Timeline for Selig Dudelczak Feinstein (1858-1915)

I've decided to create some timelines for my ancestors to organize the information I have on their lives.

Here is a timeline I have created for my second great grandfather, Selig Dudelczak Feinstein 

• 1858-1862 Simcha Zelig (Selig) Dudelczak is born, likely somewhere in Volhynia, Ukraine.
• Simcha means "Gladness" or "Joy" in Hebrew. Zelig means "Blessed" in Yiddish.
• 1858 Brother, Yidel (Julius) born (Possible Twin)
• 1860 Sister, Zlata (Lottie) born (Possible Twin)
• 1868 Sister, Toba (Tillie) born
• 1871 Sister, Bella (Rebecca) born
• 1874 Sister Shprintze (Sylvia) born
• 1883 Selig marries Nechama (Anna) Perlik (Source: 1900 census)
• 1885 Son Shmuel Zvi (Harry Samuel) born. 
• 1886 Son Chaim (Herman Max)  born 
• 1888 Son Benjamin born 
• 1889 Immigrates to US by self (Port of arrival: Castle Garden)
• 1890 Wife, Children & Mother immigrate under the surname Feinstein 
• 1890 Daughter, Pearl, born (Descendants share DNA with descendants of Selig’s siblings, so paternity is likely)
• 1892 First appears in St Louis City Directory as a Shoer
• 1893 Son, Morris, born
• 1895 Son, David, born
• 1896 Son, David, died 
• 1898 Son, Aaron, born
• 1898 Patents an improvement to fire hydrants with business partner Max Wieselman (who also immigrated from Volhynia)
• 1899 Appears in City Directory as both Grocer and Blacksmith 
• 1899 Son, Joseph, born
• 1899 Vice President of new Tpheris Israel congregation
• 1900 Blacksmith, residing at 1122 North Eighth Street, and according to the census, owner,
• 1901 Opens Western Junk Shop - lasts until 1905
• 1901 Daughter, Rose, born. Son, Joseph, died.
• 1902-1913 Member of Progressive Order of the West fraternal organization
• 1906 Mother, Gitel (Gertrude) died. 
• 1906 Selig on Chesed Shel Emeth Society committee to build an Old Folks Home
• 1906 Moves to 5600 Garfield. 
• 1907 Sells property on Garfield to brother Julius Odelsohn
• 1908 Opens real estate business with Son, Harry
• 1910 Lives at 1941 Burd Ave
• 1911 Selig & Anna purchase lot of Carr Primary School
• 1911 Opens Central Laundry business with Son, Herman
• 1912 Incorporates Famous Laundry
• 1912 Charged with violating "Anti-Smoke Ordinances" at Central Laundry. (Coal smoke) 
• 1914 Opens another laundry business with daughter, Pearl
• 1915 Selig Feinstein died. 
• 1915 Selig is recorded as donating $6 to Jewish Charitable & Educational Union

Notes

1. I have yet to uncover a document with his date of birth. Years on documents vary. 
2. No European vital records have been found so dates which appear on later records are less certain. 
3. Between 1860-1868 it is likely other siblings were born. Family history suggests at least one named Gershon survived childhood and remained in the Ukraine as an adult. What happened to him is unknown.
4. I do not know for certain where Selig (and his family) were between 1889-1892. They may not have moved to St. Louis until after everyone had immigrated.
5. I have searched through deed indexes on microfilm, but have been unable to uncover the deed indicating Selig purchased 1122 North Eighth Street as the 1900 census suggests.  The vast majority of neighbors are listed as renters, and few addresses in the neighborhood have owners listed. Most owners of the tenements likely lived in other neighborhoods. Being a resident owner would have been unusual, but Selig's later interest in real estate might have started earlier. 
6. He was possibly a member of the Progressive Order of the West fraternal organization prior to 1902, but that was the first year he appeared in the newspaper as a delegate to their annual convention. Similarly, he likely remained a member until his death.
7. I have not uncovered Selig’s will so I don’t know if the donation was part of it or given before he died. A list of donations appeared in the newspaper. 
8. I’ve found six occupations so far. Shoer, Blacksmith, Grocer, Junk Dealer, Real Estate Management, Laundry Management. 

The Etymology of the Surname Dudelsack/Dudelczak/Dudelzak

When I began researching, all I could find on my ancestral surname, Dudelsack, was the German bagpipe.

Later, once I realized 'Dudel' was a Yiddish diminutive for 'David,' I realized the surname was likely 'Dudelczak' or 'Dudelzak,' and patronymic in origin.

A different etymology is provided in Dictionary of Jewish Surnames From the Russian Empire, by Alexander Bieder, Avotaynu, 1993.

Dudel'zak (Pinsk, Lutsk, Ostrog, Odessa, Rovno) O: from 'nudlzak' [Southeastern Yiddish] needle packing. 

This would make it an occupational surname. Needle packing is probably related to the profession of tailor. The entry also provides some locations where the surname could be found.

It's worth noting that there are several surnames in the dictionary that are based on the Yiddish diminutive, 'Dudel.'

Anna Yetta Babchik Blufston - 1873-1930

I wrote most of the below in 2016, but I put it aside, confused by the information I had. Now I know more. 

Several years ago I shared a passenger manifest from the TSS New Amsterdam, October 28, 1891.

The Feinsteins included Nechama (my 2nd great grandmother), Gitel (my 3rd great grandmother), and Nechama's children Hersch, Chaim (my great grandfather), Berl, and Pearl. There was also an 18 year old woman named Yetta Feinstein traveling with them. Who was she? I didn't know then. I know a lot more about her now, but I'm not really any closer to figuring out what I want to know. [I wrote that in 2016. I'm a lot closer now.]

My second great grandfather, Selig Dudelczak, immigrated a year earlier. Gitel was his mother. It was always known that the family changed their name to Feinstein in America. The popular story was that the person ahead of them in line at Ellis Island was named Feinstein. Of course, Ellis Island wasn't open yet. And beyond that, Selig traveled under the name Dudelczak, and nobody named Feinstein arrived at Castle Garden at the same time. (Or at least there are no Feinsteins in the Castle Garden database for that date.) Five years ago my first thought was that perhaps Yetta was the mystery Feinstein. It was just Nechama who changed the name, not Selig.

Recently, I believe, I have uncovered documents for Yetta.

In August of 1894 she married Samuel Blufstein in the City of St. Louis. (I have found the marriage certificate that confirms they did get married.) 

In the 1910 census, Samuel and Anna Y Blufston are residing in St. Louis

How do I know that Anna Y is Yetta, and Samuel Blufston is Samuel Blufstein?

Anna Y was born in 1873, which matches an 18 year old woman in 1891. She also immigrated in 1891 from Russia. It could be a coincidence. There's also the daughter Etta.

On June 9, 1929, Samuel Blufston's obituary appeared in the St. Louis Post Dispatch



This obituary suggests, if Anna Y was the passenger on the manifest, her real name wasn't Feinstein either. It was Babchik.  (Her death certificate states her father was Jacob Babchik.)

How was Yetta related to Sylvia Dudelczak Babchik Blufston, sister of my second great grandfather? She was born at about the same time as Sylvia. 

Her obituary (something I hadn't yet found in 2016) provides a possible answer. From the Aug 6, 1930 St. Louis Post Dispatch

The obituary states she is a sister of Bertha Rovin, Goldie Klein, Harry, Leo and Etta Buflston. These are the children of Sylvia. However, she is the same age as Sylvia, so Sylvia can't be her mother.

However, Sylvia's first husband could have had a prior wife, and a daughter. Having a significantly younger second wife isn't uncommon at that time. This would make Sylvia a step-mother of Anna Yetta, and Anna Yetta would be a step sister to Sylvia's children. While none of the obituaries for Bertha, Goldie, Harry, Leo or Etta mention Anna, this is the most likely solution to all the documents I have uncovered to date. More documents might suggest a different answer.

This theory still doesn't explain why the Feinstein surname was chosen, by the Dudelczaks, or Anna Yetta Babchik.

This is my last blog post related to the Dudelczak immigrants - until I discover more.

Bessie or Rebecca (Bella) Dudelczak Portnoy 1871-1916

Below is the 1900 census record for my second great grandfather, Selig Feinstein. He is actually recorded as Samuel Feinstein. In a city directory, his name appears one year as Salem Feinstein. However, on most records he used his Yiddish name, Selig. He lived at 1122 North 8th. This is part of the Carr Square tenement district I've written about several times. The Feinsteins were in the front of the building, and several families were in the rear. The census also indicates (in a column that isn't in the image below) that the Feinsteins were owners, and everyone else at the address rented. 

Others at the address: Sarah Freeman, the Finkelsteins, the Buchanans, the Shparbergs, and Ruben and Bessie Portnoy. I've had this census page downloaded since 2007, when I began my research. It didn't occur to me back then to research all the names of the people living at the same address as my ancestor. Now I know that Bessie Portnoy was Selig's sister.

Other things to note: Almost everyone on this page was from Russia. Ruben Portnoy is recorded as having filed his first papers, so I will have to see if I can find them. Ruben and Bessie are recorded as having immigrated in 1896, so hopefully that will help with locating their passenger manifests. In 1900 they've been in the US for 4 years, and have been married for 8 years. They have no children.

Bessie died on November 2, 1916. Her death certificate (PDF), under the name Rebecca Portnoy, records her father as Samuel Feinstein. I have no doubt that it is actually Shmuel Hirsch Dudelczak, but the informant (R Portnoy, likely her husband) used the surname my second great grandfather chose.

Related Posts:

• Sylvia Dudelczak Blufston Babchick 1874-1930
• Lottie Dudelczak Getz Goldstein - 1861-1939

Sylvia Dudelczak Blufston Babchick 1874-1930

A great great aunt wrote down the family information years ago. Selig Dudelczak, son of Samuel Harry (Schmuel Hersh) Dudelczak and Gertrude (Gitel) Slupsky, immigrated to America and changed his surname to Feinstein. He had two siblings who also immigrated, Julius and Tillie. We didn't have surnames for either one. Four siblings remained in Russia: Bella, Gershon, Selma, and Sprinsa.

That is how I began the post I wrote last month, where I described how I discovered Selig's sister Lottie (Ylota) Getz Goldstein. The 1900 census indicates Gitel/Gertrude had seven living children. The census doesn't indicate how many are living in the US. Since last month's post, I have learned at least six of the seven children immigrated.

Below is Lottie's obituary from The Modern View, June 22, 1939, page 10

GOLDSTEIN, LOTTIE - On Sunday, June 18, beloved mother of Mrs. Sarah Goodman of Tulsa, Okla., and Sam Getz, dear sister of the late Zelik Feinstein, Udil Odelsohn, Sprintza Babchick, Toba Oberman and Baila Portnoy, our dear aunt, mother-in-law, grandmother, and great-grandmother. 

Funeral from the Jewish Old Folks' Home on Monday, June 19. Oxenhandler service.

I'm working my way backwards through the Modern View microfilm at the library. When I discovered Lottie mentioned in Tillie's 1935 obituary, I had already scanned the 1939 microfilm for surnames I recognized. I should have seen and recognized Zelik, Udil, and Toba - right? Browsing pages and pages of newspapers on microfilm searching for surnames isn't an easy task. And I will admit that in the obituary section, my eyes are attracted to the deceased's name more quickly than all the names mentioned in the obituary. So I missed it.

Lottie's obituary mentions five pre-deceased siblings, including Sprintza Babchick and Baila Portnoy. Two surnames that were new for me. However, in this case, the given names were names my great great aunt had mentioned.  Had they immigrated, or had they stayed in the Old Country, and Lottie had just remained in contact with them? The first obvious place for me to research was the Missouri digitized death certificates.

Here's Sprinza Babchick's death certificate (PDF). Under 'Name of Father' it says: Shmeel Hersch Doodelock. The name of the mother is unknown. The informant is Jake Rovin, who research suggests was a son-in-law.

It seems the father's name was passed down in every branch of the family, even though the spelling became fuzzy. The given name of the mother appears on the death certificate of only two of her children, and her maiden name on none. Our family records suggest it was Slupsky, but I have found no supporting documentation.

Here's Sylvia's obituary from the St. Louis Post Dispatch, June 2, 1930, p. 29

On Monday, June 3, 1930, dear mother of Mrs. Bertha Rovin, Mrs. Goldie Klein, Harry, Leo and Etta Blufston, dear grandmother and mother-in-law.  

Funeral from residence, 1285A Amherst place. Notice of time later. Oxenhandler service. Omit flowers.

Bertha and Goldie, research suggests, were Blufstons as well. There is no evidence, yet, that either of Sylvia's husbands immigrated, or that any of the children were born in the US. Though I have not yet uncovered the passenger manifests.

What about Baila Portnoy?
I've found her, too, and she will get her own post.

Lottie Dudelczak Getz Goldstein - 1861-1939

A Great Great Aunt wrote down the family information years ago. Selig Dudelczak, son of Samuel Harry (Schmuel Hersh) Dudelczak and Gertrude (Gitel) Slupsky, immigrated to America and changed his surname to Feinstein. He had two siblings who also immigrated, Julius and Tillie. We didn't have surnames for either one. Four siblings remained in Russia: Belle, Gershon, Selma, and Sprinsa.

In my early research I confirmed all the information except for the four who remained. Julius changed his surname to Odelson, and moved to Chicago. Tillie had married an Aaron Oberman, and they remained in St. Louis. Recently I was going through the library microfilm of The Modern View (a St. Louis Jewish weekly newspaper), and I came across Tillie's 1935 obituary.

Oberman, Tillie - On Thursday, August 8, beloved mother of Mrs. Minnie Felman, Ben Joe and Oscar Oberman, dear sister of Mrs. Lottie Goldstein of Tulsa, Okla., our dear aunt, mother-in-law and grandmother. Funeral from Oxenhandler Chapel.

My first thought was: This has to be a sister-in-law. That happens often in obituaries - spousal siblings being described as 'brother' or 'sister.' Even if my great great aunt had been unaware of one of the other siblings immigrating, "Lottie" bore no resemblance to "Belle" "Selma" or "Sprinsa." She had been correct on the other names. "I bet this is a sister-in-law," I thought to myself.

I lost the bet.

The tombstone on the left is at Chesed Shel Emeth. She is not far from her brother, Selig, and her sister, Tillie.

Lottie
Getz Goldstein
1861-1939

Zlota
Daughter of Reb Shmuel Zvi 

Died on the second day of Rosh Chodesh Tammuz in the year 5699

Below, from left to right:

1) Lottie's parents, according to her death certificate. The informant was her son, Sam Getz.
Father: Schmuel Hersh Dudelczak (I've edited the spelling to my preference. Hersh is Yiddish, and Zvi is Hebrew. Both mean 'deer.')
Mother: Gitel

2) Sam Getz's parents according to his death certificate. The informant was the nursing home.
Father: Aaron Getz
Mother: Lottie Feinstein

3) Sarah Getz Goodman's parents, according to her registration for Social Security.
Father: Harry Getz
Mother: Lottie Ohtalson (Odelson)


It appears that Lottie (like her sister) never changed her 'maiden' name. Both sisters were married in Russia, and their father appears with a variant spelling of the Dudelczak surname on their death certificates. However, both of Lottie's children, at some point, changed Lottie's maiden name in their minds, choosing between the two different surnames their uncles had chosen. Proving that they at least were aware of them.

In a fashion, these documents provide a nice wraparound, incorporating all of the surnames.

I have found no evidence that either of Lottie's husbands made the trip to America. I have no way to judge which document is more likely correct with the first name of their father. (Both could be correct. His Hebrew name could have been Aaron, and Sarah may only have been Anglicizing it with Harry.)

(I've updated this chart outlining the Dudelczak descendants for three generations.)

Here's some of the new names I've added:

Children of Lottie and Aaron/Harry Getz: Samuel, Sarah
Children of Frank and Sarah (Getz) Goodman: Harry Goodman, Gertrude (Goodman) Naron, Frances Goodman, Edrea Ann (Goodman) Appleton

Sarah LNU (Not any longer)

Randy Seaver at GeneaMusings, for his weekly Saturday Night Genealogy Fun, asked:

How Many Sarah LNU's Are in Your Genealogy Database? If you have one that is your ancestor, have you looked recently to determine if there are more records online that might lead you to her surname? Go look for one - you might be surprised!

LNU is an acronym for "Last Name Unknown." Using the acronym, instead of leaving the surname blank, facilitates finding these mysteries in your database to research at a later time.

LNUs, by the nature of surnames in Western European culture, are almost always female.

***

I had one Sarah LNU - however, she wasn't related to me. She was the husband of my 2nd great grandfather's business partner, Max Wieselman. I had entered Max into my database as an "Associated Person." (iFamily chart to the left.) Max and my 2nd great grandfather, Selig Dudelczyk (he changed his surname to Feinstein), worked as horse shoers/blacksmiths together, and were co-inventors of a modification to a fire hydrant. When I first visited the cemetery where Selig and Anna, as well as several other paternal ancestors are buried, I parked a fair distance from where their plots were, planning to walk the rest of the way. At my feet, when I got out of the car, was the headstones for Max and Sarah.

I had only entered their names and dates from the tombstones, and hadn't conducted any additional research yet. While he was my ancestor's business partner for a decade, I had no other reason to conduct any research on him or his family. The first thing I did this weekend was look up their death certificates at the Missouri Digital Heritage website. They were both there, as well as the certificates for two sons. According to Sarah's death certificate, her maiden name was Ottman.

However, Max's death certificate was more interesting to me. It stated he was born in Zhitomir, Volhynia. The same town Selig's brother Julius had for town of origin on his manifest. Did Selig and Max know each other in the old country, or did they meet each other in St. Louis?

Census records indicate Max immigrated in 1884, a few years prior to Selig. It looks like at some point I may need to conduct some more research on the Wieselmans. However, the information I want is likely in Ukrainian records.

Lifespan Statistics Revisited, Again

Using my genealogy software, I first generated a lifespan report from six different family databases back in 2008 - Age is Relative, There is a lot of different data contained in the report, as can be seen in the original post, however for this post I am going to focus on average lifespan.

2008 Statistics

Note: The numbers of individuals given are for the entire database, and includes those for whom both birth and death aren't known. The average lifespans are calculated on a smaller number of individuals.

Full Database
695 males: Avg lifespan: 61
603 females: Avg lifespan: 62

"Direct Ancestors" Only
71 males: Avg lifespan: 67
58 females: Avg lifespan: 68

Descendants of Israel David Neimark  (died approx 1890)
55 males: Avg lifespan: 66
53 females: Avg lifespan: 74

Descendants of Me’er Kruvant (born before 1795)
116 males: Avg lifespan: 68
110 females: Avg lifespan: 70

Descendants of William Denyer (1794-1848)
121 males: Avg lifespan: 53
103 females: Avg lifespan: 61

Descendants of Andrew Van Every (1798-1873)
93 males: Avg lifespan: 49
82 females: Avg lifespan: 48

For each of the last four databases, the forebear is a 3rd great grandfather, so they are roughly equivalent in generation. I wondered at the causes of the apparent lower lifespans for my Denyer and Van Every lines. One possible cause included rural vs urban living. Another possible cause included sampling size. Did I just not have enough data? Perhaps, over time, as the database grew, the average lifespans for the different family branches would even out.

2009 Statistics

In 2009, my database had grown, so I generated some updated statistics in Database Size and Lifespan Revisited for the full database, and for one family in particular.

Full Database
1030 males: Avg lifespan: 60
921 females: Avg lifespan: 62

Kruvant Descendants (Me'er and his two brothers)
368 males: Avg lifespan: 58
367 females: Avg lifespan: 62

I discussed the dramatic drop in lifespan for the Kruvant family. It wasn't unsuspected, as I had just entered a large Register I had received from a cousin researcher including many Lithuanian cousins who 'died' in rather graphic ways between 1939-1942. Though one might point out that while the lifespan for that family dropped significantly, the result was pretty close to the full database. Was this really due entirely to the Holocaust, or did the simple growth of data play a role?

Current Statistics

I didn't consider this possibility back in 2009, but as my database has grown even more since then, I thought I would return to this topic, and I realized I needed to address it.

The only way to do that was to generate a separate Kruvant database, run the statistics report, remove from that database every victim of the Holocaust, and then run the statistics report again. While I was just deleting records, and in a database I had generated only for this purpose, the process was a little disturbing, as I clicked on names, and the software asked if I was sure I wanted to delete the individuals.

Full Kruvant Line
380 males: Avg lifespan: 58
374 females: Avg lifespan: 63

Edited Kruvant Line
355 males: Avg lifespan: 63
351 females: Avg lifespan: 69

It appears the Holocaust accounted for almost all of the drop in the lifespan for Kruvant females, but it was only part of the equation for the males.

Below are the current results for several other databases.

Full Database:
1471 males: Avg lifespan: 61
1341 females: Avg lifespan: 63

Ancestors:
79 males: Avg lifespan: 67
78 female: Avg lifespan: 67

Deutsch Line:
95 males: Avg lifespan: 66
80 females: Avg lifespan: 75

Denyer Line:
188 males: Avg lifespan: 57
180 females: Avg lifespan: 62

Van Every Line:
158 males: Avg lifespan: 53
134 females: Avg lifespan: 53

Newmark Line
114 males: Avg lifespan: 69
129 female: Avg lifespan: 73

Dudelczak Line
152 males: Avg lifespan: 63
146 females: Avg lifespan: 73

The average male lifespan for the Denyer descendants has improved with added data, whereas the average female lifespan hasn't by much. The averages for my Van Every line have also improved, but only slightly. While the data so far is sparse, my mother's paternal Deutsch family appears to be among the longer-lived in my tree.

Some people might wonder at why my full database hasn't grown more in six years of research.  My database could be huge, especially on my maternal line, if I added everything I found from Ancestry's Public Trees, WorldConnect, etc. Early on in my research I found at WorldConnect a 6795 individual database containing every individual from the genealogy: A Genealogical Record of the Descendants of Henry Rosenberger of Franconia, Montgomery Co., Pa, Rev. A.J. Fretz, 1906. I downloaded the database, but I didn't merge it with my own. (Even if I trust Fretz's research, I have no way to know if the person who entered the data copied the data correctly from the book.) It would certainly have impacted my statistics greatly if I had:

Rosenberger Descent
3435 male: Avg lifespan: 33
3360 female: Avg lifespan: 32

I believe the low figures are due mostly to a very high infant mortality rate.

For some perspective I looked at two more databases.

First, I looked at my wife's database. I've only begun researching, and haven't entered all the data from a Register someone else produced. However, so far, it seems the women have a significantly higher lifespan than the men in her family.

Jen’s family
175 males: Avg lifespan: 59
165 females: Avg lifespan: 67

For another perspective, I looked at the Royal database provided with my genealogical software program, iFamily. The data goes back to the middle ages on some lines, so one would expect a lower average lifespan, which is the case.

Royal Database
1686 males: Avg lifespan: 49
1322 females: Avg lifespan: 52

In summary

Regardless of the reasons, whether they may be based on geography, time, genetics, or something else, different families have different average lifespans. The women in my separate family databases seem to have longer lifespans, which is what I have been told is the case in general. However, in my full database, the gender difference is much less. This makes me wonder if there are some branches of my family where the stats are reversed.

Database	Size (M/F)	Lifespan (M/F)
Full	695/603 1030/921 1471/1341	61/62 62/63 61/63
Ancestors	71/58 79/78	67/68 67/67
Newmark	55/53 114/129	66/74 69/73
Kruvant	116/110 368/367 380/374 355/351*	68/70 58/62 58/63 63/69*
Dudelczak	152/146	63/73
Deutsch	95/80	66/75
Denyer	121/103 188/180	53/61 57/62
Van Every	93/82 158/134	49/48 53/53
Jen’s Family	175/165	59/67
Rosenberger	3435/3360	33/32
Royal	1686/1322	49/52

Re-viewing Documents

The word, "reviewing" literally means "seeing again."

A while back I contacted the local Moolah Shrine Temple for any information they had on my Great Grandfather, Herman Feinstein's membership.  (The Moolah Temple is a masonic organization)  They sent me the application he filled out in 1927.

One piece of information on the document stood out: his birthplace.  This was the first document I found which narrowed down the origin of this branch of the family to anything smaller than "Russia."  Neither Herman's Social Security Application, nor his father's naturalization document, had been more specific than that.

However, a search for shtetls with names close to Alexandria in the Russian Empire at JewishGen yielded nine.  And I had some cause to be suspicious, since my limited understanding of Masonic organizations suggest they incorporate Egyptian symbolism, so my great grandfather could have creatively selected a town in Russia with an Egyptian counterpart.

The document was sent to me via email, and I downloaded it to a documents folder when I received it; I even emailed a cousin interested in the origin of Herman's mother's family about the contents, but I forgot completely about it.

**

I was on Ancestry this week searching on the name of Herman's father - Selig Dudelsack. (Selig changed the family surname to Feinstein.) And I viewed again the Hamburg Passenger Manifest.  There, in the column "Bisheriger Wohnort" (Former Residence) it said "Wolinsky, Russland."

How did I miss that?  The document is in German, and I suspect I focused mainly on the information I could readily read, like the names, and date.  I had the English arrival manifest from Castle Garden. So I went into my email to contact my cousin with this information, and searched for the last email I sent him.  And I rediscovered the document above.  One of the 9 Alexandrias is in the Volhynia district, aka Wolyn, aka Wolinskie.

I then re-viewed the Hamburg manifest of Selig's brother, Judal (Julius).  It said Scitomir (Zhytomyr), which I quickly learned is a major city in Volhynia, about 250 km west of what is currently known as Oleksandriia. Near the eastern boundary of Volhynia, it's actually close to Kiev.  (The balloon on the map below is Oleksandriia.) 

This is of note, since one relative recalls being told Herman was born in Kiev.  The family immigrated when Herman was age 4-5.  It's possible the family lived in both towns during those years. Herman could have also still been creative with his choice of birthplaces on the Moolah Shrine Temple petition.  However, research at JewishGen shows there was a family of Dudelzaks in the Aleksandriiya Yizkor book. (The Yizkor Books are memorial books for those who were murdered in the Holocaust.)

 I don't know if they're related, but some of the names match names in my tree, which raises the odds.  (Though some names are common enough, perhaps not by much.)  "Shmuel" (Samuel) matches the name of Selig's father.  And on the passenger manifest, the name for Herman's brother who was known as "Ben" in America, looks a lot like "Berl."  I thought it was sloppy handwriting, but 'Berel/Beryl' as a Hebrew name isn't completely unheard of.

Also, according to Familysearch, I may also have a lead on some potential cousins who made it to America:

Srul (age 17) and Schmarje (age 45) Dudelzak arrived at Ellis Island in March of 1906, and their last residence was Alexandrie.   (However, it doesn't state specifically Alexandrie, Volhynia.  It could be one of the other 8 towns.)

Naturalizations Ordered

Following the guidance at Blood and Frogs, I have been ordering several batches of Naturalization Records from the National Archives (NARA) recently.   The cost is inexpensive at $7.50, and they don't charge for the research, so you only pay if they find something.

Newmark Family
Samuel Newmark (Declaration of Intent only....probably didn't complete citizenship process)
Barnet Newmark (Declaration of Intent, Petition, Certificate of Arrival)

There are a few others I could order.  Barney's brothers Sol, Max and Israel David all went through the citizenship process. I have all three of their Declarations of Intent from the local library's microfilm. However, there are no current mysteries that their petitions are likely to solve.

Dudelsack/Feinstein Family
Selig Dudelsack (changed name to Feinstein) - (NARA unable to locate records, though he is listed as Naturalized in census.)
Julius Dudelsack (changed name to Odelson) - (NARA unable to locate records, though he is listed as Naturalized in census.) -
Aaron Oberman (husband of Toba Dudelsack, sister of Selig and Julius) - (NARA unable to locate records, though Toba is listed as Naturalized in the 1920 census)

This is frustrating.  This is the only paternal branch of mine that I don't know the European city of origin. Selig's brother-in-law, Jacob Perlik, has Szdobirtzen, Russia  and Szdobeitzen, Poland on his petition and certificate respectively -- though no city with those names can be found.  The closest phonetic match I can find is Dobrzyn, though this is a guess.

Cruvant Family
Morris (Moshe Leyb) Cruvant

I was informed by NARA that the naturalization didn't occur in a Federal Court, and was told the records could be retrieved from the Missouri State Archives.  They provided court, volume number, page number, and date.  (I knew about the Missouri State Archives records, but was curious if NARA had anything additional.)  I wasn't charged for this information.

Blatt Family
Morris Blatt

As with Morris Cruvant, NARA informed me they had no records, as this wasn't a Federal naturalization, and provided me with the information necessary to retrieve the records from the Missouri State Archives.

Deutsch Family
Solomon Deutsch - Search Pending

This also isn't a Federal Naturalization, and I have requested the documents from the Cook County Illinois court.

Amanuensis Monday - Real Estate Listings - November 1907

Amanuensis: A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.

I continue my project to transcribe family letters, journals, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts. Not only do the documents contain genealogical information, the words breathe life into kin - some I never met - others I see a time in their life before I knew them.

This week my transcription is very short.  An entry from a listing of real estate transactions from the St. Louis Post Dispatch in November of 1907.

Surname Saturday: Dudelsack or Dudelczak

I continue with the Surname Saturday blogging theme -  

Discuss a surname and mention its origins, its geographical location(s) and how it fits into your genealogy research.

Dudelsack / Dudelczak


The origin of the surname is a bit unclear.  There is a German bagpipe called a Dudelsack.  However, the word 'Dudel' is a diminutive for "David" in Yiddish, so there's a strong possibility the surname is patronymic in origin.  Spelling of the surname varies.

Four Dudelsack siblings immigrated to America in the late 1800s.  My great great grandfather Selig, a brother Yidel, a sister, Toba, and a sister Zlota.  Toba had married Aaron Oberman prior to immigration.  Selig and Yidel both changed their surnames upon arriving in America.  Yidel Americanized his given name to Julius, Toba went with Tillie, and Zlota chose Lottie.  Family lore says there were four siblings who remained in Russia. Nothing beyond their names are known.

The numbering below follows the d'Aboville system.  I've emboldened my direct ancestors. It's currently unclear what town in Russia the family originated.  It was most likely in the region of Volhynia. The four families started in America in St. Louis.  Most of the Odelsons moved to Chicago, and the Goodmans moved to Tulsa.

3. Samuel Zvi “Harry” Dudelsack married Gitel Slupsky

3.1 Belle Dudelsack
3.2 Gershon Dudelsack
3.3 Selma Dudelsack
3.4 Sprinsa Dudelsack
3.5 Toba Dudelsack ( - 1935) Married Aaron Oberman - Poland, St. Louis
3.6 Yidel “Julius” Dudelsack ( - 1917) married Jennie - Poland, St. Louis, Chicago
3.7 Selig Dudlesack (1860-1915) married Anna Perlik - Poland, St. Louis
3.8 Lottie Dudelsack (1861-1939) married Aaron Getz and Judal Goldstein - Poland, St. Louis, Tulsa

3.5.1 Manuel Harry Oberman (1886-1946) married Rose Askuvich
3.5.2 Samuel Oberman (1890- ?)
3.5.3 Minnie Oberman (1893-1974) married Louis Felman
3.5.4 Ben Oberman (1898-1969) married Geraldine Rosenthal
3.5.5 Joseph Oberman (1900-1967) married Fannie
3.5.6 Oscar Oberman (1904-1969) married (1) Lassie Brown (2) Anna Brodak

3.6.1 Samuel Odelson (1877-1954) married Rose Gordon
3.6.2 Pearl Odelson (1884-1957) married Morris Feldman
3.6.3 Louis Odelson (1886-?)
3.6.4 Sarah Odelson (1894-1987)
3.6.5 Harry Odleson (1896-1971) married Sonia Blak

3.7.1 Harry Feinstein (1884-1933) married (1) Dora Servinsky (2) Grace - Poland, St. Louis
3.7.2 Herman Feinstein (1886-1963) married Anna Blatt - Poland, St. Louis
3.7.3 Benjamin Feinstein (1888-1952) married Nevada Rowe Amacker - Poland, St. Louis
3.7.4 Pearl Feinstein (1890-1967) married Edward Louis Oxenhandler - Poland, St. Louis
3.7.5 Morris Feinstein (1893-1926) married Edna Frager - St. Louis
3.7.6 David Feinstein (1895-1896) - St. Louis
3.7.7 Aaron Feinstein (1898-1988) - St. Louis
3.7.8 Joseph Feinstein (1899-1901) - St. Louis
3.7.9 Rose Feinstein (1901-1985) married Abe Gold - St. Louis

3.8.1 Samuel Getz (1881-1943) - St. Louis
3.8.2 Sarah Getz (1890-1980) married (1) Frank Goodman (2) Theodore Kallmeyer - St. Louis, Tulsa

3.6.1.1 Anne Odelson (1900-1978) married Jack Kaplan
3.6.1.2 Harry Odelson (1902-1974) married Ida Taitel
3.6.1.3 Jacob Odleson (1904-1986)
3.6.1.4 Ida Odelson (1906-1994) married Harry Berz
3.6.1.5 Oscar Odelson (1908-1978) married Betty
3.6.1.6 Joseph Odelson (1910-1985)
3.6.1.7 Ben Odelson (1912-2006) married Bernice Bernstein
3.6.1.8 Irving Odelson (1915-2010) married Esther Siegel
3.6.1.9 Meyer Odelson (1916-2001) married Minnie Novey
3.6.1.10 Julius Odelson (1918-1966) married Jennie David
3.6.1.11 Belle Odelson (1919-?) married Irving Epstein
3.6.1.12 Sidney Odelson (1921-2010) married Sylvia Fox
3.6.1.13 Emanuel Odelson (1922-?)
3.6.1.14 Roy Odelson (1924-2001)

3.7.1.1 Sidney Feinstein (1906-1975)
3.7.1.2 Adeline Feinstein (1908-1966) married (1) Arthur Meyer (2) Sam Robinson
3.7.1.3 Alvin Feinstein (1910-1934)
3.7.1.4 Willard Feinstein (1912-1965) married Shirley Fogel
3.7.1.5 Robert Seymour Selig Feinstein (1915-2008) married Mary Margaret Cedillo

3.7.2.1 Bernard Feinstein (1913-1968) married Belle Hoffman
3.7.2.2 Belle "Sissie" Feinstein (1914-2002) married Melvin Lester Newmark 
3.7.2.3 Seymour "Babe" Feinstein (1917-1999) married Leonore Miller

3.7.3.1 Benjamin Feinstein, Jr. (1915-2000) married Dorothy Creighton
3.7.3.2 Ruth Feinstein (1921-2004) married Earl Jacobs

3.7.4.1 Willard Oxenhandler (1914-1995) married Sarah Steinbaum
3.7.4.2 Selig Seymour Oxenhandler (1916-1987) married Joyce Schmuckler
3.7.4.3 Sigmond Oxenhandler (1919-1987)

3.7.5.1 Marvin Feinstein (1919-1963) married Marilyn Steinberg
3.7.5.2 Dolores Feinstein (1920-2001) married Paul Zigler
3.7.5.3 Seymour Feinstein (1924-2002) married Dorislee Blank

3.8.2.1 Harry Goodman (1906-1975) married Dorothy Werbner
3.8.2.2 Gertrude Goodman (1908-?) married Jerome Naron
3.8.2.3 Frances Goodman (1910-1992)
3.8.2.4 Edrea Ann Goodman (1923-2010) married Julian Jack Appleton

My number is 3.7.2.2.1.3 

Breaking Down Brick Walls: Part One

The theme for the 98th Carnival of Genealogy is: "Document Analysis! Show us a document that helped you break down a brick wall on your family tree. Discuss the information that appears on the document and how it contributes to your family history."

The term "brick wall" can be used to define almost any barrier we arrive at in our research, but is often used in genealogy circles to describe those ancestors for whom we know nothing about their parents.  There might as well be a brick wall beyond this ancestor, because we can see nothing beyond them.  Since we don't know their parents, it usually means we also are uncertain about when they were born.

Every branch of every family tree reaches a brick wall ancestor.  (Note: I'm going to ignore any comments from people who claim to have traced a branch of their tree back to 'Adam.'  We likely have different standards of reliable 'evidence,' so there's no use even trying to have a discussion.)  As I said, every branch.  Every time a wall is broken down, we have two more brick walls, because everyone has two parents.  It's a hydra.  (Pedigree Collapse is the only thing that can decrease your number of brick wall ancestors.)

Using this definition of "brick wall," I, personally, have only managed to knock down parts of three on my family tree.  I have found the research of other genealogists online, and in libraries, that helped extend the generations my immediate family knew about.  However, I didn't break down these walls, someone else did before me; thankfully, they wrote the information down for me to find.  These walls are mostly on my maternal side, as my paternal brick walls mostly lay in countries where English is not the spoken language, and the online records are sparse.

One brick wall I may have knocked down half-way, is that of Jane Goldfinch.  As I blogged about in July, I found the will of a Barnard Goldfinch, who looks very likely to be Jane's father.  I still don't know her mother, though, so the wall isn't completely cleared away.

Here's what the will looks like:

And here's the transcription.

Another half-wall toppled does reside on my paternal branches.  My paternal great great grandfather Selig Dudelsack arrived in the US in 1890.  My family knew the name of his mother, Gertrude, or Gitel.  We believe her surname was, "Slupsky," though this hasn't been verified.

In this case, finding the name of Gitel's father was the most simple of my genealogical breakthroughs.  All it took was a trip to a cemetery.  Some documents are carved in stone.  It turned out Gitel made the trip to America with her son, and is buried next to him.


Translation of Hebrew: Gitel daughter of Reb Simcha Zelig died on the 16th of Av 5666. [August 6, 1906]

The tombstone doesn't provide a surname for the father.  The family came from Poland or Russia, and may not have had a surname until sometime between 1821 and 1844.  It's possible neither her father, nor Gitel, were born with one.

I did learn that Gitel named her son, Selig, after his grandfather. Selig's tombstone indicates his full Hebrew name was, "Simcha Zelig," too.



I will devote an entire post to the other wall I have chiseled away at.

Part Two

Amanuensis Monday: Pearl Feinstein's 18th Birthday Party

Amanuensis: A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.

I continue my project to transcribe family letters, journals, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts. Not only do the documents contain genealogical information, the words breathe life into kin - some I never met - others I see a time in their life before I knew them. If you choose to join me in Amanuensis Monday and post your transcriptions, feel free to add a link to your post in the comments.

This week I transcribe some "Society Notes" from the January 10, 1909 St. Louis Post Dispatch

Amanuensis Monday: Interview with Sissie Feinstein - December 1987

Amanuensis: A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.

I continue my project to transcribe family letters, journals, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts. Not only do the documents contain genealogical information, the words breathe life into kin - some I never met - others I see a time in their life before I knew them. If you choose to join me in Amanuensis Monday and post your transcriptions, feel free to add a link to your post in the comments.

This week I start a transcription of another family history tape. This one is quite different from the tape my maternal grandfather and his siblings created in 1977. Ten years later, in 1987, a professional oral historian was hired to conduct individual interviews with my grandparents. My paternal grandmother, Belle "Sissie" Feinstein, was 73 years old at the time of her interview.

Below are the first ten minutes.

Note: I have contacted the oral historian, and while she thinks what I am doing is great, she desires not to be identified. At one point below my grandmother refers to her by name, so I have edited that out.

Carnival of Genealogy: Musical Instruments

It's the 83rd Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy

Musical Instruments! - Do you play a musical instrument or did one of your family members? What instrument did you or they play? If no one in the family played an instrument, tell what is your favorite instrument or band and what is your least favorite one.

Back in July of 2007, I wrote about my Dudelsack surname. "The Dudelsack was once perhaps the most widespread bagpipe in Europe." One theory about the surname's origin is that my ancestors were either makers or players of the musical instrument.

However, the spelling of the surname isn't certain, and it could be "Dudelczyk." 'Dudel' is the Hebrew/Yiddish variant for 'David', and 'czyk' is a common Polish surname suffix meaning 'little' or 'son of'. This could be a more likely, but less interesting, origin of the surname.

Back in June of 2008 I discussed whether or not my great uncle, Mandell Newmark, played the oboe. The occupational code for his WW2 Army enlistment classified him as "Bandsman, Oboe or Parts Clerk, Automobile." But I ultimately realized that the transcription was incorrect, and a '170' (meaning a Sales Clerk) had been misread as a '175.'

There was a piano in the family house as I was growing up. (It's still there, even though I'm not.) I believe my siblings and I took some lessons. I recall learning Heart and Soul. (YouTube)



We tried out other instruments as well. Throughout elementary school I learned to play the violin using the 'Suzuki method,' which didn't require learning how to read music. When reading music was added to the curriculum, I dropped out. I preferred reading words.

The poster above for the Carnival was created by footnoteMaven