The Rubin-Wilensky Family History Introduction
In 1881 and 1882 over 18,000 Jewish refugees arrived in New York City from Russia escaping the cruel persecution of the Russian Czar. These immigrants were primarily tradesmen who knew little about agriculture and were never allowed to own land in Russia.
The “Industrial Removal Office”, a United States organization that sought to encourage new immigrants to leave the large city center of New York and settle in the interior of the country in places like North Dakota.
Documents put Davis Rubin in New York City where he filed his declaration of intention to become a citizen after emigrating from Russia. Through luck or plan, used money from the Baron de Hirsch Fund* to make his way to Devils Lake, North Dakota. Thirteen years later, in 1905, Herman Wilensky also found his way to North Dakota and homesteaded near Williston, North Dakota. Again, land was free in North Dakota to the homesteaders.
September 5, 1909 Herman Wilensky married Ida Rubin, the oldest daughter of Davis Rubin
*Baron Maurice de Hirsch (1831 – 1896) lived in Munich, Brussels and Paris. He was a banker and a philanthropist. His total benefactions exceeded $100 million, mostly to Jewish causes. He believed that Jews would be better accepted in the New Country if they were more like the already existing population and that translated into farming.
Rubin Family
Davis and Bessie came from South Russia, near Odessa, in the State of Kherson (Kherson, Gaberna). Rubin was not the original family name, but instead was the name of the family that brought Davis out of Russia. It wasn’t until the mid 1800s, that Jewish families in Russia and Poland were compelled to take family names. And even at that, names were purchased to keep sons out of the Russian army and thus everyone in the family might not use the same name. Therefore, when people emigrated after that, they felt no great allegiance to this family name that had been chosen or thrust upon them, and changed it as they saw fit. Davis had at least one brother with whom he corresponded. The brother’s surname was Gordon and he lived in Egypt.
When Davis came to North Dakota in 1893, it was a territory. He left his wife and children in Russia and 8 years passed before he was able to send for them. The original homestead was very large and was located between Starkweather and Edmore, near Devils Lake. Davis’ plat was at least twice the 160 acres each homesteader was given. It was possible to purchase the land before the five years elapsed for $1.25 an acre. Apparently that is what he did. When his wife, Bessie, came to North Dakota, she also homesteaded an adjoining piece of property. Bessie claimed to be divorced in order to own property in her own name. Davis began by working on other farms in order to earn money for his property as well as earn some extra money.
Davis Rubin (1854 – 1936) married in Russia Bessie Waslowsky (1855 – 1919)
Their children:
Max – wife and children in Russia
Doba (Dora) – married Herman Adelman
Sam – unmarried
Ida (1886 – 1949) 1909 married Herman Wilensky (1882 – 1972)
Their children:
Marion (1910 – 2003) married Irving Ovitz (1906 – 1994)
Rozella (1912 – 2004) married Arnold Karol (1908 – 1993)
Sidney (1915 – 1998) married Shirley Salkin (1920 – 1998)
Pauline (1913 – 2006) married David Ziskin (1908 – 1988)
Bess (1920 – 2002) married Tony Barenbaum (1914 – 1996)
Full History in Why North Dakota by Dianne Ziskin Siegel
“Why North Dakota” includes siblings and family trees of both Ida Rubin and of Herman Wilensky.
View Full Wilensky Family Tree
View Full Rubin Family Tree