My Blogging Year in Review, 2013

Happy New Year! (I think we develop these ending/beginning holidays because it forces us to slow down and reflect - if only for a moment. Jewish people living in the secular world have the added advantage of having two New Year reflection opportunities. Overall, that's a good thing.)
 

Output

Last year at this time I'd been blogging almost a full year and had landed close to my goal of posting once each week. This year I've managed to more than triple that total with 162 for the year. That will probably be about my goal for 2014. That, plus getting back to some of my research series, such as the unfinished one about Feiga Grinfeld.

Why Blog?

There are many reasons for a genealogist to take up blogging, not the least of which is establishing a platform from which to share one's findings and, of course, online cousin bait. 

For me, this year, blogging was my most useful tool for recording and remembering my trip to Ukraine in June. Each evening I'd  upload the day's photographs to my iPad and then review the day in a post. This became the diary of my trip. I found it so useful that now blogging - or at least keeping a journal - during such a trip is one of my main  pieces of advice for those considering roots journeys.

Zounds!

One of the big things that occurred during my blogging year was increased recognition. One of my shortest posts, "Free Records!", in January became one of my most successful in terms of readership. Once the post was picked up by two of the most interesting and prolific genealogy bloggers out there (Judy Russell and Randy Seaver), my stats went through the roof. 

Watching stats climb is a little intoxicating. I thought for a moment, "What can I do to top this?" Then, I remembered: I didn't need to top it. Just keep on doing what I was doing. The stats went down, but have settled at a much higher level than last year. I am grateful for those who check-in every now and then to see if I've posted anything that will interest them. And, I'm excited when something is of interest to both those within and outside my family.

Favorites

Statistically, the most read post - for some reason I cannot completely fathom - was "Kiev, the Great Choral Synagogue and Art, 20 June 2013," one of my Ukraine trip posts. 

My favorites are "Genealogy is Anthropology" and the "Avrum's Women" series, especially Part 8. I like the anthropology one because it was gathering momentum in my brain for a while and then just spewed forth in a way that just felt (and still reads) right. 

Avrum's women is a series that outlines my research thoughts, methods, steps and findings regarding the  question: "Who were the women in Avrum Garber's life?" In particular, over several posts I examine my research into "Who was Feiga Grinfeld and how may I be related to her?" Part 8 was nice because it was posted at point in the research where some interim conclusions could be discussed. I was pleased to be able to join the broader Eastern Eueopean background history with the microhistory of the Grinfeld family. There's definitely more work to be done on this story - I still don't have the answer.

Thank yous!

There were many people who indulged my obsession this year and I thank them all: my daughter Katherine for allowing me to drag her all over Ukraine; my cousins Lynne, Bob, Judy B., Sandi, Sally, Paul and Judy E. for entertaining me (royally) at a variety of venues (including Fenway Park); my equally obsessed conference buddy Janette; and my husband John who lets me do my thing.  

2014

2014 will start off busy. I have registered for the Boston University Online Genealogy Research Certificate Program. They prefer that students do not blog about the course - and I won't. However, if all goes well, you may see the fruits of my labors in improved methodology and techniques. I expect to learn a great deal.

Have a great New Year! May your research be productive, enlightening and always exciting.

Tombstone Tuesday: Sarah Garber

Photo by author, 7 September 2008

Two year old Sarah Garber was the child of Nathan and Yetta Garber and died of Diptheria on 9 February 1919.

Here lies a girl

Sara daughter of Nachum

Died 9 Adar 5679

May her soul be bound in eternal life

OUR DEAR CHILD

SARAH GARBER

DIED FEB. 9, 1919

AGE 3 YEARS

In Jewish cemeteries childrens' graves are typically placed at the rear of plots and their gravestones are usually made of fairly porous stones that tend to deteriorate relatively quickly. Thus, I was pleased to locate this one and find it still readable.

I outlined Sarah's heart-breakingly short life in a post several months ago. In fact, the stone here is, according to the information on her death certificate, incorrect. Sarah was born on 25 December 1916 and was one month and a few days beyond age two, not three, when she succumbed to complications of pneumonia. 

Sarah was likely born in New York City, since her mother and older sisters emigrated in 1912. [1] I have not yet located her birth certificate.

She is buried in Montefiore Cemetery in Queens, New York, First Lubiner Progressive Benevolent Association Plot, Block 89, Gate 156N, Line 1, Grave 6R.

Notes:
1. "New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957," digital images, Ancestry.com
 (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 7 February 2009), manifest, Birma, Libau to New York, arriving 2 September 1912, Itte, Ruchal and Leija Arber; citing National Archives Microfilm Serial T715, Roll 1926, lines 17-19, list number 12.

Old Fulton New York Newpaper Site Adds 1,000,000 Pages

A few days ago the Old Fulton New York Post Cards website announced that it would add 1,000,000 new pages to its already considerable inventory (26,108,000 pages - at last count). The new pages would include not only newspapers from New York State towns, but also from towns in states adjacent to New York. The pages would be loaded onto the site on 25 December 2013.

Well, I've been checking the page each day since 25 December and it seems that there will ultimately be Optical Character Recognition searchable pages from about 42 newspapers (this is based on the new thumbnail images loaded on the site's newspaper inventory page). Seventeen of the thumbnails currently have links to uploaded pages (one appears to be a duplicate). I can only surmise that the rest of the links are coming soon.

Tom Tryniski, the site's owner, has added newspapers from New Jersey, Connecticut, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and North Carolina. The following is a list of papers added thus far:

Angola, New York Record, 1871-1937
Angola, New York Journal 1952-1985
Hackettstown, New Jersey Gazette 1857-1962
Hackettstown, New Jersey Warren Republican 1885-1920
Duluth, Minnesota Evening Herald 1887-1922
Carrol County, Illinois Republican 1855-1858
Narberth, Pennsylvania Our Town 1914-1948
Owantonna, Minnesota Plaindealer 1863-1866
Saint Paris, Ohio Enterprise 1878-1891
Saint Paris, Ohio Dispatch 1950-1954
Saint Paris, Ohio New Era 1877-1893
Saint Paris, Ohio News 1892-1906
Saint Paris, Ohio News Dispatch 1881-1949
Wilton, Connecticut Bulletin 1937-2003
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Public Record 1870-1872
Biblical Record, North Carolina 1890-1917

In addition, Tryniski has added an unusual data set called "New York Western House of Refuge 1876-1960." The Western House of Refuge was the first state-supported institution in the United States for confining and reforming juvenile delinquents. If you believe there might have been a delinquent in your family's past, check the digitized pages. The pages are titled "State Agricultural and Industrial School." Entries for each inmate include name, date received, place sent from, offense, religion and country of birth.

Tryniski's site continues to astound with its freely available inventory. Enjoy!

To see a follow-up (up-date) of this post, go here.

Treaure Chest Thursday: Jack Garber WWI Draft Registration Card

A recent review of my grandfather's World War I Draft Registration Card, one that I've had in a file for more than five years, surprised me. Oh, I'd seen the information before. But, it never made an impression. Item 9: Jacob Garber was financially supporting his wife, his mother and his father. 

"World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918," digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 23 May 2008), card for Jacob Garber, no. 277, Kings County Draft Board 80, citing World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917 - 1918, National Archives microfilm publication M1509; imaged from Family History Library microfilm roll 1,754,612.

Back in June 2012 I posted an article about my great grandmother Chana (Anna) Mazewitsky Garber. At that time I used birth dates of grandchildren, especially those whose names were clearly bestowed in memory of Chana, to postulate when she might have passed away in the Russian Empire. Now, here, with this draft card record, I have another independent source showing that on 5 June 1917, Chana was, likely, still alive.

REGISTRATION CARD

No. 277 

1. Name in full  Jacob Garber

2. Home Address  453 Williams Brooklyn NY

3. Date of birth  Dec 15 1893 [1]

4. Are you (1) a natural-born citizen, (2) a naturalized citizen, (3) an alien, (4) or have you declared your intention (specify which)?
Alien

5. Where were you born?  Lubin Voline Russia

6. If not a citizen, of what nation are you a citizen or subject?  Russia

7. What is your present trade, occupation, or office?  Glazier

8. By whom employed?  IM Meyers [2]

    Where employed?  66 - 6th Ave NY

9. Have you a father, mother, wife, child under 12, or a sister or a brother under 12, solely dependent on your support (specify which)?  Wife & Mother & Father

10. Married or single (which)?  Married

    Race (specify which)? Cauc.

11. What military service have you had? Rank, branch, years, Nation or state  [blank]

12. Do you claim exemption from draft (specify grounds)?  Support of Family

I affirm that I have verified above answers and that they are true.

/S/ Jacob Garber        

------------------------------

31-9-80-A                   REGISTRAR'S REPORT 

1. Tall, medium, or short (specify which)?  Tall

    Slender, medium, or stout (which)?  Med

2. Color of eyes  Gray

    Color of hair  Black

    Bald  No

3. Has person lost arm, leg, hand, foot, eye, or both eyes or is he otherwise disabled (specify)?  No

I certify that my answers are true, that the person registered has read his own answers, that I have witnessed his signature, and that all of his answers of which I have knowledge are true, except as follows

/S/ Robert Weine        

Precinct  55 ED  22 AD
City or County  Kings                                      6/5/17

State  NY

------------------------------

Now, of course, we all know that there would have been ample reason to lie or, at least, stretch the truth if one did not want to serve in the U.S. military. But, in this case, Jacob would have achieved the desired effect without additionally listing his mother (i.e., "have a wife and father to support" would have been sufficient to meet the conscription exemption criteria). In addition, Jacob and his wife Dora had their first child Leah three months later. Had Chana been dead at that point, Jacob and Dora would likely have named their daughter after her grandmother. So, I think the footing on determining Chana's date of death is getting firmer. 

Notes:  
1. On other documents, Jacob's birth date is listed as 15 Dec 1894: application for Social Security Card (SS-5 filed 28 May 1937), World War II Draft Registration Card (April 1942) and Petition for Naturalization (26 June 1924).
2. Myer Myers, Dora Morris Garber's great uncle, owned a glass store at 66 - 6th Avenue in Manhattan at this time.

Tombstone Tuesday: Lillian Garber

Photo by the author, 3 September 2008

LILLIE

GARBER

MOST BELOVED

SISTER, AUNT

AND FRIEND

SEPT. 14, 1909 - JUNE 6, 1995

May her soul be bound in the bonds of eternal life 

Lillie Garber was the second child of Nathan and Yetta Garber. The tombstone indicates she was born 14 September 1909 in Labun, Volhynia Gubernia, Russian Empire. However, her father's naturalization record indicated 12 August 1907.[1]

Her father Nathan landed in the United States on 18 June 1910. [2] Lillie, her mother Yetta, and her sister Ruth followed on the Birma on 2 September 1912. [3] Nathan's younger brother Jankel (my grandfather Jack Garber) accompanied them on the voyage.

Lillie never married and had no children. In the 1933 Brooklyn, New York City Directory she is listed as a stenographer. [4]

Lillie is buried in the First Lubiner Progressive Benevolent Association plot in Montefiore Cemetery, Queens, New York, Block 5, Gate 567W, Line 2R, Grave 3.
 

Notes:

1. Nathan Garber Petition for Naturalization number 85372 (1 July 1919), volume 345, page 72, New York County Supreme Court, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C.
The year 1907 is likely incorrect, as her older sister Ruth's birth year is also listed as 1907 on the naturalization petition. On the manifest for her arrival in Ellis Island on 2 September 1912, Lillie is listed as age 4 and her sister, age 6. [2]
2. "New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957," digital images, Ancestry.com
 (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 7 February 2009), manifest, Uranium, Rotterdam to New York, arriving 18 June 1910, Nuchum Garber; citing National Archives Microfilm Serial T715, Roll 1501, line 30, page number 103.
3. "New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957," digital images, Ancestry.com
 (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 7 February 2009), manifest, Birma, Libau to New York, arriving 2 September 1912, Itte, Ruchal and Leija Arber; citing National Archives Microfilm Serial T715, Roll 1926, lines 17-19, list number 12.

4. Brooklyn, New York City Directory 1933, page 780, entry for "Garber Lillian" (2172 E 7th St); digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 11 March 2012).

FamilySearch Adds Hungarian Jewish Vital Records Index

On 19 December 2013, FamilySearch added an index: "Hungary, Jewish Vital Records". The index addresses 11,066 records ranging from 1800 to 1945. The title of this record set in Hungarian is "Magyarország, Zsidó Anyakönyvek." 

The FamilySearch description of the record set indicates that this index may also be foud online on JewishGen. However, it is not clear from browsing JewishGen's Hungarian databases where this might be located (JewishGen do not seem to have a record set with exactly 11,066 records).

The citation for this collection is:

“Hungary, Jewish Vital Records, 1800-1945,” database, FamilySearch Record Search ([ https://familysearch.org/ Record Search]); from Magyar Orszagos Leveltar (Hungary). “Index of Jewish vital records from the Kingdom of Hungary". Magyar Orszagos Leveltar (Hungary), Budapest. FHL microfilm, 26 reels. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Jewish News (Phoenix) Features Article About Roots Tour in Ukraine

The Jewish News (Phoenix, Arizona) has published my article about my June 2013 trip to Ukraine: "Valley woman 'meets' ancestors during Ukraine visit."

If you wish to read more about the trip, click on the "Ukraine Visit 2013" tab on this blog's homepage for my day-by-day journal.

Treasure Chest Thursday: Simon & Ethel Liebross 1890 USA & Hamburg Passenger Lists

Early passenger lists for the port of New York often do not provide much information, but if the passengers embarked from Hamburg (or any of the other handful of places where a port of departure manifest might have been created and still exist), the genealogical researcher may be in luck. Simon and Etel (Ethel) Libros (Liebross) arrived in the United States on 25 January 1890 aboard the Rhaetia. [1] (This was Simon's second arrival in the US, the first was described in last week's "Treasure Chest Thursday" post.)

Passenger number 188, Simon Libros, age 35,  a male from Austria, arrived with his wife Etel, age 28, a female also from Austria. They had departed Hamburg, Germany and journeyed to the Port of New York via Le Havre, France.

The corresponding Hamburg manifest includes some additional information about the couple. [2]

Passengers 190 and 191, Simon and Etel Libros, age 35 and 28, respectively, were from Krasno, Austria.

Initially, I was stumped by "Krasno." There are several locations in Eastern Europe that include the name "Krasno" (including locations in today's Poland, Romania, Belarus and Ukraine) and none of them, that I knew of, were anywhere near the communities of origin for other Liebross relatives: Zaleszczyki, Galicia, Austria (today, Zalischyky, Ukraine) and Radautz, Bukovina, Austria (today, Radauti, Romania). [3]

It wasn't until I was contacted by another genealogist, Ava Cohn (aka Sherlock Cohn), that I learned of the small community of Krasna Ilski, Bukovina, Austria (today, Krasnoyil's'k, Ukraine) which is 17 miles NW of Radauti, Romania. [4] Ava is related to the Hammer family of Krasnoyil's'k. She had heard the surname Liebross in her family lore. Ethel's maiden name was Hammer. We believe that Ethel and Simon's marriage is Ava's Liebross connection, but are not yet sure of how she is related to Ethel.

While neither of the 1890 passenger lists provide much data, together they provide critical information to further our research.
 
Notes:
1. "New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957," digital images, Ancestry.com
 (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 28 May 2008), passenger list, Rhaetia, Hamburg to Le Havre to New York, arriving 25 January 1890, Simon and Etel Libros; citing National Archives Microfilm Serial M237; Microfilm Roll: 543; Line: 35; List Number: 93.
2. "Hamburg, Passenger Lists, 1850-1934," digital images, Ancestry.com
 (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 28 May 2008), passenger list, Rhaetia, Hamburg to Le Havre to New York, departing 5 January 1890, Simon and Etel Libros; citing Staatsarchiv Hamburg; Hamburg, Deutschland; Hamburger Passagierlisten; Volume: 373-7 I, VIII A 1 Band 066; Page: 0; Microfilm No.: K_1740.
3. Radauti is 31 miles south of Chernivtsi (once called Czernowitz), Ukraine. Zaleszczyki is 26 miles NNW of Chernivtsi. 
4. And 25 miles SW of Chernivtsi.

Tombstone Tuesday: Ruth Garber Rosenheck

Photo by the author, 3 September 2008

MOTHER

EVER IN OUR HEARTS

 –––•–––

Here lies

Rachel daughter of Nachum ha-Levi

RUTH

ROSENHECK

DIED AUGUST 23, 1968

AGE 61 YEARS 

Ruth (also known as Rae) Garber Rosenheck was the eldest child of Nathan and Yetta Garber. She was born 20 July 1907 in Labun, Volhynia Gubernia, Russian Empire. [1] 

Her father Nathan landed in the United States on 18 June 1910. [2] Ruth, her mother Yetta, and her sister Lillian followed on the Birma on 2 September 1912. [3] Nathan's younger brother Jankel (my grandfather Jack Garber) accompanied them on the voyage.

Ruth married David Rosenheck and had two children: Susan Rosenheck Herman (23 February 1940 - 17 May 2003) and Jay Rosenheck.

Ruth is buried in the First Lubiner Progressive Benevolent Association plot in Montefiore Cemetery, Queens, New York, Block 5, Gate 567W, Line 28, Grave 4. 

Notes:

1. Nathan Garber Petition for Naturalization number 85372 (1 July 1919), volume 345, page 72, New York County Supreme Court, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C.
2. "New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957," digital images, Ancestry.com
 (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 7 February 2009), manifest, Uranium, Rotterdam to New York, arriving 18 June 1910, Nuchum Garber; citing National Archives Microfilm Serial T715, Roll 1501, line 30, page number 103.
3. "New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957," digital images, Ancestry.com
 (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 7 February 2009), manifest, Birma, Libau to New York, arriving 2 September 1912, Itte, Ruchal and Leija Arber; citing National Archives Microfilm Serial T715, Roll 1926, lines 17-19, list number 12.

Yeshiva University Deciphering Aramaic Tombstone Text

The New York Times published an an interesting article, "Chasing 5th-Century Clues From a Woman's Tombstone," on 13 December 2013.  Students in a Yeshiva University class are translating a 1,600 year old tombstone from what is now Jordan.

Thanks to Judi Langer-Surnamer Caplan for alerting us to this article via a post in the JewishGen Discussion Group.

Treasure Chest Thursday: Simon Liebross' Naturalization Record & 1881 Manifest

I've heard too often that pre-1906 naturalization petitions are next to worthless for extracting genealogical information. After locating this record for my great great uncle Simon Liebross and taking its clues forward in my research, I am convinced that conducting an exhaustive search means seeking out even those records one initially thinks might not be all that helpful. One may be pleasantly rewarded for the effort.

Simon Liebross has been my relative first in the United States. Early on I'd located an 1890 manifest for him and his wife Etel (Ethel).[1] I was satisfied with that until I found the following index card for Simon's naturalization. [2]

Simon had become a citizen via application to the U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, New York. He finalized the process on 4 May 1899 (volume 14, record 281) when he lived at 71 Gerry Street in Brooklyn. He said he was a manufacturer, born 26 December 1863, a citizen of Austria and had arrived in the United States via the Port of New York. 

All of of that information either matched or was quite close to what I'd already gleaned via other records. All was well until I noted the date of arrival: 13 August 1881 - nine years earlier than expected. I located the image of the original naturalization record. [3]

The index card transcription of the Simon Liebross' naturalization record was correct. I have annotated the section of interest on Simon's naturalization record with a white box. The selected detail image is pictured below.

While no ship was stated, I hoped that the date of arrival was accurate. It was. 

I queried Ancestry's manifests by only putting in the date of arrival: 13 August 1881. There were more than 900 results, but I scrolled through to see if there might be any surnames resembling Liebross.

Ancestry's index listed passenger 620 as "H. L. Liebraefe." That looked promising. The manifest actually says, "Liebrosfe." [4] The letter f being the typical (of the time) manner of doubling the letter s. The second initial is definitely an L, as indexed. I am not sure, however, of the first initial. 

In census records and his death record I have found a variety of ages and birth years for Simon ranging from about 1855 to 1863. So, the age (20) is also about correct for Simon. The manifest also indicates that Liebrofse is a male and his occupation is clerk. The S.S. Elbe took him from Bremen to New York's Castle Garden.

I have searched a variety of city directories and, thus far, cannot account for Simon's whereabouts between 1881 and his second manifest in 1890, when he returned accompanied by his wife. So, I do not know when he left the USA and how long he was back in Eastern Europe.

Notes: 
1. "New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957," digital images, Ancestry.com
 (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 28 May 2008), manifest, Rhaetia, Hamburg via Le Havre to New York, arriving 25 January 1890, passenger number 188, Simon Libros; citing National Archives Microfilm Serial T237, Roll 543, line 35, list number 93.
2. "U.S. Naturalization Records Indexes, 1794-1995," digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 17 May 2008), index card for Simon Liebros (naturalization 4 May 1899), citing National Archives and Records Administration "Index to Naturalization Petitions of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, 1865-1957, Microfilm Serial M1164, Microfilm Roll 10.
3. "Selected U.S. Naturalization Records - Original Documents, 1790-1974," digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 24 September 2010), Petition for Naturalization for Simon Liebros (4 May 1899), Volume 14, Page 281, citing National Archives and records Administration "Petitions for naturalization of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, 186501837, NARA Series M1879. 
4.   "New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957," digital images, Ancestry.com
 (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 29 August 2010), manifest, Elbe, Bremen to New York, arriving 13 August 1881, list 1119, passenger 620, indexed as H.L. Liebraefe [?. L. Liebrosfe]; citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M237, Roll 440, Records of the Customs Service, Record Group 36.

Tombstone Tuesday: Donald Morris

Donald M. Morris gravestone, Red Bank Hebrew Cemetery (Congregation Bnai Israel), Tinton Falls, New Jersey, photograph courtesy of Stephen Gallop, 28 October 2013.

Here lies

David son of Baruch Mordechai

15 in the month of Cheshvan 5771

HUSBAND•FATHER•GRANDFATHER

DONALD M. MORRIS

DEC. 3 1937 • OCT. 23, 2010

Dr. Donald Morris, my father's first cousin, was born in Red Bank, New Jersey to Max and Irene RatnerMorris. He was their fourth child to live to adulthood. The following obituary was published in the Star-Ledger (Newark, New Jersey) on October 24 and 25, 2010. [I have divided it into paragraphs for ease of reading.]

Donald M. Morris, DMD, 72, of Holmdel, N.J., died Saturday, Oct. 23, 2010, in his home, surrounded by his loving family. Services with be held Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2010, at Bloomfield-Cooper Funeral Home, Ocean, N.J., at 11:30 a.m. 

Born in Red Bank, N.J., to Max and Irene Morris, Donald was a lifelong resident of Monmouth County. He graduated from Red Bank High School, attended Muhlenberg College, and graduated from Parsons College in Iowa, and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. Donald served his country in Vietnam from 1966 to 1967 and practiced dentistry in Lincroft, N.J., and Spotswood, N.J., for 42 years. 

While Donald was interested in woodworking, music, and loved the game of golf, his most enjoyable times were spent with his family and many friends. He was a member of Shackamaxon Country Club for 22 years. 

Donald will always be remembered for his care and concern for others, his easy going manner, and his wonderful sense of humor. 

Donald is survived by his loving wife of 44 years, Judy Tiber Morris; a beloved daughter, Michelle Novick of Livingston, N.J., and her husband, Robert Novick; two special grandsons, Ethan and Matthew Novick; a loyal son, Michael Morris of Colts Neck, N.J., and his numerous friends and extended family. He was predeceased by his parents, Max and Irene Morris; his sisters, Bernice Morris and Muriel Sofer, and his brother, Edwin Morris, MD.

We are what we index

I'm amazed. Why decide to do another index of a database and provide the same information that everyone else provides? I know I'm late to the show - particularly since FamilySearch has been indexing passenger manifests for quite a while now - but why didn't FamilySearch have their volunteer indexers include some of the most valuable pieces of information on the manifest? Specifically, the names and addresses of those left behind, those to whom the immigrant is going, and place of birth. I think they've missed the mark. [1]

Don't get me wrong: I am pleased that FamilySearch chose to work on a new index for manifests. Dueling indices from several online genealogy record providers are becoming the norm and I welcome them. I have found it useful in my research to occasionally jump from one index provider to another. Different indexers may record variations on the hand-written names; some search engines provide more robust searching options; search engines may offer or use differing sources or parameters of soundex (American, Daitch-Mokotoff, Beider-Morse); some databases are easier to navigate than others; and companies vary in how well they enhance their online images (even if the originals are from the same source). In fact, when teaching beginning genealogy classes, I encourage budding researchers to go beyond one favorite genealogy site to look at the same record sets on another - especially if having trouble finding a record in one website's index.

Short of OCR or recent promises of computerized reading of handwritten records, search engines are limited by the underlying indexes. [2] With existing manifest database indices, finding information on relatives in the new country and the old is dependent upon finding records via passenger search. One may search via name or place of origin (residence) for a particular individual. Where residence may be different than birth place or location of relatives/friends in the old country, you can't get there from here (!). One must ford through individual records to find the differences.

210 Grand Street - now a Chinese restaurant

Research would be greatly eased with  additional searchable information. For example, I am interested in community emigration. I would love to find out how many people (and who) from the shtetl of Labun wound up in the early twentieth century at 210 Grand Street, Manhattan. I have several relatives who did. I have also found a few other, perhaps unrelated, landsman who did, as well. Many seem to have become glaziers in New York City. Were my Malzmann family members the center of this gang of glaziers? Or, was this more a town-based enterprise? I can now search on the town of residence and see from the manifests where people are heading. But were there people heading to that address who were not from that town? Right now, no way to check.

If I could search by address in the USA, knowing the addresses of relatives who'd already made the journey, I might be able to find some relatives for whom I have not been able to locate manifests. I might be able to locate hitherto unknown relatives. I might also be able to find more relations if I could search on those addresses in the old country. [3] This kind of information is critical for working with and via the FAN (Friends, Associates and Neighbors) principle in our genealogical research - particularly in large cities where relatives may or may not wind up living near each other.

Recognizing the utility of this additional information, the Ukraine Special Interest Group (SIG) of JewishGen started to remedy this situation by indexing records on a town-by-town basis. [4] An indexer must first search the Ellis Island database (and others) for people who resided before emigration in the indexer's community of interest. Then they must sort through to make sure they indeed have the correct town; identify the Jewish people; and index the records including family's/friend's and addresses on both sides of the ocean.

There are some advantages to doing indexing in this manner. Those indexing the records have some familiarity with overseas town names and immigrant names. So, there should be fewer transcription mistakes. But, it's slow going.

The communities affiliated with individual passengers in this new Ukraine SIG indexing project are usually locations of last residence rather than birth. This is due to the fact that the underlying existing index on the Ellis Island website does not usually include town of birth. So we are likely missing a set of people. We won't be able to capture those who were born in our village of interest, but most recently resided elsewhere.

Another problem I see with the Ukraine SIG project is that if one wanted to later build on this database, filling in with records not previously indexed so that others besides town-oriented Jewish genealogists would benefit, it would be time-consuming to locate and index the previously non-indexed records. In fact, it probably would not be worth the effort to account for those records that had been picked through and indexed. Just start over. But, for right now, considering my research interests, it's the best indexing project going.

So, here's my thought: when planning a new index, find out what's really useful and go for it. Adding to the available indexed information may be the most powerful argument for participating in an otherwise parallel indexing project. I wish FamilySearch had done that.

Notes:
1. I am not indexing for FamilySearch right now. I was an enthusiastic (and productive) indexer for FamilySearch during the 1940 Census indexing juggernaut. I enjoyed the experience. They have an awesome interface and I'd do it again. I am on hiatus from indexing - working on other projects. I suppose I could be wrong, but I didn't see any evidence that FamilyFamilySearch is indexing additional information.
2. Optical Character Recognition - computerized finding aid for mining words in typed or typeset documents. Mocavo has recently announced they are getting ever closer to developing a computer program to decipher hand-written records.
3. As an example, see my series (still a work in progress) on Fannie Greenfield. My first post in that series is here.
4. I actually started doing this on my own several years ago for my Yurovshchina/Labun community website (http://www.kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/yurovshchina/index.html). However, I would be remiss to not mention that I am currently on the board of the Ukraine SIG.

Mastering Genealogical Proof for Kindle and iBooks

The National Genealogical Society, ever proud of its third printing of Thomas W. Jones' tour de force Mastering Genealogical Proof, has announced that the book is now available in digital format for the Kindle ($9.99). They are also working on a soon-t0-be-announced Mac iBooks version.

Currently, one may order the paper edition at the NGS website for $30 (nonmembers) or $25 (members). I already have my hard copy, purchased at the NGS conference this past spring. But, I'd love to be able to have it on my iPad.

One thing I'd not noted before is that the NGS website now has ten corrected pages for the book. These would be great printed and tucked into one's hard copy or saved as a file along with the digital version.

Treasure Chest Thursday: Max Garber & Cream Cheese

For a while I just couldn't make out the name of the company that Max Garber was working for in 1917 when he completed his World War I Draft Registration Card. [1]

Max, my grandfather Jack's older brother was the first in the Garber family to emigrate from Labun, Ukraine. [2] In the United States, he worked in the butter and egg business.

During World War I, all men born between 1872 and 1900 were required to register for the draft. There were three phases of draft registration and Max was in the first registration that that took place on 5 June 1917. 

1. Name in full:  Max Garber   Age in Years: 28
2. Home Address: 171 E 101 st
3. Date of birth: Sept. 1889
4. Are you (1) a natural born citizen, (2) a naturalized citizen, (3) an alien, (4) or have you declared your intention (specify which)?  Alien
5. Where were you born?  Weline Russia
6. If not a citizen, of what country are you a citizen or subject?  Russia
7. What is your present trade, occupation, or office?  Salesman
8. By whom employed?  Phenix Chees Co; Where employed?  1930 Lex Ave
9. Have you a father, mother, wife, child under 1, or a sister or brother under 12, solely dependent on you for support (specify which)?  Wife  2 children
10. Married or single (which)?  Married; Race (specify which)?  White
11. What military service have you had? Rank:  No; branch:  -
12. Do you claim exemption from draft (specify grounds)?  main support

 I affirm that I have verified above answers and that they are true.

                                                          /s/ Max Garber

The right side (Registrar's Report) of the card indicates that Max is of medium height and build and that he has brown hair and eyes. He registered in the 39th precinct of Draft Board 151, New York County, New York. [3]

Item number 5 indicates "Weline Russia." This refers to Volhynia Gubernia (often called Wolin) in the Russian Empire.

But of real interest is the name of Max's employer. While I could not adequately decipher the name, I could read the address: "1930 Lex Ave," meaning "1930 Lexington Avenue, New York City."

Max is listed at 171 E. 1st Street and as an egg inspector in the 1915 New York State Census. [4] In the 1918 New York City Directory on Ancestry, he listed at this same address as "inspector," no business name identified. But, I determined that I might be able to find a listing for that business if I queried on the Lexington address in a directory. In Ancestry's city directory search box, I clicked on exact and entered only the location (New York, New York) and key words ("1930 Lex").

The first page of search results returned one entry from 1918 that included the word "Phenix."

 

Ah! "Phenix Cheese Company." That makes sense. A quick query on Google finds (via Wikipedia) that the company was a major player early in the cream cheese business, producing what was already known as Philadelphia Cream Cheese starting in 1903. In 1928, the company merged with Kraft. 

I have not yet located a 1920 census for the Max Garber family and have only sporadically found Max in city directories. By 1925, Max has his own business (Amsterdam Cheese Company). Exactly when he struck out on his own is something that will require further research.

Notes:
1. "World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918," digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 29 March 2008), card for Max Garber, no. 187, New York, New York Draft Board 151, Precinct 39; citing World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, National Archives microfilm publication M1509; imaged from Family History Library microfilm roll 1,786,811.
2. "New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957," digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 7 February 2009), manifest, Pretoria, Hamburg to New York, arriving 30 December 1907, List 10, Passenger 5, Motel Garber; citing National Archives Microfilm Serial T715.
3. The Draft Board number is not obvious on the card. It is  noted in the citation on Ancestry. I believe it may be part of the stamped number on the top right of the card: 31-9-151-A. I will have to do some additional research on this number.
4. 1915 New York States Census, New York County, New York, population schedule,  Enumeration District 12, Assembly District 24, sheet 19, number 4, Max Garber; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 11 August 2012), New York State Archives: Albany, New York.