(Pictured above - Death Record for Dawid Tillinger)
So after working on my initial research into my 2nd great grandfather Aron Moshe Tillinger and his descendants my next logical step would be his father Dawid. As I mentioned elsewhere I didn't even know for certain that Dawid was Aron's father until I saw a picture of his headstone. At this point I can only make an educated guess that the Dawid in the above death record is Aron's father as well as the father of any siblings of Aron. It does list Dawid's parents as Judah Leib Tillinger and Chaje Rozje. I believe the name Judah is also a big clue as to the connection to Aron and, along with the name Chaje Rozje to Aron and Dawid's possible siblings.
When I first started trying to figure out who Aron's parents were my first clue/theory involved who I believe to be Aron's half-sister, Ruchel, who died a few years before his first child, Ruchel, was born. While Aron was born in Zabolotiv, Ruchel was born in Kolomyya in 1866 to Dawid and Etel Alterhaus and died in 1880 in Stanislwow.
I then began to look for other Tillingers who appeared to be the child of a Dawid and Etel. I soon found another possible half sister for Aron by the name of Beile born around 1869. While I was working on Beile's branch I discovered a few things. For one, Etel is actually Chane Etel born in 1849 to Schaje and Bruche and she was married to a man named Itzig Goldstein after Dawid. This is what leads me to believe that Ruchel, Beile, and their other sister Pessie, who I will get to, were half siblings to Aron since Chane is only 7 years older. So when Dawid married Chane he was either a widower or divorced, and subsequently divorced from Chane. Oddly his death record lists him as being married so I am wondering who this possible third wife is.
Continuing on in my research into Beile's famliy. I found that she married a man named Joseph Nachman. Together they had four children - Frimet, Juda (b. 1892 - 6 years after Aron's Juda), Mendel, and Mojzesz. In 1901 Beile passed away and shortly after married Beile's half sister through Chane and Itzig - Gittel Goldstein. While digging on JewishGen I found a descendant of Beile who was also researching Tillingers by the name of Ben Nachman, but he and I never connected before his death. I did however eventually get in contact with other family members of his, two of whom have done DNA testing which has helped with some of my theories. I also received scans of some of Ben's research notes which have proven to be helpful. This is also how I was able to verify that Beile and Gittel were sisters (technically half sisters).
The third half sister's name was Pessie, or as she was known in the US, Pauline. When I discovered she came to the US and lived here as Pauline I asked the son of my grandfather's sister Paula what her Hebrew name was. I was informed it was Pesya aka Pessie, which I believe is not a coincidence. Anyway Pessie married a man by the name of Mojzesz Bernstein from the town of Bolechow. Together they had seven children - (Bolded are found common names)
Szenya Rachel - born in 1888 (6 years after Aron's Ruchel) may have immigrated to the US but have not been able to find her yet.
Chaje Rojze - born in 1889 and married a man named Morris Schopenfeld with whom she had 3 children. I had the chance to speak to her granddaughter a few months ago but the conversation was not as fruitful as I as hoping going backwards in time.
Jakob - born in 1891and married a woman named Ethel Gross. I am still digging here. Also among the possible descendants of Judah Leib and Chaje Rojze there are a number of Jakobs born around the same time
Jossel - born in 1894 and only lived for a month
Fiszel - born 1895 and lived for about a year
Juliusz - born in 1897 which is later than the other Juda's and Julius's howeer Jakob was the name of Moses' father but not sure why they went with Jossel and Fizel before him, but naming patterns are a custom not a rule.
Izaak - born in 1899 and also a common name. Dawid also possibly had a brother named Yitzchak.
Next up: Dawid's siblings