Immigrant from Russian Poland

[zoolew]

Hi Justin - thankyou very much for those maps - that is great!  I've found it in my atlas.

Now for my bad news - the naturalisation papers are for a different Harris Lewis - he was born in 1853 to Jacob & Nancy Lewis, & came to England in 1874.

However, I'm astonished at the information you are able to unearth - you obviously are very experienced in Family History.

zoolew

[JustinL]

You are most welcome.

I enjoy helping other people and like to think of Jewish genealogy as my chief specialisation. I happen to know where to look to find the info and I have access being a member of Jewishgen.

This may be the end of road for this family line. I'll see if anybody had made any headway.

That's a bit disappointing about those naturalization papers. On the other hand Harris and Lewis were very common names, so we shouldn't be too surprised.

I'll report back anything I find.

Justin

[zoolew]

Hi again Justin

Re Lipman Harris Lewis' naturalisation - as the words 'British subject' appeared in the 1901 census, does that mean that he definitely was naturalised, or could he just have said he was naturalised without having to show any evidence of it?  His wife, Mary Isaacs was born in Whitechapel.  Would this entitle him to claim British citizenship?

I looked on the NA website, but had no luck at all.  I'm intrigued by the extensions (if that's what you call them) in the link you gave me that took me straight to the records for Harris Lewis.

zoolew

[JustinL]

I fear you are right and he could have said just about anything. On the other hand, he was of an age by the turn of the century that he would scarcely have mattered.

Nonetheless, it might be worht while dropping a line to the NA and asking what they think.

As for his wife, the marriage had the opposite effect! Believe it or not, she and any children lost their status as British subjects, and became Russian!

This was actually a surprise to me, but it's all there well explained on the NA site.

Justin

[trainbleu]

Maybe someone could offer me advice too! I am researching for my auntie, who is 85 and has now lost most of her sight. She researched her whole family in the old-fashioned way before computers, but got stuck on the Russian Jewish immigrants, and before she could get any further she lost her sight. Anyway, there was a whole family of them surname HARRIS who we think arrived at Kingston upon Hull around 1877. They were all born in Russia: Bernard, Hannah, Ellen, Annie,Jacob, Lazarus, Lewis, Pollie, Samuel, and Sarah. Ellen married someone called Ellis, but we have never traced him. Birthplaces Senokosnyy. Auntie would be happy if she could at least find the port and year of entry. Thanks everyone.

[JustinL]

Can I suggest that you start a new topic?

Was this Harris family the one at 116 Alfred Street South, Nottingham, in 1881?

Most of the family were born in 'Sweksney', which I would suggest was called Shvekshny in Yiddish. See http://www.rootschat.com/links/09f6/.

Which source cites Senokosnyy?

Hannah's birthplace was a town transcribed as 'Selonger' in Courland, which is modern-day Latvia.

I cannot identify which town that might have been. Can SKS please check the original image?

Justin

[trainbleu]

Have started new topic, thanks. Yes that's the family. She has done copious amounts of research, even going "sideways", and has found many interesting things about them in the UK, but it's the point of entry and the possible naturalisation that we can't get on with.

[goldeelox]

Hiya, I was doing some research about my family and looked for my gggrandfather Ansell Lewis and my searching bought me to this page. This Ansell Lewis is my gg grandfather     

Thankyou for 3 more replies, Justin.  The info on Congress Poland was interesting, as were the maps,but unfortunately the link in your reply 22 didn't open.

Morris wanted to travel, & in about 1880 worked his way to New Zealand as a cabin boy.

According to one source, Lipman  arrived in London about 1859 from Poland with his cousin Ansell. Their surname 'may have been something like Fordonski'.
The 1861 census lists Ansell's birthplace as Liprah, Plotse, Poland.  On Ansell's marriage Cerificate his father's name is Lewis Fordon, Dead.

Does this help?

zoolew

[goldeelox]

Hiya, I know this is yrs down the line but this is also my gg grandfather Ansell Lewis that you have been researching for zoolew. 

That does indeed help.

Anshel would be the more recognizable form.

Plotse = Plotsk, the Yiddish form of Plock.

Liprah = Lepnah, Yiddish for Lipno.

The town is also close to Wloclawek, but on the northern side of the river.

Copy the link at reply #22 and paste it into the address bar of your browser. That should take you there.

Now I'm excited. I shall go and do some more digging.

Justin