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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 Cauthenjewish.interest@hcgsohio.org