Boston Passenger List - lookup please

[Jason1857]

Cohen - 1867 - Boston

There is a Leib and a Habe. Also other Cohens. Can anyone provide details on ages and who is travelling together?

Habe could be Abe/Abraham Cohen
Leib could be Levy Cohen

Bottom line I am looking for a family of 5 Cohens. They were russian, but may have listed Poland or Germany as an origin.

Levy -age 28-32 (came in 1867?) Levy, Leyb, Leib, Leye
Anna -age 28-32 (came in 1869) - Channa, Hanne
Abraham - age 10-12 (came in 1867,69?)
Lena - age 6-8 (came in 1869?) Lene, Lela, Leie
William - age 3-5 (came in 1869?) Wolf, Woolf, Volf

Any help is much appreciated.

[JustinL]

Hello Jason,

I see that you're really battling with your Cohens.

Do you by any chance have any records in Hebrew, e.g. gravestones?

How have you deduced (correctly I might add) the Yiddish names?

Exactly what records do have?

The most likely reason for emigration was to escape military service.

see http://www.jewishgen.org/InfoFiles/ru-mil.txt

Basically a young Russian (including Jews) could be conscripted for 25 years!!! I seem to recall reading that Jewish lads had to make up any shortfall in the annual quota.

Justin

[Jason1857]

Justin,

Yes, I am struggling. I guess my next post will be in the "brickwall" section. Here's what I know.

1. They were in USA for 1870 (in census, directories)
2. Census responses (over 10) all say 1867, 1868, or 1869
3. Hebrew name of Levy Cohen is Yehoshua. Its on his gravestone in St. Paul, MN, which I have been to and had translated.
4. Conflicting reports in census of country of origin (Poland, Poland-Russia, Russia, and Germany) but this may be a function of changing political geography in Europe from 1870-1930.
5. Oral history confirms Russian ancestry
6. Headstone says Levy (Yehoshua) was a true Kohen (Kohanim tribe). This means he (and I) are blood descendants of Aaron (the older brother of Moses).
7. 1870 census Levy is listed under the name Koehl, although in the city directory for 1870 he appeared under the name Cohen.
8. 1900 census reports Levy came in 1867, Anna in 1869.
9. Her maiden name is Polsky. She has a brother named Charles Polsky who claims he came to USA in 1869.

I think they will eventuall appear in the Russians to America file, when the years 1867-1870 are digitized.

[JustinL]

Hello Jason,

Do you have a picture of the gravestone?

Hopefully, the Hebrew inscription should include his father's name, i.e.

Yehoshua ben ? ha-Kohn (or k"tz)

Do you have records of him being called Leib?

My ancestors were Levites (ha-Levi), so it makes usvery distant cousins (ha, ha)

Justin

[JustinL]

Was Anna's maiden name Polsky or Plosky?

The name Plocki (pronounced Ploski I believe) did exist. Derived from the town called Plock (Plosk in Yiddish!!!)

Justin

[Jason1857]

yes I have picture. I was told his father had the same name, and that meant that he probably died during the pregnancy, as Jews (unless Hassidic) do not name after a living person. I think it was:

Yehoshua Ha-Kohen

I got Leyb from Jewish Gen, where I saw that was a hebrew/yiddish name for Levy. BTW, he was called "Hersch" affectionately by his family. My understanding is that probably is a pet name derived from the name Yehoshua and not the given name Herschel.

Hello Jason,

Do you have a picture of the gravestone?

Hopefully, the Hebrew inscription should include his father's name, i.e.

Yehoshua ben ? ha-Kohn (or k"tz)

Do you have records of him being called Leib?

My ancestors were Levites (ha-Levi), so it makes usvery distant cousins (ha, ha)

Justin

[Jason1857]

I also have a picture of Levy Cohen, circa 1880. I should use it in my profile!

Hello Jason,

Do you have a picture of the gravestone?

Hopefully, the Hebrew inscription should include his father's name, i.e.

Yehoshua ben ? ha-Kohn (or k"tz)

Do you have records of him being called Leib?

My ancestors were Levites (ha-Levi), so it makes usvery distant cousins (ha, ha)

Justin

[Jason1857]

Its Polsky in the USA. Three siblings. Anna married Levy in the old country 1857. Her two brothers settled in Lincoln, Nebraska. I am in contact with some descendents there.

Was Anna's maiden name Polsky or Plosky?

The name Plocki (pronounced Ploski I believe) did exist. Derived from the town called Plock (Plosk in Yiddish!!!)

Justin

[JustinL]

Jason,

I would be very interested to see the photo. Can you post it here or shall I send you a PM with my email address?

Hershel was a commonly used Yiddish nickname for the Yiddish given dame Hersh or Hirsh. It is simply a diminutive. Hirsh comes from the German (and Yiddish) for a stag, which in Hebrew is Tzvi.

But you are right in that men with the sacred name Yehoshua often had nicknames that were something like Heshe, Heshl, etc.

Why he called himself Levy is a mystery to me. Leib is derived from the Yiddish word for lion. In the Bible, Jacob likened his son, Yehuda, to lion. So since ancient times men called Yehuda had the nickname Leib. In Germany, from whence my ancestors originated, men called Leib increasingly called themselves Levy when dealing with civil / secular authorities, especially during the 19th century. No-one rally knows why. This is not to be confused with men who had the sacred name Levi (lamed-vav-yud).

Justin