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Chaiken
Family of Nezhin
Chazanov
Family of Nezhin
Fine
Family of Bialystok
Geffen
Family of Vilkomir
Goldberg
Family of Jablonka
Katz/Hollander
Family
Zavelsky
Family of Glukhov
For further information on Ukraine and their archives,
a wonderful book published by The Miriam Weiner Routes To Roots Foundation,
Inc. (of which I am a board member) and Yivo Institute for Jewish
Research. The book is:
"Jewish
Roots in Ukraine" |
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This family history project
was compiled through a combination of sources and methods. Wherever
possible, the data used in the previous book and this web site,
have been documented and verified. I have retained copies of
the original records of the following: Birth certificates/registers,
death certificates, marriage license applications/registers,
wills, petitions for naturalization, ship manifests, Social
Security applications.
Family members
The recollections of family members provided me with the most
accurate and interesting facts. I made a concentrated effort
to speak with members of the family who could recall the early
days in Philadelphia. As new information was uncovered from
other sources I tried to verify it with the oldest living family
members. I have many hours of conversations which were taped
in person and with permission, on the telephone.
Research
The majority of the research in Philadelphia was conducted by
Elaine Kolinsky. Elaine is a member of the Jewish Genealogical
Society of Philadelphia. She has an intense interest in genealogy
and was a major factor in building our Philadelphia family tree.
The time that Elaine spent at Montefiore Cemetery finding the
graves of the Chazanoff/Chasanow family, and her translations
of the tombstone inscriptions, enabled me to discover who our
family members were. The hours she spent at places such as the
Balch Institute, The Immigration and Naturalization Service,
The Logan Library, The City Archives and so on were invaluable.
Elaine also provided me with the where and how to obtain enormous
amounts of information. Without her direction, I would not have
been able to obtain the information or documentation that I
now have.
I was very fortunate to be introduced to Miriam Weiner, C.G.
Miriam is the first Jewish genealogist certified by the Board
for Certification of Genealogists. She is an acclaimed lecturer
throughout the United States. Every three months Miriam returns
to former areas of the U.S.S.R and Poland where she has access
to the Archives, and special permission to conduct research.
During October of 1993 and February of 1994, Miriam included
our family towns of Glukhov, Nezhin, Sosnitsa and Odessa into
her itinerary to do archival research and ancestral town visits.
From the first moment I spoke to Miriam, I was impressed with
her knowledge and her services; I knew we would work well together.
The concept of her company, "Routes to Roots," is
unique. We had never met personally before her October trip
to Ukraine, but I had full confidence that if there was any
information in the towns or archives, she would find it. When
we met at Miriam's home after her first Ukrainian trip and she
presented her findings to us, both Alan and I were dumbfounded
with what she had discovered and accomplished. She brought back
hundreds of documents for the Chazanov, Chaikin and Zavelsky
families. It is amazing that today I can sit in our home in
Florida and have a copy of my Great Grandparents' Marriage Register
from Nezhin in the 1870's.
Last but not least, the trip that Miriam and her associate,
Vitaly Chumak planned for us, was a highlight of our lives,
and one we will never forget. The experience of following in
our ancestors footsteps brought to life a part of the past that
we would otherwise not know. We thank you, Miriam, from the
bottom of our hearts, and we look forward to our continuing
relationship.
With the help and direction of Miriam and Elaine, I had sent
out over 1000 various requests and letters. I tried to obtain
any written record that was available on the chance that it
would provide a new name or town. I spent countless hours in
the New York Public Library going through ships indexes and
manifests to document family arrivals in America. I have used
a computerized telephone directory to contact persons with the
same family surnames as ours.
Compilation
The final task of compiling all the data into this first a book,
and then this web site, was the most challenging. The task,
corresponds to that of a crossword puzzle, where one clue leads
to another. In the case of the family history, its correspondents
are the Sovel family leading to the Chazanov family, and the
Chazanov family leading to the Chaikin family. After all the
data was received and computerized the writing began, and I
could then see the relationships between the families.
This is however only a beginning. The research will continue
and the pages will grow. We hope all members of the family from
the oldest to the youngest will enjoy learning about their ancestors
who live on in each and every one of us.
Please see the resources listed on the Bibliography Page.
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Researching
on the Internet |
When I first started to research in 1994 there
were limited resources on the Internet. Today, this has all changed.
With the Ellis
Island Database it is possible to look up and view the manifests
for all ancestors who came through Ellis Island. These manifests
provide wonderful information on birth dates, birth towns, year
of immigration etc.
Also, now many of the documents from Eastern European countries
have been entered into searchable databases.
Birth and death certificates are available right from one's desk
with some states providing the information on line.
There are online groups dedicated to those searching various regions.
The Jewish Genealogical Society provides countless resources and
fascinating data.
The Internet has made the life of a genealogist much simpler and
much faster.
To see listings for some of these sites please click
here.
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