Brick Wall People – Part 4 – Feige Golda Reich

Fiege in Frankfurt, ca 1920s

Name: Feige Golda Riech

Birth: about 1870

Death: about 1929

Marriage: Before 1890

Location(s): Czudek, Galicia (Poland); Frankfurt, Germany

Relation to me: Feige Golda Reich is my paternal grandfather's maternal grandmother, which makes her 5^th generation before me.

Alias(es): none known

Parents: unknown

Spouse(s): BenzionKresch

Children: Naftali Mendel, Dora, Minna, ?, ?

Other Family: No other direct family known.

Details:

I know only a little bit more about Feige than I do about her husband Benzion. Like all of my Jewish great-great grandparents, I have no BMD information aside from what I have gotten from family, so my dates for her are vague at best. I do know she lived a good deal of her life in Czudek, and raised her children there, then moved to Frankfurt after her husband's death. I also know, from a photo we have of her in her later life, that she lived until the late twenties, thanks to my great grandmother. But other than raising possibly five children in a small town in Galicia, I know very little else about her life.

Proof:

1)      Like the rest of my Jewish great-grandparents, I got all my information on Feige from my grandfather.  Up until my sister and I started a book about our family, this was most of the information I had on her.

2)      As stated above, I also have one photo of her with a note on the back from my great grandmother stating that this was her mother during her time in Frankfurt, and that she died sometime in the late twenties.

3)      Like Benzion, she is also mentioned in the Hillinger Family book. Mostly, it refers to her as Dora's mother, and as having lived in Czudek.

4)      She is also listed on her son's immigration record to Brazil. She is only mentioned on it, but it gives Mendel's birth as Czudek, so that is confirmed, at least.

5)      My last piece of information is the wedding invitation in the Hillinger family book. It lists her as inviting people to attend her daughter's wedding. She and Leon are the two parents on the invitation, so that has led me to assume that they were the only parents the couple had alive at the time.

Needed:

Like Alex's parents, I have no BMD information on Feige, only word of mouth and guesses from the documentation I do have, so I can only speculate at those dates. Like the others, I have no clue where to even start looking for information for her, as most of the paperwork in Frankfurt was likely destroyed by the Nazis. If there were any records for her in Czudek, those are likely long gone, too.

Like with Benzion, I would also love better records about her children. I am lucky to have what I do, but I would love to know more, despite the pitfall I am rather certain awaits with the two missing Kresch children.

I would love to learn about her family as well. Parents, siblings, ancestors…I speculate that she was born in Czudek, as most people didn't travel far from home, especially women at that time and in that area. They tended to move in family groups or not at all. But unless I find records, I am unlikely to find out more.

That's everything I have. I'd love to know more about her, especially about her ancestors, but for now, I'll just take what I can find as I find it. As always, any help would be greatly appreciated.

Surname Saturday 2.0: The Reichs

The Reich Family

As of writing this, I have only one person in my family tree with this surname, my great-great grandmother Feige Golda Kresch (nee Reich). I have always had her in my tree, but I know almost nothing about her. So this entry is going to be a little different.

Feige (which is what I believe she went by given the records I have of two of her children) was likely born in Galicia to Jewish parents about 1870. Going by her name, she was probably a German Jew, but I have seen the name in many eastern Galician records as well, so it's also possible her family came from the eastern area, where the Ukrane now is.

The first record I have of her is in my great-grandparents' family book. It lists her as being from Czudek, which is where my great-grandmother was born, though I am uncertain if she was born there herself, or just lived there most recently according to that paperwork. I know nothing of her parents at all, or if she had siblings, or how many.

Of her husband, I know little. She married Benzion Kresch sometime before 1890, and the two had at least three, likely more, children. I am certain of the names of three at this time, but little else. I am uncertain when her husband died, but I do know that after, she moved to Frankfurt to be closer to her daughters. She died there sometime in the late 1920s, possibly 1929.

That's all I have. No exact dates, no family outside her husband, daughters and son, no addresses or specific birthplace. I do hope to find more, but given where she lived, I don't expect to find it easily, if I can at all.

The Reich line, as I know it:

>Feige Golda Reich was born about 1870, likely in Galicia. She married Benzion Kresch sometime before 1890. The two had at least three children, and possibly as many as five or more, according to some stories I have heard. The children I know are:
o Naftali Mendel Kresch, who I believe, according to the information I found, went by the name of Mendel, born 1890, married Rosa Lowenbraun, and they had at least one child, a Sabina Kresch, who was married herself by the time the family escaped to Brazil, sometime in the early days of World War II.
o Dora Kresch, born 1892, married Alex Hillinger 1919 in Frankfurt, Germany, where they raised 6 children before leaving for the US in the early 1930s.
o Minna Kresch, who I have little information about, but who came to Frankfurt with her sister after World War I, and who also managed to escape the war, as I have a photo of her at one of my great-aunts' weddings in the late 1940s.
o Of the others, I have no information, though I can guess their possible fates, given the time period. I have yet to have it confirmed, but it seems unlikely, given the area and the time, that my family would have completely escaped that fate.

> Dora and Alex Hillinger had six children, who have been covered in both the Hillinger and Seneft entries.

> Mendel and Rosa had at least one daughter survive the war, and she had a daughter as well. The last records I have of that branch of the family is a few photos of a "South American" cousin who came to visit in the 40s, and Mendel and his daughter's immigration cards to Brazil. I would absolutely love to get in contact with this branch of the family to see if they have any further information on our family.

What I don't know has been detailed above, but I will list it here fore easier reading, too:

> I would love to know anything about Feige's family—her parents, her siblings, where they lived when she was born.

> I would love to know when Feige and Benzion married, how many children they had, and when he died.

> I want to know more about the family of Mendel Kresch, and how they have done down in South America, and specifically if there are any family members still alive there today.

> I would also love to know more about my great-great aunt Minna, and how she survived the years. Did she marry? Did she have children? When did she come to the US? Or did she settle elsewhere?

> Last of all, I would love to know the fate of the other Kresch children, and what happened to them.

Other information about this branch of the family:
Brick Wall Posts -
> Brick Walls –a different listing
> Brick Wall Update
> Brick Wall Update 2012
Old Surname Posts –
> Reich
Where We're From Posts –
> Where We're From – Galicia
Other -
> On Jewish Names and Naming Traditions

Brick Wall Update 2012

It's been a while since I updated my brick wall search. While I haven't gotten much further on some branches since my last update, I think they will go on the back burner, so that I can focus more on getting information on my great-grandparents and their parents, and leave any more researched lines out for now.

So here's my Brick Walls as they stand:
The Seneft/Senft/Hilingers
I still haven't determined where exactly Sedziszow, Galicia is. I have a few possible locations, all in various parts of Galicia. I seem to come up with new places in Poland every time I look up the town. At the moment, I'm inclined to believe that they lived in the area north of Krakow (the blue tags are all possible locations that come up when I look up the town name.)

I also don't know if Alec's siblings were all born in that same town as he was, or what his second brother's name was. I do have a couple of relations I should try to get into contact with to see if they have that recorded somewhere.

I do not know when the Senefts moved to England, only that they were there before World War I. I have a record for a gravesite for "Minne Seneft" in London, with a transcription reading "Loving daughter Jennie," which may well be Alec's mother Mindel and his sister Jennie, which means they would have been there before 1913, when the grave marker says she died. This fits in with them having left in the late 1800s sometime, so I'm inclined to believe this is her.

I know the fate of three children if I include Alec. I have a record of Jennie's immigration to the US in 1916. The record also includes the name of her brother, Jack, who I know was also already in New York City at the time, and her father's name (Leon) and his address in London. I also think I have found a gravesite for Jack in New York, though I have not confirmed that grave, either.

Alec was sent to Camp Douglas, though whether he was sent there alone, or others of his family went there as well, I'm still not sure. We currently have three photos of Alec while he was at the Camp (though one I'm less certain of than the other two), both of which are addressed to his brother Jack.

We also have a family book about Alec and Dora's family which includes a few details of their parents' lives, including Alec's mother Mindel, though all it really mentions is that she was last living in London. Leon is not mentioned at all because by the time the book was written up, Alec had reverted to his mother's surname as his parents were married only in a religious ceremony, and their offspring were therefore not recognized as legitimate by the German government.

The last formal record I have of Leon is his name on Alec and Dora's wedding invitation, which means that I know he was alive in 1919, and my grandfather stated he was dead by the time he was born in 1922, so I am still looking for some kind of grave marker for Leon in London, as I believe he lived there until his death. I know he was a Rabbi from family stories, so he may have been buried someplace special, but for now, that's all I have.

I wish I could find more record of the Senefts in London, and even more information about Alec's time in Camp Douglas. I'd love to know more about Alec and Dora's life in Frankfurt, but likely most of those records were lost during the war, and I'm grateful for what I do know, at least.

As for Mindel and Leon, I have no record of them before London. I hope at some point, I'll find something, but for now, I think that's unlikely.

The Kresch/Reich family
Most of what I know about Dora's family, I've learned in the last two years, and comes from a couple of photos and the family book.

I know that Dora was born in Czudek, a small town in Galicia (now Poland) near Rezeszow, and her father seemed to be a teacher according the family book. I know that she had at least one sibling, though relations have mentioned she had more. I only have the name for one, though, her sister Minna, who came to Frankfurt with her shortly after World War I.

I believe their father, Benzion, died before the girls moved to Frankfurt, though not sure when exactly. Their mother, Fiege Golda (not entirely sure what she went by), moved to Frankfurt at some point. Not sure if she moved with her daughters, or later to be close to them. I believe she lived in Frankfurt until she died in the late 20s or early 30s. I do know that she was also on Alec and Dora's wedding invitation, but her husband was not. This means she was alive in 1919 definitely, while he was likely not.

Unfortunately, both Kresch and Reich are far more common than Seneft and Hilinger for this area, so in this case I actually suffer from an excess of too many records, and not being able to narrow things down enough, even with a specific location for Dora's birth.

And like Mindel and Leon, I know almost nothing about Benzion and Fiege Golda before their daughter's birth.

I think my main problem with both families is that names were very fluid in this time and area. Both in writing and in how they were referred to. In formal records, you used one name, in every day life, another, so depending on who was writing the record, you would see a very different name. Not to mention the language barrier of the Hebrew/Polish/German mix, along with other dialects spoken in the area. I'm working on getting it all sorted out, but it will definitely take time to do.

The Rasmus Hansen family
This branch is going on the back burner. I've managed to get a better record of Rasmus's parents. I've found him and his parents in three separate census records, and on Maren Sofie's side, I have both her parents as well, if not precise records at the moment. It's enough for now.

This will probably get some attention anyway, though, because I'm slowly piecing together Oline's life for the book I'm writing about her, so more research will need to be done at some point.

The Park/Curran family
This one is also going on the back burner. While I haven't gotten any further on the Park side, I have managed to get the names of both of Elizabeth Curran's grandfathers. And I'm definitely back before my great-great grandparents, even if not in great detail, so I think I can wait on this branch a little longer.

The Jones family
This is the last of the family branches I'm going to focus on now. Most of what I know of this branch comes from my aunt and my grandmother, and family photos. But I know almost nothing about my great grandfather's parents before his birth.

I have birth dates and locations locations for both. Benjamin was born in 1865 in Caio, Wales, and Hannah was born Hannah Griffiths in 1863 in Newcastle Emlyn, Wales. I believe both locations are in south western Wales, though using Google Maps has not helped much, as each time I look, I seem to find slightly different information, and at least one of the two seems to have more than one possible location. For my current assumptions, click here.

I believe they married sometime before 1882, and at some point the couple moved together to Merthyr Tydfil in South Eastern Wales where they had seven children. I believe all of them were born in Merthyr Tydfil, and that Daniel, my great-grandfather, was the eldest.

Both their first and last names are incredibly common, which makes finding them without more specific information almost impossible at the moment. Trying to narrow down the areas of their birth is nearly impossible, even though I have locations for both. It hasn't stopped me from trying, but it is making it very difficult. I just wish I knew at least one sibling or parent for each of them. It would help narrow things down a lot.

I suppose my next step for this branch will be to get a subscription on a British site to get access to British birth, death and census records.

The Gabriel/Howells/Roberts Family
Another branch that can wait, as I have quite a bit of information on this family. Less so on the Roberts side, but that's still a step further back than I need to go right now.


As always, any help with any of these branches would be greatly appreciated.

On Jewish Names and Naming Traditions

So yesterday, I spent dissecting the Jewish names in my family.

We've two branches on our Jewish family tree: The Seneft (sometimes spelled Senft)/Hillingers (originally Hilinger), and the Kresch/Reich-es.

The Seneft Family was located in Galaicia in a town called Sedziszow, which was either west and south of Rzeszow in what is now Poland, or a good deal further west and just north of Krakow. I'm leaning toward the idea that they were north of Krakow, as the other location seems far too close to the location I have for Dora's family to make sense for them never to have met.

Leon Seneft has a first name which sounds a bit too anglicized for me, and I need to look into Yiddish/Hebrew variations of the name. I don't know if he was born in Galicia, as I have no record of him beyond the few mentions my grandfather made, a slight mention in my grandfather's birth documents, and a ships' manifest his daughter was on mentioning him as her closest relation.

His surname is another problem all together. Not Yiddish at all, but German. Very German, in fact. Seneft is a Germanic surname meaning "mustard seller." How a Jewish man would end up with such a German name confuses me, so I'm wondering if it was an imposed name for official documents, and there was another more Hebraic surname used in other documents that I don't know at all, or if he used that in England exclusively, and something else beforehand…it's all very frustrating. I do know that a search for Seneft or Senft in that area comes up with almost no hits at all.

His wife, Mindel Hilinger has a much more Jewish first name, though her surname, again, is not very Jewish at all. Despite that, however, I do know that there are many references to Hilingers/Hillingers/Hellingers and many other variations of the surname in the area, if not as many as the other half of my Jewish family tree. Mindel is a bit of a puzzle, though, because Mindel is more commonly a boy's name, and not a girl's name. So that makes me go hmm as well. Unfortunately, I have even less record of her than of her husband, who I have at least found some document of, if not much. The only mention I have of her that I can think of is on Alex and Dora's family book information, when it covers the parents of the couple, and that is scarce at best. I do know there is a possible Austrian connection for this branch of the family, as that seems to be where the Hillinger name is centralized.

Leon and Mindel had at least five children, though there may have been more. But this is where the true Anglicization of names come in. They moved to England when most of the children were small, and so the kids grew up with English nicknames rather than Yiddish/Jewish ones.

My great-grandfather was Alex, though I believe he was born Elias. I don't think the two are an exact match, but I have found a record for an Alex Hilinger variant—Sander Hillenger, a Jewish form of Alexander, which may have been related to my great-great grandmother in some way, so the name may have passed down to my great-grandfather. I also know that at different times his name was spelled different ways—both Alex and Alec.

His siblings all had similar Anglicized names: Annie, Jennie and Jack. There was a third brother, but I don't yet know his name, so I don't know what he may have gone by either way. Jack I assume was probably a form of Jacob, though it may have been something else…Ichak (or other forms of Isaac), perhaps. Annie, I have just discovered, may have been changed from Chana, which was a common translation to English. Other possible options for her name are Chaya, Hinda, Nechama, and Elka, among others. For Jennie, a very common Anglicization, I've found: Shaina, Zelda, Chana, and Gitel, among many others.

On the other side of this part of my family tree, I have Benzion Kresch, and his wife, Fiege Golda Reich. Their daughter, my great-grandmother Dora, was born in Czudek, Galicia, if I have translated my documents right. The town I've found on the map is just west and south of Rzeszow in Poland. Both of her parents have extremely common names for their location, Benzion is one of many forms of the given name Benjamin, and Kresch seems to be a very common surname in the area. Feige and Golda are also very common, and Reich was common in both Jewish and non-Jewish families.

Unfortunately, this means I'm basically looking for the Jewish form of Jones or Hansen on this side of the family, which makes finding them highly unlikely. I did find information today that says that Jewish children were often named for already dead grandparents, and given that my great-uncle, my grandfather's brother, was named Ben, I know that means my great-grandmother's father must have died before 1920. 1919, if the wedding announcement is to be believed, as it only lists "Frou Kresch" as announcing her daughter's marriage, along with Leon Seneft, Alex's father.

As for where Benzion and Fiege were born, I've no clue. The few documents I have on them tell me very little, aside from the fact that Fiege lived in Czudek, and that Benzion was a teacher who traveled from town to town. It is possible that if any of this branch have Ukranian connections, it would be Benzion's side, though I have no proof of that at this time.

Then there is my great-grandmother Dora and her sister Minna. At this time, these are the only two children I have for this pair. Minna (Mina?) was the name Dora and Alex chose for my grandfather's twin sister, so she may have been named for her aunt, though it was not common to name a child for a living relation at the time, so it's possible she was either dead (though I think not—I believe I have a photo of her in the 40s at one of their daughters' weddings). I'm inclined to wonder if both Dora and her sister's names weren't diminutives of some longer name, given neither sound particularly Jewish to me (though I suppose I could be wrong).

To add to this confusion, today I read through the Jewish Given Names article at JewishGen.org, only to discover that there is likely even more confusion on both sides than I'm aware, given that Galicia had so many different language groups, including Hebrew and Yiddish for the Jewish population. At any one time, you might have Polish, German, or even Russian translations of names as well as the Yiddish or Hebraic names. Which means that just about every document you read is likely to have a different version of the person's name, depending on who wrote it, what language it was written in, and the reason it was written.

And the worst of it all…this is only 1/4 of my family tree… I swear, I could write a book on names and naming traditions…

Brick Wall Update

So a Brick Wall update is very overdue. I haven't done one of these since last year, and while I haven't gained a whole lot of new insight in that time, I like to keep posting about these, in hopes someone will find me who has a connection.

Brick Wall 1 -
The Seneft/Senft/Hilingers:
I still don't know a whole lot about my great-grandfather's family before he left England after World War I.

I know that he was born in Galicia, somewhere in what is now southern Poland. I've not been able to pinpoint the location exactly because there are several places with the name on his family record, or that are too similar to be discounted. The one I think most likely at this moment is some miles north of Krakow, Poland.

According to my paperwork, Alex/Alec (possibly Elias or some variant) Seneft was born June 2, 1883 in Sedziszow, Galicia to Leon and Mindel (nee Hilinger) Seneft or Senft. Unfortunately, until I learn more, that's as far back as I can officially go in time. I've no clue when his parents married or when or where they were born, though I assume that they were probably born in Galicia as well.

As for the Seneft surname…I've seen both spellings, but I keep coming back to this version, though I think given the fact that they probably wrote it in Hebrew, it could go either way. I do have one issue with it, though. Seneft is not a common Jewish name, so I can't help wondering where it came from, or how long it was a family name. I do know that at one point the Germans forced the Jews to take German surnames, so perhaps it came from that period? Either way, I've not found a whole lot of Senefts or Senfts in Jewish lists from the time my great-grandfather was born.

I'm not sure at what point the family moved from Galicia, or even how many siblings my grandfather had. I have record of four others, but there may have been more, since my records are not complete. I only have names for three, though: Annie, Jennie, and Jack. There was also another brother, but I've no name for him at the moment.

I did find one more interesting piece of information on this side: Jennie and Jack may have been twins, which is something that runs in our family, so it makes it more likely. I found one record of a Jack Seneft who died in New York, where I know my great-great uncle lived, which gave me a birth year of about 1893, and I found an Ellis Island record for Jennie Seneft which also gave me an 1893 birth date. Neither is confirmed, of course, but it would make sense, given that my grandfather was a fraternal twin, and that his younger daughter had fraternal twins as well.

The Kresch/Reich Family:
I really know even less about Alex's wife, Dora, and her family. I never separated her side from her husband's before now because I knew so little, but with the amount of information on Alex's family, I didn't want hers to get lost. Starting out my search for her side, all I had was her and the names of her parents. This past year I've learned a little more, but not much.

Dora was born January 15, 1892 in Czudek, Galicia to Benzion Kresch and his wife, Feige Golda, formerly Reich. I have record of only one other sibling for her: Minna, but I don't know if she was older or younger.

I found Czudek on a map very close to Rzeszow, Poland, so I'm fairly certain of their location, and the paperwork I found list her father's occupation as teacher, so I have that as well. But other than that, I have nothing about this family until after Dora and her sister moved to Frankfurt after World War I.

Unfortunately, Kresch is a very common name in this area, so narrowing things down is nearly impossible, though I did find a possible record at one point for a Benno Kresh's death—Benno was my grandfather's older brother, and I believe he may have been named for their grandfather.

For this side, I'm hoping to find a record proving their location and whether or not she had any other siblings. I'd also love to find her parents' birth dates and locations.

Brick Wall 2 -
The Hansen Family:
I've recently made a little more progress on this side. I know have confirmed that Rasmus Hansen's parents Were Hans and Maren (Rasmussen) Nielsen. I've found several different Census records showing Rasmus living with his parents, including one that shows he and his first wife living with them, so I've got record of their general birthdates and locations, but nothing before that.

Hans Nielsen was born about 1816, and his wife Maren was born about 1817. Both were born in Soro, though I don't have a town listed yet. The two had at least six children: Ole, Niels, Rasmus (my great-great grandfather), Jorgen, Jens, and Ane Lisbeth. I've got general dates for them all, and assume that they were all born in the Soro area.

According to the records my great-aunt got from Fjenneslev when she sent for information about her mother's family, my great-great grandfather was born in Knudstrup, so likely all his siblings were born there or near there as well, as it looks as though the Nielsens had a farm which my great-great grandfather took over when he married. I'll have to look a bit into his older two brothers, to see why they didn't. Perhaps they went to America? Possibly died in a war, or of some sickness? Or found another place to live? Either way, the first Census record after his marriage shows that he and his wife are living there with his parents still in residence.

Sill have nothing further back, and I'd love to firm up birthdates, but at least now I have somewhere to start. :)

The Olsen Family:
When my great-aunt got the information for her mother's family, my information only went as far back as her grandparents, my great-great grandparents, Rasmus (above) and Maren Sofie Olsen. So I had her birth information—June 27, 1855 in Slots-Bjergby, Soro, Denmark—but absolutely nothing else on her family or his.

I was lucky enough to find her birth record, though, which listed her parents as Ole Larsen and Birthe Marie Schrøder. However, once I started digging before, I found a rather interesting story. It seems that my great-great-great grandfather, Ole, came here to the states (he is now officially my earliest relation in the US) sometime around/shortly after my great-great grandmother was born. Like many men of the time, he left his wife and child behind, stating he'd send for them once he was settled. But like many of those men, he never did.

So Maren Sofie is an only child, and it looks as though as soon as she was old enough to work, she was sent off to work for other families. I do have a possible record of her being a seamstress, which seems likely not only because of the time, but also due to the fact that her daughter, my great-grandmother, also made a living that way for a time, so that may be an inherited talent.

Of Ole Larsen, all I know is a general birthdate—1812. No location at all, though possibly Soro, given that that's where Maren Sofie was born. I know that he settled in Minnesota, but I've only vague ideas of where—I only have the information from my great-great uncle to go by, and I'm not sure if the names have changed in that area or not.

For Birthe Marie, things get even stranger. I have other records for her, but nothing I've been absolutely able to confirm yet, aside from a previous marriage before Ole. For her, I have four records. Her daughter's birthrecord, which is the most confirmed. Then I have her wedding record to Ole, which lists her birthdate as 1820, and shows her as having been widowed by that time. Then I have her wedding record to her previous husband, the one listed on the wedding record to Ole, which lists her birthdate as 1817. Finally, I have a possible birth record, which lists her birthdate as 1825.

For me, the birth record is the most interesting, though it really only lists her mother, and only gives her father's surname. But if I can confirm it, it will give me her birth location as well, which is much further south than her daughter, somewhere in the south of Sealand near the islands or on the islands, if I remember correctly.

I'm speculating that if this is the same Birthe Marie, that she wanted to get married, but was under the age of consent at the time, so they gave a much older age to whomever married them so she could. I know that birth ages weren't something as paid attention to in this time, but that much of a difference, I think she'd know. And the fact that the two wedding records have such disparate ages suggests to me that that was her way of trying to equalize things so that she was closer to her true age.

I also can't help but wonder if she married again after Ole deserted her, though I've no way to know that for certain right now. But I'm working on it.

Brick Wall 3 -
The Park Family:
Since finding my great-grandfather's death record online, I've gotten no further in this search. Finding a marriage record between a Park and a Dunlop is like finding a blue pen in a stack of pens—far too common to be helpful. If I had a first name for her, it might help, but John Park is just too common a name. And I don't even have a location to narrow things down that way.

I do still speculate that her name might be Mary, given that that was my great-grandmother's name—that is to say Mary Dunlop Park—so it would make sense she was named for her grandmother.

All I know for certain is that Robert James Park was born to John Park and his wife, a former Dunlop, on June 24, 1852, somewhere in Ireland (though I suspect Northern Ireland).

I was lucky enough to find a record of the 1911 census with Robert Park and his wife and their children on it, though. To this point, the only record I had of them was the 1901 US census, while they were living in Philadelphia, and before their final daughter was born. This lists them living in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 1911, and shows that my great-grandmother was a shop girl at the time. Still not sure when they came to Canada, though it can't have been too much later—my great-grandparents married in Vancouver in 1917, so they probably left no more than five years after that census was taken.

The Curran Family:
The Curran family has been a bit less elusive. For Thomas and Jennie (Jane nee Blair) Curran, I've now got 8 possible children, a wedding record, birthdates, and even fathers for each of them.

Thomas Curran I now have listed as being born 1840, though still no location, to Francis Curran and his as-of-yet unnamed wife. Jennie Blair was born in 1838 to John Blair and his as-of-yet unnamed wife. They were married on July 31, 1860 in Antrim, North Ireland.

I've still only got three daughters confirmed: Elizabeth, Sarah, and Rhoda. I also have records for Jennie/Jane having six other children: Anna, John, Thomas, Sara Jane, and Joseph. All my records seem to indicate either Antrim as the locations or Belfast, though I know that Belfast is inside Antrim county, so I think that muddles things a bit.

So far, that's everything I've got. I'm hoping I'll be able to find more, but Irish records are scattered at best.

Brick Wall 4 -
The Jones Family:
Like the Jewish branches of my family, I've come to realize that unless I manage to connect with distant family still in Wales, I may never get any further back on this side. Benjamin and Hanna are far too common names, and Jones is just about the worst Welsh name to research, unless you have specific dates or locations. Hannah's surname of Griffiths is only a little better.

What I know:
Benjamin Jones was born December 24, 1865 (though my notes say 'before,' and I'm not sure why, so that's not an exact date at the moment) in Caio, Wales. Hannah Griffiths was born February 1863 in Newcastle Emlyn, Wales. The two were married sometime before 1882, and had seven children: Daniel (my great-grandfather), David, Joseph, Jack, William, May and Sophia.

I've done a little looking at Census records, but I don't have enough information on either of them to be certain I've found the records I need, though I have found a few interesting possibilities.

The Gabriel/Howells Family:
Nothing new here at all to relate, aside from the fact that I recently discovered that one of my Welsh branches is Huguenot-descended. After glancing through the Welsh surnames that I have, Gabriel seems a very strong possibility, as it is a French name. I also know that the Gabriels were known for weaving, and I found a reference to a Northern Welsh group of Huguenots who were known for just that, so I think that might be them. Right now, it's the only line that makes sense.

Since I've got three generations here before my family came to Canada, I think this one will probably be left off in the future until I get further back in other lines.

The Roberts Family:
This one is one I've never gotten any further with aside from finding Selina's mother listed as Pugh instead of Griffiths on Selina's death record. I have no clue where they were from, or when they were married, or if they had any children aside from Selina.

What I do have:
Selina Roberts was born May 26, 1846 in Barmouth, Wales to Hugh and Ellen Roberts.

And really, that's it. Any time I try to look up any of these three, I come up completely blank. Unfortunately, the names, even Pugh, are just too common.


Any help on any of these lines would be greatly appreciated. Particularly the Jewish and Welsh branches.

Where We're From – Galicia

One of the biggest discoveries I made in the past year was the location of my great-grandparents' birthplace. My Grandfather was a German Jewish immigrant who came here in the 1930s for the obvious reason. His father's businesses had all failed because of the Nazis, and he took that as a sign it was time to leave. Because of their life, my great-grandfather never talked about his past to his children. He was a very busy man, and once they arrived in America, he grew sick, so there was never a lot of chance to talk about where he was from.

When my grandmother passed last year, I received a number of their papers—including my grandfather's birth record, which I was shocked to find listed not only his own information, but all of his siblings and his parents as well. It was a godsend. We knew that one or the other of them had been born in an area that was now Poland, but I knew nothing beyond that until I saw those papers.

After finding them, I began to do research. Galicia was a German/Austro-Hungarian state in Eastern Europe that passed through a few hands, but in the 1800s was an especially poor place to live for many. One Polish nickname for the area can be translated as "Naked- and hunger-land." Many Jewish peoples were settled in the area, but starting around 1880 or so, pogroms began to drive them out, and they fled to other places, my great-grandfather's family among them.

When World War I ended, the state was disbanded, and the area my great grandparents lived in became part of Poland. Many of those remaining Jewish towns were later razed by the Nazis in World War II. You can read more on the country here at Wikipedia.

I've despaired of making sense of all this, given those facts. But I do keep trying. I'm fairly certain I have my great-grandmother's birthplace located, but I have since discovered there are several possible towns that might be where my great-grandfather was born. I've marked them all on the map, so people can see them.


A map of the locations:
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View My Galician Ancestry in a larger map

1. Czudec, Galicia (now Poland)
This is where I believe my great grandmother, Dora Kresch, was born. I know almost nothing about her life here, only that her father was a teacher (and possibly a rabbi) in the area, according to my grandfather's papers. I believe her father may have died here as well, though her mother later came to live in Frankfurt to be near her daughters, where they moved after World War I.

2. Sedziszow, Galicia (now Poland)
This one I am much less certain of. My great-grandfather's birthplace is listed as Sedziszow, but looking up the location both on Google maps and at JewishGen, I've discovered at least three possible locations for him, and I'm unsure which is the proper one, though at the moment, I'm inclined to believe it's the location several miles north of Krakow. What little I do know is that Alex and most or all of his siblings were born in this town, and that when he was young, his father decided to move the family to England, likely to find a better life for his family.


And really, that's all I have right now. Hopefully someday I'll have a good deal more, but really, I'm even amazed to have this and to be able to find possible locations at all.

Next up: Conclusion – "Pre-history" (ie, where my family might have come from as well)

Brick Walls--a different listing

I found a great post by Barbara in Life from the Roots about her top ten brick walls, and really liked the format, so I thought I'd do a similar list of my own, though I ended up with twelve. These are my great-great or great-great-great grandparents. Any help would be hugely appreciated on all of these, especially if you have the same (or a similar) surname in your own charts.


Leon SENEFT (Need more about him, his children, his parents)
Born before 1870, possibly in Galicia, Eastern Europe
Died between 1919-1922
Married Mindel HILINGER before 1883
Had 5 known children, 3 sons, 2 daughters: Alex, Annie, Jennie, Jack and ?, all born in Galicia, I believe
Emmigrated to England before WWI, lived in London through the war

Mindel HILINGER (Need more about her, her children, her parents)
Born before 1870, possibly in Galicia, Eastern Europe
Died before 1922
Married Leon SENEFT before 1883
Had 5 known children, 3 sons, 2 daughters: Alex, Annie, Jennie, Jack and ?, all born in Galicia, I believe
Emmigrated to England before WWI, lived in London through the war

Benzion KRESCH (Need more about him, his children, his parents)
Born before 1875, likely in Czudek, Galicia
Died before 1919
Married Fiege Golda REICH before 1892
Had at least two children, 2 daughters, Dora and Minna, and possibly a son as well, all born in Galicia, I believe
Was a Rabbi and teacher in Galicia

Feige Golda REICH (Need more about her, her children, her parents)
Born before 1875, likely in Czudek, Galicia
Died about1929, I believe in Frankfurt, Germany
Married Benzion KRESCH before 1892
Had at least two children, 2 daughters, Dora and Minna, and possibly a son as well, all born in Galicia, I believe

Henrikke RONESS (Or as I have also found Pauline Henrikke Hendricsdatter RONÆS) (need anything about her parents)
Born 24 June 1830 in Trondheim, Sor Trondelag, Norway
Died 1892 in Henningsvær, Nordland, Norway
Married Johan Petter Bordevick on 27 September 1860 in Vaagan Parish, Nordland, Norway, his second (I believe) wife
Had four children with him: 3 daughters, 1 son: Ida Amalie, Leonharde Marie, Anna Magdalena, and Petter Magnus Roness

Robert James PARK (need more about him and his parents)
Born 24 June 1852, Ireland (possible locations—Belfast/Antrim, Dublin, or Ballymena)
Died 6 October 1930, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Parents listed as John PARK and ? DUNLOP
Married Elizabeth CURRAN abt 1883 in either Ireland or Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US
Had at least nine children, 2 who died in infancy, 2 sons, 5 daughters: Robert, Elizabeth, Mary, Rhoda, Margaret, George, and Florence, all born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Emigrated from Ireland to Philadelphia abt 1883, then from Philadelphia to Ireland after 1903, then from Belfast to Vancouver in 1914

Thomas CURRAN (need more about him, his parents, and his kids)
Born before 1845 in Ireland (Belfast?)
No death date at this time
Married Jane "Jennie" BLAIR bef 1861
They had at least 3 daughters, and possibly 1 more daughter and 3 sons, possibly more: Elizabeth, Sarah and Rhoda are certain, also possibly Anna (may be Elizabeth's middle or first name), John, Thomas, Joseph, all born in Antrim, Ireland

Jane "Jennie" BLAIR (need more about her, her parents, and her kids)
Born before 1845 in Ireland (Belfast?)
No death date at this time
Married Thomas CURRAN bef 1861
They had at least 3 daughters, and possibly 1 more daughter and 3 sons, possibly more: Elizabeth, Sarah and Rhoda are certain, also possibly Anna (may be Elizabeth's middle or first name), John, Thomas, Joseph, all born in Antrim, Ireland

Bejamin JONES (need more about his parents)
Born 24 December 1865, Caio, Wales
Died before 1915
Married Hannah GRIFFITHS before 1882
Had 6 children, 4 sons and 2 daughters: Daniel, David, Joseph, Jack, William, May and Sophia, all born in Southern Wales (Merthur Tydful, I believe)
Farmer

Hannah GRIFFITHS (need more about her parents)
Born February 1863, Newcastle Emlyn, South Wales
Died about 1933, Merthur Tydful, Wales
Married Benjamin JONES before 1882
Had 6 children, 4 sons and 2 daughters: Daniel, David, Joseph, Jack, William, May and Sophia, all born in Southern Wales (Merthur Tydful, I believe)

Hugh ROBERTS (need more about him, his parents, any other children)
Born before 1830, possibly in Northern Wales
No death information
Married Ellen PUGH (or possibly GRIFFITHS) before 1845
Only 1 child known, daughter Selina

Ellen PUGH (or possibly GRIFFITHS) (need more about her, her parents, any other children)
Born before 1830, possibly in Northern Wales
No death information
Married Hugh ROBERTS before 1845
Only 1 child known, daughter Selina

REICH (Germanic)

Meaning/Pronunciation: Pronunciation: Ry-k (at least, this is how I’ve always pronounced it in my head) Meaning: descendant of Rico, a pet form of Riculf (powerful; wolf); a nickname for a wealthy man.

Origin: All I know for certain is that this is from the Jewish/Germanic side of my family.

Variations: None that I am immediately aware of.

Relation to me: My father’s father’s mother’s surname.

Ancestors:
i: Reich, Feige, Born before 1882, Prussian states somewhere, Benzion Kresch, at least 2 daughters, possibly 1 son

Looking for:
All I know about this family is this woman. I’m not even sure if she went by Feige or Golda or something else entirely, but her full name given on the tree I received from my grandfather was Feige Golda Reich. I have no birth or death dates for her, no marriage date to her husband, or any information at all about her parents. I do know that she had two daughters, and possibly one son (if I’m not misunderstanding family lore about coming to the US). So any information about her at all would be wonderful.