Kilka uwag na temat danych biografcznych Gabriela Firkowicza

Abstrakt

Gabriel Firkowicz (1818–1869), a Karaim, son-in-law and associate of Abraham Firkowicz (1787–1874), as well as manager of his fnances, is a relatively unknown figure, often overlooked or mentioned briefly, frequently with incorrect data and usually only in the context of his relationship with his famous father-in-law. Tis article attempts to define more precisely the dates of life, origin and functions performed by Gabriel Firkowicz. For this purpose, among others, original documents from 1764–1869 kept in archives in Vilnius and in private resources in Warsaw were consulted. The available studies of other source documents referring to the Karaims of Troki, Kukizow and Crimea allowed the author of this article to look at the Firkowicz family origins and the functions performed by the protagonist of this text. Publications contemporary to the character in question were also used. As a result, it was possible to determine the year of Gabriel Firkowicz’s birth and the exact date of his death as well as the place he was buried. Also at least two generations of his ancestors and their places of residence were identifed. Queries into address guides provided new data on his role of a Karaite hazzan, years and the places where he performed this function.