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ACHIEVING SUCCESS INJEWISH GENEALOGY
Presented by Rick & Paul CauthenApril 15, 2018
Overview & Objectives
Case Study
Research Techniques & Overcoming Challenges
Local Jewish Genealogical Resources
History & Culture of the Jewish Community
If you have questions:
Please hold all questions till the end. If you need to, go ahead and jot it down so you won’t forget it.However, if you are confused or lost, then raise your hand. We don’t want to leave anyone behind.
LET’S TAKE A BRIEF LOOK ATSOME HISTORY OF THE
JEWISH PEOPLE
Historical Jewish CultureLived in Shtetls (Small Villages), sort of a Greenhouse Effect
Protected themselves from discrimination & persecutionTypically, one Rabbi served a ShtetlLife in a Shtetl exacerbated AntisemitismDifferent language & religion, Dressed different
Languages spoken: Yiddish (Ashkenazi), Ladino (Sephardic)Patrilineal/Matrilineal Naming – Lack of Surnames
Jews had names that changed generation to generationParents named their children after the dead, not the livingJews took surnames only when compelled to do so which began in Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1787 and ended in Czarist Russia in 1844By instituting surnames, Jews could be taxed, conscripted, and educated in that order of importance
Historical Jewish Culture cont…Distinctly EndogamousChurch records? Family Bibles? What are those?
Jews did not nor does it today keep systematic vital records except on rare occasionException to this was when government compelled Clergy to maintain
More importance placed on death than birth: Kaddish, Yahrzeits, & Headstones lacking birthdateMale births celebrated (Brit Milah & Bar Mitzvah), but not females Traditional Jewish Documents: Ketubah & GetOral Tradition of history (Example: I’m Kohen)
My parents forgot my own Hebrew nameThe Torah is the one true written documented history of the Jews that has been passed down
Ashkenazic vs Sephardic JewsFrom France, Germany & Eastern EuropeGerman Jews were first to arrive between 1820-1850Most North American Jews are of Ashkenazic descentBegan immigration around 1880Yiddish: Hybrid of Hebrew, German, & SlavicName children after the dead
From Spain, Portugal, North AfricaExpelled from Spain in 1492: Spanish InquisitionGenealogical research could be less challenging for North Americans depending on when your ancestors arrived
Jewish Pale of Settlement
What was it?
Jews had a history of displacement and faced significant discrimination:
Czar Nicholas II: Anti-Jewish campaignJewish Pale of SettlementPogroms: Riots against the JewsConscription: was a death sentenceUsed Jews as Cannon FodderHolocaust – Six Million Jews lost
Period between 1880 - 1924 is largest amount of Jews immigrating to the North AmericaPushed by increasing antisemitism & Pulled by Economic and Social promise
Briefly, What does this mean for Genealogical Research?
All record-keeping was local – must know your town of origin to find anythingOverlap of language, culture and changing political jurisdictions results in:
Wide variety in language and scriptWider variety in spellingAll compounded by modern indexers trying to decipher words not knowing in advance what it should say
Record survival is totally unpredictableYou can’t know until you look – specifically – if there are records for your town and your ancestor
JEWISH GENEALOGICALRESOURCES
Potential Local Resources
Jewish NewspapersObituaries, Marriage Announcements, Birth Announcements, Articles that may give you some new information that you never knewi.e. American Israelite, Cleveland Jewish News
Funeral Homes –Are there Jewish Funeral Homes in a given locality. If not, who was the most likely funeral homeIf so, are they still in business?Possible: Public & University Libraries, Historical Society, Local Genealogical Societiesi.e. Weil Funeral Homes
Sample
Uncover: Out of state deaths, Non-Jewish cemeteries, Shipped out of state, Cremations
Sample Funeral Home Intake Sheet
Where to find Local Archives?
Local Genealogical SocietiesLocal Historical SocietiesLocal LibrariesSample: American Jewish Archives
Local Jewish CemeteriesMost obvious resource, but often under appreciated. A favorite saying of mine: "Cemeteries are for the living as the dead have no use for them.“Look for centralized database for Jewish Cemeteries
i.e. Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati
Unlocking the Hidden Information Found on Most Jewish Headstones
The key to unlocking it is to read the Hebrew Inscription. What is found there?
Name of Father or maybe MotherJewish Calendar dates of death
Yes, I know what you must be thinkingWays to get this Hebrew Inscription translated
Basic sound information to help you… http://www.jewishgen.org/InfoFiles/tombstones.htmlGreat tool is Google Translate
Facebook Jewish Genealogy Groups…Jewish Genealogy Portal & Tracing the Tribehttps://www.facebook.com/groups/JewishGenealogyPortal/https://www.facebook.com/groups/tracingthetribe/
Unlocking the Hebrew Inscription Continued…
Found on Jewishgen.org is a section called Viewmate
http://www.jewishgen.org/ViewMate/May find a more higher skill level
Develop a relationship with someone who knows the language well: friends, relatives, rabbis, or genealogical cohortsGreat book available:
Segal, Joshua L. A Field Guide to Visiting a Jewish Cemetery: A Spiritual Journey to the Past, Present and Future. Nashua, NH: Jewish Cemetery, 2005.
Key Iconography Found on Jewish Headstones
Kohen or Kohain
High Priests, Believed to have descended from Aaron
Key Iconography Found on Jewish Headstones Continued…
Levites
2nd to the Kohanim
Sample HeadstoneHebrew: Leba bat Reb Aharon Leib niftar 11 Adar 2, 736
English:Leba, daughter of Mr. Aaron Leib, died 11th of Adar 2, 5736
CHALLENGES & RESEARCHTECHNIQUES TO OVERCOME THEM
If you have questions:Please try to hold all questions till the endIf you become confused or lost, then go ahead and ask your question
Jews as with Non-Jews will continueto employ all methods of US Research
Use typical sources: Birth, Death, & Marriage records, US Census records, City Directories, Naturalization records, Obituaries, Cemetery, Wills & Land records, Court recordsThe deeper your US roots, the more generations you will likely have success in findingBe aware that Jewish culture may have also affected American records creating challenges to your research
i.e. Impacted names
Talk to Relatives..
I know this seems obvious but it bears repeating. This actually can be one of the most important tools you have!Track down distant cousins. Find your Great Grand-parents and create descendant trees locating as many distant cousins as possible. Stories that have passed down from your Great Grandparents did not follow the same lines. Most stories usually carry at least a grain of truth.Can save you a lot of research if they can alert you to critical facts like NAME CHANGES!May give you the Ancestral Town your ancestor came from
So What’s in a Name?
Have you ever had trouble finding the name of an ancestor because the last name was spelled wrong? That’s just the beginning…Despite popular belief, NO, your ancestors didn’t change their name as Ellis IslandPassenger lists were created at the port of departure as well as port of arrival
So the names had to match
So What’s in a Name?Have you ever had trouble finding the name of an ancestor because the last name was spelled wrong?In Jewish Genealogical research, the issues with names can go far beyond just misspelling of last names. Jews may have changed names frequently!
Braunstein Brownstein BrownGershnabel KerchenbaumKugelfresser CugelmanIn past US History, their was no legal requirement to file for name changes
Quite often, the first name changed a great deal from the original name they used in the country whence they cameYour Jewish ancestors were raised with Yiddish names, Yiddish Nicknames, Hebrew names, European Secular names, English names, and English nicknames after arriving in North AmericaFirst & Last names were anglicized to fit in more to American or Canadian culture often since their names were difficult to pronounce in the vernacular.Of key importance, Ashekenazi Jews named children after the dead and never the living.
Certain Hebrew Given NamesAnglicize Easily
Aaron..…..…………………………אהרוןAbraham.……………………………אברהםBenjamin...……………………………בנימיןDavid..…………………………………דודJoseph.…..……………………………יוסףEsther...……………………………אסתרMose(s)…..……………………………משהNoah...…………………………………נחRachel.…..……………………………רחלRebecca…..…………………………רבקהSarah…..……………………………שרה
Other given names not so easy…Many given names had a much less obvious method to anglicizeAncestry.com: Jewish Name Variations
Ability to enter a Hebrew/Yiddish name from country of origin and be given names that they would have like become in English
Jewishgen.org: Given Names Databases (best one)http://www.jewishgen.org/databases/GivenNames/search.htmProvides the ability to determine possible names whether country of origin to US/Canada or US/Canada to country of originProvide versions of the name in English, English Nicknames, Hebrew, Yiddish, & Yiddish Nicknames, European Secular
We will be seeing a detailed example in our Case Study
Given Names Continued…
Sample case using name CHAVA in Poland:Hebrew name - חוה (Transliteration Chava)Yiddish nickname – Chavi or ChaveleEnglish Name – Eva, Eve, Evelyn, Clara, RaeEuropean Secular – Chawa, Anna, AnyaYiddish utilizes the Hebrew AlphabetSimilar Concept German using the Roman AlphabetYou need to be aware Transliterations are not an absolute since it involves two different alphabets. Often sounds in Hebrew/Yiddish can’t be perfectly be duplicated in English
The Case of the 5th Wife
For 30 years, I thought my Great Grandfather, Abraham Goldhoff, had 5 wives.
Sarah Solomon, Ida Kaminsky, Freda Bank, Rebecca Ortking, & Reva ArmstrongRelatives informed me that he had had 4 wivesI stated that I had found 5 wives
My late father told me from a photograph I obtained that the wife pictured was Rivka.Thus I thought Rivka must be RevaHowever, I could never find a death certificate for Rebecca Ortking, nor a marriage license for Reva & AbrahamSuddenly, it came to me that Rivka is Yiddish for Rebecca
What do you do if you look at a headstone like this?
The Jewish Calendar
If you are stuck with a Headstone that is entirely written in Hebrew, there is a good chance that the Hebrew date is written in the inscription.Once translated, you can use a Hebrew Date converter to determine the date according to the Gregorian calendar. You can locate one online at: http://www.stevemorse.org/jcal/jcal.htmlAgain, network online with Facebook Jewish Genealogy Groups to get a translation, but emphasize that you need the date of death. Be aware that since the Jewish Calendar is a Lunar Calendar, not Solar. If your ancestor died after sunset, it would be the next day on the Jewish Calendar
Crossing the PondTo begin any overseas research, youMUST find your ancestor’s place of origin.Eight potential sources to find the Ancestral Town they came from:1. Post 1906 Passenger Manifest – Ship Records2. Declaration or Petition for Naturalization3. World War 1 or 2 Draft Registration cards4. Social Security Application Forms5. Obituaries 6. Vital Records (Birth, Marriage or Death)7. Cemetery Landsmannschaft Sections8. HeadstonesYou must find both the Country, District, & City name – In other words, if all it states is “Russia” keep looking…
Crossing the Pond: 1. Passenger Manifest
1907 Arrival Manifest, Port of Baltimore
Crossing the Pond: 1. Passenger Manifest
1907 Arrival Manifest, Port of Baltimore
Source: National and Archives and Records Administration on Ancestry.com
Crossing the Pond: 2. Naturalization
1914 Petition for Naturalization
Source: National and Archives and Records Administration
Crossing the Pond: 3. Draft Registration
World War I
Source: National and Archives and Records Administration on Ancestry.com
Crossing the Pond: 3. Draft Registration
World War II
Source: National and Archives and Records Administration on Ancestry.com
Crossing the Pond: 4. SS Application
1938 Social Security Application
Source: Social Security Administration
Crossing the Pond: 5. Obituary
Newspaper Obituary
Source: Cincinnati Enquirer, Jan 2, 1951, pg. 6
Crossing the Pond: 6. Vital Records
Pennsylvania Death certificate
Source: Pennsylvania Department of Health on Ancestry.com
Crossing the Pond: 7. Landsmannschaften
Mount Zion Cemetery (Queens, NY)
Source: http://www.mountzioncemetery.com/societies.asp
Crossing the Pond: 7. Landsmannschaften
City-Based Societies: Białystok (Poland), Bogopol (Pervomaysk, Ukraine), Bohsliv (Bohuslav, Ukraine), Bolechow (Bolekhiv, Ukraine), Borszczow (Borshchiv, Ukraine), Brainsk (Brańsk, Poland), Brezow (Brezová pod Bradlom, Slovakia), Brisk (Brest, Belarus), Bucovina (region now split Ukraine/Romania), Buczacz (Buchach, Ukraine), Wishnaw (Vishneva, Belarus)
Crossing the Pond: 8. Headstones
Now if you are lucky…
Source: United Jewish Cemeteries Price Hill, Sect. J, Lot 1, no. 4
Identify modern & historical town name
Ultimately you need to determine the Proper Modern English Name of the town
Sample Case for a town in LithuaniaBe aware that when your ancestors arrived, clerks tried their best to spell the name of the town they heard.Names I had heard from where my Grandfather was born: Kurshany, Kurshan, or GershonUsing a Gazetteer found on Jewishgen.orgFinally able to determine that the modern town name was: Kursenai, Siauliai, Lithuaniahttp://www.jewishgen.org/Communities/LocTown.asp
Use of a Gazetteer
Use of a Gazetteer Cont…
Jewish Genealogical Research in Eastern Europe
Eastern European Research can be quite challenging. There are 4 typical ways to do research:1. Write to Archival Repositories2. Hire a Researcher3. Visit the country for onsite research4. LDS no longer lends out microfilm, however,
you can go to local LDS church to view digital copies (you will have to already know what you need)
Research Success Through Special Interest Groups
What are Special Interest Groups?After locating place of origin, you can locate Special Interest Groups to Join (locate through JewishGen)Connect with Town Leaders (Group Coordinators) that have in depth knowledge of available dataPotentially gain indirect access to overseas Professional GenealogistsPotentially gain access to Data not published on the web as of yetGain access to exclusive content member-only pagesOften expect to pay hefty donations
Lastly, Set Proper Expectations…
In Jewish Genealogy, you need to be realisticChances are, you are NOT going to find your 7th
Great GrandfatherRegrettably, there are not enough civil records to carry Jewish Lines back generation after generations, and we have few if any synagogue or temple records to carry us back in time.If you are lucky, you may have a line that descends from a prominent rabbinical familyHowever, like all genealogists, we never admit defeat. New records are always being discovered & indexed…Such as Weil Funeral Home (or Latvian Birth Records)
CASE STUDYAARON & EVA KERCHENBAUM
Kerchenbaum Family
Who do We Think They Are?™
Husband, Aaron Leib KerchenbaumWife, Eva Isacovitch; father: ZalmanCame to Canada from Sosnowitz, Poland after Aaron died5 known daughters: all came to Canada (eventually)2 Mystery Children:
The Runaway DaughterThe “Neighbor Boy”
Research Goals
Grow the TreeIdentify family members Add generations!Learn anything at all about their lives
Identify the Mystery Children
Sources of Starting Knowledge
Family loreNorth American Records
Daughter Lilly’s marriage Daughter Lilly’s naturalizationEva’s cemetery monument
Daughter Lilly Marriage Record no. 2
Source:Ancestry.comQuebec, Vital and Church Records
Daughter Lilly Naturalization, 1941
Source: United States. National Archives and Records Administration
Easy Gazetteer Find: Sosnowitz = Sosnowiec, Poland
Eva Kerchenbaum cemetery
Source: JewishGen Online Worldwide Burial Registry
The Brick Wall
Attempts to proceed beyond these facts unsuccessful, even using specialized tools like JewishGen and JRI Poland
Learn from our mistakes:Be aggressive with namesEyes and mind wide open when looking at results
Breakthrough
Joining area Research Group through JRI
Spellchecker can’t Help You!
From the master surname index for Sosnowiec: EJZYKOWICZ
Wow, what a difference!The Jewish name issue in a Nutshell:
Cyrillic Polish
Ейзыкович = Ejzykowicz =German English
[Isakowitsch] = Isacovitch
First Polish Document
Index Entry for 1913 Death Record in Sosnowiec
Year Act SURNAME Given Name Age Father Mother Spouse
1913 35 GIERSZNABEL Aron Lejb 53 Gersiek xx Chawa EJZYKOWICZ
Newer records are covered by Polish privacy lawsso information is shared as data only
JewishGen: Polish Given Names
JRI-Poland search
Results with Aron Giersznabel & Chawa Ejzykowicz
Town:
Żarki
Zarki Research Group: value added indexing
Żarki Marriages
Zarki Marriages -Sort- LDS film number
Year of reg Type Akt Surname Other surname
Given name City of origin
Father
Zarki Marriages 18081 1659547 1882 M 28 HERSZNABEL Abram Lajbus, 20
Brest Litowsk
Szaja
Zarki Marriages 18082 1659547 1882 M 28 AJZYKOWICZ Hawa, 20 Zalma, deceased
Father's living where?
Mother Mother's maiden name
Mother's living where?
Witness 1 Witness 1 surname
Witness 2 Witness 2 surname
Szyfra Mindla Berek, 52 SZWARC Szmul, 48 STASZEWSKI
Maria ERENFRYD
Hersznabel-Ejzykowicz 1882 Marriage Record
Source: Żarki Civil Records OfficeMarriagesLDS Film 1659547
Marriage Record details
Bride and Groom Names
Names of All Present
Translation courtesy CRARG
Zarki, 1882 Marriage Akt 28
I was in Zarki tenth / twenty-second August eighteen eighty-two year at ten o’clock morning Turned up personally Szyja Szwartzbarg Rabbi Synagogue District of Zarki and in presence of witnesses Berek Szwarc teacher fifty years old and Szmul Staszewski kantor forty-eight years old both residents in Zarki that yesterday was reached religious marriage between Aron Lejbus Gersznabel, bachelor, twenty years old son of [name of father not listed] Szifra Mirla nee [surname not listed] religious married Gersznabel resident in Brzesc Litewski and Chawa Ajzykowicz unmarried twenty years old daughter of deceased Zalma and living Maria nee Erenfrid former religious married Ajzykowicz.
Marriage preceded by three times announcements [banns] published on Brzesc Litewski and Zarki Synagogues’ at on Saturdays at time of meeting of prayer but exactly: twenty-sixth July / seventh August, third / fifteen July and tenth / twenty-second July current year and that no obstacle for this marriage. Newlyweds declare that no marriage agreement was reached.
Parents give permission for marriage verbally. Akt was read all of present and signature.Aron Lejbus Gersznabel Chawa AjzykowczSzaja Gersznabel Szifra GersznabelMaria AjzykowiczBerek Szwarc
Recap
Who’s your …. ProgenitorNot Aaron Kerchenbaum and Eva Isacovitch from SosnowitzBut Aron Hersznabel and Hawa Ejzykowicz from ŻarkiBut wait ….
Aron’s place of birth is Brest-Litowsk … uh-ohWe’re not in POLAND anymore, Toto!And where are the rest of the Żarki birth records for the children?
Back to JewishGen.Org
Belarus
Belarus Births database
GERSHNABEL, MovshaFather: Aron-Leib ; Grandfather: ShaiyaMother: Chava ; Grandfather: Zelman
Transliteration is making me crazy!
Гершнабел = Gershnabel (English) = Hersznabel (Polish)
Where are the Other Birth Records?
Kerchenbaum/Hersznabel portrait: Identifying the Children
Portrait: 5 known daughters, 2 unknowns
Child Date of Birth Place
Rachel/Ruchla Laja 1884 Żarki
Gertrude/Gitel 1885 ?
“Runaway daughter” ? ?
Charna 1890 ?
Sophie/Shifra 1893 ?
Moszek 1895 Brest (died Żarki, 1895)
Lilly/Leba 1898 ?
“Neighbor boy” ? ?
Zarki Births
Unbroken Record of Births
Brest Births
Untimely Gaps in the Known Documents
Beyond the Brickwall
Growing the Tree using Polish Records
Zarki Deaths, 1851. Akt 25. CZARNA ERNFRID, age 53. Note: left 6 children Witnesses: Herszlik Klisman, age 65, Michal Werner, age 37 (LDS Film 1199849)
Translation courtesy TJ Nowak via ViewMate (JewishGen)
Akt 25. It came to pass in the Town of Zarki on the thirty-first day of May in the year of one thousand eight hundred and fifty-one, at the hour of eleven before noon. Appeared personally Orthodox Jews Herszlik Klisman, a quilt-maker who at that time was sixty-five years of age, and Michal Werner, a shoemaker who at that time was thirty-seven years of age, who at that time both were residing in this town, and they declared that Czarna Ernfrid, a day-labourer, fifty-three years of age, a widow, had deceased on the twenty-ninth day of May of the current year, at the hour of nine in the evening, here in Zarki, leaving behind her six children, all of them major. There was ascertainment by eyewitnesses regarding the departure of Czarna Ernfrid. The present act was read aloud to those who appeared and subsequently signed by each of them.
Herszlik Klisman: (signed)Michal Werner: (signed)
Grandmother of Hawa Ejzykowicz (Eva Kerchenbaum)
Czarna Bomburg Erenfrid and her 6 children
Mother of Hawa Ejzykowicz (Eva Kerchenbaum)
Jewish Cemetery in Żarki
Given name Surname Town (location of cemetery)
Father's name
Sex Spouse's name
Miriam Reila EIZYKOWICZ Zarki Moshe F Zalman
Source: CRARG
CRARG = Częstochowa-Radomsko Area Research Group
1905
Postscript: Sample Record not from Poland
1886 Birth Record from Mitau, Courland, Russian Empire (Jelgava, Latvia)
Source: CRARG
Source: Latvijas Valsts vēstures arhīvs (Latvian State Historical Archives)
Postscript: Sample Record not from Poland
1886 Birth Record from Mitau, Courland (Jelgava, Latvia)
Source: CRARG
Source: Latvijas Valsts vēstures arhīvs (Latvian State Historical Archives)
Postscript: Sample Record not from Poland
OK, How did you find THIS one?
Source: CRARG
Source: JewishGen.org. Latvia Database. Latvia Births Index
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
SO WHAT DRIVES MY PASSION?
QUESTIONS?Presented by Rick & Paul [email protected]