Rebecca Stanley
@genealogrebecca.bsky.social
History buff and amateur genealogist
So is this a case of cold-calling family asking strangers to help me or waiting 30-some odd years and (hopefully) letting the statute of limitations or whatever run out so that I can (hopefully) get it at the 50-year mark of her death or something?
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November 26, 2025 at 10:44 PM
So is this a case of cold-calling family asking strangers to help me or waiting 30-some odd years and (hopefully) letting the statute of limitations or whatever run out so that I can (hopefully) get it at the 50-year mark of her death or something?
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In terms of asking family, Mom - who is gone now - barely ever talked to any of her first cousins on her mother's side .... 1) Dad and I think the last time she did talk to one of them was in the '90s and 2) Dad and I have never even met any of the cousins (though we met my great-aunt & uncle).
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November 26, 2025 at 10:44 PM
In terms of asking family, Mom - who is gone now - barely ever talked to any of her first cousins on her mother's side .... 1) Dad and I think the last time she did talk to one of them was in the '90s and 2) Dad and I have never even met any of the cousins (though we met my great-aunt & uncle).
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So, in summary: NYC - as her great-niece - will let me get her birth certificate ... provided I give them an original copy of her NJ death certificate. New Jersey - in terms of getting her death certificate - says that I'm not considered next-of-kin so I can't get the death certificate.
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November 26, 2025 at 10:44 PM
So, in summary: NYC - as her great-niece - will let me get her birth certificate ... provided I give them an original copy of her NJ death certificate. New Jersey - in terms of getting her death certificate - says that I'm not considered next-of-kin so I can't get the death certificate.
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According to VitalCheck - where I tried to order the New Jersey death certificate - both certified & uncertified (ie informational) copies are limited to next-of-kin (ie parents, spouses, siblings, and children and grandchildren of the deceased if they're "of legal age").
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November 26, 2025 at 10:44 PM
According to VitalCheck - where I tried to order the New Jersey death certificate - both certified & uncertified (ie informational) copies are limited to next-of-kin (ie parents, spouses, siblings, and children and grandchildren of the deceased if they're "of legal age").
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She did die in New Jersey. However, if the deceased person who you're seeking a birth certificate for was born in NYC but died outside of New York State, NYC requires an original copy of the out-of-state death certificate before you can get the birth certificate.
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November 26, 2025 at 10:44 PM
She did die in New Jersey. However, if the deceased person who you're seeking a birth certificate for was born in NYC but died outside of New York State, NYC requires an original copy of the out-of-state death certificate before you can get the birth certificate.
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You're doing better than me! I have some transcriptions I should do based on German-to-English translations from my cousin-in-law. Have I done them yet? No. #AncestryHour
November 25, 2025 at 7:29 PM
You're doing better than me! I have some transcriptions I should do based on German-to-English translations from my cousin-in-law. Have I done them yet? No. #AncestryHour
As the daughter of a proud “Groundhog baby” (so to speak), I like this. 😊
November 21, 2025 at 4:31 PM
As the daughter of a proud “Groundhog baby” (so to speak), I like this. 😊
Ooh! You gave me a presentation idea! Thanks (indirectly) for your confidence but now I'm thinking of making my own Intro to Jewish Genealogy presentation.
November 21, 2025 at 3:57 AM
Ooh! You gave me a presentation idea! Thanks (indirectly) for your confidence but now I'm thinking of making my own Intro to Jewish Genealogy presentation.
Lastly, a big BIG thing abt names: Ashkenazi Jews *do not name kids aft living relatives.* If you're trying to figure out where did that name come from, look around & see who died most recently (usually a grandparent or great-grandparent); likely that kid is named after them. #GenHour
November 20, 2025 at 10:21 PM
Lastly, a big BIG thing abt names: Ashkenazi Jews *do not name kids aft living relatives.* If you're trying to figure out where did that name come from, look around & see who died most recently (usually a grandparent or great-grandparent); likely that kid is named after them. #GenHour
Forgot to mention an anecdote: Vilnius (Vilna) at that time was known as "ירושלים די ליטע" (Yerushali'yim di Lite) (Jerusalem of Lithuania) because it was the capital - so to speak - of Jewish culture at the time. (If I'm wrong, then I'm thinking of the interwar years.) #GenHour
November 20, 2025 at 10:13 PM
Forgot to mention an anecdote: Vilnius (Vilna) at that time was known as "ירושלים די ליטע" (Yerushali'yim di Lite) (Jerusalem of Lithuania) because it was the capital - so to speak - of Jewish culture at the time. (If I'm wrong, then I'm thinking of the interwar years.) #GenHour
Your welcome! Funnily enough, my maternal grandmother's side came to NY (NYC specifically) from the Russian Empire and my paternal grandmother's father's family came to Chicago from the Bohemia region both circa 1910. #GenHour
November 20, 2025 at 10:09 PM
Your welcome! Funnily enough, my maternal grandmother's side came to NY (NYC specifically) from the Russian Empire and my paternal grandmother's father's family came to Chicago from the Bohemia region both circa 1910. #GenHour
FamilySearch should have word lists. I think that'll help. Also, check out Lara Diamond's blog, "Jewnealogy." Yes, she focuses on her family branches but 1) She's well-known I believe in the Jewish genealogy world and 2) She might have stuff on her blog about reading Russian script. #GenHour
November 20, 2025 at 10:07 PM
FamilySearch should have word lists. I think that'll help. Also, check out Lara Diamond's blog, "Jewnealogy." Yes, she focuses on her family branches but 1) She's well-known I believe in the Jewish genealogy world and 2) She might have stuff on her blog about reading Russian script. #GenHour
... Keep an open mind.
Forgot to mention:
- I don't know if the family went to the UK or the US - & this is generalized - but if they're German, a lot of Germans migrated in the 1840s-1850s, Russian and Austro-Hungarian Jews were late 19th/early 20th century.
#GenHour
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Forgot to mention:
- I don't know if the family went to the UK or the US - & this is generalized - but if they're German, a lot of Germans migrated in the 1840s-1850s, Russian and Austro-Hungarian Jews were late 19th/early 20th century.
#GenHour
11/END
November 20, 2025 at 9:58 PM
... Keep an open mind.
Forgot to mention:
- I don't know if the family went to the UK or the US - & this is generalized - but if they're German, a lot of Germans migrated in the 1840s-1850s, Russian and Austro-Hungarian Jews were late 19th/early 20th century.
#GenHour
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Forgot to mention:
- I don't know if the family went to the UK or the US - & this is generalized - but if they're German, a lot of Germans migrated in the 1840s-1850s, Russian and Austro-Hungarian Jews were late 19th/early 20th century.
#GenHour
11/END
Names:
- I think the easiest way to think of names is that it could go 1 of 3 ways: 1) A direct correlation (Avraham --> Abraham), 2) It starts with about the same letter (Chaim --> Charles; Feiga --> Fannie; Gittel --> Gussie, Gertrude), or 3) It's similar (Chaim --> Hyman)....
#GenHour
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- I think the easiest way to think of names is that it could go 1 of 3 ways: 1) A direct correlation (Avraham --> Abraham), 2) It starts with about the same letter (Chaim --> Charles; Feiga --> Fannie; Gittel --> Gussie, Gertrude), or 3) It's similar (Chaim --> Hyman)....
#GenHour
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November 20, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Names:
- I think the easiest way to think of names is that it could go 1 of 3 ways: 1) A direct correlation (Avraham --> Abraham), 2) It starts with about the same letter (Chaim --> Charles; Feiga --> Fannie; Gittel --> Gussie, Gertrude), or 3) It's similar (Chaim --> Hyman)....
#GenHour
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- I think the easiest way to think of names is that it could go 1 of 3 ways: 1) A direct correlation (Avraham --> Abraham), 2) It starts with about the same letter (Chaim --> Charles; Feiga --> Fannie; Gittel --> Gussie, Gertrude), or 3) It's similar (Chaim --> Hyman)....
#GenHour
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Languages:
- Languages you could encounter (depending on which country they're in): Yiddish, Hebrew, Russian, and German. Hebrew was the "holy language" used for prayer; Yiddish was the everyday language. Hebrew & Yiddish look similar but they're different
#GenHour
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- Languages you could encounter (depending on which country they're in): Yiddish, Hebrew, Russian, and German. Hebrew was the "holy language" used for prayer; Yiddish was the everyday language. Hebrew & Yiddish look similar but they're different
#GenHour
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November 20, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Languages:
- Languages you could encounter (depending on which country they're in): Yiddish, Hebrew, Russian, and German. Hebrew was the "holy language" used for prayer; Yiddish was the everyday language. Hebrew & Yiddish look similar but they're different
#GenHour
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- Languages you could encounter (depending on which country they're in): Yiddish, Hebrew, Russian, and German. Hebrew was the "holy language" used for prayer; Yiddish was the everyday language. Hebrew & Yiddish look similar but they're different
#GenHour
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Changing borders:
- Honestly, go to JewishGen & type the town name into the Town Finder database (trying to remember the database name off the top of my head). It will give you the town name pre-WWI, interwar, & post-WWII.
#GenHour
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- Honestly, go to JewishGen & type the town name into the Town Finder database (trying to remember the database name off the top of my head). It will give you the town name pre-WWI, interwar, & post-WWII.
#GenHour
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November 20, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Changing borders:
- Honestly, go to JewishGen & type the town name into the Town Finder database (trying to remember the database name off the top of my head). It will give you the town name pre-WWI, interwar, & post-WWII.
#GenHour
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- Honestly, go to JewishGen & type the town name into the Town Finder database (trying to remember the database name off the top of my head). It will give you the town name pre-WWI, interwar, & post-WWII.
#GenHour
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- If they survived: Arolsen Archives: arolsen-archives.org/en/archive/o...
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- JewishGen.org
- Also, tagging @caitlinhollander.bsky.social here because she does Holocaust/Shoah work
#GenHour
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- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- JewishGen.org
- Also, tagging @caitlinhollander.bsky.social here because she does Holocaust/Shoah work
#GenHour
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Online Search | Arolsen Archives
Whether you are searching for information out of personal interest, for academic or journalistic purposes, or in the context of an educational project, our online archive is open to everyone – anytime...
arolsen-archives.org
November 20, 2025 at 9:58 PM
- If they survived: Arolsen Archives: arolsen-archives.org/en/archive/o...
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- JewishGen.org
- Also, tagging @caitlinhollander.bsky.social here because she does Holocaust/Shoah work
#GenHour
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- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- JewishGen.org
- Also, tagging @caitlinhollander.bsky.social here because she does Holocaust/Shoah work
#GenHour
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... in the family - far extended or much closer - to have someone who was murdered or at the very least a victim of the Holocaust (the Shoah). Now this might be a bit too generalized but:
- If they died: Central Database of Shoah Victims' Names collections.yadvashem.org/en/names
#GenHour
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- If they died: Central Database of Shoah Victims' Names collections.yadvashem.org/en/names
#GenHour
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metaTags.names.title
metaTags.names.description
collections.yadvashem.org
November 20, 2025 at 9:58 PM
... in the family - far extended or much closer - to have someone who was murdered or at the very least a victim of the Holocaust (the Shoah). Now this might be a bit too generalized but:
- If they died: Central Database of Shoah Victims' Names collections.yadvashem.org/en/names
#GenHour
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- If they died: Central Database of Shoah Victims' Names collections.yadvashem.org/en/names
#GenHour
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Resources (cont.)
- If the family's German, here's the German Research Division: www.jewishgen.org/gersig/
- Eastern Europe: Routes to Roots: rtrfoundation.org
- Also Ancestry and FamilySearch
Now, being Ashkenazi Jewish, the family is pretty much bound to have at least one person ...
#GenHour
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- If the family's German, here's the German Research Division: www.jewishgen.org/gersig/
- Eastern Europe: Routes to Roots: rtrfoundation.org
- Also Ancestry and FamilySearch
Now, being Ashkenazi Jewish, the family is pretty much bound to have at least one person ...
#GenHour
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German Research Division: Home
Home Page. Welcome Message. Latest news
www.jewishgen.org
November 20, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Resources (cont.)
- If the family's German, here's the German Research Division: www.jewishgen.org/gersig/
- Eastern Europe: Routes to Roots: rtrfoundation.org
- Also Ancestry and FamilySearch
Now, being Ashkenazi Jewish, the family is pretty much bound to have at least one person ...
#GenHour
5/
- If the family's German, here's the German Research Division: www.jewishgen.org/gersig/
- Eastern Europe: Routes to Roots: rtrfoundation.org
- Also Ancestry and FamilySearch
Now, being Ashkenazi Jewish, the family is pretty much bound to have at least one person ...
#GenHour
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Resources (cont.):
- If they're from the Galicia region of the Austro-Hungarian Empire: www.geshergalicia.org
- If they're from Austria &/or Bohemia, there's a Special Interest Group called the Austria-Czech SIG at www.jewishgen.org/austriaczech/; they do a lot of work at Geni.com
#GenHour
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- If they're from the Galicia region of the Austro-Hungarian Empire: www.geshergalicia.org
- If they're from Austria &/or Bohemia, there's a Special Interest Group called the Austria-Czech SIG at www.jewishgen.org/austriaczech/; they do a lot of work at Geni.com
#GenHour
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Gesher Galicia | Researching Jewish roots in the former Austro-Hungarian province of Galicia, now Poland and Ukraine
Gesher Galicia is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people research their Jewish family roots in the former Austro-Hungarian Empire province of Galicia, which is today southeastern Poland...
www.geshergalicia.org
November 20, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Resources (cont.):
- If they're from the Galicia region of the Austro-Hungarian Empire: www.geshergalicia.org
- If they're from Austria &/or Bohemia, there's a Special Interest Group called the Austria-Czech SIG at www.jewishgen.org/austriaczech/; they do a lot of work at Geni.com
#GenHour
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- If they're from the Galicia region of the Austro-Hungarian Empire: www.geshergalicia.org
- If they're from Austria &/or Bohemia, there's a Special Interest Group called the Austria-Czech SIG at www.jewishgen.org/austriaczech/; they do a lot of work at Geni.com
#GenHour
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Resources:
- JewishGen.org: Has TONS of information & databases; is free, you just need to sign up
- If the family is Polish/from Poland, Jewish Records Indexing-Poland (aka JRI-Poland) at www.jri-poland.org
- For immigration or the Jewish calendar, Steve Morse's website: stevemorse.org
#GenHour
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- JewishGen.org: Has TONS of information & databases; is free, you just need to sign up
- If the family is Polish/from Poland, Jewish Records Indexing-Poland (aka JRI-Poland) at www.jri-poland.org
- For immigration or the Jewish calendar, Steve Morse's website: stevemorse.org
#GenHour
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JewishGen - The Global Home for Jewish Genealogy
Explore millions of records from around the world, identify relatives, discover the towns of your ancestors, experience how they lived, connect with our global JewishGen community, and more!
JewishGen.org
November 20, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Resources:
- JewishGen.org: Has TONS of information & databases; is free, you just need to sign up
- If the family is Polish/from Poland, Jewish Records Indexing-Poland (aka JRI-Poland) at www.jri-poland.org
- For immigration or the Jewish calendar, Steve Morse's website: stevemorse.org
#GenHour
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- JewishGen.org: Has TONS of information & databases; is free, you just need to sign up
- If the family is Polish/from Poland, Jewish Records Indexing-Poland (aka JRI-Poland) at www.jri-poland.org
- For immigration or the Jewish calendar, Steve Morse's website: stevemorse.org
#GenHour
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History:
- Jewish Virtual Library (It will not give you history on small towns or places like that but can give you a bigger overview): www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org
- A more contemporary source: Yizkor (Memorial) books; you can find ones for lots of shtetls (towns) on JewishGen.org
#GenHour
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- Jewish Virtual Library (It will not give you history on small towns or places like that but can give you a bigger overview): www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org
- A more contemporary source: Yizkor (Memorial) books; you can find ones for lots of shtetls (towns) on JewishGen.org
#GenHour
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Jewish Virtual Library
Encyclopedia of Jewish and Israeli history, politics and culture, with biographies, statistics, articles and documents on topics from anti-Semitism to Zionism.
www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org
November 20, 2025 at 9:58 PM
History:
- Jewish Virtual Library (It will not give you history on small towns or places like that but can give you a bigger overview): www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org
- A more contemporary source: Yizkor (Memorial) books; you can find ones for lots of shtetls (towns) on JewishGen.org
#GenHour
2/
- Jewish Virtual Library (It will not give you history on small towns or places like that but can give you a bigger overview): www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org
- A more contemporary source: Yizkor (Memorial) books; you can find ones for lots of shtetls (towns) on JewishGen.org
#GenHour
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Hi! As someone who's family is fully 100% Ashkenazi Jewish on both sides, I can help! Also tagging @jernealogy.bsky.social to hopefully give you some pointers - especially in DNA which is not my forte. A🧵:
#GenHour
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#GenHour
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November 20, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Hi! As someone who's family is fully 100% Ashkenazi Jewish on both sides, I can help! Also tagging @jernealogy.bsky.social to hopefully give you some pointers - especially in DNA which is not my forte. A🧵:
#GenHour
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#GenHour
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