This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: mkraskin1 Surnames: Koushel Classification: biography Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.northam.usa.states.newyork.counties.bronx/618.625.1.1.2.1.1.2/mb.ashx Message Board Post: Hi dalebmc: Max was my dad. Max, Jack & Morris were the 3 boys. Jack was the oldest boy,the 2nd oldest in line. Morris was the baby. There were 4 girls: Ida ,Rose, Edith,& Rae. Their parents were Harris & Esther Koushel. They immigrated to Montreal Canada from Vilna Gubernia in Lithuania to Paris, then London. Jack was born in London. The reason why they came to Montreal was because Esther already had family there. Her maiden name is known as the Magill family, which is a big name in Montreal as they own a mega-contracting company. The name was longer, but I am not certain how it was spelled--it was pronounced Maguh-looker. Dad was not certain if the Koushel name was shortened or not. And any Koushel you meet seems to be "kin." By the way, the Montreal courthouse burned down at some point, so don't waste your time trying to get records from them. Harris was a tailor. Unfortunately, during WWI, Harris died of the "swine flu" that swept the world in 1917. This left Esther with the daunting task of raising 7 children, ages 16 to 1. Even more of a challenge was that as a young girl in Europe only the boys went to school (the girls worked the fields) and she never learned how to read/write. Life was a struggle, but they made the most of it. My dad would say that they got used to many midnight moves, and learned to be super-quiet when the landlord banged on the door. They lived in basements, as it was the cheapest rent. Because of living in those dark rooms, my dad always insisted that window shades be wide open to let in as much light as possible. Jack (who would have been around 14) taught my dad (who was 5) to say Yartzeit for their father, Harris. They would go in the morning to pray and the old men would give my dad pennies, that he brought home to their mother, Esther. (A penny bought a loaf of bread.) But it was their dream to immigrate to the U.S. They took a train and came to Philadelphia when my dad was 14. It is my belief that Jack came a year or so ahead of the rest of the family, as he was the oldest male. He was supposed to have gotten established, then start sending money to his family still in Montreal. But instead he fell in love and got married. Jack was married, divorced, remarried. He has offspring from both marriages. I really don't know much about Jack or his families as my Dad left the East Coast area after WWII. We met a few years before he died. As far as going back any further to Lithuania, no one in the family has managed to find anything. Hitler & his friends wiped out most of the Jewish population in that area. Hope this helps! Martha Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.