Withdrawn. Manuscript, Circumcision Ledger of the Pressburg Community, 1829-1851 (During the Times of the Chatam ...

Withdrawn. Manuscript, Circumcision Ledger of the Pressburg Community, 1829-1851 (During the Times of the Chatam Sofer and the Ketav Sofer) – Many Records of Descendants of the Chatam Sofer

Withdrawn.

Manuscript, ledger recording babies born and circumcised in the Pressburg community between 1829-1851. [Pressburg, ca. 1851]. German.
The ledger contains records of over one thousand five hundred babies, including many grandsons of the Chatam Sofer, some of whom he circumcised himself. Amongst the descendants featured are the sons of the Ketav Sofer, the sons of R. Shimon Sofer author of Michtav Sofer, and the sons of R. David Tzvi Ehrenfeld (see below for more details).
The title page states: "Register, Geburts Protokol – Lit. B" (Register, Birth Protocol – B).
A paper label is affixed on the front cover, stating: "Register zum Verzeichen. Beschneid. Bücher-Auszuges" (Register of Circumcised, Summary of the Books).
The title page and other leaves bear stamps of the Orthodox Jewish community of Pressburg (in Hebrew, Hungarian and German).
The ledger contains a detailed list of approximately 1700 boys, born and circumcised in 1829-1851. The register is organized alphabetically according to surnames, and lists the name of the child, name of the father, serial number and year of birth.
Many descendants of the Chatam Sofer appear in the lists, including the following grandsons (some of whom he circumcised himself):
• Four sons of R. Avraham Shmuel Binyamin Sofer ("Sam. Wolf Schreiber"), son of the Chatam Sofer, rabbi of Pressburg and author of Ketav Sofer: "Jacob" in 1839 (p.30a) – R. Yaakov Akiva Sofer of Myjava; "Moses" in 1841 (p. 30b) – R. Moshe Sofer, expert mohel, founder and president of Machzikei HaDat in southern Transylvania; "Bernhard" in 1842 (p. 31a) – R. Simcha Bunem Sofer, rabbi of Pressburg and author of Shevet Sofer; "Simon" in 1850 (p. 32b) – R. Shimon Sofer, rabbi of Erloi (Eger) and author of Hitorerut Teshuva.
• Two sons of R. Shimon Sofer ("Simon Schreiber"), son of the Chatam Sofer, rabbi of Kraków and author of Michtav Sofer: "Jacob" in 1839 (p. 30a) – R. Akiva Sofer of Pápa, last child to be circumcised by the Chatam Sofer; "Moses" in 1840 (p. 30b) – this grandson is unknown and probably died as a child. He was presumably the first grandson to be named after the Chatam Sofer (see below).
• Five sons of R. David Tzvi Ehrenfeld ("Dav. Hirsch Ehrenfeld"), son-in-law of the Chatam Sofer: "Samuel" in 1834 (p. 7b) – R. Shmuel Ehrenfeld, rabbi of Mattersdorf and author of Chatan Sofer; "Samuel" [sic] in 1839 (p. 7b) – R. Shaul Ehrenfeld, rabbi of Szikszó; "Jacob" in 1842 (p. 8a) – presumably R. Akiva Ehrenfeld of Budapest; "Abraham" in 1844 (p. 8a) – no details are known about him and he presumably passed away as a child; "Josua" in 1850 (p. 8a) – R. Yeshaya Ehrenfeld, rabbi of Šurany and author of Shevet Sofer on the Torah.
• Other grandsons of the Chatam Sofer (such as the Kornitzer and Geiger families).
One of the interesting facts which emerge from this ledger is that R. Shimon Sofer, author of Michtav Sofer, had a son named Moshe, who apparently passed away at a young age and therefore is undocumented in later years. The register records that this Moshe was circumcised in 1840, soon after the passing of the Chatam Sofer (who passed away in October 1839), and is therefore the first grandson named after the Chatam Sofer, and not R. Moshe son of the Ketav Sofer (as is recorded in Chachmei Transylvania, p. 161), who was born on Passover 1841.
A baby's portrait is sketched (in pencil) on the verso of the title page.
[1], 38 leaves. Approx. 34 cm. Good condition. Stains and wear. Marginal creases and tears. Title page and several other leaves repaired with tape. Original binding, with minor damage and wear.