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Re: family trees - who copied my information #general

Eva Lawrence
 

I've been thinking about tree copying from another angle.. If someone copies items from your tree to their own, it's not like stealing your stamp collection. On a collaborative - and free - website like Geni,  you are a member of a research team, and the aim is to produce a valid end product without erroneous information.  It's what you accept as a condition of posting..  If errors annoy you, you have to take time and trouble to put them right.
I'm posting on there as a way of passing on what I've found out, but I  place more importance  on the tree I keep on my own computer,  which I keep up to date, and on which every leaf has a personal meaning for me, and represents someone related to me. For this   I make a point of using software which can stand independently on my laptop. on a subscription website.
I have ideas about these lives and characters in many cases, and there is a person index where I can find them if I come across a name on the  web   that looks familiar. If  another web user takes a tranche of my online tree and adds it to their own,  it does mean that in some way we are related.  So it would simply be good manners to introduce themselves, and perhaps pass a little about their own family.   
The function of the names  and  dates on my tree is simply to provide a framework which keeps the stories and traditions in place.   
 .  
--
Eva Lawrence
St Albans, UK.
Invitation to JGSSN Zoom meeting: "Comparison of Jewish Resources on the Giants: Ancestry, FamilySearch, Findmypast, JewishGen, & MyHeritage” with Ellen Kowitt #events #announcements #jgs-iajgs

Ben Kempner
 

The Jewish Genealogy Society of Southern Nevada (JGSSN) invites you to a Zoom meeting at 1:00 p.m. (Pacific Daylight Time) on Sunday, September 19: “Comparison of Jewish Resources on the Giants: Ancestry, FamilySearch, Findmypast, JewishGen, & MyHeritage” with Ellen Kowitt. 

To request a Zoom link, please complete this short form: which can also be found on our Meetings webpage.

Members of JGSSN can attend for free.  Non-members can pay $5.00 on the Donate webpage and complete the short form.

Session Description:

Enjoy this comparative overview of Jewish record collections and research tools on the global powerhouse websites referred to as "Genealogy Giants." This lecture has been updated to reflect the ever-changing content found online and many record examples will be shared. Learn about how each site can be especially helpful for documenting Jewish families and get tips on each site’s best features or challenges, including how JewishGen collections found on Ancestry.com differ from comparable collections originating on JewishGen.org, both in content and in the search experience.

About Ellen Kowitt:

Ellen is Director of JewishGen’s United States Research Division and National Vice Chair of the DAR Lineage Committee Jewish Task Force. She is past president of JGS Colorado and JGS Greater Washington DC, has served on the IAJGS board of directors, and been recipient of IAJGS Program and Stern Awards. Ellen publishes articles in Avotaynu: The International Journal on Jewish Genealogy and Family Tree Magazine. Ellen is a member of the Colorado Chapter Association of Professional Genealogists, she accepts clients, and lectures often. Currently, Ellen is participating in the ProGen 46 study group cohort and was recipient of the UGA Jimmy B. Parker Scholarship for SLIG 2021. For the dates of upcoming lectures or more information, visit www.EllenKowitt.com.

Ben Kempner

Vice President,

Jewish Genealogy Society of Southern Nevada
Poland Holocaust Researchers Win Libel Case #announcements #holocaust #poland

Jan Meisels Allen
 

 

 

Two Holocaust historians, Jan Grabowski and Barbara Engelking, won their case in an appellate Polish court. The case was watched closely as it was expected to serve as precedent for research into Polish behavior toward Jews during World War ll. The Appellate Court of Warsaw argued in its explanation that it believed it's not the responsibility of the courts to judge scholarly research.

 

Poland's current ruling Law and Justice party has vowed to fight Holocaust researchers in Poland win libel case on appeal what it considers unfair depictions of Polish wrongdoing, preferring to promote remembrance of heroism and sacrifice. Many researchers and the Israeli government have accused the Polish government of historical whitewashing.

 

Previously, a lower court ordered the two researchers to apologize to a woman who claimed that her deceased uncle had been defamed in a historical work they edited and partially wrote, “Night Without End: The Fate of Jews in Selected Counties of Occupied Poland… Lawyers for the niece, 81-year-old Filomena Leszczynska, argued that her uncle was a Polish hero who had saved Jews, and that the scholars had harmed her good name and that of her family by suggesting the uncle was also involved in the killing of Jews.”

 

“Poland is governed by a nationalist conservative party that has sought to promote remembrance of Polish heroism and suffering during the wartime German occupation of the country. The party also believes that discussions of Polish wrongdoing distort the historical picture and are unfair to Poles.”

 

To read more see: https://www.yahoo.com/news/holocaust-researchers-poland-win-libel-130717977.html

 

Thank you to David Oseas, webmaster for JGS Conejo Valley and Ventura County (JGSCV)  for sharing the article with us.

 

Jan Meisels Allen

Chairperson, IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee

 
Re: What is the meaning of this sign being displayed by POWs in WWI? #translation #photographs #hungary #austria-czech

N. Summers
 

Wowza! thanks for the info about the uniforms--i have some closeup photos of my gf in a uniform with no insignia. It has been suggested that it might be a uniform given to him as a pow; he broke his leg during the war and was sent to a hospital before the camp. It seems likely that his uniform was damaged and discarded. Knowing the uniforms of the others in the photo is a really important clue as to what his life there was like.

As for the abbreviation I received a suggestion which seems right on the money:

Russische Polnische Zivil Arbeit Abteilung

Language: German

Russian Polish Civil Labor Department

Thanks to everyone for your help.
--

Nancy Summers

Maryland, USA

 

FINKELSTEIN, BOOKSTEIN, KOENIG/SUKOENIG, LUSMAN, GOLDINER, SAGORODER/ZAGORODER (Radziwillow, Belarus/Ukraine; Ostrog, Poland/Belarus; Warsaw, Poland; Wolinsky, Russia/Ukraine; Kremenets, Belarus)

LISS / ALPER  (Motol, Russia/Belarus)

LEAF / LIFSCHITZ ( Rechitsa, Belarus)
Viewmate Translation Request - German #germany #translation

Elaine Berghausen
 

I have posted 2 birth records and 1 death record that need translation.  You can view them at:

https://www.jewishgen.org/viewmate/viewmateview.asp?key=VM94832
 

https://www.jewishgen.org/viewmate/viewmateview.asp?key=VM94833

Many thanks.

Elaine Berghausen
MODERATOR NOTE: Please reply privately

MORITZ, WEDEL - Koenigsberg, SCHERBEL ,HEYMANN - Breslau
SPIEGEL, LOWENSTEIN, - Westfalen, BERGHAUSEN, LEVY - Lower Saxony
Searching Walter and Kitty FISCHGRUND Paris 1939-40 #general #austria-czech #germany

George Fogelson
 


 


I am searching for information about Kitty and Walter FISCHGRUND who
lived in Paris in 1939-40.
Walter FISCHGRUND was born in 1917 in Czechoslovakia and according to
his Palestine Naturalization document dated 1941 Walter was married to
Isle VOGEL born in Bruun Germany in 1919. Their son Eli FISCHGRUND was
born June 11, 1941 in Afikim, Post Kinereth.
Kitty FISCHGRUND was born in about 1912. She may have been Walter’s sister.

George FOGELSON
Redondo Beach, California
fogelson@...
MODERATOR NOTE: Please reply privately
The Jewish Genealogy Society of Palm Beach County invites you to our next Zoom program #jgs-iajgs #announcements

Walter Rosenthal
 

 

The Jewish Genealogy Society of Palm Beach County will present “ “PRE-CIVIL WAR IMMIGRATION TO THE U.S.”

 

On Wednesday September 1, 2021, 1 pm Eastern Zone Time, Alan Huss Esq, a Board Member of JGSPBC is offering a Zoom presentation covering the first wave of Jewish Immigration to the United States, tracing the first wave from the Rhine Valley before the Civil War.  He will cover the historical context and the cultural reasons why thousands of Jews left small towns in Rhine Valley where they were born and why they eventually settled in the United States.

 ABOUT ALLAN HUSS Esq. Admitted to practice of law in Ohio (retired), Michigan (active), Florida (active), and the District of Columbia (retired), Northern District of Ohio, and Eastern District of Michigan. Formerly, attorney for the U.S. Federal Trade Commission; senior counsel for Chrysler Corporation/DaimlerChrysler Corporation, of counsel, Weil, Gotschal & Manges (Washington and Miami

THIS IS A ZOOM ONLY MEETING

Zoom opens at 12.30pm and the presentation begins at 1.00pm Eastern time

All meetings are free to JGSPBC members.

Guests are asked to pay $5.00 per lecture via the JGSPBC  website: https://jgspbc.org

                            

Contact: Walter Rosenthal, Outreach Coordinator

waltrose864@...

 

 

Walter Rosenthal
 
Re: ViewMate Translation Request - Marriage in Rohatyn #poland

Frank Szmulowicz
 

On Sun, Aug 15, 2021 at 03:09 PM, Yaron Wolfsthal wrote:
http://agadd.home.net.pl/metrykalia/300/sygn.%202493/pages/PL_1_300_2493_0062.htm

The document lists the date of birth as 20 August 1905, in Tarnopol
the naming date is 24 August 1905, in Tarnopol
child's name Józefina
legitimate birth (inside wedlock), so the wedding had to take place earlier

In the last column on remarks (uwagi), there several hardly legible entries, but is does refer to a wedding (ślub),
 a place (Rohatyn) and perhaps a document number listed as 8/9 1905/:822 (?). But then it also lists Volume I (Tom I), * 1/4 , (lprz?) 24 (stylized 7?) 1903 - possibly, July 7, 1903, a probable wedding date.

Frank Szmulowicz
ViewMate translation request - Polish #translation

Dror Bereznitsky
 

Hello

I've posted a vital record in Polish for which I need a translation. It is on ViewMate at the following address:
https://www.jewishgen.org/viewmate/viewmateview.asp?key=VM94877
Please respond via the form provided on the ViewMate image page.

Thank you very much.
Dror Bereznitsky
Re: Use of Family Search for one's family tree #general

Carola Murray-Seegert
 

Geri, you were right to be concerned. The issue of Mormons baptizing one's dead ancestors has not been completely resolved! A few years ago, I was contacted by an Ancestry member who asked for permission to see my tree after he told me he was related to the wife of a great-uncle. I naively gave him access, but later discovered that - although he was Jewish - he had joined the LDS church and was retroactively baptizing people from my tree!!!  He explained it this way :
"We do baptisms and other ordinances in (sic) behalf of our ancestors, including ordinances that unite families for eternity, in temples we build throughout the world. This does not make our ancestors members of the LDS church; they have the opportunity to accept or reject those ordinances in the next life."

When I strongly expressed my objection and demanded he desist, he explained the LDS procedure this way: 

"Carola, I am very sensitive to the issue that these LDS beliefs are sometimes met with apprehension; however, they are also a fundamental part of LDS doctrine. The church has actually established strict guidelines as to what names can or should be submitted for temple ordinances. They include that ancestors must be dead at least one year, and born at least 110 years ago unless permission is given by the closest living relative. It also includes the requirements, particularly with Jewish ancestry (because they have been the most vocal against these particular LDS beliefs), that we only do temple ordinances only for our own ancestors or relatives. "

The catch-phrase is 'permission given by the closest living relative.' In my case, this individual had sought out the 90-year-old granddaughter of the woman he was distantly related to, and had flattered her into thinking that Mormon baptism would be a great idea for her ancestors.  I am still furious about this. Bottom line, although Family Search provides us with useful records, I would not trust them with my genealogical information. 
Ever since this invasion, I keep my Ancestry tree setting as 'Private'; whenever someone requests access, I first ask whether they are members of the LDS church and if they are hoping to baptize any ancestors.
Carola Murray-Seegert
Oberursel, Germany
Researching: FELDBIN, RABINOWITZ, KATZ - Byerazino & Pahost, Belarus; LIFSHITZ, SHEFTEL - Shklov, Belarus
 
Samson Brockman #poland #israel

Walla Walla
 

Recherche généalogique sur Samson BROCKMAN/RAJSWING 

#poland 

 

#israel 
 @rajswing
05/26/20   

Je recherche une famille liée à Samson Brockman, a quitté sa famille en 1920 dans le village d'Opoczno, en Pologne, et immigré en Palestine. Après plusieurs années, Samson Brockman est retourné rendre visite à sa famille en Pologne, où il a rencontré Frida de la famille Rajswing ils sont retournés ensemble en Palestine et en 1924, ils sont mariés.
mais je n'ai pas d'autres informations que ce lien en hébreu

http://www.palmach.org.il/memorial/fighterpage/?itemId=74842

Je voudrais savoir si Frida RAJSWING est de ma famille, mon grand père Leib RAJSWING était né à MOGIELNICE et mon père à Opoczno

Je vous remercie.
Je suis Dany RAJSWING de Paris France
7dancooper@...
שמשון ברוקמן יליד אמצע שנות החמישים סבו שמשון ברוקמן עלה מפולניה בקיץ 1920 היה נשוי לפרידה ומת בשנת 1953 כנראה שנכדו שמשון קרוי על שמו
הוא גר בחיפה ברחוב החשמונאים 3 טל' [972] -[4] - 8370325
 
Samson Brockman Born in the mid-fifties His grandfather Samson Brockman immigrated from Poland in the summer of 1920 was married to Frida and died in 1953 apparently his grandson Samson is named after him
He lives in Haifa at 3 Hasmonean Street, Tel. [972] - [4] - 8370325
My French is not good I used a Google translation
 
 
Samson Brockman Né au milieu des années cinquante Son grand-père Samson Brockman a immigré de Pologne à l'été 1920 était marié à Frida et est décédé en 1953, apparemment son petit-fils Samson porte son nom
Il vit à Haïfa au 3, rue Hasmonean, Tél. [972] - [4] - 8370325

Mon français n'est pas bon j'ai utilisé une traduction Google
 
Ruch Pinchas
ISRAEL
Translation help needed #translation

Yehoshua Sivan
 

Attached is a detail from my wife's grandfather's death & burial record in the Vienna Jewish Community's files.  It is the second one down here:
https://www.familysearch.org/records/images/image-details?page=1&place=2075&lifeEvent=102899&endDate=1920&startDate=1912&rmsId=TH-1942-26684-4771-25&imageIndex=185&singleView=true
I can read his name, Hirsh Zeisel, but would like the next two words translated from the gothic script.  I thought the word in brackets might be Flüchtling (refugee), but it doesn't seem to fit.  I can see that the continuation says that he was born in Rozwadow Gal[icia].  What does the rest say ?  Maybe last domiciled in Nisko Gal[icia].
To the right it gives his age when he died (29); the next box gives details of where he died: can someone decipher this as well, please.
With thanks in advance,
Yehoshua Sivan
Re: family trees - who copied my information #general

Jeffrey Herrmann
 

There is so much garbage that has been deposited into family trees on the digital dump yards on the Internet that are called genealogical sites that I have almost entirely stopped responding to their “discoveries,” “matches,”  “hints” etc.  This includes, in my opinion, Geni, Ancestry, MyHeritage, Family Search and others.  Before diving into their many rabbit holes and wasting hours of my leisure time, I ask myself:  How many hundreds of dollars per hour would I demand if another person asked me to explore these dump sites to aid their genealogical research.  Usually, contemplating that question dissuades me from diving in.  

it is infuriating that people thoughtlessly contribute to the exponential growth of misinformation in the world.  Even worse is that when you contact them to point out their errors, they almost never take corrective actions.

Jeffrey Herrmann
New Rochelle, NY
Re: Descendant information Schneersohn #rabbinic

Eran Gindes
 

Hi, Did you look at the Alte Rebbe's descendants book from 1980 written by Rabbi Halperin, or perhaps contacted the Descendants' Association?
Here is a link to their site. I believe they can help you:

https://egood.mynewsite.co.il/about/

The site is in Hebrew only.

Good Luck
Eran Ghindes
Re: family trees - who copied my information #general

Dahn Cukier
 


Hello,

This is a reply to George's post.
There is no good to come from claiming the earth
is flat (or roundish).  That is what happens when
people constantly copy and publish wrong information.

I am in touch with at least one person from most
branches of my family and have found more,
but through Yad VeShem, DNA,  obituaries, but
not via family trees.

I share printed trees with the people I have addresses
(snail or e-mail) but also post a note that if the information
is used, it must be verified by themselves and not mention me.

I also share information with those doing their own research.
But at the same time I now document (last 10 years)
who or where I found the information. That way when I
find  two people  in 1940 census as a neighbors, but a
marriage license from 1936, I decide which to use and
document both.


I did, in the 1990s share a GED file with a cousin, she uploaded
the entire file including the 3 (of 9)  families she is not
a relative of, by blood or marriage. 

When I recorded my 1st cousin as my aunt's son, it is what I
had been told. Even my cousin did not know, but it turns
out to be wrong.

Where does the information go when I go? My nephew is
now interested in genealogy, my will even mentions the work
I  started in 1982, and that every inheritor will
be offered a copy.

Published trees are helpful, but the information you
draw from them must be verified with the publisher.
The 2 times I found a suspected relative, the publishers
admitted he had no further information.

Happy Hunting
Dahn Zukrowicz

When you start to read readin,
how do you know the fellow that
wrote the readin,
wrote the readin right?

Festus Hagen
Long Branch Saloon
Dodge City, Kansas
(Gunsmoke)


On Sunday, August 15, 2021, 09:57:19 PM GMT+3, Friedman, H George <friedman@...> wrote:


I don't understand this worry over "stolen" family trees. Let me put that statement into context.

I will die, sooner or later. Did I do all this genealogical research only to have it die with me? NO! I want it to be available to other researchers, just as I have had other people's research results available to me. Otherwise, what is the point of my doing the research in the first place?

Of course, someone using my material ought to give me credit for it, just as I give credit to others whose materials I use (with their permission, out of courtesy if nothing else). But I would not want my research results locked away from being shared with others!

There certainly must be safeguards. I do not post my information to any site that allows others to modify it! And I am careful about privacy for the living. But if someone copies my work into their tree, and then incorrectly modifies it there...well, I don't see that that takes any skin off of me.

If you have 20 generations of ancestors, and do not publish it in some way, what good it it? Sure, you know it, but after you die, it is lost.

I was trained as a scientist, a chemist, and had a career as a university professor. So I speak from a tradition of publishing one's research. Genealogy is certainly not the same as chemistry, but I think the point is the same: Knowledge not shared is not knowledge at all.

Regards to all,

H. George Friedman, Jr.
Emeritus Professor of Computer Science
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Re: What is the meaning of this sign being displayed by POWs in WWI? #translation #photographs #hungary #austria-czech

John Kovacs
 

At looking at the photograph of the men, I believe that they are wearing the same or similar that I am familiar with the same that the Hungarian soldiers wore in the 1930 or 40s.  I am not familiar as to what the Austrians wore at the same time, but they could be the same or similar..  I don't know what the letters and numbers mean, but my guess is that it could have been the designation of the unit of the "soldiers" in the photo. 
John J. Kovacs
Re: family trees - who copied my information #general

Odeda Zlotnick
 

On Sun, Aug 15, 2021 at 10:18 PM, Max Heffler wrote:
All trees have errors. That is why I prefer a single collaborative tree like geni where sources can be posted to a profile and curators evaluate the facts to improve the single One World Tree over time. I have had others inform me of mistakes in my tree, which has allowed me to improve it for future generations. This tends to be a “religious” issue and many people have made up their minds on their direction. Siloed trees will perish with their “owners.”
True, and yet, "my" Geni proflies are pockmarked with dozens of "matches" inserted there by people who "matched" those profles with profiles on MyHeritage (an owner of Geni) who matched with other trees who copied from an original tree - 4 and 5 time over: One person, copied to 5 other trees, 5 "matches", 5 errors...
And do you know why Geni kindly adds "matches" to profiles in MyHeritage?  Because Geni members will not see any details of those disfiguring matches, unless they pay MyHeritage as well. 

I ignore all matches - neither confirming nor denying, but they do annoy and distract me - and are added by other tree members who love collecting....
Sigh.

 
--
Odeda Zlotnick
Jerusalem, Israel.
The JGS of Pittsburgh Presents: Muestro Yersusha: Jewish Heritage and Identity in the Ottoman Empire with Michael Waas #sephardic #jgs-iajgs #events

Steve Jaron
 



On August 29th at 1pm Eastern (US), Michael Waas will be presenting his talk “Muestro Yerusha: Jewish Heritage and Identity in the Ottoman Empire”
 
Sephardic heritage and history can be presented in radically different ways in different places. Michael Waas, co-administrator of the Sephardic Diaspora group on Facebook, will discuss three heritage projects in the former Ottoman Empire—Salonika, Izmir and Tire—which have each taken a different approach to the task. Each of these cities has vibrant and active Jewish heritage projects. However, their shared history as Ottoman Jewish communities and the fact that they each have ongoing projects is where their similarities end. Learn about these historic communities and how others see us.
 
Michael Waas is a heritage professional, specializing in site research and evaluation, and archival research. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Anthropology with a specialization in Historical Archaeology from New College of Florida, and the subject of his Senior Thesis was “The Archaeology of Ethnogenesis of the Seminole People of Florida.” He then received his Master’s Degree from the Department of Jewish History at the University of Haifa and the subject of his MA thesis was “Istorya i oy: A comparative study on the Development of Jewish Heritage of the former Ottoman Empire.” He received the Gaon Prize for Outstanding M.A. Thesis research for the academic year 2017-2018 of the Moshe David Gaon Center for Judeo-Spanish (Ladino) Culture as well as the Prize for Research into the Heritage of Sephardi and Mizrahi Jewry, awarded by the Ben Zvi Institute and the Israeli Ministry of Education, for the year 2017-2018. He has presented papers at multiple international conferences on Sephardic Studies, including most recently, the Terras de Sefarad conference in Bragança. Portugal, and the annual Society for Sephardic Studies conference in Lisbon, Portugal, both in June 2019. He also volunteers his time as the anthropologist and historian of the Avotaynu Genetic Census of the Jewish People Project.
 
Cost for is $5 USD. All programs are free for members of the Jewish Genealogy Society of Pittsburgh.
 
For just $18/yr you can become a member of the Jewish Genealogy Society of Pittsburgh. Membership include free admission to all programs, subscription to our newsletter (click button for our most recent issue), access to our members only portal and access to our private Facebook Group.
 
Whether or not you are a member if you wish to support our efforts please consider donating to our organization via Square or PayPal. Donations allow us pay for speaker fees and related items as well as administrative costs.
 
For information on membership and future programs please visit our website
ViewMate translation request - Russian #translation

Paul A. Auerbach
 

I have posted a birth record in Russian for which I need a translation.  It is on ViewMate at the following address:

https://www.jewishgen.org/viewmate/viewmateview.asp?key=VM94890

This is the 1885 Przasnysz birth record of my possible relative, Chaia Sura Lew. The record has been indexed in the JRI-Poland Database.  While I would appreciate a full translation, the information of greatest interest to me is Chaia Sura's birth date and place, as well as the names and ages of her parents

Thanks very much for your help.

Paul Auerbach
Sharon, Massachusetts, USA


Researching:

ARONSON /ARENSON (Podolia (Gubernia), Ukraine), ATTELL/ETTEL (Krakow, Poland),  (AUERBACH / AVERBUKH / KHAZEN-AVERBUKH (Chisinau, Moldova), BARR (Kreslavka, Latvia),  
BECK (Krakow, Poland), BENJAMIN (Ostrolenka, Poland), BLODEK/WLODEK (Krakow, Poland), CALKE / SELKA (Ostrolenka, Poland), CHAKIM / KHAKIM (Maisiagala / Musninkai/ Vilnius, Lithuania), 
DAVIDSON (Traby, Belarus), DREYEK (Krakow, Poland), HALTZMAN/HOLZMAN (Chisinau, Moldova), HURWITZ / HURVICH (Musninkai, Lithuania), ITCHOFF (Lechowitz, Belarus), 
KAPLAN (Dzyarzhynsk / Minsk, Belarus), KUKLA (Rezekne, Latvia), LAZAROWITZ / LEISEROVICI (Iasi, Romania), LEVINE /LEVIN / LEWIN (Traby, Belarus), MESCHER/MEZAK (Odessa, Ukraine), 
MINKIN (Rezekne / Kaunata, Latvia), NEEDLE / NUDELL (Odessa, Ukraine & Lechowitz, Belarus), NESIS / NESSIS (Zinkiv, Ukraine), PELICAN / PELIKAN (London, England & Tarnow / Krakow, Poland), 
PINCUS/PIKUS (Dzyarzhynsk / Minsk, Belarus), ROSENLICHT (Krakow, Poland), SHAFFMAN (Lechowitz, Belarus), TAFFET (Krakow, Poland), WEINER/VENER (Vilnius, Lithuania)
Jews in Peru, etc. #names

Rob Montague
 

Although the name doesn’t immediately ring any bells as being Sephardic, it’s unusual and might be an adapted form of a Hebrew name of the Ben-[name of father] type. In general, Sephardic surnames tend to be based on occupations, place names, or natural features. But there are exceptions to all rules. Since Jews were found everywhere (even if in small numbers in many places) it’s possible that some Jews found their way to Mali. They certainly existed in the Canary Islands, although the Inquisition found them there, too, and many migrated to the Americas to evade the Inquisition.

There are several books that list Sephardic surnames so it might be worthwhile to track them down to see if this surname appears in the form in which you know it or in a form which resembles it. That might give you a better idea of whether this family was ever Jewish.

Rob Montague
Overland Park, KS, USA
8601 - 8620 of 669665