Hello all,

I have been trying to find more information Harris Abramovitz, a great
grandfather on the maternal side of my family. According to the US censuses, he
was born either in 1855 or 1865. The 1900 census says he was born in January
1865, and his wife Sarah Lalas Abramovitz was born July 1865, and they were
living at 137 Allen Street. Harris's occupation is listed as "tailor". The 1910
and 1920 censuses recorded his year of birth as 1855. (I realize this could
either be error or due to a choice by him to "change" his age.) The 1910 census
indicates he and Sarah were naturalized in 1905. My mother and my aunt say
that they were >from Kiev, and the census indicates the same. They arrived in
NYC between 1883 and 1890, depending on which census you look at.

The National Archives found a naturalization record for a Harris Abramovitz
dated July 25, 1903, arrival date June, 1890, occupation tailor, address 23
Allen Street, birth, July 1865 (actually when Sarah would have been born acc.
to census). This may or may not be the right record, but here's my question:

I am told by the Archive Technician at National Archives that pre-1906 records
generally do not list names of parents or towns of birth, and the wife did
not need to apply for natuarlization on her own at that time. While I may
order these records, I'm looking for some way to find out whether Harris and
Sarah were indeed >from Kiev or a smaller town near Kiev, confirm years of birth
and also find names of parents. My mother says her immediate family wasn't
close to her father's side of the family and these were her father's parents.
Neither she nor my aunt seem to be able to help. My aunt said she tried to
get death certificates, but there had been a fire and apparently those records
were destroyed(?)

OK, having laid all that out, does anyone have any ideas as to any other way
I could try to find out about more about this set of great grandparents?

Thanks either way,

Janette Levey Frisch