Many of our ancestors lived in Bessarabia which includes Roumania and Moldova. This History of Jews in Bessarabia in the 15th to 19th Centuries Geography, History, Social Status by Yefim Koganis an excellent read. It is a 15 page PDF. While a bit ‘dry’ reading for the first 6 pages, the 18th Century history that starts on page 7 is most relevant to our known family ancestors.
If any of your ancestors listed on any documents that they were from Bessarabia, or Roumania, or Moldova, or ‘Russia’, or towns of Soroki, Otaci, and others, then this article will provide insights into how they lived before they or their descendants left for a new life in America or other countries. The extracts below are relevant to many of our known ancestors when they lived in Bessarabia.
In the middle of the 18 century, Jews from Poland were invited to settle in Moldavia. They were expected to found new towns and quicken the economic development of the country. They were offered: land on which to build synagogues, religious schools and ritual bathhouses, free cemetery plots, and several years exemptions from all taxes! Thousands Jews came to settle in Moldavia. They found 63 towns and villages! The peasants and small town people found the Jews indispensable, because Jewish merchants and shopkeepers provided them with the prime necessities of living. They sold to Moldavians iron utensils, rope, pipe tobacco, salt, rice, and leather boots. Jews also build small-scale industries.
By mid-century there was not a single Moldavian town or village without an established Jewish community.
At the end of 18 century, Russia took control of part of Moldavia territory, as a result of a petition from Moldavian princes. Formally the Moldavia/Bessarabia was not yet part of Russian Empire, but Russia influenced Moldavia/Bessarabia a lot.
1818 – Laws concerning Jews were issued by the Russian government in 1818 in “Regulations of establishing Bessarabia district”. Jews were required to join one of three estates, classes: merchants, petty bourgeois (townsmen), or farmers. In the same “Regulation” was stated that “…privilegias (privileges) given to Jews by Moldavian princes (gospodars), will be kept by entirety”, while the existent Russian legislation concerning the Jews did not apply, since Bessarabia had autonomous status. The regulations even authorized Bessarabian Jews to reside in the villages and engage in leasing activities and innkeeping, in contradiction to the “Jewish Statute” of 1804. They even could buy a piece of empty land for farming. Because of this regional autonomy, the Jews of Bessarabia were spared several of the most severe anti-Jewish decrees issued in the first half of the 19th century.
1818.
86% of Jews worked in trade and 12% in handicraft. Several industries were almost entirely hold by Jews: Grain Trade – 85%; Markets in Major cities -90%; Post Office – 100% Jewish; Vodka production and trade – 100% Jewish.
Russian Jews were allowed to move to Bessarabia, as Bessarabia become part of the Pale of Settlement (April 1835). Jews, as well as Gypsies were excluded from taking part in government (public) service. Jews who were removed from closed cities of Sevastopol, Nikolaev and moved to Bessarabia were given privileges (1830) as an exception from common rulings. Jews-doctors from these places were able to hold a government position.
It was most likely that after 1818 Jews were required to have hereditary surnames. Before that, in both Moldavia and Turkey, last names were not required. I found in some records that in second part of 19 century, the citizens of Moldavia (Romania), Turkey did not yet have surnames.
Jewish farming was very much developed especially since 1835, when the government gave different privileges to people who wanted farming. According to the new status, Jews could freely cross over into the farmer class without any restrictions. The new farmers could settle on crown, purchased, or leased land. Crown lands were set aside for Jews for an unlimited time for their sole use upon payment of taxes. In addition, in areas without much free crown land, Jews were permitted to lease or buy lands from private owners that they could select themselves. In this event, by investing their capital, they joined the rural community and became owners or renters of land.
Soroki was another old Moldavian town. The first mention of Jewish settlement in Soroki was in 1657. A synagogue was established in 1775. The Jewish burial society came into existence in 1777. In 1817 there were 157 Jewish families living in Soroki.
It is most probable that many Jewish families did not live in Bessarabia in 18 century, but arrived to that area from Galicia or Ukraine, or from other regions. There is also a possibility that some Jews arrived to Bessarabia from Germany with German colonists from the same German towns, and established many agricultural towns in Bessarabia in the 19 century.