My Cantor-Kaufman Family

 After many years of not giving up, I was contacted by a cousin from great-grandma Sarah Kaufman’s family. The only cousins I have connected with have all come from great-grandma Sarah’s brother Samuel’s line. Samuel and his family moved to Fall River, Massachusetts about 6 months after their third child, Moshe Kapil Kaufman, was born.

 

I was given a lot of information from Cousin Ruth (Gamson, z”l) many, many years ago via regular letters. She had told me that Beverly Gamson Melanson had the family recipes, but didn’t know where they ended up after her death. I still haven’t found out where the recipes ended up.

 

The cousin that contacted me is the granddaughter of Dora Kaufman Garonsky. She had asked me about her father’s side of the family, which I have tried to get her more information - I did already have information on his family, but I still haven’t been able to answer her question as to why they changed the family name from Shapiro to Superior.

 

Since we have been communicating, I have gotten some family photos of her family. Wedding photos are always great, a start of a new union and the year is known and when there are group wedding photos, you get to see the extended family. I got two photos of Estelle Garonsky Superior, one was take after their marriage, so it is both Estelle and Richard.

 

I also got a nice photo of Estelle’s brother, Jordan Garonsky, later known as JayGaron, who was the literary agent for John Grisham. I previously only had a photo from the newspaper.

 

I was given a bit more information on Estelle, Richard and Dora. The best thing for me was getting Dora’s cookie recipe. I did know she kept a kosher home and this recipe had interesting liquid in this recipe, which keeps these cookies parve – cherry juice! The recipe seems to be a nice twist on a sugar cookie with cinnamon and sugar, along with cut cherries on cookie tops. I hope I will be up to being in the kitchen and baking soon so I can try this recipe!

I am still hoping I can find descendants of Max Kaufman Cantor. I only know he had a daughter named Gertrude Cantor. Max changed his surname back to the family’s original surname of Cantor after he immigrated to New York. My mom told me that she remembered that Cantor cousins visited them in Florida, but she didn’t remember their names or how exactly they were cousins. I was able to tell her the relationship to the Cantor family, but still haven’t found out who visited her and her family. I also still looking for descendants of Rose Kaufman Forman. I do know their other sister, Fanny Kaufman Cooperman never had any children.

I am also hoping I can get more family recipes. Pesac is around the corner and I always think about family recipes. I have an Esterson matzah ball recipe and I also have my great-aunt Babs’ Passover Rolls recipe.

My Cantor-Kaufman Family

 

After many years of not giving up, I was contacted by a cousin from great-grandma Sarah Kaufman’s family. The only cousins I have connected with have all come from great-grandma Sarah’s brother Samuel’s line. Samuel and his family moved to Fall River, Massachusetts about 6 months after their third child, Moshe Kapil Kaufman, was born.

Sarah Kaufman Kushner 

I was given a lot of information from Cousin Ruth (Gamson, z”l) many, many years ago via regular letters. She had told me that Beverly Gamson Melanson had the family recipes, but didn’t know where they ended up after her death. I still haven’t found out where the recipes ended up.

 

The cousin that contacted me is the granddaughter of Dora Kaufman Garonsky. She had asked me about her father’s side of the family, which I have tried to get her more information - I did already have information on his family, but I still haven’t been able to answer her question as to why they changed the family name from Shapiro to Superior.

 Dora Kaufman Garonsky

Since we have been communicating, I have gotten some family photos of her family. Wedding photos are always great, a start of a new union and the year is known and when there are group wedding photos, you get to see the extended family. I got two photos of Estelle Garonsky Superior, one was take after their marriage, so it is both Estelle and Richard.

 

I also got a nice photo of Estelle’s brother, Jordan Garonsky, later known as JayGaron, who was the literary agent for John Grisham. I previously only had a photo from the newspaper.

 Jay Garon on the right 

I was given a bit more information on Estelle, Richard and Dora. The best thing for me was getting Dora’s cookie recipe. I did know she kept a kosher home and this recipe had interesting liquid in this recipe, which keeps these cookies parve– cherry juice! The recipe seems to be a nice twist on a sugar cookie with cinnamon and sugar, along with cut cherries on cookie tops. I hope I will be up to being in the kitchen and baking soon so I can try this recipe!

 

I am still hoping I can find descendants of Max Kaufman Cantor. I only know he had a daughter named Gertrude Cantor. Max changed his surname back to the family’s original surname of Cantor after he immigrated to New York. My mom told me that she remembered that Cantor cousins visited them in Florida, but she didn’t remember their names or how exactly they were cousins. I was able to tell her the relationship to the Cantor family, but still haven’t found out who visited her and her family. I also still looking for descendants of Rose Kaufman Forman. I do know their other sister, Fanny Kaufman Cooperman never had any children.

The Gamsu/Gamzu/Gamson Puzzle

I decided to take another look at all my information I have on the Gamsu/Gamzu/Gamson families. This is no easy task, since I knew about 17 families several years ago. I felt this would help keep me occupied and my mind not so focused on the current war. I decided trying to make more sense out of all these branches and see if I could document anything to make the actual connections other than the three major cities they were from: Plunge, Lithuania (Plungyian /Plungian in Yiddish, Plungiany in Polish & Russian) is a city in Lithuania, part of the Samogitia (or Žemaitija;Yiddish name is Zamet) ethnographic region in the northwestern part of the country; Dvinsk, Latvia (now Daugavpils; Dineburg in Yiddish) and Riga, Latvia. Riga is located at the mouth of the Daugava River, where Daugavpils was name after the Daugava River, located on the banks of the Daugava River, both in the southeastern region of Latvia.

I have it broken down on a spreadsheet with 28 family lines. I’ve done my best to line them up by generation. I have been able to go back another generation on my own side of the Gamson/Gamsu family. I uncovered that Chaim Nochem Gamsu’s (Gamza/Gamson), later years he was known as Herman, father was Shmuel Gamza. I found the Lithuanian marriage record for Chaim Nochem (Khaim Nokhim Gamza) and Rivkah Meriem Mark (Rive Mere Mark) that listed both of their father’s names and the town they were from, ages at time of marriage, as well as the date of the marriage.

Shmuel Gamza was born ca 1822 in Plunge, Telsiai, Kaunas, Lithuania. I believe that Shimon Gamsu (Family 1), Nissan Leib Gamzu (Family 16, born in Pinsk), Herzel Gamsu (Jules Redlich  part of Family 4), and Simon Gamsu, possibly Simon Hessel Gamsu (Mary Edda Gamson Family) were all born in the same generation.

I don’t have specifics on Shimon Gamsu, but his son, Tzvi Yisroel Gamsu was born in Plunge, Telsiai, Kaunas, Lithuania, which I am estimating him to be in the same generation as Chaim Nochem Gamsu.  Nissan Leib Gamzu died 24 Sep 1888, Petach Tikvah, Israel and is buried in the Petach Tikvah's Segulah Cemetery and according to his tombstone, his father’s name was Chaim. I found out that Simon Gamsu’s, from Mary Edda Gamson’s Family, father’s name is Volf. I also found 4 other children: Vite Gene Gamzu (12 Oct 1873), Volf Gamzu (14 Apr 1871), Shmuel Khatskel Gamzu (31 Jan 1876), and Eliyash Gamzu (4 Sep 1867). Mary had a note that Emil married a Rokeach.  I discovered that Emil Gamsu Gamson married Luba Rokeach, daughter of Israel & Channah Rokeach.

Yakov Gamzu (Family 16A), and his wife were said to have died in Tsfat, according to the Family 16A information I was given. I found his burial record and he was born in 1857, his father’s name was Shmuel Nissan Gamzu and he was buried in the Old Tel Aviv (Trumpeldor) Cemetery, 24 May, 1926. This makes me question the information I was given that he died in Tsfat, Israel. Could his father Shmuel Nissan Gamzu and my Shmuel Gamza be the same person?? More research needed.

I found that Glenn Easton’s Family and Family #1 have same children: Gita, Mere, Yonah (Yonas).  Family #1 has the father as Shimon Gesel Gamsu and Glenn Easton’s Family has Shimon Hessel Gamsu and BOTH have Devorah as Shimon’s wife. I found Shimon Gesel Gamsu was listed on the Lithuanian birth and marriage records for Mere.

Even after all the generation additions I’ve made, I still can’t find a common ancestor. If anyone is interested in looking over my spreadsheet and let me know if you see something I missed or can add to it, please contact me!