UPDATE [11 November 2022]
1. It now looks like I may have tracked down some of those “other” Kopelow relatives that were found in the above-referenced 1889 Russian Empire census document. Why they did not make contact with their relatives that preceded them in the move to the US/UK (assuming that they did not in fact make contact) is a mystery.
Here are the details that I have uncovered:
Leizer, and wife Shifra, and their children, daughter Mariasia, and sons Volko, Duvid, Pinkhos, and Moisey.
[A reminder that Leizer was the brother of Yankel/Yakov, the ancestor of “our” Kopelows] As the Russian Empire document outlined, Leizer, son of Shlema and Unknown Wife Kopelow, was born circa 1844. He and his wife Shifra had 5 children: sons Volko (b. 1865), Duvid (b. 1877), Pinkhos (b. 1880), and Moisey (b. 1883), and daughter Mariasa (b. 1872).
I think we have found information about some of these relatives. A Pincus Kopiloff, born in 1880, emigrated to New York, where he left a large documentary footprint. In 1918, Pinchas Kapilow departed from Antwerp, Belgium aboard the SS Zeeland, bound for New York. His nearest relative in “the old country” was his wife Jente, and he was heading to Brooklyn to join Jack Steinberg (the writing in not fully legible on the manifest, so the exact connection to Jack is not clear). Pincus was living in Manhattan when he registered for the WWI draft in 1918. Pincus Kopiluff filed a Declaration of Intention to become a US citizen in 1920. He listed his birthplace as Poltava (the province where Pereislav is located), his occupation as millinery worker, and his birthdate as 1880. He and his wife Yenta lived in NewYork. In 1930 a capmaker named Philip Kopiloff (b. circa 1880) was living in Brooklyn with his wife Yetta. At the time he was working as a capmaker. In 1940 Philip Kopiloff and wife “Dora” were living in Brooklyn, where he was a millinery worker. In 1950 Philip and Yetta were living in Brooklyn with 29-year-old nephew Aaron Katz. Philip worked in ladies’ hats, and Aaron was an upholsterer. Philip died in December 1968 in Brooklyn.
Pinkhos and wife Ginda, and their baby daughter Etlia.
[A reminder that Pinkhos was the brother of Yankel/Yakov, the ancestor of “our” Kopelows] As the Russian Empire document outlined, Pinkhos, son of Shlema and Unknown Wife Kopelow, was born circa 1859. He and his wife Ginda [the Russian alphabet does not have an equivalent to the letter “H”, so the name Hinda would be written Ginda, just as Hirsch was written Gersch] had a daughter, Etlia (b. 1889) who was also listed in that document from the Russian Empire.
Thanks to newly released records, it looks as though we may have uncovered what became of Pinkhos and his family. A passenger record (in German) lists Pincus Kopilow (60 years of age), departed on 13 Sep 1922 from Hamburg aboard the HMS Oropesa, headed for New York by way of Southampton. This Pincus was a native of Pereislav, last resident in Jagotin, Potlava Province (about 19 miles from Pereislav). His occupation was listed as Hutmacher – a capmaker. Accompanying Pincus was his wife – Hinde, 55 years of age, a native of Jagotin. I think it nearly definite that this is our Pinkhos and Ginda.
We now also have a ship manifest for the SS Orbita, leaving out of Southampton on 9 October 1922 headed to New York. The manifest includes the following passengers: Pincus Kopilow (a hatmaker, 65), Anna Kopilow (55), and Paula Kopilow (20). They family was listed as husband, wife, and daughter. Their last residence was Riga, Latvia (most likely where they were staying before making their way via rail to Hamburg). Some of the manifest is a bit blurry, but it is clear that Anna and Paula were natives of Jagotin. They were all on their way to New York to live with their son/brother, J. Kapilow (116 E. 112th Street, NY).
Again, I think it clear these are our people. And with this info in hand, I’ve been able to trace there lives here in the US. In 1941, Hinda – now known as Hinda/Anna Caplan, filed a Declaration of Intention to become a citizen of the United States. She states that she entered the US in 1922 aboard the SS Orbita, and was born in Yagotyn in 1867. She was the widow of Pincus (a native of Pereislav); they were married 25 December 1885 in Yagotyn. Pincus died in New York City in 1928. She states that she has 4 children: Ethel (b. 1889); Jacob (b. 1892); Samuel (b. 1894); and Bessie (b. 1898). Ethel still resided in Russia; the others in New York. Ethel is clearly the Etlia from the Russian Empire census.
In 1934 Bessie/Pauline married Bernard Thomas (born in Kiev – not yet determined his birth name). Her naturalization petition confirms that she was born in Jagotin, and that she arrived aboard the SS Orbita in 1922 (under the name Pauline Kopilow). She and Bernard had 2 children: Roslyn (b. 1927) and Lorraine (b. 1930), both born in New York. One of the witnesses to Bernard’s naturalization petition was “Samuel Caplan,” likely to have been the name taken by Pauline’s brother Samuel. One of the witnesses to Pauline’s petition was Dorothy Caplan (perhaps married to one of Pauline’s brothers?).
The US Census records sheds more light. In 1930, Bernard, Pauline, Roslyn, and Anna were living together in the Bronx, NY. In 1940, Bernard, Pauline, Roslyn, and Lorraine were living in Manhattan; they were still living there together in 1950.
We have found our man Samuel as well. Samuel Caplan, a native of Jagotin (b. 1894) served in the US Army during WWI, and later registered for the draft during and WWII. He worked as a milliner and lived in New York City (and later in Queens, NY) with his wife Rebecca and daughter Bella and son Norman.
We may have found son Jacob as well. A Jacob Caplan (b. 1891 in Poltava) registered for the US draft in in 1917. He was single, living in New York, and working in millinery. In 1920 Jacob (working in millinery) was living in New York as a boarder with the Henkin family; also living in the house was none other than Bernard Thomas. The only other record I could uncover at this time is the WWII draft registration for a Jacob Caplan (b. 1892), living in New York, with a next of kin listed as Samuel Caplan of Queens. Unfortunately, that is all I have found to this point on these relatives.
2. There is an intriguing record that I have found in the Central Database of Shoah Victims. In that database we find Yankel Kopilov, born circa 1899, the son of Khaim and Sura. There are several very intriguing clues in that record that may connect this martyr to our family tree. His father was Khaim – the name of one of the siblings of our ancestors Masha, Harry, etc. Our Khaim was born in 1869, so he could of course have had a son born in 1899. The name as well – Yankel – also fits, as it was the name of our Khaim’s father. Further, this Yankel (who was murdered in the Holocaust) was born in the town of Kagarlyk – another very intriguing clue, as it (Kagarlyk) was the native town of the Sklar family, which as we all know was connected to the Kopelows via multiple marriages. Additionally, there is his occupation: a “hatter,” which of course fits in completely with our family trade. A final geographic clue: before and during the war, Khaim was living in the town of Boguslav (more on the possible connections of this town to our families in a future report).
3. The London-Philadelphia connection for our families is well established. There is another interesting addition to this connection – the Ellenkrig family. When Gershon (Harry) Sklar arranged for his brothers-in-law Meyer (Max), Herschel (Harry), and Moisey (Morris) to emigrate to Philadelphia, they (the Kopelow brothers) were in 66 Cable Street, London, at the residence of “Morris Elencrig.” A side note: for reasons unknown, Moisey Kopelow did not use the ticket that had been purchased him (his name is crossed out on the manifest) and he stayed in London, where he would become known as Morris Kopeloff. Eventually he would leave for Australia.
The Ellencrig family (spelled, not unlike Kopelow, in a variety of ways by the family) had roots in the same vicinity as the Sklars and the Kopelows (as well as some others connected to our clan). In addition to hosting the Kopelow brothers in their Cable Street home in London, they remained connected to the family in Philadelphia. In 1916, Gershon (Harry) Sklar filed a Declaration of Intention to become a US citizen. His two witnesses: Max Kopelov and Max Ellencrig. Another possibly interesting tidbit is the 1907 record I’ve found of a multiple Elencrigs living in Demievka (a district that was then on the outskirts of Kiev but now a part of the city proper), where Gershon’s brother Aaron Sklar had lived as a student less than a decade earlier. The Ellencrigs maintained a presence in both Philadelphia and London. In 1912, Motel (a.k.a. Max) Ellencrig, along with his brother-in-law Morris Cohen, the 3 Sklar brothers (Gershon, Hersch, and Aaron), and several others in the circle of friends/family (many of whom had lived in the East End of London prior to going to Philadelphia), were listed as the original incorporators and members of the Kahrliker Beneficial Association, an organization established in Philadelphia. Although it is not yet clear how, it is certain that the Max Ellencrig was deeply connected to the Kopelow and Sklar families, first in London, and then in Philadelphia (and likely prior to that back in the Russian Empire).
ORIGINAL POST [22 May 2020]
The Kopelow family – with more transliterations and spellings of the name than deep historical records so far discovered. The family does, however, make an appearance in the 1889 “list of bourgeois,” that is, town dwellers. And that town was Pereiaslav, Poltava Gubernia. We know from the various documents already in our possession that the family, both in the US and UK, list that place as their place of birth.
So, who do we find in 1889 in Pereiaslav? First, the head of the household is 63 year old Shlema Kopelov, son of Meer (Meir). Our Shlema has 3 sons:
1. Leizer, and wife Shifra, and their children, daughter Mariasia, and sons Volko, Duvid, Pinkhos, and Moisey.
2. Pinkhos and wife Ginda, and their baby daughter Etlia.
And their third son, the one known to us, the ancestor of our Kopelows
3. Yankel (Yakov), and his wife Pesya-Leya. And there too are our familiar family members: their daughter Sonya (later Mrs. Gershon Sklar), daughter Masha (later Mrs. Philip Margolis), son Gersh (later Harry, husband of Celia Sklar), son Bension (later Benjamin Kopiloff), son Moisei (later Morris Kopeloff, married to Fanny Shackmaster), and son Meer (later Max Kopelov). But, there is more. More children, that is. Another son, the eldest, Khaim, who was not present (he was in the army). And more daughters: Freida and Mindlia, and another son, Anshel (an infant).
We now have documented Kopelow family history, stretching back to Meer, the father of Shlema Kopelow (who himself was born in 1826). We also have two other branches of the family to try and track down. And we have the mystery of the siblings of “our” Kopelows. What became of them? That is my latest quest – to find them.
Final note: the Kopelow “London – Philadelphia” connection is strong and deep. It even extends to in-laws, not just the Sklar family that landed and planted in Philadelphia (after a stay in London), but the Shackmaster family too. I’ve tracked down their history and roots, and they have branches in both cities as well.
You can find all of these folks on my (our) family tree on Ancestry.com and on our public Genealogy Site.
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