Where the family came from, until 1846
Ludza
A town in the east of present-day Latvia, then part of the Russian Empire. The family lived there until 1846, when David Zmud moved south.
The family lived in Ludza, a town now in eastern Latvia that then belonged to the Russian Empire. In documents of the period it also appears as Lutzin or Lucin. It had a large and long-established Jewish community.
In 1846 David Zmud left Ludza. Together with other Jewish families from the same area he moved south, to the agricultural colonies the Russian government had opened in what is now Ukraine.
Ludza is also where Falk, his son David and his grandson Koppel were born, and where the 1816 census that would confirm who Falk’s father was should be found.
What happened here
- c. 1797
Falk Zhmood is born
Falk Zhmood is born, the oldest documented ancestor of the direct line. His name reaches us through a single word in the 1858 census: “Falikov”, son of Falik.
- c. 1818
David Zmud is born in Ludza
David Zmud is born in Ludza. He is the one who will make the journey south.
- 1846
David leaves Ludza
David leaves Ludza (Lutzin). With other Jewish families from the same area he moves to the agricultural colonies the Russian government had opened in what is now Ukraine.