If you or someone you know might help translate a few pages of the
Telshe Yizkor Book >from Hebrew into Lithuanian, please reply to me
directly at YBIP@jewishgen.org

Joel Alpert, Coordinator of the Yizkor-Books-In-Print Project

If you or someone you know might help translate a few pages of the
Telshe Yizkor Book >from Hebrew into Lithuanian, please reply to me
directly at YBIP@jewishgen.org

Joel Alpert, Coordinator of the Yizkor-Books-In-Print Project

If you or someone you know might help translate a few pages of the
Telshe Yizkor Book >from Hebrew into Lithuanian, please reply to me
directly at YBIP@jewishgen.org

Joel Alpert, Coordinator of the Yizkor-Books-In-Print Project

If you or someone you know might help translate a few pages of the
Telshe Yizkor Book >from Hebrew into Lithuanian, please reply to me
directly at YBIP@jewishgen.org

Joel Alpert, Coordinator of the Yizkor-Books-In-Print Project

David Goldman (lugman@verizon.net) writes:

I hate to say that I think the matches I am provided through the
various sites are driving me batty. I realize that in most of them called
"third cousin" the longest segment is only around 10 at the most, with
the "overlap" varying below and above 100, but why does the system proclaim
a cousinhood of third cousin or such when this surely doesn't mean that
in most cases?!! All it means is that two people have some common genetic
background at some time in the distant past that is retained in us,
even where some of my matches are with non-Jews who probably had had a
Jewish ancestor in the distant past. But this doesn't translate into
a third or fourth cousin.

Welcome to the wonders of Ashkenazi Jewish endogamy. We are all descended

from a founder population of about 350 people some 700 years ago, when our

numbers hit a bottleneck after the Crusades, the Black Plague and pogroms.
Staying within our own group, we married our first, second or third cousins
for many generations until our population spread and grew much larger in the
18th century. As a result, unlike other European ethnic groups, we share
many common DNA segments >from centuries ago. The DNA experts don't have a
great handle on how to distinguish these >from the segments that legitimately
correspond to genealogically reachable common ancestors.

The vast majority of the DNA matches estimated as third or fourth cousins
are actually quite a bit more distantly related than the results imply.
Hidden among them are a small fraction of sufficiently recent and accessible
relatives. How does one find the needles in the haystack? A rule of thumb
I use is to follow through with matches that share over 100 cM, with a long
segment at least 20 cM and another segment at least 10 cM. It's not
foolproof, but it helps identify promising leads.

Genetic genealogy is still very much a developing field, and the situation
can only improve over time.

---
David J Ellis
Natick, MA 01760
djemkitso@verizon.net

David Goldman (lugman@verizon.net) writes:

I hate to say that I think the matches I am provided through the
various sites are driving me batty. I realize that in most of them called
"third cousin" the longest segment is only around 10 at the most, with
the "overlap" varying below and above 100, but why does the system proclaim
a cousinhood of third cousin or such when this surely doesn't mean that
in most cases?!! All it means is that two people have some common genetic
background at some time in the distant past that is retained in us,
even where some of my matches are with non-Jews who probably had had a
Jewish ancestor in the distant past. But this doesn't translate into
a third or fourth cousin.

Welcome to the wonders of Ashkenazi Jewish endogamy. We are all descended

from a founder population of about 350 people some 700 years ago, when our

numbers hit a bottleneck after the Crusades, the Black Plague and pogroms.
Staying within our own group, we married our first, second or third cousins
for many generations until our population spread and grew much larger in the
18th century. As a result, unlike other European ethnic groups, we share
many common DNA segments >from centuries ago. The DNA experts don't have a
great handle on how to distinguish these >from the segments that legitimately
correspond to genealogically reachable common ancestors.

The vast majority of the DNA matches estimated as third or fourth cousins
are actually quite a bit more distantly related than the results imply.
Hidden among them are a small fraction of sufficiently recent and accessible
relatives. How does one find the needles in the haystack? A rule of thumb
I use is to follow through with matches that share over 100 cM, with a long
segment at least 20 cM and another segment at least 10 cM. It's not
foolproof, but it helps identify promising leads.

Genetic genealogy is still very much a developing field, and the situation
can only improve over time.

---
David J Ellis
Natick, MA 01760
djemkitso@verizon.net

David Gold wrote: I am just about ready to give up contacting the vast
majority of matches I am provided with by the various sites. It just
doesn't mean anything for family genealogy within the past one or two
centuries. Some of my own relatives keep asking me, "How far back do you
want to do this?! Of course we are all related at some point, what's the
big deal?!" Sometimes I have no answer for such questions.

Much of what we see on the pages of commercial providers is targeted at
customer recruitment, retention and development. DNA notifications of
'cousin matches' are definitely part of that marketing, a redefining of
the words to make shared, but quite distant, DNA kit matches sound closer
than they actually are. That way commercial company findings become just
that much more relevant to the customer. The matches are normally real
enough but just not normally combinable with a family tree of specific
named ancestors.

In the case of autosomal DNA, if like David you are straightforwardly
interested in making a family tree which stretches as far back as it can
be taken, you will be dissatisfied with most DNA results below a quite
high segment threshold - and definitely will find small segments with
limited SNPs and limited cM size way too obscure. However, if you want
to explore the more general historic landscape which your ancestors
occupied (the time before Poland, Russia or Lithuania etc.) then those
tiny segments which link you to people of Mediterranean etc. origins,
can open the door to a better understanding of historic locations,
migration patterns etc.

Remembering that many people's interests are, like David's, focussed
on building their own family tree and not conducting general historic
research, writing to matches, especially the more distant ones, can be
useful but also at times fruitless.

Martin Davis (London - UK)

David Gold wrote: I am just about ready to give up contacting the vast
majority of matches I am provided with by the various sites. It just
doesn't mean anything for family genealogy within the past one or two
centuries. Some of my own relatives keep asking me, "How far back do you
want to do this?! Of course we are all related at some point, what's the
big deal?!" Sometimes I have no answer for such questions.

Much of what we see on the pages of commercial providers is targeted at
customer recruitment, retention and development. DNA notifications of
'cousin matches' are definitely part of that marketing, a redefining of
the words to make shared, but quite distant, DNA kit matches sound closer
than they actually are. That way commercial company findings become just
that much more relevant to the customer. The matches are normally real
enough but just not normally combinable with a family tree of specific
named ancestors.

In the case of autosomal DNA, if like David you are straightforwardly
interested in making a family tree which stretches as far back as it can
be taken, you will be dissatisfied with most DNA results below a quite
high segment threshold - and definitely will find small segments with
limited SNPs and limited cM size way too obscure. However, if you want
to explore the more general historic landscape which your ancestors
occupied (the time before Poland, Russia or Lithuania etc.) then those
tiny segments which link you to people of Mediterranean etc. origins,
can open the door to a better understanding of historic locations,
migration patterns etc.

Remembering that many people's interests are, like David's, focussed
on building their own family tree and not conducting general historic
research, writing to matches, especially the more distant ones, can be
useful but also at times fruitless.

Martin Davis (London - UK)

Genners,

This town name appears in a couple of records for one Morris Greenbaum
(Revere, MA) and I've been unable to track it down. One census says
Morris born in Germany while another says Russia-Poland. I ran it on
JewishGen as **fuzziest** and up came Dabie, Poland. He naturalized
**very** early, ergo ,no town/shtetl listed. I've done a Google search
to no avail. Suggestions please.

Cindy Potter Taylor-Boynton Beach, FL

Genners,

This town name appears in a couple of records for one Morris Greenbaum
(Revere, MA) and I've been unable to track it down. One census says
Morris born in Germany while another says Russia-Poland. I ran it on
JewishGen as **fuzziest** and up came Dabie, Poland. He naturalized
**very** early, ergo ,no town/shtetl listed. I've done a Google search
to no avail. Suggestions please.

Cindy Potter Taylor-Boynton Beach, FL

I would appreciate it if someone on this forum could recommend a reliable
researcher in Grodno (or perhaps Minsk). I am looking for records that date
back to around 1850-1890. If anyone can recommend someone whose services
they have used, I would be very grateful.

Thank you,
Miriam Talisman

MODERATOR NOTE: Please respond privately via email to Miriam. Don't forget to
check the JewishGen InfoFile, "Finding a Professional Genealogist," at
https://www.jewishgen.org/InfoFiles/Researchers.htm

I would appreciate it if someone on this forum could recommend a reliable
researcher in Grodno (or perhaps Minsk). I am looking for records that date
back to around 1850-1890. If anyone can recommend someone whose services
they have used, I would be very grateful.

Thank you,
Miriam Talisman

MODERATOR NOTE: Please respond privately via email to Miriam. Don't forget to
check the JewishGen InfoFile, "Finding a Professional Genealogist," at
https://www.jewishgen.org/InfoFiles/Researchers.htm

The Phoenix (Arizona) Jewish Genealogy Group's May meeting, which will
be our last before our summer break, will be held at 1:30 P.M. on
Sunday, May 19 at the East Valley Jewish Community Center, 908 N Alma
School Rd, Chandler, AZ 85224.

This will be a mentoring session. Come prepared with questions (and
answers) that will sustain our research through the summer.

Emily Garber
Chair
Phoenix Jewish Genealogy Group
(a committee of the Arizona Jewish Historical Society)

The Phoenix (Arizona) Jewish Genealogy Group's May meeting, which will
be our last before our summer break, will be held at 1:30 P.M. on
Sunday, May 19 at the East Valley Jewish Community Center, 908 N Alma
School Rd, Chandler, AZ 85224.

This will be a mentoring session. Come prepared with questions (and
answers) that will sustain our research through the summer.

Emily Garber
Chair
Phoenix Jewish Genealogy Group
(a committee of the Arizona Jewish Historical Society)

If you are hoping to attend the IAJGS Conference in Cleveland, please
sign up now for the Austria-Czech SIG luncheon on Wednesday July 31,
2019.

As in past years, you won't be able to attend the luncheon if you have
not purchased a lunch ticket in advance of the conference.

To sign up, go to the Registration tab and select Update
Your Registration and Info.
https://www.iajgs2019.org/update_your_info.cfm.

Click Edit and then Continue to the second page. At the bottom of the second page you have
to select Yes for conference meals and then add any dietary restrictions or write "None."
Then continue two more pages until you come to the page where you can sign up for meals,
including the SIG luncheon and the Gala.

It can be a bit complicated, so do it now and get it over with before it is too late!

Randy Schoenberg
Los Angeles, CA

If you are hoping to attend the IAJGS Conference in Cleveland, please
sign up now for the Austria-Czech SIG luncheon on Wednesday July 31,
2019.

As in past years, you won't be able to attend the luncheon if you have
not purchased a lunch ticket in advance of the conference.

To sign up, go to the Registration tab and select Update
Your Registration and Info.
https://www.iajgs2019.org/update_your_info.cfm.

Click Edit and then Continue to the second page. At the bottom of the second page you have
to select Yes for conference meals and then add any dietary restrictions or write "None."
Then continue two more pages until you come to the page where you can sign up for meals,
including the SIG luncheon and the Gala.

It can be a bit complicated, so do it now and get it over with before it is too late!

Randy Schoenberg
Los Angeles, CA

Hi,

Following a search using the following site https://www.archivinformationssystem.at
I have found several files I am interested in viewing during my next visit to Vienna, next month.
According to the archive plan the records are part of three different archives.
1. Archiv der Republik
2. Kriegsarchiv
3. Haus-Hof-und Staatsarchiv
Are all records >from all three available in the same reading room?

Thank you,
Daniella Alyagon

Hi,

Following a search using the following site https://www.archivinformationssystem.at
I have found several files I am interested in viewing during my next visit to Vienna, next month.
According to the archive plan the records are part of three different archives.
1. Archiv der Republik
2. Kriegsarchiv
3. Haus-Hof-und Staatsarchiv
Are all records >from all three available in the same reading room?

Thank you,
Daniella Alyagon

Hi,
I am planning a visit to the archives in Vienna this June.
Last year during the IAJGS conference I recall a lecture during which the
topic of various documents relating to the move to Vienna were discussed.

A branch of my family moved around 1870 >from Lviv to Vienna. What records
can be found concerning their move and where?

Thank you,

Daniella Alyagon
researching in Austria: Messer, Rotenstreich, Frommer, Eifermann, Frostig, Wagenberg

Hi,
I am planning a visit to the archives in Vienna this June.
Last year during the IAJGS conference I recall a lecture during which the
topic of various documents relating to the move to Vienna were discussed.

A branch of my family moved around 1870 >from Lviv to Vienna. What records
can be found concerning their move and where?

Thank you,

Daniella Alyagon
researching in Austria: Messer, Rotenstreich, Frommer, Eifermann, Frostig, Wagenberg