1 comments about The Stuarts' Last Secret: The Missing Heirs of Bonnie Prince Charlie.

1. In 1753 at Liege, Clementina Walkinshaw, mistress of Charles Edward Stuart, gave birth to the Young Pretender's only known child, Charlotte, later given the Jacobite title Duchess of Albany. (Being illegitimate, she had no claim to the succession.) Though she never married, Charlotte had three children by Prince Ferdinand de Rohan, who were raised in the strictest secrecy regarding their parentage; none were even mentioned in Charlotte's will of 1789. However, the author provides convincing documentation that the youngest of Charlotte's children, Marie Victoire de Rohan, was legitimated by her father and married a Polish nobleman named Nikorowisc. Their granddaughter, in turn, married Count Leonard Pininski and became the author's great-great-grandparents. Claiming descent from the exiled Stewarts is practically a cottage industry, but Pininski, whose mother was a Scot and who grew up in Britain, makes a good case for the validity of his particular line.

3 comments about Jewish Roots in Poland: Pages from the Past and Archival Inventories.

1. I just received the newly published book by Miriam Weiner, "Jewish Roots in Poland - Pages from the Past and Archival Inventories."

   Upfront, I must say I am an unabashed admirer of Miriam Weiner, since before she "found" four generations of my KUSHNER family going back to the mid eighteenth century in Podolia. I had look forward to the publication of this book for a long time, expecting it to be something special because I know, from experience, just how amazing Miriam's level of detail can be. But, I honestly had no idea how wonderful and valuable the book would be in actuality. It is overwhelming.

   First off, this is an incredible book for Poland researchers, wishing to retrieve archival documents for their ancestors who lived in Polish towns and cities. It lists, archive by archive, all the known archival holdings (of genealogical significance) - by type and time period, for each Polish town.

   In addition, it offers a wonderful pictorial view of Jewish Poland at both the beginning and end of the 20th century. Especially fascinating were photos of the same place taken "now" and "then."

   Even if one never visits an archive or intends to visit an archive, this book is a treasure! " After the first glance, it will probably not be relegated to the genealogy resource shelf of your library; more probably will spend time on the coffee table as well.The artistic detail and printing are exquisite




2. Jewish Roots In Poland is an incredible masterpiece, full of invaluable information and experiences for both the researcher in the quest for roots and the ordinary reader who wants to visit those roots. It has the careful and elaborate detail necessary for serious research and the beautifully rich illustration necessary for serious visualization and enjoyment. A portion of the book is devoted to explaining and listing exactly what material is available for the genealogist (professional or amateur) who is looking for family. Ms Weiner not only tells what is available and where it is located, but also details exactly how to access it. She has the help of those very experts who are in charge of the archives for these explanations. There are, in addition, illustrations of every kind of record that is available. This in itself - the consideration of the kinds of records that were kept and the various ways of keeping them - is a fascinating dimension. Another substantial segmented is devoted to the uniquest of travel literature. There are a number of pages devoted to each of the 28 cities now within the Polish border that had a pre-Holocaust population of 10,000 or more. For each city there is a remarkable collection of photographs: the city before the Holocaust and now, its synagogue(s), its cemeterie(s), its holocaust memorial. For each there is also a bibliography. The archival holdings in Poland are indexed by town and by repository. The contribution of a number of experts in the field enriches the text, and from beginning to end Ms Weiner's collection of photographs enriches the page. Marching up and down the outer edge of the appendix pages are more towns, cemeteries, archives and synagogues. This is a gift to the Jewish community - worth many times its price.



3. This is a unique book that must be read by anyone interested in Jewish life in Poland before the Holocaust.

5 comments about Polish First Names.

1. I bought several baby's names book at tha same time, and to tell the truth I was expecting much more of this book, I know that the author try her best, but there is very few names on each letter that I think it is not going to help much to find the perfect name I was looking for...Although there is lack of variety on names, the ones that they appear come in a very organized manner, by gender and alphabetical order, and sometimes include a pronunciation description... Since this is not really what I was expecting I'll try to return it.



2. Polish First Names begins with a brief history of Polish names. The first period is from ancient times to the acceptance of Christianity in 966; the second is from 966 to the present. The importance of the baptismal saint is explained, that is, the feast day for the saint which falls on the date of the child's birth (or the feast day of the saint the parents have chosen). The child would fall under the protection of that saint. There are about 200 main entries for girls' names and about 250 for boys. The entries list the name in Polish, the English equivalent if there is one, the language of origin, the meaning, and some background information. If there are diminutives, they are listed. Finally, the feast days for the name are given (some names have more than one feast day). For example,

   "Klementyna. Clementine. Latin. Feminine form of Klemens (Clement). "Merciful." The name became popular in Poland during the 18th century. Maria Klementyna was the granddaughter of King Jan Sobieski (1674-1696). Klementyna nee Tanska Hoffmanowa (1798-1845) was a well-known Polish author who wrote for women and children. DIMINUTIVE: None FEAST DAYS: September 9, November 23"

   Language sources of the names include: Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Latin, Old German, Slavic, and Swedish. While there are many books on first names and many that include at least some Polish names, this is the most complete book on Polish names, at least in English, that I have seen. This publication will be welcomed by genealogists, onomasts, and those interested in Polish culture. It is a fine contribution and should be welcomed by libraries with onomastic and genealogical collections. The author, heritage editor for the Polish-American Journal is to be commended.




3. Polish First Names by S. Hodorowicz Knab is a real must for everyone interested in the correct spelling of the Polish first names. You'll find not only 400 Polish girls' and boys' names, but also their English equivalents (if they exist), and diminutives, and other interesting facts (like frequency and feast days).

   These 400 names are not all of the Polish first names, of course. I miss some at least historically important first names like Ambrozy (i.e. Ambrose), and some diminutives like Dawidek (for Dawid).

   However, this book is a great value for its cost!




4. "Polish First Names" by Sophie Hodorowicz Knab is a collection of about 400 Polish girls' and boys' first names. For each name, the English spelling is given as well as various spellings the name has had over the centuries. Additionally, the meaning, history, diminutives, and feast days of each name is given.

   I read this book cover to cover and found it very interesting. Unfortunately, some Polish names were excluded from the book. Nonetheless, this book is a great reference on Polish names and their meaning.




5. It's great that there is such a book. However, I checked a few names and already found a few errors: some diminutives are incorrect or not listed at all e.g. Krzysztof diminutive: Kryzys! (should be Krzys). Some feast days are incorrect e.g. Joanna fest day is May 24, not May 30. Some common Polish names are not listed at all: e.g. Ireneusz.

1 comments about Naturalized Jews of the Grand Duchy of Posen in 1834 And 1835.

1. This book taught me so much. First, it lead me to my ancestors from Posen,
   and was very important in constructing my family tree. Second, its
   brilliant introduction gave me a rare glimpse into the life of my
   Posen ancestors who lived in 1836. The second edition is particulary helpful,
   with translations from German to English of the various (often very obscure and
   antiquated) professions listed.

3 comments about Jews in Poland-Lithuania in the Eighteenth Century: A Genealogy of Modernity.

1. It is well worth reading but I wish it was longer and more detailed. And, would it be so terrible if it were discovered that changes to Jewish religious practice in 18th Century Poland were borrowed or influenced from sources outside the Jewish religion? Maybe one day we will know more.



2. The subtitle is misleading: this thorough discussion of the non-integration of Jews in the Polish Republic for several centuries does not reveal the genealogy of modernity at all. It reveals why a modernized and nationalized Poland in the later nineteenth and twentieth century would not be able to tolerate such a large undigestible blob in its midst.



3. Please don't be put off by uninformed reviewers- I find these last critiques quite unhelpful. Hundert's work is the consummation of a career dedicated to bringing our understanding of the East European Jewish past out of a conceptual ghetto by taking the Polish context seriously and tracing the development of a Jewish social and economic niche in Polish towns and cities. At the same time, Hundert details inner Jewish life, covering every conceivable dimension of Polish-Jewish civilization during the 18th century- religious, communal, economic, cultural (especially print culture), social, etc. It provides an interesting description of the spread of kabbalah, the rise of Hasidism, and the emergence of a Polish Jewish bourgeoisie. Most importantly, Hundert draws attention to the demographic significance of Polish Jewry, which constituted about 3/4 of the world Jewish population by the 18th century! Admittedly, it can be dense at times; but would you prefer a sleek but superficial account? The persistent reader is rewarded with a rich exposition of East European Jewish life, which was decimated during WWII.

1 comments about Generations: A millenium of Jewish history in Poland from the earliest times to the Holocaust told by a survivor from an old Krakow family.

1. A great deal of this book is about the author's love for his city of Kracow and for his huge extended Jewish family. A family which he has traced back through the millenium of the subtititle, generations of whom were remarkably accompished in many areas of business and academia. We learn of the joys of spending the holidays together, the food, the architecture, the history of his surroundings. There are pictures too, of his well loved, politically astute activist parents and his sister Anna. The charming, vivacious and pretty Anna, whom he claimed as his own baby from the day of her birth when we was six years old.
   Then came the Nazi tsunami and swept them all away.
   How does one survive and remain human and sane?
   With the analytical mind and the skills of the neuroscientist he became, he is able to place many events in history and illustrate their impact on societies and individuals. One example he gives is of he and other concentration camp prisoners humming the Marseillaise as their own personal revolt.
   This book should be read most of all for this, to learn how he arrives at his coda statement in the face of all he has lost: "Through all of this I have seen so many others behave in a moral and ethical manner, which gives me hope for the future of humankind."

1 comments about Tightrope: Six Centuries of a Jewish Dynasty.

1. It is difficult to conceive just how Tightrope: Six Centuries of a Jewish Dynasty was written. It is just over four hundred pages in size including very extensive footnotes, yet it is huge in its accomplishment. And this is exactly what Israeli television and news reporter Michael Karpin was able to pull off when he wrote about an Ashkenazi family, the Backenroths, dating back to 1350. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term Ashkenazi, briefly, these are Jews that are descended from the medieval ethnic Jewish communities of the Rhineland in the west of Germany. Ashkenaz is the medieval Hebrew name for the region that we now know encompasses Germany and the borderland areas. Many of these Jews migrated largely eastward winding up in Hungary, Poland, Lithuania, Russia, and various Eastern European countries between the 10th and 19th centuries. The difficulty in tracing one's Ashkenazi ancestry is that most of these Jews didn't even have hereditary family names until the mid-1700s and furthermore there is an absence or loss of records of their births, marriages and deaths. However, none of this deterred Karpin from digging into the history of a most extraordinary Ashkenazi family.
   
   Karpin in his Preface informs us that he embarked on his research over twenty years ago responding to a letter he received from Allan Kahane, a young Brazilian-born businessman. Kahane asked Karpin to write about the life story of his father, Israel Kahane, whom everyone called Ullo. At the outset, Karpin was not exactly ecstatic for it seemed to be about a Holocaust survivor who migrated to South America and succeeded in business, something that was not very unusual. However, when Kahane mentioned that his family's origins dated back to Germany and its history went back to the Middle Ages, and then began listing some of his family's comings and goings, Karpin was now hooked. After I completed my reading of this fascinating tale, I can easily appreciate how he was captivated by this remarkable family's story.
   
   As a result, Karpin undertook extensive research that led him to family members scattered all over the globe. As he mentions and as he was serving as an Israeli TV correspondent in Moscow just before the break-up of the Soviet Union, he visited many towns as Lvov, Bolechow, and Sanok. The latter is on the San River, and the Backenroths had an oil refinery there. He also visited Drohobych, Schodnica, and Boryslaw at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains, where oil was discovered in the late nineteenth century, enriching the Backenroth clan. All of this is more fully explored and narrated in the book's epic tale.
   
   Karpin begins his story in 1350 when the Backenroths were forced to move eastward due to economic, social and political upheaval threatening their lives. It was also the time of the Black Death and the Jews once again were the scapegoats. Karpin notes "that no accurate statistics exist for the number of Jews who died of the plague or were murdered as a result of blood libels that blamed Jews for spreading the disease."
   
   The family journeys from Ashkenaz under the leadership of their patriarch Rabbi Elimeilech Backenroth whose word is final and no one dares to question his authority. Travel conditions are not exactly perfect as small dirt roads cross the countryside, some of them treacherous because of harsh winters and outlaws. Eventually, the Backenroths stop in a town near Drohbych, whose principal industry is the mining of salt. The mine and the lands surrounding it belong to the noble Polish Lubomirski family, which, as we are informed, eventually becomes one of the most influential dynasties in Polish history. However, the Backenroths are forced to leave Droybych, as the existing community, out of fear of business competition, are not very receptive to their settling in the area. Consequently, the family moves onto the outskirts and wind up in what is known today as Urycze. Initially, there was nothing here, however, eventually the family succeeds in building a village in its own right which acquirs the name of Schodnica. Karpin provides us with an extensive history of the family's settlement here and how they were able to survive. As he mentions, "looking back from the perspective of almost seven hundred years, one could say that the Backenroths arrived in Galicia at the right time. A stormy era of war and terror had just ended, after lasting nearly a hundred years."
   
   From here the story leaps to the early 1800s where we learn about the Backenroth family's rabbinical dynasty and their involvement with the Hasidim. We also find out how the family plays an immense role in pioneering the development of the Galician Oil Belt in the 1800s. Karpin interestingly points out that until around 1880, most of the entrepreneurs in the oil belt were Jewish. Considerable ink is devoted to the family's tragic experiences during the Holocaust and how various members of the family play leading roles in saving some through their creativity, courage, deception, resourcefulness, and loyalty notwithstanding the emotional demands they faced. They were also aided by a handful of inhabitants of the region who later were recognized as "righteous Gentiles" by Yad Vashem, Israel's official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust that was established in 1953.
   
   Karpin interweaves into the saga the Kahane and Graubert families who became part of the clan through marriage and we follow them as well as the Backenroths all the way up to the present day. We even learn about how a member of the Backenroth family becomes Leopold-Muhammad Weiss-Asad who had a close working relationship with Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia.
   
   Quite apropos, the narrative ends with Lucien Backenroth-Bronicki's remarks where he states with a smile upon returning on a visit to the land of his ancestors that he felt no hatred toward the people of Drohoybych, whose ancestors probably played a significant role in the slaughtering of thousands of Jews during the Holocaust, "Just look where they are and where we are."
   
   Karpin has crafted a moving narrative that is candid and to the point. He brilliantly succeeds, as the back cover states, in narrating a most a unique portrait of Jewish life through such pivotal events as the migration from Western to Eastern Europe, the birth of Zionism, and the Holocaust. His research is impeccable as evidenced from the extensive number of footnotes providing the reader with interesting background historical material that will surely stir your curiosity to seek out more information pertaining to the history of the Jews of Galicia.
   
   Norm Goldman, Publisher & Editor Bookpleasures

No comments about Jewels and Ashes.

No comments about The Galitzianers: The Jews of Galicia, 1772-1918.

5 comments about Polish Roots.

1. This is an excellent book for anyone who is attempting to find their Polish ancestors here in the USA or abroad. Rosemary gives you all the resources you need, and then some,to begin tracing down those elusive Polish immigrant relatives. She even has sample letters in Polish to use in writing for family record; such as baptismal, marriage, and death records using both religious and civilan sources. She even provides the addresses.
   Rosemary gives lists of Polish names and what they may translate to in English. A list of the months in Polish also is a great help in determining which month a date means. Another wonderful asesst is a guide to translating church records, as all of the Catholic parish registers were written in Latin. Rosemary also makes mention of Jewish and Protestant records. Get this book and refer to it often, it is a treasure !



2. you'd never be able to find out anything about your Polish (in my case, Russian Polish) roots, Rosemary Chorzempa gives us a little hope that all is not lost for Polish genealogy.
   
   I soaked up the information about Poland's history (although I beg to differ on the part about Poland being "mother" to Russia, Lithuania, the Ukraine, etc. I'm sure those countries don't feel that way) and was always curious to know why the country suffered through so many partitions and wars. My curiosity was satisfied history-wise.
   
   Genealogy-wise, I'm a tad more hopeful than before that I'll be able to locate something, anything, on my great-grandparents (who were the immigrants). As it stands now, I only have their names but I'd like to put plenty of personality to those names.
   
   Great read and practical advice for the beginning and experienced genealogist alike.
   
   Unfortunately, this is yet another genealogy book that could use some serious updating.



3. Mrs. Chorzempa explains step by step how to do the research through the archives available in America and in Poland, giving any necessary and useful addresses including the information where one can find the passengers lists. She uses the example of her own search - showing the photocopies from the archives.
   
   This book contains a brief course in Polish history, geography, class hierarchy, ethnic minorites as well as a short course in Polish (and Latin) languages, Polish surnames, Polish, Ukrainian, German and Jewish first names. This all is done for one reason - to help a person learn something about Poland before starting its roots search. The sources are often given in other than Polish languages since Poland did not exist as a country for almost 150 years. This knowledge is necessary for anybody who wants to understand his/her Polish roots! Interesting to read and quite concise! I recommend it to all who want to start to do their genealogy search in Poland!



4. Gave me some excellent sources of information to futher pursue family tree. Sources were many and the book gave me an idea of the times and circumstances of Polish migration.



5. This is the first time I bought anything on Amazon and it went very smooth. I am very pleased with the condition of the book. It was a pleasant transaction