Overview
Morris Tenenbaum was born in Wysokie-Litewskie about 1896 and lived there until November of 1906. At that time, he, his mother, and his siblings departed for the United States to join his father, who had left a few years earlier.
In 1971, at the age of 75, he dictated an extended recollection of his family's life in Wysokie.
The memoir was published in Volume 3, Summer 2004 in the publication Upper Midwest Jewish History by the Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest (Linda Schloff, Director) reproduced here by permission.
Some important facts from the Memoir:
In 1900 the village had a very serious fire during a dark summer night.
The population in 1906 was approximately 200. [This figure is clearly too low. Perhaps he intended 2000 or 200 families.]
Except for the cobblestone paved main streets, all other narrow side streets were muddy most of the time and were just wide enough for a horse and wagon to squeeze through.
The village of Visoko, Litovsk, did not have even a single water pump. Water had to be carried in pails from the river. The river was also conveniently used as a laundry and for many...unsanitary purposes.
In 1902, the Tanenbaum family's business of wool processing and dyeing was becoming profitable. We had plenty to eat, and although the choice was limited, it was nonetheless satisfactory.
The family processed wool on a machine in their living room that was more than half the height of the room and at least twice as long.
