Minnesota. Death Certificates 1887-2001

 

In the last few weeks FamilySearch has added more records to a collection perfect for Jewish families in Minnesota. The collection is Minnesota, Deaths, 1887-2001. The collection is indexed and includes records held by the Minnesota Historical Society.

This database helped me find more information on the life of Harry Cohen, who I knew was living in Minnesota since a little before the 1930 United States Census. 

In the 1930 census (shown below), he was married to Alice, with whom he had been married a little over one year. He worked in the Iron Metal business, living in Hennepin, Minnesota.

I also knew from the census record that he was born in New Jersey. I had not been able to find him in the 1940 census and believed it was likely he had died before then. So I turned the death records. It was in this collection that I found the 1938 death of Harry Cohen, the President of a Metal Company, who was born in New Jersey and was survived by his wife Alice.

The death certificate also provides additional information about his parents, Sam Cohen and Fannie Bearson. Thank you to the Minnesota Historical Society for access to these records.

Jews of Montana

 The history of the Jewish people in Montana begins about in 1862, when the Jews began arriving. These first Jews were drawn by the discovery of gold in Bannock and Virginia City. They worked in the mines, ran hotels and saloons, were merchants and leaders in the community.

The oldest Jewish settlement in Montana was in Helena, home to newly arrived Jewish merchants. The first synagogue, Temple Emanu-El was built in 1891. There were also a synagogue in Butte, it's synagogue was built in 1904. The state has never had a large community, perhaps never more than 2,000 or so, but the Jewish influence has been felt. Even before statehood came in 1889, Jews held political offices in various cities, and many were leading citizens. 

One early leader was Jacob Feldberg, an early member of the Virginia City town council. The marriage license and certificate (shown here) are for Belle Feldberg, the daughter of Jacob Feldberg and Emma Hyman. She was married, by Rabbi Jacob Millziner, to Alfred K. Wertheimer on 17 January 1902.

This record (FHL Film #00435167 item 4) is part of the Marriage License, Lewis and Clark County Collection at FamilySearch.org.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Today, January 27th is International  Holocaust Remembrance Day. Established in 2005 by the United Nations to honor the memory of the over 6,000,000 souls murdered by the Nazis. This is also the 81st anniversary of  the liberation of the Auschwitz - Birkenau camp, the largest of the Nazi death camps.

Recently, I was able to visit the New Orleans  Holocaust Memorial (image at left) and my thoughts were quickly taken back to my visit to Auschwitz- Birkenau. It was very emotional for me to look around and to think of my own family members who were murdered there. I did not know any of them personally, but as I stood there and thought of their names, I made a promise to myself to never forget them and to make sure my own family did not forget them. 

My GGreat Grandfather, Morris David Rosenbaum (above), left his home in Fordon, Poland in 1850. He arrived in the United States and built a life here. However, most of his six siters and their families staid in Fordon, and years later were murdered for being Jewish. On this day I remember all of them, the Rosenbaum family, the Auerbach family, the Oser family, and all those who were part of the fabric of life in Fordon.

May We Never Forget

International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS) 2026 conference

 

SAVE THE DATE

The date for the 2026 International Conference on Jewish Genealogy has been announced. It will be held on 18-20 October 2026. This year will be a virtual conference. Further information will be available soon.

IAJGS 2025 conference in Ft. Wayne

 

Beth Israel Congregation, Portland, Oregon

 

  Congregation Beth Israel (House of Israel), was first established in Portland in 1858. This was not yet a state but was still part of the Oregon Territory. A small congregation, affiliated withe the Reform movement,  it's first services were held in a room above a livery stable. A year later, in 1859 the congregation was able to move their first synagogue.

The second Synagogue was a good home for the congregation, before it also became to small for its needs. A new Synagogue was then built nearby in 1889. 

A city directory of Portland from 1893, lists the synagogue, with Jacob Bloch serving as the Rabbi. In 1923, 34 years after being built, the second Synagogue was destroyed by fire. The current synagogue, built in the Byzantine style is shown above, was completed in 1928. The congregation continues to grow and over time has added to its campus. A religious school and art room for young artists are some of the features of the additional space.

In addition, a short distance from the synagogue is the Beth Israel Cemetery.

Over the next few years, they will be celebrated the 170th anniversary of its founding and the 100th anniversary of the completion of the synagogue. 

RootsTech 2025

 The time is fast approaching for Rootstech 2025. Whether you want to attend in person or join millions of your closest friends in a virtual environment, the time to register is here.

More information can be found at https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/  I hope to see everyone there.

Jewish History of Puerto Rico

Like so many of its Caribbean neighbors, the history of the Jewish community in Puerto Rico dates to the 15th century. Many of these early Jews were Crypto Jews, those who had fled the Spanish Inquisition. However when they arrived in Puerto Rico they found that Judaism could not be practiced openly as it was also prohibited under the rules of the Spanish Inquisition. This prohibition caused many of the community to flee to the mountains, far away from the populated area around San Juan. Here they could continue to practice Judaism.  

Luis de Torres is widely believed to be the first Jew to arrive in Puerto Rico. He did so as the interrupter for Christopher Columbus on his journey to the New World. He was part of the second voyage, arriving in November of 1493. 

It wasn't for another 450 years before large numbers of Jews settled in Puerto Rico. These were refugees fleeing the German occupation of Europe.

The next large group of Jews arriving in Puerto Rico came in the 1950's. They to were refugees, this time fleeing Cuba as Fidel Castro came to power. The majority of the Jews from Cuba migrated to Miami, Florida but good amount did move to Puerto Rico. This was most likely because of the fact that the island of Puerto Rico was very similar to that of Cuba and to many it felt like the home they had left. Today, Puerto Rico has one of the largest Jewish community's in the Caribbean, over 2500 people.

FamilySearch has a growing number of collections that can help people find their Puerto Rican ancestors. These can be found by looking under the search tab, under Records.