Why we test

When it all comes together it's just beautiful! DNA, family trees, indexed records on several websites and images of originals - the tools of our trade.

A couple of days ago, I decided to do a check of my Ancestry DNA matches to see if anyone new had been added among my 3rd to 4th cousin matches. I am 100 percent Ashkenazi Jewish (an endogamous population). As a result, I rarely look beyond those (currently) 62 matches who share 90 or more centiMorgans (cMs) of DNA with me.  

Ancestry does not provide information about individual shared segments. So, I usually spend quality time only with those matches with a relatively low number of segments in common with me. The idea is to high-grade the matches by looking for those who (on average) may share at least one or more 20 cM segments with me. For the first time in many months there was a new 3rd to 4th cousin on my match list.

My match listed his full name, but it meant nothing to me (we'll call him CS). He had no tree associated with his DNA results. He shares 121 cMs of autosomal DNA and 10 segments with me. He is 51 percent Ashkenazi Jewish.

Although, due to endogamy, a search of matches in common is often more confusing that illuminating, I tried it. CS seemed to match my Liebross side and I  noted that another match (JS) had the same last name as CS and 19 percent Ashkenazi Jewish. JS was below my usual research threshold: 4th-6th cousin and only sharing 5o cMs and five segments. 

I tentatively guessed, based on the name and the percentage of ethnicity assigned to Ashkenazi, that this might be CS's son. When I contacted JS he confirmed that to be the case.

JS has a tree of 74 people. His emphasis was quite obviously on his mother's non-Jewish family, but the three people listed on his father's side were enough to indicate this might be a match with which I could work. JS's grandmother, Heather Marie Schafer was born in Vienna, Austria. 

My great grandfather, Louis Liebross. had a sister named Rifke who married Abraham Dov Ber Schaffer in Radautz, Bukovina (now in northern Romania) on 24 June 1877.[1]

Extract: (left page) Marriage 24 June 1877. Groom: Abraham Ber Schaffer of Radautz, son of Mortko and Scheinde Schaffer of Radautz.

Extract: Bride: (right page) Rifke Libruss of Radautz, daughter of Mani and Zirl Libruss of Zaleszczyki.

While Heather Marie's first and middle names had been clearly Anglicized in the Ancestry family tree, her birth date was provided: 17 February 1917. I searched in Ancestry on Heather Marie Schafer and another more in-depth tree came up. This one identified Heather as Herta Marie Schaffer and indicated her parents were Raphael Schaffer and Susan Frank.

Raphael was a good hit because Rifke Liebross Schaffer's fourth or fifth child was Rafael, born on 1 April 1875 in Radautz.[2] Yet, Rifke and Abraham Dov Ber Schaffer were married in 1877. 

This situation of marriage years after children's births is not unusual in Austrian Empire Jewish marriage and birth records. The Austrian Empire government had made it costly for Jewish couple to register their marriages with the civil authorities. As a result, many Jewish couples had religious ceremonies and often did not register their marriages with the government until may years later. If the couples did not register their marriages, the state did not consider them married. Birth records for their children would often only show the mother's surname and the children would be recorded as illegitimate. Couples might register their marriages years later for several reasons including to make sure future inheritances would follow the framework from legally identified father to child.

Rafael was recorded as illegitimate. A note in the last column indicate he was legitimized by his parents marriage at a later date. 

Another note on Rafael's birth record indicated he'd married Dvoira Grupp in Bucharest on 17 September 1934. For me, after that, the trail ran cold. I had no further information on Rafael or Dvoira; no indication of offspring (although by 1934 Rafael would have been 59 so there might not have been any from that union). I assumed that Rafael and Dvoira, like several of Rafael's family members had been killed during the Holocaust.[3]

Extract: Rafael, son of Abraham Berl Schaffer and Rifke Libruss, born 1 April 1875 in Radautz, house no. 1102. Legitimized by marriage registered in vol. I, p. 64/65, entry no. 36, 24 June 1877. Rafael married Dvoira Grupp in Bucharest on 17 September 1934.

But, Herta Schaffer was supposedly born to a Rafael Schaffer and Susan Frank in 1917 in Vienna. This was new information. Did my Rafael have an earlier marriage and a child? I needed to see a copy of Herta's birth record.

I found her birth record indexed on JewishGen. The date and location in Vienna matched. The father's name matched. But the mother's name was Susie Grunwerg not Susan Frank.

Vienna Jewish community vital records have been imaged, but not completely indexed, on FamilySearch. One may find the records listed in the FamilySearch catalogue. But, these records cannot be viewed from home. They must be viewed at a Family History Center.
 

Record entry 282 shows Herta Schaffer, daughter of Raphael Schaffer and Susie Grunwerg, born on 19 February 1917 in Vienna. Parents married 6 September 1903, Czernowitz [4].

The imaged record did not provide much more than the basic information shown in the JewishGen index. The comment on the far right column, however, was excellent: Herta's parents had been married in Czernowitz on 6 September 1903.

Like the Viennese Jewish records, some Jewish Czernowitz vital records listed in the FamilySearch catalogue have not been indexed. I looked for the indexed marriage record in the GeneaSearch Czernowitz database and found it.

I then took this information to the FamilySearch catalogue to view an image of the original record. Czernowitz records may be searched and viewed on FamilySearch from one's home computer, but one may not download the images (a screen shot is not optimal, but worked for me).

Extract: Groom: Raphael Schaffer, born in Radautz, son of Abraham Schaffer and Rifke Liebross of Radautz. Born 1 April 1875. Bride: Sossie Grunwerg born in Kolomea, daughter of Berl Grunwerg and Sura, born Frank, in Czernowitz on 20 November 1880. [5]

Extract: Married on 6th September 1903 in Czernowitz. Rabbi Benjamin Weiss.

Evidence in this record addresses the problem of Herta's mother's name. Sossie was identified with her mother's last name (Frank), not her father's (Grunwerg). To be sure, I located Sossie's birth record via the Jewish Records Indexing- Poland database.[6]

Extract/summary: Sossie, born in Kolomea on 18 November 1880 [her marriage record showed 20 Nov. 1880]. She is shown as illegitimate and her father's information is not included in the last column on this page. A note above the illegitimate notation indicates that her parents married in Czernowitz on 5 May 1888, thereby legitimizing her.

Extract: Mother's name was Sura Frank. Sossie's father's name, Berl Grunwerg of Kolomea is recorded in the first column under her mother's name. Sura's parents were Meier and Ester Rifka Frank of Kolomea.

She, like Rafael, was listed as illegitimate. Her parents married civilly after her birth.

I did find Sossie's parents' marriage record from 1888 among the Czernowitz  Jewish marriage records, but will not include it here. It shows that her mother Rifka's surname had been Udelsman (perhaps Rifka's mother's maiden name!).

It appears I have located a new 3rd cousin (CS) and his son (JS), who is my 3rd cousin once-removed. Now, I have other record-confirmed 3rd cousins+ on this side of the family with whom I share no autosomal centiMorgans. So, these matches with CS and JS are special. I hope to get more of my clear-cut Ancestry matches' results uploaded to other websites to allow more in-depth analyses.

Mane and Tsiril had four children (that I know of). Rifke Liebross Schaffer had nine or ten. Louis had at least eight. So the family tree below just shows our direct lines from our common ancestral couple.

For those who sometimes question the value of DNA testing for one's family history, note that in this case DNA results allowed me to find a person for whom I was not previously searching. Without the initial interesting match with CS I would not have looked further. And without the availability of indices and images of European Jewish records I never could have made this connection. It takes a village of websites and organizations to build a family tree. 

In addition to CS, JS and all my cousins whose curiosity and trust allow me access to their DNA test results, I think kudos are due to GeneaSearch, Edgar Hauster and Bruce Reich (who are behind the acquisition and indexing of Radauti Jewish vital records), JewishGen, Jewish Records Indexing-Poland, and FamilySearch. And of course, let's not forget the big four DNA testing companies: Ancestry, FamilyTree DNA, MyHeritage and 23andMe. With patience DNA tests are gifts that keep on giving.

Notes:
1. Radauti Jewish Marriages, Abraham Ber Schaffer and Rifke Libruss, 24 June 1877, Vol. 1, p. 64, entry 36; Radauti City Archive. Indexed records searched at: https://czernowitz.geneasearch.net/
2. Radauti Jewish Births, Rafael Schaffer, 1 April 1875, vol. 1, p. 83, entry 30; Radauti City Archive. Indexed records searched at: https://www.reisch-family.net/RadautzBirthRegistersIndex/BirthsSearchForm.html
3. I have been in touch with one descendant of Rifka Liebross Schaffer who lives in Israel who has been very helpful.
4. Vienna, Jewish births 1917, no. 282, Herta Schaffer, 19 February 1917; images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org: accessed 2 October 2019), "Metrikel 1826-1943,">Geburten 1917-1918 (microfilm 1199227); citing Judische Gemeinde Wien (Niederosterreich), Stadt und Landesarchiv Wien.
5. Czernowitz, Jewish marriages 1903, Raphael Schaffer and Sossie Grunwerg, 6 September 1903; images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch,org : accessed 2 October 2019), Austria, Bukovina, Czernowitz - Jewish Records>Metrikel Books, 1856-1940>microfilm 2395731, Item 1>image 73 of 850; citing Central State Historical Archives of Ukraine, Czernowitz, vol. IX, p. 104, record 128.
6. Kolomyya, , Jewish births, Sossie [Grunwerg] Frank, 18 November 1880; images, Polish State Archives, AGAD, Stanislowow Wojewodztwo, Kolomyya, Fond 300, Signatura 395, Akta 670; accessed via Jewish Records Indexing-Poland (https://jri-poland.org/ ).

Rose Liebross and Nathan Bernstein, DDS

My mother had two Liebross aunts, sisters Rose and Celia, who'd never married or had children. Or at least that's what I thought when I started my research. I did not know either of them. Younger sister Celia died on 16 December 1946 and Rose passed away on 24 November 1955.[1]

My brother, who was quite young when Rose died, recalls her as unassuming and quiet. We never heard much about Rose or Celia from my mother - although it was clear that she was fond of all her Liebross aunts and uncles, most of whom lived upstairs in her parents' two-family house. I do recall that my mother said that her wedding party on 9 February 1947 was kept small and reserved in keeping with the fact that the family was still in mourning for Celia who had died just two months before.

So, I was surprised when I found that Rose had been married and divorced. She had married Nathan Judas Bernstein, a dentist, on 14 November 1926 at 144 Beach - 74th Street in Rockaway Beach, Queens. This was the home of Rose's uncle and aunt Simon and Ethel Liebross.[2] Rose and Nathan divorced in Hamilton County, Florida in 1931.

According to Nathan's marriage record, he was the son of Aaron and Rebecca Bernstein and was an immigrant from the Russian Empire. The 1925 New York State census found him living with widow Rose Goldberg and her family as her "adopted son."[3] They resided at 1170 Walton Avenue, Bronx, NY.

Nathan (Nochem, age 6) arrived in New York in June 1897 with his sister Hinde (age 15) and brothers Isser (age 11) and Hersch (age 3). Their surname was Dubnozowa.[4] Nathan's naturalization in 1914 indicates he was born in Slutsk (now in Belarus) and that his former surname was Dubnitska.[5] 

I do not know how, when, or why Nathan was "adopted" by the Goldberg's, but I have found him living with the family in census enumerations in 1910, 1915, 1920 and 1925.[6] Rose Goldberg's husband Morris died in about 1905. In 1910 Nathan was working as a telegraph messenger. In 1915, as a Chemist. By 1920, he was studying dentistry.

More recently I found that Rose Liebross and Nathan Bernstein actually did have a child together. Ira Howard Bernstein was born on 12 September 1928. He lived but a few months and died of bronchitis on 3 January 1929.[7]

Thus far, I have not been able to find much specific information on Rose's and Nathan's Florida divorce. We cannot discount the pain and stress on a relationship that loss of a child might cause. But subsequent events may shed some light on Nathan's character.[8]

Nathan remarried on 2 August 1936 to Frances Hirschcoff.[9] On 22 June 1937, the following article appeared in the New York Post:

Dentist Drilled Into Her Cash, Wife Testifies

----------

Heart Was Won Through Her Teeth. She Tells Court - Asks Alimony

     
     Love blossomed into matrimony during the five years Dr. Nathan J. Bernstein tenderly ministered to his third wife's dental ills, but when, after their marriage, he started drilling into her bank account, she hollered "Ouch!"
     And, in the Supreme Court today, Mrs. Frances Bernstein asked Justice Louis A. Valente to administer novocaine in the form of alimony and counsel fees.
     The dentist, whose clintele includes a number of Park Avenue elite, moved into her apartment after their marriage ten months ago, she told the judge, and spent only $20 on her during the whole time they lived together.
     After he had extracted $4,000 of her savings and continued his "grasping, money-crazy attitude," she said, she left her no choice but the courts.[10]

----------

Apparently, this case was resolved prematurely when Nathan died on 6 November 1937.[11] An autopsy was ordered. The medical examiner reported that Nathan was found unconscious, frothing at the mouth and had suffered respiratory distress. There was an odor of cyanide. Letters had been left in Nathan's office suggesting death via suicide.

Nathan was 5' 4" in height and weighted about 150 pounds. He had thinning brown hair flecked with gray. While Nathan had suffered from heart disease, chemical analysis of this stomach contents indicated that cyanide was present in large amounts.[12]

Nathan seems to have had an interesting life - and death. Considering his suicide and the information in the Post newspaper article, it appears that Nathan may have been a troubled person - or, at least a person who would bring trouble.

Additional records (among these the court cases in Bronx County, the Florida divorce case, any records of Frances Bernstein's case, info on Nathan's other wife, and possible probate records) are yet to be acquired. Further information about the Goldbergs and any possible information about Nathan's biological brothers and sister may be useful.

In the 1920s and 1930s, divorce was considered shameful. So, I am not surprised that the Liebross clan did not talk about my great aunt Rose's failed marriage. In addition, painful episodes, such as the death of a baby, were often left to silence. In my research I have found several family lines where small children died and were, essentially, forgotten in time through family silence. To me, that's the greater shame.


Notes:
1. New York County, New York, death certificate no. 26589 (1946), Celia Liebross, 16 December 1946; Municipal Archives, New York City.
2. Queens County, New York, death certificate no. 5951 (1927), Simon Liebross, 18 November 1927; Municipal Archives, New York City.
3. 1925 New York State Census, Bronx Co., NY, enumeration of inhabitants, the Bronx, assembly district 2, election district 30, p. 32, entry 44, Nathan J. Bernstein
4. Manifest, S.S. Veendam, 7 June 1897, line 144, Nochem Dubnozowa, age 6; images, "New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957," Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 21 July 2018).

5. The "...ska" ending in a Russian surname is for a female. Nathan's surname was, likely Dubnitsky. "New York, County Naturalization Records, 1791-1980," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9M8-VHS1?cc=1999177&wc=MDSY-SZ9%3A326209701%2C329551201 : 21 May 2014), New York > Petitions for naturalization and petition evidence 1914 vol 179, no 44101-44350 > image 190 of 630; citing Supreme Court, New York County, New York, entry for Nathan J. Bernstein, naturalization, 1914, petition 44169 (17 December 1914). 

6. Nathan was not with the Goldberg family in 1900 and I have not yet located a 1905 New York State Census that shows him or them.
7. Ira Howard was also the first and second name of my mother's brother, Ira Wilson, Rose Liebross' nephew. Kings County, New York, death certificate no. 361 (1929), Ira Howard Bernstein, 3 January 1929; Municipal Archives, New York City.
8. There are a couple of court cases filed by Nathan J. Bernstein (plaintiff) in Bronx County in 1931 and 1933. I have not yet ordered copies of those records.
9. New York County, New York, marriage certificate no. 19086 (1936), Nathan J. Bernstein and Frances Hirschoff, 2 August 1936; Municipal Archives, New York City. Apparently, this was his third marriage. More research will be required to determine the additional earlier marriage.
10. "Dentist Drilled Into Her Cash, Wife Testifies," New York Post (New York, NY), 22 June 1937, p. 3; images, Fulton History (http://fultonhistory.com/Fulton.html : accessed 19 may 2015).
11. New York County, New York, death certificate no. 23977 (1937), Nathan J. Bernstein, 6 November 1937; Municipal Archives, New York City.
12. New York County, New York, Office of the Chief medical Examiner, case no. 6034, Nathan J. Bernstein, 6 November 1937; Municipal Archives, New York City.

MyHeritage thows down the Hammer and goes for the Liebross

Almost four years ago, I wrote a blog post lamenting the fact that a FamilySearch indexing project for New York passenger manifests was indexing the same fields that other organizations had indexed. While I saw the value in having access to independently indexed databases, I was hoping some entity would index some additional potentially useful fields, such as name and address of the person the immigrant was joining in the USA. At that time, no such luck.

I cannot say that all my prayers have been answered - I am still waiting for searchable addresses - but MyHeritage has raised the bar with their recently updated database, "Ellis Island and Other New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957." Now, one's name searches return not only passenger names, but also names of those to whom the passengers were headed.

I have a few uncommon surnames in my family, so I did one of my usual searches on the surname Liebross (not exact). It became immediately clear that my great great uncle Simon Liebross, husband of Ethel Hammer, was a magnet for new immigrants, especially from his wife's Hammer family. Here are a few more of my posts about the couple: Simon's first arrival and naturalization, arrival with Ethel in 1890, and 1892 NY State census.

Now, I originally did not know exactly where Ethel was from. Her 1890 Hamburg passenger manifest said "Krasno."[1] There are several Krasnos in Eastern Europe. But, years ago, I was contacted by Ava Cohn (Sherlock Cohn) who is related to the Hammers. She recalled that her family talked about a relative with the surname Liebross. When she saw that I was researching Liebrosses, she contacted me. She let me know that the Krasno on Ethel's manifest was also known as Krasnoyil's'k.[2]

These are all the Hammers (mostly from Krasnoyil's'k) I located by searching on the surname Liebross:

• Adolph Hammer, 23 years old, from Krasna Ilska, Austria; arrived on 31 March 1907 on the S.S. Graf Waldersee; heading to his uncle Simon Liebrus at 181 Melrose, Brooklyn;
• Mizi Hammer, 16, from Krasna, Austria; arrived on 29 August 1907 on the S.S. Patricia; heading to uncle, Mr. Libros at 181 Melrose St., Brooklyn;
• Pinkas Hammer, 23 years old, from Krasna, Austria (mother Sara Hammer in Krasna); arrived on 1 August 1908 on the S.S. Amerika; heading to uncle, Simon Liebross, at 181 Melrose St., Brooklyn;
• Mariem Hammer, 21 years old, from Krasna, Austria (mother Ester Hammer in Althutte, Bukovina)); arrived on 6 August 1910 on the S.S. Amerika; heading to uncle, Symon Lybros at 940 Gates St., New York; and
• Rafael Hammer, 34 years old [mother Ester Hammer from Althutte (now known as Staro Krasnoshora - 6 km northwest of Krasnoil's'k)], and Golda Hammer, 1.5 years old, from Alt Hutte; arrived on 6 August 1910 on the S.S. Amerika; heading to Symon Libros at 990 Gates St., New York.

In truth, I had acquired some of these manifests previously without the "going to" information. I have not done much research on these people. For now, I will leave that to Ava, who is researching this family. I do know, however, that Pinkas became Peter Hammer. After her husband Simon died, Ethel Hammer Liebross was enumerated living with Peter and his wife in the 1930 census. Ethel was identified as Peter's aunt.[3]

Then, there were two others identified via the MyHeritage database whom I had not previously seen. One identified as a cousin (who may or may nor have been):

• Mortko Riesenberg, 36 years old, from Galicia; arrived on 10 August 1902 on the S.S. Ryndam; identified Simon as a cousin living at 244 Boerum, Brooklyn, NY. 

And one immigrant, who identified Simon Liebross as his friend after he'd said on his manifest that he did not know anyone in the United States:

• Moses Breier, 32 years old, from Mihalen, Rumania [likely Mihaileni, Romania; 40 km SSE of Czernowitz]; arrived on 26 Jun 1898 on the S.S. Werkendam; identified Simon as a friend living at 244 Boerum, Brooklyn, NY.

Unfortunately, I have yet to zero-in on these last two in records after their arrival in the United States or find them in Bukovinan or Galician records. But, more clues! More work! Love it.

MyHeritage is to be commended for thinking outside the usual search box.

Notes:
1. Manifest, S.S. Deutschland, January 1890, p. 7, lines 190 and 191, Simon Libros (age 35) and Etel Libros (age 28); images, "Hamburg Passenger Lists, 1850-1934," Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 28 May 2008).
2. Krasnoyil's'k is a community that had been in Bukovina, 41 km southwest of Czernowitz. Today the community is in Ukraine. I am not entirely sure where my great uncle, Simon, was from originally. The Liebrosses were from Zaleszczyki, Galicia (now in Ukraine) in the 19th century. Sometime toward the end of the century, some of them moved from that town to Vienna and, in the case of my part of the family (my ggf Leizer Liebross, Simon's brother), to Radautz, Bukovina (now in Romania).
3. 1930 U.S. census, Kings County, New York, population schedule, Brooklyn, enumeration district 24-1668, sheet 10A, dwelling 67, family 180, Peter and Yetta Hammer and Ethel Liebross; images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 8 January 2013).

Tziril Liebross of Radautz and Zaleszczyki: New access to Radauti Jewish vital records

2017 is already shaping up to be a banner year for those of us family historians researching Jewish family members from Radautz (or, in Yiddish, Radowitz), Bukovina, Austrian Empire (now Rădăuţi, Suceava County, Romania). Up until recently, the Bukovina Vital Records database on JewishGen did not capture the years of interest to me. Birth records ended in 1879, marriage records in 1878 and death records in 1887. 

My grandmother and all her siblings were supposedly born in Radautz after the mid-1880s and my great great grandmother, Tziril Liebross, died in Radautz in 1891. While earlier Radautz records had been indexed in the "Bukovina Vital Records Database" on JewishGen, later records (during the time periods when my relatives were in the city) had not been accessible to researchers for indexing. Previously, the records office had only allowed researchers to view their family members' records and no others.

Enter researcher Edgar Hauster. In August, after some negotiation, Edgar announced acquisition of images of Jewish vital records stored in the Civil Records Office in Rădăuţi. He took digital photos and Martina Lelgemann has been transcribing and indexing the records. 

A few weeks ago, Edgar announced the availability of the expanded marriage database. Thanks to technical skill provided by Bruce Reich using Steve Morse's One-Step Search Tool Generator, indexed Radautz "Marriage Records 1870-1929" are now available and searchable online. Indexing of additional vital records is ongoing and the team plans to roll out searchable databases for births and deaths shortly.

Since I was anxious to see the records and appreciative of the ongoing efforts, I offered to contribute. Since Radautz records are well in hand, I am indexing some other Bukovina records: Campulung Moldovenesc deaths and births (some of the death records are already online). I do not know (yet) of any relatives who settled in Campulung, but this is my way of participating in a good project in a meaningful way.

But the best news: I have acquired my great great grandmother Tziril's (or Zirl's) death register record! 

It's always exciting for me to see what the actual register books look like. The image, above, is the two page spread with my great great grandmother's record, number 115 (third entry from the bottom).

And here is a detail of the entry, acquired courtesy of the Rădăuţi Town Hall/Romanian National Archives.*

Page 112, entry 115.

Page 113, entry 115

While I already know from her gravestone that her father's name was Asher Zelig, I was hoping to learn her maiden name and her mother's name. Unfortunately, no. Tziril's death register record does confirm, however, that the Zirl documented in the record and on her associated gravestone was, indeed, the wife of Mane. Mane was my great grandfather's, Louis', father. The pieces are fitting together.

Perhaps the nicest information is that Mane (and, perhaps, Tziril) was a former resident of Zaleszczyki, Galicia. Family lore only spoke of Radautz as the birth place of my grandmother and all her siblings. My research has been indicating that my great grandparents and their children were originally from the Zaleszczyki area (today in Ukraine). Now I have some additional confirmation that Louis Liebross' parents were from Zaleszczyki.

This is terrific, because I already knew that my great grandmother Bertha's (Louis Liebross' wife) Wenkert family was also from Zaleszczyki. While, due to records loss, it is unlikely I will ever find vital records from Zaleszczyki, if I can place both the Wenkert and Liebross families there, I will have a good notion about where my great grandparents met and started their family. When I visited the Lviv Archives in 2013, I did find other people surnamed Wenkert and Liebross in Zaleszczyki and Usciezko (Ustechko) in the 1850s. I cannot yet directly link to those people, but, again, the pieces are starting to look good.

The record shows that Tziril was 81 years old at death. That means she was born about 1810. I think that is earlier than probable. Rivke Liebross Schaffer, Tziril's eldest known child, was, based upon her records, probably born around 1850. After Rivke's birth, Tziril had at least three additional children: Ruchel, Eliezer (Louis) and Simon. United States records for Louis and Simon indicate they were born in the early to mid 1860s. If Tziril had been born in 1810, she would have been over 50 when she had the last two children. Not likely.

Tziril's death record also identifies a house number in Radautz. The house number will allow me to place her home, no. 1102, on a Radautz map. But, that's another post!

I am now anxiously awaiting birth records, which should include most of my great aunts and uncles. A sneak-peek at a list of names dashed my hope that birth records for Tziril's and Mane's two eldest Liebross children, my grandmother, Tillie, and my great aunt, Rose, will be among the mix. Perhaps they were actually born in Zaleszczyki (I may never be able to confirm that with birth records). But, it does look like I will find birth records for Tillie's and Rose's siblings - my great uncles Max, Sidney, Harry, Jerry and Irving and my great aunt Celia. Stay tuned! 

*Citation for this record:

Zirl Liebross, death record entry 115 (19 October 1891), Radautz Deaths, vol. III, 1887-1902, pp. 112-113; Rădăuți Civil Records Office, Rădăuți, Suceava County, Romania. 

My DNA Arboriculture

Commons.Wikimedia.org

Recently many genealogists have jumped on a bandwagon started by blogger J. Paul Hawthorn. He created a chart using Excel to show where ancestors on his family tree were born. Then some genealogists, including Lara Diamond, thought to show their Y-DNA (father's father's father, etc.) and mitochondrial DNA (mother's mother's mother, etc.) haplogroups. 

Using this tool for DNA results is a terrific way to see how well one has applied DNA testing to one's tree. It really shows where the holes are and gives one an idea which relatives to approach next for further testing. 

For my family, I had to remake the chart to take into account the fact that my paternal grandparents (Jacob Garber and Dora Morris) were first cousins. Jacob's mother and Dora's father were siblings.

Holes in the Chart:

Morris (Mazewitsky) Y-DNA: I have not pursued this line yet, but I do have more than one Morris male relative to approach.

Wilson (Wilensky) Y-DNA: Soon to be accomplished. My cousin (a Wilson male) has just sent in his cheek swab test to FamilyTree DNA. Yes!

Liebross Y-DNA: I have asked some of my Liebross male cousins to test and have not yet received a yes (sigh).

Hoda Epstein Mt-DNA: I know of only one person I could approach on this (I missed my chance to ask her late mother to test). Right now I do not think the daughter is interested.

The other blanks cannot be pursued, at this point, unless I determine some additional collateral relatives on my tree.

Adding a significant leaf on the tree: Tsiril Liebross

Oh, I know it's not "Tombstone Tuesday," but this is one of those genealogy happy dance moments - and I want to share. I have recently received, via email, photos of my great great grandmother Tsiril Liebross' tombstone in the Radauti (aka Radautz) Jewish Cemetery in Romania (what had been the Bukovina province of the Austrian Empire).

An index of this record has been online for some time (the inventory of the cemetery was completed in 2005) associated with the Radauti kehilalinks page on JewishGen. But, it has taken me some time to find additional evidence that my great great grandmother was this Tsiril who died in Radauti.

Based upon some recent contacts, I have also been able to add another sister for my great grandfather Louis Liebross (more about that another time) and confirm that "Zirl Libruss" was my Tsiril Liebross.

Here lies an important woman

modest and proper

Mrs. Tsiril daughter of

the late Mr. Asher

Zelig Died second

intermediate day of Sukkot

5652 May her soul be bound in the bonds of the living

Devout Jewish people may not work during the first two days of Sukkot. The first two days of Sukkot are followed by intermediate days on which people may go about most of their usual work routines. So the second intermediate day is the fourth day of Sukkot (18 Tishri). In the year 5652, the Gregorian calendar date of Tsiril's death was 20 October 1891.

Her father was Asher Zelig. My great uncle, Sidney Libross (son of Louis and Bertha), was named for Asher Zelig and shared that Hebrew name. Sidney was born on 2 February 1890. Since Ashkenazi Jewish people do not name after the living, we know that Tsiril's father died before 2 February 1890. We do not know Tsiril's father's surname or the name of her mother.

My great aunt Celia Liebross' Hebrew name was Tsiril, like her grandmother. While I am not sure of Celia's exact date of birth (she had a tendency to get younger as the years went by), I know she was born after her brother Harry (14 November 1893) and before her brother Joseph Jerome, also known as Jerry (15 July 1897). So, she certainly could have been named after Tsiril who died in October 1891.

Tsiril was the wife of Mane. She and Mane had at least four children: my great grandfather Eliezer (Leizer or Louis) Liebross, Simon Liebross, Ruchel Liebross Gottfried and Rivka Liebross Schaffer.

I do not know when and where Mane died or was buried - his grave does not appear in this inventoried Radauti cemetery. However, Louis's eldest son, Max, born on 8 December 1889 in Radauti, was given the Hebrew name Mane. 

Recently discovery of Louis' elder sister Rivka Liebross Schaffer has added to information that may provide some indications regarding Mane's death. Rivka's first son (second child), born 26 September 1870 was also named Manie.[1]  So, we may assume that Louis' and Rivka's father (Tsiril's husband) died before that.*

My research leads me to believe that the family lived (or at least was registered in) Zaleszczyki before moving to Radauti. It is possible that Mane might have been buried there. Unfortunately, there are today neither records nor remnants of the Zaleszczyki Jewish cemetery.

The Radauti Jewish Cemetery Project, online via JewishGen, was kind enough to respond to my request for these photos of my great grandmother's gravestone and to allow me to use the images on my blog. 
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* I am indebted to researcher Eli Schaffer who is related to Rivka Liebross Schaffer's husband Avraham Dov Ber Schaffer. He pointed me in the correct direction in recognizing Rivka as a relative and noting Manie Schaffer's birth date. 

Notes:
1. "Registrupentiu actlele Starii Civile, Radauti, Nascuti 1857-1876-N1," birth register, page 50, record 67, Manie Schaffer, born 26 September 1870; Arhivele Nationale ale Romaniei (The National Archives of Romania), Suceava.