Finding Uncle Froyim and Aunt Minnie: A Genealogical Adventure Illustrated by Three Mysteries Linda Gaines September 19, 2014
How did we get started? • I visited my cousin Lonnie in SF, and our cousin Fern was there. Cousin Fern? • My father spearheaded an attempt to recover my great uncle Joe’s paper mill in Budapest. • Who were these people? I thought I had a small family…
There were more nudges and we waded in… • We got a call from one of Irwin’s cousins in Glencoe. “Cousin Lenny’s in town…” – They had a partial family tree, including lots of cousins in Israel – And a set of neat files with pictures, recipes, letters • We heard a short talk and bought a little program • We entered a few people • We added some pictures • It was very easy • It kept track of how everybody was related • It made nice output • It was somewhat addictive • We have over 2600 people in our database and a shared web page
We couldn’t go far back so we spread out • We included everyone from common ancestors • We learned about our extended families • We visited people whenever we could
We used a progression of sources • Memories and pictures we had • Things from known and discovered relatives – MEMORIES! – Pictures – Documents – Recipes – Trophies – Inventions – Audios • Documents you can order – Birth certificates – Social security applications • Ancestry.com – Census – Immigration – SSDI • Jewishgen.org
Pictures are clues and make your family come alive • They document events • They reveal who was where and whom they met • They reveal relative ages • They show styles of clothing, cars, furniture, etc. • They reveal places • They have personality
Guess which sister isn’t married yet
Things to do with pictures • Collect them – Beg, borrow, steal – Photograph • Identify everyone • Scan them • Restore them • Peruse them for clues • Organize them • Display by topic – Wedding dresses – Dogs – Cars – Bathing suits
There are puzzle pieces everywhere • Post cards provide names, addresses, itineraries • Gravestones provide more than dates – Maiden name – Language spoken – Verify lineage
Some documents are goldmines
You can find your family on the web • Switchboard • Google – especially if you have an unusual name • SSDI • Ellis Island database • Subscription service free trials – Census records – New York City birth records – Indiana birth and marriage records • Book-seller websites – Amazon.com – Alibris.com • Lithuanian Revision Lists
You can learn a lot from the Census • 1930 and prior years available, some well indexed
You can learn much from the Ellis Island database
Synagogue records are valuable
You will get conflicting information • Everyone had a different story about Abe Lurie’s occupation – But he did try to invent a perpetual motion machine • People changed their names, spellings • Borders moved • People wrote down what they heard for birth certificates and Census forms – Example of where Abe and Bertha were born • People lied about things like their ages • People glorified things in their memories • Family history is like playing telephone • For now, we’re reporting all versions, with attribution
We has a unique window in time • We could not have much of this before 2000 because the data were not indexed on web – Universal e-mail also speeds up data exchange • We can no longer do some of it because critical memories are gone – Got information and stories from to old relatives – Had them identify faces in pictures (crucial)
Mystery #1: Did my great-grandfather Abraham Lurie have 2 wives? • My grandfather was the youngest of 8, but I had only met one brother once – He claimed he was 12 before he found out a chicken had anything but a neck • We had a cryptic family tree compiled around 1980 – His father seemed to have been married before – This was a surprise – Was he divorced? Was he a bigamist?
Cousin Florence had an intriguing tale • Her father told her a story from when he was a child • One day, the doorbell rang • One of the children went to answer the door • A man and a woman were standing there • They said, “We are you father’s children from his first marriage.” • The child said, “No you’re not. Go away.” • So they did, never to return.
We visited one cousin when we were in New York • Recurring theme: visit relatives if you travel – Pick their brains while you can – Borrow documents to scan • I walked in and he said I looked just like Aunt Jenny – I was touched, until he said the same to Irwin • He rattled off names and places faster than I could write – These were key clues – You may want to tape conversations (I don’t) • Another cousin we tracked down in Paris confirmed some names via e-mail • It was confusing because several lines, duplicate names • We postulated a possible lineage from the unknown wife
The detectives got to work • Irwin found a very little clue (a “2”) in the 1920 Census – SSDI had a promising name in the right place – Switchboard had a possible descendant in the same place • My father made 3 cold calls – Switchboard lead was the wrong woman but referred him to a relative – The relative was on my great- grandfather’s sister’s line – Her “double cousin” is the first wife’s descendant
1857 Lithuanian Revision List is online Nechemia Luria b. 1801 , ben Shlomo (~1775 ) m. Rivka bat Isaac b. 1814 Abram Luria b. 1836, m. Itte bat Leyzer (1838) Aron Lurie b. 1839 m. Sore bat Eliash (1838) Sheina Luria b. 1845 Sore Luria b. 1850 Feiga Luria b. 1853 Gene Luria b. 1856 My great- grandfather had married Itabela Aranstamm in Lithuania They had a son (Tom) and daughter (Minnie) – my grandfather’s ½ siblings They were divorced She moved to the US Then old Abe married his 2 nd wife
The implied marriage date is bogus
I visited Aunt Minnie’s grave, and her great grand-daughter
Mystery #2: Who was Uncle Froyim? This story needs part of the family tree to explain. 1. Julia Winnick (b.1868-Poland d.13 Aug 1954) 2. Henrietta Silberkleit (b.8 Mar 1891 d.19 Nov 1980) 2. Elizabeth Rebecca Silberkleit (b.11 Mar 1893 d.25 Jan 1986-Florida) 3. William Bernard Lurie (b.6 Jan 1921 d. 6 May 2013-Florida) 4. Linda Jean Lurie (b.6 Jul 1947-New York) sp: Irwin Gaines (b.8 Nov 1947-New York m.9 Jun 1971) 2. Jack Silberkleit (b.24 Jan 1896 d.3 Sep 1941-California) 2. Goldie Silberkleit (b.2 Aug 1899 d.19 Jun 1989) 3. Natalie Zwerdling (b.28 May 1923-Bronx,NY) 2. Louis Horace Silberkleit (b.17 Nov 1900 d.21 Feb 1986-New York) 3. Michael Ivan Silberkleit (b.27 Apr 1932-d. 5 Aug 2008-New York)
Did my great-grandmother Julia Silberkleit have siblings? • Her brothers were said to have delayed telling her their mother had died until after her wedding.
This story had several key elements • Natalie told us a story – Her mother and grandmother were going out, and Uncle Froyim was coming – She had to feed him fruit on a glass plate – He came in his black suit, white beard, patted her on the head • I couldn’t find Winnick, Winig,Winick, etc. in Ellis Island database • Michael found Uncle Lou’s birth certificate, with spelling Winik • I found Ephraim Winik arriving in 1923 – His US contact was Zilberkleit! – He came with his son Peysach, daughter-in-law Mania, kids Chaim and Chana • Irwin found a Phillip Winik in 1930 Census – With son Paul, Mania, children Hyman, Nina, and Marcia – Correct ages! • Hyman Winik was in SSDI – Died in Florida in 2002 • My father found obituary and visited his widow; I visited their son • We found a whole new branch of the family!
Uncle Froyim and his family
Mystery #3: Who was Polda? – My mother and Aunt Ruth remembered her sitting on the porch plucking the hairs from her legs – She was older and beautiful – She was rumored to fly first class by getting friendly with pilots
Facebook supplied a missing link. • Nemenyi Andras in Hungary found Cousin Marty Nemenyi in Florida on Facebook – Marty referred him to me – We had his father in the database, but not him • I visited him and family “on my way“ to Finland • He found an address for “lost” cousin Alice in France • I visited her on my next business trip to Europe • She knew Polda, suggested relationship (almost correct) • She knew her husband’s name
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