I have traced the incredible lineage of the Levin family- many of whom were distinguished rabbis. Through records, I find the surname has changed from Levin to Katz. Can this be possible? If so, I can

Does anyone know where this name comes from? it's meaning? Is it a diminutive of something? Is there a region where this name is common? Thank you for any ideas. Monica

In one Galician family that I researched, the older children had the mother's name, while the younger ones had the father's. It appears that a religious marriage took place first, causing the

Love your "nosh"! Barbara Berman

Hi Jeff, You can obtain the Naturalisation Certificate for Theodore BLUM at the following website address of the UK's National Archives in

Hi Veronica: Jewish marriages performed by most Rabbis, especially Hassidic Rabbis, were not accepted by the Austrian Crown government. However, there were a Rabbi or two appointed in each Galician

I've posted a vital record in Romanian of my great-grandmother's birth for which I need a translation. It is on ViewMate at the following address

My mother's birth family (she was adopted) exhibits this phenomenon (early C20th, Galicia). I was always told that Jewish marriages were not recognized in Polish law, so the children took the mother's

Refer to Miriam Weiner's Return to Roots database and you will see records for Vidzy are in Vilnius, Vitebsk, Minsk and Kaunas. I suspect that all the tax and voter lists have been translated. You

There are at least 3 Katzenelenbogens who are part of the E-Y6923 Jewish Haplogroup. Their line specifically is currently called E-BY165218. They obviously are quite a different family from the J

My cousin's husband, Arthur Itzigsohn, formally changed his surname to his mother's surname, Bud. This was in Berlin in the 1920s, so I assume he was trying (unsuccessfully) to avoid

I learned that Jews conscripted to the Russian army were not allowed to marry. Some got around this rule by having religious vs. civil marriages. Children of these marriages would have their

Hello Oliver, In addition to Corinne's advice, you will only find him in the Berlin address books if he himself was a tenant or owner of a flat or house. If he lived as a subtenant, (which was also

THE AUSCHWITZ MEMORIAL MUSEUM ARCHIVISTS OR HISTORIANS ARE VERY HELPFUL FOR THOSE INMATES WHO ACTUALLY RECEIVED A CARD. YOU CAN GET ALOT OF INFO FROM THEM, THEY MAY EVEN HAVE ARCHIVE OF PHOTOS WHERE

Dear Jeff, since their home-town is given with Frankfurt I searched Arcinsys and found at the main state archive in

Hi Oliver Maybe you can find him in the city directories of Berlin: https://digital.zlb.de/viewer/berliner-adress-telefon-branchenbuecher/ There are also some city directories of Düsseldorf

My G,G,G grand father was Joseph Josephs, when he arrived in London in the late 1700s. In The Netherlands, his paternal Grandfather was Joseph Nihom. I have no,idea why the family name Josephs was

Quite often, when the mother or wife , came from illustrious families , the men would take the maternal family name. Yonatan Ben-Ari

Hello, I am trying to work out where I go from here with these links I have found in Belarus records. I am related to the Ratner family from Mogilev who were a very affluent family and very involved

I am on vacation and thus I don't have my papers with me, but I recall that at in certain old times the authority could or did permit that a person could have a certain number of children. If my