I have been corresponding with someone who is helping me with genealogy. She
sent me an e-mail in which she admitted that she needs help.

She writes, "I don't know how to organize my information. I spend hours pulling
out >from here or there, write it on scraps of paper, and there it sits." She
works with a smart phone, and I have been sending charts >from my genealogy
project. I have been using MyHeritage for a while, and although I could use
descendants' reports that are similar to those of other genealogy programs I've
seen, the reports are good enough to communicate with people through e-mail. As
she says, "Your charts I take off and write on paper so it can be seen. Then
what?"

She apparently does not have a good idea for organizing the material. She
suspects that she has looked up the material two or three times because she
cannot find the data she is looking for.

I would truly like to give some good advice, so I am turning to you. What would
you suggest to a non-computer-literate genealogist about organizing the data
into something that will function well?

Sheldon Dan
sheldan1955@bellsouth.net

I have been corresponding with someone who is helping me with genealogy. She
sent me an e-mail in which she admitted that she needs help.

She writes, "I don't know how to organize my information. I spend hours pulling
out >from here or there, write it on scraps of paper, and there it sits." She
works with a smart phone, and I have been sending charts >from my genealogy
project. I have been using MyHeritage for a while, and although I could use
descendants' reports that are similar to those of other genealogy programs I've
seen, the reports are good enough to communicate with people through e-mail. As
she says, "Your charts I take off and write on paper so it can be seen. Then
what?"

She apparently does not have a good idea for organizing the material. She
suspects that she has looked up the material two or three times because she
cannot find the data she is looking for.

I would truly like to give some good advice, so I am turning to you. What would
you suggest to a non-computer-literate genealogist about organizing the data
into something that will function well?

Sheldon Dan
sheldan1955@bellsouth.net

Dear listmembers!

The term "lektorizatsye" (in Russian/Ukrainian) originates >from the
word "lector" - the lecturer. Obviously it was a neologism of that
period that later disappeared. Probably the person in question was in
Kyiv to pass some training and listen to the lectures. It may have
been some professional training (due to his occupation/position at his
working place), it may also have been the courses of Communist
lecturers - providers of the Communist Propaganda; such
responsibilities usually were obligatory and even necessary in the
late 30ies - the period of the total Communist control, Great Terror
and mass repressions in the Soviet Union.
Regards,

Igor Holyboroda,
Lviv, Ukraine.

Dear listmembers!

The term "lektorizatsye" (in Russian/Ukrainian) originates >from the
word "lector" - the lecturer. Obviously it was a neologism of that
period that later disappeared. Probably the person in question was in
Kyiv to pass some training and listen to the lectures. It may have
been some professional training (due to his occupation/position at his
working place), it may also have been the courses of Communist
lecturers - providers of the Communist Propaganda; such
responsibilities usually were obligatory and even necessary in the
late 30ies - the period of the total Communist control, Great Terror
and mass repressions in the Soviet Union.
Regards,

Igor Holyboroda,
Lviv, Ukraine.

Joan Silverman asked "which birthdate should I use."

In all my years of doing research on my family, I have discovered that the
census birth years are often wrong. If the person was under the age of 17 and
traveling alone, they often added to their years to be eligible to travel alone.
It's the same with enlistment records. Many men wanted to seem old enough to
enlist.

For women, it was often the opposite. All my great aunts seem to have grown
younger with each marriage. I've even seen headstones with a different date.

If you have a birth certificate, I would go with that date. I'm pretty sure most
Jews knew when they was born. But if they went by the Jewish calendar, they may
not know the corresponding Julian calendar date. So it only seems that they
don't know when they were born. They may not know the date on our calendar.

Shelley Mitchell
searching KONIGSBERG/KINIGSBERG, TERNER, MOLDAUER, GOLDSCHEIN, TOPF,
MICHALOWSKY, KREISMANN, and UMINSKY.

Joan Silverman asked "which birthdate should I use."

In all my years of doing research on my family, I have discovered that the
census birth years are often wrong. If the person was under the age of 17 and
traveling alone, they often added to their years to be eligible to travel alone.
It's the same with enlistment records. Many men wanted to seem old enough to
enlist.

For women, it was often the opposite. All my great aunts seem to have grown
younger with each marriage. I've even seen headstones with a different date.

If you have a birth certificate, I would go with that date. I'm pretty sure most
Jews knew when they was born. But if they went by the Jewish calendar, they may
not know the corresponding Julian calendar date. So it only seems that they
don't know when they were born. They may not know the date on our calendar.

Shelley Mitchell
searching KONIGSBERG/KINIGSBERG, TERNER, MOLDAUER, GOLDSCHEIN, TOPF,
MICHALOWSKY, KREISMANN, and UMINSKY.

Joan Silverman wrote:

"Here is my dilemma . . . One of my great uncles, Israel F. Goldberg was
killed in action in WWI body never recovered. I thought I had finally found
his birth certificate, however, it came back 4 years off. According to the
1892, 1900, 1910 federal census, and 1905 NY census, and his draft card he
was born in 1888. However his birth certificate states January 1892 and is
stamped February 1892. I do believe this is his certificate because of his
mother and father's name, father's occupation and the street they were
living on at the time are all correct. I realize that being one of 11,
although he was one of 7 at the time, and so long ago, people couldn't
remember when they were born but this has happened frequently with this
large family. Which birthdate should I use?"

The issue of different and even widely disparate birth dates is very common
in genealogical research. This is a good example of how careful evaluation
will help you resolve conflicting evidence. Not all sources of evidence are
equal, and in this case I would take the birth certificate to be most
accurate, given that his parents' names, father's occupation, and residence
are confirmed by other sources, and 1892 is not so far removed >from the
dates on the other sources to be unlikely. Important factors to consider
include the proximity to the event being recorded, in this case the birth,
the informant, and whether the informant was likely to be an eye witness
and, unlike the infant, cognizant of the date.

Elizabeth Shown Mills is the leading professional in the area of evidence
evaluation and has a wonderful website with lots of free information and a
link to purchasing her books and QuickSheets at www.evidenceexplained.com.
There is also a discussion forum that you can register for on the site to
learn more and ask questions.

Lesley K. Cafarelli
Minneapolis, MN, USA

Joan Silverman wrote:

"Here is my dilemma . . . One of my great uncles, Israel F. Goldberg was
killed in action in WWI body never recovered. I thought I had finally found
his birth certificate, however, it came back 4 years off. According to the
1892, 1900, 1910 federal census, and 1905 NY census, and his draft card he
was born in 1888. However his birth certificate states January 1892 and is
stamped February 1892. I do believe this is his certificate because of his
mother and father's name, father's occupation and the street they were
living on at the time are all correct. I realize that being one of 11,
although he was one of 7 at the time, and so long ago, people couldn't
remember when they were born but this has happened frequently with this
large family. Which birthdate should I use?"

The issue of different and even widely disparate birth dates is very common
in genealogical research. This is a good example of how careful evaluation
will help you resolve conflicting evidence. Not all sources of evidence are
equal, and in this case I would take the birth certificate to be most
accurate, given that his parents' names, father's occupation, and residence
are confirmed by other sources, and 1892 is not so far removed >from the
dates on the other sources to be unlikely. Important factors to consider
include the proximity to the event being recorded, in this case the birth,
the informant, and whether the informant was likely to be an eye witness
and, unlike the infant, cognizant of the date.

Elizabeth Shown Mills is the leading professional in the area of evidence
evaluation and has a wonderful website with lots of free information and a
link to purchasing her books and QuickSheets at www.evidenceexplained.com.
There is also a discussion forum that you can register for on the site to
learn more and ask questions.

Lesley K. Cafarelli
Minneapolis, MN, USA

I have posted a vital record in Polish and German for which I need a
translation. It is on ViewMate at the following address:

http://www.jewishgen.org/ViewMate/responselist.asp?key=46779

These are Krakow birth register entries for my great-grandmother, Taube
PELIKAN, and her siblings, Feigel Rosa, Sara and Jakob (record numbers
185-188). I've already translated the headings and most of the text. I
would appreciate some help translating the following information in
those entries: (1) the text below Ksiel PELIKAN's name in Column 6; (2)
the names and status of the witnesses and midwives in Columns 8 and 9;
and (3) the note regarding Jakob PELIKAN in Column 11.

I suspect that the Jakob PELIKAN note might be his date of death. If
that's the case, does anyone know why there would be a marking for him
in Column 4 of the register, the heading of which translates to
"stillborn children?" If he died 1 1/2 years after his birth, he
obviously wasn't stillborn. Is there an alternate translation of the
Column 4 heading, perhaps something like "died in infancy?"

While the document contains both Polish and German, it is my
understanding that most of the handwritten text of interest to me, other
than the names, is in German.

Thanks very much for your help.

Paul Auerbach
Sharon, Massachusetts, USA

Researching:
ARONSON (Podolia (Gubernia), Ukraine), AUERBACH / AVERBUKH (Chisinau, Moldova),
BENJAMIN (Ostrolenka, Poland), BLODEK (Krakow, Poland), KHAKIM (Maisiagala /
Musninkai/ Vilnius, Lithuania), KAPLAN (Koidanov / Minsk, Belarus), LEVINE /
LEVIN (Traby / Vilnius, Lithuania), MINKIN (Rezekne / Kaunata, Latvia), NEEDLE /
NUDELL (Odessa, Ukraine), PELICAN / PELIKAN (London, England & Tarnow / Krakow,
Poland),ROSENLICHT (Krakow, Poland), TAFFET (Krakow, Poland)

MODERATOR NOTE: Please respond in ViewMate or via email directly to Paul.

I have posted a vital record in Polish and German for which I need a
translation. It is on ViewMate at the following address:

http://www.jewishgen.org/ViewMate/responselist.asp?key=46779

These are Krakow birth register entries for my great-grandmother, Taube
PELIKAN, and her siblings, Feigel Rosa, Sara and Jakob (record numbers
185-188). I've already translated the headings and most of the text. I
would appreciate some help translating the following information in
those entries: (1) the text below Ksiel PELIKAN's name in Column 6; (2)
the names and status of the witnesses and midwives in Columns 8 and 9;
and (3) the note regarding Jakob PELIKAN in Column 11.

I suspect that the Jakob PELIKAN note might be his date of death. If
that's the case, does anyone know why there would be a marking for him
in Column 4 of the register, the heading of which translates to
"stillborn children?" If he died 1 1/2 years after his birth, he
obviously wasn't stillborn. Is there an alternate translation of the
Column 4 heading, perhaps something like "died in infancy?"

While the document contains both Polish and German, it is my
understanding that most of the handwritten text of interest to me, other
than the names, is in German.

Thanks very much for your help.

Paul Auerbach
Sharon, Massachusetts, USA

Researching:
ARONSON (Podolia (Gubernia), Ukraine), AUERBACH / AVERBUKH (Chisinau, Moldova),
BENJAMIN (Ostrolenka, Poland), BLODEK (Krakow, Poland), KHAKIM (Maisiagala /
Musninkai/ Vilnius, Lithuania), KAPLAN (Koidanov / Minsk, Belarus), LEVINE /
LEVIN (Traby / Vilnius, Lithuania), MINKIN (Rezekne / Kaunata, Latvia), NEEDLE /
NUDELL (Odessa, Ukraine), PELICAN / PELIKAN (London, England & Tarnow / Krakow,
Poland),ROSENLICHT (Krakow, Poland), TAFFET (Krakow, Poland)

MODERATOR NOTE: Please respond in ViewMate or via email directly to Paul.

Dear Genners -

If anyone is visiting Mt. Hebron in Queens, New York, and has time to photograph
2 headstones, please contact me directly for full information. I have full
locations for both graves. One is on block 56 and the other is on block 5.

Thank you. Shelley Mitchell, Brooklyn, New York

Dear Genners -

If anyone is visiting Mt. Hebron in Queens, New York, and has time to photograph
2 headstones, please contact me directly for full information. I have full
locations for both graves. One is on block 56 and the other is on block 5.

Thank you. Shelley Mitchell, Brooklyn, New York

Hello

I am requesting translations of the Yiddish text on a postcards/photos.
One of the cards is in Polish or Russian..not sure. Also, I have a few
photos for any thoughts. Most have the Yiddish on the back so I thought
you may want to see the pictures. Can you help identify similar people
in all my photos? This is a treasure trove of photos just rescued

from a drawer.

They are on ViewMate at the following addresses:

http://www.jewishgen.org/viewmate/viewmateview.asp?key=VM46680

http://www.jewishgen.org/viewmate/viewmateview.asp?key=VM46679

http://www.jewishgen.org/viewmate/viewmateview.asp?key=VM46678

http://www.jewishgen.org/viewmate/viewmateview.asp?key=VM46677

http://www.jewishgen.org/viewmate/viewmateview.asp?key=VM46683

http://www.jewishgen.org/viewmate/viewmateview.asp?key=VM46681 (Polish or Russian)

http://www.jewishgen.org/viewmate/viewmateview.asp?key=VM44224

Please respond using the online ViewMate form.
Thank you so much,

Susan Stone
Chicago, IL

Hello

I am requesting translations of the Yiddish text on a postcards/photos.
One of the cards is in Polish or Russian..not sure. Also, I have a few
photos for any thoughts. Most have the Yiddish on the back so I thought
you may want to see the pictures. Can you help identify similar people
in all my photos? This is a treasure trove of photos just rescued

from a drawer.

They are on ViewMate at the following addresses:

http://www.jewishgen.org/viewmate/viewmateview.asp?key=VM46680

http://www.jewishgen.org/viewmate/viewmateview.asp?key=VM46679

http://www.jewishgen.org/viewmate/viewmateview.asp?key=VM46678

http://www.jewishgen.org/viewmate/viewmateview.asp?key=VM46677

http://www.jewishgen.org/viewmate/viewmateview.asp?key=VM46683

http://www.jewishgen.org/viewmate/viewmateview.asp?key=VM46681 (Polish or Russian)

http://www.jewishgen.org/viewmate/viewmateview.asp?key=VM44224

Please respond using the online ViewMate form.
Thank you so much,

Susan Stone
Chicago, IL

I checked with two Yiddish speakers. One had never heard the word but
the other, familiar with the situation in the Soviet Union in the 1930s,
said the word refers to what the Chinese euphemistically called
“reeducation.” In other words, the person was not toeing the party
line and needed to learn how to behave in the proper manner. She
got “lectured to.”

Hope this helps,

Ruth Chernia
Toronto, Canada
searching for
TSCHERNIA of Copenhagen, Denmark, & Genichesk, Kherson Oblast, Ukraine
SHLAMOWITZ/SZLAMOWICZ of London, England, Lodz & Jezow, Poland
SEIDLER/ZAJDLER/LANDAU of Lodz & Sulejow, Poland
ROSENFELD of Raków, Kielce, Poland
SHKOLNIK/TICKER of Ladyzhyn & Bershad, Vinnytsia, Ukraine

I checked with two Yiddish speakers. One had never heard the word but
the other, familiar with the situation in the Soviet Union in the 1930s,
said the word refers to what the Chinese euphemistically called
“reeducation.” In other words, the person was not toeing the party
line and needed to learn how to behave in the proper manner. She
got “lectured to.”

Hope this helps,

Ruth Chernia
Toronto, Canada
searching for
TSCHERNIA of Copenhagen, Denmark, & Genichesk, Kherson Oblast, Ukraine
SHLAMOWITZ/SZLAMOWICZ of London, England, Lodz & Jezow, Poland
SEIDLER/ZAJDLER/LANDAU of Lodz & Sulejow, Poland
ROSENFELD of Raków, Kielce, Poland
SHKOLNIK/TICKER of Ladyzhyn & Bershad, Vinnytsia, Ukraine

We have just received a copy of the English translation of a book
previously published in Russian "The Book of Sorrows". Its contents are
lists of names of Jews >from Crimea who were murdered. There are
thousands of names contained in it. I need a volunteer who can
transcribe these names and some other details into a spreadsheet
template so that the information can be added to the Ukraine Database on
JewishGen, and the names can be added to the Ukraine Master Names Index.

The book is entirely in English and it is typed, so people who have no
language skills outside of English and who cannot easily read
handwritten manuscripts should have no problem with it. I would like to
have 1 person who can take the time over the next several months (6-12
months) do the whole project. The details for transcription are
slightly complicated and having only one person involved in the project
would help eliminated errors. After it is transcribed, I will then need
a volunteer to proofread it.

Thanks
Janette

Dr. Janette Silverman
JewishGen Ukraine-SIG Coordinator
ukrainesig.coordinator@gmail.com
http://www.jewishgen.org/Ukraine/default.asp
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ukraine-SIG/180102942060505

We have just received a copy of the English translation of a book
previously published in Russian "The Book of Sorrows". Its contents are
lists of names of Jews >from Crimea who were murdered. There are
thousands of names contained in it. I need a volunteer who can
transcribe these names and some other details into a spreadsheet
template so that the information can be added to the Ukraine Database on
JewishGen, and the names can be added to the Ukraine Master Names Index.

The book is entirely in English and it is typed, so people who have no
language skills outside of English and who cannot easily read
handwritten manuscripts should have no problem with it. I would like to
have 1 person who can take the time over the next several months (6-12
months) do the whole project. The details for transcription are
slightly complicated and having only one person involved in the project
would help eliminated errors. After it is transcribed, I will then need
a volunteer to proofread it.

Thanks
Janette

Dr. Janette Silverman
JewishGen Ukraine-SIG Coordinator
ukrainesig.coordinator@gmail.com
http://www.jewishgen.org/Ukraine/default.asp
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ukraine-SIG/180102942060505

Using information on the Routes to Roots website, I sent direct
requests to the Vinnitsa and Kamenetz-Podolsky (or maybe it was
Khmelnitzky - I have to check) archives for
birth/marriage/death/census information about my gg-grandfather and
gg-grandmother.

Vinnitsa responded with a scanned letter saying, essentially, that
they don't have anything during the time period. I figure since my
great-grandfather was born in 1877, supposed in Izyaslav (that's where
he says he came >from on the immigration papers), his father would have
been born roughly anywhere in the 1830s to 1850s. Imprecise, I know.
I supplied names: Mendel and Yocheved Leibson.

I have communicated with archives before (thanks to Google translate,
and that I can "decode" and understand a little Russian), but it
hasn't borne fruit.

I cannot afford a personal researcher; maybe I could go in with
someone, or a whole lot of people.

Any other suggestions or stories to share are appreciated!

Guy Levin
Yitzchok LEIBSON
Eva GORSKY LEIBSON
Mendel and Yoched LEIBSON
of Izyaslav/Zaslav

MODERATOR COMMENT: All surviving documents in the Kamenets Podolsky
archives were transported to Khmelnitskiy following a fire in 2004.
Many of these records have been filmed for the Central Archives of
the History of the Jewish People in Jerusalem, but no one has stepped
forward to organize a fundraising effort to acquire and translate
these records for inclusion in the JewishGen Ukraine database.
Records >from this town are known to exist, but the CAHJP does not
have the funds or the expertise to research or transcribe these
records. Please respond privately if you are interested in hiring
a researcher; to the group if you have other suggestions.

Using information on the Routes to Roots website, I sent direct
requests to the Vinnitsa and Kamenetz-Podolsky (or maybe it was
Khmelnitzky - I have to check) archives for
birth/marriage/death/census information about my gg-grandfather and
gg-grandmother.

Vinnitsa responded with a scanned letter saying, essentially, that
they don't have anything during the time period. I figure since my
great-grandfather was born in 1877, supposed in Izyaslav (that's where
he says he came >from on the immigration papers), his father would have
been born roughly anywhere in the 1830s to 1850s. Imprecise, I know.
I supplied names: Mendel and Yocheved Leibson.

I have communicated with archives before (thanks to Google translate,
and that I can "decode" and understand a little Russian), but it
hasn't borne fruit.

I cannot afford a personal researcher; maybe I could go in with
someone, or a whole lot of people.

Any other suggestions or stories to share are appreciated!

Guy Levin
Yitzchok LEIBSON
Eva GORSKY LEIBSON
Mendel and Yoched LEIBSON
of Izyaslav/Zaslav

MODERATOR COMMENT: All surviving documents in the Kamenets Podolsky
archives were transported to Khmelnitskiy following a fire in 2004.
Many of these records have been filmed for the Central Archives of
the History of the Jewish People in Jerusalem, but no one has stepped
forward to organize a fundraising effort to acquire and translate
these records for inclusion in the JewishGen Ukraine database.
Records >from this town are known to exist, but the CAHJP does not
have the funds or the expertise to research or transcribe these
records. Please respond privately if you are interested in hiring
a researcher; to the group if you have other suggestions.