Hello.  I am from the line of Kahana-Shapira (Shapiro) from the Minsk area. My GG Grandfather Yaakov (Yankef, Jacob) Shapiro emigrated to Buffalo, NY at the beginning of the 2oth Century.  His father's name was Eliezer (Lazer in Yiddish.)  I am trying to find out exactly where they were from and how they fall out on the Kahana-Shapira line.  Any help would be greatly appreciated! 

Thanks in advance,

Erik Shapiro

Hi Erik,

I wouldn't have sent you this message if you wouldn't mention Buffalo. My grandfather Shaye Bargman's mother was Haye Rishe Shapiro from Kalenkevitch, Belarus, but Minsk appears in his husband's documentation as the place he was registered for 1905 elections and most of their children and many cousins settled in Buffalo

Daniel Bargman
Buenos Aires, Argentina

Erik,

There is a record in Slutsk (60 miles from Minsk) of SHAPIRA, Eliezer, son of Yakov Tsvi SHAPIRA, who passed on 19-Dec-1911, and Eliezer's wife SHAPIRO, Reizil (maiden name) BOKSHITSKY, who passed on 16-Sep-1916. No ages are stated, but Reizil is referred to as "the elderly woman."

If Yakov was born circa 1840 and his parents born circa 1820 than it is not impossible that Eliezer and Reizil are his parents.

Since Eliezer is the son of Yakov it would make sense that your Eliezer named his son Yakov.

Perhaps the family was from Slutsk and moved to Minsk prior to emigrating?

If you can obtain Jacob's death cert from 1916 in New York than hopefully his mother's maiden name will be written there.  If her name was BOKSHITSKY than you can search for more family records in Slutsk.

Their passenger manifest has Minsk as last permanent residence.
Arrival July 25, 1906
SCHAPIRO
Jankel (may say Yankel), age 62
wife Riwke, age 44
children:
Krive (??) 17
Matte, 16
Chaim, 11
Laie, 10
Ettel, 10

They are going to Yankel's brother-in-law B. BERNSTEIN at 230 Pine, Buffalo, NY.

Researching the BERNSTEIN family may privide you with more clues as to their origins.

There is a Benjamin BERNSTEIN living at 230 Pine in Bufffalo in the 1906 city directory.
Benjamin's wife is Anna.
Children:
Louis, born about 1891 in NY
Elizabeth, born about 1893 in NY

Jacob's sons Carl and Hyman both write Minsk as  place of birth on WW1 draft cards.

Good luck in your search,

Sherri Bobish

Searching:
RATOWSKY / CHAIMSON (Ariogala, Lith.); LEFFENFELD / FINK / KALTER (Daliowa & Jasliska, Pol.)
BOJDA / BLEIWEISS (Tarnow & Tarnobrzeg, Pol.); WALTZMAN / WALZMAN (Ustrzyki Dolne, Pol.)
LEVY (Tyrawa Woloska, Pol.); SOLON / SOLAN / SOKOLSKY (Grodek, Bialystok, Pol.)
BOBISH / BLUMENKRANZ / APPEL / WEINER / ROSENBERG (Vysoko-Litovsk, Brest, Biala Podlaska)