Four generations back, this is my grandmother's grandmother. Her name was Reva Leya I. Her family lived in Bialystock, Russia. This photograph was taken in a Russian photographer's studio.
This is an old photograph from Natasha’s great grandmother’s wedding from 1936. Natasha’s great grandmother is in the middle row, third from the left. Her name was Marianna, and she survived World War II. She was a cook for a wealthy Jewish family, and during the war, they hid in a secret room while Marianna brought them food. She was caught by the Nazis twice and was loaded into a truck, but both times she jumped out with the Nazis shooting at her. She was determined to escape because her baby was at home, and she had to take care of him. After the war, the family rewarded her with a box of jewels, but only one necklace survived. Natasha’s mother is now the owner of the necklace. The necklace has been passed down from generation to generation, and next it will be in Natasha’s possession.
These are the immigration papers for Abraham Wolf, a 34-year-old tailor who emigrated from Vilna, Poland to Leeds, England. His name was changed from Abraham Wolffe Kavarsky because the immigration official did not hear him when he gave his last name, and the official spelled Wolffe like the name of the animal, wolf. Thus, his name was changed on that day.