SephardicGen: Santa Coloma de Queralt and more

SephardicGen.com's Jeff Malka has informed Tracing the Tribe that 85% of databased names on his site can be searched through his Consolidated Index Search Form. This "index of indexes" directs researchers to links to databases containing the name(s) of interest. The rest of the names will soon be added to the Index.

More databases will soon be included on the site, he added.

Did you know that SephardicGen also has the databases in French? He'd like to add the descriptions of the databases and the search forms in Spanish and into Catalan. Native speaker volunteers are invited to email Jeff.

And here's yet another recently added database for the small Santa Coloma de Queralt community in Catalunya, Spain.

The names appeared in Professor Yom Tov Assis's book "The Jews of Santa Coloma de Queralt: An economic and demographic case study of a community at the end of the thirteenth century" (Hispania Judaica, v.6).

Assis is a member of the Mandel Institute of Jewish Studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and head of the Hispania Judaica Research Center which is part of the Institute.

The contents are based on notarial documents over nine years, 1290-1299, found in the local archives. There are 42 surnames with given names, year and place, and the reference page in the book. It is a small database limited to only one small community detailed over a short period of time. However, if you find your family name there, the benefits may be enormous.

Check the database here.

In addition to town residents, some individuals came from Barcelona, Cervera, Guimera, Lerida and Montealbo.

One drawback is that there is no indication of what the document is referring to in the book. Is it a business record, a property sale or purchase, or anything else requiring a notarial record? If one of these records is for your possible ancestor, you will have to find a copy of the book and check the page number reference to learn more.

For Santa Coloma de Queralt, there are 36 records, and the family names include:

SAMUEL, FRANC, CRESQUES, ASTRUCH, DE CARCASSONA, DE MONTEALBO, SAPORTA, VIVES, FRANC, ZA GUIALMESSA, ABNAZOFER, AVEN ABEZ, COMPREDO, DE CERANOT, GENTO, LATORRE, IASIT, ABNAZIA, TEIXIDOR, BRUNELL, FUSTER, LLOP, TABER, SOLER, ASTRIL, NAZAR, ASIM, NETIM and AMIEL.

Researchers of Sephardic families have even more resources to look forward to, thanks to Jeff.