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THE FAMILY OF LAZARUS VISHNICK

Lazarus Vishnick was a tailor who was born in the region of Makow Mazowiecki, Lomza, Poland about 1830. His parents were Jankel and Necha. He married Esther Feldberg and had at least three children with her before she apparently passed away. He then married Esther's sister, Chana (aka Annie) Feldberg, and had at least another four or five children with her in Makow Mazowiecki, Lomza, Poland.

NOTE: If you are looking for the Vishnick Weisman/Weisgarber page with information about Morris and Annie Vishnick, that page has moved here. To view our family tree, then click here or here.

Lazarus Vishnick was said to have lived to the age of one hundred and three, and to have had four or five wives, but all of the children we know about were mothered by Esther and Chana Felberg. According to his death record, he actually passed away in Makow Mazowiecki, Poland in 1928 at the age of 98.

Lazarus had a sister Chaja Sura, who married Moszek Galina, and a brother Moshe Wiznik. We do not know if Chaja Sura had any descendants, but it looks like their brother Moshe was the father of at least two children who survived to adulthood.

We believe that the cousin of Lazarus' children, who at some point lived in Dublin, Ireland, and stayed with the Vishnick family in England in the late 1940's after the war for several months, Abraham Wyszniak, was one of these children. until he found his daughter Sabine. Sabine's sister Gina tells us in records at YadVashem.org, that their father Abraham Wyszniak was the son of Matatiahu Wyszniak, and that his father was Moshe Betzalel Wyszniak. It seems very likely that Moshe Betzalel was one and the same man as the brother of Lazarus and Chaja Sura. The members of our part of the family who knew Abraham when he stayed with out family during the war, knew him as Avram (Avraham) Wyshniak.

Avram stayed with our family in England until he located his daughter Sabine in Ireland, where she married Monty (Montague) Shorts (Schwartz). His daughter Gina had gone to Israel, and was married Moshe Klein. Avram's wife Dvora, and daughter Asta (Esther) were killed in the Holocaust. He passed away in Israel in the 1980's or 1990's.

We are sure that Avram spelled his last name, starting with the letter "W", as it was a topic of discussion our interviewed family members recall quite vividly. So, we know that our family surname, was spelled starting with the letter "W", rather than only starting with the letters "Vi", by some of our family. In fact, in the records in Poland, there is no letter "V", so records for our family there all start with a "W."

That means that, in addition to the obvious other spellings that we know about which appear in the records, including Vishnek, Vishneck, Vishnik, Wishnek, and Wiznik, other relatives of ours could certainly have used or been given other variations of the surname when they left Poland, such as Fishnick, Wishnick, Wisnik, Wishniak, Wiszniak, and Wisznik, to give just a few examples of the variants. And, in the transliterated records for our part of the family in Makow Mazowiecki in Poland, at https://jri-poland.org, the surname is spelled Wiznik. There obviously are many more possibilities, all of which sound the same. For our discussion of the meaning of the name, click here.

Given the difficulties of tracing a line with a nearly infinite number of ways it can be spelled, we have chosen to have male DNA testing performed, in order to help us locate descendants of Lazarus Vishnick's paternal family. If you wish to view those results, then click here.

If you know or are a member of the Vishnick or other family written about here, please note that we are not mentioning, in this narrative, the names of people if they or their siblings are still living, in order to protect the privacy of the living. Our family tree, however, does include the names of deceased relatives, whether or not they are survived by any living siblings. If you are a member of our family, find any errors, or have more information you would like to see added to this narrative, please do contact us.

If you wish to visit our Blumstein Vishnick family tree, which also includes most of the other families mentioned on this page, then click here. Or you can visit a more up to date version of our tree, which requires javascript, at https://gw.geneanet.org/thecohens1?n=vishnick&oc=&p=lazarus.

ICEK WIZNIK

We just recently learned about Icek Wiznik. He was the first known son of our Lazarus Vishnick, and was also a master tailor. He was born about 1864 in Makow. Icek's (Issac)'s mother was Esther Malka Feldberg. We discovered he was their son by studying enhanced vital records indexes from JRI-Poland.org, but what we know about him and his children is quite limited at this point as research has only just begun.

Note that the information below about Isaac and his wife and children may not yet have been entered into our publicly available family trees, so if you want more details, please feel free to email us.

Icek Wiznik's wife was Necha Wenglarz, with whom he had at least four children who survived to adulthood: Esther, David, Feiga Rivke and Ruchla Leah. They were probably born in or around Makow Mazowiecki, Poland.

Icek's daughter Esther married Zelek Rapoport in Makow in 1909, and had at least one child, a son by the name of Abraham, who was born in 1910 in Makow. We do not yet know what happened to them.

Icek and Necha's son David is the child of theirs we know the most about, since he married another Vishnick and we are in touch with their grandchildren. David married Bejla Wiznik in 1913 in Pultusk, and they had two children: Chaim Calel and Szewa, before David and his son Chaim Calel both passed away around 1918. Bejla remarried Sam Majersdorf in Pultusk shortly thereafter. David and Bejla's daughter Szewa married Joseph Perlmuter in Germany in 1947, and migrated to the United States in 1950.

DNA testing confirms that we are related to Bejla's Wiznik's ancestors as well as to her husband David thru his father Isaac.

Icek's daughter Feiga Rivke married Hersz Lejb Bursztyn in 1926, and his daughter Ruchla Leja married Jankel Moshe Bresler in 1929, both in Makow. We do not yet know who their children were, or what happened to this part of our family. If they migrated to English speaking countries, their surnames likely were changed to Burstein and possibly Bressler. These are very common surnames, making it difficult to find people we can be sure are our family members, and not just people with similar names.

Icek passed away in Makow in 1918. His wife Necha probably passed away some time after that, but we do not yet know when or where.

If you know more about, or are a descendant of, any of Isaac and Necha Wiznik's children, please do email us!

MOLLY VISHNICK

Lazarus and Esther Vishnick's first known daughter, Molly Vishnick, also known as Malka or Amelia Vishnick, was born in Makow Mazowiecki, Lomza, Poland somewhere between 1864 and 1870. She immigrated to the United States about 1885, but we do not know whether she was single or married at that time. Her first child, Bertha, was born in New York on September 20, somewhere between 1886 and 1888. The story goes that Bertha's father was a Rosen or Rosenberg who worked in immigration at the Port of New York, and that Molly was not ready to raise a child. So, Bertha was adopted by Molly's relatives, Barnet and Sarah (nee Feldberg) Gilberg. For more information about the Feldbergs and Gilbergs, click here.

By 1891, Amalia had married Morris Barusch, a tailor who was born in Poland or Austria in March 1872. They had seven children, five of whom were still living at the time of the 1910 Census. Their son Harry Barusch was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1891, their sons Walter Barusch, and Saul (Sollie) Barusch were born in Pennsylvania between 1892 and 1897, their son Isadore was born in California in 1899 and passed away in 1900, and their son Leo was born in California about 1903. We do not know who the seventh child was, but it is clear that two of the children had passed away by the time of the 1910 census. Morris Barusch passed away in Oakland, California, on September 27, 1920, and Mollie Barusch passed away on September 9, 1939, in San Francisco, California.

MORRIS VISHNICK

Lazarus and Esther's son Morris Vishnick was born about 1871 in Russian Poland, and married Annie Weisman (Weisgarber), who was born about 1870, also in Russian Poland. For more details about Morris and Annie Vishnick's family, click here.

ESTHER VISHNICK

Lazarus's second known daughter and fourth child was Esther Malka Vishnick, who was born on August 22, 1874 and passed away on July 12, 1965, in Oakland California. We do not know for sure whether her mother was Lazarus' first wife Esther, or second wife Annie. Esther Malka Vishnick married Nathan Blumstein in Poland, and they had their first child there before migrating to England, where they had the rest of their children before migrating to the United States in 1905. For more information about Nathan and Esther Blumstein and their descendants, click here.

CHAWA WIZNIK

Lazarus' third known daughter and fifth known child, Chawa, was born about 1881, in Makow (Makova), and her mother was Channah Feldberg. Chawa married Froim Fiszk Baran, who was born in Przasnysz in 1885. Chawa and Fischel Baran had one child in Makow and then Fischel left Poland, arriving in the United States in 1907.

Fischel Baran changed his name to Philip Baron in the United States, where he was joined by his wife, now called Eva, and their first child in 1911. Philip and Eva Baron had five more children in New York City, between the years of 1912 and 1925. Eva Baron passed away in 1947 and her husband Philip Baron passed away in 1966.

We are looking for their descendants, so please do email us if Eva and Philip Baron were your ancestors.

LEAH VISHNICK

Lazarus' fourth known daughter and sixth known child, Leah Vishnick, was born in Makow (Makova) on December 15, 1884. Our records indicate that her mother was Annie Feldberg. Leah was married in England to Mendel (aka Michael and Mark) Pactor, who was a Drapery Dealer who was born in either Russia or England in the 1880's. By April 1911, they were living in Leeds, and had not had children as of that time.

Their plan was apparently for Mark to go to the United States, where Leah was to join him later. And, we have identified a "Mendel Pocter" who was listed as married, but arrived in the United States alone on September 12, 1914 on the S.S. St. Louis. Leah Pactor arrived in the United States from England on May 21, 1916, also travelling on the S.S. St. Louis, and indicated on the passenger list that the nearest friend or relation in England was a cousin by the name of M. Palestrant at 22 St George Terrace in Leeds, and that she was going to see her brother-in-law Morris Barusch in Oakland, California.

The story goes that Leah was unable to locate her husband until after World War I, however, and although we have found what appears to be the census record for Mendel in 1920, Leah is not listed on it. She married Max Levin in 1920 before she and Mendel did find each other sometime in the 1920's. Leah and Mendel remarried in 1927, and were living together in Oakland, California by the time of the 1930 Census. At some point after Mendel's death in 1937, she married Abe Hershel, and is shown in the 1940 census, living with her third husband, Abraham Hershel in Daly City. She does not appear to have had any children by either husband. She passed away on June 16, 1964 in Oakland, California.

Note that the M. Palestrant in Leeds listed as Leah's cousin on her passenger list, was Moses Palestrant. His wife was Esther (nee Factor) Palestrant. Moses was very well known and active in the Jewish community of Leeds, holding leadership positions in the synagogue and supporting Jewish causes.

PHILIP VISHNICK

Lazarus' seventh child and third son, Philip, was born about 1886 on September 15, and was a tailor. His mother was Lazarus' second wife, Annie. Philip immigrated to the United States in November 1906, along with his brother Morris' wife and children. He changed his name to Fred Phillips and apparently married his wife Esther about 1908. They had two daughters both of whom married and had families in California. Anne married William Seches and had one daughter. Their daughter Natalie married Jack Forman, and had a daughter and a son. Fred Phillips passed away in Alameda County, California on November 17, 1950, and his wife Esther passed away in 1986.

JOSEPH VISHNICK

Lazarus' eighth child and fourth known son, whose mother was Annie Feldberg Vishnick, was Joseph Vishnick. He was born about 1891 in Makow, Mazowiecki, Poland. His wife Annie Bressler (Breslau) was born near Makow in Govorowa, Poland about 1888. They were married in Govrova, Poland in December 1910, and migrated to England in 1913. They had planned on joining the rest of the family in the United States, but World War I came along, and they ended up settling permanently in England. They had seven children, all of whom married and had children.

When staying in London became dangerous during World War II, Joseph and Annie Vishnek took their family to stay with the Moses Palestrant in Leeds mentioned above, whose wife Esther had passed away in 1939. After the war, Joseph Vishnek also did some tailoring in London for Moses Palestrant's nephew, Dr. Joseph Leopold Palastrent.

Moses had at least three or four siblings who were born in Poland and lived in Leeds. Their parents were Rose and Joseph Palestrant. Moses had at least two brothers, Ariah Palastrant and Paul Palestrant, a sister Annie Palestrant who married Abraham Hoffman, and a sister or aunt who married a Cohen. For more details about the Palestrant family, you can explore our Palestrant Family Tree.

We are continuing to research our connection to the Palistrant family. If you wish to either assist or be kept up to date with our Palestrant or Vishnick family research, please do email us.

REFERENCES

Interviews with family members
British Census Records for 1901, available online for free at Public Libraries and via subscription to Ancestry.com
British Census Records for 1911, available online for a fee from findmypast.com and from Ancestry.com
United States Federal Census Records for 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930 and 1940, available online (by subscription and at Public Libraries) at Ancestry.com and at Public Libraries through the Heritage Quest Census database.
Ellis Island Passenger Lists, available at EllisIsland.org, at http://www.myheritage.com, and and on Ancestry.com's New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 (The Ancestry.com database is available by paid subscription or for free from public libraries).
World War I Draft Registration Cards, available online at https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=6482 by subscription and for free from public libraries, and occasionally for free from Ancestry.Com's special offers
California Birth Index 1905 to 1995, database at Ancestry.com available by subscription and for free at public libraries.
California Death Index 1940 to 1997, formerly at http://vitals.rootsweb.com/ca/death/search.cgi?cj=1&o_xid=0000584, now available for free at https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/2015582
Social Security Death Index, formerly available online for free at http://ssdi.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com, now available by paid subscription on Ancestry.com's Social Security Death Index or for free from GenealogyBank.com and from subscribing public libraries.
JewishGen's Polish Records Indexing Project for Makow at http://www.jewishgen.org/jri-pl/jriplweb.htm
JRI-Poland's Vital Records and Indexing Projects for Makow and Pultusk at http://www.jri-poland.org/
Marriage Certificates for Joseph Vishnick and Annie Bressler, Annie Polistrant and Abraham Hoffman, and Paul Palestrant with Beatrice Straussler
Death Certificates for Leah Hershel, Esther Blumstein, Ariah Palestrant, and Rany Palestrant
Records from Mt. View Cemetery, Home of Eternity, Oakland, California

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Discussion Revised March 04, 2025

Reference links updated February 27, 2025