This is the first part of my research into the various Gorelik families.
Gorelik was quite popular last name within the 19th century Bobruisk district. In fact based on the information we have it was the #1 common last name in Parichi and the second most popular last name in Bobruysk after Katzenelsons.
Name meaning and origin
The root of the word Gorelik is believed to come from the Russian word "goret" which means "to burn", thus indicating a fire. Thus a theory and sometimes a family lore which says there was a village that was burned down by the large fire whence the inhabitants settled elsewhere taking the name Gorelik. Fires within the wooden 19th century houses were unfortunately common, therefore there might be some truth to this story. Considering large concentration of Goreliks I assume the village in question was also located in Bobruysk district. Furthermore based on some earliest records from Parichi, at the time when people were accepting last names, some 90% of Parichi residents were Goreliks. In addition I have an eyewitness account from Parichi which indicates Goreliks were still very common name there. For this reason I can assume that village in question was located in the vicinity of Parichi in Bobruysk district. Of course there might be several such villages...
The riddle of my family origin
My great-grandfather was born in the small village called Zhilichi c.1895. The village was located between Bobruysk and Rogachev district centers, but closer to Bobruysk. The village did not have Jewish community, therefore my assumption is that his family only temporarily resided there. In few years his father died and the mother took kids and moved to Rogachev where she owned a store. Later on he married and moved to Parichi where there were plenty of Goreliks but none related.
What will be covered
Thus while I'm hoping to uncover my own family origin, this research will concentrate on the town of Bobruysk itself. The purpose is to enumerate all the various Gorelik families available from records of Bobruysk residents. Armed with the records, logic and common sense I am hoping to either find their common ancestor or which is more likely conclusively prove these were several unrelated families. Stay tuned!