Location in Russia?

[MonicaL]

I was reading this https://jewishjournal.com/commentary/opinion/311649/6-million-and-me/

Thought you might find it interesting (sad too for sure).

Monica

[Karen McDonald]

Could it be:

The answer to Q(uestion) 10 is (obvious?)
(being/leaving/having?) no (movable?) estate
whatsoever.

Tricky. 

[Bookbox]

Mr Benjamin Solomons ^No. 146 Caledon Str. C.T.^ husband of
deceased, states that she left no assets
whatever. The answer to Q 10 is wrong
there being no movable assets
whatever.

[MonicaL]

From your last clip, following the death of Sarah Solomons. Similar details show at the bottom of her death notice that you have www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSQ6-PBCR?i=638&cc=2517051

Sarah died at her parents house didn't she, 180 Hanover Street?

Monica

[hf789]

Thanks for the responses. I think you are spot on Bookbox.

MonicaL - That is awfully sad. I suspected it would be extremely difficult to trace him in Belarus, but it seems that it will be impossible bar perhaps a ship record from whereever he departed.
I'm not certain he was Jewish but it's very likely. His children were Baptised in an Anglican church and my G'GM was not Jewish. His first wife (if Sarah) was Jewish though. His surname "Solomon" was not his original surname either.
The story in the family is that he deserted the Russian Army, but its certainly possible he was part of the Belarussian Jews that escaped from Eastern Europe in the late 1800s.

MonicaL- 2nd comment - Yes, if you  skip ahead 3 pages from that document you will see the transcript that I asked for help with 

[Ruskie]

Good sleuthing everyone!

hf789, have you taken a DNA test?

[hf789]

Good sleuthing everyone!

hf789, have you taken a DNA test?

Edit on my previous comment - he was definitely Jewish according to my family. There are records that exist i.e. Russian 1897 census which include Grodno region, so hope is not completely lost. Need to work on his surname first.

I have not taken a DNA test.

[Bookbox]

The Belarus database at JewishGen.org shows two Lekhovitzky households in Slonim recorded in 1850 – too early for your man, but they may be earlier generations of his family.

As regards the name-change, it is possible that the first name of your Benjamin’s father was Solomon, and that Benjamin took it as his surname when he dropped the Lekhovitzky – a fairly common practice.

The JewishGen Family Finder shows 4 researchers chasing the Lekhovitzky surname (and variants) in Belarus, though none of them mentions Slonim as a place of interest. It might be worth your trying to make contact through the site.

Despite what people may tell you, JewishGen is a completely free resource for everyone to use. You need to create a log-in the first time you use it.
https://www.jewishgen.org

[Ruskie]

I would strongly recommend that you take a DNA test hf789. Testing Benjamin’s closest living descendant as well, (if this is not you) would be a bonus.

Most people test with Ancestry, but a I know from my own DNA results that My Heritage throws up a lot of Jewish matches, many living in Belarus, Poland, Lithuania, Israel etc …. as well as America and elsewhere. You might find that you get matches related to Benjamin who might know the original surname for example.

My Heritage is an Israeli company and I think many Jewish people are probably seeking family matches, hence the large numbers of Jewish testers.

If you test with Ancestry, FTDNA or one of the others, you can upload your results to My Heritage if you do not test directly with them.

I have only one Jewish great great grandmother. My Heritage estimates 9.6% Ashkenazi and although ethnicity estimates should only be seen as a rough guide, this percentage tallies quite well.

I’d say the majority of my MyHeritage matches are Jewish, though many are very distant cousins and unlikely to be traceable.

Anyway, this is omething you might like to consider.