Hersch is my great-great-grandfather meaning he was the grandfather of my birth grandfather, Abraham Kessler.
Hersch was also known as Tsvi Hirsch. Both Tsvi and Hirsch mean deer. Tsvi is the Hebrew, while Hirsch is the Yiddish equivalent. At various times, he could have used both names or at other times, he could have used just Tsvi or just Hersch. The Hebrew was usually used for religious ceremonies, while the Yiddish was more often used with family and friends.
Our Hersch’s story starts with his birth around 1806. He father was probably Israel (spelled Jsrael) as there was an Jsrael Kessler living in Hersch’s home in 1855. If Israel was 71 when he died, he would have been born around 1784.
Hersch grew up in Brody in the Galicia section of the Austria / Poland empire. Galicia was known to be the poorest area of the region.
Hirsch was married twice. First to Briene (Braine, Breindel) Neshling (Neschling) (1813 – 1856). They had 9 children. All but 2 succumbed as babies. Their children were: Samuel (1838-1841), Chaim (1839 – 1840), Abraham ( b. 1841), Moses (1844-1848), Sara (1845 -1846), Pessie Lea (1847 – 1848), Chana (1848 – 1849), Nathan (b. 1851), and Simche (1855 – 1855).
From the Brody Jewish Census (1850 – 1857) we learn the birth years of Hersch and Breine.
Breine died at age 40 in 1856.
Hersch then married Judith (Hudit) Cohen and had at least 4 more children. At least 2 of them died young. From the birth record of their son, Israel Moses, we learn that Hersch was a grocer.
The surviving son of Hersch and Judith was Samuel, who was born in 1864. Samuel became my great-grandfather and would change his name to Kessler.
Their other children were Israel Moses (1857 – 1859), Jacob Joseph ( 1859 – 1899), and Rebecca (b. 1860).
To read what happened to Hersch’ surviving children, go to the Samuel’s Siblings page.