Genealogy is, of course, much much more than just knowing the names, births, deaths and marriages of our forebears. It's also about knowing their stories... how they lived their lives.
I spent the day recently exploring a brilliant online resource for researchers in Australia. TROVE - http://trove.nla.gov.au - a web service supplied by the National Library of Australia allows researchers to search the library's formidable collection of online resources from one simple interface.
The resources available at a mouse click include NLA's entire digitised colection of newspapers, picture and photographic collections, diaries and personal papers, maps and even music and video.
The newspaper collection is particularly useful and covers major Australian newspaper titles from 1803 to1954 including major mastheads like The Sydney Morning Herald, The Argus (Melbourne) and the Adelaide Advertiser and less well known titles like the Hobart Town Gazette and The Western Australian Times.
If your ancestor has a common name - like my second great grandfather David Davis - then it might be difficult to sort out which references refer to them however if you have a less common name in your tree - like my third great grandfather Solomon Schlossman - you can find all sorts of fascinating minutiae that fill in the details of their lives.
For example: On February 17 1894 Solomon advertised a "...Splendid opportunity for any person wishing to join party of experienced miners leaving for field immediately full particulars Solomin Schlossman 69 Liverpool St. Sydney". He was heading for Coolgardie (just outside Kalgoorlie), the site of a new gold rush.
On February 23rd Solomon advertised his business and all his household goods for sale by auction. It's only a small thing but the ad lists a the assets of the business and household items and paints a picture of the state of the business at that moment. Assets included an engine & boiler, sausage machine and filler, chopping blocks, a marble counter and marble tables and gas fittings throughout the house and the shop. It's given me a vivid image of the business and the house.
Trove also delivered me some other treasures including several advertisements for various family business interests, and insolvencies (a recurring theme in my family). On Wednesday 13th January 1926 the Sydney Morning Herald reported that "Cyril Browny, aged 26, appeared at the Central Polico Court yesterday to answer a charge of having stolon a motor car, valued at £210, the property of Sadie Jane Davis, on January 4" Sadie Jane being my great grandmother. Again, it's only a small thing but it adds another brushstroke to the bigger picture.
TROVE is also, of course, a quick and easy way of tracking down all those birth, marriage and death notices from major papers without having to leave the house.
All in all TROVE is full of treasures for those willing to mount an expedition to trawl its database depths.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Saturday, April 24, 2010
2nd National Jewish Genealogical Conference - Melbourne; March 2010
By way of more catch up here is a copy of an article I wrote for the April edition of the Australia Jewish Genealogical Society e-report about the recently held National Conference in Melbourne in March.
Reflections of a Conference Newby
I’m fairly new to Genealogy as an organised hobby having only started researching my family history properly about 18 months ago. I became interested - and subsequently obsessed - gradually, in part thanks to Reike Nash, a cousin, who has spent years researching our common Isenberg/Eizenberg line. Being a diligent researcher, and having the wonders of the internet at my fingertips, I quickly discovered a plethora of references pertaining to other branches of my family tree scattered through online indexes and archives around the country, and the world. This led to a treasure trove of documents and information. I was hooked.
I joined the AJGS in Sydney and in early March attended my first conference - Our Jewish Roots: the 2nd Australian National Conference on Jewish Genealogy - held at the Beth Weizmann Jewish Community Centre in Melbourne. The day before the conference commenced Melbourne was lashed by a supercell storm, flooding the CBD and damaging buildings across the city. Hailstones the size of golf balls had crashed through roofs and car windscreens but thankfully the conference centre was undamaged and delegates were well protected from Melbourne’s notoriously unpredictable weather.
On signing in at registration I was handed a goody bag with the conference program booklet, a list of participants and their contact details, assorted research guides and leaflets, some handy pens, pencils and highlighters and a complimentary bottle of water. There was a solid turnout, around 150 people, and the main auditorium was buzzing with anticipation.
Allan Jankie - chair of the AJGS-Vic executive welcomed us, opened the conference and introduced the keynote speaker, Dr Sallyann Amdur Sack-Pikus - a legend in Jewish Genealogy. In a lively and entertaining address, Sallyann recounted the early days of Jewish genealogy and how, in attempting to research her own family, she ended up establishing a publishing empire - Avotaynu. She discussed how the fall of the Soviet Union opened up access to previously restricted and unknown archives and how today modern technology was opening even more doors. The future, she insists, is bright for genealogists.
One of the highlights of Sallyann’s talk was her description of the gains made in her own research with the advantage of the internet. Through a website she developed she has managed to connect disparate branches of the Amdur tree and discover her relationship to Amdurs, Amders and Emdurs (not to mention Amdursky’s) around the world - including Australia’s very own Larry Emdur!
Following morning tea, we were treated to another feisty speaker, Schelly Talalay Dardashti - writer of the highly informative Tracing the Tribe blog and an expert in Sephardi genealogy. Schelly is also a great champion of the way DNA technology is being applied to genealogy and spoke at length about the Iberian Ashkenazi DNA project. Through this project Schelly has come to the conclusion that, in fact, we’re all Sephardi, and she’s convinced she has the tools to prove it!
Straight after the plenary we broke into groups for smaller, concurrent sessions. It was hard choosing which one to go to but eventually I settled on the Sephardi SIG - which ended up being run by Schelly. As we had just heard her downstairs she conducted more of a Q&A and we were able to ask questions specifically related to our own research.
Over a lovely stand up lunch of felafel with hummus and salad, and a nice cup of tea, I had a chance to chat with Schelly and went to her next session on “The New Technological Frontier: Social Networks and Blogging”. Having had some success myself with tracing Haskis on Facebook I was very interested to hear more details about the potential and pitfalls of online collaboration. Schelly’s blog - Tracing the Tribe http://tracingthetribe.blogspot.com/ - is a great resource and an excellent way to keep abreast of the latest news and innovations in the Genealogy sector.
Next I went back to the main auditorium to listen to Sydney’s own Gary Luke moderate a session on Researching Early Australia. I was very interested in this as many of my ancestors had arrived in Australia before 1900 and one branch - the Schlossman/ Davis clan - had lived in Melbourne, Sandhurst (now Bendigo) and Echuca. During the discussion the participants mentioned a book called The Jews in Victoria in the 19th Century by Rabbi L M Goldman - self published in 1954 - so after the session I want to the Makor Library (located at the front of Beth Weizmann) and looked through the index of this book and lo and behold found a reference to a J. Davis and A. Schlessman (with an ‘e’). On flicking to the page I found a report regarding the refurbishment of the Sandhurst Synagogue in 1871. There on the building committee were these two names next to each other. Considering I have a multitude of other evidence putting both my great great grandfather John Davis and his father in law (my 3rd great grandfather) Solomon Schlossman in Sandhurst in 1871, these names side by side on this list led me to deduce they are the same men, spelling not withstanding.
In one of the last sessions of the day our very own Reike Nash explained the genesis of the JRI Poland project and explained how the operation worked and what kinds of information researchers could expect to find on it. Due to popular demand she gave a practical workshop on the site the following day.
At the end of day one delegates strolled up the road to the beautiful Glen Eira Town Hall for an informal evening function. Over delicious kosher canapes and some lovely local wine we got to chat with one another and the guest speakers. The Mayor of Glen Eira City Council - the impossibly young Cr Stephen Tang - welcomed everyone and told us of his own fascinating family background containing both Polish and Chinese ancestry. Most importantly came the announcement the Genealogy section of the Makor Library would now be called the Les Oberman Wing, in honour of the late president of the AJGS-Vic who passed away suddenly last year. Mr Oberman’s widow and son accepted the honour and a plaque was hung at the entrance of the wing the following morning.
Day two of the conference began with concurrent sessions on Czech research, beginning your journey and writing family newsletters. With my interest in communicating my own research I chose the latter presented by the very enthusiastic Bubbles Segall.
After the morning tea break we all gathered once again for two plenary sessions. The first was a quick yet very informative overview of the major archival institutions - National Archives of Australia (NAA), the State Library of Victoria (SLV) - which has a dedicated genealogy wing - and the Public Records Office of Victoria (PROV). Professionals from each institution gave excellent presentations on accessing the various collections and what one might expect to find there.
After a short break we were in for a real treat. The Israeli Ambassador to Australia, Yuval Rotem, arrived (amid a cluster of young men in black suits speaking into their wrists) and recounted his own genealogical journey of discovery. Being a diplomat he had a few advantages already and early on he had the good fortune to be stationed in the US, with Utah under his pervue. He obtained invaluable assistance from the Mormon Family History centre and was ultimately able to trace his family all the way to Australia, finding some long lost cousins in Melbourne - one of whom was sitting in the front row.
Following Ambassador Rotem’s spirited presentation renowned author Arnold Zable picked up on the passion and pleasure of storytelling. This is a particular interest of my own so I listened intently. Arnold’s illustration of techniques - using readings from his own work - was wonderful and reinforced for me the path I was already on.
After lunch - more felafel - Shauna Hicks, an independent genealogy researcher, gave an excellent presentation on Caring for your Family Records, recommending a range of useful products and ideas. She also touched on succession planning - after all why do all that work if no one gets it after you’re gone!
The afternoon was taken up by a plenary session with Sallyann on Holocaust research and a final “ask the experts” panel where our overseas guests and some home grown experts were asked their advice on specific roadblocks and problems.
So there was the formal part of the proceedings over. But wait, there was more!
Tthe AJGS-Vic had arranged tours of various institutions for Tuesday so after an early breakfast with a friend I arrived at the PROV in North Melbourne. James McKinnon, who had presented at the conference, took us for a behind the scenes look at this incredible archive, leading us into the stacks and explaining how it all operated ‘under the hood’. Grabbing a lift with Ziva Fain and Schelly Talalay Dardashti I then made my way over to SLV for a tour of the beautiful genealogy section. I was frustrated that I didn’t have the time to stay and dive into these incredible resources right away.
All in all the conference was an extremely valuable and informative experience. The networking opportunities and access to resources it offered were invaluable and I recommend attending similar events to anyone wanting to expand their knowledge of the available resources and research options.
Reflections of a Conference Newby
I’m fairly new to Genealogy as an organised hobby having only started researching my family history properly about 18 months ago. I became interested - and subsequently obsessed - gradually, in part thanks to Reike Nash, a cousin, who has spent years researching our common Isenberg/Eizenberg line. Being a diligent researcher, and having the wonders of the internet at my fingertips, I quickly discovered a plethora of references pertaining to other branches of my family tree scattered through online indexes and archives around the country, and the world. This led to a treasure trove of documents and information. I was hooked.
I joined the AJGS in Sydney and in early March attended my first conference - Our Jewish Roots: the 2nd Australian National Conference on Jewish Genealogy - held at the Beth Weizmann Jewish Community Centre in Melbourne. The day before the conference commenced Melbourne was lashed by a supercell storm, flooding the CBD and damaging buildings across the city. Hailstones the size of golf balls had crashed through roofs and car windscreens but thankfully the conference centre was undamaged and delegates were well protected from Melbourne’s notoriously unpredictable weather.
On signing in at registration I was handed a goody bag with the conference program booklet, a list of participants and their contact details, assorted research guides and leaflets, some handy pens, pencils and highlighters and a complimentary bottle of water. There was a solid turnout, around 150 people, and the main auditorium was buzzing with anticipation.
Allan Jankie - chair of the AJGS-Vic executive welcomed us, opened the conference and introduced the keynote speaker, Dr Sallyann Amdur Sack-Pikus - a legend in Jewish Genealogy. In a lively and entertaining address, Sallyann recounted the early days of Jewish genealogy and how, in attempting to research her own family, she ended up establishing a publishing empire - Avotaynu. She discussed how the fall of the Soviet Union opened up access to previously restricted and unknown archives and how today modern technology was opening even more doors. The future, she insists, is bright for genealogists.
One of the highlights of Sallyann’s talk was her description of the gains made in her own research with the advantage of the internet. Through a website she developed she has managed to connect disparate branches of the Amdur tree and discover her relationship to Amdurs, Amders and Emdurs (not to mention Amdursky’s) around the world - including Australia’s very own Larry Emdur!
Following morning tea, we were treated to another feisty speaker, Schelly Talalay Dardashti - writer of the highly informative Tracing the Tribe blog and an expert in Sephardi genealogy. Schelly is also a great champion of the way DNA technology is being applied to genealogy and spoke at length about the Iberian Ashkenazi DNA project. Through this project Schelly has come to the conclusion that, in fact, we’re all Sephardi, and she’s convinced she has the tools to prove it!
Straight after the plenary we broke into groups for smaller, concurrent sessions. It was hard choosing which one to go to but eventually I settled on the Sephardi SIG - which ended up being run by Schelly. As we had just heard her downstairs she conducted more of a Q&A and we were able to ask questions specifically related to our own research.
Over a lovely stand up lunch of felafel with hummus and salad, and a nice cup of tea, I had a chance to chat with Schelly and went to her next session on “The New Technological Frontier: Social Networks and Blogging”. Having had some success myself with tracing Haskis on Facebook I was very interested to hear more details about the potential and pitfalls of online collaboration. Schelly’s blog - Tracing the Tribe http://tracingthetribe.blogspot.com/ - is a great resource and an excellent way to keep abreast of the latest news and innovations in the Genealogy sector.
Next I went back to the main auditorium to listen to Sydney’s own Gary Luke moderate a session on Researching Early Australia. I was very interested in this as many of my ancestors had arrived in Australia before 1900 and one branch - the Schlossman/ Davis clan - had lived in Melbourne, Sandhurst (now Bendigo) and Echuca. During the discussion the participants mentioned a book called The Jews in Victoria in the 19th Century by Rabbi L M Goldman - self published in 1954 - so after the session I want to the Makor Library (located at the front of Beth Weizmann) and looked through the index of this book and lo and behold found a reference to a J. Davis and A. Schlessman (with an ‘e’). On flicking to the page I found a report regarding the refurbishment of the Sandhurst Synagogue in 1871. There on the building committee were these two names next to each other. Considering I have a multitude of other evidence putting both my great great grandfather John Davis and his father in law (my 3rd great grandfather) Solomon Schlossman in Sandhurst in 1871, these names side by side on this list led me to deduce they are the same men, spelling not withstanding.
In one of the last sessions of the day our very own Reike Nash explained the genesis of the JRI Poland project and explained how the operation worked and what kinds of information researchers could expect to find on it. Due to popular demand she gave a practical workshop on the site the following day.
At the end of day one delegates strolled up the road to the beautiful Glen Eira Town Hall for an informal evening function. Over delicious kosher canapes and some lovely local wine we got to chat with one another and the guest speakers. The Mayor of Glen Eira City Council - the impossibly young Cr Stephen Tang - welcomed everyone and told us of his own fascinating family background containing both Polish and Chinese ancestry. Most importantly came the announcement the Genealogy section of the Makor Library would now be called the Les Oberman Wing, in honour of the late president of the AJGS-Vic who passed away suddenly last year. Mr Oberman’s widow and son accepted the honour and a plaque was hung at the entrance of the wing the following morning.
Day two of the conference began with concurrent sessions on Czech research, beginning your journey and writing family newsletters. With my interest in communicating my own research I chose the latter presented by the very enthusiastic Bubbles Segall.
After the morning tea break we all gathered once again for two plenary sessions. The first was a quick yet very informative overview of the major archival institutions - National Archives of Australia (NAA), the State Library of Victoria (SLV) - which has a dedicated genealogy wing - and the Public Records Office of Victoria (PROV). Professionals from each institution gave excellent presentations on accessing the various collections and what one might expect to find there.
After a short break we were in for a real treat. The Israeli Ambassador to Australia, Yuval Rotem, arrived (amid a cluster of young men in black suits speaking into their wrists) and recounted his own genealogical journey of discovery. Being a diplomat he had a few advantages already and early on he had the good fortune to be stationed in the US, with Utah under his pervue. He obtained invaluable assistance from the Mormon Family History centre and was ultimately able to trace his family all the way to Australia, finding some long lost cousins in Melbourne - one of whom was sitting in the front row.
Following Ambassador Rotem’s spirited presentation renowned author Arnold Zable picked up on the passion and pleasure of storytelling. This is a particular interest of my own so I listened intently. Arnold’s illustration of techniques - using readings from his own work - was wonderful and reinforced for me the path I was already on.
After lunch - more felafel - Shauna Hicks, an independent genealogy researcher, gave an excellent presentation on Caring for your Family Records, recommending a range of useful products and ideas. She also touched on succession planning - after all why do all that work if no one gets it after you’re gone!
The afternoon was taken up by a plenary session with Sallyann on Holocaust research and a final “ask the experts” panel where our overseas guests and some home grown experts were asked their advice on specific roadblocks and problems.
So there was the formal part of the proceedings over. But wait, there was more!
Tthe AJGS-Vic had arranged tours of various institutions for Tuesday so after an early breakfast with a friend I arrived at the PROV in North Melbourne. James McKinnon, who had presented at the conference, took us for a behind the scenes look at this incredible archive, leading us into the stacks and explaining how it all operated ‘under the hood’. Grabbing a lift with Ziva Fain and Schelly Talalay Dardashti I then made my way over to SLV for a tour of the beautiful genealogy section. I was frustrated that I didn’t have the time to stay and dive into these incredible resources right away.
All in all the conference was an extremely valuable and informative experience. The networking opportunities and access to resources it offered were invaluable and I recommend attending similar events to anyone wanting to expand their knowledge of the available resources and research options.
NSW State Records
On Thursday (April 22, 2010) I paid my first visit to the Western Sydney Reading Room of the NSW State Records. It's a great place with very helpful staff.
I'd already spent many hours combing the online databases of the Archives (www.records.nsw.gov.au/state-archives/indexes-online) but there is so much more available if you make the effort to go in. The reading room is a quiet place with researchers clad in blue plastic gloves bent over precious documents or searching through miles and miles of microfilm.
I came armed with some printouts from the Register of Firms index. The research assistant took me through the process of ordering up the actual registers - they arrived in minutes from the stacks - and, donning my blue gloves, I gingerly turned the pages to those indicated on my lists.
Disappointingly the actual registers did not yield that much more information than the indexes themselves however there is something wonderful about leafing through these large books and seeing your ancestors name in perfect cursive script.
I did find a few fabulous treats.
In the probate files I discovered the Last Will and Testament of Arthur Isaac Davis (pictured), my great grandfather. Arthur was the first member of his family to become a professional - he was a conveyancer. Music was an important part of Davis family life and in his will Arthur specifically bequeaths his piano, gramophone and records and music books to his daughter, Elwyn Lilian. His wife, of course, gets the house.
I also found my 2nd great grandfather Myer Rothbaum's application for naturalization, which contained specific reference to when and on which boat he arrived in the colony. This is useful because I cannot find any record of him in the shipping lists.
I have a lot more work to do in the State Records - and in PROV in Victoria too - but my first experience at NSW State Records was certainly pleasant and rewarding.
I'd already spent many hours combing the online databases of the Archives (www.records.nsw.gov.au/state-archives/indexes-online) but there is so much more available if you make the effort to go in. The reading room is a quiet place with researchers clad in blue plastic gloves bent over precious documents or searching through miles and miles of microfilm.
I came armed with some printouts from the Register of Firms index. The research assistant took me through the process of ordering up the actual registers - they arrived in minutes from the stacks - and, donning my blue gloves, I gingerly turned the pages to those indicated on my lists.
Disappointingly the actual registers did not yield that much more information than the indexes themselves however there is something wonderful about leafing through these large books and seeing your ancestors name in perfect cursive script.
I did find a few fabulous treats.
I also found my 2nd great grandfather Myer Rothbaum's application for naturalization, which contained specific reference to when and on which boat he arrived in the colony. This is useful because I cannot find any record of him in the shipping lists.
I have a lot more work to do in the State Records - and in PROV in Victoria too - but my first experience at NSW State Records was certainly pleasant and rewarding.
Friday, April 23, 2010
The Story So Far
This blog should really have been started a couple of years ago, when I first got interested in my family history but, you know what they say... better late than never!! So, hopefully without boring you to tears, this post will try to BRIEFLY cover how I uncovered some of my early discoveries and what my trategy for the next few moths will be.To set the scene I am researching all branches of my tree- an insane undertaking I know. Names I'm researching include HASKI, POPPEL, SLONIMKSI, DAVIS, SCHLOSSMAN, GREENBAUM, EIZENBERG, DIAMOND/ DIMANT, MANDELSHTAM, ROTHBAUM and CYPRES... in countries as diverse as EGYPT, TURKEY, LATVIA, LITHUANIA, POLAND, UKRAINE, ENGLAND and AUSTRALIA.
First and foremost I must thank Reike Nash and the good folk of the Australia Jewish Genealogy Society for getting me started on this amazing odyssey. Many years ago Reike posted my mother a chart of our Eizenberg family - my mother's maiden name. Reike had been researching them for several years as she was an Isenberg. To my amazement we were all from the same branch - a group of five brothers who had left Wyszkow in Poland in the 19th Century.
I also found a cache of letters from my great grandfather, Arthur DAVIS, to my great grandmother, Jane Sarah ROTHBAUM, written during their courtship and the early part of their marriage. I'm still transcribing them so you'll have to stay tuned for the full story but they certainly paint a vivid and intimate picture of their relationship.
So far, mainly using the wonders of the Internet and the wonderful work of other family members, I've managed to put together a fairly comprehensive tree going back, on my mothers side, to all my 2nd great grandparents and even 3rd great grandparents, Solomon & Harriett SCHLOSSMAN (read their story here: http://followingfadedfootprints.blogspot.com/2009/06/solomon-schlossman-hawker-miner.html) On my father's side it's a bit trickier as they have only been in Australia since 1948 and the Egyptian records are notoriously hard to access.
The main resources I'm using online are Ancestry.com, state and national archives, NSW and VIC BMD registers and the indispensable databases and messageboards of JewishGen. I keep revisiting these resources, discovering more new references or recontextualising references I've already found. Also, the unbelievable guides and lists created by the legends at Avotaynu.
The State Library of NSW is also a great place to hang out - particularly the Mitchell wing. One of the best things I've found to date is a large hand coloured photograph of my John Davis and Solomon Schlossman - my 2nd and 3rd great grandfathers - with the large gold nugget the found in Rheloa (See the aforementioned link re Solomon)
Later this year I take this show on the road. I leave for the UK on August 15 and for three months will be traveling around Europe and the Middle East trying to find the faded footprints of my ancestors.
This blog will be used to note daily discoveries and process (some days I might not find anything!!) Please feel free to leave your comments, suggestions and tips. If you find a relatives name somewhere here leave me a comment and I'll get in touch. I hope you enjoy the journey as much as I am.
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