Cojocari, Timofti

Timofti Cojocari was born in about 1860.  We are not 100% certain where but it is likely that he was born in Bucovina in the Suceava area.

Timofti’s life

Birth (~1860)

Timofti Cojocari was born in 1860. We are also not certain where he was born but it is a safe assumption that it was in the in the Suceava area of Bukovina within the Austro-Hungarian Empire. We do not know who his parents were or how many siblings he had.

What’s in a name

The given name ‘Timofti’ is believed to be the Romanian version of ‘Timothy’ whose origin is Greek meaning “honoring God” or “in God’s honor.”

We must assume that Timofti’s parents were members of the Orthodox Church and chose his name by either naming him in someone’s memory or following the tradition of selecting given names from the Bible. In the New Testament, Timothy was a close companion of the apostle Paul and is mentioned in several of Paul’s letters. He is considered one of the most prominent figures in the early Christian Church and is often referred to as the “disciple of Paul.”

The surname ‘Cojocari’ is derived from Slavic kožuh(ar), from the root of kožuh, meaning ‘fur’. It is a Romanian/Moldovan surname generally meaning someone with the occupation of furrier (animal skins and pelts) and more specifically someone who makes heavy winter coats or vests which are called ‘cojoc’. Cojoc are typically made of fur or sheepskin.

Wedding (~1885 or before)

Timofti married Elisaveta Cosmachuk but we are not sure when. Maybe one day we will find some better information but until then we can make a guess!

Using the birth date we have for his oldest son, Nicolai “Nick”, 28 Jan 1886 we can guess at the year of their wedding therefore being 1885 or before provided that we make the following assumptions:

• Elisaveta didn’t become pregnant with Nicolai until after marrying Timofti
• Nicolai is a product of Timofti and Elisaveta and not of some previous marriage
• No babies were born prior to Nicolai which did not survive – therefore, Nicolai was their first-born

If we can assume the wedding was in 1885 that would mean that Timofti was about twenty-six (26) years old and his bride Elisaveta Cosmachuk was around twenty-one (21) years old when they wed.  These ages are a little old for a first marriage during that period by a few years in our opinion but we can only speculate as to why.

Children

Timofti and Elisaveta raised nine children to adulthood.  They had five boys: Nicholai, Ion, Constantine, Vasile and Ilie and four girls: Daphne, Annica, Rachela and Verona.  It is likely that Elisaveta had more babies that didn’t survive as this was common during the period and there are some ‘gaps’ between the birthdates of their surviving children.

Three sons leave for Canada (1906)

In about 1906 Timofti saw three of his oldest sons, Nicholai “Nick”, Ion “John” and Constantine “Costan” leave to immigrate to Canada.  They may have been looking for a more prosperous life, avoiding conscription into the army or a bit of both.  Nicholai “Nick” was about twenty years old, Ion “John” about eighteen and Constantine “Costan” would have been around sixteen.  We do not believe that his sons ever returned to their village again.

Like many young people in that region of Romania they looked to escape the turmoil in Romania and travel to Canada to make a new life.  The first months of 1907 saw a peasant revolt begin in the Suceava region of Romania flare and then be put down by the army. 

Rachela leaves for Canada (1924)

Timofti and Elisaveta agreed to the marriage of their daughter Rachela to a man in the area.  The man was said to be a lot older than Rachela who might have been only thirteen or fourteen when she was wed.  It was also said that Rachela was very unhappy and her husband mistreated her.  She begged her father to help her escape the marriage.

He father told her to sell some of her cows and to buy passage to Canada to join her older brothers.  As far as we know she followed his advice, arrived in Canada in 1924 and never saw her husband again.

Death (1918)

Timofti died at the age of about fifty-eight (58) in 1918.  1918 is a year where a great many people died around the world due to the Spanish Influenza epidemic.  Perhaps Timofti was yet another victim.

Timofti was survived by his wife of thirty-two years Elisaveta, nine children, nineteen grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

Timofti is buried with his wife Elisaveta, his son Ilie and Ilie’s wife Ileana in a family plot in Liteni Cemetery, Comuna Moara, Suceava County, Romania.