Ida Rachelson

Ida Rachelson was born Peletz in Dvinsk. The 1897 All Russia Census lists three daughters in the Peletz family, Haja-Mariasha, Hana and Simka. Hana, the middle daughter is assumed to be Anna, or Annie Peletz who married Harry Rousga in London in 1907. It is assumed that the name Haja may have led to the adoption of the name Ida. That would leave Simka as the daughter who was left behind, and who never made it out of Europe before the holocaust.

The problem with this scenario is that it would put Ida and Annie several years older on this census than their later records in London or the US represent. Ida is given as born circa 1881, calculating her age from the US census document of 1920. Calculating from her (that Haja's) age in the 1897 All Russia census her birth date would have been 1875.

Annie's birth date, given by her on her marriage certificate in London in 1907 and on her US naturalization papers would be 1881. However, the imputed birth year from the All Russia census is 1878.

One possible explanation for this discrepancy is that in each case, the age of Ida and Annie is neatly one year less than their husband's. Since they probably arrived in London with little or no documentation, it is quite possible that they bent their ages to enhance their marriage chances.

• Reference: MyHeritage Genealogy - SmartCopy: Feb 8 2024, 9:12:32 UTC