The Solomon Story

1845 to 2003

Prepared by Samuel Robert (Sonny) Solomon.
Sonny's original Word document

The family story starts in Riga, Russia approximately round 1845 with the birth of Zoba Salmonovitz, which was the original family name. This has been verified by Louis Solomon who has a copy of his father’s birth certificate which bears the above surname (see attached letter). Zoba was a Rabbi and had 13 sons and an unknown number of daughters. The sons were farmed out to avoid military conscription, only the eldest was exempt. A couple went to America, at least one to South Africa, and three went to Dublin, Ireland. Nothing is known of the rest. I also have not been able to establish my Great Grandmother’s name or any details of her.
Of the three that went to Ireland, Israel and a brother became surgeons of some reknown while my grandfather Samuel Simon became a rabbi.
There is some evidence that the brother who went to South Africa was Zeidel who married Sarah and had issue Harry, but little more is known of them at this stage, but I am investigating further.

ISRAEL

Born. Riga. Russia.
Birth Date. Approx.1870.
Wife. Sarah Freda Barron.
Married. Russia.
Emigrated. Dublin. Ireland. Approx. 1890: South Africa Approx 1902.
Profession. Surgeon.
Children. Rae: Benny Annie: Joe: Zalman Benjamin: Mendel.
History. There are records of Israel and wife Sarah in Robertson, Cape, South Africa in 1913 (Refer accompanying letter from Becky Saacks). They are shown as property holders in Keerom Street there, which was probably the family home. Sarah is recorded as owning a shop on the corner of Reitz and Church streets which she sold in the early 1930’s.
Both Israel and Sarah were members of the Robertson Hebrew Congregation for the period from 1916 to 1922.
Both their names appear on the municipal voters roll for 1915.
After 1922 the name Mrs.S.Solomon appears alone so it would appear that Israel passed away that year.

RAE

Nothing is known of Rae at the time of writing except that her name also appears in the Hebrew Congregation book from 1916 to 1926.

BENNY

Benny was a doctor and was married to Joyce and it is recorded in a letter (attached) that he was still alive in 1951 and living in Johannesburg, South Africa. I am trying to get some detail of his family and possible children and if successful it will appear as an addendum.

ANNIE

Married: Harry Solomon (her cousin, son of Zeidel, see further down)
Children: Simon (Simmie): Samuel: Ellie: Pearly: George: Abraham;(Abe)

SIMMIE

No information available at time of printing but being investigated further.

SAMUEL

No information available at time of printing but being further investigated.

ELLI (Ettie)

It is on record that she took part in a concert put on by the Robertson Young Israel Society in 1934.

PEARLY

On record that she became a member of the Robertson Young Israel Society in 1935.

GEORGE

Matriculated at Robertson High School in 1936, which provides for an educated guess that he was born round 1919.
Children. Paul:Roslyn

ABRAHAM (ABE)

Born.1923.
Died. 4/6/2003. Johannesburg. South Africa.
Buried. Johannesburg. South Africa.
Matriculated at Robertson High School in 1940.
History. By networking I managed to discover that Abe was still alive and living in Johannesburg on the 4th May 2003.I called him, but maybe because of his age he was unable to supply much information on his brothers and sisters. I wrote him a long letter with all sorts of genealogical queries, but he unfortunately passed away before I received an answer. He did however confirm the names of his brothers and sisters, and also his Robertson background, plus the fact that he never married, but was living with a ladyfriend for many years. He also recalled his uncles Mendel and Benny.

JOE

Little known of Joe except that he was married, had children, and farmed a small holding on the banks of the Orange river.
The river came down in flood in 1941 0r 1942 and all were sadly drowned.

ZALMAN BENJAMIN

Born. 14/07/1897
Birth place. Dublin.Ireland.
Married. Ann Miller.
Died. 09/05/1976. South Africa.
Emigrated: South Africa early 19-hundreds when name was changed to Solomon and Zalman became Samuel.
Children. Louis: Arnold.
History. This is a paragraph extracted from a letter received from son Louis, and I quote.”My mother Ann was sent out to find her fortune with an uncle who had gone to South Africa at the end of the 19th century and was farming near Kakamas on the Orange river (probably also looking for diamonds, which were later found much further down the river in Namaqualand). Imagine a 17 year old jewish girl with a broad Scottish accent (which she retained till the day she died) going from crowded, teeming Glasgow to a farm on the edge of the Kalahari! That was where my father found her, on a trip through the Northern Cape with his father Israel. They married and settled in Keimoes, an even smaller village not far from Kakamas, together with old Israel who never returned to his wife; my granny Sarah lived for the rest of her days in Muizenberg. ”He ran a general dealers store, Solomon and Miller in partnership with his brother in-law. Samuel was short of stature, was known affectionately as Solly and played scrumhalf for the local rugby team. Solly’ wife Ann could not tolerate the intense heat of summer in the Northern Cape, and spent 6 months of each year in Cape Town where both her sons resided, and had a house in Bowood Road, Claremont. Solly found that he was supporting too many families and eventually sank under the pressure and left Keimoes for Bulaway, Rhodesia where Ann joined him.

LOUIS

Born. 31/05/28.
Country. South Africa.
Married. Joan Sarah Mendelsohn.
Children.Ryan. Caryn.
History. Spent the major part of his youth in Keimoes, South Africa and later boarded at South African College School in Cape Town. His further education was at University of Cape Town where he qualified as a medical doctor, round 1952.He then returned to Uppington where he worked as a general practitioner with doctor Abe Cohen. Louis then specialized in London in orthopedics and is to-day professor of orthopedics at the Bristol University in the United Kingdom. He resides in Bristol to this day with his family.

ARNOLD

Born. 23/09/1923.
Died.1996.
Country. South Africa.
Married. Una Kibel.
Children. Heather. Ian. Sharon.
History. In Keimoes Arnold was known as “Nolsie” which is the Afrikaans nickname for Arnold, while at school his nickname was “Apie” (monkey in Afrikaans) because he was always climbing trees. He was sent to boarding School, the South African College School (S.A.C.S) at an early age, and was an outstanding sportsman, being granted the Victor Ludorum in the high school. After school he continued playing rugby and represented Griqualand West at rugby. Arnold married in Johannesburg then went to Rhodesia where he worked for a Mr..Lieberman in a bicycle manufacturing factory. At some stage he moved back to Cape Town with Una and lived out the rest of his life there.
Arnold was also a pilot and was active in Italy during the Second World War.

MENDEL

Born.1909.
Educated: South African College School. Cape Town.
Lived in Muizenberg as did his mother Sarah, and ran a grocery store there for many years.

SAMUEL SIMON

Born. 1877. Russia.
Emigrated. Dublin. Ireland approx.1890. New York approx.1895. South Africa approx 1900.
Died. 25/08/1940.
Buried. Oudtshoorn. Cape. South Africa (see attached letter ex Oudshoorn municipality for details).
Married.Jenny Sheena Hirschoorn.
Children. May:Joe:Israel Leonard:Rose:Harry.
History. There appears to be some controversy as to the exact place of birth, although it was Russia for sure It would seem that the town is either Riga or what was Frederichstadt, now known as Jaunjelgava (see map).
Sadly I know little of my Grandfather’s early years, but assume that he emigrated to Dublin Ireland at about the same time as his brother Israel, where he studied and became a rabbi. I do remember that he always had that “strange” accent which was obviously Irish.
He then left Dublin for New York, became disillusioned with religion, met and married Jenny (Shena) Hirschoorn. The two of them ran a millinery business, which burned down and they then went to South Africa to join his brother Zeidel.
Samuels next venture in business was a cinema in Johannesburg, which also burned down. After that he did some rail laying in the cape for the government, worked on the diamond fields and various other enterprises. I have a recollection of a fish and chips shop in Salt River a suburb of Cape Town. Another recollection I have is sitting on my grandpa’s lap and playing with his earlobes, which were very large.
He died in 1940 in Oudshoorn, where my father Israel Leonard went to bury him (See attached death notice).
My grandmother Jenny, born of a rabbi in Frederichstad, now known as Jaunjelgava, emigrated to New York when her father died round about the turn of the century.
One of Jenny’s sisters Taube married, had issue Joesph E Hirschoorn, who became a millionare in the art business and donated a Gallery of fine arts in his name, in Washington USA (see internet site).
Jenny died of a cerebral stroke in 1935 and is buried in the Maitland cemetery in Cape Town, South Africa.

MAY

Born. approx. 1896.
Place. New Jersey. U.S.A.
Married. Harry Mallet.
Died. Approx.1956.
Buried. Cape Town. South Africa.
History. May went with her mother and father to South Africa as a baby where she grew up. She was a very simple individual and had some form of retardation and although she was independent and capable of most activities in life she was unable to work and was supported to a large extent by her brother Israel Leonard until she married. The man she married was blind and was much younger than she and it was apparent to all that for him it was a marriage of convenience. Her life was unfortunately a tragic story.

JOE