RootsChat.Com
General => The Common Room => Topic started by: jay jay on Tuesday 13 January 09 16:12 GMT (UK)
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Hello .... I wonder whether anyone may have some good advice for me to follow??
I have only just found out (after a long time) that my ancestor was European Jewish. Where do I go from here?
He was apparently born in Crawley - I suppose then the possibility is that his parents were from Europe somewhere ... but where!!!
No birth or marriage exists for him - is this because his records might be held in a synagogue? I strongly suspect (because of his age) that he had 2 marriages - possibly the first one was to a Jewish lady - the first 3 children are not registered, but the next 4 are registered in York where he appears to be married (possibly to a second wife)!
What a mess .... how do I manage to make any progress from here??
ANY HELP AT ALL WOULD BE INVALUABLE.
Many thanks to all
Jay ???
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Hi,
When was your ancestor born? Would he or his parents feature on any census?
Nanny Jan
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Freeman is an English name although if they were Jewish, the named could have been Anglicised to Freeman from Friedman possibly which is a Jewish name.
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Hi,
Many thanks to you both for that.
He does not appear on any census until the 1851 when he is in York.
I know that before this time he had 3 children in Birmingham but none are registered. He was born in 1791 and his first apparent child was born in 1836 when he was 45!
I have no knowledge of who his parents are and I have chased records everywhere, but there seems to be nothing at all on him until the 1851.
He had a child in Birmingham around 1841, but doesn't figure on either the Birmingham or York census - the child was christened in York 6 months later.
Still... many thanks again.
Jay
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Hi
How did you find out that he was Jewish?
Ben