Browsing tag

genealogy

When Herschel Became Harry: How to Find your Ancestors’ Original Names

By Moriah Amit, Senior
Reference Services Librarian, Genealogy Coordinator

Although the notion that our immigrant ancestors’ names were changed by clerks at Ellis Island has been debunked time and again by noted scholars in Jewish genealogy (see References below), this myth remains pervasive in the stories that American Jews tell about their family history. The truth, that most of our immigrant ancestors chose…

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Breaking through our Female Ancestor’s Brick Walls: Genealogical Sources for Maiden Names by Moriah Amit

In honor of Women’s History Month, I
would like to offer some guidance to those who are seeking to discover and
share the stories of their elusive female ancestors. One of the most common
“brick walls” that genealogy researchers face when tracing the family history
of a female ancestor is that their family doesn’t know her maiden name. For

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Tracing the Past: Deciphering Handwriting in Yiddish and Hebrew

By J.D. Arden, Reference Services Librarian, Genealogy Specialist, Center for Jewish History

Here at the
Center for Jewish History in the Ackman and Ziff Family
Genealogy Institute
, researchers in genealogy often
discover or bring in old postcards, letters, manuscripts or vital statistics
records. These old documents are notoriously difficult to read! Some are in
Yiddish,…

Free Events for Genealogists of All Levels

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The Center for Jewish History invites people of all backgrounds to explore their roots at the landmark Ackman & Ziff Family Genealogy Institute.

Participants will explore the world of family history
research with the guidance of expert genealogists, become familiar with local
and online resources, and learn how to present and share their family history. The…

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