Annette S was wondering about her ERLICHMAN family's movements >from
Lithuania to the Ukraine and then Prussia to the Ukraine. Both of
us are researching ERLICHMAN but have not made a positive connection
between our families. In my opinion, the name itself, "honest,"
suggests a Germanic origin rather than an Eastern European one.

People did move around for many reasons, they acquired last names
which sometimes were based on their previous residence and that
clue may be evidence (how to prove?) of truth to the family story.

My ggm ERLICHMAN born in Oster, Ukraine married my ggf AMCHISLAVSKY
born in neighboring Kozelets. According to Where Once We Walked,
AMCHISLAVSKY means "comes >from Amchislav" or "Omshilav." That
place is the Yiddish name for a place in eastern Belarus known
as Mstislavl. I theorize that when people had to start using
last names, this family used the Yiddish place name >from where
they lived before they lived in the Ukraine.

Another fact that we are all aware of is that borders of countries
changed quite often during history, which adds to the confusion
unless we have definite dates for our family stories. I believe
there were parts of western Lithuania that were politically
Prussian for a time.

Linda Morzillo
Saratoga Springs, NY

Researching:

PRESS and SCHNEIDER in Vidukle and other Raseiniai towns
AMCHISLAVSKY and ERLICHMAN in Rostov-on-Don and previously
Kozelets and Oster, Chernigov Gubernia
COHEN/KAGAN and BORNSTEIN in Oshmiany and France
KOSOFSKY in Stuchin/Szczuczyn/Shchuchyn/Scucyn
SWOTINSKY in Grodno Gubernia Poland/Russia/Belarus