Anna Levine emigrated to the United States under the name of Henne Rothman. On her ship mainifest, she stated she was living with her mother in Lodz. [1]
Her marriage certificate to Isadore was registered in Tuszyn. [2] Note here her name appears as Chana Lewin. We believe the original family name was therefore Lewin.
Both Lodz and Tuszyn were in Galicia. In the late 1800s and early 1900’s Galicia was part of the Austrian Empire. The Jews of Galicia were looked down upon by their brethren from Lithuania and Lativa. They were thought to be very poor. Below is a little bit about both of these areas.
Tuszyn
Although Jews started settling in Tuszyn in the 17th century, by 1897 only 589 Jewish people were living there. This was 36% of the population of Tuszyn. Among the Jewish population, some owned distilleries, and couple were doctors and barber-surgeons. By the end of the 19th century, there were six Jewish cheders (schools). If they wanted to, parents could send their children to a state school, but they preferred their own, [3]
Lodz
Lodz was considered the capital of the administrative disctrict (Voivodeship [4]) containing both Bialek and Tuszyn. In 1793 there were only 11 Jews living in Lodz but that grew to 259 Jews by 1820 and by 1897 there were almost 99,000 Jews. In 1820, the first synagogue was erected. The Jewish Cemetery operated from 1811 to 1892. It was destroyed during WWII, however.
According to The Virtual Jewish World:
“Lodz fell under Russian control in the 1820’s. During this time, Jewish factory owners, merchants, bankers, industrialists and blue-collar workers played an important role in developing Lodz’s economy, and the city became an important industrial center
Restrictions were placed on settling and owning property in the city, as well as selling liquor. The restrictions eased when it was announced that in 1827 Jews could buy building sites and could build and own homes in certain districts. The Jews, who could live in the city had to assimilate, i.e., speak Polish, French or German, send their children to general schools and forgo wearing traditional Jewish clothing.
In 1848, the Czar of Russia lifted the limitations on Jewish settlement in Polish cities. Decrees in 1861 and 1862 abrogated the concept of a separate Jewish Quarter in Lodz. Some Jews settled throughout the city, although many decided to remain in the former Jewish quarter, “Alstadt.”
An orthodox synagogue, the Alte Shul or the Stara synagogue, was opened in 1860. Renovations took place in 1897, it was burned down in 1939 during the Nazi occupation of Lodz.
A reform synagogue opened in 1883. The wealthy, Jewish factory owner, I.K. Posnanski oversaw its construction. At the time, it was the largest structure in the heart of the city and was known as the “Great” Synagogue. It too was burned down in 1939 during the Nazi occupation.
A third synagogue, the Vilker Shul, was opened in 1899 and was demolished in 1939 with the rest of the synagogues.” from The Virtual Jewish World, https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/lodz-poland-jewish-history-tour
One interesting fact about Lodz is that it was an important part of the textile industry and by 1914 Jews owned 175 of the textile factories there. [5] By the early 1900’s, many of the textile workers starting emigrating to Paterson, New Jersey which was known as the “Silk City”. I find this interesting since Isador Rothman was a weaver from the Lodz area and did settle in Paterson, New Jersey, with his family.
Sources
- [1] Anna (Chana) Rothman’s ship manifest: The National Archives and Records Administration; Washington, D.C.; Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at and Departing from Ogdensburg, New York, 5/27/1948 – 11/28/1972; Microfilm Serial or NAID: T715, 1897-1957, Title New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957 Author Ancestry.com
- 2] Tuszyn Marriage Record found on JewishGen.org, search on Poland and Rothman
- [3] Tuszyn history
- [4] Definition of Voivodeship
- [5] The Virtual Jewish World for Lodz
- [6] A Timeline of Galicia – see featured image at the top of this page