Welcome to the Appel or Eppel Home Page

Zagare, Lithuania

Family in Zagare

The family referred to here lived in Zagare, Lithuania. Father was David (presumably last name was Appel). His occupation was blacksmith. He came to U.S. briefly around 1900 to operate a grocery store in the area of Atlanta, GA. The business failed and he returned to Zagare. He was married four times, names of wives are unknown. He was evacuated to central Russia in 1915 by Russian army. He died, perhaps in Nijni-Novogrod of Typhus. He was responsable for 18 children, not all his. Some came with wives. Earlier wives died of various illnesses. My father, whose name was Meyer Eppel or Appel, was apprenticed to a carriage maker at age of 9 or 10. He served an apprenticeship as a harness maker. He left Zagare for U.S. in 1911, entering U.S. at Port of Baltimore. His half-sister, Jenny, lived in Bronx, N.Y. with husband Joe Levitt and two sons, Irving and Louis. Her maiden name was Berger. A half brother, whose last name was Berger(first name unknown) lived in St. Louis. Other relatives, another half-sister lived in Atlanta,GA. It is not known what connection is between Eppel and Berger. Perhaps Bergers were relatives in Lithuania.

Family in U.S,

Meyer Eppel married Ida Schwartz in Philadelphia in 1911. He worked at various blue collar jobs, including luggage maker. His entry papers to U.S. list him as a harness maker. In 1920, when he became a citizen, he listed his occupation as auto trimmer. He also changed his name to Appelbaum, and was known from then on as Meyer Appelbaum. He had five children of his marriage to Ida: Sam, Max, Sarah, Pauline, and David. Meyer divorced Ida and married Esther Kaminsky in middle 1920s. They had two childre: Noyma and Eugene. Meyer originally lived for many years in South Philadelphia. He lived with Esther in West Phil;adelphia and then at area around F Street and Roosevelt Blvd. He divorced Esther and married Olga ?? (maiden name unknown)in 1947. Sam died in 1980s. Other children and their wives and offspring live in Philadelphia area.

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