Are Shavlan and Siauliai the same place?

[Judith Caplan]

Ellie Weld <elli...@gn.apc.org> wrote:

> I would like to know whether Shavlan, Russia and Siauliai, Lithuania
> are the same place (the relevant date is the mid 1860s). My paternal
> grandfather, Isaac Aaron RUBINSTEIN, was born in Shavlan, Russia. His
> father, Israel Judah RUBINSTEIN, was a rabbi.

SNIP..............................................

I just checked <<PINKAS HAKIHILLOT LITA>> from Yad VaShem.

a) in the back in English b) and on the corresponding page,
are the modern names of an article in Hebrew, with
towns in Lithuania the Hebrew/Yiddish name

Siaulenia p. 672 Shavlan or Shavlany
Siauliai, p. 658 Shavel
Sila p. 683 Shil
Silale p. 683 Shilel
Silenia 686 Silan or Shilan
Silute 213 Heydekrug

Similarly Schoenburg's <<LITHUANIAN JEWISH COMMUNITIES>> yields:

SHAVLAN (SIAULENAI) -- Shavli district

as well as SHAVLI (SIAULIAUI) -- District Capitol.

Based on these two similar, even identical listings in two major
reference works, it would be reasonable to conclude that the shtel of Shavlan
may well be Siaulenai, instead of Siauliai.
I did try to check the lists of "From the Rabbinate" in Schoenberg,
but I did not see a mention of Rubenstein in the Shavlan list. Of course, none
of these lists are going to be complete, as they are just surveys of some of
the more well-known names.
You might want to write to the Lithuanian Archive to see if they have
any documents for your Rubenstein ancestors in Shavlan.
Bona Fortuna with your search.
Judi Langer Caplan, Long Beach, NY 11561
(Judi...@aol.com)

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