ROOTS
16/4/2004

ABBY Surasky of Brooklyn is searching for family from her maternal grandmother, Sarah Hodes Greenberg, daughter of Gershon and Minna Diamondstein Hodes.

Born in the 1890s, she was from Vilna Garbana, Russia, and emigrated to America with her mother and siblings - David, Isadore, Bessie and Meyer in the early 1900s.

Abby believes Meyer was a soldier who was killed during the First World War. The family settled in New Haven, Connecticut.

Abby is also searching for family from her maternal grandfather, Abraham Greenberg, son of Jacob.

Born around 1870, he was from Bobroisk, Russia. He had at least two brothers - possibly named Joseph and Aaron -and one sister. One brother emigrated to England and the other to Israel.

Abraham emigrated to the USA around 1907 and settled in New Haven, Connecticut, around 1920.

His first marriage ended in divorce in Russia. Their only child, Sam, was taken to America as a young adult; he settled in Chicago, Illinois.

Abraham's second wife died after two daughters were born. He then married his third wife, Sarah Hodes Greenberg.

Abby also wants information on her paternal family - the Surasky/Suraski family from Kinesheen, Poland, where they first had a textile mill that burned down, then a seltzer water plant.

There were nine children from her great-grandparent's family. The patriarch (Chaim Ya'akov) and eight children emigrated and settled in New Haven, Connecticut, in the early 1900s, while his wife (Dina/Dinka) refused to make the boat journey and remained in Poland.

There was a married daughter, Shaina Surasky Chazan, with children who stayed in Europe, . The family lost contact with her during the Second World War .

''I know of Suraskys in Maryland, South Carolina, Florida, Canada, Mexico and Israel, but we all lack the family history and names to make the links to chart a family tree,'' Abby says.

Write to 1620 Avenue I, Apt 115, Brooklyn, New York 11230, USA or email asurasky@yahoo.com


STEVE Pickholtz of New Jersey is researching his family name and its various spellings - such as Pickholz, Pickholt, Pikholtz.

He wants information on the Industrial School for Jewish Boys in Hayes. In the 1901 census, a 13-year-old Russian boy, Jacob S Pickholtz, was a student there.

In 1900, Annie Pickholz (Bedder) died a widow at age 32. She left a four or five-year-old daughter named Mary.

Mary was born in London in 1896. The informant on Annie's death certificate was a Hyman Silberman, who lived at the same address as Annie. But Steve doesn't know what happened to Mary.

Jacob Pickholz, husband of Annie, died between 1896 and 1898.

His daughter Becky, age 2, died in 1898, both in London. Steve would like to know where they are buried.

Write to 4 Mark Lane, Tabernacle, New Jersey 08088, USA or email nj55turtle@aol.com


DANIEL Gee of Hertfordshire is looking for the daughters of Nina, Norma and Barbara Levy, the daughters of Alf and Jessie Levy.

The siblings would have been born in the mid to late 1930s in London.

Write to Fieldgate, The Warren, Radlett, Herts WD7 7DU, telephone 07984 044 440 or email danielgee@btopenworld.com


ROSEMARIE Goffredo of New York is searching for descendants of her great grandfather.

Lewis Levy emigrated from Poland and married Lizzie Eddlestone in 1879 in Liverpool. They had eight children, and when Lizzie died in 1902, Lewis married her sister Jane Myers after her husband Morris Myers had died in 1904.

They had one daughter, Lily Levy (Opas). They moved to America in 1923. Jane died in 1939 and Lewis in 1942.

Sarah Levy, born 1884 in Liverpool, married Harry Jackson in 1904. They had one son, Daniel Jackson, born about 1905. They emigrated to America and settled in California.

Celia Levy (Lee) was a Ziegfield Follies girl in 1913. She moved to America in 1920 with Rosemarie's grandmother Rose Orlins (Levy). Bella Levy married Sam Freedman in 1912. They moved to America in 1913.

Write to 15 Congress Drive, Washingtonville, NY 10992 or email R39@Frontiernet.net


LEEDS-born Derek Harris, who now lives in Los Angeles, wants to locate any relatives of Lionel Lewis (Johannesburg) who may have moved to Manchester.

Derek, born Derek Johanesburg, is also attempting to locate his half sister Serena Brazzier. Her last known address was in Uxbridge.

Telephone 909-533-1924 or email derekh911@hotmailcom


JOHN McCafferty of Lancaster would like to trace his father Jack Morris, who was in business at 162a Bath Street, Glasgow when John was born on March 12, 1939.

John only discovered he was adopted when he was 26.

His mother died when he was just 12 days old and he was adopted by a Christian family.

Jack Morris paid the legal costs for the adoption and also the initial fostering costs according to records held by Glasgow Social Services.

Write to 61 Borrowdale Road, Lancaster LA1 3EU or telephone 01524 65531.


PHIL Harris (nee Davis) of Australia is trying to find old friend Maureen Halpern of Manchester who married Jeff Black.

Phil is also trying to contact cousin-in-law Sylvia Davis (formerly Taylor) also of Manchester.

Write to PO Box 266, Elsternwick, Victoria, Australia email westonlodge@hotmail.com


DENISE Rodgers of New Jersey wants more information on her great grandparents, Israel Joseph and Sarah Selekovitz.

They left Russia in the late 1880s and settled in the Gorbals, Glasgow.

Israel was a shoe maker and Sarah raised their 13 children. Sarah had a brother in the linen business who also settled in Glasgow and changed his name to Sinclair. Sarah arrived in Britain on the SS Victoria and had given birth on the ship to her first child.

Write to 728 Ryan Run, Toms River, NJ 08753, USA or email Deeee760@aol.com


PAULA Agranat Hurwitz of California wants information on the Agranat family who emigrated to London about 1905, then to Glasgow and Aberdeen.

They originally came from Haslavitch and Smolensk, Russia and may have been descendants of Leib.

Paula is also looking for any other Agranats.

Write to 2330 E Del Mar Blvd, #312, Pasadena, California 911107, USA or email exagranat1@earthlink.net


HELENE Fishman's cousin Myriam Frumer is searching for any relatives who may be living either in Europe or in America.

Helene of New Jersey says Myriam has traced a Faigi Silberzweig, originally from Tarnogrod (Poland or Russia) whose father's name was Gershon Frumer.

Gershon Frumer is also the name of Helene's grandfather.

Faigi apparently married Lzaje Silberzweig. They emigrated to America on the SS Lapland, leaving Antwerp on August 26, 1911 and arriving on Ellis Island on September 5, 1911.

Their sponsor in New Yor City was named Friedmann and his address started with 243.

Write to 56 Fawnhill Rd, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458, USA or email ahfish2@aol.com


JOYCE Dempsey of Ireland is trying to trace her maternal grandfather's family from Liverpool.

Joseph Isaac was the son of Adelaide and Joseph Isaac, who also had two other sons, Norman and George, and a daughter, Rose.

Joyce's grandfather was killed on December 25, 1918. He is buried in Italy.

Her grandmother sent her mother to live with family in Dublin.

Paula's grandparents were married on January 20, 1912 in Liverpool and they had Rose Isaac and John Bugle as their witnesses.

In 1916 Paula's mother was baptised and her godmother was Euginia Boardman.

Write to Corrig, Portarlington, Co Laois, Ireland or email joycedempsey@tinet.ie


STEVE Orlen of Arizona is trying to locate descendants of Israel (Sruel) Wolinsky, born in Boguslav (near Kiev) and emigrated to London.

Israel owned an art gallery and died in London in 1936. One of his sisters, Augusta (Gussel) Shoeritz, also emigrated to London.

Write to Department of English, Modern Languages Bld, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85716, USA or email sorlen@u.arizona.edu


RAY Lee of Toronto is interested in the family of Haron (master tailor) and Rachel Harris of 10 Byron St, Leeds in 1901.

Their daughter Jane may be Ray's grandmother. There's a Rachel Harris (tailoress) in the 1891 census at 14 Busfield St, Leeds, who may or may not be the same person. They are all listed as Russian.

The Jane Harris whom Ray is looking for married Lewis Lee (a master tailor).

Their son Harold, Ray's father, was born February 9, 1918.

Write to 331 Douglas Avenue, Toronto, ON, Canada M5M 1H2, telephone 416-781-9327 or email ray@masterpointpress.com


GLASWEGIAN Jack Epstein is trying to locate his cousin Arthur Cantor, who he believes lives in Manchester.

Jack, who lives in Melbourne, hasn't seen Arthur for 40 years.

Telephone 03 9395 4229 or email jepstein@austarnet.com.au


JOHN List of Australia is trying to find out more about Henry Newman who was born in Russia around 1898.

He moved to Manchester around 1905 with at least one younger sibling, his mother and father.

From 1922 to around 1925, he was in the boot and shoe business, travelling the markets.

In 1922 he may have lived in Virgil Street, Old Trafford.

Write to 112 Dolomite Rise, Hidden Valley, Victoria 3756, Australia or email john.jean@bigfoot.com


To make an appeal, email MIKE COHEN at roots@jewishtelegraph.com Please include your home address.


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