Goldberg Cohen Family Tree @ GoldbergCohenFamily.info

Lithuania Family History

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Our father's family, the GOLDBERG (paternal) and GINSBERG (maternal) are from Lithuania.

We believe the GOLDBERG family came from the town of Siaulenai (Savlan and other spellings), in Northeast Lithuania.

The current GOLDBERG family tree begins about 1780 with Rabbi Berel of Savlan whose descendents adopted the surname PLOTNIK (meaning occupation of carpenter). Rabbi Berel's grandson, Yehuda Leib PLOTNIK, born about 1840, immigrated to the US in 1885. Yehuda Leib purchased the GOLDBERG name during the immigration process and became Louis GOLDBERG.

Louis GOLDBERG was a widower when he immigrated to the US with three adult son: Max (formerly Chaim Mordecai), Harry (formerly Hershey Beryl), and Simon Jacob (formerly Shimeyankel). Max and Harry adopted the surname GOLDBERG and probably immigrated with Louis; Simon Jacob immigrated in a different year.

A brief history of each family member follows. The family photos page has photos of different family members.

If you are related to the family, please send stories or old photos that we can include on the website.

Louis GOLDBERG

After immigrating, Louis GOLDBERG settled in Chicago and married for the second time to ROLLA ROSE SEGALL (Seigel on one census) from Taurage, Lithuania. She was only 24 years old to Louis' 48 when they married and his three grown sons called her Tante Rolla or just Aunt Rolla, not mother.

It's believed Rolla Rose or Rose (as she is referred to in later documents) may have been related to Louis' first wife's family, which had the surname BLOCH (possibly BLOCK). Rose is related to the SCHERESCHEWSKY family, which has many links, not yet explored.

Louis and Rose were married in about 1887 at the home of Rose's married sister, Helena LEVITON. Helena and Benjamin LEVITON's home, at 137 De Koven Street in Chicago, was the location of Mrs. O'Leary house,site of the Great Chicago Fire; the house was not destroyed in the fire.

Louis and Rose had four children, Sarah, Benjamin, Ida, and Fannie all born in the 1890s. Sarah's daughter, Louise LAPIN-HAINES, provided much of the history we currently possess on the origins of the GOLDBERG family. (Note: Louise who was born in Chicago, grew up in Los Angeles and wrote a colorful story of her childhood.)

Louis GOLDBERG passed away in 1902 and is buried in Waldheim cemetery in Chicago. Rose, left with four children after Louis' death, ran the family store at the first floor of their house at 768 Artesian in Chicago. Eventually she sold this business and the 1910 census shows her living in Kansas City, Missouri, closer to stepson Harry GOLDBERG.

Simon Jacob PLOTKIN

Simon Jacob immigrated in 1889 according to the 1900 census. He had three children, but we do not know whether they traveled with him to the USA. His first wife, Yenta Chaya BLOCK or Janet BLOCK died before 1900 either in Lithuania or in the USA. The last known residence of the family was Kaunas, Lithuania. The family legend says Simon Jacob worked for the government in Lithuania and was the only member of the family to obtain a visa in his own name. Unfortunately, the immigration clerk at Castle Garden transposed the latter part of his name so he became PLOTKIN instead of PLOTNIK, the family name; he and his descendents kept the PLOTKIN name. Currently, we cannot identify his records at Castle Garden.

Simon Jacob PLOTKIN lived in Chicago after his 1889 immigration, while his three young children lived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with the BLOCK family. The BLOCK family might be related to Simon Jacob's first wife, Yenta Chaya BLOCH or Janet BLOCK, which is the name listed on a family member's death certificate. Simon Jacob's three children (and spouses) include: Annie Mae (Mose (Moses) KAMIN), Sarah Gertrude (Morris WOLFSON), and Samuel PLOTKIN (Mary (Marie) R. RATOWSKY).

Eventually Simon Jacob moved to Johnstown, Pennsylvania and in 1906 married Bertha KAMINSKY MARCUS, a widow of Harry MARCUS who brought several children to the marriage: Matthew MARCUS, Frieda MARCUS, Morris MARCUS, and Louis MARCUS. Bertha's father was Rabbi Hyman KAMINSKY OF Johnstown. Bertha and Simon Jacob had two children together, Louisa PLOTKIN and Betsy Hope PLOTKIN. Some of Simon Jacob's family moved to Akron Ohio where he passed away in 1946.

Max GOLDBERG

Max GOLDBERG married Clara (formerly Chayah) RHEINGOLD (Reingold on one census form) after he immigrated. Apparently Max met the beautiful Clara, a daughter of a cantor in Germany, at their boarding house in New York. Clara's former fiancé never arrived, so Max, a gifted composer of Jewish music who would become a medical doctor, married her. Max and Clara had five sons, all born in Chicago. The son's names (and spouses) include: Israel Reuben (Fannie KRASSNER), Jacob (Zena J. COHEN), Harold (Nettie SHANER), Ralph Perry (Marion Bertha (Nettie) FRIED), and Benjamin (Hilda Salome MIGEL).

Dr. Benjamin GOLDBERG established a medical career in tuberculosis control, while Israel GOLDBERG's wife Fannie KRASSNER, came from a family of Chicago sisters known for their Krassner School of Theatre Arts.

Harry GOLDBERG

Harry GOLDBERG, our grandfather chose Kansas City, Missouri as his home town and married our grandmother, Mary Anna or Annie GINSBERG, also from Lithuania (town unknown).

Harry and Annie had nine children. Their names (and spouses): Rebecca, Helen, Arnold, Louise, Margaret, Saul (Barbara), Betty (GLASS), Leonard (Wilma Mae LAPIDES), and John K (Margot COHEN). Harry and Annie were married over 50 years and lived until around 1950; their last residence was 2836 Main Street in Kansas City. Harry passed away first, but no one let Annie know - she was already quite ill and notice of his death would have been devastating. Annie passed away at Chanukah time in 1950, which always made this happy holiday a sad time for the family.

GINSBERG family

The GINSBERG family is our paternal grandmother's family. This is the current family tree for the GINSBERG family.

Annie's GINSBERG GOLDBERG, our paternal grandmother, settled in Kansas City in the late 1800s including Annie's parents, Katie and Mark (Max in one census) GINSBERG, and her siblings.

These siblings (and spouses) include: Ida GINSBERG (Nathan GULINSON) and Dr. Edward GINSBERG (Esther BISKIND). Relatives have suggested the BISKIND family originated from the same town as the GINSBERG family, a detail we would like to confirm. Also, Edward and Esther had three children, including Nathaniel or Nat Ginsberg, who may have been a scientist involved in some interesting and secretive WWII projects; please contact us if you know more!

Currently we are researching several GINSBERG families who are from Lithuania / Russia and settled in Kansas City in the late 1800s; we think they are related. The results of this research will be posted on the website.