The Liebman –

Loveman Family

Introduction

The New Jersey Liebmans

The Cleveland Lovemans

The Southern Lovemans

Literary Lovemans

Loveman Merchants

Those Who Stayed Behind

 

Click on a name in either family tree below for more information on many individuals listed. For a full page, printable family tree, click here for the top tree and here for the bottom one. 

 

New Jersey and Cleveland Branches

 

 

Southern Loveman Branch

 

 
 

 

ewish settlement in Slovakia dates to the 11th century, but the earliest surviving records of a Liebman family in the Zemplén region – traditionally part of Hungary but today split between northern Hungary and eastern Slovakia – date only to the 19th century. Birth records can be found from as far back as 1840, and the 1869 Austro-Hungarian census, which survives for the Zemplén region, is a particularly rich source. It enumerates several Liebman families living in and around the town of Zamutov at the time, and tells a good deal about how they lived.

 

Two of these families, one headed by Izsak Liebman (1806-1883) and Rezi Guttman (1816-1855) and the other by his brother Jakob Liebman (1808-1881) and Yetta Karpel (1809-1881?) gave rise to many descendants who emigrated to the United States in the late 19th century and settled in New Jersey and Ohio, respectively. A third branch, descendants of David Liebman (1750-?) and wife Rezi (?-?), or Rosa, of the nearby town of Licartovce and his brother, another Izsak Liebman (?-?) and his wife Suve (?-?) of Drienov, fanned out to several cities in the American south. That these two branches were related is all but certain; exactly how they were related is not clear. Some family members from both branches remained in Slovakia, and in some cases met horrible fates at the hands of the Nazis.

 

This website tells many of their stories.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1910 maps of nearby Zemplén and Sáros Vármegye (counties) depict many small communities, including Zamutov (marked in a red box) on the Zemplén map above, and Licartovce and Drienov (depicted as Licsérd and Somos, respectively) on the Sáros map below. The New Jersey Liebmans and Cleveland Lovemans originated in Zemplén; the Southern Lovemans in Sáros. Click on the thumbnails to enlarge the maps.

 

 

 

 

The New Jersey Liebmans. Three of Izsak and Rezi Liebman's children sailed for New Jersey in the 1880s or early 1890s. They settled in the Newark area. Collateral surnames are Abrams, Greenwald, Plain, Newman, Morrison and Rackenberg.

The Cleveland Lovemans. Several of Jakob and Yetta Liebman's offspring headed for Cleveland, where many Hungarian Jews settled. Nearly all Anglicized the surname as Loveman. Cleveland Loveman women married Friedmans and Goodfriends.

The Southern Lovemans. Liebmans from two Saros County towns near Zamutov left Europe in the 1850s and stopped in Michigan and Ohio before heading further south. They became Lovemans and were prominent merchants in several cities in Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia. Collateral surnames include Rich, Mills, Black, Fleisman, Newman and Noa.

Literary Lovemans. Four Loveman family members achieved some renown and made real contributions to American literature. 

Loveman Merchants. Several southern cities once boasted Loveman's Department Stores, all established by family members.

Those Who Stayed Behind. Some Liebmans from both branches remained in Slovakia and Hungary. Most perished in the Holocaust, but several survived to bear witness to it. Collateral surnames include Friedman, Wirkman and Glueck, among others.


Photo montage at top of page: From left, Lena Liebman Abrams (1850-1920), Markus Liebman (1855-ca. 1888), Marcus Loveman (1851-1937), Rose Newman Alter Potter (1879-1977), Katie Glick Liebman Gottfried (1857-1922), Joseph H. Loveman (1881-1951), Robert Loveman (1864-1923), Bianca Noa Morehead (1874-1945), Renee Friedman Baroth (1895-1972).
 

Click on any underlined words in the site for more information. For acknowledgments and contact information, click here.