Russian immigrants

[JSFinn]

Hello

Some guidance and direction from the experts is required

I've discovered my great-grandparents and three of their children were born in "Russia" (1901 census), and arrived here sometime between my grandmother's birth (Helena, 1892) and her sister's birth in Whitechapel (1895). They lived for some while in a couple of rooms in Hanbury Street, Spitalfields, in a house full of other Polish and German immigrants, and Antony Kellert, the father, is listed in the census as a cabinet maker. The oldest child, Milly, married a Polish hairdresser here in London. One of the sons, born here, is given the name Hieronim, apparently a Polish form of Jerome, so maybe they were Polish.

I've read the information on this site about the problems of the definition of Russian, Polish, etc borders in the late 19th century. I've looked on the naturalisation lists at the FRC and no mention there of Antony and Annie Kellert.

I have no other information about my Kellerts yet. I don't know if they were Jewish, because although they appear to follow a classic pattern of where they settled and what they did for a living once here, any history of this didn't get passed on to their children. Some of their children, including my grandmother were married in church, Church of England too.

A couple of tries of the name in various Jewish and Polish lists doesn't return anything, but I haven't made a detailed search yet.

How typical are they, and what might be a useful way forward?

John

[Berlin-Bob]

Hi John,

If you know any other surnames in the family, then you could also try
http://www.geneanet.org/

I tried entering Kellert and got 19 hits, including 2 from Germany and two from Poland and one undetermined country. 
Clicking on the contact link takes you to private genealogy sites, where you may then be able to match other names.

There are a couple of others here who have a similar "was it Russia, was it Poland ?" problem. "My lot" for instance seem to be sometimes Poland, sometimes Russia, till you look at a historical map and realise they were all from what was then Galicia.

No easy answers, I'm afraid, but we all keep trying.

[Sandie B]

I too am researching ancestors who were immigrants in the mid 19th century.  Their birthplace was given as Prussia.  I found the  maps on the following website very  useful http://www.polishroots.org/genpoland/polhistory.htm

[suep]

Have you tried the www.jewishgen.org website?
 The name Kellert certainly appears on it

good luck

Sued