It's Where in Romania?
My great grandfather Haim Heller's last wish was to be buried at the Israilit cemetery, in Comune Podgoria Copou, as stated in the statement by his wife and friends. This puzzled me for quite some time. In my untrained research, I've used Google to try and find Romanian addresses, place names, comunes, and regions. I've tried to piece together an understanding of the governmental structure of the land which might relate to American counties, cities, municipalities, and even states. Something I could relate to. So, when I read this in his death certificate, I couldn't help but wonder. Could he possibly have been referring to the Podgoria Copou Monastery? Is the Jewish cemetery there as well? I couldn't think that a Jewish cemetery coexisted with a centuries old monastery. The answer, I've found, took some time to uncover.
If there's one thing I've learned about searching for any tidbit of information about my family's roots, it is that the answers rarely come in a straight line. A circuitous route of reading, connecting with others, finding a simple clue or picture, then coupled with learning the history of the country in which my paternal family lived sometimes yields an understanding or even an "Ah-ha!" moment.
So many questions to be answered.
One day I came across an interesting web page searching about Iasi, Romania and the Israilite Cemetery. The article began with short paragraph of alternate names for the city Iasi over the years, even centuries. The one name that stood out for me? - Podgoria, of course!
Could the city have been known as Podgoria to a Jewish man who lived nearby in Bacau during the years 1850-1890? Seems like a possibility to me. The monastery had been established there about 1638, so it doesn't seem a stretch that the city may have been known as Podgoria. Iasi was the capitol of Moldavia for 300 years, from 1564 to 1859, but by 1862 regions were united and the capitol moved to Bucharest.
Finally, a possible explanation for the reference to Podgoria Copou. I'll need to research this further, but the pieces only come grudgingly.
If there's one thing I've learned about searching for any tidbit of information about my family's roots, it is that the answers rarely come in a straight line. A circuitous route of reading, connecting with others, finding a simple clue or picture, then coupled with learning the history of the country in which my paternal family lived sometimes yields an understanding or even an "Ah-ha!" moment.
So many questions to be answered.
One day I came across an interesting web page searching about Iasi, Romania and the Israilite Cemetery. The article began with short paragraph of alternate names for the city Iasi over the years, even centuries. The one name that stood out for me? - Podgoria, of course!
Could the city have been known as Podgoria to a Jewish man who lived nearby in Bacau during the years 1850-1890? Seems like a possibility to me. The monastery had been established there about 1638, so it doesn't seem a stretch that the city may have been known as Podgoria. Iasi was the capitol of Moldavia for 300 years, from 1564 to 1859, but by 1862 regions were united and the capitol moved to Bucharest.
Finally, a possible explanation for the reference to Podgoria Copou. I'll need to research this further, but the pieces only come grudgingly.
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