linet or Linett and had left New York.

I wrote every Esterzon I found in on-line Argentinean phone book sending facts and an old family photo. I explored the Ellis Island Web Site and the US Social Security Death Index to begin tracing Linetsky.

Answers were received to letters and the Social Security Death Index started to give some answers.

Motl Mordechai Esterson's Family Roots & Kinship

As a result of my quests I am now learning more of Motl Esterson's ancestors and kin. .

Motel Esterson was born in about 1895 in or around Kobryn, Belarus (then part of the Polish Kingdom). Motel was one of Pessach Esterson and Bashe (Basheva) Gildengersh's (Gildengersh) four children. His siblings were Guillermo (Wilhelm) and possibly Sure and Mashe. Bashe Gildengers’ parents were Israel Moshe Gildengersh, a tombstone maker, and Fanny Frieda (Feige) Miller. Bashe was one of six Gildengersh children.

Finding the Gildengers and Miller Ancestors

I began my search never having heard the name Gildenguers or Gildengersh ("golden heart" or kindhearted in English) . I knew that Bashe Esterson was my great-grandmother but didn't know her maiden name nor did I know that that my great-grandfather's given name was Pessach. I knew that my Grandfather’s brother William Guillermo Esterzon had moved to Argentina. And then one day I simultaneously received a letter from Argentina and a response from the Social Security Administration about Goldie Linetsky's social security application. The Social Security Administration told me that Goldie was the daughter of Israel Gildenguers and Frieda Miller and the Argentinean letter identified the family pictures for me and provided a wealth of similar and expanded information.

The Gildengers, Bezruk & Esterzon Families of Argentina

Circa 1880 Israel Moishe Gildengersh married Fanny Frieda Miller. They had six children. Bashe a daughter married Pessach Esterson; daughter Dvoshe (Debra) daughter married Gedalia Bezruk, a carpenter; son Haim Noah, a mill worker married Jaicivie (prob. Chaya Tzivia) Steingart; Goldie who married Meilach Linetzky, Abraham a barber and a son David of whom I knew nothing until the spring of 2003.

Bashe and Pessach Esterson had four children. Two sons and two daughters. Sure, Mashe, Motel and Wilhelm. Their son Wilhelm (Motel’s brother) immigrated to Argentina and became known as Guillermo Esterzon. Guillermo married Berta Steingart and had three boys Pedro, Maximo and Luis.

Dvoshe Gildengersh and Gedalia Bezruk also immigrated to Argentina and had four children Israel, Mulke, Manuel & Fanny.

Jaicivie Steingart and Haim Noah Gildengersh’s son Moishe was born in 1921 and in 1936 moved to Argentina and as Moises Gildengers married Ida Mazursky and had three boys, Jaime Noe, Teodoro and Alberto Gildengers.

I’ve yet to Argentina however my son Benji and I did visit Jaime and Esther Gildengers who now live in New Jersey and were being visited by his parents Moises and Ida, Gildengers and brother Teodoro.

Searching & finding Goldie Gildengers Linetsky Descendants and searching in Vain for Max Linetzky's brother Aaron Nick's Descendants

(The following has been put together from the Social Security Death Index, US Census of 1920, California Death Records, very limited family information and Ellis Island Arrivals)

Frieda Miller and Israel Moishe Gildengersh’s daughter Goldie married Meilach Nikulinetsky and they immigrated to America. Meilach Arrived to Ellis Island on January 28, 1913 (listed on the printed manifest as Meslach Nikulenczi a married tailor going to New York). Goldie arrived March 8, 1914 as Golde Mikulinetzky accompanied by their daughter Sonie (Silvia) . By 1920 (source census) Meilach was Max Linetzky and in addition to Sylvia aged 8 eight the family included Louis, 4 and Abraham,3. Florence was born in 1921.

While I now had the information I was still no closer to connecting with the Linetsky kin with whom we last had contact in the early 1950's but in early 2002 I received two simultaneous e-mails from Abe Linet's children and then over the next few days from their cousins. How was I found? One family member was searching "google" entered his grandmother's name and this led him to my site.

Finding Max's brother Aaron's descendants has been more difficult but thanks to information from Max's grandchildren the pieces are beginning to fall into place. Aaron changed his name from Nikulinetsky to Nick. Served in the US Army during World War One and then lived in New York worked a policeman for the railway. He married Tillie and their children were Louis William, Lillian and Silvia. I have yet to connect with any of his descendants but have found the death record of his son William Louis Nick who has recently died. In September 2003 I have reached out to Louis Williams's kin and am awaiting a response.

Raizel Esterson & Her Family

By 1926 Rose (Raizel) Pekelis and her children were in Montreal where with her Mother Sure Ortenberg Pekilis they set up house on Clark Street. Raizel worked as an operator in Montreal’s dress industry and Sura tended house. Esther, Fanny & Mary attended public school and afternoon school at Peretz Shule (Jewish Peretz School) where Raizel and then her children became active.

Esther married Simeon Goldstein in 1940; Fanny married Doug Kugelmass in 1941 and Mary married Bernard Goodman in 1949.

Like so many Montrealers some of Raizel Esterson’s grandchildren and great grandchildren are in Montreal but most have migrated.

Rossie Goldstein who married Ehud Gelb of Israel live in Israel as do Michael and Leah Krolik Goldstein and Avi & Marla Haber Goldstein. Michael and Geraldine Desjardins Kugelmass as well as Martin & Janice Strausberg Goodman are in Toronto while Jack and Esther Romeyn Kugelmass are in Arizona while Terri Rubel Goodman remains the only grandchild in Montreal. Raizel’s great-grandchildren are in Montreal, Toronto, Israel and the USA.

Gildengersh Family in Belarus

More?

There are further details in the alphabetically sorted reports and the "on line" family tree accessible through the Familytreemaker link.

Michael Goldstein

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