Back to school: Online gen classes begin, Oct. 11

It's back to family history school on October 11 with Family Tree University classes.

New classes this term at the education site of Family Tree Magazine include Death Records 101, Cemetery Research 101 and a two-week sampler class called "Discover Your Family Tree."

Here are all the classes offered at Family Tree University:

• Advanced Google for Genealogists: Techniques to Take Your Research to the Next Level
• Build a Family Website: Make a Site for Your Family in Four Weeks
• Cemetery Research 101: Dig Up Your Family History
• Creating a Family History Book: Start-to-Finish Guidance for Assembling and Printing a Family Keepsake
• Death Records 101: Find What Your Ancestors Left Behind
• Digital Photography Essentials: Techniques to Capture and Preserve Your Family History
• Discover Your Family Tree: Genealogy for the Absolute Beginner
• Exploring City Directories: How to Trace Your Family in Yesterday’s Yellow Pages
• Find Your German Roots: From America to Deutschland
• Finding African-American Ancestors in Newspapers: Research Strategies for Success
• Finding Ancestors in the US Census: Online and Offline Research Strategies
• Finding Your Ancestral Village: Strategies and Tools to Pinpoint Your Family’s Place of Origin
• Google Earth for Genealogists: Plot Your Ancestors’ Lives
• Google Tools for Genealogists: Four Resources to Enhance Your Family History
• Land Records 101: Using Deeds, Plats, Patents and More
• Mastering Google Search: Secrets to Smarter, Faster Online Research
• Newspaper Research 101: Find Your Ancestors in American News Sources
• Organize Your Genealogy: Get Your Research in Order (and Keep It That Way)
• Published Genealogies: How to Use Others’ Research to Grow Your Family Tree
• Research in Foreign Records: How to Find Your Family Across the Pond
• Reverse Genealogy: Working Forward to Break Down Brick Walls
• Trace Your Polish Roots: Strategies for Searching in the US and Poland
• Tracing Immigrants: How to Research Your Family’s American Arrivals
• US Military Records: Trace Your Ancestors’ Service
• US Vital Records: Researching Births, Marriages, Deaths and Divorces
• Writing Your Family Memoir: Create a Capitvating Record of Your Family’s Story

For more information on classes, instructors, cost and registration, click here.

Philadelphia: Marion Smith to speak, Oct. 11

Senior CIS historian Marion Smith will speak on Philadelphia's role as an immigration center and the Red Star Line at the next meeting of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Philadelphia, on Monday, October 11.

This special program is co-hosted by the JGSGP and the Gershman Y to spotlight the Borowsky Gallery exhibit at the Y.

The JGSGP meeting will begin at 7.30pm at the Gershman Y, 401 S. Broad St., Philadelphia.

Smith - Chief of the Historical Research Branch for US Citizenship and Immigration Services - will discuss various organizations and individuals who made their living from immigration to Philadelphia at the turn of the last century. The two presentations are:

-- "One Foot in America - The Jewish Emigrants of the Red Star Line and Eugeen Vn Mieghem," and

--  "Philadelphia's Immigration Business in the Late 19th-Early 20th Century"

For more information, see these links: Red Star Line Friends, and two Gershman Y links here and here.  information check out the following links:

Guests are always welcome. Fee: JGSGP members, free; others: $2.

The JGSGP - and the entire Jewish genealogical community - extends its deep condolences to Mark and Joan Halpern on the death of their beloved son, Jeremy, on September 2. May his memory be a blessing.

Contributions may be made In Jeremy’s memory to: Be The Match Foundation, 3001 Broadway Street NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413-1753.

In the story of Jewish immigration to America, Philadelphia and the Belgian city of Antwerp share a special link. Ships of the Red Star Line carried over one million Jews from Antwerp to Philadelphia and other cities. The artist Eugeen Van Mieghem captured many of them in poignant portraits just before they set sail - as they figuratively put "One Foot in America."

From government officials to steamship lines, local businesses to charitable organizations, each played a role in the business of immigration.

Genes & Teens: Family DNA analysis

Everyone - even teenagers - are interested in DNA these days.

The Wall Street Journal carried a great "teens and genes" story.

Ann West, 17, of Cupertino, California can be called somewhat obsessive about analyzing her family's DNA.

The self-taught teen has been decoding her family's genome and has spoken at major conferences

Her father was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism in 2003, which encouraged him to get the family's genes sequenced using advanced technology at Illumina, Inc. The cost: $160,000 for the four people in the family. He wanted to know if anyone else in the family might be at risk for the same condition.

In 2007, they tested with 23&Me and received a break as Anne's father worked at Illumina, which offered a testing discount for employees. But he wanted to know more, and went for the full-genome testing for everyone.

Anne is the one analyzing the reams of data that is not interpreted by most testing companies. According to the story, it doesn't usually matter as most clients are academic scientists who have a cadre of assistants and the newest computers to do the work.

The teen - without those resources - decided to do it the "old-fashioned" way, by hand, on the family computer, using a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to sort the information.

She's presented at major genetics conferences in Boston and New York, where scientists gave her their business cards, and her research led to a summer job at the lab of a prominent Harvard and MIT scientist.

She then created a series of formulas, using Excel's help function when she got stuck. One formula separated which portions of genetic data came from Mr. West's side of the family and which came from Mrs. West's side. That information helped her to plot graphs to see how genetically close she and her brother are to each other, and to each of their parents.


The next step was to look more closely at one of the 20,000 genes we all have. Anne focused on the Factor V gene. She inherited the same mutation that her father has, putting her at increased risk for embolisms.


She decided to see if she had any other additional mutations on the same gene from her mother's side of the family—something that might increase her risk even more. She discovered that she does have other mutations, but that researchers don't believe they will cause any health issues.

What's next on her agenda? Well, she says she hasn't yet taken driver's ed.

Read the complete story at the link above and read Anne's comment following the story.

Arizona: Jewish centenary, time capsule contest

The Tucson Jewish community will hold its centennial celebration and time-capsule opening on October 24.

The Centennial Exhibit opened in mid-August and will run through December 23. Below see a 1914 postcard of the first synagogue in Arizona, termed by the card's publisher (Kressge) the "Jewish Church." The synagogue is now the Jewish History Museum, the only one in Arizona.

In conjunction with the celebration is the Jewish History Museum's "Be a Part of History" contest.

On exhibit: The history of the Southwest Jewish Pioneers ~ 1860 to present day • Photos taken by Jewish Pioneer Leo Goldschmidt ~ 1870-1890 • Photos and historic newsletter from early Temple Emanu-El • Red White and Blue Dress worn on July 4, 1876 • Statehood Dress worn February 14, 1912 • The Life Cycle Journal of Rabbi Marcus Breger, Anshei Israel • Holocaust Surviving Torah • Southern Arizona Holocaust Survivors Memorial Quilt.

Readers can enter to win their own personal time capsule and to participate in the removal of the original century-old capsule from the building's cornerstone.

The day starts at noon with a live music street festival from Klezmer and everything else!

At 2pm, the cornerstone placed by Jewish pioneers in the foundation of Arizona's historic first synagogue building will be opened.

Following the opening of the old capsule, the new 2010 capsule will be placed and sealed until the 2110 bicentennial event. Five winners will have a chance to win a personal time capsule and help remove the old one. The new capsule will be returned to the winner's descendants in 2110.

Readers can also become a part of the first synagogue and the only Jewish History Museum in Arizona. by having your name and message engraved on a 12-inch x 12-inch granite stone to be permanently installed in the Centennial Courtyard of the museum.

They'd also like you to tell them what should be placed in the new capsule. All suggested items will be submitted to the Museum Board for consideration.

The Jewish History Museum is housed in the oldest synagogue building in Arizona. Built in 1910 it was the home of Temple Emanu-El from 1910 to 1949. Saved from the wrecking ball in 1999, the historic structure has been completely restored and today is the home of the only Jewish History Museum in the Southwest.

For more information on the event and exhibit, click the museum link above.

The Jews of southern Arizona began gathering in the 1880s. In 1884, the Hebrew Ladies Benevolent Society was formed. Twenty years later, they took up the challenge to aise funds for a permanent synagogue. Jewish settlers in other communities, such as Globe, Bisbee and Nogales also contributed.

On June 20, 1910, the grand lodge of Arizona Masons laid the Temple’s cornerstone. The first services were held on Rosh HaShanah, October 3, 1910. Built before Arizona achieved statehood, the synagogue served as an important center of Jewish community for the entire Southwest US. Temple Emanu-El grew significantly and moved from Stone Avenue in September 1949. Over the years, the original building was used for other purposes.

In 1982, the Temple reclaimed its roots at a ceremony sponsored by the Tucson-Pima County Historical Commission, the Arizona Heritage Center, and the southern Arizona chapter of the Arizona Jewish Historical Society.

Geneabloggers: 10 new geneablogs!

Thomas MacEntee has discovered another 10 genealogy blogs this week, bringing the total to 1,300 at Geneabloggers.com.

This week's batch includes individual family history, education, cemeteries, Midwest, Minnesota, Canada, Maine, New England, research, UK, Norway, Sweden and Jewish.

View the details for each blog here.

Ancestral Paths
Individual family history

BG’s Genealogy Blog
Genealogy education

Graveyard Hopping
Cemetery blogs, Midwest genealogy, Minnesota genealogy

Heirlooms Reunited
Canada genealogy, Maine genealogy, New England genealogy, Research blogs

London Roots Research
UK genealogy

Penny’s Genes
Individual family history

Rogers Family History
Individual family history

Scandia Musings
Individual family history, Norwegian genealogy, Swedish genealogy

The Keough Corner
Canadian genealogy, Individual family history

The Life and Travels of W. T. Knowles
Individual family history, Jewish genealogy

View details at the complete post.

Lithuania: Discoveries, databases and more!

Tracing the Tribe is always looking for records for the elusive BANK family in Kaunas and environs.

My maternal great-grandmother - Riva bat Tsalel BANK - had relatives in Kaunas (known as Kovno back then) city and surrounding shtetls, as well as close family (most went to South Africa) in Kedainiai (Kedain). Tsalel's family lived in Petrniskey, Kovno gubernia, a community listed in the Black Book of Destroyed Communities.

While we know numerous bits of information linking the family groups, such as Riva's younger brother Chatzkel marrying Traina Leah, daughter of Tsalel's brother Gedalia of Kedain, and Traina Leah's contacts with her South African siblings, we are still missing much information.

When LitvakSIG announced the completion of the Kaunas Family List project, with 18 files (23,000 lines of data) added to the Kaunas Family List, I checked to see what was there. View the surname list here to see several files, disovering two BANKs in one file and 18 in another.

In the actual Excel spreadsheets of records, I discovered additional details for future research. As genealogists know, tiny details often lead to much larger discoveries, and the 18-name file provided clues to Taurage as well as Gaure (Rasainiai uyezd). 

The KFL list is important as information recorded came from various documents presented to authorities. It includes former shtetls of residence, details of extended families and confirms family details of moving to Kaunas or moving elsewhere. This may well solve some mysteries of history for some researchers looking for their Lithuanian roots in the area.

While LitvakSIG finds the information, it is the group's supporters and contributors who make it possible to hire translators and make the data accessible. Thanks to those who contributed, the project was completed in less than two years and researchers like myself have more to see.

Readers with ancestors in the Kaunas area should consider contributing to the Kaunas District Research Group for access to this important data. The minimum qualifying contribution is US$100, which provides access to the data which will not appear on the All-Lithuania Database for another year. All funds raised go towards translating more vital records for Kaunas , Vilijampole and tax lists for Kaunas district shtetls.

LitvakSIG is an independent nonprofit membership organization, with its All Lithuania Database and Daily Discussion Group hosted by JewishGen.

Kaunas District Research Group coordinator Dorothy Leivers is stepping down, and Ralph Salinger (Kibbutz Kfar Ruppin, Israel) is taking over. Well-known for his work on Jewish cemeteries in Vilkaviskis and Kalvarija, he's been researching his family for some 25 years, tracing them back to western Poland in 1732.

Family Tree Magazine: Win! Win! Win!

Family Tree Magazine is offering an "ultimate family history giveaway."

Enter for a chance to win more than $2,000 worth of genealogy products, including a Family History Library research retreat and hotel stay, subscriptions, software, gift certificates and more.

It's okay to enter everyday - so bookmark the page and note your calendar - through October 31. Maybe you'll be the lucky one to win this fabulous package.

The prize package includes the following:

•A week-long Salt Lake City research trip! Free registration in a Family History Library Research Retreat from Family History Expos ($399 value) plus a free six-night stay at the neighboring Salt Lake Plaza hotel ($510 value)

•Annual subscription to FindMyPast.co.uk ($239 value)

•2-year PremiumPlus membership to MyHeritage.com ($238 value)

•RootsMagic 4 software, Getting the Most from RootsMagic book, RootsMagic tote bag, 4GB RootsMagic flash drive, Personal Historian software, Family Atlas software ($122 value)

•1-year Research Membership in the New England Historic Genealogical Society, including access to AmericanAncestors.org, plus a 1 hour consultation with a professional NEHGS genealogist ($125 value)

•3 gift certificates for any spiral-bound or paperback book from Arphax Publishing's Family Maps or Texas Land Survey Maps series ($90 value)

•Annual subscription to GenealogyBank ($89.95 value)

•Google Earth for Genealogy DVD and Genealogy Gems Podcast Premium annual membership ($42 value)

•10 Years of Family Tree Magazine DVD, The Family Tree Sourcebook and a 1-year Family Tree VIP membership ($185 value)

What are you waiting for? Enter today! Read the official rules here.

Oregon: 'Lost town of Trochenbrod,' Oct. 12

Avrom Bendavid-Val will present "The Heavens are Empty: Discovering the Lost Town of Trochenbrod," at the Jewish Genealogical Society of Oregon meeting on Tuesday, October 12, in Portland.

The meeting begins at 7.30pm, at Congregation Ahavath Achim, 3225 SW Barbur Blvd.

The town of Trochenbrod was created by city Jews as an agricultural village in a marshy area isolated in the forest in Volyn Province, in the Jewish Pale of Settlement, in the early 1800s. This beginning as a rural farming community happened at a time when no Jews were farmers—at that time Jews couldn’t even own land.

As Trochenbrod gradually took on the character of a town and grew to its final population of about 5,000 people it became the only free-standing Jewish town ever to exist outside the biblical Land of Israel.

Trochenbrod developed into a thriving regional commercial center with a highly diversified and essentially self-sufficient economy.

In Trochenbrod everyone—shopkeepers, farmers, craftspeople, workers, teachers, livestock traders, factory owners…everyone—was Jewish; and the languages the townspeople spoke in the street and in their homes were Yiddish and modern Hebrew.

When Bendavid-Val was working in Poland in 1997, he decided to visit Trochenbrod, the ancestral town of his father and grandfather.

He discovered that there were no physical remnants of Trochenbrod and that it had been a unique settlement in many ways. He documented the town's history from its creation in the early 1800s to its destruction in 1942.

His book about Trochenbrod will be released by Pegasus Books early this month. If you obtain the book before the program, he will sign your copy at the event.

Attendees who arrive by 7pm will receive expert assistance with genealogy problems, and questions may be sent ahead of time.

Fee: JGSO members, free; others, $5 donation requested.