I did finally figure out how to send my comment, attached below. Apparently  you cannot do it by email but you can do it electronically. Here is a more precise guide:

1. Go to this website: http://recordsnotrevenue.com/

2. Read that page, but if you already understand the issue and simply want to register your comments, scroll down to the bottom half of the page where it says "Make your voice heard in three easy steps!"

3. Skip steps one and two and click on the Federal Rule Making Portal under Step 3.

4. Register your comment and decide if you want your contact information included (or not) and submit.

5. Collect your tracking number

6. Advice: Do NOT make your comment political (i.e., as a rebuke of the current administration, who, after all, are the people who will render the final decision).

7. Send copies of your comments to the appropriate members of your Congressional district.

My comment:

Your Comment Tracking Number: 1k3-9dsl-epo8

I have been researching and writing about my extended family for the last 25 years and have relied for much of my information on freely available files held by the National Archives and the Library of Congress. As honest taxpayers we already support our government substantially and should not be penalized for requesting copies of information that was collected with money from our taxes. In other words, charging for access to this information is a form of double taxation. One can understand a per page charge for hard copy documents, but only at a normal commercial rate of a few cents per page. Charging hundreds of dollars is unconscionable. Where those documents are already digitized, the cost of emailing them should be near zero!

Our government is supposed to be "of the people, by the people and FOR the people". We recognize that final obligation in many ways, including the maintenance of free museums in our nation's capital. Certainly the upkeep of those museums is an expensive proposition and yet we still provide free access. We do it in part because we recognize that an informed and educated citizenry is essential for our democracy to continue to prosper. I would maintain that providing free access to documents about our own families is just as important as providing free access to the tons of other documents that are readily available at the National Archives, the Library of Congress and the D.C. public museums. This is an urgent matter. Please do not let these proposed fee increases go forward. The present fee schedule is already cumbersome!  

Kalonimus is a first name that is paired with the slightly more common name Kalman. I don't know the origin of either name but  even if  they originally came about in connection with a certain family I don't think their use  is connected to any surname or family. I wouldn't read much into it in terms  of families.

Hello all,

In my family the name Kalman Kalonimus is not an infrequent name. Also my father was naùmed Kalman Kalonymus.

Here is some information:

According to Rabbi Shmuel Gorr z"l:

Kalonymus קלונימוס

Old Greek.

Kalon - "beautiful;" Nymus - "name". Possibly another attempt at translating the Hebrew name "Shem Tov". The use of this name by Jews is from the Second Temple period.

Kalman (Often used together after the original name form - Kalonymus.

Kalmenka (A branch of the ancient family Yoffe (Yaffe, Joffe, Jaffe, etc.) which means beautiful, had a progenitor called Kalman (beautiful name) Yoffe. They changed their name to Yoffe-Kalmenkes (beautiful, beautiful name). Kalminkes, alone, is also a family name.

According to Alexander Beider:

Kalonymos (Calinymos) was created by the Greek-speaking Jews from the (Judeo-) Greek expression meaning beautiful name. Calonimus is the latinized form. ItsGershon traditional Hebrew spelling is קלונימוס, and despite its non-Hebrew origin it was still considered to be a shem ha-qodesh (Zunz 1876:25). In the Middle Ages, it was a popular name in Italy (cf. for example, the occurrences in the index for Immanuel de Rome 1957, and also in Adler 1907:10, Colorni 1983:70). According to a legend, a family whose head was a bearer of this name migrated from Lucca (northern Italy) to the Rhineland, most likely during the 10th century. Their descendants called Kalonymides were of great importance to the cultural life of the medieval Jewish Rhineland. Numerous religious scholars and poets, primarily from Mainz and Speyer, belonged to that family. Due to the fame of Kalonymides, the given name became popular in Germany. Migrants brought it from the Rhineland to southern Germany. In some cases, it could also be brought to various German-speaking provinces from medieval southern France where it was also found (Gross 2897:709, Seror 1989:57-58, Adler 1907:3) due to earlier migrations of Jews from Italy to that area.
In Germany, the full form never appears in Christian sources after the 11th century. On the other hand, since the early 13th century there are numerous references to derived forms of Caleman (Kaleman) and Calman (Kalman). Jews used them as the vernacular equivalents(kinnuim) for Kalonimos. The use of the phonetic variants of Kalonimos seems to have been completely reduced to religious life, being absent from the vernacular. Zunz (1876:26) suggested that the association between Kal(e)man and Kalonimos was purely phonetic. That idea is unattractive - a genetic association between the two names is much more plausible. Several hypotheses were suggested to explain the derivation of Kal(e)man from Kalonimos/Kalonimus. Fischer (1938:159) stated that it resulted from the confusion between the two nasals, /n/ and /m/. Despite the fact that such phonetic phenomenon actually took place at that period, this hypothesis is not satisfactory since it does not provide any explanation for the transposition of the two consonants. Gold (1977:99) proposed metathesis - the concept in linguistics to designate the permutation between two phonemes that take place in a specific context. However, he never explained the uniqueness of that particular phonetic context. Moreover, both the above hypotheses do not explain the transformation of the vowel present between these two nasals to /a/. Most likely, Kal(e)man was obtained by the addition of the element -man to the truncated stem of Kalonimos (Wexler 1992:91).
Jewish migrants from Germany brought the forms Kalman and Kalmen to the Slavic countries. During the 15th - 16th centuries, Christian sources regularly mention Jewish bearers of the appellation Colman or Kolman. Since these occurrences are numerous, it is likely Jews used the form Kolman among themselves. That variant of Kalman could have been influenced by the existence of the Germanic name Coloman used by German Christians since the 9th century (Förstemann 1900:1088, Necrologia Germaniae 1:40, 75).

--

Cheers,

I would like to "make my voice known" but am confused as to how and where I can do this. Can you do it by email and, if so, at what address? If not, what is the physical address you have to write to?   Glad to know that I still have time to respond.   Jeff Knisbacher

Hello,

I'm looking for relatives of Perla David nee Shevah/Seivah
Her partners name was Bercu Seivah and Maria Seivah >from Husi the couple had 4
more children:

Hers Leibu Seivah born in Husi January 1889
Etla Reisa Seivah born in Husi October 1890
Etla Reisa Seivah married Jacob Sraer in July 1912
Itla Seivah born in Husi September 1897
Moise Seivah born in Husi May 1899

Perla Seivah born in Husi June 1902 and she was married Itzik David

Any information you have about this family will be greatly appreciated

Regards,

Liat

Hello,

I'm looking for relatives of Perla David nee Shevah/Seivah
Her partners name was Bercu Seivah and Maria Seivah >from Husi the couple had 4
more children:

Hers Leibu Seivah born in Husi January 1889
Etla Reisa Seivah born in Husi October 1890
Etla Reisa Seivah married Jacob Sraer in July 1912
Itla Seivah born in Husi September 1897
Moise Seivah born in Husi May 1899

Perla Seivah born in Husi June 1902 and she was married Itzik David

Any information you have about this family will be greatly appreciated

Regards,

Liat

My middle name is Kalman. My family’s last name was Rojtkopf. While they were from Poland for at least two generations, I believe my great grandfather Kalman, who was a followerer of the Gerer Rebbe, came from Lithuania or Ukraine and was sometimes called Kalonymus.  Does this sound familiar to anyone?

The difficulty I have here is that I do not know how to read the word
'Smouse' phonetically. I think you are trying to convey what I would
write as SHMOOZ. If so, it is used in Yiddish but is German in origin
and has a double meaning of "cuddle" and of "soft talk". David Lewin
London

In Afrikaans, the word 'smous' would be pronounced something like smow-s
(slightly extended s at the end).

I don't know if the word is pejorative or not, but the traveling Jewish
peddler was usually seen in a positive light, as they were the ones
bringing news (gossip?) and urgently needed supplies to remote farming
areas that seldom saw other outside traffic.

Jeremy Lichtman
Toronto

The difficulty I have here is that I do not know how to read the word
'Smouse' phonetically. I think you are trying to convey what I would
write as SHMOOZ. If so, it is used in Yiddish but is German in origin
and has a double meaning of "cuddle" and of "soft talk". David Lewin
London

In Afrikaans, the word 'smous' would be pronounced something like smow-s
(slightly extended s at the end).

I don't know if the word is pejorative or not, but the traveling Jewish
peddler was usually seen in a positive light, as they were the ones
bringing news (gossip?) and urgently needed supplies to remote farming
areas that seldom saw other outside traffic.

Jeremy Lichtman
Toronto

This is part of our story as well. My Grandfather Mauritz (Morris) John Plen
arrived as a 19 year old in Cape Town in about 1890. My father Mark told me that
Morris had told him that he worked as a smous for a period before moving up to
Johannesburg where he worked in a store near the corner of Rissik and Commissioner
Street for a year or two arriving and setting up in Nigel soon after the time of
the start of the goldrush >from 1896. Within a couple of years he owned a thriving
General Store and Hotel in Nigel. Except for the Boer War years (1900-1902) he
spent the rest of his long life running the store, the New Goldfields Hotel and a
number of properties in Nigel.

With Regards
Brian


Brian Plen
Skype brianplen
Tel: +44 (0)208922 9592 43 Etchingham Park Road
Mobile: +44 (0)7976 365 537 Finchley
Email: brian@brianplen.com London, N3 2EB

This is part of our story as well. My Grandfather Mauritz (Morris) John Plen
arrived as a 19 year old in Cape Town in about 1890. My father Mark told me that
Morris had told him that he worked as a smous for a period before moving up to
Johannesburg where he worked in a store near the corner of Rissik and Commissioner
Street for a year or two arriving and setting up in Nigel soon after the time of
the start of the goldrush >from 1896. Within a couple of years he owned a thriving
General Store and Hotel in Nigel. Except for the Boer War years (1900-1902) he
spent the rest of his long life running the store, the New Goldfields Hotel and a
number of properties in Nigel.

With Regards
Brian


Brian Plen
Skype brianplen
Tel: +44 (0)208922 9592 43 Etchingham Park Road
Mobile: +44 (0)7976 365 537 Finchley
Email: brian@brianplen.com London, N3 2EB

I was told that the word smous means Soos Moses which is Afrikaans for
Like Moses.

Regards

Bubbles Segall

I was told that the word smous means Soos Moses which is Afrikaans for
Like Moses.

Regards

Bubbles Segall

We are delighted to announce the release of the December 2019 issue of
the "Galitzianer," the quarterly research journal of Gesher Galicia.

Spanning centuries, this issue is a smorgasbord of history, politics, and
family narratives--and it raises a host of interesting questions. How will a
new Polish regulation complicating access to records impact Jewish
genealogical research? What can we learn about the Jewish community in
Galicia >from the first Galician census? How did universal male suffrage
impact Jewish political representation during the Habsburg Monarchy?
How do you uncover your family's past when the surviving relative
doesn't want to talk about it? What should you consider before
interviewing a Holocaust survivor?

The December issue of the journal raises these and other questions
through the following articles:
- "Research Corner: Successes and Hurdles" by Mark Jacobson
- "The First Habsburg Census" by Andrew Zalewski
- "Jewish Deputies >from Galicia" by Borries Kuzmany
- "Looking for My Parents" by Reuven Liebes
- "My Grandmother's Kitchen" by Peter Bein
- "Map Corner: 1850 Cadastral Map of Gorlice" by Jay Osborn
- "A Day with Murray" by Barbara Krasner
- "Membership News" by Shelley Kellerman Pollero

The "Galitzianer" is a membership benefit of Gesher Galicia, though
anyone is invited to submit articles on Galicia-related themes. For
membership information, visit our website at
www.geshergalicia.org/membership/. For details on submitting an
article, review our submissions policy at
www.geshergalicia.org/the-galitzianer/#submissions, or contact me at
submissions@geshergalicia.org.

Jodi G. Benjamin
Editor, The Galitzianer
Gesher Galicia

---
PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL ADDRESS.
Send all inquiries to submissions@geshergalicia.org.
---

We are delighted to announce the release of the December 2019 issue of
the "Galitzianer," the quarterly research journal of Gesher Galicia.

Spanning centuries, this issue is a smorgasbord of history, politics, and
family narratives--and it raises a host of interesting questions. How will a
new Polish regulation complicating access to records impact Jewish
genealogical research? What can we learn about the Jewish community in
Galicia >from the first Galician census? How did universal male suffrage
impact Jewish political representation during the Habsburg Monarchy?
How do you uncover your family's past when the surviving relative
doesn't want to talk about it? What should you consider before
interviewing a Holocaust survivor?

The December issue of the journal raises these and other questions
through the following articles:
- "Research Corner: Successes and Hurdles" by Mark Jacobson
- "The First Habsburg Census" by Andrew Zalewski
- "Jewish Deputies >from Galicia" by Borries Kuzmany
- "Looking for My Parents" by Reuven Liebes
- "My Grandmother's Kitchen" by Peter Bein
- "Map Corner: 1850 Cadastral Map of Gorlice" by Jay Osborn
- "A Day with Murray" by Barbara Krasner
- "Membership News" by Shelley Kellerman Pollero

The "Galitzianer" is a membership benefit of Gesher Galicia, though
anyone is invited to submit articles on Galicia-related themes. For
membership information, visit our website at
www.geshergalicia.org/membership/. For details on submitting an
article, review our submissions policy at
www.geshergalicia.org/the-galitzianer/#submissions, or contact me at
submissions@geshergalicia.org.

Jodi G. Benjamin
Editor, The Galitzianer
Gesher Galicia

---
PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL ADDRESS.
Send all inquiries to submissions@geshergalicia.org.
---

We are delighted to announce the release of the December 2019 issue of
the "Galitzianer," the quarterly research journal of Gesher Galicia.

Spanning centuries, this issue is a smorgasbord of history, politics,
and family narratives--and it raises a host of interesting questions.
How will a new Polish regulation complicating access to records impact
Jewish genealogical research? What can we learn about the Jewish
community in Galicia >from the first Galician census? How
did universal male suffrage impact Jewish political representation
during the Habsburg Monarchy? How do you uncover your familyâ??s past
when the surviving relative doesn't want to talk about it? What should
you consider before interviewing a Holocaust survivor?

The December issue of the journal raises these and other questions
through the following articles:
- "Research Corner: Successes and Hurdles" by Mark Jacobson
- "The First Habsburg Census" by Andrew Zalewski
- "Jewish Deputies >from Galicia" by Borries Kuzmany
- "Looking for My Parents" by Reuven Liebes
- "My Grandmother's Kitchen" by Peter Bein
- "Map Corner: 1850 Cadastral Map of Gorlice" by Jay Osborn
- "A Day with Murray" by Barbara Krasner
- "Membership News" by Shelley Kellerman Pollero

The "Galitzianer" is a membership benefit of Gesher Galicia, though
anyone is invited to submit articles on Galicia-related themes. For
membership information, visit our website at
www.geshergalicia.org/membership/. For details on submitting an
article, review our submissions policy at
www.geshergalicia.org/the-galitzianer/#submissions, or contact me at
submissions@geshergalicia.org.

Jodi G. Benjamin
Editor, The Galitzianer
Gesher Galicia

--
---
PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL ADDRESS.
Send all inquiries to submissions@geshergalicia.org.
---

We are delighted to announce the release of the December 2019 issue of
the "Galitzianer," the quarterly research journal of Gesher Galicia.

Spanning centuries, this issue is a smorgasbord of history, politics,
and family narratives--and it raises a host of interesting questions.
How will a new Polish regulation complicating access to records impact
Jewish genealogical research? What can we learn about the Jewish
community in Galicia >from the first Galician census? How
did universal male suffrage impact Jewish political representation
during the Habsburg Monarchy? How do you uncover your familyâ??s past
when the surviving relative doesn't want to talk about it? What should
you consider before interviewing a Holocaust survivor?

The December issue of the journal raises these and other questions
through the following articles:
- "Research Corner: Successes and Hurdles" by Mark Jacobson
- "The First Habsburg Census" by Andrew Zalewski
- "Jewish Deputies >from Galicia" by Borries Kuzmany
- "Looking for My Parents" by Reuven Liebes
- "My Grandmother's Kitchen" by Peter Bein
- "Map Corner: 1850 Cadastral Map of Gorlice" by Jay Osborn
- "A Day with Murray" by Barbara Krasner
- "Membership News" by Shelley Kellerman Pollero

The "Galitzianer" is a membership benefit of Gesher Galicia, though
anyone is invited to submit articles on Galicia-related themes. For
membership information, visit our website at
www.geshergalicia.org/membership/. For details on submitting an
article, review our submissions policy at
www.geshergalicia.org/the-galitzianer/#submissions, or contact me at
submissions@geshergalicia.org.

Jodi G. Benjamin
Editor, The Galitzianer
Gesher Galicia

--
---
PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL ADDRESS.
Send all inquiries to submissions@geshergalicia.org.
---