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 Chaiken Family of Nezhin
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 Zavelsky Family of Glukhov
Marjorie and Alan divide their time between Florida and Connecticut. They have four daughters, two son-in-laws and seven grandchildren.

Alan, a graduate of Rutgers University, was president and publisher of American Baby Magazine from 1956 until the sale of the company in 1986. Marjorie and Alan worked together in Family Bazaar, a mail order and catalogue company, reaching the expectant and new mother markets through advertising and direct mail from 1966 until 1986. Alan grew up in Hillside, New Jersey and Marjorie in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

In 1985, Marjorie and Alan crossed the Atlantic in their boat "Amour V" and spent fourteen months sailing through the Mediterranean and Caribbean. In 1992, Alan traded sailing for golf and Marjorie became immersed in genealogy and as of 2011 added photography to her projects. Today, they follow their same pursuits along with enjoying their family, traveling, their beautiful island paradise in Florida and the good life in Connecticut.

"Whenever I mentioned to anyone I was researching my family history, the first question I was asked was, why?"

During the fall of 1992 our then seven year old twin granddaughters, Sara and Kristina, entered temple school. In the wonderful innocence of childhood, they made an observation one day: "If its true that everyone in the world came from Adam and Eve, then we are related to everyone." I explained to them we were, but we are related more directly to our own ancestors.

Our granddaughters questions made me realize they would never know anything of the past generations. They would never know about their great grandfather, my father. They would never know about their 2nd great grandparents who had been my grandparents, and whom I knew so well. I suddenly wanted to preserve our family's memories for Sara, Kristina, Zachary, Brandon, Jessica and Julia, our grandchildren, and for future generations.

After the first week of the project, I realized a family tree of a few generations and the memories of immediate family members would not be enough. The more I researched and the more I learned, the further I wanted to go back in time. Recently, the project expanded to include the ancestors of my father and mother-in-law.

The rewards of this project have been numerous. I discovered the personalities and histories of many of our ancestors. I have gained compassion for many of those whom I previously did not understand...I have a great respect for those who came before me.

I feel this project has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I have renewed family relationships which had drifted apart. I have met and worked with wonderful professionals who taught me how to do genealogical work, and who provided outstanding research and documentation for this family history. I have found and met relatives of both of my parents and my own generations who I never would have otherwise known. Discovering and meeting cousins who grew up in Ukraine and live either here or still in the old country has been an experience equal to no other.

Although many of the personal stories have been eliminated from this public web site, I hope you too will gain insight into your ancestors and the past history. It is our wish, this project accomplishes for all of our families what it was meant to impart: Insight into those who came before us and a preservation of these memories for those who will come after us.

Thank you for visiting our site and reading "Our Family Story".

Marjorie
Alan and Marjorie
Alan and Marjorie...A Proud Moment spanning four generations...My mother Vera, with our twin granddaughters on the eve of their Bnot Mitzvah...11/8/98
Another proud moment...My mother Vera with our twin granddaughters ...June 2003
Four generations...Marjorie with her mother, daughters and granddaughters...2003
Alan with his son-in-law, Frank on the right and son-in-law to be, Steve on the left...2003
Alan and Marjorie with their daughters, son-in-laws and grandchildren. Click here for enlargement.