ROOTS

17/3/2000

The story came to the notice of Peter Wilson who saw an announcement in the Manchester Evening News from Dr Adam Goodman, of New York, who was trying to find his mother.

Peter contacted Adam on the internet and discovered that a Manchester nanny called Miss Simons had arranged the adoption in 1963. At the time the nanny was 28 years old.

Peter said: ‘‘I also found out that Miss Simons was tall and slim. Her father was a Jewish drummer who lost most of his sight in World War One. She would be 65-years-old today.’’

Adam hopes he will find somebody in Manchester who knows Miss Simons who will in turn be able to help him in his quest to find his mother.

If you can help, contact jhayman@jewishtelegraph.com


JOYCE Gill, of Middleton, wants information on her late grandmother Ella Cohen, who lived in Maple Street, Hightown.

She died in the early-60s at the Home for Aged Jews in Cheetham Hill.

Joyce’s parents — Miriam and Sydney Cohen — lived with Ella when they married in 1944 before moving to Kelvin Grove, Cheetham.

‘‘Although I was close to my grandmother, she never told me about her early life in Riga, Latvia,’’ Joyce says. ‘‘My father said she became upset each time he asked her.

‘‘Both my parents are now dead and I very much want to know about my family background.’’

Sydney was a cabinet maker and lived in Ireland for a time. He had a step-brother called Arthur Conley — who married a girl from Hull — but he died in Bournemouth.

‘‘I want to know when my grandmother came to this country, who she came with and why,’’ Joyce adds. ‘‘The only factual information I have is my parents’ wedding certificate stating that my paternal grandfather was Jacob Cohen, who was a master tailor. I know that my grandmother was a milliner.’’

Contact 13 Bishop Street, Middleton, Manchester M24 2SE or telephone 0161-653 6358.


FELICE RICHARDS from Australia recently found her long lost cousin Meryl (nee Salter) in Liverpool thanks to the Jewish Telegraph.

‘‘Thank you for helping to make this contact possible,’’ she wrote. ‘‘It was amazing how quickly our contact after 30 years was made.’’

Now Felice has another quest, ‘‘this time on my mother’s side of the family’’.

Felice says her great grandfather was Lazarus Ognell or Ognall. His daughter Henrietta was her grandmother.

She lived in Glasgow at the time of her marriage. Her brothers and sisters — Harry, Celia, Reubin, Sadie, Gertie and Nat — reached adulthood.

The next generation included Leo, Sidney, Bert, Rhoda and the Sharman family which included Albert, Sydney, Masie and Clarice.

Felice adds that in the third generation, Harry (grandson of the original Harry) became a QC and was knighted to become Sir Harry Ognell/Ognall.

Write to 8B Browns Road Bentleigh East, Australia 3165 or email her at felicer@netspace.net.au


NEIL BARMANN, of New Jersey, is looking for information on the Phillips and Woolf families’ members from Manchester.

Nathan Phillips married Eve Woolf in or near Manchester in the 1860s. They had a son, Tobias, born on September 19, 1870. Their address was 5 Stocks Street, Cheetham, Manchester.

Tobias emigrated to America and lost contact with his family.

‘‘Family oral tradition suggests Tobias may have had a brother known as Tony, but this has not been confirmed,’’ says Neil. ‘‘Tobias was my mother’s father.’’

Write to 75 West 57 Street, Bayonne, New Jersey 07002-3311, USA or email Neil at n.barmann@usa.net

 


ALFRED LIPSEY, president of the Jewish Historical Society of Southern Arizona, needs death and burial information on cousin Isaac Mauerberger.

Born in Sejny, Poland in 1849, he emigrated to London around 1891 where he tutored the children of Lord Rothschild.

He fell in love with one of the daughters and when refused her hand in marriage, he challenged Lord Rothschild to a duel. Isaac was arrested and confined to a mental institution or prison, Alfred says.

According to his late nephew Lord Arnold Goodman, Isaac remained in the institution for the rest of his life.

While in confinement he wrote the book A Voice From An Asylum, published by his brother Joseph in 1902.

Contact PO Box 57482, Tucson, AZ 85732, USA or email: lipseya@prodigy.net

Father from Smolensk

 


LIONEL BOONIN, of Leeds, is trying to find relatives of his late father Mr Boonin (or Bunin or Booning).

Mr Boonin senior was born in Smolensk, Russia on October 8, 1891, and came to this country from Orsha, around 1910, leaving behind parents, brothers and sisters of whom he never spoke.

After World War II, he unsuccessfully tried to make contact through the Red Cross. His father’s Hebrew name was Pesach ben Lipman. The Russian name on his passport was Filipovich, but in London he was known as Morris.

Write to 45 Linton Rise, Leeds LS17 8QW or telephone 0113 2690755.

 


JENNIFER Alman Michaels, of New Jersey, is trying to trace relatives of composer Samuel Alman, who died in 1947. Samuel was also director of the London Hazzanim Choir. Contact 611 So Park Ave, Highland Park, NJ (USA) 08904 or email jam8444@aol.com


ERNIE Durra of Cape Town is so pleased with the response to his first request that he has asked for another search.

‘‘Via Roots Directory I was contacted by Terry Jacobs of Manchester whose grandmother was a Durra,’’ he writes.

He now wants to find relatives of the Brandes family from Hamburg/Heidel-berg/Witzenhausen.

Contact him at 22 Avenue Saint Bartholomew, Fresnaye 8005, Cape Town, South Africa, telephone 27 21 434-5564 or email Ernie at meldrum@cis.co.za


GLASWEGIAN Joan Silowitz (nee Harris) would like to trace her old friends in Glasgow.

She moved to America in 1955 after marrying Stuart Silowitz. Write to 7556 Fairfax Dr, Tamarac, Fla 33321, USA or email her at Siloette9l954@cs.com


 

MOSCOVITE Eliyohu Bloch is anxious to trace his Manchester family. Eliyohu is currently studying at yeshiva in Moscow and the yeshiva head has contacted Leslie Reich, of Salford, in the hope that he can find answers.

Eliyohu’s grandfather or great-grandfather — Shloime Bloch or Shloime Zacks — emigrated to Manchester from the Ukraine shortly before World War One and was manager of a furniture factory.

Shloime was married to Chana.

His only other clue is this wedding photograph taken between 1940-50 where the bride was called Leah.

Anyone who can help should contact Leslie at 27 Broom Lane, Salford M7 4EQ, telephone 0161-792 3496 or email countrywide@cwcom.net

To make an appeal, email MIKE COHEN at
roots@jewishtelegraph.com

Please include your home address.

 
© 2000 Jewish Telegraph