Last edit of this page 2021.FEB.26
Kate was born in 1873 to Peter and Rosa Lapidus Swiersky in Kobelnik, currently in Belarus. The nearest well-known town is Vilnius in Lithuania. The Swiersky family settled in Shamokin, Pennsylvania. As a young woman she was often called Katie.
The town Kobelnik has several different spellings in English. Vilnius is commonly called Vilna.
The Swiersky family name can be found as Swersky, Shversky, Shwersky, and likely others variations.
This 1899 receipt shows Katie’s sending money to a relative, Etke Lapides in Kobelnik, Svenchansky Uyzed (county) Welenskay Gubernia (Vilna’s province).
Kate lived in Shamokin, and Jacob worked in Reading. The towns are about fifty miles apart, and we do not know how they met. Jacob honored her with a $25 engagement ring.
This is their marriage license, November 30, 1899, issued in Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania. They give the same address, 241 Poplar Street. The reported ages do not quite align with other information. Jacob lists his origin as Odessa, and Kate lists Vilna.
The newlyweds lived for a while in Reading, where their two oldest children, Nate and Edith, were born. At some point they, along with Kate’s brother Abe Swiersky, moved to Mocanaqua and operated a store. After a few months, Abe moved to Norfolk, leaving the business to Jacob.
Abe Simon claimed his mother was the intellect in the family. Kate was extremely religious; she always referred to biblical sources. She read and translated the Torah portion each week to Abe. There were Torah books in Hebrew and Yiddish among her possessions.
Kate had ten children. Two died as infants and Philip (Pete) died of cancer at age 17.
This portrait of Kate was displayed in the family store, just over the desk where Nate worked.
Jacob’s portrait was displayed next to Kate’s.
Kate passed away on January 4, 1929. The cause of death was listed as chronic diffuse nephritis, with contributory arteriosclerosis. She and Jacob are listed at address 251 Lincoln Street in Wilkes-Barre. It is likely they used that location to be close to Wilkes-Barre General Hospital. Her age is listed as 50, but she was close to 56.
Kate is buried in the Holche Yosher cemetery in Wilkes-Barre.
Jacob’s stone is not next to Kate’s. As a suicide, custom required that he be placed at the edge of the cemetery. This photo was taken in 2009, the 50th year after Inga Nathan Simon’s death.
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