Of Esther's four brothers, three changed Rubinson to Robinson. Only Milton "Mickey" Rubinson (1908-1969) stayed in sync with his father Maurice (1874-1963). Sam (1906-1992) and Ben (1910-1980) used "Robinson" once they married and moved out in the 1930s. Youngest brother Norton (1914-1998) used "Robinson" when he enlisted in 1942.
Were these first-generation Americans trying to downplay their Jewishness, or were they following the example of their grandfather, Rubin Robinson (1850-1934). Maurice's parents and siblings, residents of New York City, switched to "Robinson" sometime between the 1900 and 1910 censuses.
Rubin's only other known male relatives were the five sons of Eliyahu from the town of Pilviskiai, Lithuania. Four settled in Des Moines or Boone, Iowa, and kept "Rubinson." The fifth, Chaim Reuben of New York City (1861-1919), switched to "Robinson" in 1908, switched back to "Rubinson" in 1910, and switch to "Robinson" for good in the mid-1910s
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How odd that the Des Moines family kept "Rubinson" but the New Yorkers did not.
It is important to understand that all these immigrants first used "Rubinson" in America. Had they originally used "Robinson," which sounds like "Rabinson," we might think they were descendants of a "rabin" or rabbi.
"Rubinson," however, simply means "son of Reuben." Reuben ("Re-u-ven" in Hebrew) was the firstborn son of Jacob in the Book of Genesis. Thus, it is fair to assume there was a Lithuanian Jew named Reuben whose sons were legally required to adopt a surname. In Jewish Lithuanian vital records, surnames became common in the 1820s. If these sons of Reuben were heads of households in the 1820s, this original Reuben may have lived most of his life in the late 1700s.
My ancestor Rubin (son of Benjamin) and his relative Chaim Reuben (son of Eliyahu) probably received their first name, as well as their surname, from the same deceased ancestor.
It is unfortunate the 19th Century vital records have never been found for Pilviskiai. Those birth, marriage and death records could have verified that my Rubinson ancestors were also from that town. The records might have also shown the exact relationship of the Benjamin and Eliyahu branches.
There does exist a 1908 Pilviskiai directory. It lists no "Rubinson," "Robinson" or "Rabinson," but it has listings for Berko Gilel Rubinovich and Shlema Shepshel Rubinovich. "Rubinovich" is a Russian surname that also means "son of Reuben." Considering that the town passed from Polish to Prussian control in 1795, to Napoleonic control in 1807, and to Russian control in 1915, it is no surprise to see a mix of Germanic and Russian surnames.
American immigrants from Pilviskiai can sometimes be identified by ship manifests and passport and naturalization documents. From those sources I found three Rubinovich brothers (Moses, Louis and Meyer, sons of Joseph) who lived in Chicago as "Rubin." Meyer used "Rabinovich" when he sailed to America.
The use of "Rubinovich," "Rabinovich" and "Rubin" by the same family teaches us that surnames were recognized by their meaning rather than their exact spelling. And because Pilviskiai had just 67 households in 1797, anyone with any variation of "son of Reuben" could be paternally related.
My mother was told her ancestors used something other than "Rubinson" or "Robinson" before immigrating to America. It is certainly possible they used a Russian version in Russia and a Germanic/English version once they left for the German ports en route to New York. What is more certain: It doesn't even matter.
