Smorgon Archives

I am having a frustrating time trying to trace the family of David
MORRIS and am feeling a bit battered by the brick walls! If anyone can
throw any light on my problems, or has any family connection, I would be
very grateful to hear. Here are the facts:

David Jacob MORRIS was born in Smorgon, Belarus, 9 Aug 1875. But the
problem is that MORRIS was not his original surname and I have not been
able to find what that was. On the Authorisation of David's marriage (at
the Great Synagogue in London 15 Aug 1899) his father was referred to as
being deceased and called Moses Mordecai. However, in David's
Naturalisation papers he was just called Mordecai. The names Mordkovich
Sudkova and Mordecavitch Suskovich Sutkova are remembered in family lore
and one cousin was given the forename Sutcover. It has proved impossible
so far to discover where any vital records for Smorgon, which may have
survived the tremendous upheavals of the First and Second World Wars and
the Russian Revolution, are held. Both Vilnius and Minsk Archives have
told me they hold none. Several kind people have given me SUTCOVER leads
but nothing definitive has yet emerged. David's mother was called Sarah
KALISKY and I have yet to get a lead on that surname.

David came to England aged 15 in 1890 and had further schooling. Between
1892 and 1894 (there is conflicting evidence in Naturalisation papers)
he went to South Africa and found a clerical post in an estate office in
Cape Town. He returned 30 March 1899 to get married, and then returned
to SA where he worked as a surveyor until he came back to London in 1905
and established himself as a "surveyor and speculative builder". In his
Marriage Cert David is described as a native of Russia and a Cabinet
Maker. His wife was Katie Gitel FREEDMAN (born about 1877 in Vilnius,
Lithuania, daughter of Aaron Alter FREEDMAN). David and Katie's address
at the time of marriage was 90 Brick Lane, Whitechapel.

David had brothers Solomon Haim and Eliahu Meir (who we think emigrated
to the U.S.), and a sister Hannah (who later married a Mr CROSS).

Yours hopefully,
Peter HINTON
The Sutzkever family of Smorgon;
http://www.eilatgordinlevitan.com/kurenets/k_pages/sutzkever.html

eilatgordinlevitan.com
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I am having a frustrating time trying to trace the family of David MORRIS and am feeling a bit battered by the brick walls! If anyone can throw any light on my problems, or has any family connection, I would be very grateful to hear. Here are the facts: David Jacob MORRIS was born in Smorgon, Belarus, 9 Aug 1875. But the problem is that MORRIS was not his original surname and I have not been able to find what that was. On the Authorisation of David's marriage (at the Great Synagogue in London 15 Aug 1899) his father was referred to as being deceased and called Moses Mordecai. However, in David's Naturalisation papers he was just called Mordecai. The names Mordkovich Sudkova and Mordecavitch Suskovich Sutkova are remembered in family lore and one cousin was given the forename Sutcover. It has proved impossible so far to discover where any vital records for Smorgon, which may have survived the tremendous upheavals of the First and Second World Wars and the Russian Revolution, are held. Both Vilnius and Minsk Archives have told me they hold none. Several kind people have given me SUTCOVER leads but nothing definitive has yet emerged. David's mother was called Sarah KALISKY and I have yet to get a lead on that surname. David came to England aged 15 in 1890 and had further schooling. Between 1892 and 1894 (there is conflicting evidence in Naturalisation papers) he went to South Africa and found a clerical post in an estate office in Cape Town. He returned 30 March 1899 to get married, and then returned to SA where he worked as a surveyor until he came back to London in 1905 and established himself as a "surveyor and speculative builder". In his Marriage Cert David is described as a native of Russia and a Cabinet Maker. His wife was Katie Gitel FREEDMAN (born about 1877 in Vilnius, Lithuania, daughter of Aaron Alter FREEDMAN). David and Katie's address at the time of marriage was 90 Brick Lane, Whitechapel. David had brothers Solomon Haim and Eliahu Meir (who we think emigrated to the U.S.), and a sister Hannah (who later married a Mr CROSS). Yours hopefully, Peter HINTON The Sutzkever family of Smorgon; http://www.eilatgordinlevitan.com/kurenets/k_pages/sutzkever.html
In the Lithuanian State Historical archives there is a collection of Druya revision lists of 1834, 1850-54 and also there are lists of Jewish men only dated 1874-75. The revision list of 1816 does not have any Jewish family, additional Revision list of 1819 has a few Jewish families, the lists of 1827, 28 has quite a lot of names, and the records of 18th century (in Polish) have no family names at all. Revision list of 1850 was translated and published on Litvak web-side. There are Smorgany revision lists of 1834, 1850 and additional lists of 1865 and 1894. I have been working in this archives a few months ago and sent Miriam Weiner a list of detailed file numbers in order to correct her web-side. Irene Kudish Tel-Aviv