CHAYT-CHAIT derivation

The Chayt - Chait Connection
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Back in Russia in the latter half of the 19th century our ancestor (my great grandfather) Avrum, had three sons, Herschel, Simcha, and by a previous marriage, Benjamin as shown in the partial tree diagram for the generations of Avrum, his children and some of their children.

Both had big families and both families eventually emigrated to the USA. But both families ended up with slightly different surnames. This is because they came at different times and, in particular, by different routes.

Avrum's surname as prounounced in Hebrew was something like "ckhh - ai - yet" (Means tailor - like - he who fixes clothes.) In Hebrew the "CH" is a crunching sound and the "AI" could be pronounced like "a" or like "i".

When you presented yourself at Ellis Island (New York - the gateway for most European Immigrants to the Northeast), the immigration officials checked your passport.

If the name was not in English or in a Latin based language like French, then the clerk might guess at the spelling as written in say, Russian.

Apparently when the children of Herschel arrived directly from Russia, their name was spelled CHAIT. However the children of Simcha came here via Paris. In Paris, at some point the spelling was infact changed from Chait to CHAYT.

Click here to see the records at Ellis Island that are recorded for immigrants with the last name of "Chayt." Note that Simcha was transliterated incorrectly to "Sunka."

The details of these generations can be traced from the following three pages derived from our Interactive Family Tree. You can link to any of the people in these pages, to follow their lineage up or down the tree.
Following that is a verbal description of the people and their lineage.

ELLIS ISLAND NEW YORK

Benjamin Chait (Fetter BENNY)

Herschel CHAYT

Simcha CHAYT

Here is what we know - as recollected by - I believe - Pauline Chayt, and corrected by Sylvia Fleishman. (This is excerpted from the Chayt Family History Book).

Faygel, Benjamin and Leah's daughter, married Ziska Dinep. They had three children, Harry, Sarah, and Al. Sarah, known as Sally, married Herman Nerenberg in the early 1930's. They have two children. Always kept to themselves. Harry Dinep married Lillie. They had two children. Martin and Addle, raised in Brooklyn (Bensonhurst). Martin studied medicine in Switzerland and became a practicing surgeon in Hartford, Conn. He married Kathy in Switzerland and have three daughters. Adele married Seymour Remz of Port Jefferson, N.Y. They now live in California and have two sons and one daughter. Harry died July, 1986. Al Dinep, the youngest, lost his wife soon after the loss of their only son. He has moved to Lauderdale Lakes, Florida. He married Eva Mendelowitz Besen, May, 1986.

Aaron -- married Pauline. He died of cancer a year or two after they were married. (no children)

Harry -- married Idie. They had two children, Mitzi and Irving. Harry was a successful shoe manufacturer in New York. Moved to California where they currently reside.

Willie -- married Fanny. He was a barber, also a gambler. They had two daughters, Gertrude and Jean. They had a son Benjamin who died at the age of 3.

They lived in Peekskill, New York. Willie and Fanny have died. Gertrude now lives in Fort Meyers, Florida, and Jean is still in Peekskill or Mt. Kisco, New York.

Abraham, known as (Abe der Klurer), married Fanny. They had two daughters and one son. Lillian, Gertrude and Dave. They live in Philadelphia. Abe died long ago. Fanny died in 1985 in her 90's. Lillian married Benny Wolfberg. They had a son Joseph and twin daughters. Benny died of Alzheimer's Disease in 1985. Gertrude is a widow for many years. She has two married daughters. Dave is married and has two daughters.

David, (Doodle), Fetter Benny's youngest son married Eva. They had two children, Martin and Harriet. Dave was a widower long before he died.

Fetter Herschel, Simcha's twin brother married Mima Freda. She was a sister of Ethel Chayt's (Dave Chayt's wife) mother. They stayed in Russia, their fate unknown. They had three daughters and one son. Their daughter Anna (Chanka) and their son Abe (the meshigener) came to the U.S.A.

Anna married Leon Matros (a Latvian). They had two sons, Abe and Benny, and one daughter, Esther. Anna died of cancer about 1960. Leon died 1985. Abe married Molly. They have three children. Benny was married more than once. He has five children. Esther married Jack. They have two children. Abe married Ida. They have two children. Sylvia and Nathan. Abe died many years before Ida. Sylvia married Sidney Fleisher. They had a son Marc and a daughter Karen. Nathan married Anita.

Manya Hoffman Wasserman -- her mother nee Chayt. First cousin to Simon Chayt. Manya was born in Lisinka, Russia. She and her brother Harry arrived in the U.S.A. July 1923, leaving a half-sister and mother behind. They settled in Coney Island with their Aunt Ckhassi Chayt Hoffman. Manya's mother and Aunt were two sisters who married two brothers. Manya married David Wasserman and had three children, Eleanor (Ellie) who married Ed Layton and had three children (two girls and one boy), Estelle and Jerry.

Harry Hoffman married Beatrice and had three children, Arlene, Brother and Jack. Beatrice died at age 50 soon after bearing Jack who is now 32. Arlene died in the fall of 1985 short of her 50th birthday and Brother died July 1986 short of age 50. Harry remarried to Ray. They live in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn.

Fetter Herschel, Simcha's twin brother married Mima Freda. She was a sister of Ethel Chayt's (Dave Chayt's wife) mother. They stayed in Russia, their fate unknown. They had six daughters, Anna, Paula, Nadia, Rosa, Fanny, and Betty; and one son, Abe. Their daughter Anna (Chanka) and their son Abe (the prankster) came to the U.S.A. The others remained in Russia, and probably some are still surviving!