Index to BillionGraves now at www.familysearch.org

As the collection of databases in the Historical Records section of www.familysearch.org continues to grow, some amazing records for genealogists are becoming more readable available. A great example of this is the new addition of a name index to the Billiongraves.com website.
BillionGraves is a database of records and images from cemeteries around the world, all tagged with GPS locations, making the gravesites easy to find. The BillionGraves site includes images of the headstones as collected by an amazing group of volunteers.

The search tool for the Billiongraves website is very user friendly. Once the names are found in the database at familysearch, the actual image can be found at BillionGraves. The search tool allows the researcher to filter by name, location and years. I performed a search for Abraham Katz who I knew was buried in New York.

The results for Abraham Katz included the person I was searching for. He died on 25 August 1931 and is buried at the Mount Zion Cemetery in Maspeth, New York. The quality of the image of his headstone was very good.

 

The BillionGraves database is a great addition to the FamilySearch site, and is another valuable source for those researching their Jewish ancestors.

Vienna, Austria Jewish Records of Birth, Marriage and Death 1784-1911 on www.familysearch.org

In the past few days there have been some more wonderful additions to the Historical Record Collections located at www.familysearch.org. One that will be of special interest to those researching their Jewish families is the Vienna, Austria, Jewish registers of Birth, Marriage and Death for the years 1784-1911.
The collection itself, although not name indexed at this point, and by no means a complete record still contains over 200,000 images of the original records from the Jewish community. The collection can be viewed by visiting the Central Europe section of the Historical Records Collections and clicking on the link.

The records themselves are of very high quality and easily read, even for those with little or no knowledge of the language. The record below is of the marriage of Israel Kellerman to Friederike Dukes on 14 Apr 1907. This incredible record also lists both sets of parents for the happy couple.

These incredible records can be viewed at www.familysearch.org, which is a totally free search.

Paris 2012

The time is fast approaching for this years annual conference of the IAJGS (International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies), which will be held in Paris, France. The conference, which will be held from the 15th - 18th of July, is a wonderful opportunity to join with others sharing a love of Jewish genealogy, and learn more about ways to locate those who have paved the way for us.
For more information and to get registered please visit www.paris2012.eu.

Oppenheimer family of Germany

One of the great joys of working in Family History is reading  the incredible histories behind some of the families. The histories of our ancestors can be great learning tools, a wonderful way to  help current generations remember those who have gone before. In the last few days I have been made aware of one of those amazing families, the Oppenheimer family.

The family story begins with Max Oscar Oppenheimer, who was born on the 19th of April 1915, in Schrobenhausen, Bayern, Germany. Max was the oldest of two sons born to David and Maria Kraus Oppenheimer. Max, is on the left in the picture here,

next to his brother Ernst. We know from the family records that from May to October of 1940, Max was forced to work in the Ziegelei (brick factory) at Hochfeld, Augsburg. It was while working there that an accident cost him his right index finger.
Fortunately, he was able to get out of Germany, and on the 23rd of Mar 1940, he set sail out of Genoa, Italy on the SS George Washington, headed for a new home. On 1 Apr 1940, with $9 in his money, he arrived in New York City.

At about the same time, on 16 Nov 1923, in Bad Wildungen, Hessen, Germany, a daughter was born to Isidor and Lina Lilenstein Mannheimer (pictured at right), named Erika. Her life was much different than of Max Oppenheimer. In November of 1941, she moved to Kassel, where her parents were already living, and less than three weeks later she was rounded up and deported to the Riga Ghetto, she being prisoner number 62042. Over the next four years she was deported from one Concentration Camp to another, including Matau, Kasierwald, Stutthof, and finally Thorn-Korben. Finally, on the 27th of January 1945, Erika was liberated from a camp in Bromberg. Her mother also was liberated but her father was murdered in 1942 in Riga. Erika made her way to Bremen, where on the 22 of August 1946 she sailed for America. She arrived on 31 August on board the SS Marine Perch.
The evil that Erica and the millions of others faced daily can never possibly be put into words. Hopefully, families will continue to share the stories of those who didn't return, we must never let them be forgotten.

Even though they came to America and different times, under different conditions, their paths would cross. On the 14th day of June in 1947, Erica and Max were married in New York City. The engagement card (pictured at left) even identifies the hometown of each of the bride and groom. From 1947 till 1959 the couple lived in Brooklyn, until moving to Flushing, Queens, New York.
The story of Erica and Max, and their families has been beautifully compiled by a child Richard Oppenheimer. His work on this family has yielded a database that now holds almost 3,000 people, and hundreds of photos and stories. In addition to the Oppenheimer and Mannheimer families, other families include the Lilenstein, Nussbaum, Metzger, Kraus and Luchs families, covering over 300 years in Germany. A special thanks to Richard Oppenheimer for the sharing of the history of this family. His database is now being added to the Knowles Collection- Jews of Europe database and will be available shortly.

Memorial Day

This weekend in the United States is the Memorial Day holiday. Original began after the Civil War to honor those who had fallen in service of their country, it has become a way to not only honor our war dead, but to remember all of our ancestors. This year may we all remember those who have sacrificed so much for each of us, regardless of whether they may have served and died in war, or served by fighting daily for survival.

 May none of them ever be forgotten.

U.S. Virgin Islands census records

Much has been made on this blog of the influence the Caribbean Islands have had on early American Jewish communities. With so many people using the Caribbean as their destination after leaving Amsterdam and London, it is an important place to research in building those early families.
A very valuable source in locating these families are the census records from the U.S. Virgin Islands. These records, which are on microfilm in the collection of the Family History Library, date from 1841 to 1911. Unlike the census records from the British Isles, which were taken every 10 years, this collection is taken more often, usually about every five years. There are some censuses taken more often such as 1855 and 1857 followed by 1860.
The records are very nice and identify the families by religion. The record below is of the De Leon family living in Christiansted on the Island of St. Croix, this is taken from the 1841 census (FHL Film #39201)

This record shows how this family is very much like many of the families. The father was born in Amsterdam, the first child in St. Thomas and the rest in St. Croix. All 10 members of the family are listed as being part of the Israelite religion.
The record below, also from Christiansted is from the 1846 Census (FHL Film #39305). The head of the family is Sarah Amalia Coopmann who like all the family was born in St. Croix.

An interesting point from this is under the heading of religion it states; Jewish Church. Not exactly a way I have ever seen the Jewish religion referred to.
These census records, which in whole covers 71 rolls of microfilm, are a valuable source for anyone researching ancestors who either lived in the Caribbean or found themselves in early U.S. communities. and may have passed through.

St. Kilda Cemetery, Melbourne, Australia

Recently, while visiting the beautiful city of Melbourne, Australia to speak at the Great Solomon Reunion, I was lucky enough to have my hotel close to the St. Kilda Cemetery. As I walked to my talk I passed by the front gate of this beautiful resting place for so many Jews of the area.
Following the day's activities I was able to return to this burial ground and document the valuable information contained on these stones. This information is now being added to the Knowles Collection - Jews of the British Isles, and will be available after the next update.

Hebrew Benevolent Congregation Atlanta, Georgia

In 1844, just a few years after the General Assemble of Georgia gave approval for the building of railroads into the city of Atlanta, the first Jewish Community of Atlanta began to take shape. In 1860, in an attempt to secure a burial ground and to provide for the poor  that community formed the Hebrew Benevolent Society. In 1867, The Hebrew Benevolent Congregation was chartered as the first official Jewish organization in the city of Atlanta. Later it became known simply as "The Temple".

The history of The Temple is one that shows the rich heritage of the people who belonged and their contributions to not only the history of Atlanta but also the longer history of the United States. The people who belonged to The Temple were solid in their beliefs, they knew what was right and their actions supported this belief. The fact that The Temple has had very few Rabbi's over the years, is a testament to the stability it has provided to the entire Southern part of the United States.
Over 50 years ago the Genealogical Society of Utah, was able to microfilm the original records from the Hebrew Benevolent Congregation (FHL film# 978437). The records on the microfilm include some of the early historical data of those who were the first members. The entries begin in 1844, when Atlanta was still known as Marthasville. It wasn't until 26 Dec 1845 that it was officially incorporated as Atlanta. The author of the entries is not known but begins with the two original founding families.
Jacob Haas and his family, and Henry Levi, his family and his  brother Herman all arrived in 1844 or 1845. Not surprising they became partners in the firm of Haas and Levi. It is written that "later in 1850 Mr. Levi left and went to California". According to the entries at this time there were about 12 families living in the village. A later entry mentions that in 1847, the firm of Haas and Levi was amongst the major contributors to the Atlanta Union Sabbath School which was organized in a log home on the second Sunday in June, 1847. In 1850, we see the first mention of another prominent family entering the community. In an entry dated 1850 it states:

Dr. and Mrs. Aaron Alexander and their sons

Joseph Alexander

Jacob Clarence "Cooch" Alexander

Julius M. Alexander

www.ancestry.com

In the entry dated 1851 it further states that Dr. Aaron Alexander, druggist, Jos A., "Couch" and Julius M. Alexander were included in the Pioneer Citizens' History of Atlanta. It is not surprising that the Alexander family would become pioneers of the congregation and in fact were pillars of that community for many years. A brief study of this family shows an incredible history.

Julius Mortimer Alexander was born on the 11th of April in 1844, in South Carolina,  just before his parents and brothers arrived in Georgia. Later on the 19th of August in 1873, he married Rebecca Ella Solomons. His mother, was Sarah Moses (1813-1892). Julius and Rebecca had a son, Henry Aaron Alexander, who later applied to The Georgia Society of the Sons of The American Revolution for membership. In that application he listed in family back another 4 generations from himself. The application at right shows his membership request following the line of Jacob Phillips of Charleston, South Carolina, his gggrandfather on his grandmother, Sarah Moses' line. He was also able to apply through the lines of other lines, including gggrandparents, Jacob Isaacs of Newport, Rhode Island, and Abraham Alexander, Sr. of Charleston.

The Alexander family not only became part of the foundation of a new community, but through the actions of their previous generations, became part of that framework that helped establish the United States of America. Not surprisingly, on the back of his application Henry Aaron Alexander, when asked to state his own previous military service states the following:

Captain of Infantry. United States Army. World War. 52D Infantry, 6th Division.

Just as his ancestors had fought for the freedom of others, so to had he. The history of The Temple involves so many times that our country faced hard times. From the Civil War, the Great Depression and on through the Civil Rights movement. At all these times, when it would have been so easy to leave disappear, The Temple and its members were there serving all of the South.

From the time it was first established as a way of serving the poor, till today when that great work continues, the history of The Temple is a great learning experience for all.