Moshe Jacob Samuel is my 5th great-grandfather on my father’s side. I know I should be pleased that I have managed to trace the family back to 1795 England but I want to know more! Where did Moshe come from? My search to prove (or disprove, which is more likely) that I have some Irish […]
Alan and Jessica SamuelProbably 1935 or 1936 Today was a sad day. My Aunt Jessica was laid to rest after nearly 79 years on this earth. But this post is not really about her – it’s about maintaining family connections. Jessica was my father’s sister. After many years of being estranged, she and my father […]
This week’s post doesn’t focus on a specific relative but instead considers the concept of what actually constitutes a “relative”. Who do we include in our family tree? Albert Einstein I get periodic emails from Geni.com updating me about the progress other people have made on “our” family tree. Usually I pay them little attention as most updates […]
Sheldon LeonardFamous writer, actor and producer Dad- you did it again!! Yet another one of your stories has sent me on a wild goose chase. This time, it might have been embarrassing. Last week I posted #11 in the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge. I didn’t have a lot of time, so I chose […]
This is post is a departure from my usual family history posts. March 5, 2014 would have been my mother’s 82nd birthday. Mom’s legacy lives on in many ways in our family; her cooking, her humor (well….WE think it’s funny), her incessant picture-taking (very much appreciated by this genealogist daughter!) But there was one special […]
My paternal grandmother, Hortense Kesner was the first daughter of Harry George Kesner and Estelle Byk. She was born in New York on February 22, 1907.<!–[if supportFields]>xe “New York:Brooklyn ” \f B<![endif]–><!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–> Her sister, Constance, was born in 1911. The date on the back of this photo says ” Feb. 22, 1907″ which was […]
<!–[if supportFields]>xe “SPIEGEL:Josef (b. 1803) ” \f A<![endif]–><!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–><!–[if supportFields]>xe “Poland:Galetia ” \f B<![endif]–><!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–>Josef Spiegel was born on February 2, 1803 in what was then Galacia.<!–[if supportFields]>xe “Jassy-Moldova- Romania ” \f B<![endif]–><!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–> His generation is as far back as I have gotten on my mother’s maternal line. I need to study history and geography […]
My second great-grandmother, on my father’s side, Francis (Fannie) Woolfwas born on January 14, 1862 in New York to Barnett Woolf and the former Kate Cohen. Both her parents came to the United States from England. In 1870, Fannie was living in Brooklyn with her parents and 6 siblings. 1870 US Cenus I know nothing about […]
In May of 1938, my family changed forever. I realize that we were blessed that no one in my mother’s immediate family was murdered. We fared so much better than millions of others. I get that. While ours is not a story of horrifying proportions, it still is worthy of being told. It should never […]
Who We Are and How We Got This Way 