The Knowles Collection

19th century Irish "matrimonial map"

2012-02-13T07:27:00.006-07:00

One of the great joys that comes in genealogy is finding that rare map that helps you locate your family. While this map (click to enlarge) will not help anyone find those much sought after ancestors, it may help you get in the spirit of Valentines Day.

A special thanks to the National Library of Ireland (http://www.nli.ie/) for posting this and also to my colleague Alan Mann, who brought it to my attention.

Happy Valentines Day Everyone

Brazil, Immigration Cards, 1900-1965 on FamilySearch

2012-02-09T10:37:00.005-07:00

Between 1900 and 1965 tens of thousands of people either visited or immigrated to Brazil. These people were issued immigration cards at Brazilian consulates around the world. The originals are housed at the National Archives in Rio de Janeiro. Over 400,000 of these records are now available at http://www.familysearch.org/, with images in a name search able database.
Doing a basic search for the name Esther Abraham Precher quickly leads us to her 1957 immigration. We find from the record below that she was born in Jerusalem on 20 Sep 1898 to Abraham and Sarah Precher.

By clicking on the "view image ", we are then able to see the original record (found below), included her photo. For those with family who travelled to Brazil, this is a wonderful database.

A further search of the database, finds a brother, Victor, who was born on 15 Apr 1903 also immigrating with her.

Bahamas, Civil Registration 1850-1959 at Familysearch.org

2012-02-01T08:20:00.004-07:00

One of the newest additions to the collections at http://www.familysearch.org/ are the civil registration records for the nation of the Bahamas. With so many Jewish families tracing ancestry back to the Caribbean islands, this should be of great interest to many.

The years covered by the collection are 1850-1959 for births and deaths and 1868-1959 for marriages, which includes a marriage index for the years 1910-1955. At this time they are not search able by name, however the collection contains over 69,000 images. The image below is from the births of 1880-1881. It shows a son born to Phillip Greco and his wife, the former Maud Solomon. The child was unnamed at the time of registration.

This collection can be found under the Caribbean, Central and South America location at www.familysearch.org.

Austria, Vienna Population Cards, 1850-1895 at FamilySearch.org

2012-01-24T13:47:00.005-07:00

For those researching their Jewish ancestors in Austria, especially Vienna, there is a great database available at http://www.familysearch.org/. FamilySearch, in cooperation with the Vienna City and Provincial Archives, has produced the database of Austria, Vienna Population Cards, 1850-1895.

The images to the records are also part of the collection are also included. A search for Israel Antler yields the following record. It includes the date and place of birth, when he arrived, his location and religion.

Clicking on the original image yields the document below.

For those who are researching those who lived in Vienna or the many who travelled through the city this is a wonderful source for identifying more information about those ancestors.

The Jews of the Bahamas

2012-01-12T15:19:00.006-07:00

This year marks 520 years since Christopher Columbus, became the first to eye the New World. Perhaps more importantly to those with Jewish ancestry is this year also marks 520 years since the first Jew set foot in the New World. That piece of history belongs to Luis De Torres, who served as the interpreter for Columbus, when they arrived at San Salvador.

De Torres was obviously an educated man who was credited with being fluent in many languages, including, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Arabic and Hebrew. At the time of the voyage he was officially a Catholic, having had to hide his Jewish life because of the fear brought on by the Inquisition. That fear most likely played a great role in his leaving with Columbus.

Even with the arrival in the New World in 1492, the Bahamas were not truly settled until the early 1600's when the British settled the Islands. The 1700's were a time when not a large community of Jews were there, but those that were tended to be successful residents of the Islands.

The largest groups of Jews to arrive in the Bahamas, didn't do so until after the first World War, when Nassau became home to Jewish families from Eastern Europe and the British Isles. As more Jews came to call the Bahamas home, community's spread north toFreeport. Today, the Jewish population probably doesn't exceed 300 or so, however they do have there own synagogue.

Netherlands Births and Baptisms, 1564-1910 part 2

2012-01-09T15:04:00.003-07:00

A little update about the previous post is in order. The collection of Netherlands Births and Baptisms, for 1564-1910 is actually a collection of various databases. One of those databases is the Netherlands, Gelderland Province Civil Registration, 1811-1950, which includes the records of the Glucksteins.
This collection has the images of the records. The records will need to be translated, but they are still a great tool for anyone doing their family history work. The record below is for Joseph Gluckstein, mentioned in the previous post.

A special thanks to Taco Goulooze for this information. Its nice to have people looking out for me. The above database can be found at www.familysearch.org

Netherlands Births and Baptisms, 1564-1910

2012-01-09T12:48:00.007-07:00

I have written at various times in this blog about the Gluckstein family, who were cigar makers who left the Netherlands and made their way to London where members of the family established the J. Lyons and Co.. A truly remarkable family, whose members continue to leave an incredible legacy all over the world.
Because of the many records that include the family members, there are over 150 Glucksteins listed in the Knowles Collection- Jews of the British Isles, as well as many other related families. However, finding the family in the records of the Netherlands has not always been as fruitful a search. Now, its possible to find some of those Dutch families with the help of http://www.familysearch.org/.
In the Historical Records Collections section of FamilySearch.org, the following collection can be found.

A search of the database found the records of five children of Lehman Gluckstein and his wife Helena Horn. They are Joseph, Alexander, Salomon, Harry and Bertha. Although the images of the original documents are not shown, the information, such as for Joseph below, gives the FHL Film Number where the documents can be found.

While the record is not complete for the entire country, in fact this couple had at least one more of their eleven children born in the Netherlands, it is a great way to jump family back to the Netherlands, and to fill in those missing family members. Since www.familysearch is a free database, what can be lost for trying?

The Jews of the Philippines

2012-01-05T12:55:00.006-07:00

The Jewish history of the Philippines begins with the Spanish Inquisition of the 1500's. These Jews had 2 choices, be forced into Christianity or flee the country to avoid death. Many of these Jews fled Spain to settle in the new Spanish colonies, such as the Philippines.
Those early settlers who fled to the Philippines soon found that it did not guarantee them the freedoms they sought. In the 1590's at least 10 of these Jews were tried and jailed by the Inquisition. Because there was no established tribunal in the Philippines, these court cases were conducted in Mexico City, Mexico. These cases led most of the Jews to practice their faith in secret, in fact the laws of the time would not have permitted any kind of a public Jewish community. This led to there being no organized community until the late 19th century.
The first group of settlers who arrived in the late 1870's were those from Alsace who were escaping the conditions left after the Franco-Persian War. Some of these Jews were prominent businessmen who were very influential in future business ventures in the Philippines. This was the perfect time for them to establish themselves in the country because the opening of the Suez Canal brought more business from Europe. This also allowed more Jews to arrive which only made the community stronger. Jews from places such as Turkey, Egypt and Syria soon began arriving.
The freedom to be openly Jewish finally came to the Philippines in 1898, when as a result of the Spanish -American War, the United States took control of the islands from Spain. This was truly the beginning of the Jewish community. With the United States in control, many Americans travelled to the Islands. Many were military who stayed after the war, but there were also merchants, teachers and many other trades. The Jewish community in Manila became home to the largest group of Jews in the early 1900's.
In 1901, two men who would become very influential in the Philippines, Emil Bcharach and Morton Netzorg, arrived in Manila. These two men became very successful and were very generous, strong backers of the Jewish people. In fact the synagogue, Temple Emil and the community center, Bachrach Hall, were financed by the Bachrach family and bore his name. The population in the Philippines before 1930, probably never exceeded 500 people.
The period between the mid 1930's and mid 1940's was time that brought the majority of the Jewsto the Philippines. Some of these were the Jews fleeing Shanghai, which was discussed in an earlier post. These German and Polish Jews no longer felt safe living in their new home, having already fled Eastern Europe. The government and people of the Philippines were instrumental in thousands of Jews being able to flee the war. Eventually about 1500 Jews were able to flee Europe and settle in the Philippines. The Jewish population grew to between 2,500 and 3,000. The bravery of the people of the Philippines will long be remembered. Today the Jewish community in the Philippines probably is no more than 500 to a thousand, mostly located in Manila.

The Mosenthal Family of South Africa, London and Kassel, Germany

2011-12-27T11:11:00.014-07:00

Recently I was able to attend the annual meeting of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain. While there I took the time to again visit one of my favorite places, Willesden Cemetery. Walking the grounds of this beautiful place, always causes me to ponder not only my own ancestors but it also helps me remember all of the Jewish people and the legacies they left behind.

This blog has in the past touched ever so slightly on the history of the Jews of South Africa, however that visit to Willesden Cemetery in London has led me to spend more time studying the area and its great people. As I was walking the grounds, I came across a headstone that I don't recall seeing on my earlier visits. That headstone (shown below) is of Otto Mosenthal, son of Adolph and Henrietta Mosenthal who was born in London on 13 December 1857 and died in Kimberley, South Africa on 17 November 1881.

In the area surrounding resting place of Otto, were the graves of his parents. The headstone of Adolph, not only provides us with his dates of birth, 12 Apr 1812, and death, 21 Jul 1882, but also adds his place of birth, Kassel, Germany. All of the information obtained from these stones intrigued me. I wanted to know what caused a man born in Germany to marry, move to South Africa, where a child was born and then return to London, where he died.

In an earlier post I talked about the earliest Jews in South Africa, people such as Benjamin Norden, in whose house was held the first service in Cape Town. In studying the early history of South Africa, you quickly find that the first Jews, such as Norden, began arriving in the early 1830's. Many of these first Jews were the merchants who built the foundation of many future commercial enterprises. One such group, were the Mosenthal brothers, Adolph, Julius and James. James, was the first to arrive in Cape Town, where he went to work for a relative, Mr. Kilian, as a clerk, but within a few years, after the death of a wife, he returned to Kassel. Then in 1841, he returned to South Africa with his brothers. By 1842 the brothers had set up their first business, Mosenthal and Brothers, in Port Elizabeth.

Trading in many cities in the interior of the country, the brothers became traders in wool,hides and ostrich feathers. In the mid 1850's the brothers travelled to Asia, where upon their return they introduced the first 30 Angora goats to South African. This became another very successful buisness for them.

Over time the Mosenthal's business grew and expanded throughout South Africa. They became a major influence in many cities. They were very loyal to their friends and family, often bringing them in from Kassel to work for them. It has been estimated that almost half of all the Jews who arrived in South Africa between the forming of their business and the early 1870's came for one reason, to work for the Mosenthal's, many of these from Kassel.

The impact left behind by the Mosenthal is incredible. In addition to their business, various members of the family served in politics and civil service. They were instramental in establishing many public services, such as libraries. Later in life, Adolph and his wife returned to London, where they also had families. Many members of the family became quite wealthy, son Henry (Harry) died on 12 January 1915 in London. His will probated on 13 March 1915 at the Principal Probate Registry left an estate valued at over 500,000 pounds.

The records of the Mosenthal family are being added to the Knowles Collection and will be available soon, some in the Jews of Great Britain database, and some in the Jews of Africa and the Orient database.

Happy Hanukkah

2011-12-16T09:40:00.004-07:00

As this time of year, my wish for all is that you and your family will have Peace and Joy. May we never forgot our ancestors who sacrificed so much for us. May you all have a very Happy Hanukkah.

The Jews of Antigua and Barbuda

2011-12-13T17:50:00.004-07:00

There is not a lot to the Jewish history of Antigua and Barbuda. The first Jews to live there were probably some Sephardic families who had arrived in the late 17th century through the early part of the 18th century. The numbers of Jews who lived there during these early times was probably very small, most likely well under a hundred, in fact most were Jewish merchants or traders, who travelled between Antigua and other Islands, such as Nevis. A good example of these travelling Jews can be found in the Knowles Collection-Jews of South America and the Caribbean. Abraham Abudiente (also known as Gideon) and his wife Bathesheba, are both buried in the Jewish Cemetery in Nevis, however they and other members of the family lived at times in Antigua. Many of the Jews who had lived in and travelled to Antigua left in the late 1600's. This was because laws were passed in 1694, that prevented Jew's from being traders in commodities and from being participants in the slave trade. Even though the law was quickly repealed in 1701, most Jews left and became some of those that settled in the early communities of North America.
Since so many of the early communities in the United States were founded by Jews from Antigua and other areas of the Caribbean it is very important to add Antigua and Barbuda to the list of Caribbean Islands that should be searched for ancestral ties for those American families.

The Jews of Finland

2011-12-03T14:24:00.007-07:00

The Jewish history of the country of Finland is somewhat confusing. For well over a thousand years the area we now call Finland was actually part of Sweden. Under the laws of the Kingdom of Sweden, the Jews were only allowed to live in three of the major towns, none of which were located within the area of modern day Finland.

In 1809, during the Napoleonic Wars, Russia defeated Sweden, and Russia gained control of Finland and the Grand Duchy of Finland was established within the Russian Empire. Even though they were now under Russian rule, the Swedish constitution and legal system was maintained, thus the Jews were not allowed to settle within Finland.
Thus, the Jewish history of Finland truly began in the early part of the 19th century, because the Jewish soldiers who had served in the Russian army in Finland were allowed to stay in Finland after being discharged. A decree was issued in 1858, which allowed discharged soldiers and their families to stay in Finland, this decree was not based upon religion, so all were treated equally. In 1869, another decree provided guidance as to which occupations these soldiers could have. This included the Jewish soldiers.

In 1889, the government issued a decree that for the first time was almost entire addressed to the Jewish community. This decree put severe restrictions upon the Jews, such as not being able to work outside their own city, and even then having to work in the same restricted occupations. Children were only allowed to stay in Finland as long as they lived with their parents and only if they didn't marry. Also those Jews who lived in Finland and were drafted into the Russian Army were not allowed to return to Finland after their service.

The Jewish population of Finland in the 1880's and 1890's probably never exceeded more than 2,000 people. It was during this time that the Jews began to work for their independence. Finally, in 1917, Finland gained its independence and the Jewish community began to have rights, and for the first time Jews could become Finnish citizens.

From the time period after World War I up until the beginning of World War II, most of the Jews of Finland continued to work within the clothing and textile industries. As Jews began arriving from Russia, more and more attended university and started working in professions such as lawyers and doctors. After World War II, the Jews were entitle to all the rights of any citizen, they were truly Finnish. The majority of the Jewish population of modern day Finland, lives in three cities, Helsinki, Torku and Tampere, with vast majority in Helsinki. The majority of the Jews in Finland are Ashkenazic.

Finding Jewish families in the Border Crossing records into the United States.

2011-11-30T13:06:00.006-07:00

As we all know, the United States of America became home to so many of our Jewish families in the period from the 1880's till after World War II. For this reason many of us begin our searches in records such as passenger arrivals at Ellis Island and U.S. census records. While these types of records are great sources for locating our families, they sometimes are lacking in the information they provide. Another wonderful source that should be used more often are the Border Crossing records of those arriving into the United States, from Canada and Mexico.

The records of the arrival on American soil from Mexico are available for various time frames for port of entry's in Texas, Arizona and New Mexico. The search able indexes to the record cards can be found on the Family Search website. They can be found in the catalog or www.Ancestry.com also has them available. The information that these records provide is amazing. The records of the arrival in Laredo of the Chayo family shows all the information that can be taken for each record.
On 26 Jun 1920, the family of Ezra and Farida Chayo arrived at Laredo, Texas. The record at left is the card for Ezra Chayo, a merchant. According to the record he is 35 years of age, born in Aleppo, Syria. His family is of Turkish descent and he is a Hebrew who speaks Yiddish. The record also states that they are on their way to Argentina via New York City. It is very doubtful that all of this information could be found on either a record from Ellis Island or a census record.
In addition to Ezra, the cards for his wife Farida, and children Nazilla, Elias, Marcos and Violet are found. The cards for Marcos (b.1917) and Violet (b. 1919) give Mexico as the place of birth while the others list Aleppo. All of this is wonderful information for tracing your family.
The border crossings for those entering the United States from Canada are also available through FamilySearch or Ancestry. many of the records, such as this one for the family of Abraham Abugou are taken from the passenger lists of those arriving at US ports from Canada. This one is from St. Albans, Vermont.
The record shows Abraham, his wife Sonia and their daughter all from Lithuania. It states that they will be living with his sister Eta Abugou Littman at her home in Worcester, Mass.
While this is still great information, it is not quite as detailed as the records from Mexico. Regardless of this, it is another reminder of how important it is to check every possible record when researching our families. The story these documents create can be most vital for researchers.

Lt. Gen. Milton J. Foreman, military hero

2011-11-29T16:33:00.004-07:00

One of the newest additions to the Knowles Collection, the Foreman/Fuhrmann Family records includes the histories of some amazing people. The records document the family of Gerhard Fuhrmann and their journey from Dirmstein, Germany to the United States.
Once they arrived in the United States the family became well established in Chicago. The family can be found throughout the records of that wonderful city. Of all the great people in the family, one especially stands out, Lt. General Milton J. Foreman.
Milton J. Foreman, was born in Chicago to Joseph and Mary (Hoffman) Foreman. He studied and became a lawyer. He was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1899. He was active in politics and served on the city council. In 1895 he enlisted in the Illinois National Guard. He served as Captain , First Illinois Cavalry, Spanish American War. He worked his way through the ranks in the military and in 1920 was appointed Brigadier General. In 1921 he was named Major General and commanded the 33rd Division. He finally retired in 1931 and was promoted to Lieutenant General.
Lt. Gen. Foreman was a true American hero. From his service in the Spanish American War and World War 1, he was recognized for his actions. He was awarded for bravery the Distinguished Service Cross, the Distinguished Service medal, Silver Star citations, the French Legion of Honor and the Belgium Order of the Crown. Maybe the greatest award came when during World War II, a merchant ship was named the S.S. Foreman.
A truly great family and a remarkable man. The records of this family will be in the Knowles Collection after the next update.

Edith Elizabeth Jales, Paddington, London

2011-11-28T11:42:00.003-07:00

The headstone below is that of Edith Elizabeth (Coulson) Jales, wife of Frederick William Jales. She died in 1930 in Paddington, London, England. She and Frederick were married in June of 1905, also in Paddington. She is buried in the Paddington Cemetery on Willesden Lane.

I would be most interested if anyone has any additional information on this family.

The Jews of Uzbekistan

2011-11-21T14:30:00.007-07:00

Various traditions state that the Jewish community of Uzbekistan, dates back between 1,500 and 2,000 years ago. These traditions tell of Jews going into exile after the destruction of the Temple, or fleeing Persian persecution. Which ever history is correct, it shows the long history of the Jewish people of the area now known as Uzebekistan. As they were forbidden to own their own land, most of the early Jews into Uzebekistan were merchants.

With a few exceptions, the Jews of Uzbekistan have lived under hardship and turmoil. Their homeland has over the generations been invaded by many people or groups who wrecked havoc on central Asia. During the 14th century, the land was under the rule of Tamerlane. The Jews of the time, especially those who worked as weavers helped the area prosper. In fact Samarkand, the capitol city was also became a major Jewish city.
After the death of Tamalane, the conditions under which the Jews were forced to live became worse. As new people took over they would enact laws that would take away rights from the Jewish people.

Under Muslim rule, Jews were forced to live in the Jewish quarter, they had to wear certain clothes, and they had restrictions upon the way the built their homes. These conditions stayed with the Jews until the 1868 Russian invasion.

After the Russian invasion, the Jews had some rights restored to them, and they were given equality with the Muslims. One right that was restored was the ability to freely acquire property, they could finally own their own homes. During this time the Jewish community flourished. Some became wealthy cotton merchants, while others owned large amounts of land and buildings. The Jewish community during this time reached about 75,000 people.

The Russian Revolution of 1917 again changed the lives of the Jews. Free enterprise and the freedom of religion were outlawed. Where before the revolution there were more than 30 synagogues in the city of Samarkand, by the middle of the 1930's there was only one. The Jews were being driven into communism.

The modern day Jewish community is not what it once was. It is believed that over a million Jews fleeing the Holocaust passed through the country. Of those, a little more than 200,000 stayed. By 1970, only about 100,000 remained. Today the Jewish population of Uzebekistan is about 20,000, and the majority of those live in Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara. Uzebekistan gained it's Independence twenty years ago in 1991. Times have not been easy and many have immigrated to Israel and the United States.

Through generations of persecution, the Jews of Uzebekistan have somehow been able to keep their Jewish identity. At this time of year as many around the world are celebrating Thanksgiving, I am thankful for all of our ancestors, who overcame much and never lost that identity.

Ten Powerful "Search" Features at Familysearch.org

2011-11-14T09:06:00.004-07:00

As we continue the search for ancestors, we often turn to the various databases available on the Internet. There are many wonderful places to search for those missing family members, if only we knew the best way to search through the records, and where to begin. One of those websites is www.familysearch.org.

Now, Phill Dunn, author of the Brit-Ish Heritage Forum blog has broken down how best to use the Familysearch.org search engine. Its an incredible help to all those looking in Familysearch for their families. His article can be found at http://britishheritage4um.blogspot.com/2011/08/ten-powerful-search-features-in.html.

Phill is a very accomplished researcher who specialises in London and big city research. His years of experience searching for those tough to find ancestors, has taught him how best to work through the various databases. Using that knowledge to help us all through Familysearch, we be a benefit to many. Even long time users of Familysearch will find this very helpful. Please visit his blog to learn how.

Remembering Our Veterans

2011-11-11T07:56:00.003-07:00

MAY THEY NEVER BE FORGOTTEN

The Jews of Monaco

2011-11-11T06:55:00.006-07:00

I have just returned from London, where I was able to revisit the Willesden Jewish Cemetery. While there, I was able to view the headstones of a prominent family with ties in many parts of the world, the Mosenthals. Adolph Mosenthal was born in Germany in 1812, his wife Henrietta was born in 1822, also in Germany. Together they left Germany and in the late 1840's arrived in South Africa. Once in South Africa he established a family business, that became one of the largest players in the trading of diamonds. In a later post I will talk a lot more of this family. It is what was listed on the headstone of Robert Mosenthal that drew my attention to this post.

On his headstone (at right) it states that he died on 28 Mar 1884 in Monte Carlo. His death, like some other British Jews, being given as taking place in Monaco, brings up interest as to the Jewish community located there.

Prior to World War II there were a few Jews who lived in Monaco, maybe only 250-300. They were for the most part Ashkenazic Jews from France. During the war as the Jews faced persecution from the Nazi's, the government stepped in and issued false identification papers to Jewish residents to protect them from being sent to the camps. The police, however did arrest some and and turned them over to the Nazis. In a great show of support, Prince Louis II refused to dismiss any Jewish government workers and protected people such as Edouard de

Rothschild from being handed over to the Nazi's for almost certain transportation to the camps.
The current Jewish community was officially organized in 1848. Most of the Jews in Monaco are not official citizens but residents who are mostly from France and the United Kingdom. There are also a few Jews from France and North Africa.
The entire Jewish population, both citizens and non-citizens number about 1000, located mostly in Monte Carlo. This would mean that the community makes up about 3% of the entire population, which would mean that only Israel has a higher per capita total of Jewish residents in the entire world.

Records of the Jews of Hungary

2011-10-25T17:25:00.007-06:00

The dedication and talents of those who are researching their Jewish families throughout the world never ceases to amaze me. I am almost weekly being contacted by people whose research has led them to document not only their own family but also the lives of those who lived in the same cities and countries. I feel completely overwhelmed when these good people, donate their great work to the Knowles Collection to help others.
Over the last few weeks, one of these incredible researchers has donated numerous databases to the Collection that document the Jewish communities of Hungary. The first database consists of the Jewish residents in the 1869 Census of Hungary linked as families. I will document in a later post about her great work and the history of the Jewish people in Hungary, but I felt the need today to thank everyone for their dedicated research and love of all of our ancestors. Her work will be added to the Knowles Collection- Jews of Europe database and will be available to all very soon.

The Great Solomon Family Reunion 10-12 March, 2012

2011-10-14T15:05:00.005-06:00

On the 10th-12th of March 2012, I will have the honor of attending and speaking at The Great Solomon Reunion, to be held in Melbourne, Australia. It has now been almost 200 years since the Solomon's settled in Australia, and what better way to celebrate than having a great reunion? With family expected from many countries, it will be a great chance to meet new family, and say hello to old friends. I hope to see you there.

A Synagogue A Day

2011-10-12T10:09:00.005-06:00

Yesterday's post about postcards of synagogues, prompted a wonderful friend to introduce me to another great location for pictures of Synagogues. A Synagogue A Day, is the home to the images from the William A. Rosenthall Judaica Collection at the College of Charleston (one of America's nicest cities).

The collection is another great way to learn more about the way our ancestors lived, and is a great source for all family historians. A special thanks to Ann Hellman for making me aware of this collection.

Jewish Postcard Collection

2011-10-11T15:19:00.004-06:00

So often as I research the lives of Jewish families from all parts of the world, I find myself wondering about the places they were from. I think about their families, their homes, what was their life like. I also think a lot about the places they gathered, such as the synagogues.

Image my joy to find that someone has been added postcards of so many of those places online. Stepanie Comfort has been gathering postcards of many of these same places.

At http://www.jewishpostcardcollection.com/ there is a large collection of these postcards from all parts of the world. The photo at left of the Sephardic Synagogue in Girona, Spain is just one of hundreds. This site is an incredible place to see those places that were so important to our ancestors. Thank you Stephanie for your work

The Jacobi family and the Jews of Greenland

2011-10-06T09:40:00.004-06:00

One of the newest additions to the Knowles Collection, is the family history of the Jacobi family. This record, which is also part of the collection compiled by Rabbi Malcolm Stern, documents a family from the province of Posen in the late 1700's.

The family begins with Jacob Jacobi who had three children. Grune Jacobi, the oldest, was born in 1790 in Neustadt, Posen and died in 1876 in Charleston, South Carolina. Most of her family like so many others settled in and around the Charleston area, one of the great Jewish communities in pre-civil war America. One of the intriguing things about this family however are the other locations where they settled.

Grune's brother, Neuman Hirsch Jacobi was also born in Neustadt, in 1794. He however moved to Copenhagen, Denmark where he died in 1881.While some of the descendants of Neuman also made their way to Charleston and others American cities, many also stayed in Europe, most in Denmark and some even lived in Greenland. These Jacobi's from Greenland now become the first Jews from that country to be included in the Knowles Collection.

Not many Jews have ever made Greenland their home. Those who visited were for the most part Danes or Germans who had trade with the inhabitants. Greenland, while self governing since 1979, has been a part of Denmark for over 300 years. While few in numbers it is nice to finally have representation from Greenland. Hopefully more will follow.

History of the Jews of France

2011-10-04T13:58:00.000-06:00

In July of 2012, the annual conference of the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS) will be held in Paris, France. As was mentioned in a recent posting in this blog the conference already has a wonderful website that is available (www.paris2012.eu). With a Jewish population of around 500,000, France has the third largest Jewish population in the world, trailing only Israel and the United States. With the conference fast approaching, it seems like a great time to explore the history of the Jews of France. Some of the interesting facts about the Jewish history of France include;

The history goes back over 2,000 years, when France was part of the Roman empire. During this time it was probably more about groups of individuals than an actual community, however there was a presence.
The first Jewish communities in France are dated from the mid 5th century through the early part of the 6th century. These communities were in Brittany (465), Valence (524) and Orleans(533). In the later part of the 6th century a community was established in Paris and even built their own synagogue.
Beginning in 1096 and lasting up until the middle ages in the 1400's, the Jews of France lived through a great deal of persecution. At various times they were imprisoned, forced to wear identifying clothing, forced to give up their land and freedoms and even murdered.
Beginning in the early 1500's Jews began arriving from Portugal, as they fled the Inquisition. At this time was also the first time that Jews were allowed to legally live in France.
Jews began arriving from Poland and the Ukraine in the middle of the 17th century. The Jews of France thrived and became an active part of the business community. In the late 1700's many of the anti-Jewish laws were repealed.
The Jews began moving back into Paris in the late 1700's. The Sephardic Jews settled on the Left bank, and places such as Bordeaux and Avignon. Ashkenazic Jews on the other hand settled the Right bank. The first synagogue opened in Paris in 1788.
In 1790 the Sephardic Jews were granted citizenship and less than 6 months later the Ashkenazic Jews received the same.
Following the French Revolution, the Jews began to restore their communities, reopening schools and even opening a Rabbinical seminary that is still in use today.
Beginning in the early 1900's up through the war, France received Jews from many areas, including Turkey, North Africa, Greece and many countries of Eastern Europe.

Today, with a vibrant Jewish community in an absolutely beautiful city, the IAJGS conference promises to be a major success. I look forward to attending.

The Gomez Family, Sephardic influence from the Caribbean in New York

2011-09-29T03:14:00.001-06:00

In 1792, under a buttonwood tree at 68 Wall Street, in New York City, 24 brokers gathered and signed the Buttonwood Agreement, that would eventually lead to the creation of the New York Stock Exchange. That event would have such an incredible impact on the world as the New York Stock Exchange is now the center of the financial world. It is one of those men whose own history is also a great example of the effect the Sephardic Jews of the Caribbean have had on early America. Those who study the history of the exchange will note that Isaac M. Gomez (1768-1831) was a broker who resided at 32 Maiden Lane in New York, but that is far from the whole story. Who was this man and where did he come from?
Isaac Moses Gomez was born on 28 July 1768 in New York City into a sephardic Jewish family. His father, Moses Gomez (1728-1789) lived his whole live in New York. His mother, Esther Gomez, daughter of Isaac and Deborah De Leon Gomez was born in Barbados in 1739. Isaac married into a Jewish family from Newport, Rhode Island, when on 26 May 1790 he married Abigail Lopez (1771-1851), daughter of Aaron and Sarah Rodriguez Riveira Lopez. He and Abigail became the parents of 10 children.
In looking into the family tree of Isaac, the influences from the Islands of the Caribbean become very apparent. In the family record that has been preserved in the papers of Malcolm Stern (FHL Film #1013428) Isaac gives details on some of his own ancestry. Included within those are;

Mordecai Gomez married a Miss Esther Compas of Jamaica by whom he had three sons, Moses, Isaac, and Jacob. Moses married in Jamaica, and Isaac married Esther Jesurum in Curacao.
Daniel Gomez (his grandfather) married Rebecca De Torres, daughter of Joseph and Simha De Torres, of Jamaica. They had 2 sons before she died. He then married Esther Levy of Curacao.
Isaac Gomez married Deborah De Leon of Barbados.
Benjamin Gomez married Esther Nunes of Barbados.

The influence of these Caribbean Jews, like so many other families was then taken to places such as New York, Philadelphia and Newport, all places the family settled in. The Gomez descendants then married into prominent families. These families had familiar surnames such as Seixas, Levy and Hendricks.
This proves once again how research into early United States families must begin with a search of the records of the Caribbean Islands.
The records of the Gomez family have been added to the Knowles Collection- Jews of South America and the Caribbean and will be available after the next update.

The Guggenheimer Family, from Bavaria to Virgina

2011-09-28T08:33:00.002-06:00

The latest addition to the Knowles Collection is a family history of the Guggenheimer family. Abraham Guggenheimer (1779-1864) was born in Bavaria where he married Dolze Bacharach (1785-1855). Abraham and Dolze became the parents of 11 children, born in Hurben, Bavaria. It was many of these children who became the first of the Guggenheimer's to migrate to the United States, most settling in Virginia.
Like many early American Jewish families, the early Guggenheimer's have left an incredible legacy for their descendants. Some, like Nathaniel Guggenheimer, have distinguished themselves in service to their new country. On the 15th of September of 1863, the Governor of Virginia, John Letcher, signed a commission making Nathaniel Guggenheimer a Captain in the First Regiment of Cavalry of the 12th Brigade and the first Division of the Virginia Military. Others, such as Joseph N. Ulman, married into the family, he married Ella, daughter of Isaac, he being the grandson of Abraham and Dolze. Joseph N. Ulman, served his country as a judge on the Supreme Court of Baltimore.
The Guggenheimer's were in America in the early 1840's, and were established in Virginia cities such as Richmond, Lynchburg and Warm Springs. This did not stop the family from extending their influence to others areas as well. Clara, a granddaughter of Isaac and Clara Guggenheimer married into the Binswanger family of Philadelphia, themselves an early respected Jewish family.
The Guggenheimer are another example of an early Jewish family that quickly identified themselves with their new home and became very influential in those communities. The records of the Guggenheimer family have now been added to the Knowles Collection- Jews of North America database and will be available after the next update.

The Jews of Mali

2011-09-26T15:14:00.004-06:00

The Jewish history of Mali may go back as far as biblical times when the Egyptian Jews settled in in the northern part of the country. We know, however that in the eight century a group of traders who travelled the world, known as the Rhadamites, settled in Timbuktu and the area that surrounds it.
History tells us that the next large wave of immigrants came in the late 1300's when Jews fleeing persecution in Spain found their way to the area of Timbuktu. These Jews settled three settlements that still exist today, Kirshamba, Haybomo and Kongougara.
Even later, in the 1492, King Askia Muhammed came to power in Timbuktu. He ordered that all Jews convert to Islam or face execution. Because of this the Jews became scattered, some fled, some converted and some chose to stay in Mali. Those who stayed faced generation after generation of persecution. As the persecution continued, the community went away leaving no Jews by the 1900's.
The lack of a community existed until the most modern time, in the 1990's when the past Jewish heritage became more well known. That heritage was documented by historian Ismail Diadie Haidara, who has now formed a group known as Zakhor. Zakhor hopes are to reestablish the Jewish community, through such things as learning Hebrew, collecting the histories and preserving the cemeteries of their ancestors.
To learn more about our heritage is a worthy goal for all and best of success to them.

Growth Brings Change

2011-09-15T10:54:00.006-06:00

Thanks to the incredible support from people throughout the world, The Knowles Collection has grown too large for it's current format. Last updated in May of this year to include the records of about 240,000 Jewish people, the collection will be updated sometime in the next month. The new update will bring the collection to almost 320,000 names, or a 33% growth in 4 months.
The growth, has come from many sources, most notably cemetery records and donations of family records. While these have been from all parts of the world, the database most effected is the Jews of the Americas, which has grown very quickly. The growth of the Jews of The Americas database will continue to experience a lot of growth, as we have received a large number of records from places such as Brazil.
In order to handle all this growth, some of the Knowles Collection databases are being changed. With this update, we are splitting the Jews of the Americas database. The databases will now be;

Jews of North America

Jews of South America and the Caribbean

Jews of Europe

Jews of British Isles

Jews of Africa and the Orient

It is only because of the help of so many that this is possible. I am very grateful to all for this support.

From Spain to America, the family of Isaac Harby

2011-09-14T08:48:00.006-06:00

Much has been written in this blog about the migration of Jews from Spain and Portugal, to Europe and eventually the Caribbean and then to the southern United States. Another wonderful example of this is the biography of Isaac Harby, which is contained in the collection. The biography, which was contained in the family bible was written in Isaac Harby's own handwriting. In his writings he first discusses his families beginnings, where he writes,

"My ancestors fled to Spain and then Portugal, where they remained until the pestilence of the inquisition drove them to Africa"

He further adds;

"I find my grandfather, Isaac Harbie, about the middle of the 18th century, employed in the business of a lapidary at Fez in Morocco and in his barbarian majesty's good confidence."

He then talks about the birth of his own father, Solomon, when he writes;

"Of this issue six children were born, the youngest of whom was Solomon, my father, born in London, 1762."

Then writing of their arrival in the United States he states;

"Solomon Harby emigrated to America and remained three years at Jamaica from 1778 to 1781. He married Rebecca Moses at Charleston, South Carolina, in 1787. She was the daughter of Myer Moses, a rich and patriotic Israelite who assisted his country during the Revolutionary struggle."

Like so many others, the Harby family travelled from Spain to Portugal, then to Africa and London before their journey to America by way of Jamaica. Further proof how important it is for all those researching early American Jewish families to carefully study the records of the Caribbean. The records of Isaac Harby and his family have now been added to the Knowles Collection- Jews of North North America database and will be available after the next update.

Argentina National Census 1895 at www.FamilySearch.org

2011-09-08T12:54:00.009-06:00

One of the newest databases available free of charge at http://www.familysearch.org/ will be a great tool for those with Jewish ancestry in Argentina.
That database is the Argentina National Census 1895.

Taken on 10 May 1895, the collection is a name search able census with 3.8 million images. It can be found in the Historical Record Collections section of the website.

Argentina was a great melting pot for people from many countries, a fact that becomes obvious as the census is searched. To search the collection simply find the following link:

Once in the collection simply search by name. Using the surname Cohen, I found 161 hits for people with that surname. Included in those was the record below, which shows James Levy and his wife Bella Cohen de Levy. They were listed as having the religion of Israelita. The information shows they were both born in England and had been married 27 years with 3 children. Those three children, Samuel, Daniel and Anita are all living in the same home in Buenos Aires. Many thanks to FamilySearch and best of luck as you look for your own families.

The Jews of French Guiana

2011-09-07T13:01:00.000-06:00

As I have been going through the birth and marriage records of Suriname, the names of places from French Guiana have been appearing. If one studies the history of the area this is not at all surprising. French Guiana was first settled in 1604 by the French, and captured a few years later by the Dutch.
The original Jews in French Guiana arrived just as many others in the Caribbean did, with the help of the Dutch West India Company. This was a very beneficial relationship for all, as it gave the Dutch the settlers they needed and gave the Jews a new home.
The next group of settlers arrived on 12 September 1659, when a group of Portuguese Jews from Brazil, led by David Nassy arrived. Nassy came from the island of Cayenne, where he was a leader of that Jewish community. In the 1660's, 150 Jews arrived in Cayenne from Leghorn, Italy.
During this time life was good for the Jews, they were allowed to worship as they pleased. They were also developing their own sugarcane plantations and become successful in their work. This all changed in 1664, when a fleet of five ships arrived from France. They brought with them 1200 settlers who took control of the country. The Jews who were there surrendered on the condition they could continue to practice their religion. Even with these conditions, most of the Jews began to leave, making their way to Suriname. In 1667, British Forces captured what was left of the community and moved them to either Suriname or Barbados to work on their sugarcane plantations.
A search of the records of Suriname finds many of the families who started out in French Guiana, most notable the surname Nassy. These records from Suriname have been added to the Knowles Collection- Jews of the Caribbean database .
Today, the Jewish community in French Guiana is small, most likely less than 100, however they have been established for over 350 years in the Caribbean and because of the records they left, their footprints can still be seen.

Lazarus David Family

2011-08-31T12:09:00.004-06:00

One of the newest additions to the Knowles Collection, is the history of the Lazarus David family. Lazarus David was born in 1734, most likely in Swansea, Wales and died on 22 Oct 1776 in Montreal, Canada. He married Phoebe Samuel, daughter of Ezekial Samuel, of Rhode Island in 1761. The history which includes information on over 750 people is a wonderful documentation of an important Jewish family.

The lives of the members of this family touch many parts of the world. In addition to Canada and the United States other countries of influence include France, Italy, West Indies, England and Ireland. One of most amazing things is how many different people were involved in either the military or government affairs. These included;

Eleazer David, b. 8 Jun 1811 son of Samuel and Sarah (Hart) David. He married Eliza Lock Walker dau of Capt. Charles Walker formerly of 15th and 24th Regiments.

Golda Adela David, b.13 Jan 1846 in Piza, Italy dau of Eleazer and Eliza (Walker) David. She married John S. Dyde whose father was Aide de Camp to Queen Victoria.

Baruch Frederick Weber Hart, b. 22 Nov 1814, son of Benjamin and Harriot (Hart) Hart, he married a Miss Davis, niece of Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America.

William Solomons, b. 28 May 1777 in Montreal, son of Ezekial and Elizabeth (Dubois) Solomons. He was an Indian Department Interpreter. He had 4 children with an Indian girl, Agibicocoua before later marrying Marguerite Johnson and fathering ten more children.

The David family is truly a remarkable family full of service to various nations and peoples. These records have been added to the Knowles Collection -Jews of the Americas and will be available after the next update.

The Jews of Yemen

2011-08-26T14:02:00.005-06:00

The history of the Jews of Yemen is a very interesting story, full of things that are very unique to them. The way they arrived in Yemen, the way they lived, and the relationship they had were all different from other communities, even those in the same region.
There has been a Jewish presence in Yemen for centuries. While we may not know exactly when they arrived, it most likely was in the 7th century BCE. The local tradition states that Jews left Jerusalem after they heard Jeremiah warn of the destruction of the Temple in 629 BCE. Historian's lean more toward the arrival of the Jews in 900 BCE. They believe these Jews were part of King Solomon's traders. Whichever is the correct time frame, it is a long history.
The early years of the Jews being in Yemen, was a time of of peace and strength. The rulers of the time had a large section of their people who converted to Judaism, then in the 3rd century, the ruling family also converted, which made Judaism the religion of those who governed. The Jewish rule ended in the early 6th century when the Ethiopians took power.
Ethiopian ruled ended in the seventh century, and because of it, life for the Jews would never be the same. At that time the Muslims took control which made the Jews now a lower class, no longer the equals of others.
They were now required to pay special taxes, and lost most all contact with other Jewish communities, they were isolated in many ways. The isolation from other communities had a lasting influence. Their culture and lives began to resemble those of the Arabs, the only people they had contact with. This period lasted till the 1200's when the Rasulides Tribe of Africa ruled the area. They were in control till the mid 1500's when the Turk's took over.
In 1630, the Zaydis tribe took control from the Turks and again the Jews were forced into a period of history that was most unkind to them. Restrictions were put back in place, they were no longer allowed to live in the cities, they also could not build any home that was taller than a Muslim home. In the late 1600's, part of the community was drive out to Mawza, on the Red Sea. There many starved and died. Later they were brought back to help the economy, because they were the skilled craftsmen and artisans. This pattern continue for the most part until 1948 when Israel became a state. By 1950 the majority of the Jews of Yemen had immigrated to Israel.
Today, the Jewish community of Yemen is very small and because of years of being subjected to unfair laws and rulers have lost most of their Jewish identity. There are now those within the community trying to restore the honor that was lost, may their work be blessed.

IAJGS 2012 Paris, France

2011-08-22T14:55:00.006-06:00

As we have now completed the 2011 conference of the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS), we can begin to look forward to next year's event. The conference will be held in Paris, France from the 15th to the 18th of July 2012. The organizers already have a website available (http://www.paris2012.eu/) that provides information as it becomes available.

I look forward to seeing everyone there.

The Jews of Arlington National Cemetery

2011-08-20T16:27:00.007-06:00

Over the last week I have been attending the 2011 International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies Conference (IAJGS) in Washington D.C. It was a wonderful week of attending classes, reuniting with old friends and meeting new people. The Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Washington (JGSGW) did a wonderful job.

As it was held in our nation's capital, there were a lot of incredible sites to visit and history to be learned. The night before the conference began I was able to visit Arlington National Cemetery, final resting place of thousands who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
It is a beautiful, reverent place to visit. While walking the grounds I began to notice the many Jews who had given their lives and were remembered at Arlington. One example, was the headstone of Dennet S. Gurman (born 31 Aug 1924), of New York. He and the nine other men listed all lost their lives on 4 Jul 1945, at Celebes Island in the Southwest Pacific.

As I viewed this stone, I found myself wondering how many other Jewish soldiers were at rest at Arlington. A little searching led me to the home page of the conference sponsors, the JGSGW. There, at http://www.anc.jgsgw.org/ is located a wonderful database of 5219 Jews at Rest at Arlington National Cemetery. The database is searchable by name and very user friendly. Using the name of Dennet S. Gurman that I found on the stone, I was able to get the additional information located below.

This record also included a photo of the headstone, which looks much like the one I took. Most of the records do include the photo as well. A special thanks to the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Washington for the time they took to honor those who gave their lives for all of us.

May they never be forgotten.

Curacao to Panama, the Fidanque Family

2011-08-09T13:44:00.008-06:00

According to a family tree that was donated over thirty years ago to Malcolm Stern, the earliest mention of the name of Fidanque occurs in 1634 when the name appears in the records of the Altona cemetery of the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue in Hamburg. The family tree of the Fidanque family begins with Benjamin Fidanque who died in Curacao in the early part of the 1700's.
The tree, compiled by Elias Alvin Fidanque, is a beautiful work that tells the story of a family whose influence spreads from their beginnings in Amsterdam through many parts of the world, including, Curacao, Panama, Costa Rica, Jamaica, St. Thomas all the way to New York. As one reads the information on the tree, it becomes very important of the great service this family has provided to others for many generations. A few examples, as taken from the text on the tree include;

Abraham Haim Fidanque, who died in 1813 in Curacao, was one of the original founders of the Curacao Burial Society (Hebra) in 1783, and many times President and Treasurer of Congregation Mikve Israel in Curacao.

Jacob Fidnaque, of whom it is said: "He never lost a friend or made an enemy" served Congregation Beraha Hashalom in St. Thomas as Reader and Sexton from 1828-1837.

Joseph Fidanque, who died in Panama on February 5, 1933, was Reader and Minister to Congregation Kol Shearith Israel, in that city.

Benjamin Delvalle Fidanque, who died in New York City on February 23, 1937, likewise served his people as Vice President of Congregation Shearith Israel of New York.

All generations have shown that service to others takes priority over their own needs. This is shown in a beautiful quote left for members of the family and should be read by all. It states "

We have a worthy heritage to sustain: Acceptance of ourselves; identification with our God; loyalty to our faith; service to our fellow-men."

This family tree, built through service by an incredible family, can be found on microfilm through the Family History Library (Film # 1013428). The records have also been added to the Knowles Collection- Jews of the Caribbean and will be available after the next update.

Family Bible of Abraham DeJacob DeLeon of Jamaica

2011-08-08T10:01:00.004-06:00

One of the newest additions to the Knowles Collection is a copy of some of the pages from the family Bible of Abraham De Jacob De Leon of the island of Jamaica. Originally donated to Malcolm Stern at Hebrew Union College, the papers were filmed and added to the microfilm collection (FHL Film # 1013428) of the Family History Library in 1977.
The Bible itself was given to Abraham De Jacob De Leon by his father Jacob De Leon and bought of Abr. Cohen De Leon on May 12, 1736 at a cost of 50 cents. Although he received it in 1736, his first entries are before that date as he seems to try and catch up on past events. A few notable events include;

"I was born this 8 May 1702 a fryday night at nine o'clock."

"I was married 25 August 1732 at Mrs.Modi Martin house in Spanishtown, Jamaica".

"It was please God to deliver my wife safely between Ten and Eleven before nune with a Son. We gave him name Abraham of a Satterday. God give him long life".

The entries continue on through the births of the other 8 children, at which time the bible appears to have been given to the oldest son, Abraham, as he then makes entries for each of the births of his nine children. Following those entries are a few entries entered by Jacob De Leon, the oldest son of Abraham. He provides the following;

"26 September 1786 It has pleased God to take unto himself my honored, dear, and beloved father, his remains were carried to Spanishtown and buried. God restore him in the Kingdom of Heaven. Amen."

"I was married the 4 October 1789 at New York to Miss Hannah Hendricks."

"My dear Mather departed this life 10 Jany 1792. Her remains was entered in Spanishtown Jamaica."

The entries are a loving tribute to multiple generations of a loving family. These records have now been added to The Knowles Collection - Jews of the Caribbean and will be available after the next update.

Czech Republic Birth, Marriage and Death Records at Familysearch.org

2011-08-02T15:45:00.007-06:00

In recent months I have tried to show the valuable databases that are available free of charge at http://www.familysearch.org/. Today I have been using the database of Czech Republic, Northern Moravia, Opava Archive Church Books, 1571 - 1905, available through the Historical Record Collection page.

The collection has over 200,000 images taken from 1684 rolls of microfilm of the Provincial Archives of Northern Moravia in the Czech Republic. The records include images from the Roman Catholic, Evangelic Lutheran, Reformed and also the Jewish congregations. They are the original records which were created by the local priests and rabbis. The places covered by the collection,

for the Jewish records are listed below.
Once a location is identified, the records are easily accessible by simply clicking on that location. While the records are not search able by name, if you know the location and a year the event took place, it is quite easy to find the available records.

The records, such as the birth record below are another great source available free of charge at www.familysearch.org.

Adolph Sutro 24th Mayor of San Francisco and his family.

2011-07-26T14:01:00.004-06:00

Adolph Heinrich Joseph Sutro (29 Apr 1830- 8 Aug 1898), was born in Aachen, Prussia the son of Emanuel and Rosa (Warendorff) Sutro. He was an educated man, with a background of engineering when he arrived in the United States in 1850.

Sutro had plans to drain water and gasses from the mine shafts of "The Comstock Lode" by building a tunnel through Mount Davidson to drain the water. He incorporated the project and over time made considerable money from the project. When he saw that modern technology would soon be able to out dig his equipment he sold out and moved to San Francisco.

Sutro invested his fortune in many projects in the San Francisco area, many of them remain today, and bear his name. His popularity led him to be asked to run for mayor. He won and served as the 24th mayor of San Fransisco from January of 1895 to January of 1897.

In the collection of records left by Malcolm Stern at United Hebrew College is a descendency chart of the Sutro family beginning with Abraham Sutro (grandfather of Adolph) and continuing down through almost 700 members of the family.

The records of that chart have now been added to The Knowles Collection- Jews of the Americas and will be available after the next update.

Jews of Cape Verde

2011-07-21T14:34:00.008-06:00

The history of the Jews of Cape Verde is a most interesting story. Located off the western coast of Africa, the Republic of Cape Verde is a group of ten islands which gained their Independence from Portugal in 1975. As a result of the almost 500 years of Portuguese rule, today there are virtually no Jews, the country is mostly all Catholic, but that was not always the case.
From the time of the Spanish Inquisition up until the late 1800's Cape Verde became a safe haven for Jews who were fleeing either religious persecution or simply wanted the opportunity to have stability in their personal and economic life.
The first Jews to arrive in Cape Verde, those from Gibraltar, landed on the island of Sao Tiago. Those Jews were then forced to live in the Ghetto in the capital city of Praia. Even though they were forced into the ghettos, they did maintain some rights, and in fact became very influential traders and businessmen. They were allowed to trade as long as they didn't compete with any of the established Portuguese trading companies. By the middle of the 1500's the Portuguese government had begun using the island of Santo Antao has a place to send convicts, most of these being Jews. In 1672, the inquisition made its way to Cape Verde, which caused the Jewish traders to have their merchandise seized. This caused many of the Jews to hide their true identities.In the late 1700's the Inquisition had subsided to the point that many families were able to reclaim their Jewish heritage openly. Later in the late 1800's Jews began arriving in Cape Verde from places such as Morocco. These Moroccan Jews, like those of hundreds of years earlier were fleeing persecution and trying to establish their businesses. The majority of the Jews from Morocco traded in hides and pelts and some in the coal industry. They established their homes on the islands of Santiago, San Vincent and Santo Antao.
Today, one would find it difficult to find any resemblance of a Jewish community on Cape Verde, most immigrated to Israel or other locations long ago. There are however Jewish Cemeteries on some of the islands. One group of descendants of the Jews who once lived in Cape Verde have formed a nonprofit organization with the hope of keeping the memory of the Sephardic families of Cape Verde alive.

That organization, The Cape Verde Jewish Heritage Project. Inc (http://capeverdejewishheritage.org/about-2/), hopes to restore the cemeteries, and document with research the lives of those who immigrated to Cape Verde from Morocco and Gibraltar.

Please visit their website, the work to preserve the histories of those who have gone before must continue.

National Museum of American Jewish Military History

2011-07-14T09:21:00.006-06:00

This year we are remembering the 150Th anniversary of the beginning of the American Civil War. While most everyone from school age on up can retell something about that event, not everyone is aware of the many Jews who played important roles on both sides. People such as Judah P. Benjamin, who was perhaps the highest ranking Jew in the Confederate Army and a man many considered to be the brains of the Confederacy. He sacrificed so much for his adopted country, before dying in Europe after the War.
So many have fought so hard for this country. Through their efforts, we enjoy peace and the freedom to live our life as we so desire, we owe them so much. Their sacrifices should never be forgotten, and thanks to The National Museum of American Jewish Military History they never will be.

The Museum, based in Washington D.C. provides a great source for educating ourselves about those who have served and died in the service of others. The museum has a wonderful website (www.nmajmh.org) which is easy to use and should be visit by all. It pays tribute to all who have served in the military, and serves as a reminder to us all of what we are so blessed to have. May they never be forgotten.

Thanks to Alexandra Goldberg for bringing this to my attention.

Jews of Afghanistan

2011-07-05T17:47:00.003-06:00

This past week a gentleman submitted the records of his family to the Knowles Collection. What makes these records unique is that they are of a family whose roots are from Afghanistan, which would make it the first records from that country to be included in the database. Even though the family has not lived in Afghanistan since the early 1950's, when those that were still there immigrated to Israel it has made me learn so much more about the history of the Jewish community there.

The history of the Jewish people in Afghanistan dates back well over two thousand years. Various sources cite different dates for when the Jews arrived, however some believe it may date back to the time of the destruction of King Solomon's Temple. Regardless if it truly goes back that far, there seems to be no debate that the country has a rich and long history.
Places such as Khorasan and Ghazni have great historical importance to the Jewish people. What many historians seem to agree on is that in the 7th and 8th centuries the Persian Jews fled the Muslims after rejecting Islam and made there way to Afghanistan. In the late 11th century there were even some who claimed a community of over 40,000 Jews living in the city of Ghanzi.

Then in 1222 that community and many others were invaded by Genghis Kahn and his Mongol army. This invasion led to a large number of Jews in Afghanistan being lost as his army razed the cities. This event led to a time of isolation, where not much about the Jews is documented. This isolation would last hundreds of years, until the early 19th century.

In 1839, the Muslims began the forcible conversation of the Persian Jews, which in turn led to thousands of them making there way to Afghanistan and settling there. In the 1870's the Muslim leaders in Afghanistan enacted laws that were very anti-Jewish, causing thousands to flee to places such as Persia and Palestine. Later anti-Jewish campaigns led to the majority of those remained leaving, so that by the time the State of Israel was formed in 1948, probably less than 5,000 Jews remained. Between then and 1951, laws were in place that prevented those that remained from leaving, but when the restrictions were lifted, most that reamined left. By 1970, less than 300 Jews remained.

What the future holds for Afghanistan remains to be seen, however as changes occur maybe some of those families that left will be able to reestablish their family homes.

Records of British Columbia, Canada on Familysearch.org

2011-07-01T09:47:00.010-06:00

It has been discussed many times of the amazing databases becoming available at www.familysearch.org, that make it easier for researchers to find records of our Jewish ancestors in Non-Jewish records. A few more of those databases are now available free of charge for those wishing to locate their families in British Columbia, Canada.
The databases are easy to find and very user friendly when it comes to searching the records. On the website is located the map of the world next to the links for browsing the databases of different parts of the world.
By clicking on the link for USA, Canada and Mexico, a listing of all the databases for those areas will be listed. Included in that list are three databases for British Columbia, Canada.

The two larger databases, Death Registration 1872-1986 and Marriage Registrations 1859- 1932 have a good number of records of the Jews of British Columbia. The databases are search able and while the images are not included the information provided is very good. The records below show some of the information for each record.

The records shown here, a marriage on the left and a death on the right, also provide the microfilm numbers of the original films in the collection of the Family History Library and also the film numbers from the British Columbia Archives.

Using those film numbers researchers should be able to find the original certificate if they so desire. Happy Canada Day Everyone

Jews of Armenia

2011-06-28T19:28:00.002-06:00

The history of the Jewish community of Armenia dates back over 2,000 years. The first Jews to settle in Armenia were a large community that arrived in the 1st Century B.C.E., most of whom settled in the city of Vartkesaven. Later King Tigranes II the Great brought with him 10,000 Jewish captives to Armenia, when he retreated from Palenstine. By the middle of the 4th century there was a large amount of Jews who had moved into Armenia, enough so that many towns were predominantly Jewish. It was also during this time that many Jews were deported to Iran by the Persian Shapur II.
While there are some remnants of an ancient burial ground in the city of Eghegis dating back into the 1200's, the Jews didn't begin returning to Armenia until the 1800's. Jewish settlers arrived from Poland and Persia, bringing both Ashkenasic and Sephardic Jews to Armenia. In some cities, such as Yerevan both communities were established.
During World War II many displaced Jews arrived in Armenia, bringing the Jewish population over 5,000. Later the Jewish community doubled in size again as Jews arrived from Russia and the Ukraine in the 1960's.
At this time a family of Jews who trace their ancestry into Armenia have donated their records to the Knowles Collection and will soon be added to the database.

Jews of Switzerland

2011-06-28T15:59:00.008-06:00

The Jewish history of Switzerland spans hundreds of years. The first recorded Jews settled there in the very early part of the 13th century. The first Swiss Jews were located in Basel, which was one of the largest Jewish communities in all of Europe,The Jews of Basel, who were mostly from Germany and France arrived in 1213.
Other communities followed soon after, with Bern, St. Gall, Zurich, Schaffhausen, Dissenholfen and Luzerne all having Jewish communities before the end of the 13th century. These communities flourished until the middle of the 14th Century, when events in different cities caused
major changes. In Basel, the community thrived until 1348. Then the Black Death when the Jews were accused of poisoning the water supply. Over 600 Jews were taken to and island on the Rhine where they were burned at the stake. Their children were sparred but were forced to be baptised.
In Bern, at about this same time, the Jewish community was accused of murdering a Christian boy. The Jews were then expelled from Bern, however not much later they were allowed to return.
In the 14th Century, Jews began arriving from places such as Alsace, Nuremburg, France and many of the Southern German cities. During this time Jews were also given limited citizenship. This was not the same that the Christians enjoyed but it did give them some protection and allowed them to live in the cities if they paid certain sums of money. Foreign Jews were not allowed to live in the cities.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, most of the Jews were involved as merchants and money lenders. They did live under restrictions, such as being forced to live in certain neighborhoods and even being told which streets they could live on. They were also persecuted by some of the Swiss people, many times because those same people were in debt to the Jews. These areas became the center of their lives as they built the synagogues and had their shops in these same neighborhoods.
Over the next few hundred years, the Jews who had been expelled returned to their communities. While they did return, it did not always mean that the persecutions had ended. During the early 1400's many Jews faced death. In 1401 all the Jewish residents of Schaffhausen were condemned to death and in fact thirty were burned alive on 25 June 1401.
The community in Geneva wasn't established until the 1780's, but became a thriving community, building a synagogue in Carouge. They later became citizens and had their own burial ground. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, many Jews arrived from Eastern Europe and Alsace. Between 1900 and 1947 many synagogues were built and burial grounds established. In 1947, the Great Synagogue was rebuilt.
During the Holocaust, Switzerland gave refuge to over 20,000 Jews. Because of the neutrality that the government had these Jews were protected. As the war grew the Swiss government took steps to make it harder for Jews to enter the country and over 30,000 were denied access. After the war, things changed somewhat and the Swiss became supportive toward those who faced hardships in their own countries.
In the 1950's they looked after refugees from Egypt and Hungary and then 10 years later they helped those fleeing Czechoslovakia. Today, some 20,000-25,000 Jews live in Switzerland with about a third of those living in Zurich.
Jews from Switzerland will be found in the Knowles Colection - Jews of Europe database.

Beyond the Pale - The History of the Jews in Russia

2011-06-20T10:40:00.004-06:00

To study the history of the Jews within the Russian Empire, one is quick to learn such things as intolerance, expulsion and assimilation. These were all issues that the Jews had to deal with on a daily basis. From the Middle Ages, the Jews were under pressure to fit into the Russian believe that all should form a single people, based on common beliefs, with a common language and common religion.
The history of our ancestors, and the struggles that they went through are now documented in a wonderful website http://www.friends-partners.org/partners/beyond-the-pale/index.html. That site Beyond the Pale- The History of the Jews in Russia, tells the stories of our people. not only through written word but through some wonderful photos.
This site not only discusses the history of the Jews, but talks of anti-Jewish attitudes and intolerance of the Jewish people. As it states on the site "This exhibition depicts the history of anti-Jewish attitudes -- and of anti-Semitism today, a form of intolerance that in our century caused the death of millions of people. The exhibition also portrays the history of Jews in Europe and in Russia to help understand their life, religion and culture. But above all, the exhibition wants to warn of the great dangers of prejudice and intolerance, particularly in times of political uncertainty and increased social tension."
It is so very important that we read and reread the histories of places such as the Pale of Settlement, for if we don't don't learn from the past, what kind of future can we have.

Jews of Martinique

2011-06-17T16:38:00.004-06:00

Martinique is a small island located just north of the country of Trinidad and Tobaggo on the eastern edge of the Caribbean Sea. The history of the Jewish community there can be traced back to the early 1600's. Like many countries of the Caribbean, Martinique was first settled by Jews from Amsterdam who had arrived in that country as settlers fleeing the Inquisition of Spain and Portugal.
Most of these settlers who arrived in Martinique were merchants and traders, working for and protecting the interests of the Dutch. Most of the early Jews lived in the larger cities, the business centers. This allowed many of them to become very prosperous and successful.
In 1635, Martinique was conquered by France. For many years this was not a problem for the Jews, they continued to prosper and the community grew. In 1667 the first synagogue was founded in Martinique. Over time however, the French began to grow jealous of the success of the Jews and discrimination against them grew.
Finally, in 1683, bowing to pressure from the French merchants and the Jesuits, King Louis XIV expelled the Jews from Martinique. This led to a group of Jews leaving for Curacao. However a good number of the Jews in Martinique simply ignored the law and stayed. This group of Jews continued to flourish and the community actually grew. The laws against the Jews were finally withdrawn after the French Revolution.
Today, the majority of the Jewish population in Martinique resides in the community of Schoelcher where they have built a synagogue. There is also a smaller group located in Fort-de-France comprised mostly of the Jews who arrived from France and North Africa in the latter part of the 1900's.

2011 Roll of Honour-Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain

2011-06-13T10:31:00.004-06:00

Thanks to Mark Nicholls (right, above), Chairman of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain, and everyone at the society for presenting me with the 2011 Roll of Honour Award. It is truly special to me to be recognize by those I have such respect for.

Jews of Tahiti

2011-06-13T09:13:00.005-06:00

In searching through the records of the Jewish communities of Australia and New Zealand, I continue to find occasional references to the Jewish community of Tahiti. This has lead me to try and learn a little more of these Jews of Tahiti.

Not a great deal is known of the first Jews to arrive in the islands, however it was most likely someone travelling with Captain James Cook, who arrived in 1769.

The first Jew to actually live in Tahiti, was probably Alexander Salmon (1822-1866), a French Jew who was a banker by trade and was the son of a Rabbi from London. Ariel Scheib, in an article on the Jews of Tahiti, located at http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/, discusses how Alexander Salmon, married into the Royal family of Tahiti, when he married Princess Arrioehau, the leader of the local Teva tribe. Their daughter became the last queen of the Tahiti Islands.

The modern day history of the Jewish people on Tahiti, starts in the 1960's with the arrival of Jews from Algiers. These North African Jews considered themselves to be French, Sephardic and Orthodox. The first Synagogue, was built in 1993 at Papeete. The Jewish Community today is still small, about 125 people, however they maintain a people with a rich heritage.

Gesher Galicia, Inc.

2011-06-10T07:48:00.005-06:00

As any researcher knows, its always best to have help as we look for our ancestors. Sometimes that means visiting with family, friends our other s who share the same interests, as we try to expand those family trees.

For anyone who is researching family in Galicia, a great website is now available for you to collaborate with others. Gesher Galicia, www.jewishgen.org/galicia is that site. As the title page says,

While the entire site is looking like a great tool for researchers, I especially enjoy the section titled, Life in Galicia, which includes articles, photos and videos on an assortment of things about the area. Watching the videos had an incredible effect of bringing the area to life, it was easy to imagine where our ancestors once walked. I would strongly encourage everyone to join together with fellow researchers and help this great work along.

Thanks to Pamela Weisberger for bringing this to my attention.

The Jewish History of Tunisia

2011-06-08T07:53:00.004-06:00

The history of the Jewish people in the land of modern day Tunisia goes back to Roman times. Many of those who descend from the first Jewish settlers believe their ancestors came before the destruction of the First Temple in the 6th Century BCE. In 1883 the remains of an ancient synagogue were discovered in Hammam-Lif. That synagogue dates back to between the 3rd and 5th century CE. These early Jews were mostly engaged in agriculture, cattle raising, and trade.
Under the rule of the Romans and then the Vandals, the Jewish community of Tunis grew in size and really began to prosper as a group. Then in 534, the Vandals were overthrown by Belisarius. This led Justinian I to issue an edict of persecution against the Jews which classed them with the Arians and the heathens.
During the seventh century Jews from many lands made there way into Tunis. First were the Jews fleeing Spain and then Arab Jews who were fleeing Baghdad arrived at the very end of the century. Over the next 500 or so years the Jews went from time of persecution to time of freedom. In 1236, the country fell under the rule of the Hafsite dynasty, which became a time of improved conditions for the Jews. At first the Jews were considered foreigners, and were not allowed to settle in the city of Tunis and built their homes in places such as Mehdia, Kalaa, and the Island of Djerba. However, later they were given permission to settle in a special part of Tunis, an area that came to be known as the Hira quarter.
In 1270, Saint Louis of France was defeated as he led a crusade against Tunis on behalf of France. This led to the cities of Kairwan and Hammat being declared Holy, and Jews were required to leave them or embrace Islam. From that date until 1857 when Tunis was defeated by France, Jews were not allowed to stay the night in those cities and had to have special permissions to even visit those places.
Beginning in the 18th century, the conditions for Jews began to improve as the influence of European countries. In 1881 France invaded Tunisia. This led to Tunisia becoming a French protectorate. Jews, became much safer and began to thrive, many even becoming French citizens. Later, during the time of World War II, Tunisia became the only Arab Country to come under Nazi occupation. When the Nazis arrived in 1942, there were over 100,000 Jews. The Nazis imposed rules to control the Jews, such as being forced to wear the yellow badge, fines and confiscation of their property.
Today, most Jews have left, however there are communities in Tunis and on the island of Djerba, which both number around 1000. While the numbers are fewer, there is still great history in Tunisia, in fact the oldest synagogue in Africa, is the El Ghriba synagogue in the village of Hara Sghirba on the Island of Djerba.

Centropa.org

2011-06-02T09:45:00.008-06:00

One of the benefits of being able to research Jewish families from all over the world is finding great new websites. I have just recently been using a wonderful site for those whose families came from Central and Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, and the Sephardic communities of Greece, Turkey and the Balkans. That site is Centropa.org.

Through interviews with elderly Jews, Centropa is building collections that will be treasures for many families. By adding photos to the oral histories, they are truly becoming a "Jewish Witness to a European Century" as their websites states.

Centropa.org is very easy to navigate. Simply click on the link in Red, that says, An Interactive Database of Jewish History. By doing so the page below will appear.

By clicking on whichever country you choose, a brief history will appear and you will the be able to search for those records. I clicked on Poland and the following appeared.

The resources available here for families are incredible, and I believe will only get better. Take sometime and get to know the website, even if you don't have family in these locations, remembering those who gave so much, can only help us know ourselves.

The Jews of Zimbabwe and related databases at Familysearch.org

2011-05-31T15:14:00.008-06:00

The Jewish history of Zimbabwe begins at the end of the 1800's. The country, then known as Rhodesia, was a British colony, with a Jewish community made up mostly of Jews from Eastern Europe, mostly Russia and Lithuania. These early Jews in Rhodesia moved quickly to establish themselves in their new homeland.

In 1894, they formed their first synagogue, which was a tent in the city of Bulawayo. This synagogue was home to about 20 Jews. The following year, 1895, a second community established a synagogue in Salisbury (Harare). Finally in 1901, a third was established in Gwelo. These first Jews, mostly Ashkenazic, numbered about 400 at the turn of the century.
In the 1920's and 30's Sephardic Jews began arriving in Rhodesia from Rhodes, later joined before World War II by German refugees fleeing the Nazis. After the end of the war, Jews arrived from places such as South Africa and the British Isles, hoping to benefit from the prosperity that was being felt in Rhodesia. The Jewish population peaked at around 7500 people by the 1960's.
The years from 1964 to 1980, saw a great deal of unrest within Rhodesia, which eventually led to the Civil War that resulted in the country becoming the independent Republic of Zimbabwe on 18 Apr, 1980.

One of the amazing things about the records of the Jews of the area, is that many of them survive. One example of this is Zimbabwe, Death Registers, 1890-1977, which have now been added to the free databases at http://www.familysearch.org/. This database includes all you were recorded, not just the Jewish citizens.

In order to find the records, visit http://www.familysearch.org/ and find the world map on the main page.

Once there, click on the map of Africa or the word Africa. This will bring up a listing of all the databases for the continent of Africa. Included in those, will be the following,

While the databases are not searchable by name they can be browsed by date, the second database has over 328,000 images, which if one is patient, can yield a great deal of information. The record below is the record of Harry Rosenberg also known as Harry Rose, who died on 27 Oct 1918. The record includes the names of his parents, Harris and Muriel, as well as his wife Mabel Frances. Also, further down can be found the name of his son, Geoffrey Gabriel Samuel Rosenberg.
What a great source these free databases are for anyone looking for family in the records of Zimbabwe.

Slovakia Church Books

2011-05-24T16:36:00.012-06:00

One of the benefits of the many new wonderful databases available at www.familysearch.org is the records that are becoming available for those researching their ancestry in locations where records are less available. A very good example of these type records are the Slovakia Church Books, 1592-1910.

While at first look this may not seem like a source where many would find their Jewish ancestors, since a synagogue is not a church, a deeper look into the collection finds the following description. It states that this collection includes "images of baptisms/births, marriages, and burials that occurred in the Roman Catholic, Evangelical Lutheran, and Reformed Church parishes, as well as Jewish congregations in Slovakia. Includes records from archives in Presov and Bratislava."

The database is easy to use and includes many wonderful images. The first step is to visit http://www.familysearch.org/ and find the world map.

Clicking on the heading for Europe will then direct you to all the databases for countries within the European community. That list will include the record collections for the country of Slovakia. That list (below) shows 2 different collections, both with images included.

Clicking on the link for Slovakia Church books, 1592-1910, will provide a list of the communities within certain counties. By following the link on a county above, the birth, marriage and death records become available. Those shown below are for the area of Senec.

The records of Jews from Slovakia will be found in the Knowles Collection - Jews of Europe.

The far reaching influence of the Fordon Jews - part 5

2011-05-18T07:56:00.006-06:00

Searching through records from around the world, sooner or later leads to the names of more Jews from Fordon, Poland. Today is no different. While reviewing the burial records from the Hebrew Cemetery located at Garfield and Joseph Streets in New Orleans, Louisiana the following marker is found:

In memory of Hermann Aaronshohn,

born in Fordon, Germany

July12, 1839

died June 17, 1899

Rest in Peace

The search for more remnants of the Fordon Jewish community continues.

Jews of Kazakhstan

2011-05-17T17:27:00.010-06:00

The history of the Jewish people of Kazakhstan is a long difficult history. Beginning in the 17th century the majority of the Jews of Kazakh were Russian. At that time there were probably no synagogues so most services would have taken place in private homes. These early Jews were mostly Ashkenazic.
Many Jews also arrived in Kazakhstan as exiles from the Pale of Settlement under the Communist rule of Joseph Stalin. During World War II almost 10,000 Jews fled the Holocaust and made their homes their as well.
Today, the Jews of Kazakhstan are for
the most part Russian speaking people who live a life that is very similar to the culture of their Russian neighbors. There are about 25,000 Jews in the country with the largest group, numbering about 10,000 living in the city of Almaty. The country of Kazakhstan is very large, about four times the size of the state of Texas in the United States.
There are Jewish communities spread throughout the country, including some Jews who have made their way into the country from the neighboring countries of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

Lithuania Jewish Cemetery Project

2011-05-16T09:48:00.008-06:00

One of the major problems that we face as we look for our Jewish ancestors is overcoming the loss of those records or artifacts that have disappeared over time. Included in this list would be items such as records of birth, marriage and death, family knowledge from those who have passed on, and the destruction or neglect of monuments, such as cemetery headstones. It is a problem faced by all, but especially important in those areas hard hit by the World War II.
One such area is Lithuania. The good people of the Lithuanian Jewish Cemetery Project are trying to correct this problem. According to their website (litvak-cemetery.info) there were once more that 200 Jewish Cemeteries in pre-war Lithuania. They hope to record, document and preserve all of the information from the cemeteries that still exist so that the information these monuments provides will not be lost to future generations.
As the work goes forth, the website lists those Cemeteries which have been included and those that are coming. By clicking on a link for a cemetery it is possible to see the monuments of your ancestors and what translation has been done.
From this list (at left) it is easy to see that the records included are from many locations throughout the country, a truly valuable source for anyone with family from Lithuania, and an incredible project for anyone interested in preserving the past, and making sure future generations never forget the great sacrifice of our ancestors. I would encourage all to visit the web page and see how they can be of help.
A special thanks to Marla Raucher Osborn for bringing this to my attention.

Jewish families of Costa Rica

2011-05-07T17:18:00.009-06:00

This past week the Knowles Collection - Jews of the Caribbean was updated. While it is still the smallest of the databases which comprise the collection, it more than any other shows the influence families can have around the world. A good example of this is the country of Costa Rica.

The first Jews to settle in Costa Rica did so in the early 1800's. These early Sephardic Jews came from other Caribbean locations, such as, Curacao, Jamaica and Panama. Later in the 1930's Jews from Turkey and Germany made the move to their new homeland.At the end of the 1800's two families immigrated into Costa Rica. The records left behind by these two families, the Sasso's and the Athias Robles, illustrates how families can have a great influence.

Mordecay Athias Robles, is descended from a family from Curacao. He himself was born in St. Thomas, where he married his wife Esther. Shortly after that marriage, Mordecay, a merchant, took his new wife and settled in Alajuela where their children were born between 1873 and 1889.

At about the same time another merchant from St. Thomas, Mordecai Moritz Sasso and his wife Hannah Joselin Mendez moved to Port Limon, where their 2 children were born. These two families thus became part of the Jewish community of Costa Rica. That community, which numbers three to four thousand today, were well established as merchants throughout the Caribbean. Families like the Sasso's and the Athias Robles' families used their influence throughout the region to make a better life for their families. However, even though they both left St. Thomas for Costa Rica, they never forgot their first home, as all of the children of both families had their births recorded in the Synagogue records of St. Thomas.

These records are amongst those that were just added to the Knowles Collection - Jews of the Caribbean.

Jews of Iran

2011-05-03T19:33:00.005-06:00

Recently the records of the Battat Family of Iraq were added into the Knowles Collection - Jews of Africa and the Orient database. This great family had a tremendous history throughout the region. One of the areas that the family journeyed to often was the land of Persia, which is modern day Iran. This has made many people inquire as to the history of the Jews of Iran. Besides families such as the Battats, Iran has always been a home to many Jews.
The Jewish community of Persia, dating back well into the sixth century B.C.E., is one of the earliest Jewish communities. As with the neighboring Jews of Babylon, the Jews of
Persia have always been a people living under constant change. Some examples include;

From about 226 - 642 C.E., Persia was under the Sassanid Dynasty which was favorable to the Jews, which allowed the Jewish community to grow and eventually move to other locations.

In 642 C.E. Persia was invaded by Arab Muslims, who made Islam the state religion and placed restrictions upon the Jews. Many of the freedoms they previously had were now gone.

Into the 1800's the Jews of Iran were often tormented and persecuted for their beliefs. This led to a lot of immigration into the land of Israel.

In 1925 Iran fell under the rule of the Phalevi Dynasty. They moved Iran toward a more Western lifestyle. This was wonderful for the Jews as they gained more freedoms and indeed became a community that flourished. By the time of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, there were somewhere between 80,000- 90,000 Jews living in Iran.

After the Revolution of 1979, the Jewish community found itself in a state of uncertainty, which caused thousand to flee the country, leaving behind their homes and businesses. Those that remain live under the scrutiny and restrictions of the government. Even with the restrictions, the Jewish community is still of good size, possible only Israel has a larger one in the area.

The records of some of the Jews of Iran are included with the Battat family. Those and others families, such as the Sassoons who had connections to Iran, can be found in the Knowles Collection - Jews of Africa and the Orient database.

Knowles Collection Update

2011-05-03T14:31:00.017-06:00

In February of 2011, the Knowles Collection was updated to include the genealogical records of over 195,000 Jewish people. Today, less than 3 months later the Knowles Collection is again being updated. The five databases that make up the collection now include the records of almost 240,000 people. The individual databases are:

Jews of the British Isles - 112,800 people

Jews of the Americas - 73,400 people

Jews of Europe - 40,600 people

Jews of Africa and the Orient - 7200 people

Jews of the Caribbean - 5700 people

The continued growth comes from many areas, however the most rewarding part is the many family trees that have been donated to the various collection. I am very grateful for all those who have donated their own records so that others may benefit from the research that has already been completed. As of this update, there are now records from over 70 different countries, from hundreds of different sources. The Knowles Collection is constantly updated and has been averaging about 15,000 new records a month. The collection, which is freely accessible can be accessed as either a GEDCOM or can be individually searched. The Knowles Collection wiki page at FamilySearch Wiki, can help anyone access these links. It can be found at https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/The_Knowles_Collection

The far reaching influence of the Fordon Jews part 4

2011-05-02T08:25:00.003-06:00

As part of my ever continuing plan to document the Jews of Fordon, Poland, I was most curious to find the following entry from a headstone at the Rookwood Cemetery just outside Sydney, Australia.

On that headstone are listed a husband and wife and their daughter. It says;

Marianne Levy Nelson born at Liss, Prussia died 29 Jul 1892 age 50.

Abraham Levy Nelson J. P. born at Fordon, Prussia. Died 4 May 1893 age 54.

Erected by their daughter Julia Nelson.

Once again I am amazed at the influence one small community can have throughout the world. I am sure eventually the people of Fordon will have left their mark on the majority of the world.

Beth Jacob Congregation Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

2011-04-27T08:25:00.004-06:00

The history of the Jewish communities of Canada is one that can be closely tied to the fur trade and expansion. Beginning with members of the army of General Jeffrey Amherst, who would be the first Jews to settle in Canada when they settled in Montreal in the 1760's, the Jews took advantage of being unrestricted in their movements and began to settle throughout Canada. Such is the case of the Beth Jacob Congregation of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
In her book, The Beth Jacob Story (FHL book # 971.352/H1 K2c), Majorie Freeman Campbell recounts the history of that congregation. Beginning with the first Jewish residents, who were of German origin, she tells the stories of not only the founding of the congregation but also of those people who who would become its foundation.
From its early years, composed mostly of fur traders and peddlers, Majorie tells the history of the world as well as the congregation, which brings to life the struggles and heartache so many overcame to begin their new lives in Canada. The stories of the growth of the community complete with the history of the Synagogue and burial ground are fascinating reading, and the genealogical information on the families of the area brings the entire community to life. It is truly a wonderful book.
The information on some of the families has now been added to the Knowles Collection- Jews of the Americas.

The Jewish Community of Cuba

2011-04-19T14:46:00.006-06:00

I have written previously about my gggrandfather, Morris David Rosenbaum, a Jew from Poland, who made his way from Fordon in Poland to the United States. In his writings, which have survived to this day he writes of his travels that took him from New York down the coast to New Orleans and eventually around the Cape and on to San Francisco. It has always fascinated me to read of these travels wondering what it would have been like to make such a great journey during the mid 1800's.

While on his travels, even though he was not in any one location very long, probably just long enough for the ship to restock food and supplies, I have always been curious of his stay in what we now call Cuba. Even though some identify one of the men with Christopher Columbus as being Jewish, and thus being the first Jew to arrive in Cuba, the Jewish Community was probably not very large until the early 20th Century.
The early part of the 1900's saw many immigrants arrive in Cuba. The Jewish population of Cuba reached between 15,000 and 20,000 people by the time Fidel Castro came to power in 1959. Prior to that time, the community was well established with most Jews living in Havana, which had 5 synagogues within the city.
Following the rise of power of Fidel Castro, the majority of Jews in Cuba fled to other countries, with a large group making their new home in the United States. Today, the Jewish population is probably around 1,500, most of those living in Havana.
Today, I am finding my heart and thoughts returning to the travels of my gggrandfather. As I read through the records of other Caribbean countries such as Suriname and Curacao, I am finding others who have also travelled to Cuba. Those people left their footprints all through the area and can be found in the records of their new homelands.

Those records are now being added to the Knowles Collection- Jews of the Caribbean and will be available after the next update.

The Jews of Luxembourg

2011-04-12T14:36:00.005-06:00

The history of Luxembourg dates back to the 10th Century, when in 963 CE it was first established by Count Siegfried. A beautiful country, located between Belgium, Germany and France, Luxembourg first welcomed Jewish residents in the late 13th Century with even more arriving into the early part of the 14th Century. This small Jewish community was for the most part eliminated in 1349. At that time Luxembourg went through the Black Death when most Jews were expelled or killed. What Jews remained were completely expelled by 1391. Amazingly, between 1400 and 1410, some Jews had already started moving back. However about 75 years later, in the 1478 Uprising, the homes of the Jewish families were pillaged and destroyed, forcing almost all families to leave. The history of Luxembourg after this time continued to be filled with uncertainly. In 1515 there were small communities in Luxembourg, Echternach and Arlon. These communities once again were expelled, this time in 1530. After this expulsion, Jewish families stayed away. The first major immigrants didn't return till the early 1800's. The next 130 years was a time of growth for the Jews of Luxembourg. The country gained Independence in 1815. This led to growth in the Jews as well. Some of those events included;

In 1823 they built their first synagogue.

Samuel Hirsch was appointed Chief Rabbi in 1843.

By 1880 there were about 150 families spread all over the land.

A new synagogue in the city of Luxembourg was built in 1894.

A new synagogue was built in Esch-sur-Alzette in 1899.

By the early 1920's the Jewish population was almost 1200 people, many of these refugees from Germany.

On May 10, 1940, Luxembourg a country of Neutrality was invaded by Germany. Of the approximately 4500 Jews of that time about 1000 were able to escape to places such as France and Portugal. Later in the year about 700 fled to America, settling in New York City. The leader of this group was Rabbi Serebrenik. Another thousand escaped to France. Most of those who fled to France, were later deported from there as the Nazi's continued to expand.

Luxembourg was liberated on 9 September 1944. Of that Jewish population prior to the war only about 1500 survived. After the Holocaust about 1500 Jews returned to Luxembourg, many of them merchants coming back in an attempt to rebuild what they once had. In 1953 a new synagogue was built to replace the one destroyed in the war. Today, people disagree on the total number of Jews still living in Luxembourg, however some feel that it may be the only European country to have increased it's Jewish population since the end of the war.

Be carefull about your "Slavinsky's"

2011-04-05T14:00:00.001-06:00

So often as we begin to research our families we hit brick walls when our ancestors have a common name. It can be very frustrating to try and find your Abraham family in the census amongst the 500 or so other Abraham's. A little originality with names can be a beautiful thing. With that in mind, I was so happy to see the following headstone at the Willesden Cemetery.

Rev. Aaron Slavinsky

Reader of North London Synagogue for 35 years. Formerly Reader of the Plymouth

Congregation. Born Vilna - Died London aged 81

And his dearly beloved wife Rachel (nee Maccoby) aged 76

At first look, it would appear that finding Aaron Slavinsky in the records of the British Isles would be simple and documenting his family tree would be easy. How hard can it be to research Slavinsky? Well, looks can be deceiving.

In an attempt to find Aaron and Rachel, I checked the 1911 Census of England (http://www.findmypast.co.uk/), hoping they were living there. Sure enough living at 111 Commercial Road in Mile End Old Town was Aaron Slavinsky aged 32 and his wife Rachael who was aged 26 (see below).

That was easy enough, except for one problem. Aaron is listed as a Cap Maker, not a Synagogue Reader. Worried that it was not the right Aaron and Rachel, I checked the census to see if there were any other families that would fit with the information on the headstone,(http://www.findmypast.co.uk/. Sure enough, living at 45 King Gardens in Plymouth, Devon, England was Aaron Slavinsky aged 32, and his wife Rachel aged 26 (see below). This Aaron is listed as a Jewish Minister.

As it turns out, these two families are the only Slavinsky families listed in the 1911 English Census. According to that source, both families have a Aaron as the head, aged 32 and born in Russia. The wives are both named Rachel, aged 26 and also born in Russia. One is living in Plymouth, the other in London. Both of these places correspond to the information provided on the tombstone. Now that we have a good idea of which one is the Aaron listed on the headstone in Willesden, I want to verify that Rachel his wife has the maiden surname Maccoby. A quick check of the website http://www.freebmd.org.uk/ lists no marriage entries for an Aaron Slavinsky. Hoping that it may just be a misspelling I also check under the name of Rachel Maccoby. There in the June Quarter of 1904 is listed the marriage of Rachel Maccoby to Harris Slavinsky. The actual marriage certificate (shown below) verifies this to be our couple.

However the question of the marriage of the other Aaron Slavinsky remains to be answered. As there were no listings in the index for any Aaron Slavinsky, is our second man also listed under another name. We know from the 1911 census that they had been married for 6 years, which would be either 1904 or 1905. A search of the indexes for a Slavinsky to a Rachael yielded only one possibility. That entry showed Harry Slavinsky married to Rachael Cohen in the September Quarter of 1906. That certificate (see below) seems to verify the information that this Aaron was a cap maker living in London.

We now appear to have separated the two men named Aaron Slavinsky and identified their wives. However, in almost every aspect they could have been easily mistaken for one another. They even had their marriages recorded under different variations of the same name. How easily this search could have taken a wrong step.

This is why when researching any family, always remember to "be careful of your Slavinsky's'.

Jews of Bolivia

2011-04-04T08:04:00.005-06:00

The history of the Jewish community of Bolivia dates back as far as the 16th century. At that time Jews fleeing the Inquisition arrived from Spain to the area then controlled by Peru. Most of these early Jews were miners working the silver mines. A few however were the earliest settlers into the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, which they helped establish in 1557. The Inquisition came to the area in the 1570's which began to lead to the destruction of this once vibrant community. In was not until the 20th century that Jews returned to Bolivia in any numbers. That first group were Jews from Russia, followed by some from Argentina and then Sephardic Jews from Turkey and the Near East. Even with these immigrants into Bolivia, the community never achieved great numbers, probably not more that a hundred or so. The first large group of Jews to arrive into Bolivia did so in the early 1930's, when about 7,500 arrived from Germany. They were followed at the end of the decade, by a group of Polish Jews fleeing their adopted hometown of Shanghai. These immigrants settled in places such as La Paz and Cochabamba. In fact the Circulo Israelita de Bolivia Synagogue is the highest synagogue in the world. It is located in La Paz, and is located at over 12,000 feet above sea level. At the close of World War II, the Jewish population of Bolivia began to decrease, many immigrating to the United States and Israel. This continues today, as many view the leaders of the government as not friendly toward the Jews. As of the beginning of the 21st century, population of the Jewish community in Bolivia is under 1,000 with the majority in La Paz, Cochabamba and Santa Cruz.

Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain (JGSGB)

2011-03-29T13:03:00.004-06:00

I am often asked, "How is the best way to start researching a Jewish family?". My reply is always the same, begin by contacting your local Jewish Genealogical Society, and share in the wealth of information and knowledge that they have available. For those living in the British Isles, or researching families who came from there, they are most fortunate to have one of the best societies available to them. The Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain, or JGSGB is indeed one of those societies that others strive to be. Began in 1992, the JGSGB has 4 very simple objectives, which are:

* To help one another to learn and discover more about genealogy

* To encourage genealogical research

* To promote the preservation of Jewish genealogical records and resources

* To share information amongst members

While it is easy to write down your objectives, what is most impressive is how the Society puts their words into actions. The JGSGB has one of the most incredible websites where everything is available to researchers. That site (shown below) can be found at www.jgsgb.org.uk.

The records available on the site, including the 1851 Anglo-Jewry Database, are worth far more than the cost of a membership, yet they are but a small part of the benefits of belonging to the society. A few of the other benefits, include access to their Library and Resource Center and copies of Shemot, which is the society journal.

Regardless of how long one has been researching his or her family, it is always nice to get together with others with the same interests. The JGSGB is a leader in providing outlets for this to happen. In addition to the annual Manchester Regional Conference, which will be on May 8th of this year, and the annual London Conference, which will be on the 30th of October, the society has a calendar that appears to have something going almost weekly. Included in those events are the Special Interest Group (SIG) and Regional Group meetings.

The society has seven regional groups including; The Chilterns Group, East of London, Leeds, Manchester, Oxford, South Coast and South West London groups. These provide a great opportunity for members to get together and help one another. If your interests are more specific, there are 6 SIG's for research help. They are; Anglo-Jewish, Dutch, Eastern European, German, Sephardic and South African.

The Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain is a great place to begin your research. If you have any questions, visit the website, or contact them directly. If nothing else, you will meet some of the nicest people. If your in London in October, please come to the conference and say hello, it's always nice to meet new genealogists.

Jamaican Civil Registration of Births

2011-03-22T16:29:00.012-06:00

When researching Jewish families in any part of the world, it is always nice to have multiple sources for information. It can not only be useful in verifying current information but may also provide help in adding new family members. One great example of this, are the records of the Civil Registration of Births for Jamaica.
In their wonderful book, The Jews of Jamaica Tombstone Inscriptions 1663-1880 (FHL book #979.92 V3), Richard D. Barnett and Philip Wright, list the burials of 2 sons of Jacob Henry De Pass and his wife Louise Alberga. Those sons, George Cecil and Arthur Rich are buried in Kingston, Jamaica at the Orange Street Cemetery. While it is possible that these are the only 2 children in the family, another record to search would be helpful in finding out if that were true.
Thanks to the Historical Record Collections database located at http://www.familysearch.org/, that is now possible to do from home. On the front page of FamilySearch, the collections can be browsed by location. Simply by clicking on the link for Caribbean, Central and South America, (Shown Below) all of the collections for that region can be shown.

In that list of 75 collections for the region, there are 3 specifically for Jamaica. Included in those are the Jamaica, Civil Birth Registrations with over 1.25 million records. Included with those records are all the images. This makes searching the records quite easy.

In looking for records of the family of Jacob Henry De Pass and his wife Louise Alberga, a simple search using the last name De Pass yields 660 hits. Included amongst those records are the birth registrations of four daughters. They are an unnamed daughter born in 1880, as well as Violet May born in 1882, Dorris Marjorie born in 1889 and Norah Gwendolan born in 1890. According to the records (shown below) all 4 daughters were born in Kingston.

A further search of these records finds many more members of the family. While this example is of Jamaica, there are now hundreds of databases from around the world that may include record of our Jewish ancestors. A few moments to get acquainted with the site could prove to be most beneficial in your research.

Celebrate St. Patricks Day with Irish Civil Registration

2011-03-16T08:56:00.006-06:00

As so many around the world will take the time tomorrow to celebrate their Irish ancestry, now may be a good time to remember that the indexes to Irish Civil Registration are available free of charge at http://www.familysearch.org/. If you have been fortunate enough to find your family in either the 1901 or 1911 Ireland Censuses, such as the Rosenberg family below, the indexes can be a great way to learn more about the family.

To find the indexes, visit http://www.familysearch.org/, where you will see the page at left. Then click on Europe in the browse by location area, and all the collections for Europe will appear in alphabetical order by country. Under Ireland, you will find the Ireland Civil Registration Indexes for 1845-1958 (see Below).

Using the information from the census record, a simple search can be used for the births, marriages or deaths of any of the family members. Although the actual images are not available, some of them are on film in the Family History Library or through one of it's Family History Centers, and can be viewed there. Those that are not available in that way can be ordered from Ireland. A quick search for the Rosenberg family found the index entry for the marriage of Wolf and the birth of son Israel. Those results, found below, provide all the information needed to order the certificates.

Happy Searching and Happy St. Patrick's Day

Scotland Monumental Inscriptions

2011-03-14T09:00:00.003-06:00

One of the great resources we use to find information on our ancestors are the monumental inscriptions from the Jewish Burial Grounds. The Knowles Collection - Jews of the British Isles has now added some of these from Scotland. The Monumental inscriptions of the Jewish Cemetery for Edinburgh, Midlothian, and Dundee, Angus, Scotland (FHL Film #532,799 item #4) have now been added and will be available after the next update.

Anna Katzen and the Jews of Estonia

2011-03-10T19:56:00.004-07:00

On 28 May 1958 Anna Katzen Ace died in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. She had survived her husband, Harry, by almost 40 years since his death in 1918. On her headstone, located in the Mount Carmel Jewish Cemetery it stated that she was born 20 Mar 1872 in Estonia. Earlier records, included the 1910 Census for her in Missouri, and her mother and siblings in Manhattan, New York, all list Russia as the place of birth. So what is Estonia?
Although modern day Estonia didn't regain its Independence until 1991 with the fall of the USSR, it has a long and changing history. Since 1227, when it was conquered by the Danes and the Germans, Estonia has always been a place that others wanted to have. Because of its location other countries found it a desirable trade route between East and West. At various times Estonia has been under the rule of Sweden, Germany and Russia amongst others.
Historians claim that the first Jews into Estonia could have arrived as early as the 14th century, however, the first Jews to create settlements in Estonia, did so in 1865, when Tsar Alexander II granted them permission to do so. There was a synagogue in Tallinn in the 1830's. Following the grant of resettlement a synagogue was built in Tartu, as the first 50 families settled there.
Large synagogues were built in Tallinn in 1883, and in Tartu in 1901. According to the census records, most of the Katzen family arrived in the United States in the 1890's, so they probably never saw the Tartu synagogue.
The last part of the 19th century and the first part of the 20th century saw great growth and freedom for the Jews. They were allowed to enter the University in the later part of the 1800's, and then the Independence of 1918 brought even further improvement. The creation of the Republic of Estonia in 1918, enabled the Jews to flourish. The entire country was enjoying a tolerance toward each other, which gave the Jewish community the ability to organize and grow. By 1925, there were over 3,000 Jews.
All of the peace and growth came to an abrupt halt in 1940 when Estonia was invaded by the Soviet Union. When the Nazi's began to occupy the country in 1941, all those who had not fled earlier were murdered. Following the war, the freedoms did not return, it was a dark time for the Jewish people.
Independence was regained for Estonia in 1991, and the community was reestablished in 1992. Today, there are over 1000 Jews living in Estonia, and they have recently reopened a synagogue in Tallinn. For a place that saw so many killed, both there own and others who had been transported there, maybe the light of freedom has been re lit.

Belfast City Burial Database

2011-03-09T13:09:00.005-07:00

During this past week some of the burial records for the City of Belfast have gone online. Not all records are available at this time, however the records of over 360,000 burials are included. Of the three cemeteries currently available the most useful from Jewish researchers will be the Belfast City Cemetery, which includes it's Jewish section. The records from this cemetery date back to 1869.

The database (http://www.belfastcity.gov.uk/burialrecords/search.asp) which is free to access is very easy to use. The database can be searched by both first and last name as well as year of burial. One of the nice features is that if a date is unknown, it can be searched by decade simply by just listing the first 3 numbers, such as 192 for any burial in the 1920's.

A simple search for the surname Rutenburg yielded the following results;

By following the search through and clicking on the details tab, I was able to receive the following information;
This database will be a great source for those researching their Irish Jewish ancestors, and many thanks to the City of Belfast for making it possible.

The House of Battat of Baghdad, Iraq

2011-03-08T16:37:00.004-07:00

To study the House of Battat, is to study the history of Babylonian Jews. They both share a long, rich history. In his work titled "A Genealogy of the House of Battat (FHL Film #1031332 item 1), Ezra M. Battat, documents this incredible family. The Battat family first took a surname in 1750 when Reuben Ezekial Battat and his sons began to use the name. As Mr Battat writes "Among the possessions of Reuben Battat was a farm in whose midst was a pond in which he raised ducks and geese- "bat" in Arabic"
Even though the members of the family are based in Iraq, they are spread over many countries including Israel, Turkey, Lebanon, Burma and the United States. Amongst the notables members of the family are:

Reuben Ezekiel Battat (1750-1855). Born and died in Baghdad, he was a prosperous landowner and merchant. His son;
Abdallah Reuben Ezekiel Battat (1770-1820). Born in Baghdad, he was hanged by the Ottomans in about 1820. A banker, he was hanged for "economic sabotage against the Sultan". His grandson;
Mozes Ezra Reuben Bassat (1840-1919). Born in Baghdad and died in Basra. He was an importer of pearls, amber and corals. He was head of the Great Synagogue of Baghdad which he helped build.

This book is a great source for anyone wanting to know more about their own family from this time. The history of this family is truly inspirational. The records of this family have been added to The Knowles Collection- Jews of Africa and the Orient database.

The Herzenberg's of Latvia

2011-03-05T14:28:00.006-07:00

In The Knowles Collection- Jews of Europe Database, there are many records of the Herzenberg family of Courland, Latvia. The descendants of Joseph Herzenberg (1750-1815) are well documented. The majority of his descendants lived in Courland until the time they immigrated to places such as Israel and the United States. Those that stayed in Latvia were lost in the Holocaust.

In learning as much as possible about this family, I have found myself learning more about the Jewish community of Courland. The first Jews in Courland were in the early 1570's, however Jews didn't become permanent inhabitants until the 1700's. These first settlers were skilled workers who came from Germany. In 1795 Courland became part of Russia and in 1799 the first law was passed which gave the Jews legal status, even though they were being double taxed.

The Jewish population of Courland has always been quite large in numbers. In 1850, that population was over 50,000 and by the start of World War I, there were almost 70,000 Jews living in Courland. Sadly, this area was one of many that saw much suffering during the Holocaust. Many thousands of lives were lost. These records of the Herzenberg family cover family who lived during the entire history of Jews in Courland.

Vilna Gaon and his Descendants

2011-03-03T11:41:00.008-07:00

Vilna Gaon or Elijah of Vilna (23 Apr 1720- 9 Oct 1797) was born in Vilnius, capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. He was one of the most influential Rabbinic authorities since the time of the middle ages, and is often referred to as "the saintly genius from Vilnius."

His training began early, it is said that by the age of seven he was being taught the Talmud by Rabbi Moses Margalit of Kedainiai, a noted author and well respected Rabbi himself. At the age of ten he began to study alone and by the age of eleven had memorized the entire Talmud. With all this learning he even found time to study astronomy in his free time.

Included in his early training, were his wanderings around Europe, a common practice of the time. With his great knowledge and understanding he became well known in many countries, by his early twenties he was answering questions about Jewish law that were submitted by Rabbis from around the world. He was sought out by Jews and non-Jews for help with mathematics and astronomy. By the time he returned to Vilnius in the late 1740's he had become quite well known.

Much has been written about the Gaon of Vilna, and a study of his life would benefit anyone. It is the purpose of this article, however to point out some great books that are available about him and his family. His descendants can be found throughout the world, spreading his great influence as they live their own lives.
The headstone at right, located at Willesden Jewish Cemetery in London, is of Therese Gollancz, wife of Sir Hermann Gollancz, who for many years was the minister of Bayswater Synagogue, London. As it is stated on her headstone, she was "worthy of her ancestry -the Great-Great-Granddaughter of the "Vilna Gaon".
Two books that researchers will find most beneficial are; "Rabbi Elijah (1720-1797), the Gaon of Vilna and his Cousinhood" by Neil Rosenstein (FHL book #929.273 K86) and "Eliyahu's branches the descendants of the Vilna Gaon (of blessed and saintly memory) and his family" by Chaim Freedman (FHL book #947.93/V1 D2). Both of these sources would be wonderful for families members to read and a study of his life would be of great

benefit to all.

The Jews of Iraq and the Sassoon Family

2011-03-01T13:17:00.006-07:00

The Jewish history of the country of Iraq is one of the longest, most historically significant of all countries. It's documented history dates back to the time of Babylonian captivity in 586 BCE. Over the centuries the Jews in Iraq have come under the control of various countries and peoples, some favorable to the Jews, some not.

In the early 1530's, Mesopotamia and Iraq came under the control of the Ottoman Turks, who took Tabriz and Baghdad from the Persians, which led to a better life for the Jews. In 1623, The Persians regained control of which caused the situation to deteriorate. Finally, in 1638, the Turks regained control of the area.

That army that regained control included a large group of Jews. That event, the reconquest is known as "Yom Nes" or the Day of Miracle. This time was a period when the Jewish population began to grow. After some time, the area fell under Turkish control, which did not hinder the growth of the population but did create a situation that saw the condition of the Jews worsen. By the early 1880's the Jewish population in Baghdad was 30,000, and in 1900, it had climbed to over 50,000, which was more than a quarter of the population of Baghdad.

This time of growth was also a time when some Jewish families became well established. One of those was the Sassoon's. David Sassoon was born in October of 1792 in Baghdad. His father who was a wealthy merchant, was for many years the State Treasurer to the Turkish Governor of Baghdad. While in Baghdad he married Hannah Joseph, daughter of Abdullah Joseph and had 4 children, 2 sons and 2 daughters. David, fearing the persecutions that were happening in Baghdad took his family and moved to Persia. Finally in 1832, he left Persia and moved to what would become his home, Bombay. In Bombay, he became head of David Sassoon and Co., a house of banking and mercantile. Through this company the Sassoon would obtain great wealth and power throughout the world.

In modern times, Iraq saw it's Jewish population grow to over 120,000 people prior to the 1948 Arab-Israel war. After the war as persecution grew most Jews left, many for Israel. Just as before with David Sassoon, the conditions in Iraq, forced so much of the strength of the community to move elsewhere. Today, very few Jews live in Iraq.

The Levy Maduro Families of Nicaragua

2011-02-28T13:07:00.007-07:00

In the history of Jewish families throughout the world, Nicaragua is not often mentioned. In fact the Jewish population in that country has probably never been more than a couple of hundred people. The majority of modern day Jews began arriving in Nicaragua from Eastern Europe in the later part of the 1920's. The majority of them settled in Managua, the capital city. The Jewish population before this time is rarely if ever mentioned.

The fact they Jews are not mentioned before this time does not mean they didn't exist. In the records of the Jew's of St. Thomas, we find records of some residents of Nicaragua. Amazingly the three main families that recorded births from Nicaragua are all from the same family. In Leon, Abraham Haim Levy Maduro and his wife Anne have daughters Judith (1866) and Hilda (1874). Also in Leon, Elias Levy Maduro and his wife Anna, have sons Samuel (1869) and Jacob (1870). A third member of the family, Solomon Levy Maduro, a merchant and his wife Esther Lindo, record the birth of a son, Edward (1901) in the city of Grenada.

Amazingly, this family appears to be in Nicaragua 60 years before the first mention of Jews in Managua. Were they the only Jewish families at that time, or were their others that helped build a foundation for later families. This search should be interesting.

The records of the Jews of St. Thomas have now been added to the Jews of the Caribbean database and will be available after the next update.

Sephardic Families of Nevis

2011-02-25T13:02:00.006-07:00

Much has been written about the Jews of the Caribbean, and it seems as almost daily contacts are made to the families there. Today is no different. I have been looking at a pedigree of an early Sephardic family that has possible ties through three different lines to Nevis. Those lines are Pinheiro, Abendana and Arrobas.

The Island of Nevis may have had a Jewish community as early as the mid 1600's, most being planters and sugar merchants., however the first records don't began until 1671, when the islands received their own government, separate from Barbados.

In fact, the high taxes placed upon the Jews of Barbados caused many to flee to Nevis, so much so that Nevis became overcrowded. There is no official count of how many Jews were on the Island, however, there must have been a strong community. The clues left behind that point to a strong community include a cemetery, which dates to the late 1600's, as well as the remnants of a Jewish School.

The three families on my pedigree are all very prominent Sephardic families from the London area, in fact all three have family members being married at Bevis Marks Synagogue in the mid 1700's. The early residents of Nevis had ties to the London area. Are these early settlers related to those in London? Probably, however now the work begins to bridge the gap between Nevis in the late 1600's and London in the mid 1700's.

The far reaching influence of the Fordon Jews part 3

2011-02-24T10:31:00.005-07:00

In the continuing effort to document everyone I find from the ancestral home of Morris David Rosenbaum, I have had some more good residents of Fordon, Poland brought to my attention.

At the Judah L. Magnes Museum in California, are held many family histories. Included amongst them are the records of Oser and Bertha Michelson Meyer(FHL film #1031331). According to this record, Bertha and her sister Henriette, both married men from Fordon.

The first sister, Henriette Michelson (1827-1916) married Benjamin Levy(15 Feb 1826-8 Jun 1900). The second sister, Bertha (1834-25 Sep 1897) married Oser Meyer (1824- 30 Sep 1894). Both families raised their families in the San Francisco area and are buried at the Hills of Eternity Cemetery in Colma, California.

Jews of Uruguay

2011-02-22T16:32:00.007-07:00

A recent email I received from a reader in Mexico detailed the history of some wonderful families from his own history. Included in those histories were a few mentions to some of his people who came from Montevideo, Uruguay.

The Jewish history of Uruguay goes back as early as the 16Th century The community at that time was not large, however there were a few who had arrived and avoided the Inquisition. The first real record of a Jewish community began with a settlement in the 1770's.

The modern Jewish community of Uruguay today probably dates back to the 1880's. However by 1909, the Jewish population of Montevideo, the largest community in the country was only about 150. The first synagogue in that community did not open until 1917.
The time of the greatest number of immigrants into Uruguay was the 1920's and 1930's. Many of these immigrants were people who stopped on their way to Argentina and Brazil and then never left. Later, after the establishment of the State of Israel another wave of immigration took place. This group of Jews, almost 20,000 in number came from places such as Algeria and Egypt.
Today, the Jewish population of Uruguay is around 25,000 people almost 90% of which live in Montevideo. At the turn of the 20Th Century, the population was almost 3/4 of Sephardic origins, but today it is close to 3/4 Ashkenazic.

1894 Commercial Directory of the Jews of the United Kingdom

2011-02-21T14:08:00.006-07:00

There are many great sources for finding our Jewish ancestors. Depending on which country our ancestors lived in, those records may or may not be easily obtainable. Thanks to the internet some of these records are now able to be viewed in our own homes. One great source for Jews of the British Isles, is the 1894 Commercial Directory of the Jews of the United Kingdom by G. Eugene Harfield.

This directory, while a great tool for identifying where our ancestors had their businesses, has not always been the most accessible source. Now, thanks to Internet Archives (http://www.archive.org/) everyone can search this from their own home.

The directory, which is done alphabetically by location, provides names, addresses and type of business. This directory can then be used as a stepping stone toward more genealogical records. In the example at left, we have J. Mosesson, of 9 Charles Street, working as a house-furnisher in West Hartlepool, Durham, England.

With that information, it is then easy to search the 1901 England Census and find the family. The census record below, taken from http://www.findmypast.com/, shows Jacob and his wife Helene, living at that same address with their daughter and four grandchildren.

This is a great source that should be used for those with British ancestry. The Internet Archives site, has thousands of other records that can be a great help to all researchers.

Guild Of One-Name Studies

2011-02-14T13:33:00.004-07:00

Over the past months I have written about families that have either great family websites or family organizations. Most recently the family Toledano was mentioned. The question is, how does one find if such an organization exists for their particular surname? One very good way to fins such an organization would be to check the website of The Guild of One-Name Studies (www.one-name.org).

Reader Debbie Kennett was kind enough to remind me of the work of this organization. Founded in 1979, the Guild of One-Name Studies is now home to more than 7,850 surname studies registered by over 2,300 people. Debbie's own work on the Cruse/Cruwys family can be found there, and provides a wonderful example of how a study can create a great location for those researching family names to come together.

This website should be one of the first stops for anyone researching their family surname, or registering a new name. Thanks Debbie, for a great reminder.

The Lost Shanghai Jewish Graves

2011-02-14T07:45:00.004-07:00

One of the readers of the Knowles Collection blog has brought my attention to a wonderful project underway in Shanghai, China. It is the attempt by the Jewish community there to restore and document the history of the Jewish people by finding and restoring the headstones from the old Jewish cemeteries.
As has been written about here before, before World War II the Jewish community of Shanghai was a strong thriving community, with many refuges from Eastern Europe, including a large Polish group. According to their own website, http://www.shanghaijewishmemorial.com/,
the Jewish population of Shanghai reached as many as 20,000 people, with 4 Jewish Cemeteries which held up to 3700 graves.
In 1951, the four cemeteries were moved to an international cemetery located in the western part of the city. During the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) the cemeteries were demolished and the graves and headstones were smashed and thrown away.

The graves and headstones were lost, until in 2001, when 2 headstones turned up in an antique shop. This find began what has now turned into a wonderful project to restore some of the Jewish history of Shanghai.

Included on the website is a list of those headstones found so far, including members of the Sassoon family, which was one of the most influential families of the area. Another section also has pictures of those headstones, and is a wonderful place for anyone with family who journyed to or through Shanghai to visit. A big thanks to this group for a wonderful project and a great opportuity for everyone to support them.