CLUES FOR SEARCHING
THE BEST JEWISH GENEALOGY RESOURCES:
WEBSITES, BOOKS, and FAMILY HISTORY CENTERS
This site is being updated, please check back soon!
SPEAKER'S HANDOUTS
Linda Serna November 22, 2015 Speaker's Notes Note: to print notes for meeting: Select and highlight material, Copy, then open a blank Word document and paste. You can then print the document.
Linda Serna, APG Association of Professional Genealogist [email protected] 714-504-7060
• Start here in America first—thoroughly exhaust all records here before looking at records from country of origin
– Family stories and records; Vital records: birth, marriage, death; Census records; Immigration or naturalization records; Passports; Newspapers, especially ethnic newspapers; Ethnic genealogy societies, churches and clubs; Fraternal organizations; http://www.familysearch.org which has digitized many foreign records;
Foreign Gen Web and other foreign websites
Family Stories
• Family legends are not usually created out of thin air
• They almost always contain some truth
• Listen not only for where family came from but for language and customs
• Look at heirlooms and pictures handed down
– Eg. Candlesticks or bookends—is there a date, craftsman or place engraved on bottom
– Photos—is the photographer’s name and/or locality on photo
• Look for spellings of names before they became Anglicized
Family Records
– These include: Certificates; Family Bibles; Diaries; Passports; Letters, especially if they have postmarks; Photographs; Obituaries
Vital Records
• Look for birth, baptismal, marriage, death certificates or records in your family’s possession
– Birth records list place of birth; death records may list origin for decedent and parents
• Send away for documents available in the USA
– Be aware of when records began in the state in which your family lived and died
Census Records
• Prior to 1850 (as early as 1820), census records had a column to be checked for those who were foreigners not naturalized
– This can give a clue as to when they immigrated;
– Then, one can look for immigration records
• 1850, 1860, 1870 census records give country of origin of person
• 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930, census records list the country of origin of person and their parents
Immigration and Emigration
• 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930 census records give year of immigration
• The year given is not always 100% accurate but it is usually close
• From 1820 to 1892, immigration records into New York can be found at: http://www.castlegarden.org
• From 1892, immigration records into New York can be found at: http://www.ellisisland.org
• Don’t forget other ports of entry (Philadelphia, Baltimore, Boston, New Orleans, Charleston, Galveston, etc.)
– Indices to passenger arrival lists for all ports available on FHL or NARA (all of these indices are cards which have been microfilmed)
– Lists themselves available on http://www.immigrantships.net and http://istg.roots.web.com/ (the Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild which currently has over 3,000 transcribed ships’ lists from 1600s to 1900s)
• Check the last page of passenger lists for births, deaths, marriages at sea and stowaways
– Lists of detainees (which include unescorted women) are also at the end of lists
– If a line is through an entry, the émigré never boarded the ship
Emigration
• Emigration ports and the ethnic groups they served:
– Naples: Italians, Greeks, Syrians
– Bremen: Poles, Czechs, Croats, Slovaks, and other Slavs
– Liverpool: Irish, British, Swedes, Norwegians, Eastern European Jews
– Hamburg: Eastern European Jews, Scandinavians
• What port they used depended on ability to get to the port
– Look at waterways (rivers) and rail lines to help determine port
• Hamburg lists of people leaving are available on http://www.ancestry.com
• Searchable index available only for 1877 to 1914 currently but earlier records available
• Between 1850 and 1934, Hamburg averaged 35% of all German emigrants, some years 50%
– Lists are either direkt or indirekt
– Direkt means they went straight from Hamburg to their overseas destination, sometimes stopping at Le Havre in France
– Indirekt means it was a smaller boat to another European port, usually Hull, England, then train to Liverpool, then across ocean
– About 10% went indirekt because it was less expensive
• Immigrant Ancestors Project (http://immigrants.byu.edu/) uses emigration registers from archives in Spain, Italy, France and Portugal to locate information about birthplace of immigrants
• Other passenger departure lists
– Bremen (1904-1939): searchable database Die Maus (http://www.passagierlisten.de/) English option
– Bremen (1834-1875): “Bremen, German Deaths of Sailors and Ship Passengers” database
Ancestry.com (includes birthplace, residence, cause of death)
– Antwerp (1855): “The Antwerp Emigration Index” FHL 1183596 Item 1
– Stettin (1869-1901): “Germany, Pomerania Passenger Lists” digital images, Ancestry.com
– Le Havre (1750-1775): “Le Havre-some passenger names found in crew lists” FHL, 1 film
Emigration Indices
• Examples from Germany (use translation tools where necessary):
– Baden-Württemberg: “Emigration from Southwest Germany” database (http://www.auswanderer-bw.de/auswanderer/)
– Alsace (1817-1866): “Alsace Emigration Index” Card index to emigration records of Europeans traveling through Alsace region of France (FHL, 7 films)
– Baden (1866-1911): “Baden, Germany Emigration Index” database, Ancestry.com
– Brandenburg (1794-1949): “Brandenburg, Prussia Emigration Records” database,
Ancestry.com
– Hessen: Hessisches Archiv-Dokumentations-und Informations-System
(http://www.hadis.hessen.de/) In Schnellsuche (quick search) box, enter a surname
– Pfalz (1500-1900s): FHL, many films
– Württemberg (1800s): “The Württemberg Emigration Index, vol. 108” database,
Ancestry.com (extracted from permission to emigrate records on FHL films)
Naturalization
• 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930 and 1940 census records list naturalization status
• Check http://www.fold3.com or http://www.ancestry.com for naturalization records
• Records also available through National Archives—NARA
• Most people went to the court closest to them, usually a county court.
• Most researchers will find that their ancestors became naturalized in one of the following kinds of courts: county, supreme, circuit, district, equity, chancery, probate, or common pleas court.
Location of Naturalization Records
• County Court Records might be at the county court, in a county or State archives, or at a regional archives
• County Court Records are also held at NARA
• Federal Court Records naturalization indexes, declarations of intent, and petitions in the NARA regional facility for the State where the Federal court is located.
• INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service) became the BCIS (Bureau of Citizenship & Immigration Services), and is now the USCIS (U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Service)
• USCIS has records after 1906 and their naturalization records duplicate those found in naturalization courts throughout the country. USCIS holds a variety of citizenship records, among them records relating to derivative citizenship, resumed or restored US citizenship, or loss of US citizenship
Naturalization
• Naturalization is not required. Of the foreign-born persons listed on the 1890 through 1930 censuses, 25 % had not become naturalized or filed their first papers
• The naturalization process did not have to happen in one court, or in one state. Not all aliens became citizens, and not all completed the process once they started it.
Special Cases
• Wives and minor children:
– Derivative citizenship was granted to wives of naturalized men.
• From 1790 to 1922, wives of naturalized men automatically became citizens. This also meant that an alien woman who married a U.S. citizen automatically became a citizen
• Between 1907 and 1922 an American woman who married an alien lost her American citizenship, even if she never left the United States
– Derivative citizenship was granted to minor children of naturalized men.
• From 1790 to 1940, children under the age of 21 automatically became naturalized citizens upon the naturalization of their father
• Minor children could also derive US citizenship if their mother married an American citizen
Passports
• Many people traveled back and forth between America and the old country
• Sometimes, they obtained passports, but not always
• From 1789 through late 1941, the Constitution required passports of citizens only during the American Civil War (1861–1865) and during and shortly after World War I (1914–1918)
• There was an absence of a passport requirement under United States law between 1921 and 1941
• The contemporary period of required passports for Americans under United States law began on November 29, 1941
• Check http://www.fold3.com and http://www.ancestry.com for passport records
• Look for passports for people leaving a country
• Examples from Germany
• Bremen port: “Register of Passports” 1862-1905, 1910-1921, Dec 1924-Sep 1936; places of residence throughout Germany (http://www.passagierlisten.de/) 75,445 records
• Hamburg area: “Reisepaβ-Protokolle, 1851-1929” FHL, 323 films; applications with indexes, required for Hamburg residents
• Württemberg, Stuttgart area: “Reisepässe und Visum, 1845-1920” FHL, 18 films; includes people from throughout Württemberg
Ethnic Newspapers
• Use Google to find collections
• Use ProQuest which is available for free at some family history libraries and other public libraries
• The Immigration History Research Center collects and maintains on microfilm a substantial number of ethnic and foreign language newspapers, many of which may be obtained through interlibrary loan (http://www.umn.edu/ihrc)
– University of Kentucky libraries has some online databases (http://libguides.uky.edu/ethaltnews)
• Also, look at: http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/
Ethnic Societies, Churches and Clubs
• One reason to join an ethnic society
– There may be genealogists there who have been researching an ethnic group for years and can offer valuable guidance
– One source: Federation of Eastern European Family History Societies http://feehs.org
• Use Google to find other societies (Eg., Polish Genealogical Society; Genealogical Society of Hispanic America)
– Check histories of cities and towns to find names of ethnic churches (Eg. St. Albertus and St. Josaphat churches in Detroit, Michigan were Polish churches)
• Clubs:
– International House lists ethnic clubs and organizations (http://www.ihclt.org/resources.php?cat=49)
– Use Google to find other ethnic clubs and events
Fraternal Organizations
• Many times people joined an organization in order to get insurance or other benefits
• The organization often required members to fill out applications—some were more extensive than others
• One question on the application was usually “place of birth” and people were specific when they answered
• The records may be with the organization (if it is still operating) or they may have been turned over to an ethnic society or association or a library or archive
• Maybe your family had an insurance policy listing the fraternal organization name
• If not, check city directories from the time period to find social and benefit organizations that might have been of special interest to your ethnic group
• If the group is still around (maybe under another name), contact them for records
• If the group no longer exists, check libraries, archives or other repositories in the area or check ethnic associations to see if the records were sent to them
• Example:
• Massachusetts Catholic Order of Foresters (started in 1879) to provide insurance benefits to Irish immigrants
• Renamed Catholic Order of Foresters in 1960
• Company still exists but records turned over to the Irish Ancestral Research Association (TIARA) for preservation and to allow access to researchers (http://tiara.ie/forest.php) Records only available for Massachusetts
American Web Resources
• http://www.familysearch.org has digitized many records and are continuing to do so—start here
• For British research, http://www.findmypast.com available for free at family history libraries
• Also, many subscription sites available for free at family history libraries
• US Gen Web http://usgenweb.org for state and county records and information
• Use Google to find other sites
Foreign Web Resources
• Start at World GenWeb (http://www.worldgenweb.org) and follow the prompts
• Google the country or region in which you are interested for links to foreign resources
• Ancestry.com has foreign sites where there are more records
– Go to http://landing.ancestry.com/intl/ and there are links to United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Italy, France, Sweden and Canada
– Foreign research is available for free at family history libraries with their world subscription
What About Those Search Terms?
• Familiarize yourself with certain words
– Know your country’s words for “search,” “birth,” “baptism,” “marriage,” and “death” at a minimum
– You do this so you can know what you are looking at
• Realize some records may be in Latin so include these translations
• Use Google Translate to help you decipher any word that looks as if it might be important
– If it doesn’t give you a translation, work from English to that language taking your best guess as to what that word might be
– Use a foreign language dictionary for help
What Information Do I Need to Begin?
• Before finding my ancestor’s specific location, I need to discover as much as possible about the person
• This includes:
– Name—given, middle, and surname, including any variations
– A date—day, month, and year, if possible (Birth dates are best but any event will help)
– A place—usually a country to start but more specific, if possible
– A relative—father, mother, spouse, brother, sister, aunt, uncle
What Else Would Be Helpful?
• Other family members—someone may have come first and been contact person in America for the others
• Friends and neighbors—people many times traveled together in groups
• Religion of ancestor—sometimes this will indicate a section of the country they came from
– Eg. a Protestant Irishman probably came from Northern Ireland
• Any story my family handed down about this person—occupation or details of countryside can give clues to area person was from
Hints for Greater Success
• Search for the entire family: Other people with same surname could be relatives
• Search each source thoroughly: Note all names, dates, and facts
• Search a broad time period: Look several years before and after suspected date
• Use indices wherever available: Realize, however, that these may be incomplete
• Search for previous residences: This information could lead to additional records
• Watch for spelling variations: Spelling was not standardized in earlier times
Goals
• Important: Decide specifically what you want to know
– We work on one issue at a time even though we may discover other information along the way
– Examples of goals: Country of origin; Immigration date; Place of departure and/or arrival; Who traveled with them; Spelling of their name when they left
Determining Immigration Date
• Check census records for information
• Look at immigration and naturalization records and passenger lists
• To approximate arrival date, try to learn:
– The date of birth of first child born in this country
– The date of their first residence in this country
– The date of a land purchase
Places to Begin
• Their first appearance in church records (Some churches kept records of immigrant families)
• First, look at compiled records
• These include:
– Databases; Printed family histories; Periodical Source Index (PERSI) people search; Local histories; Manuscript collections; Hereditary and lineage society records
Original Records
• Next, look at original records
• These include:
– Vital records; Church records; Immigration and Emigration; Naturalization and Passports; Probate and Cemetery records
• Be sure to search existing records of
– Each place where your ancestor lived
– Search for the complete time period you think they lived there
– All jurisdictions that may have kept records (Eg. town, church, county, state, federal)
Why Look at Original Records?
• We search all available original records because:
– It increases the chance of finding the place of origin
– One may learn more identification facts
– One may develop a fuller biography and be able to add more family members
• Start with vital records
• Next, look at court records, land and property, and probate
Where to Find Records
• Family History Libraries; Archives, local churches, and courthouses
• Libraries and inter-library loan
– Check out www.worldcat.org/ to find items in libraries near you or to arrange for inter- library loans
• Internet; Google Books and Internet Archive (http://archive.org/index.php)
Helps Available
• Use reference tools and finding aids to help understand your research
These help you to: Locate towns or places; Learn about jurisdictions; Use language helps
• Many of these are available at the Family Search Wiki or in genealogy how-to books
Surname
• Family surnames are often clues to national origin
• A surname ending with “ski” or “ska” is Polish;
• A surname ending with “sky” is Russian
• Use foreign surname dictionaries
– Eg. Penguin Dictionary of Surnames
• See where others with the same surname came from
– http://christoph.stoepel.net/geogen/en/Default.aspx
• German “suchen” is search term
– http://www.moikrewni.pl/mapa/
• Polish “szukaj” is search term
– http://www.geopatronyme.com
• French “rechercher” or “valider” is search term
– http://www.familienaam.be/
• Belgium “zoek” is search term
– http://gens.labo.net/en/cognomi/genera.html
• Italy “trova” is search term
Some Other Thoughts
• While each group has its own traditions, customs and immigration experiences, there are two factors common to all immigrants:
– Upon arrival, free people initially settled with friends and relatives from the homeland
– The first generation typically tried to maintain as many of their native customs (folkways) as American society would allow
– Two research strategies:
– Study the neighborhood and community—who were the neighbors and where did they come from?
– Study the social history to learn folkways and common experiences of your ethnic group
• This may lead to original and published sources
Ethnic Social History Examples
• The Irish were likely to enroll children in parochial schools and be part of a Catholic parish
• The Irish were likely to leave a record trail of donations in honor of family members back in Ireland
– Check Aid Societies, Trade Associations, Fraternal Organizations, Homes for the Aged
• Southern Italians had a high migration rate
– 30% went back to Italy within 5 years of arrival in America
• The goal was to earn enough money in the U.S. to be able to return home and buy land
– Those who decided to stay in America sent for their families generally after 3 to 5 years
– Some traveled back and forth to Italy several times before bringing relatives
• Check for earlier and subsequent voyages to when you found ancestor
- Italians were unlikely or slow to become naturalized
• Jews classify themselves based on historical origin
– Sephardic (pre-Inquisition Spain)—left after 1391 and 1492
• 85% of Jews in Romania pre-Holocaust were Sephardic
• Traditionally name their children after grandparents, whether living or dead
– Ashkenazic (Germany and Eastern Europe)
• Traditionally name their children after deceased relatives
– Oriental/Mizrahi (Iran, Iraq, India, Asia, Turkey China)
– Ethiopian (African)
• A few sources for records:
– International Association of Jewish Genealogy Societies http://iajgs.org
– Sephardic Gen Web http://sephardicgen.com
– Jewish Gen Web http://www.jewishgen.org
• Poles came from three European empires:
– Prussia (20%); Austria (35%); Russia (45%)
• This ethnic group had a high return migration rate—about 30-40%
– 3 out of every 10 Austrian and Russian Poles intended to earn enough money in America to return home and buy land
– German/Prussian Poles usually intended to stay in America
• By the early 1900s, 1/3 of all Polish Americans already owned real estate
– This was a source of status for them
– Land records are important to Polish research
• The immigrant and second generation commonly joined ethnic, religious, and fraternal organizations
– Women were active in voluntary associations
– Records of Polish clubs and societies are valuable for documenting women’s activities
• This group was most likely to Americanize their surnames
– Eg. In Detroit in 1963, of about 300,000 Polish Americans, 3,000 had modified surnames
• Scots who emigrated formed three distinct groups:
– Lowland Scots from the south and east of Scotland—many are of mixed British heritage and spoke broad Scots (a heavily accented English)
– Highland Scots from the center and west of Scotland—these were clan warriors, purely Celtic and spoke Gaelic
– Scots-Irish Presbyterians from the Scottish lowlands who were sent to settle in Ulster (northern Ireland)
• Later in America, there was little connection between the Scots-Irish and the Scots or Irish
• Scandanavian people:
– Numerous Swedish and Norwegian immigrants took advantage of the Homestead Act of 1862
• Some records available at: National Archives http://www.archives.gov and Bureau of Land Management http://www.glorecords.blm.gov
– Norwegians established bygdelag which were social organizations for people originating from the same bygd (region) in Norway
• One of the goals was to compile genealogies and keep an archive of family histories
• For more information, read: A Folk Epic: the Bygdelag in America by Odd S. Lovoll
Once I’ve Determined the Country
• What do I know about that country?
• What is its history?
• When did records begin?
• What records are available?
– Nationwide records (Examples: census, civil registration, taxation, military records)
– Regional records (Examples: census, church records, civil registration, court records, emigration and immigration, military records, taxation)
– Local records (Examples: Census, court records, land and property, probate, taxation, newspapers)
• Where are the records found?
• passenger lists are generally under the jurisdiction of the port city
• permissions to emigrate are generally held at the governmental jurisdiction where the emigrant lived
• Genealogical guides published about a foreign country will tell you what records are available and how to access them
– Some of these are found on the Family Search Wiki
– See if any of the resources cited are available in America (published or microfilmed)
• Did another country have jurisdiction in the time period in which I am looking?
– Eg.: Schleswig-Holstein in Germany was under jurisdiction of Denmark on and off from 1460 to 1864
Other Information About Places
• Know the native version of a country name
– Deutschland = Germany; Sverige = Sweden; Eire = Republic of Ireland
• Know the native term for a place name
– Mazuria = northeastern Poland; East Anglia = eastern coastal region in England; Sachsen = Saxony
• Know foreign terms for place names
– Kreis = district (German); Powiat = district (Polish); Socken = parish (Sweden)
• Be aware of place name changes
– Breslau is now Wroclaw; Leningrad is now St. Petersburg
• Town names may be spelled differently
– Anvers = Antwerp; Napoli = Naples; München = Munich; Wien = Vienna; Firenze = Florence; Kobenhavn = Copenhagen
• Use gazetteers to get correct spelling of town name
• Be careful not to confuse towns with the same name in the same or different countries
– Use other clues to differentiate
• Many times a larger or well-known city is mentioned in the record but your ancestor actually came from a smaller, lesser-known place nearby
– If their occupation is farmer, they probably came from a smaller town
• Also, don’t mistake the port city your ancestor left from as their birthplace
– Few immigrants were actually born in the port cities
Writing a Letter or Email
• What if I have to write for records?
• Be courteous and specific on what you want
• Most countries understand English
• If you feel it is necessary to write in the language of the country:
– FamilySearch Wiki has information on writing the letter as well as sample wording and statements for letters translated into the language of the country
– Go to: https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Main_Page
– In search box, put in “name of your country” letter writing guide
– Some guides available: Spanish, Germany, Italy, Czech Republic, Poland, France, Slovakia, Portuguese, Hungary, Finland, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Romania, Slovenia, Serbia
Deciding to Hire a Foreign Researcher
• Positives:
– You don’t have to spend the money to go there
– The researcher knows the language so can more easily and quickly find information
– The researcher might know other resources to access
– The researcher is familiar with the hours/days of repositories
– The researcher knows how to make appointments with parish priests, archivists, etc.
• Negatives:
– It costs money to hire a researcher (though probably a lot less than going there)
– You don’t get the opportunity to walk where your ancestors walked and see things through their eyes
– The researcher may not always get exactly what you want
– If one find leads to another, there may not be immediate follow-up
• You may have to have another contract and pay again
• Where do I find a foreign researcher?
– Check the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) website: http://www.apgen.org and search by location
– Contact ethnic genealogy groups or societies for names
– Get a recommendation from someone who has used a researcher in the country where you will be hiring someone
• Most researchers have emails or some other method of contact
– Always discuss exactly what you want and find out fees and method of payment before entering into a contract
• Supply the researcher with clear, concise instructions on what you seek, giving as much information as you can on the ancestors you’re looking for
– This will help the researcher give you a better estimate of how much time and expense will be involved
• Questions to ask potential researchers:
– What are your qualifications?
– Research costs (hourly fee and other expenses anticipated) and how are they to be paid?
– How much of a retainer is needed and in what type of currency?
– How often can I expect research reports?
Translators
• To find a translator, check:
– Foreign language schools, including local college and university classes
– Genealogical magazines and directories
– Ethnic groups and genealogical society newsletters
– Foreign language teacher at local high school
– If records are in Latin, some Catholic priests can help
Proving Your Research
• Do I have the right person?
– What were the naming patterns of the ethnic group that would help me determine names of parents and siblings who did not emigrate?
• See how much information matches up with what you originally knew or thought
• Do the names of my ancestor’s parents, siblings, children match in both American sources and foreign records?
• Does the age/birthdate match what I know from American sources?
• Are the names found in foreign records in conjunction with my ancestor the same as neighbors and acquaintances in America?
• See what doesn’t match
• See what conflicts
• Someone appearing in records in the old country after their supposed date of immigration
• A death date in a foreign record before an immigration date
Some Additional Ways to Proceed
• If you have old letters written by someone in the Old Country, try writing to the “Current Resident” (in the native language)
– Say you are searching for relatives of the person who used to live at this address
– Ask the current resident if he or she knows the family in question and where you might get in touch with relatives
• Check World War I draft registrations
– All men between 18 and 45, whether alien or citizen, were required to register for draft
– One question was “place of birth?”
• The WPA (Works Progress Administration) compiled the Folklore project from 1936-1940
– Some people recorded their family histories
– There are 2,900 documents representing 300 writers from 24 states
– http://lcweb2.loc.gov/wpaintro/wpahome.html
• Look at sketches in local and county histories
– Remember that county boundary lines were often changing
– Check surrounding counties for records
To Sum Up
• Exhaust http://www.familysearch.org
• Exhaust http://www.ancestry.com
• Exhaust http://usgenweb.org and http://www.worldgenweb.org
• Look at films available from Family History Library
• Look at films available from NARA
• Read whatever is available here for your people and their country of origin
• Visit courthouses, cemeteries, archives and historical societies
The World is Smaller than We Think--It is Possible to Connect with our Ancestors Across the Ocean!
WEBSITES
Ancestry.com - Largest paid genealogy site in the world. They provide excellent help discovering relevant records and connecting with others whose family tree intersects.
American Red Cross - www.redcross.org Victims tracing
National Archives - www.archives.gov - The U.S. National Archives has census records, ships arrival records, citizenship records of all sorts, military service, land ownership, and much more.
Avotaynu http:www.avotaynu.com-- Jewish Genealogy Books - Gary Mokotoff's website - books, newsletters and blogs
Cyndislist.com - free categorized & cross referenced index to genealogical resources on the Internet
JGSLA.org - Jewish Genealogical Society of Los Angeles
JewishGen.org -Family Finder (free registration); -JewishGen Discussion Group; -JewishGen Online Worldwide Burial Registry (JOWBR)
IAJGS.org -- International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies
www.jri-poland.org - Jewish Records Indexing - Poland Includes • Databases containing Jewish records from Poland • JRI-Poland discussion group (listserv)
www.ocjgs.org - Orange County Jewish Genealogical Society Your friendly neighborhood JGS
www.rtrfoundation.org - Routes to Roots Foundation Guide to Jewish records available in the Ukraine, Belarus, Moldavia, and Poland.
www.familysearch.org - LDS (Mormon) Family History Library Mormons are religiously obligated to do their genealogies. Our LDS friends are constantly filming and cataloging genealogical records worldwide, including Jewish records. And it’s all free!
www.myheritage.com - My Heritage similar to Ancestry.com.
www.geni.com - Geni similar to Ancestry and MyHeritage.
'One Step' by Steve Morse - www.stevemorse.org - Tools for finding immigration records, census records, vital records, calendars, maps, foreign alphabets and more.
Yadvashem - http://www.yadvashem.org
Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) - www.hias.org
New York Public Library Jewish Genealogy: A Quick Online Guide
BOOKS
Jewish Genealogy How-To Books
Getting Started in Jewish Genealogy 2014 edition by Gary Mokotoff
From Generation to Generation 3rd edition by Arthur Kurzweil
Avotaynu Guide to Jewish Genealogy by Gary Mokotoff
Sourcebook for Jewish Genealogies and Family Histories by Zubatsky
Finding Your Jewish Roots in Galicia by Suzane Wynne
Sephardic Genealogy Jeffrey Malka
Encyclopedia of Jewish Genealogy: Sources in the United States and Canada
Jewish Surnames
Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from the Russian Empire by Alexander Beider
Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from the kingdom of Poland by Alexander Beider
Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from Galicia by Alexander Beider
Jewish Surnames in Prague by Alexander Beider
Dictionary of Ashkenazic Given Names by Alexander Beider
Handbook of Ashkenazic Given Names and their variants by Alexander Beider
Jewish Family Names and Their Origins by Guggenheimer, Heinrich W.
Dictionary of Bulgarian Jewish surnames by Mathilde A. Tagger
A Dictionary of German-Jewish Surnames by Lars Menk
A Dictionary of Jewish Names and their History by Benzion Kaganoff
Dicionario Sefaradi di Sobrenomes by Guilherme Faiguenboim
Gazetteers
Shtetl Finder by Chester Cohen
Where Once We Walked by Gary Mokotoff
WOWW Companion by Gary Mokotoff
Genealogical Translation Guides
In Their Words – Russian by William F Hoffman
In Their Words – Polish by William F Hoffman
Following the Paper Trail by William F Hoffman
Translation Guide to Polish Language Civil Registration Guides by Judith Frazin 4th edition
Russian Language documents from Russian Poland: a translation manual for Genealogist by Jonathan D. Shea
Linda Serna November 22, 2015 Speaker's Notes Note: to print notes for meeting: Select and highlight material, Copy, then open a blank Word document and paste. You can then print the document.
Linda Serna, APG Association of Professional Genealogist [email protected] 714-504-7060
- Foreign Research What’s the Best Kept Secret in Foreign Research?
- Many of the records we want and need can be found right here in America!
• Start here in America first—thoroughly exhaust all records here before looking at records from country of origin
– Family stories and records; Vital records: birth, marriage, death; Census records; Immigration or naturalization records; Passports; Newspapers, especially ethnic newspapers; Ethnic genealogy societies, churches and clubs; Fraternal organizations; http://www.familysearch.org which has digitized many foreign records;
Foreign Gen Web and other foreign websites
Family Stories
• Family legends are not usually created out of thin air
• They almost always contain some truth
• Listen not only for where family came from but for language and customs
• Look at heirlooms and pictures handed down
– Eg. Candlesticks or bookends—is there a date, craftsman or place engraved on bottom
– Photos—is the photographer’s name and/or locality on photo
• Look for spellings of names before they became Anglicized
Family Records
– These include: Certificates; Family Bibles; Diaries; Passports; Letters, especially if they have postmarks; Photographs; Obituaries
Vital Records
• Look for birth, baptismal, marriage, death certificates or records in your family’s possession
– Birth records list place of birth; death records may list origin for decedent and parents
• Send away for documents available in the USA
– Be aware of when records began in the state in which your family lived and died
Census Records
• Prior to 1850 (as early as 1820), census records had a column to be checked for those who were foreigners not naturalized
– This can give a clue as to when they immigrated;
– Then, one can look for immigration records
• 1850, 1860, 1870 census records give country of origin of person
• 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930, census records list the country of origin of person and their parents
Immigration and Emigration
• 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930 census records give year of immigration
• The year given is not always 100% accurate but it is usually close
• From 1820 to 1892, immigration records into New York can be found at: http://www.castlegarden.org
• From 1892, immigration records into New York can be found at: http://www.ellisisland.org
• Don’t forget other ports of entry (Philadelphia, Baltimore, Boston, New Orleans, Charleston, Galveston, etc.)
– Indices to passenger arrival lists for all ports available on FHL or NARA (all of these indices are cards which have been microfilmed)
– Lists themselves available on http://www.immigrantships.net and http://istg.roots.web.com/ (the Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild which currently has over 3,000 transcribed ships’ lists from 1600s to 1900s)
• Check the last page of passenger lists for births, deaths, marriages at sea and stowaways
– Lists of detainees (which include unescorted women) are also at the end of lists
– If a line is through an entry, the émigré never boarded the ship
Emigration
• Emigration ports and the ethnic groups they served:
– Naples: Italians, Greeks, Syrians
– Bremen: Poles, Czechs, Croats, Slovaks, and other Slavs
– Liverpool: Irish, British, Swedes, Norwegians, Eastern European Jews
– Hamburg: Eastern European Jews, Scandinavians
• What port they used depended on ability to get to the port
– Look at waterways (rivers) and rail lines to help determine port
• Hamburg lists of people leaving are available on http://www.ancestry.com
• Searchable index available only for 1877 to 1914 currently but earlier records available
• Between 1850 and 1934, Hamburg averaged 35% of all German emigrants, some years 50%
– Lists are either direkt or indirekt
– Direkt means they went straight from Hamburg to their overseas destination, sometimes stopping at Le Havre in France
– Indirekt means it was a smaller boat to another European port, usually Hull, England, then train to Liverpool, then across ocean
– About 10% went indirekt because it was less expensive
• Immigrant Ancestors Project (http://immigrants.byu.edu/) uses emigration registers from archives in Spain, Italy, France and Portugal to locate information about birthplace of immigrants
• Other passenger departure lists
– Bremen (1904-1939): searchable database Die Maus (http://www.passagierlisten.de/) English option
– Bremen (1834-1875): “Bremen, German Deaths of Sailors and Ship Passengers” database
Ancestry.com (includes birthplace, residence, cause of death)
– Antwerp (1855): “The Antwerp Emigration Index” FHL 1183596 Item 1
– Stettin (1869-1901): “Germany, Pomerania Passenger Lists” digital images, Ancestry.com
– Le Havre (1750-1775): “Le Havre-some passenger names found in crew lists” FHL, 1 film
Emigration Indices
• Examples from Germany (use translation tools where necessary):
– Baden-Württemberg: “Emigration from Southwest Germany” database (http://www.auswanderer-bw.de/auswanderer/)
– Alsace (1817-1866): “Alsace Emigration Index” Card index to emigration records of Europeans traveling through Alsace region of France (FHL, 7 films)
– Baden (1866-1911): “Baden, Germany Emigration Index” database, Ancestry.com
– Brandenburg (1794-1949): “Brandenburg, Prussia Emigration Records” database,
Ancestry.com
– Hessen: Hessisches Archiv-Dokumentations-und Informations-System
(http://www.hadis.hessen.de/) In Schnellsuche (quick search) box, enter a surname
– Pfalz (1500-1900s): FHL, many films
– Württemberg (1800s): “The Württemberg Emigration Index, vol. 108” database,
Ancestry.com (extracted from permission to emigrate records on FHL films)
Naturalization
• 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930 and 1940 census records list naturalization status
• Check http://www.fold3.com or http://www.ancestry.com for naturalization records
• Records also available through National Archives—NARA
• Most people went to the court closest to them, usually a county court.
• Most researchers will find that their ancestors became naturalized in one of the following kinds of courts: county, supreme, circuit, district, equity, chancery, probate, or common pleas court.
Location of Naturalization Records
• County Court Records might be at the county court, in a county or State archives, or at a regional archives
• County Court Records are also held at NARA
• Federal Court Records naturalization indexes, declarations of intent, and petitions in the NARA regional facility for the State where the Federal court is located.
• INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service) became the BCIS (Bureau of Citizenship & Immigration Services), and is now the USCIS (U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Service)
• USCIS has records after 1906 and their naturalization records duplicate those found in naturalization courts throughout the country. USCIS holds a variety of citizenship records, among them records relating to derivative citizenship, resumed or restored US citizenship, or loss of US citizenship
Naturalization
• Naturalization is not required. Of the foreign-born persons listed on the 1890 through 1930 censuses, 25 % had not become naturalized or filed their first papers
• The naturalization process did not have to happen in one court, or in one state. Not all aliens became citizens, and not all completed the process once they started it.
Special Cases
• Wives and minor children:
– Derivative citizenship was granted to wives of naturalized men.
• From 1790 to 1922, wives of naturalized men automatically became citizens. This also meant that an alien woman who married a U.S. citizen automatically became a citizen
• Between 1907 and 1922 an American woman who married an alien lost her American citizenship, even if she never left the United States
– Derivative citizenship was granted to minor children of naturalized men.
• From 1790 to 1940, children under the age of 21 automatically became naturalized citizens upon the naturalization of their father
• Minor children could also derive US citizenship if their mother married an American citizen
Passports
• Many people traveled back and forth between America and the old country
• Sometimes, they obtained passports, but not always
• From 1789 through late 1941, the Constitution required passports of citizens only during the American Civil War (1861–1865) and during and shortly after World War I (1914–1918)
• There was an absence of a passport requirement under United States law between 1921 and 1941
• The contemporary period of required passports for Americans under United States law began on November 29, 1941
• Check http://www.fold3.com and http://www.ancestry.com for passport records
• Look for passports for people leaving a country
• Examples from Germany
• Bremen port: “Register of Passports” 1862-1905, 1910-1921, Dec 1924-Sep 1936; places of residence throughout Germany (http://www.passagierlisten.de/) 75,445 records
• Hamburg area: “Reisepaβ-Protokolle, 1851-1929” FHL, 323 films; applications with indexes, required for Hamburg residents
• Württemberg, Stuttgart area: “Reisepässe und Visum, 1845-1920” FHL, 18 films; includes people from throughout Württemberg
Ethnic Newspapers
• Use Google to find collections
• Use ProQuest which is available for free at some family history libraries and other public libraries
• The Immigration History Research Center collects and maintains on microfilm a substantial number of ethnic and foreign language newspapers, many of which may be obtained through interlibrary loan (http://www.umn.edu/ihrc)
– University of Kentucky libraries has some online databases (http://libguides.uky.edu/ethaltnews)
• Also, look at: http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/
Ethnic Societies, Churches and Clubs
• One reason to join an ethnic society
– There may be genealogists there who have been researching an ethnic group for years and can offer valuable guidance
– One source: Federation of Eastern European Family History Societies http://feehs.org
• Use Google to find other societies (Eg., Polish Genealogical Society; Genealogical Society of Hispanic America)
– Check histories of cities and towns to find names of ethnic churches (Eg. St. Albertus and St. Josaphat churches in Detroit, Michigan were Polish churches)
• Clubs:
– International House lists ethnic clubs and organizations (http://www.ihclt.org/resources.php?cat=49)
– Use Google to find other ethnic clubs and events
Fraternal Organizations
• Many times people joined an organization in order to get insurance or other benefits
• The organization often required members to fill out applications—some were more extensive than others
• One question on the application was usually “place of birth” and people were specific when they answered
• The records may be with the organization (if it is still operating) or they may have been turned over to an ethnic society or association or a library or archive
• Maybe your family had an insurance policy listing the fraternal organization name
• If not, check city directories from the time period to find social and benefit organizations that might have been of special interest to your ethnic group
• If the group is still around (maybe under another name), contact them for records
• If the group no longer exists, check libraries, archives or other repositories in the area or check ethnic associations to see if the records were sent to them
• Example:
• Massachusetts Catholic Order of Foresters (started in 1879) to provide insurance benefits to Irish immigrants
• Renamed Catholic Order of Foresters in 1960
• Company still exists but records turned over to the Irish Ancestral Research Association (TIARA) for preservation and to allow access to researchers (http://tiara.ie/forest.php) Records only available for Massachusetts
American Web Resources
• http://www.familysearch.org has digitized many records and are continuing to do so—start here
• For British research, http://www.findmypast.com available for free at family history libraries
• Also, many subscription sites available for free at family history libraries
• US Gen Web http://usgenweb.org for state and county records and information
• Use Google to find other sites
Foreign Web Resources
• Start at World GenWeb (http://www.worldgenweb.org) and follow the prompts
• Google the country or region in which you are interested for links to foreign resources
• Ancestry.com has foreign sites where there are more records
– Go to http://landing.ancestry.com/intl/ and there are links to United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Italy, France, Sweden and Canada
– Foreign research is available for free at family history libraries with their world subscription
What About Those Search Terms?
• Familiarize yourself with certain words
– Know your country’s words for “search,” “birth,” “baptism,” “marriage,” and “death” at a minimum
– You do this so you can know what you are looking at
• Realize some records may be in Latin so include these translations
• Use Google Translate to help you decipher any word that looks as if it might be important
– If it doesn’t give you a translation, work from English to that language taking your best guess as to what that word might be
– Use a foreign language dictionary for help
What Information Do I Need to Begin?
• Before finding my ancestor’s specific location, I need to discover as much as possible about the person
• This includes:
– Name—given, middle, and surname, including any variations
– A date—day, month, and year, if possible (Birth dates are best but any event will help)
– A place—usually a country to start but more specific, if possible
– A relative—father, mother, spouse, brother, sister, aunt, uncle
What Else Would Be Helpful?
• Other family members—someone may have come first and been contact person in America for the others
• Friends and neighbors—people many times traveled together in groups
• Religion of ancestor—sometimes this will indicate a section of the country they came from
– Eg. a Protestant Irishman probably came from Northern Ireland
• Any story my family handed down about this person—occupation or details of countryside can give clues to area person was from
Hints for Greater Success
• Search for the entire family: Other people with same surname could be relatives
• Search each source thoroughly: Note all names, dates, and facts
• Search a broad time period: Look several years before and after suspected date
• Use indices wherever available: Realize, however, that these may be incomplete
• Search for previous residences: This information could lead to additional records
• Watch for spelling variations: Spelling was not standardized in earlier times
Goals
• Important: Decide specifically what you want to know
– We work on one issue at a time even though we may discover other information along the way
– Examples of goals: Country of origin; Immigration date; Place of departure and/or arrival; Who traveled with them; Spelling of their name when they left
Determining Immigration Date
• Check census records for information
• Look at immigration and naturalization records and passenger lists
• To approximate arrival date, try to learn:
– The date of birth of first child born in this country
– The date of their first residence in this country
– The date of a land purchase
Places to Begin
• Their first appearance in church records (Some churches kept records of immigrant families)
• First, look at compiled records
• These include:
– Databases; Printed family histories; Periodical Source Index (PERSI) people search; Local histories; Manuscript collections; Hereditary and lineage society records
Original Records
• Next, look at original records
• These include:
– Vital records; Church records; Immigration and Emigration; Naturalization and Passports; Probate and Cemetery records
• Be sure to search existing records of
– Each place where your ancestor lived
– Search for the complete time period you think they lived there
– All jurisdictions that may have kept records (Eg. town, church, county, state, federal)
Why Look at Original Records?
• We search all available original records because:
– It increases the chance of finding the place of origin
– One may learn more identification facts
– One may develop a fuller biography and be able to add more family members
• Start with vital records
• Next, look at court records, land and property, and probate
Where to Find Records
• Family History Libraries; Archives, local churches, and courthouses
• Libraries and inter-library loan
– Check out www.worldcat.org/ to find items in libraries near you or to arrange for inter- library loans
• Internet; Google Books and Internet Archive (http://archive.org/index.php)
Helps Available
• Use reference tools and finding aids to help understand your research
These help you to: Locate towns or places; Learn about jurisdictions; Use language helps
• Many of these are available at the Family Search Wiki or in genealogy how-to books
Surname
• Family surnames are often clues to national origin
• A surname ending with “ski” or “ska” is Polish;
• A surname ending with “sky” is Russian
• Use foreign surname dictionaries
– Eg. Penguin Dictionary of Surnames
• See where others with the same surname came from
– http://christoph.stoepel.net/geogen/en/Default.aspx
• German “suchen” is search term
– http://www.moikrewni.pl/mapa/
• Polish “szukaj” is search term
– http://www.geopatronyme.com
• French “rechercher” or “valider” is search term
– http://www.familienaam.be/
• Belgium “zoek” is search term
– http://gens.labo.net/en/cognomi/genera.html
• Italy “trova” is search term
Some Other Thoughts
• While each group has its own traditions, customs and immigration experiences, there are two factors common to all immigrants:
– Upon arrival, free people initially settled with friends and relatives from the homeland
– The first generation typically tried to maintain as many of their native customs (folkways) as American society would allow
– Two research strategies:
– Study the neighborhood and community—who were the neighbors and where did they come from?
– Study the social history to learn folkways and common experiences of your ethnic group
• This may lead to original and published sources
Ethnic Social History Examples
• The Irish were likely to enroll children in parochial schools and be part of a Catholic parish
• The Irish were likely to leave a record trail of donations in honor of family members back in Ireland
– Check Aid Societies, Trade Associations, Fraternal Organizations, Homes for the Aged
• Southern Italians had a high migration rate
– 30% went back to Italy within 5 years of arrival in America
• The goal was to earn enough money in the U.S. to be able to return home and buy land
– Those who decided to stay in America sent for their families generally after 3 to 5 years
– Some traveled back and forth to Italy several times before bringing relatives
• Check for earlier and subsequent voyages to when you found ancestor
- Italians were unlikely or slow to become naturalized
• Jews classify themselves based on historical origin
– Sephardic (pre-Inquisition Spain)—left after 1391 and 1492
• 85% of Jews in Romania pre-Holocaust were Sephardic
• Traditionally name their children after grandparents, whether living or dead
– Ashkenazic (Germany and Eastern Europe)
• Traditionally name their children after deceased relatives
– Oriental/Mizrahi (Iran, Iraq, India, Asia, Turkey China)
– Ethiopian (African)
• A few sources for records:
– International Association of Jewish Genealogy Societies http://iajgs.org
– Sephardic Gen Web http://sephardicgen.com
– Jewish Gen Web http://www.jewishgen.org
• Poles came from three European empires:
– Prussia (20%); Austria (35%); Russia (45%)
• This ethnic group had a high return migration rate—about 30-40%
– 3 out of every 10 Austrian and Russian Poles intended to earn enough money in America to return home and buy land
– German/Prussian Poles usually intended to stay in America
• By the early 1900s, 1/3 of all Polish Americans already owned real estate
– This was a source of status for them
– Land records are important to Polish research
• The immigrant and second generation commonly joined ethnic, religious, and fraternal organizations
– Women were active in voluntary associations
– Records of Polish clubs and societies are valuable for documenting women’s activities
• This group was most likely to Americanize their surnames
– Eg. In Detroit in 1963, of about 300,000 Polish Americans, 3,000 had modified surnames
• Scots who emigrated formed three distinct groups:
– Lowland Scots from the south and east of Scotland—many are of mixed British heritage and spoke broad Scots (a heavily accented English)
– Highland Scots from the center and west of Scotland—these were clan warriors, purely Celtic and spoke Gaelic
– Scots-Irish Presbyterians from the Scottish lowlands who were sent to settle in Ulster (northern Ireland)
• Later in America, there was little connection between the Scots-Irish and the Scots or Irish
• Scandanavian people:
– Numerous Swedish and Norwegian immigrants took advantage of the Homestead Act of 1862
• Some records available at: National Archives http://www.archives.gov and Bureau of Land Management http://www.glorecords.blm.gov
– Norwegians established bygdelag which were social organizations for people originating from the same bygd (region) in Norway
• One of the goals was to compile genealogies and keep an archive of family histories
• For more information, read: A Folk Epic: the Bygdelag in America by Odd S. Lovoll
Once I’ve Determined the Country
• What do I know about that country?
• What is its history?
• When did records begin?
• What records are available?
– Nationwide records (Examples: census, civil registration, taxation, military records)
– Regional records (Examples: census, church records, civil registration, court records, emigration and immigration, military records, taxation)
– Local records (Examples: Census, court records, land and property, probate, taxation, newspapers)
• Where are the records found?
• passenger lists are generally under the jurisdiction of the port city
• permissions to emigrate are generally held at the governmental jurisdiction where the emigrant lived
• Genealogical guides published about a foreign country will tell you what records are available and how to access them
– Some of these are found on the Family Search Wiki
– See if any of the resources cited are available in America (published or microfilmed)
• Did another country have jurisdiction in the time period in which I am looking?
– Eg.: Schleswig-Holstein in Germany was under jurisdiction of Denmark on and off from 1460 to 1864
Other Information About Places
• Know the native version of a country name
– Deutschland = Germany; Sverige = Sweden; Eire = Republic of Ireland
• Know the native term for a place name
– Mazuria = northeastern Poland; East Anglia = eastern coastal region in England; Sachsen = Saxony
• Know foreign terms for place names
– Kreis = district (German); Powiat = district (Polish); Socken = parish (Sweden)
• Be aware of place name changes
– Breslau is now Wroclaw; Leningrad is now St. Petersburg
• Town names may be spelled differently
– Anvers = Antwerp; Napoli = Naples; München = Munich; Wien = Vienna; Firenze = Florence; Kobenhavn = Copenhagen
• Use gazetteers to get correct spelling of town name
• Be careful not to confuse towns with the same name in the same or different countries
– Use other clues to differentiate
• Many times a larger or well-known city is mentioned in the record but your ancestor actually came from a smaller, lesser-known place nearby
– If their occupation is farmer, they probably came from a smaller town
• Also, don’t mistake the port city your ancestor left from as their birthplace
– Few immigrants were actually born in the port cities
Writing a Letter or Email
• What if I have to write for records?
• Be courteous and specific on what you want
• Most countries understand English
• If you feel it is necessary to write in the language of the country:
– FamilySearch Wiki has information on writing the letter as well as sample wording and statements for letters translated into the language of the country
– Go to: https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Main_Page
– In search box, put in “name of your country” letter writing guide
– Some guides available: Spanish, Germany, Italy, Czech Republic, Poland, France, Slovakia, Portuguese, Hungary, Finland, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Romania, Slovenia, Serbia
Deciding to Hire a Foreign Researcher
• Positives:
– You don’t have to spend the money to go there
– The researcher knows the language so can more easily and quickly find information
– The researcher might know other resources to access
– The researcher is familiar with the hours/days of repositories
– The researcher knows how to make appointments with parish priests, archivists, etc.
• Negatives:
– It costs money to hire a researcher (though probably a lot less than going there)
– You don’t get the opportunity to walk where your ancestors walked and see things through their eyes
– The researcher may not always get exactly what you want
– If one find leads to another, there may not be immediate follow-up
• You may have to have another contract and pay again
• Where do I find a foreign researcher?
– Check the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) website: http://www.apgen.org and search by location
– Contact ethnic genealogy groups or societies for names
– Get a recommendation from someone who has used a researcher in the country where you will be hiring someone
• Most researchers have emails or some other method of contact
– Always discuss exactly what you want and find out fees and method of payment before entering into a contract
• Supply the researcher with clear, concise instructions on what you seek, giving as much information as you can on the ancestors you’re looking for
– This will help the researcher give you a better estimate of how much time and expense will be involved
• Questions to ask potential researchers:
– What are your qualifications?
– Research costs (hourly fee and other expenses anticipated) and how are they to be paid?
– How much of a retainer is needed and in what type of currency?
– How often can I expect research reports?
Translators
• To find a translator, check:
– Foreign language schools, including local college and university classes
– Genealogical magazines and directories
– Ethnic groups and genealogical society newsletters
– Foreign language teacher at local high school
– If records are in Latin, some Catholic priests can help
Proving Your Research
• Do I have the right person?
– What were the naming patterns of the ethnic group that would help me determine names of parents and siblings who did not emigrate?
• See how much information matches up with what you originally knew or thought
• Do the names of my ancestor’s parents, siblings, children match in both American sources and foreign records?
• Does the age/birthdate match what I know from American sources?
• Are the names found in foreign records in conjunction with my ancestor the same as neighbors and acquaintances in America?
• See what doesn’t match
• See what conflicts
• Someone appearing in records in the old country after their supposed date of immigration
• A death date in a foreign record before an immigration date
Some Additional Ways to Proceed
• If you have old letters written by someone in the Old Country, try writing to the “Current Resident” (in the native language)
– Say you are searching for relatives of the person who used to live at this address
– Ask the current resident if he or she knows the family in question and where you might get in touch with relatives
• Check World War I draft registrations
– All men between 18 and 45, whether alien or citizen, were required to register for draft
– One question was “place of birth?”
• The WPA (Works Progress Administration) compiled the Folklore project from 1936-1940
– Some people recorded their family histories
– There are 2,900 documents representing 300 writers from 24 states
– http://lcweb2.loc.gov/wpaintro/wpahome.html
• Look at sketches in local and county histories
– Remember that county boundary lines were often changing
– Check surrounding counties for records
To Sum Up
• Exhaust http://www.familysearch.org
• Exhaust http://www.ancestry.com
• Exhaust http://usgenweb.org and http://www.worldgenweb.org
• Look at films available from Family History Library
• Look at films available from NARA
• Read whatever is available here for your people and their country of origin
• Visit courthouses, cemeteries, archives and historical societies
The World is Smaller than We Think--It is Possible to Connect with our Ancestors Across the Ocean!
WEBSITES
Ancestry.com - Largest paid genealogy site in the world. They provide excellent help discovering relevant records and connecting with others whose family tree intersects.
American Red Cross - www.redcross.org Victims tracing
National Archives - www.archives.gov - The U.S. National Archives has census records, ships arrival records, citizenship records of all sorts, military service, land ownership, and much more.
Avotaynu http:www.avotaynu.com-- Jewish Genealogy Books - Gary Mokotoff's website - books, newsletters and blogs
Cyndislist.com - free categorized & cross referenced index to genealogical resources on the Internet
JGSLA.org - Jewish Genealogical Society of Los Angeles
JewishGen.org -Family Finder (free registration); -JewishGen Discussion Group; -JewishGen Online Worldwide Burial Registry (JOWBR)
IAJGS.org -- International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies
www.jri-poland.org - Jewish Records Indexing - Poland Includes • Databases containing Jewish records from Poland • JRI-Poland discussion group (listserv)
www.ocjgs.org - Orange County Jewish Genealogical Society Your friendly neighborhood JGS
www.rtrfoundation.org - Routes to Roots Foundation Guide to Jewish records available in the Ukraine, Belarus, Moldavia, and Poland.
www.familysearch.org - LDS (Mormon) Family History Library Mormons are religiously obligated to do their genealogies. Our LDS friends are constantly filming and cataloging genealogical records worldwide, including Jewish records. And it’s all free!
www.myheritage.com - My Heritage similar to Ancestry.com.
www.geni.com - Geni similar to Ancestry and MyHeritage.
'One Step' by Steve Morse - www.stevemorse.org - Tools for finding immigration records, census records, vital records, calendars, maps, foreign alphabets and more.
Yadvashem - http://www.yadvashem.org
Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) - www.hias.org
New York Public Library Jewish Genealogy: A Quick Online Guide
BOOKS
Jewish Genealogy How-To Books
Getting Started in Jewish Genealogy 2014 edition by Gary Mokotoff
From Generation to Generation 3rd edition by Arthur Kurzweil
Avotaynu Guide to Jewish Genealogy by Gary Mokotoff
Sourcebook for Jewish Genealogies and Family Histories by Zubatsky
Finding Your Jewish Roots in Galicia by Suzane Wynne
Sephardic Genealogy Jeffrey Malka
Encyclopedia of Jewish Genealogy: Sources in the United States and Canada
Jewish Surnames
Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from the Russian Empire by Alexander Beider
Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from the kingdom of Poland by Alexander Beider
Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from Galicia by Alexander Beider
Jewish Surnames in Prague by Alexander Beider
Dictionary of Ashkenazic Given Names by Alexander Beider
Handbook of Ashkenazic Given Names and their variants by Alexander Beider
Jewish Family Names and Their Origins by Guggenheimer, Heinrich W.
Dictionary of Bulgarian Jewish surnames by Mathilde A. Tagger
A Dictionary of German-Jewish Surnames by Lars Menk
A Dictionary of Jewish Names and their History by Benzion Kaganoff
Dicionario Sefaradi di Sobrenomes by Guilherme Faiguenboim
Gazetteers
Shtetl Finder by Chester Cohen
Where Once We Walked by Gary Mokotoff
WOWW Companion by Gary Mokotoff
Genealogical Translation Guides
In Their Words – Russian by William F Hoffman
In Their Words – Polish by William F Hoffman
Following the Paper Trail by William F Hoffman
Translation Guide to Polish Language Civil Registration Guides by Judith Frazin 4th edition
Russian Language documents from Russian Poland: a translation manual for Genealogist by Jonathan D. Shea