A little bit about our ancestors
by Michael Levin, great-grandson of Tsal and Nekhama Kaplun
Silver of Tsal Kaplun (around 1865)
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We presume that Tsal (Betsalel) Kaplun (c.1840-c.1908) came from Zaslav to Krasnostav. Sometime in the beginning of the 1860's he married Nekhama, and they had their first son, Meyer. At that time, Jewish young entrepreneurs, singles and couples, from large shtetls and towns went to smaller shtetls and villages to create new businesses and develop production infrastructure. Young men were also moving to another shtetl to be marrying into a wealthy family. This could've been the case for Tsal as well, since, Tsal married Nekhama (c.1843-c.1880) , probably Nekhama Rybak, whose family, according to the 1858 census records, lived in Krasnostav.
Nekhama passed away after the birth of their fifth child. Two of Nekhama's granddaughters were named in her honor: Nekhama Grin/Segal and Nekhama Kaplun/Luvish. |
Gitel Kaplun/Valdman (around 1945)
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According to custom, the widowed father was supposed to find a new mother for his children, and sometime after 1878 a young widow, Perl (c.1855-1919), and her daughter, Gitl (1874-1947), joined the household. Perl, an active and kind homemaker, bore Tsal another five children and died in 1919. She was under the age of 65. She left a trace in the family in the names of her granddaughters and great-granddaughters: Polya Kozel, Polya Kaplun, Polya Menaker, Polya Luvish, and Polya (Tanya Kutman's daughter).
Whenever a child was born (or, perhaps, only when it was a boy), Tsal bought a silver cup. Two of his cups are preserved in Haifa by Tsal's great-grandson (Shiva's grandson) Joseph Vilkhov. |
Elek Kaplun (c. 1917)
Moyshe Kaplun (1940)
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During their years in Krasnostav, Tsal's family grew even more prosperous. After Tsal's death, his sons, Elek (c.1865-c.1926) and Moishe (c.1872-1941), were the village's wealthiest inhabitants. They lived in neighboring two-story brick houses, which had been built, presumably, during their father's lifetime. They owned shops as well as a windmill. Meyer (c1858-?), the oldest, most likely left Krasnostav while his father was still alive. We know from a book written by Tsal's great-grandson, Peter Segal, that, after their father's death, Moishe and Basya (c.1874-1941) inherited the windmill.
Tsal Kaplun left behind nearly 60 grandchildren. The exact number is unknown because we know next to nothing about three of Tsal's children: Meyer, Mikhlya, and Rosa. In 2017, we found by DNA descendants of Mordko Kaplun/Max Kaplan from Krasnostav. We presume that he was a descendant of Nekhama Kaplun (Rybak) family, because his Y chromosome belongs to the other Kaplun family lived in Krasnostav.
Mordko immigrated from Russia to Lowell, MA in 1912. The name Tsal is borne by his grandchildren, Tsilik Kutman, and Tsunya Kaplun, who died in the Red Army even before WWII, and his great-grandchildren Tsunya/Semyon Kaplun and Tsal Segal, who didn't return from the war. Tal Segal, who now lives in Israel, is named after Tsal Segal. When I was in Shepetovka in the summer of 1961, I asked Tsal's youngest daughter, Shiva (1897-1979), to explain why my mother had so many relatives, and how we were all related. |
Fishel Kaplun (around 1940)
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Shiva Kaplun (around 1955)
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Aunt Shiva drew me a family tree, which I've maintained ever since and continue to expand.
In the summer of 1983 Zunya (Fishel Kaplun's son (1892-1943)) and Polya Kaplun (Gitl Kaplun's granddaughter) came to Leningrad for Slava Vilkhov's wedding. I gave Zunya a copy of the tree, and thereby drew him into this fascinating pursuit. Once he had immigrated to the US, Zunya wrote his memoirs of our family history. |
