Leon Gatlan

This is my paternal grandfather, Leon Gatlan. This photo was taken in 1949 in Barlad and was posted on his train identity card.

My paternal grandparents were from Moldova, and they lived in Barlad. My grandfather's name was Leon Gatlan, but he was also registered as Leone in some records, and people called him Leibe. This was a Hebrew diminutive form. He was born in Harlau, in Iasi County, but he later moved to Barlad.

I don't know the names of any other ancestors of mine. I know that they were generally located in Moldova and spent the last part of their lives in Barlad. They had been living in Barlad for a long time. The house in Barlad was rather large and roomy as far as I could see, but how it looked is something I don't remember very well.

I don't know if they were landowners, but they did have some land which was a sort of leasehold. I saw a photo of my grandfather on a horse: he must have been either a landowner proper, or a leaseholder who took care of the estate.

I don't know much about my paternal grandmother. Frankly speaking, at my age, I feel sorry I didn't really talk to my parents about my grandparents when I grew up. Maybe this was also my parents' mistake. Now I have to make connections between the few things I heard and what I see in pictures. I try to make the best out of my few memories. My grandfather died before I was born, but I don't know in what year - I believe it was in the 1930s.