My husband’s grandmother was Chava Shlyakhova (1882-1964). (There are numerous spellings of the name, including Shlachovoy and Schlachawoj and “ova” is the Slavic suffix for females.) The good news is that it’s a rather uncommon surname.

I’ve been able to trace the line back to Mordko Shlyakhov, born in about 1790.  What I’m asking for help with, is the whereabouts of Chava’s siblings.

In order to get matzos for Pesah in the Soviet Union, my husband details an arduous process, including getting wheat from farmers, bringing it to a mill and then bringing it to the synagogue for baking. At some point in his childhood, even that became impossible. (This is always worth remembering for me when I’m grumbling about Pesah prep.) The family lore is that a sibling of Chava or the descendants sent them matzos from the US. They think the sender lived in Philadelphia and might have then had the last name Ehrlich. So I’m 1) trying to find the family that sent the matzos and 2) have a passenger manifest that may be the clue to 1).

Here’s what I know about Chava’s family. Her father was Simche and for her mother I’ve found both Zlata and Reyza Rachel. Per the records I think she died in 1902. They lived in the Tulchyn area of Ukraine before moving to Odesa, where my husband grew up.

I know of 4 or 5 siblings of Grandma Chava: Yankel Kopel Shlyakhov (seems to have died as an infant); Fira Esther (1896-1977), I know her descendants; it is thought there was a brother Nachum and another sister (I have no information about them) and a brother Markus/Mordkho  Shlyakhov/ Schlachawoj.  I have Markus’ Tulchyn birth record March 3, 1892. And it is Markus’ passenger manifest that is the dangling clue. He arrives in New York on December 5, 1913. He is traveling to a cousin, Annetta Warhaft,  (1891-1833)  also from Tulchin, and then I can’t find any further trace of him. Family lore has Markus ultimately dying in Palestine, but that’s all I have. I have found Annetta’s parents, spouse and children, but not a family connection with Markus. Her parents were Joseph Warhaft and Sarah Jennie