Max brought 4 of his siblings to the USA around the turn of the century, but was he able to get the rest of his family out of Latvia, or did they perish in the Holocaust?

Gussie Abramowitz Blieden was the daughter of Hirsch (Harry) Lev/Leib HaLevy and Yetta (Jetta) Shmarkovich (aka Etel Smekovitz). She had 9 siblings: Max, Sarah, Samuel, Abraham, Chana Mera (Anne Marie), Salmanm Leiser, and 2 other brothers.

Below is a brief summary bit about each one of them. To read the details of their life, click on their names under the “Gussie’s Siblings” menu above.


Five of the siblings, including Gussie, immigrated to the United States:

  • Max
    • circa 1866 – 04/03/1958
  • Samuel / Shimon
    • circa 1880 – 1/22/1933
    • Married Sarah Geffen and had 1 daughter
  • Gussie Blieden
    • circa 1882 – 2/22/ 1967
    • Married Harvey Blieden and had 3 children
  • Abraham
    • circa 1884 – 5/6/1934
    • Married Eva Poley and had 6 children
  • Sarah Freedman
    • circa 1886 – circa 1963
    • Married Charles Freedman and had 4 children

Two of the siblings stayed in the Riga, Latvia area:

  • Leiser
    • circa 1883 – 1941
    • Married Mera Khait and had at least 4 children
  • Salman
    • circa 1878 – 1941
    • Married Sheina Grin

One sibling got deported to Ukraine with her husband:

  • Chana Mera (married name unknown)
    • circa 1881
    • Husband’s name unknown but they had twins, a boy and a girl

Two siblings supposedly immigrated to South Africa:

  • Boy 1
  • Boy 2


Outstanding questions:

  • Why is there such a big age gap between Max and his known siblings?
  • What happened to Chana Mera’s family after she died and what was her married name?
  • What are the names of the boys who went to South Africa?