Is It A Small World?

Just before Pesac, I connect with two people that might be related via the Judkovics family. It took me a long time to prove the family lore that the original family name for our Steuer family was Judkiewicz/Judkovics/Jutkovits. Since I found proof in black and white, I’ve been searching for more proof and other branches of the family, since I know there are at least another 6 branches!

I connected with someone that had in his family tree names that I knew were in my family: 

I also connected with someone from Canada. She mentioned that she knew there were cousins that settled in Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.

Both mentioned not knowing much about their families since they lost many family members in the Holocaust. I immediately went to work and found their relatives. Of course, through all my searching I was hoping to uncover the connection between our families. As I got back to them with information I had found on their own families, they were able to dig up more information on what they were told and notes.

I was told that Avrum Jutkovits was murdered while being robbed in 1888. Avrum’s wife, Rachel, re-married and afterwards was subsequent murder of the older son of Avrum and Rachel by his step-father. To date we still don’t know the name of Josef Judkowitz’s sister, her family members or his mother’s maiden name or second husband.

I did find proof of Josef Judkowitz and Bernard Eichler. He states on the passenger list that he was going to stay with his Uncle Bernard Eichler in New York. There were several Judkowitz-Eichler marriages, so this led to checking more into the Eichler family to try to uncover more information on the Judkowitz families.

Since I uncovered more information on the Eichler family, I connected with someone who referred me to someone else who was also researching the Eichler family. This last connection confirmed that Sara Eichler who was married to Sam Berkowitz was his great-great aunt. He also mentioned a Lefkovitz connection: Isidore Jutcovich and Lefkovitz and another connection: Lefkowitz-Schoenfeld through the marriage of Adolph Schoenfeld to Augusta "Gussie" Lefkowitz.

There is another Judkiewicz/Judkovics/Jutkovits connection with family that also settled in Pennsylvania. There are common home towns in Hungary. He mentioned that the only sibling of his grandfather was Uncle Boruch (Barney), who lived near his family in Pennsylvania. He was told by someone else he’s gotten information on the Judkowics / "Yutkewitz" that “a descendant of Menachem Mendel that these 3 brothers had 14 more brothers!”

I’m waiting to hear from the newest connections and their cousins to see if anyone can provide me more information. I’ve got to find the missing puzzle pieces!!