16 April 2022
14 April 2022
WHAT'S HAPPENING IN UKRAINE - ARCHIVES and ARCHIVAL RECORDS
I've been trying to find out what has been happening with the archives in Ukraine, the projects that were digitalizing to preserve records before the war broke out, and so on. There is not much in the news. So what I'm relaying here is mostly what is making the rounds.
First of all, there have been numerous digitalizing projects throughout Ukraine, which is actually the size of Texas. These projects came up within provinces. As horrid as the war is, there are cities that have not been touched, since the focus seems to be around the Black Sea and the eastern border. FamilySearch is involved and some permissions had been given. My understanding is that:
Some archivists have had to flee.
Some archivists are still working to digitalize.
The State Archives of Ukraine may still be operational: ARCHIVES GOV UKRAINE - Anatolii Khromov
However, the site does not seem to have posted updated events since last fall, before the war began. Also, there are some fund raising drives.
One archive was destroyed QIRIM : ARCHIVE DESTROYED In Chernihiv Region
Russian soldiers went in and set it on fire. "In the Chernihiv Region, the occupiers destroyed the SBU archive. There were documents about the repression of the Soviet regime against Ukriainians. This was announced by the head of the State of of Archival Service of Ukraine Anatolii Khromov.
I DO BELIEVE THAT WAR CRIMES ad GENOCIDE ARE BEING COMMITTED.
17 March 2022
THE BERLIN AIRLIFT - VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE'S SUGGESTION to AID UKRAINE'S CITIZENS
Today is Saint Patrick's Day in the United States, a celebration of Irishness. More specifically Catholic Irish and the wearing of the Green. (Protestant Irish is the wearing of the Orange.) Though it's said everyone has a wee bit of Irish, and I tend to think of that meaning in spirit, I'm actually one of those Americans who has no Irish roots at all. (Several of my extended family members married Irish roots people and so the wee bit of Irish trope holds true in their children and grand children.) Never the less, it doesn't take personally having roots in a certain ethnicity or country to do the research or to understand the contributions of Irish Americans to the United States of America.
This morning as I prepared to post about Irish genealogy, I was listening to the latest war news. Having spent the last 22 days listening and reading about the war perpetrated by Russia against Ukraine, I've wondered what I could possibly say or do that would be appropriate. I have cried. I'm frustrated. I'm confused. I'm scared - in particular that more people on this earth are going to starve.
You see, I live in a city that already has thousands of "refugees" native to this land, the homeless. I do not think that we can absorb more refugees from any nation locally. Of course if a person is coming in from Ukraine to be supported by relatives, I would never object to that. The situation is tricky because there is most certainly a huge population of illegal immigrants here and large zones of the city have been taken over by certain ethnic groups, not because they were - as happened in the past - unable to live anywhere else and ghettoized. Rather there is an attitude that this is not the United States while accepting and relying upon every government program and benefit that we as a whole finance.
There is not enough affordable housing and people with long waits for Section 8 housing (a government program that pays some or most of the rent) have difficulty finding a landlord to rent to them. People who are working two jobs cannot afford to rent a one bedroom apartment and are in a room. The problem has been in the works for decades and our politicians and officials are part of the problem.
The other day I heard a British man - I think this was the House of Commons - talking about the $350 a month thank you that the British government is willing to pay people who will take in Ukrainian refugees. He mentioned the thousands in that country who are in "bed-sits" already. It's the same situation.
Canada's offer to take all who come is the most realistic frankly. There is plenty of room in Canada. 80% of the population there lives within 100 miles of the Unites States border. Already a huge Ukrainian roots based population is in Canada.
As I watch apartment buildings being blown up in Ukraine, I realize it is going to cost millions to rebuild apartments to rehouse the Ukrainians. Ukraine is where Ukrainians need to live.
It has been said by various persons in recent days that the West forgot World War II. I think that may be possible in the United States since The Greatest Generation is dying out and their grandchildren and great-grandchildren only have them to tell about that experience in Europe, in Japan, and domestically. (If this is your family be sure to interview and record your World War II era members about their lives before they pass. Many have to be prompted.)
However, I do not think Europe has forgotten because the war was carried out on their land and their cities. I think that memory, that HISTORY, is a factor in the overall ability to understand what the threat of Russia to Ukraine and to Europe is.
Things have changed since World War II. Now there is a much higher threat of using nuclear bombs that devastate whole cities and regions. There is greater variety of lethal weapons, including the potential of germ warfare, and surveillance and communication have changed our lives and how warfare is conducted.
I hate war, I hate violence, and it concerns me that there are so many humans on this earth who seem to be filled with hatred and do not create, cure, improve or enhance life, but destruct.
Ex Vice President Mike Pence made the statement that he thought the Berlin Airlift was an inspiration. He thought we should be taking Humanitarian aid into Ukraine. I would love it if something like this could be done, if those participating could be assured of their safety.
The evidence is that civilians are being targeted. Russia, Russian Military, and Russian soldiers who use civilians as target practice should be ashamed but apparently are not ashamed and also apparently are lacking any spirituality. Well, this is where I, as someone partial to reincarnation, and various Christian groups that talk about redemption (the deathbed confession or conversion at the last minute) differ. While any one of us can theoretically hit the restart button and be Born Again, I do not believe all that one did before is slate whipped clean, as if a person filed bankruptcy. There is a price to pay for harming others. And if it is not paid for on this corrupt earth in life, then there is still payment due.
I feel certain that those committing war crimes, upon their own death, will feel every bit of pain they have caused not just to the individual but their entire family. I am not God and do not know exactly how it works, but the testimonials of those who have had Near Death Experiences is rather consistent. These people report reviewing their lives, being told they need to go back, and often totally transform their lives with much less emphasis on materialism and ego, and a greater care and concern for other human beings.
I found this mini documentary on the BERLIN AIR LIFT.
10 June 2020
HER DNA SUGGESTS RACE AND ETHNICITY - WAS IT MARRIAGE OR RAPE? : QUESTIONS FROM READERS of ANCESTRY WORSHIP - GENEALOGY
(Please note that this person showed me her results and asked me to interpret them.)
My genealogy research takes me back to Southern Poland and parts of what is now Slovakia, Hungary, and Ukraine. I know this was the Austrian Empire, but my ancestors always had their "ethnic I'm" as these ethnicities. I'm showing Asian ancestry on one side and Near Eastern ancestry on the other. Percentages would l be about one sixteenth of each - so that would be great great grandparents - right? Is this the end of my standard paper trail research? Please comment. Thanks.
G.
Answer from Ancestry Worship - Genealogy BlogSpotNot necessarily.
First remember that all results are statistically based and dependent on all the people who have chosen to contribute their personal data to that particular company's results and that stats are reworked based on an ever-growing number of considerations. Also, as more understanding of genetics and DNA comes forth, it can get more specific - such as what tribe (be that Native American or Native European - so to speak). Sometimes this information can lead us past a block.
One sixteenth could be a great great grandparents. We each have two parents, four grandparents, eight great grandparents, and sixteen great-great grandparents. However, it could be some other combination such as four of the thirty two great great great grandparents. Or some small strain in many ancestors that adds up.
Today many people simply feel American or Canadian or British - or whatever - though only one of their lines show that. Other people relate to an ethnicity or way of life - including attitudes and lifestyle - that they may be criticized for adopting because there is no biological evidence for it. (This is one of the reasons I think sometimes that a past life experience is why.)
As for the paper trail - standard genealogy - it is always worth pursing even if it is at odds with the DNA or genetic results. However, the notions that genealogy will prove generations of marriages - chosen and happy marriages - or unite a fractured family are myths. People may have lives that were more controlled or regimented or limited than we have come to expect as Americans, but there were still affairs and there was rape. Rape is so common that I doubt there is anyone alive who doesn't have some DNA as a result of rape.
Some areas of Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Ukraine, experienced invasions and occupations that included murder and rape. I suspect you will not likely find church or temple records going into the 19th or 18th century that reveal that. You might want to read about the Tatars, Mongols, and Ottoman Turks.
In my years as a genealogist, I've rarely found notations in records that expand on the explanation of illegitimacy, for instance. (Once in a while an understanding priest wrote in "father in America" or something about a death before marriage - alluding to a romance or plan to be married when the unfortunate happened.) It's so sad to me when I find a woman in the records who had one child after another without a father and see how soon those children died. I always wonder if she was a woman repeatedly taken advantage of by men in the village - perhaps an orphan or someone born without average intelligence - someone who might have been forced into prostitution.
A W G
C 2020 Ancestry Worship - Genealogy Blogspot
17 July 2019
AMAZING UKRAINIAN GENEALOGY SITE OPEN - IGOR HOSZOWSKI MANIFESTS HERITAGE SITE
EUROMAID PRESS : HUGE GENEALOGY DATABASE - UKRAINIANS BORN 1650-1920
HERE IS THE LINK DIRECTLY TO THE DATABASE UKRAINIAN BIRTHS -DATABASE
05 January 2017
CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS into THREE KINGS
It's been raining and the weather people say this is the wettest season in years, and that's a good thing because of the terrible drought we've been having. But I lived in Southern California for years without using an air conditioner or a heater, and the leaves changing color and falling from the trees is rather new too. My fairy lights have continued to twinkle in the dark and the rain, and I think they are safe, because I took care to wrap the electrical connections in plastic.
This year I met some Russians and Armenians, as well as Ukrainians, who are celebrating their traditional Christmas season, and who have not been here long enough to know that what they are experiencing is exceptional weather for Southern California. Coming from colder climates they seem quite happy for the relief of too high temperatures and dryness that characterized another rather insufferable summer. Also, they are quite happy when they go out of the city to smaller towns that are not so expensive, congested, or where the crime is so high. I completely understand.
For the first time in years, I decided to bake gifts. I toyed with a few recipes to make them my own and the results were quite pleasing. I hand delivered on the Winter solstice.
My dog is also very into the holidays. I'm sure that the smells of the earth and the leaves have changed as they became wet and fell and those trees waiting pick up have been interesting for her to do her business near too. My precious little one, who likes to stay under the warm covers when its cold outside! She is such a California girl that she does not know how to deal with the rain and thunder scares her. I get her out onto the front lawn, but she wants to make it fast, and run back into the house!
The Rose Bowl Parade is interesting to me (while football is not) because of all the creativity and hard work involved. I must say it was great fun to see that Lucy Pet Foundation surfing dogs float! What a talented surfer that one bulldog was, in particular.
So, slowly, I am gearing up for another year of challenging and rewarding genealogy research, so very slowly, for I too like to spend some extra hours under warm covers when it's cold and wet outside. I watched some films that I think would be of interest to my readers as well, so I think I'll start out this year's ANCESTRY GENEALOGY BLOG by covering some of them.
Happy New Year 2017!
22 March 2016
"IRISH" GENOME REVEALS MAJOR GENETIC CONTRIBUTION FROM EASTERN EUROPE!
Ever wonder how it is that there are "Black Irish?" - the Irish with dark hair and eyes? The ancient legends tell us that there were people who came from the sea - the sulkies - the sea lions, which you might remember from the wonderful film called "The Secret of Roan Inish." But there is now a scientific explanation...
EXCERPT FOR THE ARTICLE LINKED TO ABOVE:
Just over 5,000 years ago, there lived an Irish farmer with black hair and dark eyes. Her DNA spoke of ancestors mostly Middle Eastern in origin, and she would have looked more like a southern European woman than a red-haired Irish lass.
But just 1,000 years later, her world was full of blue eyed easterners. This quick transition to Ireland as we know it, genetically speaking, is likely due to a massive migration that occurred sometime during those 1,000 years. The evidence comes from a study published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, where geneticists from Trinity College Dublin and archaeologists from Queen's University Belfast sequenced the genomes of four ancient citizens of Ireland to unlock the secrets of their origins....
Study author Dan Bradley, professor of population genetics at Trinity College Dublin, explained that recent technological and methodological advances in ancient DNA analysis allowed his team to produce full genomes for the four skeletons used in their research. They were surprised to see how different the Neolithic woman, who was found in Belfast in 1855 and lived over 5,000 years ago, was from the three male skeletons analyzed, who were found off of Rathlin Island in 2006. With just 1,000 years separating them, their genomes shouldn't have looked so strikingly different - which suggests that some major migration really must have occurred.
(The major migration was likely from an area now in the UKRAINE!)
02 October 2014
THE GOLDEN AGE SHTETL : BOOK REVIEW by ANCESTRY WORSHIP GENEALOGY
A New History of Jewish Life in Eastern Europe
by Yohanan Petrovsky- Shtern
Princeton University Press C 2014 and is the Publisher
BOOK REVIEW by ANCESTRY WORSHIP GENEALOGY
Yohanan Petrovsky-Shtern did a great job of bringing the long gone Eastern European shtetl to vibrant life in this new and popular book. It's valuable to genealogy researchers in that knowing what sort of life your ancestors lived realistically may move you to the right places to look for information or go on tour. You may also consider things like that they traveled for work from town to town or along trade routes, may have been the result of a mixed marriage or conversion to another religion, or that they became more liberal about such things as they moved to a larger town.
80% of the Jews of Eastern Europe in the 1790-1840 period that is this book's focus, lived in the three provinces covered. (That area does not include Austrian run Galicia, but it's likely the lifestyle revealed also occurred in predominately Jewish small towns there too.) The term shtetl is Yiddish for such a town, but as Jews moved to larger cities, the term sometimes was used with condensation. This book reveals that when Russia took over the government, the area had a kind of Russian-Polish-Jewish, or make that Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, and Jewish, atmosphere in which much had to be negotiated. Over time Russia began to see patriotism as membership in the Eastern Orthodox Church, and both Catholics and Jews were expected to convert or were considered suspicious.
At the same time this area was known for the magnate owned town, the magnate being a Polish aristocrat who owned the town long before Russians took over, as if it were a business but who also ran it as nobility might, with an eye to patronage. This was a kind of town unknown to Western Europe (I know such towns existed in Slovakia and Hungary) and Russia tried to buy them out or outright take the towns from their owners. (After the 1830 rebellion, the Russian government confiscated the Potocki estate including the whole town and 44,000 gallons of vodka.)
There is a huge portion of this book devoted to the issue of trade in this political era, when Jews were considered to be rightfully employed in trade, and that included Jewish women, and the way that a Jewish house in a shtetl often became also a place of trade, smuggling when taxations occurred, the popularity of the Tavern as a place where people from all religious backgrounds - male people - could actually unwind, the vital and lively markets that drew both sellers and buyers, and the diverse number of goods available including things like Chinese Pekoe tea, tobacco and pipes, silk, apricots, and tons of other produce.
Perhaps more interesting to me, especially as a woman and feminist, was the issue of family life and the harmonious and conflicting relationships between Jews and Catholics in these towns. The author is Jewish and his goal was to bust through mythologies about shtetl life that have been promoted by the literary fiction called Fiddler's Roof. He emphasized how important the preservation of family was for the individual as well as the community, the emphasis on preserving family, even if that meant not reporting rape and sexual harassment or getting justice. How did the rabbi handle it when a woman who traveled for business came home pregnant? He states that an accusation of sexual offense was enough to destroy a competitor. And yet, he also states that (and this is where I thought "wrong, now you're peddling the Jewish version of the situation) that Jews didn't think sex was sinful and wrong LIKE THE CATHOLICS.
This is where the author lost me. He presents all these things a Jewish woman had to do, like be "ritually pure", to have sex with her husband, and for sex to be spiritual. She had to go soak in a mikvah bath after her period. She actually had to go ask a Rabbi if she wasn't sure, like if she had cramps but no bleeding. Her privates and private life were open to inspection by these authorities. (By my standards, all of this is cringeworthy!)
First I heard that for Catholics sex in marriage was considered sinful and wrong. (It's funny I think to hear some people tell it, though not this author, that Catholics are supposed to be overpopulating the word and yet married sex is sinful and wrong!) What about the dangers of childbirth that these women faced, not having access to modern, western, standards of medical care we take for granted today? Here he says the Jewish women had more children than Catholics, less death from childbirth, and so on, taking the hygiene rather than genetic or economic factors into consideration.
He also presents a scenario where a poor Catholic servant girl is involved in lying against someone for pay, and to do that she goes by the ritual bath and claims she is pregnant by a Jewish man. In the end she tells the truth. The author says that this is "no surprise" and that even the girl's mother would think that two cows would be good compensation for an illegitimate birth. Maybe that mother, but this is NOT representing Catholic values correctly.
Not then. Not now.
Some day I will trip upon my notes from years ago so that I can say where I read this, but there came a time when the Catholic Church's influence in parts of what was Poland but now taken over by Austria or Russia was such that no Catholic girl who went to be a servant in a Jewish home could stay there more than a year. The reason for this was that so many servant girls were turning up at the church unmarried and pregnant by their employers and there were no social services to help them. Of course the year's time is arbitrary.
Perhaps I should just back off and state that the author chose a few real life scenarios to present things that did happen but mention that news is the exceptional not the common.
I took lots of notes before returning this book to the library, and hope to read it again in the future.