WHERE THEY LIVED

Abraham/Avraham was born in Posvol (today's Pasvalys in northern Lithuania). We haven't yet been able to find documents in the Lithuania archives about Shaina's family, but the only family named Dushkin (Shaina's maiden name) in all of Kovna and Vilna Gubneriias was from Keidan, in western central Lithuania. So it seems logical that Shaina could easily have been from Keidan, which in the early and mid-1800's had an important Jewish community.

Avraham and Shaina lived in Ponevezh, where they raised their children, all of whom seem to have married into substantial families, which either were wealthy or very learned. They came to the United States in 1898.

Abraham died in Baltimore on Jan. 22, 1900. He is listed as having been 82 years old when he died, therefore having been born in 1818.

Shaina's 1900 census record (taken in mid-1900) lists her as a widow, having been born in 1827 and having arrived in the US in 1898, i.e., 73 years old. But the cemetery records indicate that she was 98 years old when she died, i,e, having been born in 1813. In the 1900 census, she is listed under the name Cherney Abramson and was living with her daughter Beila Herr.

Abraham's death certificate lists him as having been in the U.S. for eight years. This is most likely incorrect for the following reasons:

a. The 1900 and 1910 Censuses list Shaina as having come to the US in 1898. Moreover, on Shaina's death certificate, it appears that Shaina came came to the US in 1898. It is hard to imagine that Abraham came here alone with his wife Shaina.

b. Abraham first appears in the Baltimore city directory in 1899. (See page 55 of the 1899 Baltimore City Directory where he is listed as a cigarmaker, which, given his advanced age, is unlikely.) He is listed here as having lived in Baltimore at 1026 E. Baltimore St. Since Abraham is not listed in earlier directories, it is most likely that he arrived in the US in 1898.

Sometime prior to 1910, when her daughter Beila Herr moved to Philadelphia, Shaina moved to Brooklyn, New York and lived with Chaya (Ida) Epstein, another one of her daughters. Shaina died in Chaya's house. Evelyn Snitzer Plancher said that Shaina was at least 93 years old when she died. Jeanne Kaye thought that Shaina must have been over 100 years old when she died.

In America, Shaina Dushkin Tsemakhovich was known by the English name of Jennie Abrahamson/Abramson.

PICTURES (See both of their photos on this Web Page)

Margaret Abramson, the daughter of Avraham and Shaina's yougest chid Ben-Tsion (Benjamin in the US) remembered two large pictures of her father parents - Abraham and Shaina Tsemakhovich - that used to be on the wall. They were in gold frames. Edward Abramson, Ben's grandson (Alfred's son) has the picture of Shaina. He also has smaller pictures of both Abraham and Shaina.

Abraham's picture was taken in Baltimore. Shaina's picture was taken & H. Caplan, 67 Manhattan Ave., Brooklyn, NY.

THEIR CHILDREN

Benjamin Abramson, Abraham and Shaina's youngest child, told his daughter Margaret that he (Benjamin) had eight sisters. We know that there were at least three sons as well. That means that there were at least eleven children in the family.

Margaret Abramson remembers that her father Benjamin said that he had eight sisters.

The census material from both 1900 and 1910 is incorrect. In the 1900 census, Shaina is listed as having given birth to ten children but that the year 1900, only seven were living.

In the 1910 census, Shaina is listed as having had six children, of whom five were living.

WHICH CHILDREN IMMIGRATED to the US- WHICH REMAINED IN RUSSIA

Five of Abraham and Shaina's children (as well as Abraham and Shaina themselves) eventually came to the US. (Elia, Beila, Chaya, Morris & Benjamin)

Some of the children of Chana Gitel?, Satal, and Chava Leah also came to the US, though these three sisters remained behind and died in Europe.

Sidney Abramson remembers his father had a sister in England and one in South Africa. Isabella Abramson Rosenburg (Sidney's sister) remembers that their father Benjamin had a sister in England.

(MLD) Chava Leah appears to have died in St. Petersburg in the 1930s.

VENIAMIN (BINYAMIN), the royal doctor, ran the Jewish hospital in Ponevezh until at least 1896. By 1900, he had become a royal doctor and was living in St. Petersburg. He seems to have lived there for at least ten years, where his son Solomon practiced dentistry as well.

CHANA GITEL married Hirsh Aaron Naviasky in Ponevezh, had at least three or four surviving children, and died there, and an incurable skin disease in 1876. Thereafter, Hirsh Aaron Naviasky married SATAL/SHEITEL, a sister of his late wife (and daughter of Abraham and Shaina Tsemakhovich). Satal had at least seven children, of whom two came to the US (Isaac and William Naviasky). Satal and her other children remained in Russia. At least two of Satal's children - Helene (AKA Hinda married Grodzensky) - and Zalman moved to St. Petersburg, then the capital of Tsarist Russia. Satal died there in 1929. We don't yet know where her husband Hirsh Aharon Neviazshky died.

Abraham & Shaina's Graves

1. Abraham:

Both Sidney Abramson and his wife remember that Abraham was buried north of Baltimore off the road to Philadephia. Pauline Naviasky Kobren said the family cemetery was off of Route 40.

Abraham's The grave stone had fallen over when Sidney visited it with his father. They had a new concrete stone placed over the grave. Abraham's death certificate lists him as having been buried at the Hebrew cemetery on Philadelphia Rd. in Baltimore.

Margaret Abramson remembers taking her father Benjamin, and picking up in Ike (Isaac) Naviasky, and going to visit Abraham's grave in Baltimore. Ike found the cemetery. There were photographs of the deceased on the grave of Abraham.

2. Shaina:

Evelyn Snitzer Plancher said that Shaina died in Chaya's house (328 Brushwick Ave. in Brooklyn, shortly after Evelyn was born. I.e., she died ca. 1911) and that Shaina, her daughter Chaya (Ida), and her son Elia were both buried in Staten Island in the United Hebrew Cemetery.

According to the Cemetery officials, Shaina is buried under the name J. (for Jennie, the name she used in the US) Abramson. She died on July 3, 1911 and was 98 years old. Shaina and Chaya are

both buried with the Krakinover Society. (Shaina is Row 2, Grave 5, of the adult graves, the 2nd grave on the right.)

Cemetery address: United Hebrew Cemetery, 122 Arthur Kill Rd, Staten Island, NY 10306 Tel. 1-718-251-0230 They are buried in the Krakinover Society section of the cemetery.

The Krakinover Gate is a BLACK GRANITE GATE. Walk up two steps. (The entrance is Row 20.) Walk back to the early graves. Row 2 (there are two rows of children at the back. Then the adult rows begin. Find Row 2 Grave 5. (J. Abramson)

Here Is Buried

An Old Modest & Important Woman

Kind to the Poor and Needy

SHAINA THE DAUGHTER OF YEHUDA LEIB

the wife of Abraham

Died 7 Tammuz 5671

May Her Soul be Bound With the Souls of the Living

In Memory of Our Beloved Mother JENNIE ABRAMSON Age 98 yrs., Rest in Peace

Shaina's Death Certificate

Names of Their Close Relatives (i.e., Parents, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles)

Since Jews name their children after deceased relatives, by examining the names Abraham & Shaina gave to their children, we can learn some of the names of their ancestors.

Unfortunately, this information alone is not enough to deduce the names of specific ancestors.

NAMED AFTER ABRAHAM

1. Abraham Fram, son of Gussie, daughter of Chaya.

2. Evelyn Snitzer Plancher (Hebrew name = Avigail)

3. Arline Romm Orovitz (Hebrew name = Avigail)

4. ? Albert Rhode, grandson of Yetta Hillman Naviasky

5. Alfred Abramson (Benjamin's son)

6. Abraham Hillman - Yetta Naviasky Hillman's baby

NAMED AFTER SHAINA

1. Jeanne, Chaya's son Albert's youngest daughter

2. Susan Turchin, Chaya's granddaughter Mildred Snitzer Berson's daughter

3. Sylvia Kresser, Chaya's daughter Helen's daughter

4. Jeanette Wolson Potash, Gertie Herr Wolson's daughter.

ABRAHAM MOTHER'S NAME

Abraham mother's name was Hinda. Five of Abraham and Shaina's children named their daughters Hinda (Helen). Hinda died before 1870.

1. Helen/Yelena Neviazhskaia Grodzenskaia (born around 1876) (Either the daughter of Chana Gitel or Satal Neviazshky.)

2. Helen (Hinda) Herr Romm (born around 1872) (Beila Herr's oldest daughter)

3. Helene Hausman Zelichenko (born in the 1880s) (Chava Leah Hausman's daughter)

4. Helen (Hinda) Abrahamson Solomon (born around 1887) (Elia Abrahamson's only child)

5. Helen (Hinda) Epstein Fram (born around 1890) (Chaya Epstein's daughter)