Russian ancestor's records???

[.Martha.]

they are his naturalisation papers (I looked at them when I went to Kew in the summer!)

So do they not give his town of origin, or at least a clue as to which part of Russia the family came from? The information given in these papers is variable, but this would normally be on the front page of the Memorial, along with his parents' names.

Sorry, yes they did give his place of origin as Rinavoots in Bessarabia, but this place doesn't seem to exist so there must have been a transcription error or something (it was misheard etc)

[patrexjax]

Hello! If you Google search Bessarabia Russia you will find several articles on that area - one on Wikipedia and another discussing Jewish people from that area.  Hope this helps! Sincerely, patrexjax

[Bookbox]

they are his naturalisation papers (I looked at them when I went to Kew in the summer!)

So do they not give his town of origin, or at least a clue as to which part of Russia the family came from? The information given in these papers is variable, but this would normally be on the front page of the Memorial, along with his parents' names.

Sorry, yes they did give his place of origin as Rinavoots in Bessarabia, but this place doesn't seem to exist so there must have been a transcription error or something (it was misheard etc)

If you haven't already, you may want to join the JewishGen SIG (Special Interest Group) for Bessarabia, where there is plenty of expert knowledge in that area. They have their own mailing-list/discussion forum.

http://www.jewishgen.org/Bessarabia/

[Bookbox]

... Rinavoots in Bessarabia, but this place doesn't seem to exist so there must have been a transcription error or something (it was misheard etc)

Using the 1882 map on the site I linked to above (reply #11), I suspect your Rinavoots may actually be a mistranscription of Kamenets (or of a variant spelling of it). K can easily be misread as R, and m/n as v.

Kamenets is in Podolia but adjacent to the northern border of Bessarabia. It's well-known for its large Jewish community in the 19th century and the early 20th.

It's now Kamenets-Podolski (or variant spelling, according to language) and is in Ukraine. There's no shortage of information online.

[brigidmac]

As well as naturalization papers you may find some more information from alien registration documents which were obligatory in WW 1 for adults born abroad

If you.re really lucky there may be a photo too.   .my great grandfather.s document has one and lists all his addresses in Wales

He was a travelling salesman from Russia and he got arrested for being an alien in 1915 without adequate documentation....his original registration document probably wasn't as detailed as the one he obtained after that brush with the law .

Good luck with getting any Russian information.

[.Martha.]

... Rinavoots in Bessarabia, but this place doesn't seem to exist so there must have been a transcription error or something (it was misheard etc)

Using the 1882 map on the site I linked to above (reply #11), I suspect your Rinavoots may actually be a mistranscription of Kamenets (or of a variant spelling of it). K can easily be misread as R, and m/n as v.

Kamenets is in Podolia but adjacent to the northern border of Bessarabia. It's well-known for its large Jewish community in the 19th century and the early 20th.

It's now Kamenets-Podolski (or variant spelling, according to language) and is in Ukraine. There's no shortage of information online.

Hi!

Sorry for the late reply, but thanks you!!! That definitely sounds like it could be what Rinavoots should have been. Although I suppose I'll never know for certain! Thank you again 

[.Martha.]

As well as naturalization papers you may find some more information from alien registration documents which were obligatory in WW 1 for adults born abroad

If you.re really lucky there may be a photo too.   .my great grandfather.s document has one and lists all his addresses in Wales

He was a travelling salesman from Russia and he got arrested for being an alien in 1915 without adequate documentation....his original registration document probably wasn't as detailed as the one he obtained after that brush with the law .

Good luck with getting any Russian information.

Where did you find the ww1 registration documents as I have never come across them? A photo would be an amazing find!  thank you

[Bookbox]

As well as naturalization papers you may find some more information from alien registration documents which were obligatory in WW 1 for adults born abroad

I’m afraid these collections of wartime alien registrations are chance survivals. There is a good collection for Manchester (held locally), and a small sampling for London (at the National Archives, in MEPO 35). Most such registrations were destroyed 10 years after the subject’s British Naturalisation, death or departure from the UK.

[brigidmac]

We applied to south Glamorgan records office as that's where he.d been living 1911and where he died in 1924

 he could have been anywhere in GB  but luckily that was the correct area .
.
I was also lucky that his surname is same on Russian records and that some translations of bmd records existed for his region Courland .with lots of help we did manage to go back a few generations .