Maria Krych’s maternal grandfather

This is my grandfather, the father of my mother, Ajdla Meisels. I don’t know what his first name was. He could not have been very old in this picture - maybe in his thirties. I don’t know who took this photo. 

My mama came from a Hasidic family. Her maiden name was Meisels and, as it turns out, this was the family of the famous Rabbi Meisels. At first, I didn’t want to believe it, but it has been confirmed to be true. He was some direct relation, probably a great-grandfather. But I don’t know more details about my great-grandparents. None of them were alive during my lifetime. They all came from Lublin and dealt, in one way or another, with trade. I don’t know much about my mother’s parents. Mama’s dad was a very strict Hasid. Mama’s mother kept house. 

There were four sisters in the family. The oldest one was called Rywka, then there was Chaja and later Estera. Mama was the youngest. She was born in 1883. Her name was Ajdla – Adela. Rywka and Estera moved to Zamosc, where their husbands were doing business. Chaja stayed in Lublin but later she moved to Warsaw with her husband. They all died during World War II, nobody was left.