Names & Places
Part of the History of Jews in the Pale of Settlement
This is a summary of our knowledge to date of the origins and evolution of the branch of the Bogopolsky family that this website focuses on.
The family name would indicate that it was adopted by Jews living in Bogopol, a suburb of the town of Pervomaisk – which later became part of Pervomaisk as the city grew.
According to the Jewish Virtual Library, by 1800 there was already a growing Jewish population in Bogopol, and according to our own research the Jewish population grew rapidly during the latter half of the 19th century:
In 1776, 3 Jews lived in Bogopol
in 1784 – 80
in 1787 – 108
in 1790 – 141
in 1847 – 1399
in 1897 – 5909
At the beginning of the 20th century there was a well-developed Jewish community in Bogopol, which counted 7 synagogues, a Jewish cemetery, a kadisha (since the 1850s), a Jewish hospital (1899), a Talmud Torah (1901), a private Jewish boys school, a library (1906), and a heder (1916).
(background image: Bogopol in the 19th century)
However, the early part of the 20th century saw at least two major pogroms in Bogopol (1905 and 1919), which caused widespread looting, destruction of property and loss of life among the community.
Many Jews fled the area and attempted to find safety in other areas of the Pale of Settlement.
Nevertheless, by the early 20th century, the Jewish population of Ukraine may have been as high as two million.
Although many Jews living in Eastern Europe during the 1700s and early 1800s used a variety of traditional, patronymic, or professionally-derived names, there were still a substantial number who simply went by the formula: first name, plus ‘son of’, plus father’s first name. For example, ‘David Abrahamovich’. Sometimes, these got standardized into a true family name as succeeding generations continued to use the same patronymic, but in other cases, this never happened, and every generation had a new ‘last name’.
According to the literature, during the 1800s Jews in Polish-controlled areas were required to establish permanent family names. In many cases, families did this by adopting the name of the locality in which they lived. Some Jews living in Bogopol, therefore, would have adopted the name ‘Bogopolsky’ (meaning, “from Bogopol”) as a result of this requirement.
This has two important implications when attempting to trace family lineage:
1. Families unrelated by blood but living in the same locality could end up with the same family name.
2. Branches of the same family, living in different towns, could end up with entirely different family names in a manner that might make it quite difficult to later establish the relationship.
So, for example, the Bogopolsky family – while by no means a large family – has numerous representatives, even today, throughout Russia and Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Israel and the Americas. It is so far quite unclear what the actual relationships might be. We do know from immigration records, however, that there were Bogopolskys arriving in the U.S. as early as the turn of the 20th century (and probably earlier).
This website is concerned primarily with the branch of the Bogopolskys which traces back to the area of Kiev and Astrakhan, around 1900, and, most particularly, with the family of Nathan Bogopolsky and his wife, Golda (also called Olga), née Gorokowsky.
In the unified family biography on this site we attempt to recapture the lives and history of this family and its members, through several generations of upheaval and hope, striving and destitution, and hardship and achievement. We rely upon family lore, private and public documents, photographs and, in some cases, well-known events in which family members took part.
"Hii ni muhtasari wa maarifa yetu hadi sasa ya asili na mageuzi ya tawi la familia ya Bogopolsky ambayo tovuti hii inazingatia.""" Jina la familia lingeweka wazi kwamba lilitumiwa na Wayahudi walioishi Bogopol, kitongoji cha mji wa Pervomaisk <unk> ambao baadaye ukawa sehemu ya Pervomaisk wakati mji ulikua. Kulingana na Jiji la Bogopol, idadi ya Wayahudi katika mji huo ilikuwa ikiongezeka kwa kasi katika karne ya 19 na katika karne ya 19 idadi ya Wayahudi iliongezeka kwa kasi katika mji huo, ikiwa ni pamoja na makaburi ya Kiyahudi, shule ya kipekee ya kiume ya Kiyahudi, shule ya Talmud, shule ya kiume ya kiume ya Kiyahudi, na nyumba ya makumbusho. Katika karne ya 20, katika mji wa Bogopol, kulikuwa na mauaji mawili makubwa, ambayo yalisababisha uharibifu wa mali na uharibifu wa maisha. Wayahudi wengi walikimbia eneo hilo na kujaribu kupata usalama katika maeneo mengine ya Pale of Settlement. Hata hivyo, kufikia mwanzoni mwa karne ya 20, huenda idadi ya Wayahudi nchini Ukrainia ilikuwa milioni mbili. Ingawa Wayahudi wengi walioishi Ulaya Mashariki wakati wa miaka ya 1700 na mapema 1800 walitumia majina mbalimbali ya jadi, ya baba, au ya kitaaluma, bado kulikuwa na idadi kubwa ambao walifuata tu formula: jina la kwanza, pamoja na'mwana wa' na jina la kwanza la baba. Kwa mfano, "David Abrahamovich". Wakati mwingine, hizi zilikuwa na kiwango katika jina la familia halisi kama vizazi vinavyofuata viliendelea kutumia jina la baba moja, lakini katika kesi nyingine, hii haikutokea kamwe, na kila kizazi kilikuwa na 'jina jipya la mwisho'. Katika karne ya 19, Wayahudi katika maeneo yaliyodhibitiwa na Poland walihitaji kuanzisha majina ya familia ya kudumu. Katika visa vingi, familia zilifanya hivyo kwa kutumia jina la eneo walilokaa. Kwa hiyo, Wayahudi fulani walioishi Bogopol wangetumia jina <unk>Bogopolsky<unk> (linamaanisha, <unk>kutoka Bogopol<unk>) kama matokeo ya mahitaji haya. Hii ina maana mbili muhimu wakati wa kujaribu kufuatilia ukoo wa familia: 1. Familia zisizo na uhusiano wa damu lakini zinazoishi katika eneo lilelile zingeweza kuwa na jina la familia lilelile. 2. Uwezekano wa kupata Matawi ya familia moja, wanaoishi katika miji tofauti, wanaweza kuishia na majina ya familia tofauti kabisa kwa njia ambayo inaweza kufanya iwe vigumu sana kuanzisha uhusiano baadaye. Kwa mfano, familia ya Bogopolsky - ingawa kwa vyovyote si familia kubwa - ina wawakilishi wengi, hata leo, kotekote Urusi na Ulaya Mashariki, Ulaya Magharibi, Israeli na Amerika. Hadi sasa haijulikani wazi ni mahusiano gani halisi yanaweza kuwa. Hata hivyo, katika rekodi za uhamiaji, kuna Bogopolsky waliwasili nchini Marekani mapema katika karne ya 20 na labda mapema. "Kama ""mwanzilishi wa familia ya Bogopolsky,"" familia ya Bogopolsky ilijulikana kama ""mwanzilishi wa familia ya Bogopolsky,"" na familia ya Bogopolsky ilikuwa na jina la kwanza, Golda (aliyeitwa Olga), na jina la kwanza, Gorodkovsky." Katika wasifu wa familia ya umoja kwenye tovuti hii tunajaribu kukamata maisha na historia ya familia hii na wanachama wake, kupitia vizazi kadhaa vya msukosuko na matumaini, kujitahidi na umaskini, na ugumu na mafanikio. "Tunategemea historia ya familia, hati za kibinafsi na za umma, picha, na, katika visa fulani, matukio yanayojulikana ambayo washiriki wa familia walishiriki."""