The Matlovsky Name
From an email by Gerald Matlofsky to Ethan Matlaw, May 22, 2003.
From: Gerald Matlofsky <cmcm@cybrnet.net>
Sent: Thursday, May 22, 2003 4:31 PM
To: Ethan Matlaw
Dear Ethan,
Most of my research has been interviews and library research in Europe and Israel. The family is relatively easy to research since the name is somewhat rare. A brief summary: the name originates from the town of Matlowka, visible on pre-World-War-One maps of what is now south Lithuania, then East Prussia. Matlaw, Matlow, Matlovski, etc. are all variants. It means “from Matlawka.” “Matlofsky” is the variant of how the name would be written down by a person speaking and hearing in German. Most persons having the name come from towns near where Matlowka was — Vilna, Grodno, etc. The family had an important role in business affairs in Vilna. They were not scholars.
Matlowka was founded on or about 1830 by a Polish count who, as was typical, installed a Jewish family there to act as intendant (Arendar). My family was in Vilna, but my grandfather moved to Sirvint (on the road north) and was an orthopedic shoemaker. With WW1 he was separated from the family in Vilna. The Vilna family was mostly decimated in WW2. Few emigrated. We were the country cousins, as it were, and many emigrated to New York and later, Canada.
Over to you,
— Geraald Matlofsky