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Jewish Refugees and Others Databases

alice — Thu, 17 May 2012 01:02:57 +0000

Using the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee Archives site that is online can be superb resource for providing copies of documents, records, information and photos of the overseas rescue, relief and rehabilitation of the thousands of displaced Jewish families and individuals. The entire archive has thousands of documents, books, audio recordings as well as over 100,000 images, some dating back to 1914.

To start a search the site has it divided by doing a search of the 500,000 names in the collection taken directly from documents. The names include not only those Jewish individuals, but also those who signed documents on their behalf or offered support. To assist the search engine will also list similar spellings to a name submitted, so that every possibility can be found.

In the second search box a keyword can be placed to located the some 250,000 primary sources of the material available The third method to search is by using a keyword such as a town or location that was listed on a photograph.

The collections include about the establishment of a Jewish settlement in Palatine between 1919 into the 1940s. There are ship manifests for many refugees leaving Europe. Documents cover the efforts to provide assistance to refugees, prisoners of war and orphans. There are many photos and records on the many relief efforts after World War II (1945) to help the displaced persons resettle, especially in the Middle East and North Africa.

A fascinating section is the Early Remittance Lists which provide information of deposits of money from relatives living outside of Europe who were sending the money to relatives in need in Europe during the Great War (World War I – 1919). There are names and addresses for those sending and receiving these funds in Romania, Russia, Poland and Palestine between 1915 and 1921. Further down on the web site of databases are lists of refugees from Poland from 1938 to 1939, those held in prisons in Siberia in 1916 and as well as other locations included.

An interesting search with names can be to include those non-Jewish surnames to see those who assisted refugees. I used a family name of ‘Frankforter’ and had 21 records available, some which picked up the spelling of ’Frankfurter’ also. Several of these records revealed Frankfurter refugees. The surname ‘Harris’ had 56 records, many where they were sending aid to refugees. Even with some of the documents in foreign languages, a brief summary of what is on each document is included.

The photo gallery section has images from the mid-1930s into the 1950s. Such a variety that might not be seen in most locations.

This is a resource that does need to be examined by all family historians.

Photo above: 1935 – training farm in Neuendorf, Germany

Why My Ancestors Still Immigrated Even After 1912

alice — Tue, 15 May 2012 01:02:33 +0000

I have long thought about how very brave and determined our ancestors were to continue crossing the Atlantic in the months and years immediately after the sinking of the RMS Titanic in April 1912. When I had acquired the ship manifests on several of my father’s family and when they came to resettle from Lancashire County, England to Essex County, Massachusetts, it was amazing how many came over in the months after the sinking of the giant ocean liner.

Prior to the April 1912 tragedy, my father’s unmarried uncle, Frederick journeyed across the Atlantic on the SS Ivernia, arriving in the Port of Boston on October 26, 1911. Another uncle named Edwin, along with a cousin, traveled on the same ship arriving on February 22, 1912. It was customary for family members to save enough money to send one or two relatives at a time to America to get jobs and establish a residence before others arrived. However, it was my father’s grandmother, another uncle and niece who traveled on the SS Franconia from England arriving at the Port of Boston on October 23, 1912 that surprised me. This was just six months after the tragedy.

In April 7, 1913, an aunt and her family came on the SS Franconia. It would be December 6, 1913 that my father’s father would make the journey with his brother-in-law to Massachusetts. They traveled on the maiden voyage of the SS Alaunia of the Cunard Shiplines. That too surprise me, another maiden voyage by a major passenger ship across the Atlantic, weren’t they concerned?

Finally my father, Harry, age 9, his brother, Edwin, age 3 and sister, Ethel, age 5, with their mother traveled on SS Carmania leaving the Port of Liverpool, England on April 14, 1914 and arriving at the Port of Boston on April 23, 1914. So that was nine relatives who came to America on vessels within two years after the sinking of the Titanic.

Researching the ships traveled by my family, they were all of the Cunard Lines, a British company. The Titanic was of the White Star Lines owned by J. P. Morgan of the United States. In fact, it was the RMS Carpathia, a Cunard ship, that did come to the aid of the passengers on the Titanic on April 15, 1912.

New regulations for safety on the ships immediately came into existence for British and American ships. The requirements were strengthen of having enough lifeboats for all passengers. Prior to the Titanic the required lifeboats was based on the ship’s tonnage, not the number of people on board. Establishing lifeboat drills right after a ship left the port was mandated. Also the shipping lanes were shifted further south, away from any possible iceberg fields.

A new law created by the U. S. Congress, titled the Radio Act of 1912, required the ship’s radios be manned day and night, have a range of 100 miles and be able to run on another source of energy besides the ship’s engines. It turns out the nearest ship to the Titanic was the California, but its one radio operator was off duty that night.

The ships built after the Titanic also had stronger hulls so they would not flood if hit by an object. They were made as double hulls and the bulkheads were extended higher to make the compartment watertight. These structural improvements were even done to the previous built ships.

So it appears the Titanic sinking served as a wake-up call to speed up maritime safety regulations. With this type of reassurance published, there well may have been less fear by people about ocean voyages. In addition, they appeared very willing to take that risk to make a new life in America. This is what I believe was my ancestors’ reasoning.

Look back over your immigrant ancestors. See when they traveled across the Atlantic. A reminder, not just the lost of the Titanic, the period from 1914 to 1919 also saw increased dangers at sea because of World War I where many ships were sunk by torpedoes and mines. A good example was the Cunard ship Lusitania, torpedoed on May 7, 1915 by German U-boats with 1,198 passengers killed.

What Have We Learned about 1940?

alice — Mon, 14 May 2012 01:02:01 +0000

For most of us, it was over 72 year ago, a whole different world. With the release of the U. S. Federal Census for April 1940, there have been many discoveries about our relatives. As more states have been fully indexed, more will be known.

Some interesting and fun items about life in 1940 can be learned now. Some of this data came from the census of 1940 because things related to money, jobs and income, were of primer concern to everyone coming off the Great Depression of the 1930s.

First the population in the United States was about 132 million. Most workers made 43 cents an hour. Yes, I said 43 cents! The average yearly salary was about $1,300. There was still about 8.1 million people unemployed in 1940. Being a farmer was still a major occupation for most Americans. Very few citizens had more than an 8th grade education. If they had attended a college that was very rare.

There were no televisions, the concept had only been introduced at the 1939 World’s Fair. Now there were radios, in fact on the census people indicated if there was a radio in the household, which most people did have. They also loved going to the movie theater. Every town had at least one. Some of the movies of 1940 included ‘Haunted Honeymoon’, ‘Charlie Chan’, ‘Dark Command’, ‘Fantasia’, and ‘His Girl Friday’ to name a few.

Many people rented rather than owned a home. Monthly rental could run from $8 to $25 a month. Only about 55% of all residences had indoor plumbing.

The new Alien Registration Act of 1940 encouraged aliens to become American citizens. This truly made America a melting pot.

Another very popular form of entertainment was watching in person baseball games, listening on the radio to baseball games or playing baseball. Football was played but the number one sport was baseball.

Clothing styles were slow to change. Men and women worn those things they had from the 1930s, just updating here and there.

It was a different time as is every decade or era. Our ancestors were happy and enjoyed what they had, yet kept their eye on the war clouds that lingered so close.

Mother’s Day Tribute

alice — Sun, 13 May 2012 01:01:23 +0000

Sunday, May 13th is celebrated in the United States as Mother’s Day. It has gotten a bit too commercialized here since it was started as an official national holiday back in 1914 under the direction of President Woodward Wilson. The concept for this special day was begun by Anna Jarvis to honor her mother and other mothers across the country. Carnations were given to all mothers at church services on that day. Eventually a tradition developed that everyone wore a flower, a red or colored carnation was worn by a person (male or female) if their mother was still alive and a white carnation if their mother was deceased.

What many people don’t realize is that the celebration of mothers on one special day is now done across the globe. Not all are the second Sunday of May as is done in the United States. In the United Kingdom the celebration is known as ‘Mothering Day’ and is the fourth Sunday of Lent, so the date each year will vary. In Sweden Mother’s Day is the last Sunday in the month of May, this is so all the flowers will be in bloom by then. The third Sunday of May is Argentine’s Mother’s Day celebration. However, most nations have the second Sunday in May as their celebration for mothers.

Wonder how to honor your mother, whether she has passed away or still with you? Mothers are family originated for the most part, so what is better than beginning or continuing the family history gathering. Dig out some old photos of your mother, grandmother, etc. and share them with the children in the family. Recall those little and major events in mom’s life; graduation from college, a trip across the country, her first job, a PTA mother, or caring for a sick child. Think of your mom as a woman first with her own interests, achievements, hopes and dreams. Those are some of the most important aspects of a mother, grandmother, etc. to include in any family history.

An example is my maternal grandmother, Eva Savilla Bixler Everhart (1891-1940), a woman who lost her own mother at the age of 2 and was raised by her grandmother, Savilla Sherman Musselman in Carroll Co., Maryland. Being a motherless child but having a very strong loving grandmother prepared her to be a great mother herself when she had her two children. Eva was very active in her community, helping people where she could. She also cared for her mother-in-law for years, never complaining. Crocheting very fine and detailed tablecloths and full bedspreads was Eva’s form of artistic expression. Her excellent pieces of handcrafts are still in use by the family members to this day. Eva supported the rights of women and instilled that in her daughter, my mother in her early years. I never knew my grandmother, but using any newspaper articles, information from my mother, family friends and other relatives, I did learn what type of woman Eva was and she will not be forgotten.

Pay tribute to those mothers on your family tree, record for future generations who they were and what they achieved, big or small, it all matters.

Photo above: Eva Savilla Bixler Everhart in 1911

Proof with Fraktur Family Records

alice — Fri, 11 May 2012 01:02:26 +0000

For those ancestors of ours who settled in the 18th and 19th centuries in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio, Virginia and Delaware, many were of a German and Swiss heritage, referred to as “Pennsylvania Dutch” or “Pennsylvania German”. The term Dutch did not mean they were from Holland. The ‘dutch’ term came from ‘deutsh’ which meant German.

Besides using the German language and writing, there was a distinctive handwriting style known as ‘fraktur’ with black lettering in a bold and striking design. The Pennsylvania German began in 1740 in America using this writing styles as a folk art and placing it on their formal certificates for marriages, births and other documents. This type of calligraphy would have drawings of birds, flowers, hearts and other floral designs. They were quite artistic even in listing their own family information: names, births, marriages and deaths.

These early form of record keeping became very important in the late 18th and early 19th centuries when soldiers form the American Revolutionary War applied for pensions. Most people did not have any birth certificates or registration to show proof of family, location, name and age. However, the tradition of the fraktur records had long been established and proved to be a great asset in gaining the pensions for the soldiers; especially those from the Pennsylvania Dutch communities.

These very ornate documents known as ‘Fraktur Records’ were placed in the case files of those seeking a war pension or a bounty-land warrant. The U. S. National Archives has them scanned and you can search to see if an ancestor submitted one.

The Common Wikimedia site has placed these images, some 219, online so you can view them easier and if you find one you want, you can download the image as they are part of the public domain. Each is scanned in a very large size and one in a smaller size.

When you select one, click on it and a larger view appears. Scroll down and any available details of the person’s name and location are presented. You can right-click on the image to save it or use the icon button on the right for assistance.

Now there is no search box to find an ancestor with all the frakturs available. Instead you would have to go through each, noting the names in the description, of which there can be several. Careful, surname spellings may have changed over a period of time, so be flexible about whether a certain individual is listed.

Even if you look at them just for their artist appeal these frakturs are fun to explore and see what might be discovered.

Oldest Child or Youngest?

alice — Wed, 09 May 2012 01:02:28 +0000

Behavioral science has long been studying the birth order of individuals to learn how different one’s personality and chances of success can be based on whether they were an only child, the first born, middle child or the youngest. Many scientists believe parents treat their children different over a period of years, so resulting in each child being distinctive from the other sibling.

Think back on your own childhood. If you were the first born and as siblings came along, each appeared to be treated in a unique way. One major variation is the first and second born, tend to be total opposites. It is figured that the second born has to be unique to gain attention from the parents by being opposite the oldest sibling. For example, the oldest does very well in school, the second born will either dislike school or tend to do poorly, even if they are fairly bright.

So how does this tie-in with family history? It actually can help explain why your parents or a grandparents were different than your aunts and uncles or great aunts and uncles. It is a good note to add with any family history.

The only child has never had to complete for the parents’ attention, they were always number one. However, with that, every expectation is now on the shoulders of an only child. As an only child and adult they do tend to be more mature at an earlier age, do make good leaders and are conscientious in every task.

Firstborns for the most part tend to be very cautious in relationships and business. Yet, they are the most likely to find success and earn more money because they are conscientious and work for achievement. This at one time was especially true for first born sons. What happened years ago was that a first born girl might have been pushed aside when a second born was a boy, making him now with the characteristics of a first-born. In more recent times, it is more equal the girl and boy first born.

The middle child tends to believe they are stuck in the middle, not the oldest or the baby of the family. They can be somewhat rebellious, but they are the ones who have all the friends and love being very social. The middle child grows to love people and being around large groups. Especially the second-born people, they have generally been the ‘black sheep’ of the family line. A third born sibling may become the more creative and artist person.

The baby of the family tends to be a bit self-centered since all the attention by parents, grandparents and siblings is always centered on the baby. The parents are not longer strict in raising the youngest child like they were with the first couple children. There are much fewer expectations in later life for the youngest. The baby of the family loves attention, seeks it out all the time and what things their way.

The birth order varies in the cases of twins or triples. When they are born; first, middle or youngest, all of them are that rank. Whenever there are more than 5 to 6 years between the birth of the next child, the birth order changes. There won’t be a middle child, because that new baby 6 years later is now like a first born, as if the parents started over. Instead a person may have more of a double birth order. With several years between siblings, that person can be more like an first born and an only child. If they are the last child born, that makes them the youngest also.

So it’s important to look at each ancestor (parents, aunts and uncles) and see their birth order, noting if some of these characteristics apply to them. It certainly did for some famous people.

President George Washington – a first born leader in war and peace

Oprah Winfrey – a first born wealthy television personality

David Letterman – a middle child comedian with the easy going personality

President Abraham Lincoln – a second born who was strong in his own beliefs and willing to stand his ground

Rosie O’Donnell – the youngest child this comedian knows how to get what she wants

Harriet Tubman – the youngest born who insisted on things her way

I am first-born in my family with three other siblings within six years. I really do see the birth order affect.

How about you?

FamilyTree.com Newsletter May 2012 – Heritage Scrapbooking for Mother’s Day

admin — Mon, 07 May 2012 05:40:16 +0000



Find Ancestors. Build Your Tree.





	FamilyTree.com Find Ancestors. Build Your Tree. Create a Mother’s Day gift she will cherish. Mother’s Day is just around the corner. Have you thought about what you can give your Mother this year? Make it something personal this year. The beauty of heritage scrapbooking is to do it for our posterity, or to share the things we have learned about our own family with others. Giving your Mother a gift of a scrapbook, or a layout that is all about her family could be a wonderful gift to give. Whatever you decide to give. I can guarantee your Mother will treasure it always. Photos or Mementos First, try making an album that is all about your Grandmother. Give it to your Mother for Mother’s Day. This will be a priceless gift. You can fill it with mementos she has saved, and pictures of her and her Mother together. I know that my Mom has saved lots of notes, and poems that my grandmother has written to her in cards and letters over the years. Putting that together in a beautiful way will be something that she will cherish forever. Another idea is to create an album full of photos of yourself and your Mother together. Include pictures of you and your mother together when you were a child as well as photos of the two of you together as adults. Journal Express your thoughts and feelings in a journal about how grateful you are to her for being such a good mother. Remember stories about events and cherished moments you shared together. Include pictures of her as a young mother, as well as pictures of her with you. This will be something that she will love to look at over and over again. Shadowbox Another idea is to create a shadow box for your Mother. You could fill it with some of her favorite things. You could also include things in it that you have grown to love because of her. Include a note in the shadow box expressing how grateful you are to her for all that she has done for you.




	FamilyTree.com Find Ancestors. Build Your Tree. Mother’s Day Resources and Inspiration A Mother’s Day Gift Scrapbooking Is Family History Heritage Scrapbooking Scrapbook Shadowboxes Scrapbooking and Preserving Letters




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Maryland and South PA Shared Sources

alice — Mon, 07 May 2012 01:02:06 +0000

The region of central and western Maryland along with southern Pennsylvania has a long history of early settlement, many sections dating back before the American Revolutionary War. When gathering ancestral names and locations, if you have come across any, from any time period, in the Maryland and southern Pennsylvania areas, you will want to check out the PA-Roots online site for Maryland State Genealogy DataBoards.

The Maryland and Pennsylvania border was crossed back and forth many times over the decades by its citizens. Someone may have been raised in Carroll County, MD and later moved just over the border to York County, PA to live and work. Using the Maryland DataBoards can provide some much needed resources.

They are divided into ‘folders’. There is the general Maryland folder when you want to search for a surname but have no idea which county they lived in. The other folders are the 23 counties of Maryland along with a separate one for Baltimore City. Within each folder of a county will be submitted records, documents, biographies, court records, newspaper articles, cemetery records, military records and Wills, provided by other researchers. There will not be every birth record or every marriage record, only those which have been submitted. However, just think, what if what you have been searching for, is there?

It would take a lot of time to go through each folder, so there is an easy search box in the upper right portion of each folder. Place just a surname, unless it is a very common name, then add a given name. It will take a few moments to search each item in the collections, but then a listing with a brief summary will appear. Click and go over the full document. It might only have a small mention of a name you’re looking for but it could be enough of a clue to open some doors for you.

Many of the sources, especially newspapers are from Pennsylvania papers. Because the families did go in between the two states, information on individuals appeared in newspapers in both Maryland and Pennsylvania. There is also the Pennsylvania State Genealogy DataBoards to search through for any ancestors. This one is a little more in-depth with the general folder, all the counties of Pennsylvania, along with PA Civil War DataBoards and folders covering just Eastern Pennsylvania with obituaries and newspaper articles.

There will also be queries that individuals have submitted, requesting dates or locations about an ancestor. Read some of them over, you might be able to help someone who in turn has some other information you are in need of.

Share some of the documents you have for these areas also. The site has a free profile register button. Complete the registration and then post records you wish to dispense.

The example above shows the birth of Maria Margaretha Kufer of Carroll Co. in 1800, including citing the source.

A Blend of Facebook & FamilySearch Sites

alice — Sat, 05 May 2012 01:02:01 +0000

Social networking using a computer, tablet, iphone, etc. is the fastest method to connect with people from around the globe. If you want to link up with people in an ancestral home country, the FamilySearch has made it very easy for you to do so.

When doing family history research, you look for surnames, but you also check in depth where a relative lived, the country, the state, their hometown. Using the special set up of social communities across the world set up by FamilySearch you can have instant access to regional databases and people also interested in the same location.

Click on the site done by FamilySearch and they have a very complete listing of places anywhere in the world. It is all in alphabetical order based on regions such as Asia, Europe, North America, etc, so scroll down to a selection. For a state or territory within the United States, go to North America and in alphabetical order will be the states. Selecting Michigan for example, as you scroll down on the Facebook page for Michigan Genealogy Research Community, a variety of databases and information relating to Michigan are there. There will be added links for genealogical societies from various counties in Michigan. The best part, you can post a question or share some information with others also interested in Michigan genealogy.

For those wanting an ethnic community within the United States, there are ones for African-American, Native Indian and Hispanic. Even one geared more for children interested in their family history.

If you are not already registered with Facebook, this allows you the opportunity to do so. Scroll to the bottom of the alphabetical listing and complete instructions of how to register FREE with Facebook is provided. You don’t have to register, you can also just visit that particular Facebook Community whenever you desire. Joining the Facebook community, you would be notified when anything new comes on the that community page.

Those familiar with Skype, the online chat community where you can interact and see different participating groups, FamilySearch has also set up that program. There are not as many different regions and countries signed on as Skype genealogy communities, but that list will grow also. All the states of the United States are in the Skype communities.

There are some 95 different communities with FamilySearch Facebook to select from with new ones being added. Not all the national communities have people as members yet, but FamilySearch has added any available databases to assist those researching. One important item to remember with the Facebook or Skype communities, those members are in the actual selected locations; be it Spain, Norway, Mexico, Italy, etc., and not all write or speak in English. Many do write in at least a rough form of English.

So try something new and different plus a way to connect with an ancestral state, country or region from your own home.

Helpful Forms and Sheets

alice — Thu, 03 May 2012 01:02:48 +0000

Organization is so important when doing your family history. Remember you are recording and looking up about two major family branches — your mother’s and your father’s side. Each of those branches had two more branches, your grandparents, so now you have four major branches. If you don’t use some helpful forms and organizational sheets it can become overwhelming.

First of all, if you don’t have it done, do fill-in a generation chart (pedigree chart). This form starts with yourself, then goes to parents, grandparents to great grandparents and then great-great grandparents (five generations). True, you might only be able to put just a name; perhaps only a given name, but do put what is known. Fill in birth-marriage and death years and locations.

Since the U. S. Federal census records are so important, you do need an individual census worksheet on each ancestor. Here the person’s name, birth, marriage and death dates and locations are written. Whom they married is also added. Then for each pertinent census record that is located on that ancestor you need to place the state-county and city names, the enumeration district number and if there is any home address provided. Do make special note of any differences in name spelling and / or age from census to census. This will really help organize the information from each census.

If you want to, a family group sheet can also be completed. Here each individual nuclear family is done, with the parents and their children. You may feel you are repeating information, instead look at it as organizing the information.

Document what and where you find any information, dates, names, etc. Using the Research Record will show each ancestor with what is located and where. This way if you are still missing a marriage date, you see that right away.

After reviewing and seeing numerous dates in your research, it can be very helpful to refer to a perpetual calendar. This is especially great when figuring what day of the week an event, such as a wedding occurred. This document has the non-leap years of 1753-1999 and then the leap years running every four years between 1756 and 2000. Checking my parents’ wedding of April 27, 1949, it was on a Wednesday — who would have guessed?

Each of these forms are available free from the St. Louis Genealogical Society. Just click on the site to call each up and print yourself as many copies as needed.