Chris & Julie Petersen's Genealogy

Joseph or Jossel Elias Herzenberg

Male Abt 1816 - 1881  (~ 65 years)


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  • Name Joseph or Jossel Elias Herzenberg 
    Born Abt 1816  of Pilten (Piltene), Courland, Latvia Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Gender Male 
    Died 4 Oct 1881  Liepaja (Libau), Courland, Latvia Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Person ID I3969  Petersen-de Lanskoy
    Last Modified 27 May 2021 

    Father Elias or Eliahu Herzenberg,   b. Abt 1774, of Pilten (Piltene), Courland, Latvia Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 22 May 1844, Pilten (Piltene), Courland, Latvia Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age ~ 70 years) 
    Mother Chiene or Hanna,   b. Abt 1780, of Pilten (Piltene), Courland, Latvia Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Aft 1842, Pilten (Piltene), Courland, Latvia Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age ~ 63 years) 
    Married Bef 1805  of Pilten (Piltene), Courland, Latvia Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Family ID F1893  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family Rebecca Dine Iddelson,   b. Bef 1817, of Pilten (Piltene), Courland, Latvia Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 1881, Liepaja (Libau), Courland, Latvia Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age > 64 years) 
    Married Bef 1836  of Liepaja (Libau), Courland, Latvia Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Children 
     1. Hirsch Herzenberg,   b. Abt 1836, Pilten (Piltene), Courland, Latvia Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Liepaja (Libau), Courland, Latvia Find all individuals with events at this location
     2. Lemchen Elias Herzenberg,   b. Abt 1843, Pilten (Piltene), Courland, Latvia Find all individuals with events at this location
     3. Edward or Elias or Elkan Herzenberg,   b. Feb 1845, Liepaja (Libau), Courland, Latvia Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Aft 1900, Brooklyn, Kings, New York, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age ~ 56 years)
     4. Sheina or Chana or Hanna Herzenberg,   b. 31 Aug 1857, Liepaja (Libau), Courland, Latvia Find all individuals with events at this location
     5. Mariam or Marija Gana Herzenberg,   b. 15 Jun 1859, Liepaja (Libau), Courland, Latvia Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 17 Apr 1945, Johannesberg, South Africa Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 85 years)
    Last Modified 28 May 2021 
    Family ID F1903  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Notes 
    • RESEARCH_NOTES:
      1. The Latvian Archives is online and I have reviewed all Registers for Pilten. Registers are in German and I indicate what I don't understand. I extracted all Herzenbergs of which the following excerpts apply to this family:
      "<http://www.lvva-raduraksti.lv/en/menu/lv/13/ig/13/ie/5507/book/30316.html>
      -Image 56. Has two columns of ages after the male names with the first being 1834 and the second 1842; one column for female names probably 1842. Family #287:
      -325 Rabbi Elias Joseph Herzenberg. 60, 68 [Has comment; Feigmanis translates as "Died 22 May 1844."
      -his wife Chiene, 62
      -326 his son Jossel, 17-1/2, 25-1/2
      -Image 102. (Refer to item g above.) Has two columns of ages after the name with the first being 1834 and the second 1848; presumably if missing in the second column then probably deceased in the interim. List # 286, Family #160:
      -325 Elias Joseph Herzenberg. 60, - [Comment needing translation but appears to be death in 1842.]
      -326 his son Jossel, 17, 31
      -413 [Marinauter?] Hirsch Israel, 29, - [Comment needing translation but appears to be death in 1843.]
      -Image 177. Has two columns of ages after the name with the first being 1850 and the second 1854; presumably if missing in the second column then probably deceased in the interim. I believe the Archives indicates they had a 1851 revision list, which may be what they call the first column; however, it appears more like 1850 in reality age-wise. List # 156, Family #49:
      -210 Jossel Elias Herzenberg, 33-1/2, 37-1/2
      -his wife Dinne
      -211 son Hirsch, 14, 18
      -212 son Lemchen Elias, 7, 11
      -Image 260. Has two columns of ages after the name with the first being 1858 and the second 1871. List #217, Family #45:
      -188 Jossel Elias Herzenberg, 41-1/2, 54-1/2 [Has extensive notes needing translation.]
      -his wife Diene
      -189 son Lämmchen, 15, 28
      -190 son Elkann, 8, 21"

      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. Sources are LA for Latvian Archives, FA for Aleksandrs Feigmanis (Latvian researcher hired by Harold Hodes), and YL for Len Yodaiken (Israeli researcher hired by Harold Hodes). In regards to this individual:
      Name variations: Josiph "Rabbi," Jossel b. Eliahu, Jossel Elias.
      LA009 shows b. 1816/9 in Piltene, d. 10 Apr 1881 in Libau, md. Iddelson.
      LA011 shows d. 10 Apr 1881.
      FA002, shows b. 1817.
      LA012, shows b. 1817.
      LA013/014/015 shows b. 1817.
      YL shows b. 1815.
      Peter also notes: Josiph - LA009 gives the birth date between 1816 and 1819. All other Latvian Archive (LA) documents confirm the birth date as 1817.
      Piltene Rabbi 1849-1856. Rabbi in Libau from 1860-1881.

      3. Archival Research Paper about Herzenberg Family prepared for Harold Hodes 23 Mar 1999 and is report no. Nr. 3-H-2962, by Latvijas Valsts Vestures Arhivs (Latvian National Archives), Slokas iela 16, Riga, LV-1007, copy of only page 1 in my possession but evidently other pages exist:
      "In reply to your application please be informed that the recruits enlistment registers of the Jewish families belonging to the Jewish community in Pilten for the years 1842, 1848, 1854, 1871 (see app. No. 1-4), census lists of the Jewish families belonging to Pilten for the years 1898, 1899 as well as the birth records of the Jewish community in Libau (now Liepaja) for the years 1836-1853, 1854, 1857-1905, marriage and death recods of the same community for years 1854-1905, as available at our archives, contain the following information:
      Rabbi Jossel (or Josiph) Herzenberg was a son of Elias Herzenberg from Pilten. He was born in ca 1815-1816, possible in Pilten. Since our archives keep birth, marriage and death records of the Jewish communites for the time period from 1854, when they started to be kept officially, it is impossible to confirm the dates fevore 1854.
      Jossel's father - a Rabbi Elias - son of Joseph Herzenberg, born in ca 1774, died in 1842.
      Jossel's mother - Chiene Herzenberg (maiden name not stated), born in ca 1780.
      Jossel's wife - Dine (Dinne, Diene) née Iddelson (birth date is unknown).
      They had children:
      -son Hirsh, born in ca 1836,
      -son Lämmchen, born in ca 1843,
      -son Elkan (Elkann), born in ca 1850,
      -daughter Sheine, born on August 31 of 1857 in Libau (see App. No. 6),
      -daughter Meriam, born on June 15 of 1859 in Libau (see App. No. 7).
      Elkan - son of Jossel Herzenberg married Doris (Dobra, Doba) daughter of Aizik Dreyer, born in ca 1852. The marriage records of the Jewish community in Libau for the years 1870-1875 do not contain information on their marriage. The... [end of 1st page and my copy]"

      4. 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

      5. Ancestry.com's "Latvia: Courland Registers and Family Lists, 1845-1874" in partnership with JewishGen lists the following from Piltene. The date and location works for Joseph, son of Elias, and Diene is also related since there is a shared family and tax number with Jossel. Diene is another name for Rebecca, the wife of Jossel:
      A. Jossel Herzenberg, age 54 in 1871, b. abt 1817, registration town Piltene, father Elias, Recruit's Enlistment register, Fond #630, family number 45, Oklad (tax reference) # 188.
      B. Diene Herzenberg, 1871, registration town Piltene, Recruit's Enlistment register, Fond #630, family number 45, Oklad (tax reference) # 188.

      6. From the publication "Latvia Sig," v. 3, no. 3, Sept. 1998, concerning the history of Piltene, Latvia:
      "In the beginning of the 13th century, the government of the Germanic Orders (Crusaders) was in place. in a later period of that government, the area of Piltene enjoyed a semi-independent standing, and the town Piltene was utilized as the seat of the area Bishop (the Hagmon). In the year 1559, the town and the area passed to the government of Magnus the Dane, and in the year 15585, o the government of Poland. In the beginning of the 18th century, there were 5 streets and 120 houses in the town. At the end of the century, Piltene was annexed to Tsarist Russia. During the 19th century, the population of the city tripled. gut, but the end of the century, there began a constant reduction in the number of residents. Between the two world wars, the population ratio in Piltene was about half the number of residents who lived there on the eve of the First World War. Excluding some flour mills, there were no industrial factories in the place.
      The Jewish settlement of Piltene is one of the oldest in Kurland. According to one version, Jews clung to the town or its surroundings in the 10th to the 17th centuries. in the same period, it will be recalled, Piltene enjoyed a special status, and following that, there was no general prohibition on Jews' settling in Kurland. In any event, there is no doubt tat during the Polish government, ad the beginning of the 18th century, there already existed a Jewish settlement in the city. The first direct witness to this was in the year 1708, and it was expressively stated that there was in place a synagogue, almost certainly the first of the synagogues of Kurland. In those years the city was destroyed in the Swedish-Polish wars, and it is possible that a portion of the Piltene Jews moved to the neighboring Hassenpoth (Aizpute). In the year 1759, Piltene is recalled as one of the Kurlander cities that allowed Jewish settlers. In the year 1782, the Jews of the city and the Church province in which the city was included Kirvenshpileh, owed a total of 76 thaler protection tax. That sum was 12 percent of the general protection tax of the Jews in the entire district.
      After the annexation to Russia at the beginning of the 19th century, there were 351 Jewish souls - more than half the city's population. In the 80's the Jews even had a representative on the city council.
      From the end of the 19th century forward, there began a constant tendency of absolute and relative reduction in the number of Jews in the locality. On the eve of the First World War, they were only about one quarter of the resident of the city. Many Pilten Jews settled in the neighboring port city of Windau (Ventspils), which quickly developed at the end of the 19th century and enjoyed a general flowering. Piltene Jews contributed a great deal to the growth and development of the Windau community...The livelihood of Piltene Jews was mainly in commerce - and thus in the industries of resin wine, innkeeping, and tailoring...
      In the year 1915, after the outbreak of WWI, the Jews of Piltene were expelled form the town. During the war, five Jewish Public buildings and 23 private Jewish homes were damaged.
      As was noted, the Jewish settlement of Piltene established a synagogue already at the beginning of the 18th century. In the beginning of 1805, the writing of the Pinkas (notebook/register) was begun. In the same year, there was already active in place a hevra kiddisha (burial society) and it had its own rabbi...The pinkas was preserved and one can glean from it the order of the community, its institutions and its regulations, as they existed at least at the beginning of the 19th century....
      [In listing the various Rabbis in succession] ...Rabbi Eliahu [ben Meir] died in 1815 and according to some versions, held office in Piltene only half a year before he died. In his place came the Rabbi Eliahu ben Yosef [Herzenberg?], who began as a teacher-instructor... the Dov-Bar Hirsch - until his death in the year 1850, the Rabbi Yosef Hertzberg, who served as a teacher (morch tzedek) until 1855..."

      7. Research report dated 6 Jul 1997 from Latvian researcher Aleksandrs Feigmanis, Crestes 2-12, LV-1021, Riga, Latvia, to Harold Hodes of London, England (partial copy of eight pages in my possession). Much of what he includes is from the Recruit Enlistment Registers, which I do not transcribe since I have it already directly from the source. Three pages are tombstone inscriptions of the Piltene Cemetery, which are now available online verbatim to what Feigmanis provided. The report focused on Harold genealogical line which descends from the original Joseph, through Rabbi Elias Herzenberg and his son Rabbi Joseph Herzenberg. I include transcripts about these Rabbis as follows (his English is rough):
      "In the book of rabbi Leib Owtchinski entitled "The History of Jews in Latvia" (in Yiddish) published in 1928, he wrote about your ancestor Elias Joseph Herzenberg of Pilten:
      "Rav Eliahu bar Joseph Hertzberg arrived (more correctly - appointed, I suppose) as more (teacher, also scientst, connaisseur of Talmud and Tora at synagogue) in Pesach 1815. In the pinkos of hevra-kadisha wrote the following: r. Eliahu b. Joseph appointed at tacher and his salary will be following: 4 roubles for a week and 3 guldens; also was appointed Joseph bar Shmuel. His son was Joseph Herzenberg."
      In the same book about Joseph Herzenberg, [he wrote the] following: "Joseph b. Eliahu Hertsenberg born in Pilten; he was rabbi in Pilten since 1849 till 1856; then he exchange[d] his place with rabbi mendel israelsohn and came as rabbi in Libau, where he was rabbi during 25 year[s]; he died there in 1882..."
      Mr. Feigmanis also found documents in German regarding the appointment of Jossel Elias Herzenberg as rabbi in Libau: "The Libau magistrat wrote in Courlande provincial adminstration (Nov. 3, 1859).
      "Relating to your order of October 15 nr: 2451 regarding election of rabbis and appointing of rabbies we inform that in the Bezirk (district) of this magistrat served only one rabbi called Jossel Elias Herzenberg and he was appointed by provincial administration of Courlande November 14, 1855 by the order number 3861, after he concluded the contract with the Jewish community of Libau, he was elected for three years. During this 3 years he cannot to refuse to fullfill his obligations. (LSHA, 95-2-1440-4)"
      "LHSA; 96-2-1440-51" is a copy of the contract for which I make some minor syntax corrections:
      "The Contract.
      Today the contract was concluded between Libau Jewish commmunity and Jossel Elias Herzenberg, registered in Pilten.
      1. Libau Jewish community engages Jossel Elias Herzenberg for the post of Libau rabbi for the following dates: from January 1, 1860 till January 1, 1863 with yearly salary of 180 silver roubles. This salary must be paid each month from the "cassa" of the community.
      2. Rabbi obtains free residence in a house, owned by the Libau Jewish community; the community will repair the house.
      3. For records produced by the rabbi in the book of vital statistics, he will obtain for each birth 10 kopeks, for marriage 50 silver kopeks, for divorce 50 silver kopeks, and for "chalitze" 75 kopeks.
      4. For marriage ceremony the rabbi obtains "rechasch," it means 1-1/4% of the dowry; for each marriage 3 silver roubles; for appointment of the "swore" 1 silver rouble; for each chalitze 1 silver rouble. The representatives must help in obtaining these fees. They must also watch that noboby comes into the house of rabbi without permission so that the rabbi does not lose his money.
      5. The rabbi takes obligation to fulfil all religious and state laws; to take particular attention for keeping peace, order tranquility and morality inside of the community and read each shabbat lections...
      The salary will be paid when rabbi starts his service.
      This contract composed in two exemplars; Libau, January 14, 1860.
      President of Community. H.M. Nachman and D. Friedmann.
      Rabbi of Libau. Jossel Elias Herzenberg."

      BIOGRAPHY:
      1. 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 his data from website in my possession.
      "A LETTER ABOUT MIRIAM HODES (Daughter of Rabbi Joseph Herzenberg), Contributed by her Grandson Judge George Coleman, South Africa 1995~ Copied from the original by Peter Herzenberg.
      My grandmother, as I recall her, was a handsome soft-spoken old woman of great dignity. Even at the end of her life, her still unlined face, under white hair, showed that she must have been beautiful when young.
      Despite her gentle form of speech, her personality was a strong one: she was respected, as well as loved by her seven children, their spouses, and those of her grand children who knew her well.
      As the daughter of a rabbi in a large town, she had enjoyed a good education. She spoke, read and wrote Yiddish, German and English. Her English accent was a Northumberland one, acquired during her years in Sunderland.
      Miriam was fond of reading. She is the only person I know who had read and enjoyed every one of Scott Waverley's novels. She was also an interesting talker, liberal in her views and at times humorous in the way she expressed them.
      Though herself religious and a regular attendant at synagogue, she was tolerant of people who differed from her in such matters. An incident my wife Gladys used to tell of illustrates that tolerance, as well as Miriam's wit.
      Gladys was a cigarette smoker, but when she visited Miriam on a Saturday she refrained from smoking. On such an occasion Miriam asked Gladys why she was not smoking; Gladys replied that it was because she felt she should refrain while in Miriam's presence on the Sabbath.
      "My dear Child," said Miriam, "if you're not afraid of God, you needn't be afraid of me."

      MARRIAGE:
      1. Date and place are unsubstantiated guesses only by Kerry Petersen.

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