Markel/Merkel Family Synopsis

Emanuel Markel was born Shmerel MERKEL in Keidan, Russia (now Kedainiai, Lithuania) in 1858.

Emanuel’s father was Moysha Geshel (Moishe Heschel), a wealthy merchant, and chief contractor to the Polish Count Totleben. (See attached article about Keidan.) Moishe was born in 1835, the only child of Shmerel and Reize. (Emanuel was named after his grandfather.) The family goes back to at least the early 1700’s in Keidan. (The Merkels may have emigrated from Germany to Keidan in the 1600’s.)

Emanuel’s mother, Nechama Gittel , (Gitel) was born in 1830 and died in 1894 of Lymph Sarcoma. Her grave is still standing in Kedainiai.

10/9/1894 Kedainiai Kedainiai 21 Elul 2290295 Kovno [Kaunas] 3 MERKEL, Gitel Kaunas 1894 60 926 Wife of merchant LVIA/1226/1/1826 Movsha MERKEL Kaunas F25 Lymph sarcoma

Gitel had numerous children, (possibly 13). Many of which died young. Emanuel was the 2nd oldest child, behind Rocha (Rachel Marshall), mother to David A. Marshall. (More information to follow.) Census records are from 1874, but there were at least three more after that year.

Page Town Age Publication Reason This Type Given Left Registration Uyezd Surname Father Relationship Comments Date Name Age Archive / Year Former Guberniya Last Fond etc Registration

Kedainiai 2 599 Family List Movsha Kaunas MERKEL Chana Daughter KRA/I- Geshel Kaunas 1874 61/1/1626a 12 Movsha MERKEL Chaya Daughter Geshel

7 David Movsha MERKEL Son Abram Geshel

5 Geshel Movsha MERKEL Son Mikhel Geshel

40 MERKEL Gitel Wife

9 Movsha MERKEL Leah Daughter Geshel

39 Movsha Shmerel Head of MERKEL Geshel Aron Household 24 3 Movsha MERKEL Reyza Daughter Geshel

16 Movsha MERKEL Rocha Daughter Geshel

15 Movsha MERKEL Shmerel Son Geshel

In November 1886, Emanuel married Khaia Varshavchik (Chaia Warsaw) daughter of Fajvush (Phillip) and Etta Varshavchik, from nearby Kaunas. (Phillip and Ethel Markel were named for their grandparents; and Helaine was named for Chaia.)

Place Recorde Groom d Marriage Place Father Town/ /Uyezd / Guberniy Mother Groo Rabbi Year Microfilm # / Item a Groom Name Place m Age Comment Recorde # Witness 1 s d Image # Marriage Date Bride Name Bride Bride Archive / Fond (DD/MM/CCYY) Father Age Witness 2 Record Hebrew Date Mother Type Place

Record #

Movsha Kaunas Kaunas

Kaunas Kedainiai MERKEL, Shmerel 30 1886 2290545 / 1 Kaunas Girsh BERKLEIN 124

VARSHAVCHIK, Khaia 26 marriage LVIA/1226/1/1869 18/11/1886 Faivush Khaim Akiva RYZNIK 3 Kislev 5647 72 Kaunas

Shortly after their marriage, Emanuel and Chaia moved to Lodz, where they began to raise a family. Birth records in Lodz suggest that Ethel (Jenta Kraia- silent J) was born in 1889, followed by David, who died as an infant. In 1890, Fiona (Florence) was born.

Last updated May 2008

Surname Givenname Year Type Akt Father Fathersurn Mother Mothersurn Town Comments

MERKEL Jenta Krajna 1889 B 15

MERKEL Dawid 1890 B 16

MERKEL Dawid 1891 D 170

Chaia’s older sister Sophia Varshavchik also came to Lodz with her husband, Oscar Smolian. (Emanuel and Oscar may have tried to start a business in Lodz, together.) Oscar and Sophia also raised children in Lodz.

Surname Givenname Year Type Akt Father Fathersurn Mother Mothersurn Town Comments

SZMULIIAN Enta 1881 B 232

SZMULIIAN Chana 1881 B 233

SZMULIIAN Jechezkel ? 1889 B 568

SZMULAN Pinkus 1890 B 334

SZMULAN Berta 1890 B 335

SZMULAN Isaj 1899 B 46

In the early 1890’s, both families immigrated to America. In July, 1891, Emanuel came to New York on the SS.Saale, from Bremen.. Chaia followed with Ethel and Florence, in 1894. The Smolian’s also came to the U.S., at the turn of the century; first to New York City and then moved to Mount Vernon, NY.

Once Chaia and her daughters, arrived in America, the family settled in Somerville, MA. Emanuel worked as dry goods peddler. They had two additional children in Somerville; Frances in 1899 and Philip in 1902.

Tragedy struck the family in 1908, when Chaia died. Shortly, thereafter, Emanuel moved the family to Mount Vernon where they could be near the Smolians. Emanuel became a “flour merchant.” Ethel taught music and helped raise the family.

Around the same time, other Merkel siblingss came to America. For sure, Emanuel’s older sister Roche Merkel (Rachel Marshall) also settled in Boston. In 1880, Roche had married a divorced man, Eliash Sulamis from Libau, on the Baltic Sea.. (Information that is important in later research.)

Kedainiai Kedainiai Faivush Tsemakh VOLPE Kaunas SHULAMIS, Eliash 28 1880 2289448 / 5 Kaunas Libava? / Liubavas? / Libau? Groom is divorced Leizer TAUB 879 MERKEL, Rokhe 22 Marriage LVIA/1226/1/1608 30/5/1880 Movsha Movsha FELMAN 2 Tammuz 24

The following year, they had a son, Abraham David Shulamit (David A. Marshall.) in Keidan. Shortly, thereafter, they moved to Libau where they had other children, Samuel and Harry. Two more children, William, and Alice, were born in Boston at the end of the century.

Eliash, Faivush Kedainiai Family from Liubavas, Kedainiai 2289447 / 2 9/4/1881 Record entered SHULAMIT, Abram David Rokhe, Movsha Kaunas chronologically 1881 482 22 Nisan according to bris date MERKEL Kaunas (16 Apr.) M27 LVIA\1226\1\1526

It is unclear when the family took on the Marshall name, but early census records in America show that the family immigrated to America around the same time that Chaia came over, (93 or 94), possibly on the same ship; and shortly thereafter, Elash died and the family used the Marshall name. They also ran a creamery called Marshall’s Creamery.

David A. Marshall’s naturalization records were a big clue to finding where the family was originated because it mentioned his birth in Keidan, which led to other discoveries about the Merkel’s and Markels. (See Attached.).

Emanuel Markel’s will was also enlightening. In addition to his children, he left $50 to Rachel Marshall and Chane Frank in Warsaw. Chana was a younger sister who married Samuel Frank and lived in Warsaw. They did not have children; and she died early in the Nazi occupation.

David A. Marshall’s citizenship papers.

"The Old Bridge" - a memoir of Keidan Page 1 of 5

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"A Hole in the Heart"

Childhood Years in Keidan, by B. Cassel THE OLD BRIDGE

From 1935 until his death in 1941, Boruch Chaim Cassel served as editor of The Keidaner, the monthly bulletin of the Keidaner Association of New York. Besides announcing The bridge across the Neviaszhe River at Keidan meetings and recording the happy and sad events in the lives of the "Dedicated to the friends of my youth, Menashe and Sheyne Brauer " association's members, the small publication often carried memoirs and news about the immigrants' old Under any circumstances, youth is the happiest time in people's home town in Lithuania, lives. Even in poverty and hardship, in an oppressed country without usually in Yiddish. freedom, under a government of persecution, where civil rights are

In his last years, B. Cassel subject to the whims of the lowest government official -- even under used this space for several such conditions, youth is the brightest time in life, beaming out from short pieces about his the past and illuminating the present. youth in Keidan. This one was published in three Relatively speaking, the period of my youth wasn't part of Tsarist parts in the bulletins of Russia's darkest days. On the contrary, the Jews in Keidan, as in all of August, September and October, 1940. It was Russia, lived more or less calmly, routinely -- one day so like the next translated in 1994 by that it was a major event when a new governor was chosen in Kovno, A.Cassel. and he would come to visit Keidan. The town would go into a tizzy, preparing for his visit several weeks in advance, and for weeks More about Boruch Chaim thereafter people would talk about how he received the town's leaders Cassel and what he said to them.

Or when the commander of the Fifth Battery, Colonel Lentz, shot himself, the town was filled with speculation about why he did it. Everyone was quite certain he knew the cause, even how much money, to the kopeck, was missing from the battery's strong box.

Or else they found somebody drowned in the Neviaszhe, and they'd have to perform an autopsy with a whole crowd, mainly us young people, standing on the opposite riverbank making sure everything was done properly.

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These kinds of things were the big events that would from time to time -- although very seldom -- shake up the calm pace of life for the population of Keidan.

And as I compare the awful conditions that the Jews live under now in Keidan with the period of my childhood; as my mind drifts back to those times and I try mentally to relive those years, my past becomes so bright for me and my recollection so sweet that I am happy while again reliving my dear childhood years.

A Saturday night in Tamuz [June-July]. After a hot day the evening

has cooled things off a little, and with the new moon in a clear sky, the

whole city is outdoors. The bridge is packed with strollers, mostly young people. Girls go with girls, and boys with boys. They walk in More Memoirs and pairs, in groups of three, four or more in a row, usually of the same Stories age. The line of boys follows after a line of girls, making jokes at their

"The Old Bridge" expense, but the girls give as good as they get, laughing and throwing "Summer Swimming" wisecracks of their own back in the boys' direction. "The Talmud Society" Theater in Keidan Here and there by the bridge railings We would use our A Hometown Wedding young people stand, tossing jokes at the "shooters" on all "The Feldsher" "Shevuos" lines of passers-by, and drawing laughter sorts of "A Greeting from from the girls and boys. It is happy on the occasions. But Keidan" (1939) bridge. Now and again an earnest group of the best trick was From the poem "Lithuania" men goes by, absorbed in a profound to "mine" the by Myra Sklarew discussion of politics or current affairs. bridge, and But the dominant element are the young frighten the people, who seem carefree, engrossed in More History: the enjoyment of strolling on the bridge girls ... and bantering with each other in the "The City of Keidan" by contemporary street-language of the Keidaner youth. B.C. Cassel (1930) From "Jewish Cities and Towns in Lithuania" by That summer we boys devoted ourselves to a new kind of sport -- Berel Kagan "shooting fuses" and launching rockets with fireworks. Fuses were "Worlds Gone By:" Scenes little "L"-shaped tubes, filled with gunpowder, which were used by the from Keidan by H.Y. artillery cannoneers to ignite the powder-chambers in their cannons Epstein during shooting practice. Into the longer end of the "L" was stuck a "The Destruction of Keidan" by Dovid Wolpe twisted wire, looped out into a little ear. The short end of the fuse stuck in the cannon. As the ear was pulled, the wire inside the tube would strike and ignite the powder. The powder exploded and the cannon shot off. Still more about Keidan You could stick a fuse into any kind of a hole, pull the wire, explode "A Hole in The Heart" home page the powder and make a bang like a cannon shot. We had a lot of fun Images of Keidan, then shooting off fuses: with a string tied around the ear of the wire, we and now would stick the fuse into a crack in a door or the wheel of a wagon,

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Yizkor Book Table of and, standing off to the side several feet away, pull the string, and the Contents fuse would shoot off, frightening whoever was by the door or in the The Keidan Cemetery wagon. Database The Keidan E-mail group: Archives and how to join We would use our "shooters" on all sorts of occasions. Even at Purim Other links of interest when they'd read the megillah we would "shoot" Haman. But the best trick was to "mine" the bridge, and frighten the girls on their strolls. We did this by sticking a fuse into a crack in the bridge railing on the side facing the water, with a string tied to the little ear. The end of the string was held by a "shooter" standing some 20 feet from the fuse. By the fuse stood a boy, who would give a signal to the "shooter" when the strolling girls whom we wanted to scare came near the place where the fuse was stuck in. At the signal the "shooter" would give a pull on This site is linked to the string and the fuse would shoot off. The girls, frightened, would scream, giving us a lot of pleasure.

"Fireworks and rockets" was a more expensive game than "fuses." People used to buy them from Moishe Merkel, the court contractor for at JewishGen: The Home of Count Totleben. But mainly the material was procured by Yosse Jewish Genealogy Brauer's son Menashke. Soldiers used to come to Yosse Brauer's tavern, among them some cannoneers for whom it was easy to obtain fuses, and who would sell them for a bottle of beer or a schnaps to

Menashke. The only son of his mother Tsesne -- a widow, who ran the tavern by herself -- Menashke always got his way. She would often plead with him, "Why don't you give me any respect?" But he'd get what he wanted. And so he would constantly have a whole arsenal of fuses, and enough money to buy fireworks.

On that Saturday night, Menashke brought a lot of rockets and fireworks. After we had shot off a whole batch of fuses we got down to the fireworks. Nobody then knew of police permits in Keidan. On such a beautiful evening not only was the bridge full of strollers, but also the street, the marketplace, and especially the outdoors were crowded with people. Everyone marveled at the spangled fire light, and especially the rockets that we would shoot into the air, where they would split apart in a shower of colorful sparks.

The handle of the rocket had to be fastened very firmly to the railing of the bridge, so that when the flint of the rocket was fired, the rocket would burst while flying straight up high, not off to a side. The tighter the handle was tied, the higher the rocket would fly. After a number of smaller rockets, we began to fire off the bigger ones, which drew excited shouts from the crowd. Everything was going fine, and our young hearts filled with joy at the success.

But the biggest rocket, which we had People began to expected to produce the prettiest fountain

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of colored sparks, was either not properly mutter angry tied down, or else it exploded off-center. words about the Right after it tore off from the railing, young brats who instead of shooting straight up, it veered 'wanted to send off and headed toward the market square. the town up in flames.' In the market, stagecoach-wagons were standing harnessed and ready to be driven to Kovno. A big crowd of passengers and their companions were around the wagons. They all were busy saying goodbye, loading their packages in the wagons. Suddenly a burning, fire-sparking, booming rocket tore over the crowd and flew into Yosse Bere Pachter's grocery, exploding with a bang near a barrel of kerosene.

The harnessed horses were startled by the flashing shower of sparks, and took off running with the wagons across the market place. The frightened wagon drivers could scarcely restrain them. The people in the stores, who typically came together Saturday nights to talk politics and worldly affairs, and the crowd in the market all ran frantically to Yosse Bere Pachter's store to see what sort of disaster the rocket had caused there. From Nachman Heikel's store, where the elite and the intelligentsia customarily gathered, everyone ran out, frightened and upset.

The market was in an uproar, and people began to mutter angry words about the young brats who wanted "to send the town up in flames." It seemed only moments before they had been marveling with delight at our fireworks, and we were swelling with pride; now, in the blink of an eye, they wanted to tear us in pieces. It's just that way with all great people in the world; a small step from glory to scorn.

Within a few minutes, our friends had brought us word of our situation; people had gone to the police station and ordered the local officer to arrest us. Menashke and I -- the big heroes of the evening -- wasted no time; we disappeared quick from the bridge. After a short conference near Frantzkevitch's tavern in Shole Mule's alley, where it was always dark, we decided the best place to hide was in the cellar at my house.

A few minutes later we were there; but before we entered the cellar, which had a little wooden trap door padlocked beneath the entrance to the house, we arranged that one of our friends should lock us in the cellar, so it would look like no one was there. He would bring us reports from time to time about what was happening in the town.

The cellar was where we stored provisions like potatoes, turnips, beets and carrots, but it was always empty in the summer months. There was only a little pile of old potatoes in the corner, which filled the cellar with a stuffy, stale dirt smell. We sat in the dark -- because we were

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afraid if we lit a candle it would be seen through the little cellar window -- quiet as mice on the dusty earthen floor, and, whispering, shared our guesses about what would become of us.

Every minute was an eternity, and we imagined the most horrible things happening if we were found. Very often one of our friends would come to the small window and report what was doing in the street: The whole world was out looking for us. Motke the Constable was running around like a poisoned man; a few of our friends had already been taken away to the guard house, but none of the group had said where we were, although they knew.

Later reports contradicted the earlier ones. Tzesne, Menashke's mother, was going around like a mad person, wondering what had befallen her only child -- but the fellows had told her nothing.

So the night dragged on, full of upsetting and contradictory news -- truly like in a world war. Eventually, however, the reports calmed down, and around 12 o'clock we crept out of the cellar and went home to sleep.

The next day we discovered it was all a big nothing. No one was arrested at all. The crowd had calmed down right away, since the rocket hadn't caused a fire, and they'd forgotten all about us.

However, we shot no more fireworks from the bridge that summer.

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