South Africa, Cape Province, Civil Deaths, 1895 - 1972

In South Africa, the birth, marriage and death records are held by the National Archives, on behalf of the Department of Home Affairs. In 1894, the registration of births and deaths was made compulsory and the record keeping itself began in 1895. These registers are available up to the early 1970's. 

Now, the Civil Death records for the Cape Province of South Africa, have started to be added to the Historical Records collection at FamilySearch.  As of 16 May 2014, the collection contains over 2.2 million records, however only about 11,000 have been indexed at this point.

 A simple search of the collection shows the quality of the information provided.  I knew that Leah Cohen died on 2 Jul 1954 in Cape Town. Using that information, I found the entry below that also gives me her age and her last place of residence, the Cape Jewish Aged Home. The information also provides the Family History Library Film number (1,796,463).

 I was further able to click on the link to view original document. By doing so I was able to view the original record of her death. In that document (below) we also find out that Leah Cohen, was born in Russia. We also find that she is a widow and that her maiden surname was Gradner.

This record should be most helpful more many families. As so many of the Jewish community of South Africa were from places such as Russia, Lithuania and England, their impact is very far reaching. As always these records are available free at www.familysearch.org.

IAJGS 2014, World War 1 Stories

We are now less than 3 months away from the 34th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy, which will be held in Salt Lake City from the 27th of July through the 1st of August. As this year marks the 100th anniversary of the beginning of World War 1, one of the main themes of the conference will be its affect upon our ancestors. As part of this, conference organizers are encouraging all to upload there own stories to the conference website.

What a great opportunity for all of us to share the stories of our ancestors, of their struggles and hardships, as well as their determination and survival. What a great chance to keep their stories alive.

Knowles Collection Updated - Records of 1,000,000 Jews

In August of 2007, the Knowles Collection first went live as a search able database of genealogical records of the Jewish people. At that time the collection was made up entirely of records of the Jews of Great Britain.That introduction of the collection contained the records of about 7,500 Jews. Those first records came from making a computerized record of the Mordy Collection, the wonderful work compiled by the late Isobel Mordy, before her death in the 1980's.
From that first day, the collection continued to grow, but remained solely a record of the Jewish people in the British Isles. As time passed that database grew to contain the records of well over 100,000 Jews. At that time, five additional databases were added to give coverage of the entire world. The collection now consisted of the 6 databases that it has today.
New records continued to be added. These consisted of vital records, synagogue records, civil records, probate, census and family histories. The family histories have been donated by families from throughout the world, all wishing for their records to be preserved. I am extremely grateful to all who have added their own records. The six databases now consist of records from almost 2,000 different sources.
 The six databases that make up the Knowles Collection have now been updated. Thanks to the work of so many people the combined collection now holds the genealogical  records of over 1,000,000 Jewish people. Each of the 6 databases has grown considerably over the years. The amount of people contained in each database is as follows;

• Jews of the British Isles              191,000
• Jews of North America               393,000
• Jews of Europe                           360,000
• Jews of South America and Caribbean   21,000
• Jews of South Pacific                              21,000
• Jews of Africa, Orient and Middle East   37,000

Even after so much growth, an amazing amount of records continue to be submitted to the database. These records will be added as quickly as we can. Of the records now being added a large number of cemetery transcriptions from all parts of the world are included. With those records added to everything else already published, it truly has become a collection that covers the world. The collection is available at the community trees section at www.familysearch.org. The link in the top right corner of this blog will help you access those records.

Thank you to all for your help, and may we never forget our ancestors.

Illinois Deaths and Stillbirths, 1916 to 1947

So many of those just beginning their family history research start with one of those most basic records, the Census.  It helps to identify a family at a certain time in a specific location. If the researcher knows where the family was from and some of the names of other family members, the census can be a great tool. The record below shows the family of Addie Cohen in Illinois at the time of the 1940 United States Census.

The record shows us that she is 80 years of age and a widow. Living with her in the household are 2 sons, Julius (age 51) and Sol (age 49). All three of them were born in the State of Illinois. To many this is where the first obstacles start to pop up, trying to identify what Addie's maiden name was and then identifying her parents. Now, as more and more states are making their records available to websites such as FamilySearch and Ancestry, it is becoming a little easier to answer those questions.
In the last week, www.familysearch.org has added a new Historical Collection, the Illinois Deaths and Stillborns, 1916-1947.  This collection, which as of this date has just under 2,900,000 records, will be a great source to break down the obstacles for Jewish families in Illinois. The record below is for the same Addie Cohen whose family we located in the census.

From this record we are able to add a lot of information to our records of her life. We now know that she was born in Urbana, Illinois on 17 August 1859 the daughter of Sol Bernstein and Fannie Wertheim. We also know that she died on 25 May 1943 also in Urbana and was buried in that same city on 27 May 1943 at the Mt. Hope Cemetery. The information for this came from FHL film #1983453.

As more and more people become involved in finding their families, lets hope more and more communities will make those records available.

Canada Census 1916

The national census of Canada has been taken every 10 years since 1871 and every five years since 1971. Only the four original provinces, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario were included in that first census of 1871. The census of 1881 was the first to include the entire country, however Newfoundland was not part of Canada until 1949, so those records are not included.

The census of 1916 only includes three provinces, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. Now, FamilySearch has added the Canadian Census, 1916 database to the Historical Collections section at www.familysearch.org. As of today over 500,000 records are included in this collection. The original images have not been included, however the records have been indexed and the information includes the original Family History Library film number.
The record below is the family of Aron and Lina Cohen and there three children. Included is all the vital information, such as names, ages, birthplaces, marital status, and ethnicity. The Family History Library film number of 2,434,941 is also included.

 This  1916 census is added to the censuses of 1851, 1871,1881, 1891, 1901, 1906 and 1911, which are already part of the Historical Collections at www.familysearch.org. These records are a great way to follow your ancestors through their life in Canada. As with all records at FamilySearch, the collection can be searched for free from the comfort of your own home.
More great information on the various Canadian Censuses can be found at the FamilySearch Wiki, on the Canada Census page.

Minnesota, County Marriages, 1860-1949

The latest additions to the FamilySearch website include many more databases that contain valuable records for finding our Jewish ancestors. One of the newer collections, Minnesota, County Marriages, 1860-1949 , is a great example.
The collection, which at this time includes marriage records from 13 different counties, contains almost 600,000 images. Of those images, over 280,000 are now name search able. The majority of the records are the applications for marriage licenses. They do not give a great deal of information, however they do include the name of bride and groom, date and place of marriage and in some cases the ages of the new husband and wife. The record below is for the marriage of Emanuel Polikoff and Ida Cohen.

From the marriage license we gain the knowledge that Emanuel was 26 years of age and Ida was 22. We also notice that at the bottom of the document it states "subscribed and sworn to before me this 8th day of January A.D. 1910".  With the collection covering 1860-1949, most of the couples should be search able in the various United States census records, which will help verify the information and possibly link them to their families. The collection can be searched for free at www.familysearch.org.

New Brunswick Provincial Deaths, 1815-1938

The registration of deaths in Canada began in 1887. The government wanted to keep a written record of the population for their own use. With the passing of the Vital Statistics Act of 1887, governments began to collect the records of death. Some of those records predate the act, and because of that the collection includes some records as far back as 1815.

This collection, New Brunswick Provincial Deaths, 1815 - 1938, which has been published by FamilySearch, includes over 177,000 images which are name search able.
I did a basic search for David Cohen, husband of Molly, who I knew died in December of 1935 at just under 50 years of age. The search results gave me the following information.

 In addition to extracting all the information from the death record, the results also includes the Family History Library microfilm number (2167255), from which this record was extracted. The original record (below) can also be view by clicking on the view document tab.

This collection can be viewed free of charge at www.familysearch.org.

Hoop Lane Cemetery, London, England

The Hoop Lane Cemetery, also known as the Golders Green Cemetery is located in the Borough of Barnet, in London. Hoop Lane, which had its first burial  in 1895, is a fascinating place to visit. The first thing that I noticed when I visited a few months ago, is that the cemetery has two distinct parts.

The eastern side of Hoop Lane is a very traditional Sephardic cemetery (above picture), where the gravestones are laid horizontal. The east side is used by the Spanish and Portuguese Jews' Congregation. The western part of the cemetery is maintained by the West London Synagogue, and it is a more traditional Askenazic cemetery, the stones being upright (below).

Regardless of which side you visit, its hard not to be in awe of the stories the stones tell. Our ancestors went through so much as they laid down the foundations for our own lives. For example, as with many cemeteries, Hoop Lane has a good number of remembrances for those who paid the ultimate price defending their country.  The stone pictured at the right, marks the death of Lieut. Ronald Lucas Quixano Henriques. who lost his life at the Battle of Aisne on September 14th, 1914. Even though he "Rests On The Field Of Battle", he is remembered here. Just a few stones away a brother is also remembered. We have so many who have died protecting us, may we never forget them.

 History, reminds us how many men and women have died serving their country, however not all who perish during wartime are members of the military. The stone at left marks the Belasco family, torn apart by enemy action on December 14th, 1944. The strength to carry on after 3 family members are lost is remarkable.



 As I walked past one headstone, I couldn't help but stop and soon found myself lost in thought over the events of January 30, 1962 for the families of David and Betty (Jacobs) Goldberg. They had just celebrated a happy event, the marriage David and Betty. Shortly there after, the young couple, while on their honeymoon, died together. I do not know what happened, and reading it I had many emotions, however, I found great comfort in the line that reads "Forever together never to be parted".

I am thankful for all those who have sacrificed so much. May they truly never be forgotten.

The information gathered from the stones has now been added to the Knowles Collection- Jews of the British Isles, and will be available after the next update, which will be very soon.