Oregon: Jews in the News, May 31

Genealogists know that newspapers can be our best friends in our quest for family information.

Pamela Weisberger of Los Angeles will present two excellent programs focusing on newspapers resources at the annual brunch of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Oregon (JGSO), on Sunday, May 31.

The program begins at 10.30am at Ahavath Achim Synagogue in Portland.

"Jews in the News: Enhance Your Research with Newspaper Databases" offers techniques for locating people and events of interest to your quest.

Some of the most exciting resources for genealogists are the online databases and microfilms of old newspapers and journals. Following this oft-neglected “paper trail” will enhance your genealogical knowledge. From obituaries, birth, engagement and marriage announcements, to curiosities such as “Yesterday’s Fires,” “News of the Courts,” and articles covering Eastern European towns and businesses, you will be astonished by the unexpected appearances immigrant ancestors make in the pages of these tabloids and broadsheets.

"When Leopold Met Lena: Marriage, Divorce and Deception in the 1890s" is a fascinating case study.

First came love, then came marriage - but after the baby in the baby carriage came adultery and two trials in New York’s Court of Common Pleas. A divorce decree in the 1890s New York Times “News of the Courts” leads to scandal-ridden NYC court transcripts and revelations of a family secret. From Czestochowa , Poland and Cracow , Austria to Manhattan ’s Lower East Side and Little Rock , Arkansas - the tumultuous, romantic and litigious world of our ancestors is brought to life in court records, newspaper articles, census and vital records. Learn how present-day research can be used to solve 19th century mysteries.

Pamela is program chair for the Jewish Genealogical Society of Los Angeles, Gesher Galicia president and research coordinator for Gesher Galicia, and co-chair for the 2010 IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy (July 2010, Los Angeles) .

Her first job in the film industry was working for Otto Preminger who never took no for an answer. This was the perfect training for becoming a genealogist. Documenting her family’s history for more than 20 years, she has visited and researched her ancestral towns and villages conducting research in Polish, Ukrainian and Hungarian archives. Her special interest is late-19th-early-20th century city directories, newspapers and court records. She has produced two genealogy-related documentaries.

Fee: JGSO members, $7; others, $9. For more details and reservation information see the JGSO website.