There are lots of problems with town names on JGFF - one is requested to use
current name as listed in a standard cartography publication at least this
was the practice when I signed up.

For instance the town of Koidanov (about 20 km sw of Minsk) is now
officially called Dyarzhinsk, but is also spelled Dzerzhinsk on many recent
maps, several other variants also occur. Variations of the old name include
Kaidanov (no relation to the town of Kaidan), Koidanova, Koidanovo,
Kurdanov, but I am sure Koidanev is a misspelling and I never heard of
Katniew as a name for Koidanov. Keep in mind there may be Russian,
Yiddish,Polish, etc. versions for each town. In the case of Koidanov, the
railroad station still has the Koidanov name according to eye witnesses - so
what is the correct name to use when researching?

Has the JGFF naming policy been changed or is it not consistently enforced?

Les EVENCHICK
New Orleans, LA
levenchick@...

Searching EVENCHICK,EVENCHIK,CHERCHESS,HELLER >from Koidanov(Dzerzhinsk) and
Minsk

levenchick@... writes:
<< the town of Koidanov (about 20 km sw of Minsk) is now
officially called Dyarzhinsk, but is also spelled Dzerzhinsk on many recent
maps, several other variants also occur. Variations of the old name include

First of all, let's start with no right and no wrong--just confusion.
Not all of the soundex names at JG ShtetlSeeker and FamilyFinder correspond
which makes it even more difficult to decide between similar and same named
towns. (Btw, Katniew is a name I got >from a 1933 map of Minsk, Belarus)

Going back and forth between the two sites--using a process of elimination--
this is what I found:

at JGFF using "SOUNDEX"-->
Koidenev/ Khotenovo/ Khotinovo/Koydanovo/Koidanev/Koidanovo all lead to
KOIDENEV(KOIDENEV)with 3 surnames listed

Dzerzhinsk/Dzyarzhynsk(no "K" town variation names listed) 32 surnames listed.

at JG ShtetlSDeeker using "SOUNDEX" and Minsk as my 'key location'-->
Dzerzhinsk/Dzyarzhynsk & Koydanovo/Kaydanovo/Dzyarzhynsk both at
5341 & 2708 is 30 m(< miles) WSW >from Minsk
Dzerzhinsk at 5140 & 2733 is 154 m S of Minsk
Dzerzhinskiy at 5242 & 2842 is 91 m SSE of Minsk
Khotenovo at 5408 & 2802 is 19 m NNE of Minsk
Khotinovo at 5253 & 2751 is 70 m

Koidenev KOIDENEV is not listed at shtetlseeker.

So what can we presume and who wants to assume? I gave the examples
to show that so much is a guesstimate. I'm having the same problem with
my ggm little town in Poland and my gm town in Hungary. I get 5 & 6 names
for each, 100s of miles apart or some as next door neighbors in two separate
countries on maps.

Using map coordinates would be the best method, but I don't want to
suggest that: because who knows which sound-a-like towns should be assigned
which coordinates?

Best to all,
Linda Cohen
cohentalk@...
MichiganUSA

Hi Les ,

Just wondering if you are related to either Sheldon Evans or Ron Evans they are both on Ancestry .My father is from Koidenov ,he shares a high DNA Cm with both Sheldon and Ron.

My Dad was born around 1933 and as a 6 yo boy was part of the holocaust, he lost his immediate family but he survived. As a 6 yo he was taken in by a Latvian battalion and given a new name  he blocked his past identity for the most part of his life but remembers the names Panok and that he was from a small village outside of Minsk (Dzyarzhynsk).

Cheers,
Martin