The Genealogy of the Monkovsky Family

Beile Monkovsky

Chiam Pesach Monkovsky Family. First row from left: Udis, Mrs Monkovsky, Chaim Pesach Monkovsky. top row from left: unknown, Lachie, unknown woman, unknown man, Esther, unknown girl.

Some of Rose Krause's family
 members in Poland.

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My mother-in-law, Lillian Krause Gerstein, was a member of the Monkovsky family.  Her mother, Rose (Karbovsky) Krause was born to Beile and Velvil Monkovsky in Szczuczyn, Poland, The town was known as Shtutzin in Yiddish. When she was born, it was a part of the Russian Empire, added to Russia by the third partition of Poland during the reign of Catherine II (The Great). That was the end of the Kingdom of Poland, and it disappeared from maps until after World War I. Rose was a member of the Stuchiner Society in Chicago and is buried next to her husband Avrom, in the Stuchiner section in Jewish Waldheim Cemetery in Chicago.

Szczuczyn was a town of 3,336 people in 1900, shortly before Rose and her husband immigrated to the United States.  It is about 45 miles northwest of Bialystok, the town which gives the bialy its name, and about 60 miles due west of the present day Russian border.
Velvil and Beile Monkovsky had six children, of which four immigrated to the United States; one to Tel Aviv, Israel, and one to Argentina. Rose Monkovsky was born in 1887, Fanny in 1890, Jacob (Jake) in 1891, Eva in 1912, and a daughter, name and birth date unknown.  I do not know anything about the children who did not move to the United States. Velvil had at least one sibling, Chiam Pesach, and he had seven children.  I do not know the history of this branch of the family.

Rose married Avrom Karbovsky, a baker, in Szczuczyn in either 1902 or 1903 and immigrated to Chicago in 1903.  She and Avrom had six children, Mollie, William, Paul, Florence, Lillian, and Jack. Jack served in the army in World War II, participating in the Battle of Saipan. The best known person in this branch of the family is Jerry Krause, son of Paul.  He was the General Manager of the Chicago Bulls during the Michael Jordan era and was honored as the NBA Executive of the Year.

Fannie married  Abraham Center, a tailor,  in Chicago, and had two sons, William (Red) and Eddie. Red and Eddie were in the coffee supply business.

Jacob, known as Jake Markin, married Sarah and had two children Betty and Victor Markin.

Eva married Joe Krause,  and had two children, William (Vee) and Beverly.  Joe, born in England, was a cousin of Avrom, Rose's husband.  Joe was a jeweler and Eva worked at Marshall Field's in Chicago, in the department that made chocolate candy. Beverly was a model and a buyer for Marshall Field's.
One of unknown children was a daughter who married Yankel R__.  The surname was changed to Ross. I do not know anything about this daughter, and Jack Krause, who gave me information about the Mankovsky family, could not remember her name.  There were three children, Libby (Lillian), Velvil and Paul.  Libby served in the US Army in World War II as a Private First Class. Jerry Fretzin, her husband also served in the Army in World War II.

Family reunion--1950's.  Front row from left: Fannie Center, Mrs Velvil Ross, Esther Center, Estelle Center, Libby Ross Fretzin, Lillian Gerstein, Rose Krause.  Top row from left: unknown woman, Abe Center, Velvil Ross, Eddie Center, Red Center, Jerry Fretzin, Beverly Krause Miller, Herb Miller, Dave Gerstein, unknown woman.

Wedding of William Krause and Muriel Friedman.  Rose Krause is to the left of the bride,  Avrom Krause is behind Rose and the bride, and Lillian Krause is in the second row on the left. 

In closing, I would like to share an article I found in the Chicago Tribune on May 14, 2013.  It explains so poignantly why I research my roots and study genealogy. Click on the following link to read the article. Remembering the Blessings of Our Ancestors.

Information for this entry came from my research, Jack Krause and Libby Ross Fretzin, who identified some of the people in the oldest pictures.