Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois

 

Virginia Records on FamilySearch

In the last few weeks, FamilySearch has added records to a few different databases that go a long way toward help those with family history in the State of Virginia.

Those databases, Virginia, Bureau of Vital Statistics, County Marriage Registers, 1853-1935 and Virginia, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Death Records, 1853-1912, are part of the Historical Record Collections at FamilySearch. Both collections contain records and images from various counties in Virginia. In the case of the marriages, the records were turned over to the county clerks by those who performed the marriages. The clerks then sent the records to the state auditor who preserved them. Both databases are wonderful collections of very informative records. The originals are in the custody of the Virginia State Library in Richmond. 

Below, are examples from the various collections. The first, is the marriage record for the marriage of Sydney S. Cohen and his wife Bessie Flax. The second and third, are the death records of two sons of Meyer Cohen and his wife Esther Michael. Those boys, Maxie and Sidney, both taken by accidental drowning.

 

As more records become available, these collections should continue to grow.

IAJGS 2020 Virtual Conference

As has been well documented, this year the 2020 IAJGS Conference will be virtual. It is now less than 2 weeks away. For more information about the schedule and how to register, visit https://s4.goeshow.com/iajgs/annual/2020/index.cfm. I look forward to another great event.

Estonia Jewish Population Registers, 1921-1940, at FamilySearch

The National Archives of Estonia, Tallinn contain many population registers for the Jewish population living in Estonia. This collection includes the time frame from the Russian Revolution to the end of World War II. While they are written in Estonian, they are very easy to read and can be a great tool for those with ancestry in Estonia. FamilySearch now has the digital images available online for free.

The record above is a great example of these records.
Line # 7 shows Maks Abramson, who was born in Tallinn in 1881. He is married and a merchant by trade. He is married to Zilla.
Line #8 is the record of his wife, Zilla Abramson, maiden surname Goldberg. She was born in 1896 in Latis.
Included on both entries are the names of their two sons, Gabriel, who was born in 1920 and David who was born in 1922.
These records can be accessed through the FamilySearch catalog. The entry is found below.