Netherlands, Zuid-Holland Province, Civil Registration, 1679-1942

There is a long history of the Jews in the Netherlands, going well back into the 1400's. The communities were large and for the most part prosperous, made up of both Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jews.
FamilySearch has now added the Civil Registration records from 1679-1942 for the Province of Zuid-Holland to its Historical Records Collections. As of today only a small portion of the 5.4 million images have been name search able but as more records are indexed that number will increase as well.

The collection includes civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths. Indexes, marriage intentions, marriage proclamations, marriage supplements, and divorces are also included. For a list of records by localities and dates currently published in this collection, select the Browse link from the collection landing page.The records themselves give some good information, depending on the year of the record.
The record below is for the birth of Louiza Cohen, who was born on the 8th day of January in 1892 in Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands.

The record also tells us that her birth was registered on the next day, the 9th, also in Rotterdam. We now know that her parents were Jacob Cohen and his wife Eva. The record also tells us that her father was 33 when she was born, which would give us a year of birth as 1859. That same information for the mother was not provided. For those with ancestry in the Netherlands this collection could be of great help in finding your ancestors.

Happy Hanukkah 2015

 At this time of year may we all DEDICATE ourselves to remembering who we are and where we came from. 

 May we all have the JOY of teaching someone new the joy that comes with researching our ancestry. 

  May we strengthen the bonds of friendship with those we know, while also finding new friends in the JOURNEY.

Happy

Hanukkah

To All.

So Much To Be Thankful For

Here in the United States we are one week away from the Thanksgiving holiday. It is a time for all of us to pause and remember all the things we have to be thankful for. The holiday was first proclaimed a national holiday in 1863 by President Abraham Lincoln. This was during the U.S. Civil War, a time when brother fought against brother, and one of Americas darkest times. I feel that the establishing of the Thanksgiving holiday at that time was not an accident, it showed that if we came together we can heal almost anything. With all that is going on in the world today, I feel the need to put in writing some of those things that I am thankful for as someone searching for his own ancestors.

Morris David Rosenbaum

 I am thankful for all my family that I never knew in life. Many lived in a different time, in places far away from me, yet the legacy they left behind has touched me in many ways. As I have read their stories, I have laughed with some and cried with others but I have been blessed by them all. I truly believe that in order to know ourselves we must know those who came before.

Trinidad, Colorado

  I am thankful for a supportive family that occasionally joins me on this journey.  They have grown familiar with stopping when we travel to see the home of an ancestor and they only mildly complain when they hear a story for the tenth time. Even a grandchild who enjoys searching through cemeteries (this obviously skipped a generation).

Willesden Cemetery, London

I am thankful for all those who preserve the history and memories of our ancestors.  For the archivists who preserve records, historians who document the past, and those societies and individuals who give of their time to clean and protect the burial grounds of our ancestors. We may never see them doing it, but because we can view those treasures, we know they were there.

Family History Library, Salt Lake City

 I am thankful for all those people who make the records of our people available to us. Genealogy websites that allow us to research in our homes, bloggers who keep us updated on new happenings, and speakers and teachers who travel the world guiding through the process, it could not be done without you.

Paris, France

I am also very thankful for the incredible people who no matter what happens in the world, they are always willing to put aside their own needs and help one another. It truly is a blessing to know that even as we try to link our families together, we are all truly brothers and sisters. I am very proud and thankful to have such a  wonderful genealogy family.

Happy Thanksgiving to all, may you and your families have a very blessed holiday.

Delaware Vital Records, 1650-1974

The amount of basic vital records located on sites such as FamilySearch, Ancestry and My Heritage continues to grow. These records are some of the best sources for birth, death and marriage records available to people searching for more complete information on their ancestors. FamilySearch has now added the collection, Delaware Vital Records, 1650-1974 to its free Historical Collections. This collection, which also includes bible and cemetery records, contains over 3.1 million images.
The records are typewritten and give some very good information for researchers. Below, you will see that the information provided on the birth, marriage and death records can be very helpful in identifying family connections. 

 

 

 The images above, come from the FamilySearch wiki page for this collection. In addition to these examples, there is also a good amount of information on this collection. It is always a great idea to read the wiki pages as they can be a great source of information.

We Remember All Who Have Served, (part 1, Pre 1900).

Cemetire du Pere-Lachaise, Paris.

Today in America it is Veterans Day, when we pause for a moment to honor all the military veterans, both men and women who have sacrificed their time, their families and even their own lives to defend freedom in all parts of the world. In other parts of the world they celebrate it under different names such as Remembrance Day or Armistice Day. In the United States, the Jews have been a part of the military since almost the beginning of the country. In the mid 1730's, Jews, most of whom were of Spanish or Portuguese descent were enrolled in the militia. From that time till now, men and women have served their country with honor. Today, I would like to mention just a few of the men who served with honor and courage. Those men played a valuable part in making the United States the country it is today.
During the American Revolution we find the account of Lieutenant Colonel David Salisbury Franks, who began his military career in the 1770's.  He was arrested in Montreal for speaking against King George III. In 1776, he was appointed to be the Paymaster to the American garrison in Montreal. When the army retreated from Canada he joined up with a Massachusetts Regiment. In 1778, he ordered to service as Aide de Camp under General Benedict Arnold. After General Arnold's Treason, Franks was cleared of any suspicion of wrong doing and at the end of the war was given 400 acres of land for his service.
It shouldn't be surprising that lieutenant Colonel Franks would have such patriotic feelings toward the United States. He had the great example of his brother in law, Haym Salomon, who was perhaps one of the greatest hero's of the American Revolution. During the Revolutionary War, there were many delegates to congress and officers in the Army, who because of their service had become unable to pay their daily expenses. By not being home on their farms or at work they had lost that source of funds to help during these rough times. Haym Solomon, a great patriot stepped in and provided money to the Colonies and also to these men to help them keep pushing forward the work of independence. Many of the early leaders of the United States were the benefit of his act, and his great act put him in a very hard situation. He was put in prison by the British for his act of Patriotism to his new homeland. He was after a few years able to escape and went right back to serving his country. He helped broker loans between the US and other countries and he became quite well know, he was even authorized to call himself "Broker to the Office of Treasury of the United States" . However, even though at the start of the war he was a wealthy man by the end of it he lost most of that money. The service that these men gave is by no means limited to one war, it was repeated time and time again throughout our history. A few examples of the great service given by Jewish military personnel are as follows;

War Of 1812.

1. Commodore Uriah P. Levy. He was the Master of the Brig-of-War Argus during the War of 1812. In a battle in the British Channel he was captured and put in prison for a time. Upon his death in 1862, he was the highest ranking officer in the United States Navy. His service was over 50 years.
2. Levi Myers Harbi. He began his military service very early, serving in the War of 1812 at the age of 14. During that time he was also a prisoner of the British by escaped after 2 years by swimming away. For over 52 years he served his country and fought for freedom all over the world, eventually becoming a Captain. During his service he also served in the Mexican War, the Seminole War and was a ships commander in the fight against pirates in Tripoli and Algiers. He also took a leave form his service to help the fight for independence in Texas. his final service was as a Commodore for the Confederate Army in the US Civil war.

The Civil War. 

 This is no doubt one of the darkest times in our nations history. The prospect of brother fighting brother can never be a good thing, however even in this dark time, Jews came forward to serve. It has been said that the percentage of Jews withing both the armies was far higher than the percentage of Jews within the general populations. While exact numbers may not be known, various sources give the number of Jews who joined the Union army as being over 2,000 from New York alone. Many stories have been written about this war, but a few people stand out to me as incredible examples;

1. Edward S. Solomon. Colonel of the 82nd Illinois Volunteer Infantry, which had over 100 Jewish men. He fought at many of the famous battles of the war. He was sited for gallantry at the Battle of Gettysburg. Post war he was appointed by President Grant to be the Governor of the Washington Territory.
2. General L. C. Newman. From New York he died of wounds received at Chancellorsville, but not before President Abraham Lincoln arrived at his bedside to present his commission as a General.
3.  Captain Edward M. Moise. from Georgia he was a cavalry officer. He was usually in the front of his company and on one day alone he had three different horses shot out from under him. Yet he never stopped.
4. Captain Ullman. Commander of Company E of the 5th Pennsylvania Cavalry. After the war he continued to serve his country. He finally lost his life along side General George Custer in 1876.

War Memorial, London.

We could go on and on with stories of the bravery of those who have served us. Yet the most
important thing to remember is that in the case of the Jewish servicemen, most did not have a long history in the United States. Many were immigrants or the children of immigrants who answered the call to step in and defend their new country. It was and continues to be the ultimate act of service toward millions of people they will never meet. May we always keep them in our thoughts, not just on this special day.

Happy Veterans Day to all.

The Jews of Trinidad, Colorado

Trinidad, Colorado is a small city in the Southeastern part of Colorado. Its history dates back to the time of the Spanish traders who took advantage of its close proximity to the Santa Fe Trail. However, it wasn't until the early 1860's that large numbers of immigrants began to arrive. They came as a result of coal being discovered in the region and they wanted to take advantage of that. By the late 1860's the population of Trinidad reached about 1200 people. Trinidad incorporated as a city in 1876, a few months before Colorado became a state and in 1878 the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway reached Trinidad which helped it become a community ready for growth.
Part of that growth was the establishment of a Jewish community which happened in 1883. In 1872, two brothers, Henry and Sol Jaffa arrived in Trinidad to manage the store owned by their friend, Henry Biernbaum.  Eventually the Jaffa brothers established their own store which they called the Jaffa Brothers Trading Company. After time, a third brother, Sam,

arrived in Trinidad. In 1883, that first congregation, Congregation Aaron was established. The name Aaron came from the name of the father of the Jaffa brothers, who was a Rabbi in the old country. That congregation had 24 members and the friend of the Jaffa's, Henry Biernbaum served as its first president. In 1889, the first Synagogue (at right) was dedicated. At this time the congregation had 46 men and their families.
The synagogue, which today is the oldest in Colorado, still standing at its original location, serves not only the Jews of Southeastern Colorado bot also Jews of the neighboring area of New Mexico. It stands only about 20 miles from the New Mexico state line. A few miles away is located the Trinidad Masonic Cemetery, of which part contains the burial ground of Congregation Aaron (see below). 

It is the amazing people who established these incredible pioneer congregations that helped move the Jewish people west. Its also some very dedicated and loving people who keep their history and memories alive. We should all be thankful for them.

The Far Reaching Jews of Fordon- part 8, The Possible Original Name of the Auerbach Family

In the previous post on this blog, I discussed the Auerbach family from Fordon in Poland and their influence as merchants in the western United States. The stores that they established in Utah were a part of the fabric of the state for well over 100 years.  In this article I will attempt to show some records that hopefully will start the discussion on the names of the family before the adoption of surnames.
The first Auerbach to arrive in Salt Lake City was Frederick who arrived sometime before to 1857. The records show that Frederick was the son of Hillel Auerbach and his wife Bertha Friedman. In the records of Fordon we find the marriage of Hillel Auerbach to Bertha Friedman on the 3rd of February 1829 (See Below).

We also find that the groom was 29 years old and his bride 28 at the time of the wedding. Further, we find that the father of the groom is listed as Tobias Auerbach and Simon Friedman is the father of the bride. A further search of the records finds a marriage in 1840 of Raphael Auerbach and Pauline Friedman (see below).

In addition to the bride and groom having the same fathers listed as in the previous marriage we also now add their mothers. Maria Hirsch is the wife of Tobias Auerbach and Maria Levin is the wife of Simon Friedman. From this we now know that Hillel and his brother Raphael married sisters, Bertha and Paulina Friedman. Its at this point where things start to get interesting.
1. In the will of Frederick Auerbach, which was probated on 20 July 1896 in Salt Lake City, he lists various items including;

1. To my cousin, Marion S. Adler, of Newburg, New York, the sum of $250.00
2. To my cousin, Fannie Tobias, of Newburg, New York, the sum of $100.00

A search of the various census records of the United States finds only one possibility for these two cousins. In Newburg, New York, beginning with the 1855 State Census we find Marion and Fanny as the daughters of Jacob Tobias and his wife Charlotte. It also states that Charlotte was born in England, as was their first child, Theodore Abraham Tobias. Since mom and Theodore were born in England, I conducted a search of the Civil Registration marriage records hoping to find a marriage of Jacob and Charlotte.
In those records I found that Jacob Tobias, a dealer in gold and silver, age 28 and Charlotte Francks  of full age were married on 19 December 1849 at Newcastle under Lyne, Stafford, England.
Also, it states that Jacob is the son of Abraham Tobias and Charlotte the daughter of Abraham Francks. 
2.  Also in his will, Frederick states,

 "To my sister, Rosa G. Meyer, of salt Lake City, Utah, two shares of the company."

 Searching the records for Rosa, I was able to find her death certificate (see below).

 In addition to verifying the parents names, a key piece of information we receive here is the date of birth, 15 Jan 1831. Returning to the records from Fordon, we find on that same date, one year earlier the birth record of Rosa, however the name of the parent is of interest here (see below).

On this record, the original name is crossed out and the name Hillel Abraham is written in. This appears to be the same woman.

So what does all this mean? Since the records of Fordon show that the time between 1820-1830 is when most Jews adopted surnames I believe this records at least can lead us in the direction that the name Auerbach was adopted by Hillel some time around the birth of his first child Rosa. Prior to the adopting of the name Auerbach, he would have been Hillel son of Abraham, or as in the case of Rosa's birth, Hillel Abraham. We know from his marriage his father was Tobias, but it appears the Abraham replaced the name Tobias.

This is also shown in the case of son Jacob Tobias. He was born around 1821 then marries in England in 1849. He would not have appeared in any other records between the two dates, he would have been Jacob son of Abraham as well. 

Hopefully further research into the Auerbach's of Fordon will help us verify the family and link the generations together.

 

The Far Reaching Jews of Fordon- part 7, The Auerbach Family

Even though it has been many months since I posted about the Jews of Fordon, it does not mean that they haven't been on my mind. As the ancestral home of my Rosenbaum family, I seem to spend a lot of time researching the Jews of that part of the world. Today, I am writing about a family not only from Fordon, but a family that continued to have influence on my family for many years after they arrived in the United States, the Auerbach family.
Frederick H. Auerbach and his brother, Samuel H. Auerbach were both born in Fordon, two of the children of Hillel and Bertha (Friedman) Auerbach. While still just young men, the two made their journeys to America. Frederick, who was born in 1836 was first, arriving sometime before 1857. In was in 1857 that he appears in California during the gold rush where he opened a store in a mining camp called Rabbit Creek, the first of what would grow to be a great department store empire.
Samuel, born on 15 June 1847, arrived in New York on 15 June 1862, his 15th birthday. This we know, because later in life Samuel became quite the world traveler and left a good deal about his birth and arrival on the various United States passport applications he filled out. The application below comes from the year 1913 when he applied for his wife and daughter to travel abroad. he quickly made his way west and joined his brother, where in 1863 they settled in Austin, Nevada, where there had been some major mining strikes.

Shortly after their arrival in Nevada, Frederich went on trip to Salt lake City, looking for a location to build a new store. Upon his arrival. he decided he needed help to find a good location for the new store. He hadn't been so successful by not knowing who could help him, so he went right to the top and enlisted the help of Brigham Young. It was then that Brigham Young walked around Salt Lake City with him and they were able to secure the property now located on Main Street for their first Utah department store. This store, called F. Auerbach & Bros. was to be the beginning of a relationship that would last for well over 100 years.
The Auerbach brothers were not content to have just one store in Utah so they opened others in places such as Ogden and Corinne. From their days following the Gold Rush and mining strikes they had learned how to go where the people were. With this in mind they also had small tent locations along the path of the new Transcontinental Railroad that was being built across the country. That railroad brought the east and west together in May of 1869 at Promontory Point, Utah. The Auerbach brothers were able to become fixtures in Utah, two Jewish boys among the mostly Mormon population.
Over time the stores continued to thrive and grow, which made it necessary to expand to bigger locations. In 1879, the store was moved to a new location, the former Masonic building. Again in 1912, a move was needed and the store was moved again to the corner of Broadway and State Street. The picture below shows that building. This building

also adds more to the story for my own family, for it was here that my grandfather, Eugene Arthur Knowles, served as the painter for the Auerbach family. His wife, my grandmother, was the granddaughter of Moses David Rosenbaum, a Jew from Fordon.
Frederick was not around to see this last building as he died in 1896. He never married and was buried in the B'nai Israel Cemetery in Salt Lake City. The running of the business fell to Samuel who by then had married to the former Eveline Brooks, and over time they had 8 children.
With Frederick's passing, his will was made a matter of record. Even though he had left Fordon almost 40 years earlier, he never forgot where he came from. In that will which was probated on the 20th day of July in 1896 he stated in items 11 and 12 the following;

Eleventh: To the Hebrew poor of my native town, Fordon, Prussia, $150.00

Twelfth: To the Christian poor of my native town, Fordon, Prussia, $75.00

It is worth noting that in items 13- 43 of this same will, he lists the names of his brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews and nieces and the name of the cities where they were living as of the date of probate.  

A true testament to the quality of the man that above all else he first took care of his family and those from his hometown.

 In 1909, after a little more than 12 years running the store, Samuel and his wife moved to New York City, leaving the running of the business to his oldest son Herbert Samuel Auerbach. Samuel died in 1920 and was buried back in Utah at the B'nai Israel Cemetery.

At first look, Herbert S. didn't look like someone who would one day be running a major department store. He was born in 1882 in Salt lake City, but at an early age he was sent around the world to study. After stops in Germany and Switzerland, he graduated in 1900 from the Conservatory of Music in Lausanne. After graduation he traveled  Europe where he performed on the concert stage as a violinist. Herbert then returned to New York, where he graduated with a masters degree in electrometallurgy from the Columbia University School of Mines in 1906. After first working in the mining industry, he eventually began to get more involve in the family business, taking over the running of it in 1911.

Like his father and uncle, Herbert was very active it community affairs.  He served on the Board of Regents of the University of Utah, he was a member of various Water Boards, and he was a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers. Beginning in 1925, he served as a member of the Utah State Legislature, however, he served in one capacity that shows the character of the man. The Utah Sons Of The Pioneers is a worldwide group that pays honor to the who arrived before the railroad in May of 1869. Historically this is an organization about Mormon pioneers, yet even though his family was Jewish and not Mormon, he did arrive before may of 1869. So, he joined the organization and even served as their President.

Herbert died in 1945and he to was buried at B'nai Israel Cemetery. The fact that he was so loved by Jews and non Jews is shown by his funeral. It did not take place at the synagogue but instead was held at Assembly Hall on Temple Square.

The impact of the family was also felt on the east coast. George Samuel Auerbach, the second son of Samuel, also helped at the store, however, he took his knowledge elsewhere. George married Beatrice Fox of Hartford, Connecticut. She was the daughter of Moses Fox, and granddaughter of Gerson Fox, founder of the G. Fox Department Store.

After their marriage they lived in Salt Lake City and worked together at the store. In 1917, the G. Fox store burned to the ground and in 1918 a new 11 story store was built. At that time George and Beatrice moved back to Hartford to help run the new store. In 1927 George died and Beatrice began working with her father in the day to day running of the store. Eventually she became the president  of G. Fox and Co. She passed away in 1968 and was buried along side her husband at Beth Israel Cemetery in Hartford. It should also be noted that in 1965 the G. Fox department store was sold to the May Co.

The Auerbach family was indeed very influential in many locations. They served their communities with honor and integrity. They were loved and respected and the people of Fordon should have very proud of all they accomplished.

 

International Jewish Genealogy Month October 14 - November 12, 2015

Just in case you needed an excuse to finally start researching your Jewish families.

 

British Columbia Marriage Registrations, 1859-1932; 1937

The amazing amount of marriage records now available online continues to grow. This collection, the British Columbia Marriage Registrations, 1859-1932, 1937, contains over 141,000 images. The original records are from the Division of Vital Statistics, however they are now available for viewing at www.familysearch.org.

The actual records provide some wonderful information on those who were married in British Columbia. Not only has this collection been made available in transcription form but the original documents are also included. I began my search by just performing a simple search of the surname Cohen, which returned 569 hits.
Searching the list I was able to locate the record I was looking for, the 1911 marriage of Abraham Charles Cohen to Laura Bertha Weaver. The transcription provided me with most of the information. It included the names, ages and birthplaces of the bride and groom as well as the names of both sets of parents, including the mothers maiden names. That transcription is show below.

 The transcription, also states that the record is a marriage license for the marriage which took place on 4 June 1911 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Additionally it also provides us with the number of the Family History Library film that was used to transcribe the record (1983703). When I then followed up by looking at the original record (see below), I was able to gather a little more information, such as the names and addresses of the witnesses, the fact that both bride and groom were Jewish and the name of the Rabbi who performed the marriage, Rabbi Elias Friedlander.

 This collection should be of great help to all of those who had family married in British Columbia. The collection should continue to grow as more records become available.

 
 

36th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy

Even though It was only 3 short months ago that we all gathered together in Jerusalem for the 2015 IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy, the time has come to begin preparing for the next conference. The 2016 conference, which will be held in August in Seattle, Washington now has its own website up and running, www.iajgs2016.org.
The theme for the Seattle conference is The Wandering Jew. In support of that topic, the organizers have identified 5 different tracts of classes. They are:

1. The Sephardic Experience in the United States.
2. European Migrations .
3. South American, Australian and South African Branches.
4. Westward Ho! Jews in the Western US.
5. Coming Home to Israel.

The call for papers for this year's conference has now gone out. More information about that can be found on the website.

The Jewish Genealogical Society of Washington State (JGSWS) is the local host chapter this year. They are some of the greatest people you will ever meet and all great Jewish genealogists. It should be another wonderful conference.

Missouri, County Marriage, Naturalization, and Court Records, 1800-1991.

It is simply amazing the number the amount of new records that continue to be made public on the various genealogical websites. Thanks to websites such as Ancestry, MyHeritage, and FamilySearch the amount of information that is at ones fingertips is such a blessing to all looking for their families.
This past week a new database has been added to FamilySearch that will be hopefully for those with families in the state of Missouri. That collection, Missouri, County Marriage, Naturalization, and Court Records, 1800-1991, contains over 2.5 million images of records from various Missouri counties. Those records include marriages, marriage applications, licenses, and certificates. The records come from multiple sources, including the microfilm collection of FamilySearch and the records of the Missouri State Archives in Jefferson City, Missouri. Records will continue to be added as they become available but it is still a wonderful collection now.
The process of searching the collection is very easy. The image below shows the basic search page. I entered the name that I always enter, Cohen, and the search returned 985 results. 

 

 As I scrolled through those results, I came to one that I was interested in, the marriage of Joseph A. Cohen and his bride Esther Lou Weinstock. I clicked on that entry and I was given a basic transcript page (see below) to view the information.

After I realized this was indeed the entry I wanted I clicked on the "View the original document" to view the original where the information came from. In addition to information on the transcript I was also now able to find the name of the Rabbi who performed the marriage. The original record (below) includes both the application to marry and the marriage license.

A big thanks to all those who make these records available, through their efforts and the efforts of the families researching their own ancestors we are connecting those long lost families.

Maryland, Baltimore Passenger Lists, 1820-1948

When looking for our ancestors who first came to America, many of us tend to look first at the arrivals into New York City, however not all people entered there. Other ports, such as Baltimore, Boston and Charleston were a few of those locations where are ancestors first saw the country that would be their new home.
Yesterday, Familysearch.org added the Maryland, Baltimore Passenger Lists, 1820-1948. The collection, which includes over 1.6 million records, is name search able. The records are very good and provide wonderful information for researchers. The example below shows three siblings, Chaje, Israel and Jossel Cohen. The record shows they were on their way from Russia to an eventual destination of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to reunite with their brother, Hirsch .

The record shows that they started their journey on the 9th day of November 1905 on board the ship Brandenburg, and arriving in Baltimore on the 23th day of November. The record lists the entire family as Hebrew and gives their last residence. These records are a great source of information for researchers and would be a great source for those who are having a difficult time finding the arrival records of their ancestors.

United States Passport Applications, 1795-1925

Passport applications have always been a great source of family information. Since they are filled out by living people who are providing current information regarding their own lives, they tend to be very reliable and a great source for people researching their families.
Familysearch has just added a new collection, United States Passport Applications, 1795-1925, which should make finding these records much easier. The collection, which is a combination of two different National Archives and records Administration (NARA) collections, has over 3 million images of which 1.9 million are indexed.
A great example of the information provided in the applicant is the record of Albert J. Cohen (shown below). From his application we learn that he was born on 31 Oct 1874 in Cairo, Egypt. He is married to Krisanti Cohen who was born in 1881 in Crete and that they have a daughter Mary who was born on the 27th of November 1903, also in Cairo. Further we learn the family arrived in the United States in August 1894 on the S.S. Rotterdam. The application also states that Albert was naturalized a U.S. citizen on 11 Mar 1902 in Charleston, South Carolina.

 As with all databases these passport records are available free of charge at www.familysearch.org

Rosh Hashanah 2015 (5776)

In the year 2015, Rosh Hashanah begins at sunset on Sunday, September 13. It is my hope that it will be a year of peace and happiness for all.

L'shanah tovah tikatev ve'techatem l’alter l'chayim tovim - "May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year, for good life immediately."

The Jews of Peru

The Jewish history of Peru is not as easy to document as other countries in South America. As with the other countries there were probably Jews in Peru as early as the first part of the 16th century with the arrival of Columbus in the New World. Others fleeing the Inquisition in Spain and Portugal would also find their way to places such as Peru, but still in fear kept their Jewish blood a secret. The need to keep their Jewish heritage secret began to change at the end of the 18th century. 

Between the end of the 1700's and the middle of the 1800's, South America began to undergo a change of attitude. They began to be more accepting of the Jewish people and their way of life. This allowed those Jews who were still in hiding to come out of hiding. This they did, and established La Sociedad de Beneficencia, the Jewish community that still exists today. At the time this community was formed there were very few Jews left and those that were left either married out of the faith or continued to practice in secret.
The second wave of immigrants to Peru began to strengthen the Jewish community. These Jews who were mostly merchants, came in the 1870's from many locations throughout Central Europe. Some of these made their money then left to return to Europe.
The third group to come to Peru where also merchants, only this time they came from their homes in North Africa. When they arrived in the late 1800's they became a part of the community but still established their own Synagogues and schools. They like the previous group had many who just wanted to make money then return home, which they did. It wasn't until right before and after World War I, that the immigrants who arrived did so with the intent of staying. These Jews, who were for the most part from places like Syria and Turkey, left to escape countries that were being torn apart by war. Their desire was not to get rich but rather to be safe. They established small communities all over Peru.
After World War II, most of the Jewish community moved backed into Lima, where they built an Ashkenazic synagogue and two Sephardi synagogues. The population of the community reached over 5,000 people by the 1970's. At that time, a new government was elected which brought many restrictions upon all the people of Peru. Many took the opportunity to leave at that time. However, those that stayed continued to have success in their businesses and in government service.

Ontario Deaths, 1869-1937 and Overseas Deaths, 1939-1947

Familysearch has recently added another collection that will be very helpful for those with Jewish ancestry in Ontario, Canada.  That database, Ontario Deaths, 1869-1937 and Overseas Deaths, 1939-1947, contains almost one million entries which are name search able.

The records for the years 1869-1937 include a name index as well as the death registration entries that were filed. The record below (right side of record) is for David Cohen who died in 1916. The place of birth, date of death as well as parents names are given.

For the years 1939-1947 only the overseas death are recorded. The record below, of Lionel Cohen, who died in France on 19 August 1942, is an example of one of those. He was Killed in Action at the age of 30, while  serving his country, leaving a wife Rose behind.

 These records and the vital information contained in them should be a very valuable resource for those with family in Ontario.

Jerusalem 2015 Another Great Conference

The 2015 Conference of the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS) is now complete and what an incredible experience it was. A great team, under the direction of Michael Goldstein, helped the conference become as the advertisement promised, "A Conference Like No Other".  In addition to the many wonderful speakers and activities, the fact that it was held in Jerusalem, truly made this event one that I will never forget. Thank you to all those who helped make this memory possible.

As a first time visitor to Israel, I was not sure what exactly to expect. Waiting for this visit since I was a very young man, I was both excited to experience it all, and yet also worried that it would never meet my expectations. I soon found that I worried about nothing, it was everything I had hoped for and more. The places I visited, and those who I traveled with gave me experiences I'll always treasure, and I can't wait to someday return. To those who gave lectures that taught me something new, and to those who attended my lectures and shared their personal stories with me, thanks for touching my life. I hope to see you all next year in Seattle.