Treasure Chest Thursday: Louis Myers' Death Certificate and Ida's Maiden Name

Louis Myers was successful in business as a glazier and was influential politically in the Jewish community in New York City. Like most of his siblings, he died rather young. [1]

Bronx County, New York, Certificate of Death number 9710 (8 November 1938), Louis Myers, 
New York City Municipal Archives, New York.

When Louis died of liver cancer at the age of 52, he was living with his second wife Yetta G. and his daughter Renee in the same apartment building they'd lived in since at least 1930. [2]

The most interesting information on Louis' death record is the maiden name of his mother: "Kesselina."

This agrees with other information about Ida's (Chaye Sarah) maiden name from several documents informed by a variety of relatives.

Kestelman - Chaye Sarah Meyers' death certificate (informant, husband)
Kestleman - Rebecca Myers Sotskess' death certificate (informant, brother Joseph Myers)  [3]
Kestelman - Joseph Myers' marriage certificate [4]
Kestleman - Harry Myers' marriage certificate [5]

The only conflicting record is Joseph Myers' death certificate where the informant, daughter Lillian Langer, identified her grandmother's maiden name as Cohen. [6]  

It is likely, considering that Lillian, who was two generations removed from her grandmother and about 8 years old when her grandmother died, was confused. This confusion, however might have coincided with two possibilities: that there were Kesselman/Kestelman relatives in the United States who had changed their names to Cohen and/or that the Kesselman's were Kohanim (members of the Jewish priestly caste [7]).

This far I have located a few Kesselmans in New York, but have not been able to make family connections. 

Notes:
1. Myer Myers, 60; Rebecca Sotskess, 60; Joseph Myers, 56; and Harry Myers, 58. The only sibling who lived a long life was my great grandmother Sarah Myers Morris, 80, who outlived not only her siblings, but also her eldest child, my grandmother Dora Morris Garber, 57.
2. 1930 U.S. Census, Bronx County, New York, population schedule, New York City, Enumeration District 3-178, sheet 17A, family 306, Louis Myers; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 22 March 2008).
3. New York County, New York, Certificate of Death number 2120 (24 january 1940), Rebecca Sotskess, New York City Municipal Archives.
4. New York County, New York, Certificate and Record of Marriage number 7674 (25 March 1913), Joseph Myers and Rose Adler, New York City Municipal Archives, New York. 
5. Kings County, New York, Certificate and Record of Marriage number 13551 (5 November 1916), Harry Myers and Malie Glickman, New York City Municipal Archives, New York.
 6. New York County, New York, Certificate of Death number 26865 (15 December 1945), Joseph Myers, New York City Municipal Archives, New York. 
7. Even if Ida's Kestelman family were Kohanim, this only follows the male line. So, Ida's offspring would not have been of Kohanim  descent via their Kestelman connection.

Tombstone Tuesday: Joseph and Rose Adler Myers

Montefiore Cemetery, Queens, New York, Block 89, Gate 156N, Line 6R, Grave 1 & 2,
 photographed 2 September 2008.

MYERS

 Here lies

Reisa daughter of Yitzchak

Died 5 Tishri 5728

May her soul be bound in the bonds of eternal life

______

ROSE

DIED OCT. 9, 1967

AGE 75 YEARS

DEVOTED WIFE

BELOVED MOTHER

AND GRANDMOTHER

___________________________

Here lies

Yosef son of David

Died 11 Teiveit 5706

May his soul be bound in the bonds of eternal life

______

JOSEPH

DIED DEC. 15, 1945

AGE 56 YEARS

DEVOTED HUSBAND

BELOVED FATHER

AND GRANDFATHER 

____________________________ 

Joseph Myers, born Jossel Malzmann on 15 January 1889 in Lubin, Russian Empire (also known as Labun and, now, Yurovshchina, Ukraine), was the third son and fifth child of David and Ida (Chaye) Myers.  

Joseph left Hamburg, Germany on 2 November 1906 and arrived in the Port of New York on 16 November 1906. [1] He identified himself as a glazier on his manifest and, like all his brothers and brothers-in-law, worked as a glazier in New York City.

Joseph married Rose Adler on 25 March 1913 in Manhattan. [2] They had three children: Lillian Myers Langer (born 15 February 1914), Marvin L. (10 January 1917-15 August 1917) and Eugene (10 August 1918-19 November 2001).

Notes:

1."New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957," digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 19 June 2009), manifest, Batavia, Hamburg to New York, arriving 16 November 1906, p. 18, line 10, Jossel Malzmann; citing National Archives Microfilm Serial T715, Roll 798.
2. New York County, New York, Certificate and Record of Marriage number 5284 (25 March 1913), Joseph Myers and Rose Adler, New York City Municipal Archives, New York.

Dear Abby, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor, Your Name...

Will it never end?! Now we have Dear Abby perpetuating the myth that immigrants had their names changed by clerks at Ellis Island. [1]

I read the newspaper nearly from front to back each morning, but I usually don't even scan Dear Abby. This morning, however, the headline for the column caught my eye "Grandfather wants groom to change name." 

The question is a contemporary one regarding a grandfather who objects to his grand daughter's fiance's surname and is exerting pressure to have him change it. It is Abby's answer that continues the damage.

She describes the name changes that accompanied immigration a century ago and opines that while some people changed their names to Americanize and/or escape discrimination, others "had it done 'for' them by government officials" who didn't understand the pronounced names and, apparently, decided to wing it. [Yikes!]

Several researchers have already written about this myth so I will only summarize. [2] Many surnames and first names were altered with immigration. But it is likely that this was the result of personal choice and occurred after arrival, not as a result of big government ignorance or an American sense of superiority.

The fact is that manifests were created near or at ports of departure and not in the United States. [3] Clerks at Ellis Island checked the information on manifests, but did not change names. [4] The clerical staff at Ellis Island represented skills in more than 30 languages. Interpreters were available help emigrants upon arrival.

In my family I have relatives who arrived with their European names and never changed them (Garber and Liebross). I have others who changed their names after arrival (Mazewitsky --> Morris; Malzmann --> Myers; Wilensky --> Wilson). With subsequent chain migration, their loved ones sometimes followed under the new family name. Likely this was because the first family immigrant bought the tickets for the rest of the family.

One has to wonder how this myth arose and why it persists. There is an interesting article by Dara Horn in the Summer 2010 issue of Azure. She's analyzed the persistent name change myth against Jewish history. If one doesn't have the patience to read through the entire article and its discussion of Spanish and Polish Jewish history, after reading the first few paragraphs, skip down about half way through the article to get back to the Ellis Island discussion.  

I find this fascinating, but question whether the myth is really only Jewish. Other immigrant families seem to have embraced the same story. What do you think? Why did this Ellis Island name change myth start? and, why has it persisted?

Notes:
1. Van Buren, Abigail (Jeanne Phillips), Dear Abby, syndicated column appearing in the Arizona Republic, 13 May 2013, page D6.
2. A selection of online posts:

http://genealogy.about.com/od/ellis_island/a/name_change.htm
http://www.genealogy.com/88_donna.html

http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2012/04/no-family-names-were-not-changed-at-ellis-island.html

http://blog.mocavo.com/2012/09/the-myth-of-ellis-island

http://rwguide.rootsweb.ancestry.com/lesson8_text.html

Even better, read Marian Smith of the USCIS History Department:

http://www.iabsi.com/gen/public/imm_names.htm#changing_names

http://www.ilw.com/articles/2005,0808-smith.shtm

3. Sack-Pikus, Sallyann Amdur.  “Just How Were Passenger Manifests Created?” Avotaynu XXV: 1 (Spring 2009), 7-12. 

4. Colletta, John P. They Came in Ships, third edition. Orem, Utah: Ancestry 2002, pages 127-128.

NGS: Day 4

By the fourth day most of us were starting to get tired. But before heading home, there was more to learn.

"Analyzing Deeds and Wills: I See What it Says, but What Does It Mean?"

by Elizabeth Shown Mills

Mills stated at the outset that incorrect interpretation of legal documents may lead to wrong conclusions and correct interpretation may lead to new clues and solve problems that previously seemed unsolvable. 

In this talk, Mills walked the audience through several deeds and wills, both asking us to interpret the language and then pointing out interesting information that might be gleaned from the document. For this she drew from knowledge of language and customs in time and place, and provisions of law. She advised us that we will learn a great deal by reviewing case studies in peer-reviewed genealogy journals.

"Using Emigrant Guides for Genealogical Research"

by Julie Miller  

Emigrant Guides were (and are) books of instruction and advice for those planning to emigrate. They were published by individuals, ethnic organizations, governments encouraging new settlements, and businesses such as railroad companies, shipping lines, and labor recruiters. While they will rarely include individual names, they can provide insight into the hows and whys of emigrant journeys.

These may be located online and at libraries. One may find them in libraries via WorldCat or online in GoogleBooks, the Library of Congress, Family Search, the Internet Archive and other online repositories.

"Proof Arguments: How and Why?"

by F. Warren Bittner 

For Bittner, the goal of family history is to establish identity and to prove relationships. If we fail at this, then everything else we do is a waste of time and effort.

He proceded to discuss the components of the Genealogical Proof Standard and proof arguments (the capstone of GPS). He encouraged the study of excellent proof arguments in the major peer-reviewed journals such as NGS Quarterly, The American Genealogist (TAG), The Genealogist, New England Historical and Genealogical Society Register and the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society Record.

"From Blackstone to the Statutes at Large: How Knowing the Law Makes Us Better Genealogists"

by Judy G. Russell 

Like Elizabeth Shown Mills, Judy Russell holds that to understand records, one must understand law at the time and place those records were created. Our ancestors lives were controlled by the law, whether common law, civil, statutory or canonical. As genealogists we must follow the law of genealogy: the GPS.

Russell identified several key sources for understanding the meaning of records, such as Black's Law Dictionary. She also provided online sources for researching old laws, discussed the current trend toward record access restriction and access to cemeteries. 

"Breaking into Magazines: From Idea to Query to Success"

by Leslie Albrecht Huber

Unfortunately some talks must be scheduled at the end of the conference. Leslie Albrecht Huber's talk was not well-attended, but it was well-presented. She has a great deal of good advice based upon a solid record as a professional writer. 

The most difficult part of writing for magazines is breaking in. Huber provided a structured outline of activities, actions and advice that, while not guaranteed to get one's foot in the magazine office door, will at least have one speaking the same procedural language as the editors.

She suggested starting with a query letter and outlined its content. She suggested making the most of one's successes and failures to learn from the previous query. The key to success? Persistence.

____________________

I had a great time at the NGS Conference and was honored to be able to serve as an Official Blogger. While I've read about the GPS and tried to apply it in my research, it was terrific to be able to learn from some of the top teachers in this field. 

I highly recommend this national conference. The skillbuilding/methodology emphasis that I pursued in my selection of presentations was just what I needed - and I was not at all disappointed. It seems to me that local conferences tend to emphasize stories, techniques and record groups rather than methods. This is fine, but a well-rounded genealogist needs a foundation of sound methodology to reach proof.

I also met several of the top genealogy bloggers who I read frequently and appreciate greatly. They seem to be not only talented genealogists and writers, but also generous people.  

I am pleased that some of you, who may not have read my blog previously, gave me a portion of your valuable time. Thank you for your indulgence. I hope I met your expectations and whetted your appetite to attend a national conference.

Emily   

NGS: Day 3

NGS day 3 was busy and, since my evening was spent at the banquet, I am behind in my posts about the conference. Let's catch up.

"Kinship Determination Are They Really My Ancestors?"

by Kay Haviland Freilich

I'm very careful about whom I place on my family tree. So, I was quite interested in what Ms. Freilich had to say. I seem to be on an indirect evidence binge during this conference and this presentation fit right in. How does one document relationships when there is no one document - no direct evidence - of that relationship?

Freilich proposes starting research with an action plan and posing a research question. The components are:

• Determine research question; 
• Research thoroughly; 
• Document research carefully; 
• Analyze evidence; 
• Formulate theory; and
• Test theory. 

She presented several case studies and embraced the concept of using a wide variety of records and and techniques of analysis. She suggested that while no one record may point out relationships, a compendium of records, analyzed for patterns of evidence may put us on the correct branch of our tree.

Helen F. M. Leary Distinguished Lecture: "Trousers, Beds, Black Domestic, Tacks, and Housekeeping Bills: 'Trivial Details' Can Solve Research Problems!" 

by Elizabeth Shown Mills

Mills' talk centered on the concept: if direct evidence is lacking,"we can glean the contours of the answers we seek by thoughtfully considering peripheral items." 

She noted that successful researchers spend more time on analysis than searching for names and dates. To be successful, we must use indirect and negative evidence.

Her talk walked us through numerous record types and analyses of a variety of records, including: tax records, probate, and deeds. Mills' syllabus for this session includes a wonderful variety of records and suggestions to develop clues into solutions.

____________________

During my first 2.5 days at the NGS conference, I've gravitated toward the BCG Skillbuilding and Methodology and Research lectures. This afternoon, however, I changed emphases, at least temporarily, and took in some presentations on research techniques and record sets.

"Microsoft Excel: A Little Known Genealogy Research Tool"

by Jill N. Crandell

I feel I use Excel spreadsheets when appropriate in analysis, but after Crandell's session I could barely contain myself. I wanted to run home right away and continue work on my spreadsheet analysis of one of my toughest research problems: sorting out the correct Moses/Morris Epstein from the numerous ones in New York City at the turn of the twentieth century. 

Excel is great for displaying timelines and sorting through large quantities of data. Crandell posed some solutions to problems in Excel that (quite frankly, due to the fact that most of my relations weren't in the USA until the 1890s and after) I didn't know I had. The solutions were clever and included functions in Excel (e.g., CONCATENATE) that I'd never before tried.  

Crandell walked us through a manifest record analysis using results in an Ancestry search. As I whispered to one of my neighbors in the hall, one may do the same cut-and-paste procedure with Ellis Island records in Steve Morse Gold Form search results. Crandell also presented use of a spreadsheet to help locate a child in the 1850 Census.

"Behind the Institutional Walls of Nineteenth-Century New York City: What's to be Found?"

by Joan Koster-Morales

I don't know why, but I loved this lecture. Perhaps it was just that this was getting down to the stuff of direct evidence research dreams after so much discussion of methodology and technique. 

Koster-Morales walked us through numerous collections associated with New York City's charitable history. A variety of Records were created by by numerous private and public agencies including alms houses, orphanages, and mental hospitals. These records are important not only for the information they may provide, but also because they may provide clues that lead us to additional records.

We learned about the impact of the Health, Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) on records access and current New York State Freedom of Information law. Koster-Morales also discussed how to access records, when available, online and in archives. 

"My Grandfather Came from Poison: Resources and Strategies for Discovering and Deciphering Jewish Names"

by Meredith Hoffman

Imitation is, I am told, the sincerest form of flattery, so while I am at the point in my genealogy career where Jewish genealogy 101 or 102 will not likely improve my research, I always like to hear how others present the material. 

The crowd was, understandably, sparse but I thought that Hoffman did a nice job outlining strategies for determining Jewish names. She also touched on a topic near and dear to my heart (one I will be presenting in-depth at the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies Conference in Boston, August 3-9, 2013 [1]): determining village/town names. Meredith told me she will be giving several presentations at the IAJGS Conference.

____________________ 

  
I had a very pleasant time at the banquet chatting with my interesting table mates, including a member of RPAC whose relatives sound very different (and much more quirky and fascinating) than mine.

Several well-deserved honors were announced a the banquet. See the NGS blog for these recognitions. The announced attendance at the conference is 1,981.

Of note, Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak announced a new initiative: Lucky 13 Grants. She invites genealogists to go to a pawn shop, find a family treasure, and do the detective work to find the item's owners. I do not yet see a place on her website for this program, check back for further information.

Notes:

1. My presentation at IAJGS will be: "Beyond the Manifest: Confirming One's Ancestral Origins Using Alternative Sources." It is scheduled for Tuesday, August 6 at 8:15 am.