I also have an ancestor named Moses Pergament. His original name was Moische Parmet, but after being exiled from Vilnius, was forced to change his name by the russian army. I have a letter that was written to my grandfather almost 20 years ago about this. Here it is.
A number of years ago, you had supplied me with information on the family tree. You had asked me what I knew of Simon Parmet in the Orchestra Conductor from Finland. I made inquiry thru the Finnish Embassy to the Finnish Geneological Society. The researcher sent me photo copies of the family tree in Swedish and the address here in the States of Simon parmet's daughter Leila Parmet in Silver Spring Maryland. I had the Swedish Embassy translate the photo copies, but could not come to any conclusion of a relationship. Leila was sent to the States by her father because of WWII. She could not offer to[o] much information except that her father was fitted for glasses by our cousin Herman Parmet of Washington, D.C.
{To anyone reading this on ancestry, no, I don't know where the Swedish Family Tree is. I don't have it.}
Simon's brother, Moses Pergament, settled in Stockholm, Sweden. Evidently, he or someone in his family generated the document. The document showed that the Elder Moses Parmet, his grandfather, had been in the Russian Army and repatriated to settle in Finland with his name changed to Pergament by the Russian Army Authorities because the name Parmet is actually found in the Yiddish Didctionary meaning parchment [permentyon]. It was stated [that] Moses Pergament was buried in the Jewish Cemetery in Turku, Finland. The question confronting me is how to find out what is engraved on the Elder Moses Pergament's gravestone to find out his father and is he related to us?
Recently, [in] 2000, member of the Jewish Genealogical Sociteties went to Finland and surveyed all the graves in Turku and Helsinki and put them 'online', the internet, in JOWBR or Jewish On Line Burial Registry. He was listed as Moshe Chaim, son of Yehuda. No birth date but his death date is given as 1892. Leila Parmet believes he [w]as born in 1830, which is reasonable considering he spent 25 years in the Army, taken away at the age of 5.
We also know he was a wealthy man listed as a clothing trader and heavy contributor to the synagogue. So is he the son of Yehuda Leib Parmet, your great grandfather or not? [Yes he is].
The Legend of the Missing Parmet brother is that he was a radical, and was sent to Siberia as punishment He became prosperous in the fur market, and went to Canada. It was widely believed that the Parmets in the furniture business in Manhattan were his descendants. David Parmet of that branch is buried in Mount Zion Cemetary, Queens, NY, and his gravestone reads Eliezer as his father. They are no doubt some sort of cousins.
Moses Parmet is indeed the missing brother. Your father gave me information to resolve the mystery. When I was about 25, just out of the army working for RCA, I would sometimes come over Saturday night for supper. Your father would tell me stories about the family. He told me as a boy living at home in Philadelphia, a delegation came from the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue in Manhattan to find someone to repair the Torah. Your grandfather, Gershon Rueben, said he could. To make a long story short, its the Alepo Codex, which at that time was only known to Scribes of Syrian ancestry and not the Ashkenazic Scribes. He did the job.
Your father also told me that as a young boy, living in Minsk, this brother was visited by the family at the railroad station, and he had made a fortune on the Siberian Fur Market. He was not allowed to return to his ntive city, so the family met him at the railroad station. Your father never told me his name.
If we analyse realistically, Moses Parmet was that person at the railroad station. Because he had a Finish Passport, adn could speak fluent Russian, he would have no trouble trading in furs in Russia or Finland. He no doubt was this so called "Clothing Trader". He probably told the family he was on his way to Siberia, and they concluded he was sent there because he was a radical. Additionally, he probably told them he was going to Canada to trade in furs, This was the last he was seen or heard. He died two years later. This fits the time scale of your father's birth date. Moses Parmet knew he was going to die and wanted to see the family one last time. Moses Parmet probably never related this to any of his descendants except to say the family name was Parmet. This may seem far fetched to you, but it is not. The closeness of you to your brothers tells me this is a Parmet characteristic as I will relate further. During the 2nd World war, Dr. Morris Parmet of Allentown was called into the army. Uncle Dave took over his practice. During the war, Uncle Dave came to our house in Queens, and stayed over night. Mother said he was in New York for an AMA convention. He additionally visited my Grandmother Rebecca Weinstein Parmet, and reassured her that my aunt Ada (Ida) would eventually marry and not to worry. Shortly thereafter, he died. Solomon Parmet, of Allentown PA, knewUncle Dave quite well and related to Barry and myself that Uncle Dave was quite sick at that time. I check with Ruth Parmet David of Oklahoma of vehemently denied he ever came to New York for an AMA convention in her letters to me and that he was so ill that she had to drive him to his patients, no less travel to New York. I am sure it was Ucle Dave as my mother knew him quite well.
I have enclosed abrieviated Trees of our branch and that of Moses Pergament, also known as Moses Parmet.
Although you are not feeling so good, I have enclosed a self addressed envelope if you have anything you can add to the trees in the way of names or comments if you feel up to it.
I close with best regards from my family to yours.
Your cousin,
George.
