The Jacobson Family from Mir, Belarus

The Jacobsons lived in Mir, a small town about 30 miles south west of Minsk. At one time Mir was in Lithuania. It became part of the Russian Empire early in the 1800s. After WW I it came under Polish control. It was occupied first by the Russians and then the Germans during WWII. Then it became part of the Soviet Union. The town now is in Belarus.

Яакобсонъ Yaakobson/Jacobson in Cyrillic Alphabet print and script (below)
Jacobson in Cyrillic

Many family members left Mir in the 1880s and settled in Des Moines, Iowa. More came to Iowa in the next generation. Most of those who remained in Mir, Belarus were murdered in 1942.

My grandfather came to Iowa as a boy of about 14 in 1884. As far as we know, his father Yaakov Zanvil/Jacob Samuel Jacobson and his mother Rifka Becker/Zaetz Jacobson never again saw him or any of their four children who emigrated to America.

Two other Jacobson children who were born in Des Moines, went to Mir with their mother, after their father, Solomon Jacobson, died. The boy returned to the US when he was 18. His sister was married in Mir, Russia and lived there until she and her husband died in the influenza epidemic, 1918-19. They left three offspring, who were raised by their grandmother. One boy survived WWII as a Polish soldier in Russia. His descendants live in Israel and the US.

Descendants of this Jacobson family from Mir live in Iowa, Oregon, Illinois, Michigan, New York, California, North Carolina, Georgia, Washington, Florida, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Arizona, British Columbia and Israel.
Ancestor Jacobson & wife of Ancestor Jacobson
  Jacob Samuel Jacobson/Jakov Zanvil Yakobzon (~1830 - ) & Rifka Becker or Zaetz (~1833 - )
    Hyman Isaac JACOBSON (1853 - 1936) & Sara Caplan (1861 - 1939)
      Benjamin JACOBSON (1886 - 1957)
David Jackson JACOBSON (1891 - 1942) & Irma Baigley (1905 - 1947)
Joseph James JACOBSON (1894 - 1975) & Frances Berk
Minnie Roslyn JACOBSON (1895 - )
Ella Blanche JACOBSON (1897 - 1996)
    Malka (Mollie) JACOBSON (1859 - 1957) & Isaac Jacob Chapman (1861 - 1928)
      Dorothy Chapman (1888 - 1965) & Jacob Stark (1878-1947)
Ben Chapman (1889 - 1943)
Nathan (Nate) S. Chapman (1890 - 1966)
Mary Chapman (1895 - 1983) & Benjamin Hurwitz
Sara Chapman (1896 - 1995)
Isadore (Iz) Chapman (1898 - 1989)
     Moses JACOBSON (1868 - ) & Fredricka (1863 - 1913)
      Leo JACOBSON (1892 - 1920)
Lilyan JACOBSON & Edward Seymour Sacks
     Joseph JACOBSON (1869 - 1932) & Bessie (Batia) ZOLOTOROFE (1871 - 1931)
      Elsie R. JACOBSON (1898 - 1973)
Jacob Samuel/Samuel J. JACOBSON (1900 - 1953)
Edna JACOBSON (1903 - 1987) & Samuel Zechnowitz (1893 - 1976)
Sydney M. JACOBSON (1903 - 1945) & Leona SAXON (CIECHANOWICZ) (1909 - 1992)
    Minnie Jacobson (aft 1859 - ) & Michael Chertok/Czertok
      Noah JACOBSON/Noach Chertok (?-1937 Iowa) & Pesha (Bessie) Harkavy (1876 -1940 )
        Jacob Zavel Chertok (became JACOBSON) (1899 Mir - 1970 Illinois) & Helen Borchardt
Libby Chertok (became JACOBSON, then Chartok) (1900 Mir- 1983 Iowa)
Dorothy JACOBSON (1907-1994) & Samuel Swartz
      I.M. JACOBSON/Isaac Moses Chertok (1880 Mir- 1929 Iowa) & Rose Carpe (1889 - 1974)
       

Mary JACOBSON (1907 - 1974)
Ben JACOBSON (1909-2010) & Mildred Westerman (1911-2006)
Sol JACOBSON (1911 - 2000) & Freda Osherow (1917 - 2007)
Robert JACOBSON (1915-1983) & Esther Osherow (1915-1995)
      Sol JACOBSON/Solomon Chertok (abt. 1883 Mir- 1962)
    Itkah JACOBSON (?- 1942 H) & Avram Eskolesky/Iskolsky/Iaskolski (1867 - 1942 H)**
       

Ula Eskolesky (1901 Mir -1943 Warsaw Ghetto) & Yosef Katzenelenbogen
Ezra Eskolesky (1904 Mir - 1995 Petach-Tikva, Israel) & Rifka Chahass
Gerszon Eskolesky (1917 Mir - 1942 Mir H)
Chashke Eskolesky (?-1943 Forests of Belarus, H) & David Itzkowicz (abt 1900 - 1944 Poland or Germany)
          Chana Itzkowitz (1927 - 1942 Mir, H)
Izul Itzkowitz (1929 - 1942 Mir, H)
        Batia Eskolesky & Leib Kreinowicz (1903-1942 H)
          Elizabeta/Liza (1927-1942 Mir, H)
  Malka Sorah Jacobson & Benyamin Helfant/Toubes*
    Minnie Fagel Toubes (1857- ) & Julius Lewis (married in Mir) She and children lived in Omaha, NB after 1909
     

George Lewis (1885-?)
Bertha Lewis (1893 - 1975) &Harry Shamberg (1888 - ?)
Ben Lewis (1895- ? US)
Sara Lewis (1898 Mi r- 1984 US) & David Cohen (1889 -1968 )
Aaron Lewis (1899 - 1940 US) & Dorothy Gendler (1907-1981)
    Hayman Toubes (1866 Mir- 1954 Des Moines, Iowa) & Pauline Rabinovich
      Benjamin Toubes (1900 Russia- 1987 Des Moines, Iowa) & Lena Levine
Abraham Akiba Toubes (1907Des Moines, Iowa - 1993 Des Moines, Iowa) & Yetta Kimmel (1913 - 1999)
    Louis Toubes (1868 Mir - 1945 Des Moines, Iowa) & Fannie Jacobs (1876 Poland - 1959 Des Moines, Iowa)
      Sarah Mollie Toubes (1899 Des Moines, Iowa-1992 CA) & Morse David Levitt ( - 1972)
      Irene Toubes (1901 Iowa - 1995 Iowa)  & Benjamin Sideman (1897 - 1975))
    Raisel Toubes (1868 - 1951) & Unknown Lewis (married in Mir) Later lived in Tennessee
      Benjamin Lewis
Joseph Lewis
Sonja Lewis & unknown Van Buskirk (lived in California)
  Chaim Ariah Jacobson or Chaim Leib Jacobson
    Joseph L. Jacobson (1850- ?)
      Anna
    Solomon Jacobson (1856 Mir - 1895 Iowa) & Shoshanna/Susie Davidson (1858 - abt 1940 Belarus)
   


Elise/Lena Jacobson (1888 Des Moines, Iowa - 1918 Mir) & Ruben Garber (1883 - 1918 Mir)
        Zelda Garber (~1909 Mir - 1942 Baranovich H) & Moshe Stoler, ( H)
          Reuven ( - 1942 Baranovich H)
       

Masha Garber (~1910 Mir- 1942 Baranovich H) & Aaron Yakomovetcki (- H)
Moshe Garber (1913 Mir - 1997 Israel) & Sara (- 2004 Israel)    
      David Jacobson (1890 Des Moines, Iowa-1971 Chicago) & Ida Kurzband (189 6- 1970)
        Harold/Herschel/Hershey Jacobson (1921, Chicago IL - 1971) & Sylvia
        Leonard Jacobson (1924, Chicago- 2007 IL) & Florence Green (1922- 2011)
    Moses L. Jacobson (1865 - 1929 DM Iowa) & Ida Jacobs (1874 Poland- 1931 DM Iowa)
      Harry Jacobson (1898 Iowa- 1962) & Ruth Sara Bernstein (1903-1993)
Libbie Jacobson (1899 Iowa- 1993 Iowa) & Al Miller
Ruth Jacobson (1903 Iowa-1966) & Bill Bernstein (1893-1968)

The people in the blue rows above are related, but I do not know for sure if they are siblings or cousins.

People born in Mir are in bold

The Jacobson/Yakubzon family below came from Mir, but Srol moved to Rubezhevichi, according to the birth records for his twin sons. It is likely they are related to the Jacobson family listed above.

  Girsh Jacobson/Yakubzon
  Srol Jacobson/Yakubzon & Sora Minia
    Abram Jacobson/Yakubzon (1904 - )
Sheftel Jacobson/Yakubzon (1904 - )

H after a date indicates that this person was killed during the Holocaust.

*Benyamin Helfant was adopted by a Toubes family who did not have a son. It is said that this was done to avoid being drafted into the Russian army.

** This Eskolesky/Iskolsky/Iaskolski family is related to the Itzkowitz family from Mir and is probably related to another Eskolsky family in Mir.

If you recognize any names, have details to add or want more information about this Jacobson family, please contact me at: rkimble@uoregon.edu

For information about the shtetl of Mir and old photos, visit the Mir Belarus web site. Click for photos of members of this family on the website.

updated January 2024

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