Salomon Benjamin Latz:
The Father of the Father of the Mother of the Mother of
the Mother of the Mother of Doron Zeilberger
Last Update: March 4, 2023 (thanks to Barbara Simon)
Previous Update:
Sept. 8, 2013 (thanks to my sixth-cousin-once-removed José Ernesto Matiella);
Aug. 10, 2013 (thanks to my sixth-cousin-once-removed José Ernesto Matiella);
Jan. 11, 2011 (thanks to Tom Furstenberg(jr) ).
Nov. 14, 2002 (thanks to Tom Furstenberg(jr)).
and
Tom Furstenberg(sr)
;
Nov. 27, 2002 (thanks to Tom Furstenberg(sr) ;
Nov. 27, 2007 (thanks to my fifth-cousin Stephen Falk);
Dec. 30, 2007 (thanks [again] to my fifth-cousin Stephen Falk);
Dec. 31, 2009 (thanks to Barbara Ford and Daniel Kester).
March 13, 2010 (Thanks to Stephen Falk).
April 13, 2010 (Thanks to Stephen Falk)
Salomon Benjamin Latz (1749- Jan. 17, 1829)
[look at a a digital photo of his
portrait
(courtesy of Tom(sr) and Tom(jr) Furstenberg).]
the son of Benjamin Latz,
was a "wealthy and pious" Jew,
who lived in the city of Posen, Prussia
(now Poznan, Poland),
capital of the Grand Duchy of Posen
(now the district of Poznan).
Before he died, in 1829, he consulted the Posen Rabbi, Akiva Eger
(the great "Gaon of Posen", one of the greatest Talmudic scholars
of the 19th century), how to use his money. Eger advised
him to contribute towards a hospital with a "beth midrash"
attached. Latz followed this advice, and left, in his will,
6000 thalers. Because of Latz's high regard to Rabbi Eger,
and possibly low regard for the lay leaders of the Posen
Jewish community, he stipulated that Eger should have full
control over running the hospital, and that the Jews of the City
of Posen should not have preference over Jews from the neighboring
communities as regards admission.
When Latz died in 1829, the hospital, and Beth-Midrash, were
built, and Eger followed religiously Latz's will.
Of course, the machers of the Posen Jewish community wanted to take
over, but Eger refused, citing Latz's will.
The leaders then complained to the German authorities,
who intervened, but Eger did not give up.
According to Sinason's biography of Eger, `The Gaon of Posen',
this shows Eger's great integrity and courage.
Latz's hospital was probably very instrumental in combating
the 1831 Cholera epidemic in Posen, for which Eger got
a letter of commendation from the Kaiser.
The following is an
excerpt
from Heppner and Herzberg's book
about Posen Jews, p. 819:
``In 1829, Salomon Benjamin Latz raised
6000 Thalers for the construction of a hospital with
a Beth-Midrash''.
Added Nov. 14, 2002: Tom Furstenberg (jr), in addition to sending
me the photo of the portrait, also kindly sent me, and
gave me permission to post here, the following pictures:
Salomon Benjamin Latz's first wife, and mother of this children, was Blume DAVID (or Blume bat David),
Blume died in about 1811, and he then married to Malke SHAPIRO in 1813.
Salomon and Blume probably had numerous children.
I know of only four
-
Michle, who died before S. B. LATZ,
and who was married to Abraham Moses COHN, and who had the sons Moses Cohn and
Hirsch Cohn.
-
Samuel Salomon Latz (1775- Jan. 17, 1829),
My GGGGrandfather
first husband of my GGGGrandmother,
Pauline Latz Phillip
(see http://www.math.rutgers.edu/~zeilberg/family/madamep.html for
their descendants).
-
Braenchen Latz ZUELZ, (?-1862), who was married to Nebenrabbiner Lazarus ZUELZ
(?- before 1834). She is listed in Edward David Luft's directory of naturalized Jews of Posen (1834) as:
Posen Zilz, Wtw. Brainchern Lazarus, Kaufmannswittwe, 6-7-1834
(which means that she was already a widow in 1834, and her "occupation" was a merchant's widow).
Stephen Falk, her great-great-great-grandson (and hence my fifth-cousin)
scanned her
death certificate
and also an
1861 letter from her son David ZILTZ
regarding her will.
In the letter, Braenchen is referred to as "geb. Salomon LATZ".
In the death certificate, there is reference to her late husband .
I thank Stephen for permission to post them here.
[The original will and the related documents are in the Panstwowe Archiwum w Poznaniu
(the Historical Archives of Poznan).]
Lazarus and Braenchen Ziltz (also spelled Zuelz) had (at least) four children:
-
Rosalie Zuelz Freund (Stephen Falk's ggGrandmother). See
Stephen Falk's
message about Rosalie's descendants
- David, who apparently only had one daughter who was likely never married.
- Eva, who married a BERLINER, and who apparently lived in Breslau .
- Ernestine, who married a LOEWENSTEIN and they were definitely in Breslau in the 1840s
-
Henriette Latz Witkowski (1784-1847) ("Jette" or "Gittel").
Henriette Witkowski (b. Latz) was married to Markus Witkowski
(1773- Aug. 29, 1831).
(Here is their picture).
Hence, in 1834, when some of the Jews of
the district of Posen were allowed to take (partial) Posen citizenships,
she is listed in the list of naturalized Jews (compiled by
Edward David Lutz ("Brown Studies on Jews and their societies IV)",
Scholars Press, Atlanta, GA, 1987), she is listed as follows
(p. 94, but spelled Wittkowski, with 2 t's)
74 Posen Wittkowski, Wittwe Jette Kaufmannsfrau 8-9-1834
(wittwe (today spelled witwe) means widow, Kafmannsfrau means
"merchant's wife").
Henriette b. Latz Witkowski and Markus Witkowski had the following
children
- Markus Witkowski (Oct. 16, 1801- Aug. 2, 1862) who
was married to Gute Zippert (Dec. 13, 1803- Dec. 31, 1854).
(Here is their picture).
Markus Witkowski and Gute (b. Zippert) Witkowski had the
following children:
- Bertha Witkowski (Aug. 13, 1823- Feb. 1, 1892),
who married the first-cousin of her father,
David Latz, son of Samuel Salomon Latz and
Pauline Kaul Latz Phillip (see
http://www.math.rutgers.edu/~zeilberg/family/madamep.html
for their descendants.
- Adolf (Abraham) Witkowski (1825-1887) who was married to Flora Jacobssohn
(?-?), who had two sons and three daughters.
- Amalie Witkowski (1827-1893) who was married to Joseph Rosendorn
(?-?), and who had one son and three daughters.
- Johanna Witkowski (1828-1889) who was married to Leopold
Krakau (ca. 1817-1891), and who had one son and one daughter.
- Helene Witkowski (1830-1905) who was married twice.
First to Louis Czarnikow (?-?), with whom she had
four sons, and then to Siegfried Gerber.
- Sophie Witkowski (1831-?), who was married to Louis
London (1827-1888), and who had two sons and two daughters.
- Isaak Witkowski (1833-1875) who was married to Caecilie
Seligsohn (1846-1914).
(Here is their picture).
They had four sons.
- Isidor Witkowski (?-?) who was married to
Henriette Witkowski (possibly a relative) (?-1908),
who had one son and three daughters,
- Auguste Witkowski (1836-?) who was married
to Moritz Birnbaum (1833-?), who had three sons and
one daughter.
- Salomon Witkowski (1839-1904) who was married to
Anna Zelinski (1851-?) who had four sons and
one daughter.
- Caecilia Witkowski (1841-1909), who was married to
Josef Galewski (1833-1897), and who had two sons and
one daughter.
- Benjamin Witkowski (1807-?), who was born to Jeanette Katt (?-?)
who had a son and a daughter.
- Ernestine Witkowski Noah (?-?), who was married to Wolff Noah
(?-?), who had four sons and four daughters.
Added Dec. 30. 2007: It is very possible (Added Aug. 10, 2013: Thanks to José Matiella I know
that it is true, and the brother's name was Fabian Latz) that
Salomon Benjamin Latz had a brother, three of whose children emigrated to
the United States, and established the following
American Latz Family Tree, kindly brought to my attention by Stephen Falk.
Added June 5, 2009: There are lots Witkowskis in
Daniel Kester's Witowski tree .
(Added April 13, 2010): See
Saul Blum's of Poznan 1938 Latz family history,
commissioned by the Latz family of Fort Wayne, and kindly communicated to me (with permission)
by Stephen Falk.
Added Jan. 11, 2011: Read
Tom Furstenberg's, Jr.'s
touching ane exciting account of his visit to Poznan (in Dutch).
Read also his
message.
Added Aug. 10. 2013: José Matiella kindly allowed me to post the very
interesting documents that he collected, see
this directory.
Added Dec. 2, 2022: Read Arinna Latz's Book [in French]
Ancestors of Doron Zeilberger
Doron Zeilberger's Family
Doron Zeilberger's Home Page
