Is Biala Rawska (Polish town name) the same town that is called
"Biala Katan" in Jewish sources?

If so, then I think my connection to the SREBRNIK rabbis of that town
solidifies a bit.

Secondarily, if anyone knows more about Rabbi Shimshon Srebrnik or
any of his probable relatives (I think his brother perhaps, Nathan,
and Nathan's son, Noach), I'd appreciate a conversation about it.

Thank you.

Steven Bloom
Central Virgnia

Is Biala Rawska (Polish town name) the same town that is called
"Biala Katan" in Jewish sources?

If so, then I think my connection to the SREBRNIK rabbis of that town
solidifies a bit.

Secondarily, if anyone knows more about Rabbi Shimshon Srebrnik or
any of his probable relatives (I think his brother perhaps, Nathan,
and Nathan's son, Noach), I'd appreciate a conversation about it.

Thank you.

Steven Bloom
Central Virgnia

I am writing an article on SA Jews in the Great War and would like any
details of ancestors who served or contributed in any capacity. Please
send details, stories, copy documents and photos to me privately
<saul65@...>. All help will be acknowledged.

Saul Issroff

I am writing an article on SA Jews in the Great War and would like any
details of ancestors who served or contributed in any capacity. Please
send details, stories, copy documents and photos to me privately
<saul65@...>. All help will be acknowledged.

Saul Issroff

Our search is an emotional one. I don't know how one can separate its legal
issue. To have a potential cousin take the information that took you years
to find and then use it publicly for their own purpose without discussing it
with you is a betrayal, and, for me, caused me to regret attempting to know
that part of the family. Sad to say, a wealth of information lost on both
sides.

Lois Levick
Bensalem, PA

Our search is an emotional one. I don't know how one can separate its legal
issue. To have a potential cousin take the information that took you years
to find and then use it publicly for their own purpose without discussing it
with you is a betrayal, and, for me, caused me to regret attempting to know
that part of the family. Sad to say, a wealth of information lost on both
sides.

Lois Levick
Bensalem, PA

Rose Feldman asks:

"Does anyone know of a site where I can figure out the value of rubles in
1911 when Warsaw was under Russian rule?"

Questions about the value of the ruble have come up before, and I have no
specific knowledge about this subject, but became curious, and a while ago I
put this together in an attempt to come to grips with it:

1. JewishGen has an info file called "Wages and Buying Power 1895-1914"
which gives the monthly salaries of various workers. Steel foundry workers
earned the most with 44-48 rubles per month -- less than 600 rubles per year
-- while textile workers and tobacco workers were at the bottom,
respectively earning 15-16 rubles and 12.5-13.5 rubles per month -- less
than 200 rubles per year. The link to the info file is:
http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/lida-district/wages.htm

2. The Jewish Encyclopedia of 1906, which is available online, says that "in
the Polish provinces" tailors earned a maximum of 6 rubles a week (therefore
less than 300 rubles per year), and shoemakers even even less. In the
"southern provinces over 80 per cent of the artisan Jewish population earn
less than 400 rubles per annum." There is more in the encyclopedia online.
The link is:
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/

3. The above figures are backed up if you look at some of the yizkor books
online. For example, the Bialystok one, which I looked at because it is near
Warsaw, goes into great detail about the earnings and labor conditions of
different workers in 1900, and says, for example, that factory workers were
earning 4-8 rubles per week (200-400 rubles per year), while tailors,
locksmiths and tinsmiths were making 4-5 rubles per week (200-250 rubles per
year). Other yizkor books >from around Poland give similar figures.

The link to the relevant section in the Bialystok yizkor book is:
http://www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/Bialystok/bia2_074.html

Shabbat Shalom,
Miriam Bulwar David-Hay,
Raanana, Israel

Hi, Jewishgenners.
I was interested in knowing whether there are census records of Jewish
families between the years 1800 and 1810 for the towns of Bratzlav and
Nemirov in Podolia, and where such records might be kept.
Of course there might be problems finding such information because of the
current instability in Ukraine.
David Goldman
NYC

Hi, Jewishgenners.
I was interested in knowing whether there are census records of Jewish
families between the years 1800 and 1810 for the towns of Bratzlav and
Nemirov in Podolia, and where such records might be kept.
Of course there might be problems finding such information because of the
current instability in Ukraine.
David Goldman
NYC

Rose Feldman asks:

"Does anyone know of a site where I can figure out the value of rubles in
1911 when Warsaw was under Russian rule?"

Questions about the value of the ruble have come up before, and I have no
specific knowledge about this subject, but became curious, and a while ago I
put this together in an attempt to come to grips with it:

1. JewishGen has an info file called "Wages and Buying Power 1895-1914"
which gives the monthly salaries of various workers. Steel foundry workers
earned the most with 44-48 rubles per month -- less than 600 rubles per year
-- while textile workers and tobacco workers were at the bottom,
respectively earning 15-16 rubles and 12.5-13.5 rubles per month -- less
than 200 rubles per year. The link to the info file is:
http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/lida-district/wages.htm

2. The Jewish Encyclopedia of 1906, which is available online, says that "in
the Polish provinces" tailors earned a maximum of 6 rubles a week (therefore
less than 300 rubles per year), and shoemakers even even less. In the
"southern provinces over 80 per cent of the artisan Jewish population earn
less than 400 rubles per annum." There is more in the encyclopedia online.
The link is:
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/

3. The above figures are backed up if you look at some of the yizkor books
online. For example, the Bialystok one, which I looked at because it is near
Warsaw, goes into great detail about the earnings and labor conditions of
different workers in 1900, and says, for example, that factory workers were
earning 4-8 rubles per week (200-400 rubles per year), while tailors,
locksmiths and tinsmiths were making 4-5 rubles per week (200-250 rubles per
year). Other yizkor books >from around Poland give similar figures.

The link to the relevant section in the Bialystok yizkor book is:
http://www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/Bialystok/bia2_074.html

Shabbat Shalom,
Miriam Bulwar David-Hay,
Raanana, Israel

Caroline Dresden, writing in response to Mark Shapiro's post about getting
record images via FamilySearch's Photoduplication Services
(https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Photoduplication_Services), said
that she has tried to use this service without success. She wrote, "The
first time I got a reply saying the reference I gave was incomplete, but I
had used all the references given by Familysearch and as I had asked for
several certificates the response was unclear and unhelpful. I dont recall
any response >from the second try and it says not to chase them and its
automated and they will respond in six weeks. Not in my case...." She asked
for tips on achieving a successful outcome.

I have used these services successfully many times. If you are requesting a
specific marriage record, as Caroline is, key pieces of information to
provide would be the Family History Library (FHL) microfilm number, the
names of bride and groom, the type of record (e.g., marriage register or
certificate), the event type (M for marriage), the event date (at least the
year) and location (e.g., parish or town), and the registration/record
number, page number, or item number, if known. The record you want must have
been microfilmed, and to find the microfilm number, you will have to search
the FHL catalogue on FamilySearch if it is not included in the result from
an indexed record search. Keep in mind that there are occasional errors in
the catalogue listing; in researching Italian civil records on microfilm,
for example, I have found cases where a film with provincial records doesn't
include a town or year that it's supposed to according to the catalogue, or
it may have the town and year, but be missing certain records. I've also
found films with additional records that aren't listed in the catalogue and
record sets that are misplaced and on the wrong film (e.g., a town's Indici
Decennali for births that are on a film with provincial death indexes).

The volunteers that work with Photoduplication Services will not do your
research for you, so if you can't provide sufficient information, your best
recourse is to either order vital records >from the appropriate state,
county, or city archives or order the FHL microfilm that is likely to have
the record and search for it yourself at the nearest Family History Center.
Once you've found it, you can scan it using equipment at your FHC or do as I
do, photograph it on the microfilm viewer. I use a regular digital camera on
a vertical viewer screen, but in a pinch I've also used a smartphone camera
with great success.

One way you can sometimes find information to use in ordering a record from
Photoduplication Services is to look for an index online that includes the
particulars--either an image of the original index or register or a
transcription of an index or an online database created >from the original
records. Another way is to find details in a newspaper item, such as a death
notice, that provides names with a date range and location. In any case, you
must still provide the microfilm number, which you can locate (if the record
has been filmed) in the FHL catalogue on FamilySearch.

For those who have used Photoduplication Services in the past but not
recently, there has been a recent change in how you request and receive
records. You used to be able to request up to five records at one time and
would receive them in a single batch. The request form is now for a single
record, so if you are requesting five records (the limit is five per month),
you must fill in your contact information five times. This is time consuming
and mildly irritating after using the other system, but I've noticed a
quicker turnaround time in receiving records back.

I agree that it can be frustrating not to receive a personalized and more
complete explanation of how you can improve your request if it is not being
fulfilled. I received a couple responses recently saying that the record
images I wanted were not being sent because the originals were illegible. I
wrote back asking them to send them anyway (assuming they can locate them),
because I've often had success using Photoshop to improve the legibility of
severely water-damaged and crumbling records--records that most people would
give up trying to read, but I got no response.

Caroline, if you continue to have problems obtaining a record, you might
want to post a request for help on the Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness
(RAOGK) group Facebook page. Several members of that group make regular
trips to the FHL, and someone may be willing to look for the record for you,
if indeed it is on microfilm. If it's not, someone will tell you how to
obtain a copy, if that is possible. Again, you need to provide enough
specifics for your helper to find the record quickly. Otherwise, you may
need to hire a researcher.

Lesley K. Cafarelli
Minneapolis, MN

Caroline Dresden, writing in response to Mark Shapiro's post about getting
record images via FamilySearch's Photoduplication Services
(https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Photoduplication_Services), said
that she has tried to use this service without success. She wrote, "The
first time I got a reply saying the reference I gave was incomplete, but I
had used all the references given by Familysearch and as I had asked for
several certificates the response was unclear and unhelpful. I dont recall
any response >from the second try and it says not to chase them and its
automated and they will respond in six weeks. Not in my case...." She asked
for tips on achieving a successful outcome.

I have used these services successfully many times. If you are requesting a
specific marriage record, as Caroline is, key pieces of information to
provide would be the Family History Library (FHL) microfilm number, the
names of bride and groom, the type of record (e.g., marriage register or
certificate), the event type (M for marriage), the event date (at least the
year) and location (e.g., parish or town), and the registration/record
number, page number, or item number, if known. The record you want must have
been microfilmed, and to find the microfilm number, you will have to search
the FHL catalogue on FamilySearch if it is not included in the result from
an indexed record search. Keep in mind that there are occasional errors in
the catalogue listing; in researching Italian civil records on microfilm,
for example, I have found cases where a film with provincial records doesn't
include a town or year that it's supposed to according to the catalogue, or
it may have the town and year, but be missing certain records. I've also
found films with additional records that aren't listed in the catalogue and
record sets that are misplaced and on the wrong film (e.g., a town's Indici
Decennali for births that are on a film with provincial death indexes).

The volunteers that work with Photoduplication Services will not do your
research for you, so if you can't provide sufficient information, your best
recourse is to either order vital records >from the appropriate state,
county, or city archives or order the FHL microfilm that is likely to have
the record and search for it yourself at the nearest Family History Center.
Once you've found it, you can scan it using equipment at your FHC or do as I
do, photograph it on the microfilm viewer. I use a regular digital camera on
a vertical viewer screen, but in a pinch I've also used a smartphone camera
with great success.

One way you can sometimes find information to use in ordering a record from
Photoduplication Services is to look for an index online that includes the
particulars--either an image of the original index or register or a
transcription of an index or an online database created >from the original
records. Another way is to find details in a newspaper item, such as a death
notice, that provides names with a date range and location. In any case, you
must still provide the microfilm number, which you can locate (if the record
has been filmed) in the FHL catalogue on FamilySearch.

For those who have used Photoduplication Services in the past but not
recently, there has been a recent change in how you request and receive
records. You used to be able to request up to five records at one time and
would receive them in a single batch. The request form is now for a single
record, so if you are requesting five records (the limit is five per month),
you must fill in your contact information five times. This is time consuming
and mildly irritating after using the other system, but I've noticed a
quicker turnaround time in receiving records back.

I agree that it can be frustrating not to receive a personalized and more
complete explanation of how you can improve your request if it is not being
fulfilled. I received a couple responses recently saying that the record
images I wanted were not being sent because the originals were illegible. I
wrote back asking them to send them anyway (assuming they can locate them),
because I've often had success using Photoshop to improve the legibility of
severely water-damaged and crumbling records--records that most people would
give up trying to read, but I got no response.

Caroline, if you continue to have problems obtaining a record, you might
want to post a request for help on the Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness
(RAOGK) group Facebook page. Several members of that group make regular
trips to the FHL, and someone may be willing to look for the record for you,
if indeed it is on microfilm. If it's not, someone will tell you how to
obtain a copy, if that is possible. Again, you need to provide enough
specifics for your helper to find the record quickly. Otherwise, you may
need to hire a researcher.

Lesley K. Cafarelli
Minneapolis, MN

Trying to trace his ancestry back to the Tosfot YomTov as well as his
descendants.
His son was Rav Moshe Deutsch who married Miriam Halberstam.
--
Neil Rosenstein

MODERATOR NOTE: Please send contact information privately.

Trying to trace his ancestry back to the Tosfot YomTov as well as his
descendants.
His son was Rav Moshe Deutsch who married Miriam Halberstam.
--
Neil Rosenstein

MODERATOR NOTE: Please send contact information privately.

Trying to trace his ancestry back to the Tosfot YomTov as well as his
descendants.
His son was Rav Moshe Deutsch who married Miriam Halberstam.
--
Neil Rosenstein

MODERATOR NOTE: Please send contact information privately.

Trying to trace his ancestry back to the Tosfot YomTov as well as his
descendants.
His son was Rav Moshe Deutsch who married Miriam Halberstam.
--
Neil Rosenstein

MODERATOR NOTE: Please send contact information privately.

I have posted a old drawing >from sometime in the early or mid 1890's.
It can be found on ViewMate at the following address

http://www.jewishgen.org/viewmate/viewmateview.asp?key=VM34043

Does anyone recognize this drawing? >from what is written on the back
on this drawing I believe the child is Icek Lieb Ubogi (who was known
as Hyman Miller when he moved to the U.S.) and the man with the black
beard is his father Chaim Josek Ubogi and the older man is his
Grandfather. I don't know which grandfather, his father's father Szmul
or his mother's father Boruch Sokol. The bottom corner says drawn by
H? Bauer. Anyone who has information on this drawing or the
illustrator , it would be very much appreciated. Please respond via
the form provided on the viewmate application or privately. Thank you
in advance.

--
Nusy Ickowics

I have posted a old drawing >from sometime in the early or mid 1890's.
It can be found on ViewMate at the following address

http://www.jewishgen.org/viewmate/viewmateview.asp?key=VM34043

Does anyone recognize this drawing? >from what is written on the back
on this drawing I believe the child is Icek Lieb Ubogi (who was known
as Hyman Miller when he moved to the U.S.) and the man with the black
beard is his father Chaim Josek Ubogi and the older man is his
Grandfather. I don't know which grandfather, his father's father Szmul
or his mother's father Boruch Sokol. The bottom corner says drawn by
H? Bauer. Anyone who has information on this drawing or the
illustrator , it would be very much appreciated. Please respond via
the form provided on the viewmate application or privately. Thank you
in advance.

--
Nusy Ickowics

Scans of Lodz Ghetto documents, including some with personal photos
and some vital records, are now viewable online at
http://szukajwarchiwach.pl/39/278/0#tabSerie. I have not examined the
hundreds of thousands of images in detail, and do not know the extent
of overlap with Lodz material already online elsewhere, but here are
basic instructions for viewing the scans:

1) Visit the overview list of documents at
http://szukajwarchiwach.pl/39/278/0#tabSerie.

2) Identify a group of documents of interest by looking at the title
in the second column >from the left (e.g., "Referat Kart Tozsamosci"),
the date range in the second column >from the right (e.g.,
"1940-1944"), and the number of scans currently online in the last
column on the right. If the last column is a 0, there are no scans
online for that group.

3) Click on the title of the group of interest.

4) On the next page that is displayed, there will be a similar
overview list for this group, with titles, dates, and numbers of scans
(this list might extend over more than one page). As in steps 2 and
3, identify a group of documents of interest and click the title of
the group.

5) On the next page that is displayed, click on the tab called
"Skany," "Scans," or "Digital copies," which should be to the right of
the red tab.

6) You should now see thumbnail images of several scans. There is a
dropdown menu just above the thumbnails that determines how many
thumbnails are displayed per page, defaulting to 15. You might want
to change this to the maximum, 100.

7) To enlarge a thumbnail so you can read what is in the image, click
on the thumbnail and a larger -- but not yet full-size -- image will
pop up. This is sometimes sufficient for you to determine whether the
image is of interest, e.g., when browsing through images looking for a
specific surname, or when trying to find records >from around a
specific date.

8) In the bottom right of the larger image's pop-up are two icons in
white on black circular backgrounds -- one a rectangle with marks at
the corners and the other a "z." To view the full-size image, click
the rectangle icon. Another window should pop up, probably without
any image initially. Wait, and the full-size image should appear
within about a minute. The image might be too big to be displayed all
at once, in which case you can move your cursor over the image, click
with your mouse, and, while holding your mouse button down, drag the
image around so other parts are visible. Below the image, centered,
is a download link (you might have to use the window's scrollbar to
see the the link).

If you have any questions about using this site or these documents, or
tips for other researchers, please post them to this mailing list.

Logan Kleinwaks
kleinwaks@...
near Washington, D.C.

Scans of Lodz Ghetto documents, including some with personal photos
and some vital records, are now viewable online at
http://szukajwarchiwach.pl/39/278/0#tabSerie. I have not examined the
hundreds of thousands of images in detail, and do not know the extent
of overlap with Lodz material already online elsewhere, but here are
basic instructions for viewing the scans:

1) Visit the overview list of documents at
http://szukajwarchiwach.pl/39/278/0#tabSerie.

2) Identify a group of documents of interest by looking at the title
in the second column >from the left (e.g., "Referat Kart Tozsamosci"),
the date range in the second column >from the right (e.g.,
"1940-1944"), and the number of scans currently online in the last
column on the right. If the last column is a 0, there are no scans
online for that group.

3) Click on the title of the group of interest.

4) On the next page that is displayed, there will be a similar
overview list for this group, with titles, dates, and numbers of scans
(this list might extend over more than one page). As in steps 2 and
3, identify a group of documents of interest and click the title of
the group.

5) On the next page that is displayed, click on the tab called
"Skany," "Scans," or "Digital copies," which should be to the right of
the red tab.

6) You should now see thumbnail images of several scans. There is a
dropdown menu just above the thumbnails that determines how many
thumbnails are displayed per page, defaulting to 15. You might want
to change this to the maximum, 100.

7) To enlarge a thumbnail so you can read what is in the image, click
on the thumbnail and a larger -- but not yet full-size -- image will
pop up. This is sometimes sufficient for you to determine whether the
image is of interest, e.g., when browsing through images looking for a
specific surname, or when trying to find records >from around a
specific date.

8) In the bottom right of the larger image's pop-up are two icons in
white on black circular backgrounds -- one a rectangle with marks at
the corners and the other a "z." To view the full-size image, click
the rectangle icon. Another window should pop up, probably without
any image initially. Wait, and the full-size image should appear
within about a minute. The image might be too big to be displayed all
at once, in which case you can move your cursor over the image, click
with your mouse, and, while holding your mouse button down, drag the
image around so other parts are visible. Below the image, centered,
is a download link (you might have to use the window's scrollbar to
see the the link).

If you have any questions about using this site or these documents, or
tips for other researchers, please post them to this mailing list.

Logan Kleinwaks
kleinwaks@...
near Washington, D.C.