Tracing your roots is a rewarding hobby, but it can sometimes be overwhelming.
Here are some steps to help get you started:
BOOKS TO CONSULT
Getting Started in Jewish Genealogy by Gary Mokotoff and Warren Blatt.
Discovering Your Jewish Ancestors by Barbara Kransner-Khait.
Avotaynu Guide to Jewish Genealogy by Sallyann Sack and Gary Mokotoff.
CONSULT YOUR FAMILY -- ESPECIALLY OLDER MEMBERS
Ask for family names, ancestral towns, dates of arrival, port sailed from, port
of arrival. If possible, tape record or videotape your interviews. Ask for photographs and
documents such as naturalization certificates, birth, marriage, death certificates, etc.
VISIT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES BRANCH AT LAGUNA NIGUEL
Federal census records for 1790 to 1930 are on microfilm.
CONSULT RECORDS AT THE FAMILY HISTORY LIBRARY
Microfilms can be viewed which contain such information as U. S. census records,
passenger arrivals, naturalization records, city directories, and vital records
as well as records from Poland, Hungary, Germany, England, France and other
foreign countries. .
JOIN A GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY
Founded in 1982, the San Diego Jewish Genealogical Society meets monthly at the
Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center in La Jolla. Meetings of the San Diego
Jewish Genealogical Society are planned to meet the needs of the novice as well
as the more experienced genealogist. Members share materials, research methods
and ideas, and successes or failures in research. Guest speakers talk on subjects of interest.
MEMBERSHIP in the San Diego Jewish Genealogical Society includes:
STARTER KIT -- Family group form, pedigree chart, research log form, lists of
helpful books, research sources in San Diego and Los Angeles, and much more.
INFORMATION ABOUT THE JEWISHGEN FAMILY FINDER -- This is a database of over 20,000 ancestral towns and 90,000 ancestral surnames being researched by over 70,000 genealogists in the United States and around the world.
ACCESS TO SDJGS LIBRARY -- Books and other materials may be borrowed for a
period of one month. The SDJGS Library includes many valuable resource books and
maps as well as audiotapes of lectures about genealogical subjects, microfilms and microfiche containing valuable research material, plus newsletters from Jewish Genealogical Societies worldwide.
ACCESS TO INTERNET sites for genealogists. Computers are available for use at meetings.
SUBSCRIPTION TO DISCOVERY-- Quarterly newsletter of SDJGS.
INFORMATION ABOUT JEWISH GENEALOGICAL CONFERENCES -- Past conferences have been held in the US in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City, and Washington, DC, and internationally in Jerusalem, London, Paris and Toronto.
SDJGS is a member of the International Association of Jewish Genealogical
Societies, the Federation of Genealogical Societies and the California Genealogical Alliance. SDJGS is a not-for-profit tax-exempt organization.
