Chapter Four: 1750-1840 – Our Earliest Known Ancestor
Lajzer Olej, Machel Olej/Liverand, Sura Warzawaska
Łask, Poland
Around 1770 our earliest known ancestor, Machel Leyzer Olej was born in Łask Poland. He was your author’s 3rd great-grandfather.[i] Within the family he has been named both Machel Olej and Machel Liverand. To date, all official records refer to him as “Michal (or Michel) Leyzer Oli”. However, he did spend time as a Liwerant (a military supplier or delivery man), which likely accounts for the dual surnames.[1]
It is possible that Machel’s father was named Leyzer (Eliezer) Oli (Olej). The only thing we know about Eliezer is that he passed away on the 7th of May 1832, at the age of 82. At the time of his death, he was a widower, and his occupation was a wyrobnik (day-laborer). It is possible that through Machel and his father Eliezer our family had a long history in Łask.
Located in Central Poland in the Lodz region, Łask had a long and rich history for the Jewish people who began settling there in the late 1500s. This was due to town leaders protecting their Jewish population from the local clergy. Furthermore, they authorized Jews to engage in crafts, trade in grain/livestock, or become an Innkeeper. When Machel was born he joined the nearly 900 Jews already living in Łask.[ii]
Right around his birth, Machel, found his town and the rest of Poland caught up in the flexing of much stronger empires, Russia, Prussia and Austria. On the 5th of August 1772, to prevent war between Russia and Austria, Frederick II (the Great) initiated a treaty that partitioned Poland. This partition was ratified by the Polish Sejm (legislature) who gave up almost a third of its land. In 1793, the Polish Sjem,,who was surrounded by the Russian army, agreed to a second partition which transferred a further 115k square miles to Russia. The subsequent Polish uprising in 1794, resulted in a third partition on the 26th of January 1797. With this partition, Poland ceased to exist and Machel became a citizen of Prussia until 1815 when the Congress of Vienna reorganized a post Napoleonic Europe. In this treaty, Russia obtained most of Poland, including the entire Lodz region, which encompassed Łask.
In Russian Łask, Machel Olej was both an oberszyst (Inn Keeper) and a liwerant (delivery man). The career of oberszyst was especially lucrative for Jewish merchants as Polish law required the purchase of alcohol in a Landowner’s tavern.[iii] As a tavern keeper, Machel would have likely been a well-known figure. This is evidenced by his being a witness to at least 12 births and deaths between 1827 and 1836, despite incomplete records during this time.[iv] It is not known why he also had the title liwerant. One could speculate that he had some fancy food from his tavern that he delivered to some customers.
Though we do not know when Machel married Sura Warszawska,[v] [vi] we do know that they had at least 5 children.[vii] Their children were: Ruchla, Avram Moshe (our ancestor), Lifcha and Cypora; unfortunately, the 5th child’s name has been lost to time.
Ruchla (or Rochel) was born around 1809. She married Aron Piotrkowski on the 26 of Feb 1828. Aron was an Podrabin (assistant to the Rabi). They had two children. Sadly by 1831, they both passed away they were survived by their two children.[viii] It is not known where those two children lived. We know very little about Lifcha and Cypora. Avram Moshe on the other hand is well documented and we will explore his life in more detail in chapter six.
What about Machel fighting for Napolean?
Every family has their stories, and we are no exception. Ours says that Machel Liverand was a soldier (perhaps an officer) in Napoleon’s army in 1812. Napoleon, seeking to rule Russia, made it as far as Moscow, but cold and hunger forced him to return to France. It has been said that during the retreat, Machel defected and became a resident of Poland.
This is a great story, but it is very unlikely. His daughter, Ruchla was born in 1809, and it is a stretch to believe that she was born in France and then came to Poland after Machel defecting from the army. It is much more likely that he was from a long line of ancestors who lived in Eastern Europe.
Open questions:
- In the 12 records where Machel Oli is listed, his age is not consistent to expectations, ie listed as 40 in 1827, then 51 in 1828. It is the author’s opinion that this is a clerical error, but further research may be required to rule out two similarly aged Machel Olejs in Lask.
- Further research is required to confirm that Leyzer Oli is Machel’s father.
[1] Surnames in Poland were not fixed at this time.
[i] “Lask Deaths 1827-32, 26, 44, 66-69”, Jewish Records Indexing – Poland, Database (https://legacy.jri-poland.org/databases/jridetail_2.php), 1831, Michal Leyzer Oli, witness and father, age 50, Date of death 7 Mar 1830, Occupation Wyrobnik, Microfilm, 808471, accessed 22, Feb, 2025.
[iii] Tavernkeeping – YIVO Encyclopedia
[iv] There are many missing records as you can see with the dates given. “Lask Births, Marriages 1827-32, 36, 66-69, Deaths 1827-32, 26, 44, 66-69”, Jewish Records Indexing – Poland, Database (https://legacy.jri-poland.org/databases/jridetail_2.php), Dates from 1827 to 1836, Michal Leyzer Oli, witness, Microfilm, 808471 and 808472, accessed 22, Feb, 2025.
[v] “Lask Deaths 1827-32, 26, 44, 66-69”, Jewish Records Indexing – Poland, Database (https://legacy.jri-poland.org/databases/jridetail_2.php), 23 Feb 1831, death of Rochel Weinereber, Michal Leyzer Oli father, Sora Mother, Microfilm, 808471, accessed 22, Feb, 2025.
[vi] Last name obtained via personal recollection from relatives born in the early 1900s. Obtained by Keith Olive and Judith Silberg through interviewing cousins, aunts, uncles, and his parents. They were Provided to Sean Logan via family sheets. Notes in the possession of Sean Logan.
[vii] “Lask Deaths 1827-32, 26, 44, 66-69”, Jewish Records Indexing – Poland, Database (Jewish Records Indexing – Poland), 23 Feb 1831, death of Sura Oli, date 26 May 1866, aged 90, “Widow with 5 chn., Microfilm, 767128, accessed 23, Feb, 2025.
[viii] “Lask Deaths 1827-32, 26, 44, 66-69”, Jewish Records Indexing – Poland, Database (Jewish Records Indexing – Poland), 22 Jul 1831, death of Aron Piotrkowski, aged 48, Widower with 2 children, witnessed by Michal Leyzer Oli,, Microfilm, 808471, accessed 23, Feb, 2025.
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