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Ralchen or Roche or Rachel Herzenberg

Female Abt 1840 -


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  • Name Ralchen or Roche or Rachel Herzenberg 
    Born Abt 1840  Pilten (Piltene), Courland, Latvia Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Gender Female 
    Died RÄ«ga, RÄ«ga, Latvia Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Person ID I3966  Petersen-de Lanskoy
    Last Modified 27 May 2021 

    Father Joseph or Yosef or Jossel Herzenberg,   b. Abt 1809, Ventspils (Windau), Courland, Latvia Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Aft 1877, Kuldiga (Goldingen), Courland, Latvia Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age ~ 69 years) 
    Mother Zippe,   b. Abt 1808, , Courland, Latvia Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Aft 1868, Kuldiga (Goldingen), Courland, Latvia Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age ~ 61 years) 
    Married Bef 1825  of Pilten (Piltene), Courland, Latvia Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Family ID F222  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family Moshe or Moses Herzberg or Herzman 
    Last Modified 28 May 2021 
    Family ID F1901  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Notes 
    • RESEARCH_NOTES:
      1. Courland (Kurzeme in Latvian, Kurland in German) is the historically distinct area of modern day Latvia bounded by the Baltic Sea to the west, Lithuania to the south, and the Dvina River (now Daugava) to the North. Its historic capital was Mitau (now Jelgava). It had ice-free Baltic ports with commercial and strategic importance. At its height Courland was a prosperous and cultured German-speaking Duchy. Courland was a separate Gubernia (Province) of the Russian Empire from 1797-1918. 50-60% of the Jews living in Riga just north of Courland had family roots in Courland. The names of the various towns have changed now that the area is part of Latvia (new-old as of early 1900s):
      Aizpute-Hasenpoth
      Jelgava-Mitau
      Kuldiga-Goldingen
      Liepaja-Libau
      Piltene-Pilten
      Talsi-Talsen
      Ventspils-Windau

      2. Website of Peter Bruce Herzenberg of London, England (since relocated to South Africa). Website is no longer functioning as of 7 Aug 2007. Copies of much of his data from the website in my possession. He indicates references by codes, which pertain to the original source and file held in his database, which I have not seen. I have no key to the sources except HL is Leonardo Herzenberg, HG is Gail Herzenberg, PC is probably Piltene Cemetery records, LA is probably Latvian Archives, FA is probably Aleksandrs Feigmanis (Latvian researcher hired by Harold Hodes), and YL is Len Yodaiken (Israeli researcher hired by Harold Hodes); however, he lists the main researchers and their contributions in a lengthy report which I include in full in the notes of the earliest Herzenberg of this database. In regards to this individual:
      Name variations: Roche, Rocha, Rachel.
      HL 103/109 shows b. in Riga, md. Moshe Hersman.

      BIOGRAPHY:
      1. 28 Jul 2007 Http://www.herzenberg.net/leo/htmlrh/Content.html copyrighted by Leo Herzenberg:
      "An meinen Sohn (To my son) Leonhard Herzenberg von (from) Robert Herzenberg. Memoirs written during the 1940's." Translated during the 1990's by Leonardo (Leonhard) Herzenberg. The entire memoir is quite lengthy and included in its entirety in my notes with Joseph Herzenberg, the original known ancestor, in this database. The following is only the portion dealing with this part of the family:
      "...Of the sisters of my grandmother on my mothers side I have already mentioned aunt Therese, the "Grand-duchess of Kurland," (42-43). Great aunt Fanny I believe to have still seen in Pilten, and great-aunt Ralchen alias Roche I saw often when I was a student in Riga in the years 1903-1905.
      She was married to Moses Herzberg, and their children were Rosa, Bernhard, Leonhard, Edward, and Bertha. Bernhard lived in Warsaw, and occasionally came to Libau in my parents home. Edward was a judge in Siberia, he had let himself be baptized. The other children I did not know, Rosa the baroness I met in Riga when I visited aunt Rahlchen, I had been very curious about her. Whether the Baron [67] also ever visited the mother in law, I do not know. Rosa must have been a very pretty, intelligent girl and went to school in Goldingen, which the young Baron Lowenstern also attended. The two fell in love, and the love held against the strongest counter-currents from the families. They married. They were spurned by both families and lived miserably on a small property in Lithuania. Then the older brothers of Baron Lowenstern died one after another; he acquired primogeniture and became owner of the princely castle Kokenhusen on the Danube, where in 1917 the Germans crossed the Danube to capture Riga. Baroness Rosa lived for many years on the heights of earthly fortune. She was accepted by the nobility, had four children, and none of them ever thought of possible change. Then came the world war, followed by the liberation [68] and autonomy of the Baltic states. The Latvians and Estonians expelled the barons and took over their property and estates without compensation. Baroness Rosa, with the children, went to Germany, where the children found miserable positions; the father had meanwhile died. I have not heard from then since then, and do not know how much they suffered from the Arian laws.
      Aunt Ralchen had a tragic end. She was a shrivelled little woman with tear moistened eyes. She lived in Riga in an elegant part of town in a modest apartment. She lived from support form her children, and was very fearful and locked up everything. By this she made an impression of wealth on the servants, and one night there was a break-in. [69] When the burglars entered the bedroom she woke up and died immediately of a heart attack caused by fright."

      BIRTH:
      1. Where dates aren't documented above, they are very rough estimates only by Kenny Petersen with no basis except to assign a date only.

      SOURCES_MISC:
      1. Leonardo Herzenberg http://www.herzenberg.net/