R. David b. Mordecai Twersky known as Red Dovidel of Talna (1808–1882) was the most celebrated of the eight sons of R. Menahem Nahum Twersky, founder of the Chernobyl Chasidic dynasty. Thousands of people came to his "court," which he maintained in luxurious style, even retaining a court jester. According to hasidic tradition his house contained a silver chair bearing the inscription in gold: David Melekh Yisrael Hai ve-Kayyam ("David, king of Israel, lives and is in existence"). This gave his opponents a means of denouncing him to the Russian authorities as a rebel against the government. He was thrown into prison and freed only after numerous appeals. In spite of his aristocratic way of life, he was a man of the people; his speech was flavored with popular proverbs so that it would be more readily understood by the common people. He was fond of music and brought to his court the most famous folk singers and musicians in the region. The Talna melodies became popular among both Hasidim and Jews in general. He several Chasidic works.

In 1847 the Shapira printing press was established by the three brothers Hanina Lipa, Aryeh Leib, and Joshua Heschel Shapira, sons of Samuel Abraham Abba Shapira, the printer in Slavuta. Until 1862 this was one of the only two Hebrew presses the Russian government permitted to operate in the whole of Russia, the other being in Vilna. This press had 18 hand presses and four additional large presses. In 1851 Aryeh Leib broke away and established his own printing press in Zhitomir. In these two establishments only sacred books of every kind were printed. During the years 1858–64 the press of the two brothers printed a beautiful edition of the Babylonian Talmud together with the Halakhot of Isaac Alfasi, while between 1860 and 1867 Aryeh Leib printed an edition of the Jerusalem Talmud.