Hyman Smith

Notes:

His Texas Death Certificate showed he was a retired merchant, and listed his place of birth as Lithuania. Father was shown as Solomon Smith, and for this mother, there was "no record" of her maiden name. The informant was his wife.

Kovno was a governorate of Russia, and is known as Kaunas, the second largest city in present day Lithuania. Prior to the Second World War, Kaunas, like many cities in eastern Europe, had a significant Jewish population. According to the Russian census of 1897, Jews numbered 25,500, 35.3% of the total of 73,500. The population was recorded as 25.8% Russian, 22.7% Polish, 6.6% Lithuanian. They established numerous schuls and synagogues, and were important for centuries to the culture and business of the city.

The 1920 Texas census shows he and both his parents as born in Russia, and his year of immigration as 1902, and that he became a naturalized citizen of the U.S. in 1907. His occupation was listed as merchant, dry good store.

The 1930 census showed Hyman born in Lativa, and Betty born in Poland, with both sons incorrectly shown as born in Texas. He was shown as a retail merchant of Dry Goods, and Betty was a sales lady at their store. The home they lived in was valued at $5,000.

Hyman married Betty Katz before 1910. Betty was born on 15 Apr 1890 in Russian Empire; died on 30 Aug 1975 in Dallas, Dallas County, Texas; was buried in Ahavath Achim Cemetery, Tyler, Smith County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Israel Smith was born on 24 Mar 1911 in Baltimore, Baltimore County, Maryland; died on 7 Sep 2011 in Tyler, Smith County, Texas; was buried in Ahavath Achim Cemetery, Tyler, Smith County, Texas.
2. Solomon "Sol" Smith was born on 28 Aug 1913 in Baltimore County, Maryland; died on 18 Mar 2006 in Austin, Travis County, Texas; was buried in Cook-Walden Capital Parks Cemetery, Pflugerville, Travis County, Texas.

Notes:

AKA Shlomo Zavilevitz (Savilevics) http://bayl.org/family-story/where-did-our-ancestors-live/

Shlomo married Etta "Yetta" Devorah Romm. Etta (daughter of Yehuda Laib Romm and Rella Krok) was born about 1849 in Kovno Gubernia, Russian Empire; died after 1930 in Baltimore, Baltimore County, Maryland. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

In 1930, Etta/Yetta was living with her son-in-law and daughter Rueben and Rachel LEVINE of Baltimore. She was shown as age 80, born in Russia.

Shown on Geni as Etta Devorah ROMM, born 1848 died May 7, 1930 at the age of 82, a daughter of Yehuda Laib ROMM and Rella KROK, wife of Shlomo SAVILEVICS, mother of Myer SAVILEVICS, Celia SHAPIRO, Hyman SMITH, Simon SMITH, and Ruchel Minna LEVINE, sister of Rucha Nessa SHAPIRO, Chiva Rivka (Ida) (Chiva Reva) ROMM, Rochel ROMM, Pessa Leba ROMM, Max ROMM, Joh Romm and Toba Gittel Romm half sister of Mari-Leah Romm NACHAMSON

Notes:

Married:
Daugher Rachel was a member of the B'nai Abraham and Yehuda Laib Family Society membership and its associated family tree revolves around a woman named Rella Krok, who was born about 1833. Her father, Laibe Krok, was born in 1800. Laibe and his wife Rachel Krok lived in the tiny hamlet of Tselkay / Celkiai, just south of Rokisik / Roki?kis, a town in an area which today is in the northeastern part of the Republic of Lithuania. In the 1800s, the area was first in the Vilna Gubernya (province) and then in the Kovno Gubernya of the Russian Empire As U.S. census records and vital records related to this family shown places of birth as both Russia, Latvia, or Lithuania, it is assumed Savilevics/Smith family also originated in the Kovno Gubernia area of the Russian empire before their emigration to the United States, likely in Kupiskis, known in Yiddish as Kupishok, was home to 1,444 Jews before World War II. Today no Jews live in Kupiskis.

Phil Shapiro wrote, in reference to the 1897 Rokiskis All-Russian Census that the census list, on page 4, shows a three-person household of Abram and Rella Abramovicz and Zavel Zavelevicz residing on Komaiskaya Street (Kamai Street). The Bnai Abraham and Yehuda Laib Family Society (BAYL), which was founded in Baltimore in 1901, consists of the descendants of the first and second husbands of Rella Krok, the daughter of Laibe Krok. The 1897 census identifies Rella as the daughter of "Leiba," age 64 and married to Abram Abramovicz, whose age is given as 63. According to the BAYL family tradition, Rella's second husband, who was known in the United States as Abraham Abramson, was said to have been a rabbi in Rokiskis for 25 years before coming to America. This appears to be consistent with the translation of the occupation given for Abram in the census of one who "makes Jewish symbolics." The third member of the household, "Zavel Zavelevicz," age 22, appears to be a grandson of Rella. The census states that Zavel was a capmaker who was born in Kupiskis and was the son of "Shloma." Rella's oldest daughter from her first marriage (to Yehuda Laib Romm) was Etta-Devara Romm. Etta-Devara married Shlomo Savilevics and lived in Kupiskis. At least one of Etta's children -- my grandmother Zlata Savilevics (Celia Smith Shapiro) -- often told the family that as a child she frequently stayed with her grandmother Rella.

https://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/Rokiskis/census.htm

Yehuda married Rella Krok. Rella was born about 1833 in Tzelkay, Kovno Gubernia, Russian Empire; died about 1897 in Rakisik, Kovno Gubernia, Russian Empire. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Laib Krok and his family lived in the hamlet of Tzelkay (Celkiai pronounced "tshel-KAY"). It is located about 2 miles southeast of Rakisik (Roki?kis pronounced "RAW-kish-kis"). Laib Krok's daughter, Rella Krok, lived in adulthood in Rakisik. Her first husband, Yehuda Laib Romm, was from Ponedel (Pandelys ronounced "pahn-dey-LEES"), which is about 16 miles west of Rakisik. After he died, Rella married Rabbi Abraham Abramovitz and continued to live in Rakisik. The name of the family society remembers the given names of the second and first husbands of Rella Krok, namely, Abraham and Yehuda Laib.

One of Rella's children with Yehuda Laib Romm was Etta Devayra Romm, who married Shlomo Zavilevitz (Savilevics) and lived in Kupisik (Kupi?kis '96 "koo-PISH-kis"). Their son Zanvil Zavilevitz (Savilevics) was born in Kupisik and was sent at a young age, probably around 12, to Riga (today, the capital of Latvia) to learn be a capmaker. When Zanvil's apprenticeship ended, he went to live with his grandmother Rella and her second husband in Rakisik. Zanvil's sister, Zlata Zavilevitz (Savilevics), who was also born in Kupisik, also went to live with Rella and Abraham Abramovitz.

http://bayl.org/family-story/where-did-our-ancestors-live/

Notes:

Married:
Baltimore Lithuanian Jewry Stays Connected.

Within Baltimore's flourishing Jewish community, there are organizations that are working to keep alive connections to ancestors. The B'nai Abraham and Yehuda Laib Family Society (BAYL) is one such organization that is committed to maintaining relationships among descendants of the society's progenitors. According to Phil Shapiro, a member of the society, nearly three-quarters of Baltimore's Jewish population have roots from Lithuania.

BAYL hosted its 115th anniversary picnic on Sept. 4 in Baltimore. The society normally hosts reunions every five years. It was attended by approximately 170 individuals from all over the nation and was recognized with letters from the president of Lithuania as well as both the Israeli and American ambassadors in the country.

Originally founded in Baltimore in 1901, BAYL is believed to be oldest Jewish family society in the world. The idea was that the first relatives who came to the United States from Europe would save their money to help other members of their families immigrate. While family societies were common in the 1930s, very few are left today.

The two families that formed BAYL are linked by Rella Krok, whose first husband was Yehuda Laib Romm, and she later remarried Abraham Abramson. The members of the families used to get together every Saturday night to pool pennies, bringing over another family member when they had accumulated $20. All of the members in attendance at the Baltimore reunion are descendants of the original family society.

Another organization dedicated to Lithuanian Jewry, Remembering Litvaks, Inc., "undertakes projects dedicated to remembering the Jewish communities that existed in Lithuania, including educational programs dedicated to researching and teaching the history of Jewish life in Lithuania and improving the physical condition of Jewish gravesites and other locations of historical significance to Lithuanian Jewry," according to its website. Shapiro is involved with that organization as well.

The organization recently introduced the Ruvin Bun Award, which "will be given for research and education regarding the original vision of the Lithuanian state as a tolerant, multicultural society with a Western-style constitution that established a democratic government." More information on the award can be found at bit.ly/2cJmUYh.

Baltimore Jewish Times
September 15, 2016 By Daniel Nozick