General - Family History & Genealogy Message Board

Re: Whats my nationality?

JLapinski — 2009-11-02 23:12:09Z

There are Jemo surnames in my husband's side of the family. I was told that the surname was originally Dziama which was spelled Jemo because it sounded that way. In my research, I have discovered that the family came from Galicia and was Ruthenian. An 1836 map shows Galicia situated above northern Hungary and below southern Poland. I believe some of former Galicia is now part of Slovakia. Being Ruthenian means they were what was formerly known as Greek Catholic- now Byzantine rite Catholic. If any of your family is from Hazleton, PA, then we probably have some family in common.

Re: Baakrime surname; Morocco & Yemen; Yemeni tribes

hafidsprincess — 2009-10-16 19:29:37Z

hello, there is a book by anne hart on finding your mideast and european ancestors. it may be helpful in at least helping you to set up your research and developing a system that ultimately could lead you to your answers. we're trying to find information about the Baakrime family and also a picture of a sign at the entrance of medina where the name is. please feel to write directly at hafidsprincess@aol.com if you can't find the book by anne hart. good luck

Re: Baakrime surname; Morocco & Yemen; Yemeni tribes

hafidsprincess — 2009-10-16 19:25:13Z

hello, i am sorry that i have not been working on the research for quite some time. i did locate one book on general mideast research which included yemen--when yemen was under turkish rule and the turks kept very good census records. the book is Researching your mideast and european ancestors and the author is anne hart. I'm doing this by memory because i am not at my home computer, please feel free to email me directly hafidsprincess@aol.com if you can't find this book. it doesn't have alot of information but at this point we're all grabbing at straws for anything we can find. best of luck in your search

Re: Baakrime surname; Morocco & Yemen; Yemeni tribes

hafidsprincess — 2009-10-16 19:21:47Z

hello, what i'm finding out is that there are some records that are in Turkish from any areas of Yemen that were under turkish rule up until the early part of this century. if you know of any research records that list the various tribes of yemen, please do let me know. good luck with your research.

Re: Baakrime surname; Morocco & Yemen; Yemeni tribes

hafidsprincess — 2009-10-16 19:18:58Z

Hello, I'm happy to know that you at least have a point of origin for your research. I'm sorry that I am not able to give you any other information but hopefully, those of us researching moroccan roots from Yemen will be able to help each other. My husband and I are still trying to locate any information about his surname of Baakrime which may have been transliterated differently from original Arabic. If you have any research websites please share as I always feel like I'm wondering around in the dark with our research. thank you.

Re: Baakrime surname; Morocco & Yemen; Yemeni tribes

cortomalt1 — 2009-09-03 23:10:19Z

Hi,

I am interested in knowing about the family name "Al-Qushri"
or maybe "Al-Qushari". I have found a place with that name in Yemen.
I have also found the variant "Al-Qushayri" from Khorasan, Nishapur in various muslim scholars and the mention of an Arab tribe of "Qushair".
Is it related?
Any help will be most appreciated! thanks

Re: Saffy (Safi) Family

bsaffy — 2009-07-24 23:44:31Z

Hi John, My name is William John Saffy (Bill ) I live in Australia.. My greatgrandfather name is Alexander William Saffy born in Beyrouth.. my grandfather's name is Negeb Saffy who was burn in Australia and my father's name is John edgar Saffy. If you would like to know more about the saffy family you can contact me on my email.. bsaffy@exemail.com.au Hope to hear from you soon

What you need to know about Syrian/Lebanese names

reaganesque — 2009-07-16 18:01:17Z

*I'm no expert. This is just what I've learned from experience.*

1) As my friend Lilly Martin in Syria always says, there is NO SUCH THING as ‘proper spelling’ of an Arabic name in English. After all, we’re dealing with two completely different alphabets. So, the translation of one name to another is completely subjective. An Abdallah family may very well be related to an Abdella or Abdullah family; a Hanna family to a Hanah family; a Maloof to a Malouf family. Keep this in mind when searching for relatives, censuses, and immigration records. Just because your name is Dib doesn’t mean you should discard the Diebs at Ellis Island. Do what I do: write down every spelling variant of a name that you can imagine on a piece of paper and try them, when you have time, one by one. Of course, this applies to place names as well. Beirut = Beyrouth = Beyrute etc.

2) Often, names come about as a result of conventional translation. As such, do some research on common translations of Arabic names. For instance, Peter is a translation of Boutros. So, if your grandfather’s name was Peter, he may be listed as Boutros in his immigration records (or vice versa). Now here’s the real kicker: depending on the port from which he travelled, he could be listed as a translation of Peter in any number of languages. If he came through Greece, it may have been written as Petros; if France, it could be Pierre. This is equally true of last names. For instance, the common name Hanna means John in Arabic. But in many other languages, John is translated as Johannes or Youness. My great great grandfather Zacharias Hanna even had his translated as Henes somehow. Believe it or not, they all mean the same thing.

3) Sometimes, the translation of a name is not even a real translation. My great uncle Mustafa Abdella, for instance, became Michael/Mike. It’s not a formal translation but he probably thought it was close enough. After all, who wanted to walk around the streets of St. Paul Minnesota in the 1900s with a name like Mustafa? The same is true of my great aunt’s husband, Abdellah Bejan. He went by Albert. The two are not actual translations of each other, but Albert’s about the closest American name to Abdellah. In this instance, for something like immigration records, searching Ellis Island by first initial only can be helpful. You can also get a little creative with it. Put yourself in their shoes and think, ‘If I had a name like Muhammed, what’s the simplest change I could make to it in order to fit in or make it easier for people to pronounce?’

4) Have you ever noticed that a lot of Syrian/Lebanese people have last names that could just as easily be first names (i.e. Thomas, Hanna, Abdulla, Joseph)? That’s because they often WERE. Generally, upon arrival, a person took his father’s first name as his last. The survival of family names was actually very rare. Of course, there are exceptions. For instance, the name Malouf is likely to be a family name. But if you have a name like Thomas (or a translation thereof), you must be open to the idea—perhaps even assume—that Thomas was just the name of your great grandpa or whoever’s father. This can be extremely frustrating because it diminishes your chances of ever finding out if you’re related to another Thomas family. After all, how many people have named their kid Thomas? But there is some consolation—that is, the distinct naming system among the Syrian/Lebanese.

5) Repetition of Syrian/Lebanese names is common, and will help you in your research. Most often (but not always), a man gave his oldest son the name of his paternal grandfather. That child would often have his father’s name as a MIDDLE name. For instance, my great great grandfather Zacharias John Hanna named his eldest son John. We can infer that Zacharias’ father’s name was John (which I’ve confirmed) based on three things: a) Zacharias’ middle name was John b) He named his eldest son John c) His last name was Hanna, a translation of John. So what was Zacharias’ father’s last name? Well, if he was the eldest, it may very well have been Zacharias. Why? He would likely be named after his grandfather, whose name his FATHER (John) likely would have taken as a last name, just like he did. I know it’s confusing. And there are many weird exceptions. But you get the hang of it quickly.

Re: SAAD Family Name

reaganesque — 2009-07-15 05:04:34Z

For what it's worth, I believe my great uncle's wife may have been a Saad[e]. Her name was Anna. They lived in St. Paul, MN.

Re: Cristello and Hathoot of Nicholas ancestry from Lebanon

monsoc — 2009-07-14 16:06:08Z

Dwayne,I believe we are related. My mom was Cecilia Hathoot, who married Robert Becktell. I am the youngest daughter from that union, Susie (Susan K) Becktell Drost. I just spoke with my oldest sister, Karen Lena Becktell Kalkirtz. Karen's middle name is from Grandama, Lena Nasralla Sawaya, who married Joseph Hathoot. Karen said you two are close in age - you were born on July 28, 1946.

Uncle Dick's daughters, Sandy and Barbara researched the family tree and we all have copies of this,which contains immigration and marriage certificates and family photos. Am reaching out to make contact...monsoc@indiana.edu

Re: Cristello and Hathoot of Nicholas ancestry from Lebanon

monsoc — 2009-07-14 15:55:27Z

I believe we are related. My mother was Cecilia Hathoot, who was born in Michigan City, IN. Her father was Joseph Hathoot and he married Lena Nasralla Sawaya. Abraham Hathoot, born June 16, 1914 was one of my mom's older brothers. According to the family tree, mom's oldest sister, Genevieve Hathoot married Nicholas Nicholas.

One of my cousins researched the family tree and I have a book with photocopied marriage certificates, pictures and family trees.

Only Thomas Hathoot survives out of the union of Joseph and Lena. Uncle Tom still lives in Michigan City.

Re: Baakrime surname; Morocco & Yemen; Yemeni tribes

hanicox — 2009-07-09 16:01:12Z

i am looking for my yemeni family. could you help me please?

Re: moses shemas family

JCooper8010 — 2009-06-29 20:57:56Z

Have been trying to do research on the Shemas family - their daughter married a Draucker cousin - have you any information on this family. I have not found many of the children married so wondered what line you came from - Thanks Judy

Re: Find a Friend

kevinward162 — 2009-06-11 16:32:06Z

hi,

you don't know me but i was playing tennis with christine last week in London!

Abdallah Ajami

JosephRose13 — 2009-05-12 15:52:20Z

I am searching for information on the families of and/or ancestry of Abdallah Ajami born in the early 1800’s in Damascus Syria. Abdallah Ajami controlled a lot of land worked by tenement farmers in Syria to grow silk worms. The business had been handed down and operated by the Ajami family for generations.
Abdallah was married twice. He had 13 children from the first marriage and 9 children from the second marriage. I am descended from George Ajami who was the oldest child of the second marriage.
Abdallah Ajami was a leader of the Orthodox Church in Syria. He was of such high position that he was invited to and attended the coronation of Nichols last Czar of Russia in 1894.
I have been told that the Ajami family were Persian royalty and fled Persia to avoid death, scattering across the globe. I am hoping that Abdallah having 22 children that there is someone out there that may have some information on this family.
Thank you in advance.
Joseph Rose (USA)
josephrosecpa@earthlink.net

Re: Looking for Dekelaita

deketrucks4fun — 2009-01-31 01:51:16Z

Hey Cuzzzzz,

This is Matthew DeKalaita and brother of Mitchell Dekalaita of Clio Michigan. I can't believe I found you, just got this new computer.

I was researching information on my father Nicholas Samual DeKalaita and came across this site. Hope you and your family are well.

Take Care Matt DeKalaita

Re: Ancestors in "Beyrouth"

Jazzhazit — 2009-01-18 08:52:48Z

Ramez Idriss is my father. You and I are closely related.
Feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,

Pamela
Jazzhazit@aol.com

Ancestors in "Beyrouth"

laurieesquivel57 — 2009-01-08 05:56:04Z

My great grandfather is Sadallah Idriss. His mother's last name was Berberi. My grandfather's name was Ramez Idriss. He came to the US when he was about 9 yrs old. I would so much appreciate if you could provide any information if you know of them. Thank you.

Re: Baakrime surname; Morocco & Yemen; Yemeni tribes

mjhalse — 2007-11-25 13:29:38Z

I am searching for the tribe name of Kasim (do not have actual spelling) Haider or Heider who are farmers in Ibb Yemen. My father came from this tribe. Would appreciate
any information anyone has.

Re: Kohli surname

janlynch10 — 2007-03-18 09:51:35Z

Very interesting info, thank you. Pls. e/mail me at jkl25xmas1@hotmail.com
and we can discuss further. My Kohli's were also from Bern, and settled in Ohio.
Thanks, Jan Lynch

Re: Kohli surname

janlynch10 — 2007-02-26 11:20:57Z

Where was Katherine Kohli from--who are her parents. Just thrilled that my hunch is probably right--a Swiss relative of mine must have married a Kohli from India, thus the last name being found in both Switzerland AND India...and my family is part Indian.
Jan Kohli Lynch

Re: Kohli surname

janlynch10 — 2007-02-26 11:20:52Z

Re: Kohli surname

janlynch10 — 2007-02-25 18:19:25Z

Many thanks for the information regarding the Kohli's from Berne Switzerland---my ancestor was Christian Kohli from Berne, a tailor, so I knew there had to be a connection to the Indian Kohli's. Is your husband a Kohli?
Jan Kohli Lynch

Re: who knows some rave or rabe?

JodyLRaabe — 2007-08-21 18:59:30Z

Hi, my name is the Low German/Dutch spelling of "Rabe" - my ancestors from Prussia changed the spelling to "Raabe" when they emigrated to Russian in the 1830's - the spelling stuck when the extended family moved to Canada in the 1920's and back to Germany in the 1980's.

Re: who knows some rave or rabe?

JodyLRaabe — 2007-08-21 18:59:28Z

Re: DNA Ancestry in UAE

mhsint — 2008-03-26 19:54:32Z

Dear

I would like to know, if the DNA system works, and what can i do so i will be able to start to see, I would love to know my fmaily history .. please contact me at mhsint@hotmail.com

More info on DeKelaita Family!

deke174 — 2008-11-24 01:02:09Z

Hi, I am nick son of John DeKelaita whose brothers were David, Nicholas, Samuel, and Silas. I noticed there was one of the sisters missing her name was Helen. She was the oldest out of the 10 kids. As for Dorothy Samac her and her younger brother, Joseph, left Croatia because their mother died, so they saved up money to come over to the U.S.. Also Dorothy recieved her citizenship in the early 1950's.

family Douglah

norelhudaali — 2007-02-08 00:10:53Z

plz can you tell me the root of family Douglah

Re: Looking for Dekelaita

DeKalita3 — 2007-11-12 02:37:16Z

I married one of Sy's sons-- my son is named after kjuresh from the old country. I can give you lots of info but mostly just dates of death. The DeKalita story is a very sad one. I hope this helps. S

Re: Looking for Dekelaita

suzanne19171 — 2008-02-10 07:35:38Z

Why is the Dekalita story a very sad one?

Florence Emily Turner

TrishMorati — 2007-07-10 12:05:50Z

I am researching the name Florence Emily Turner born 1875 in Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales.
Florence Emily was my grandfather's sister. Would be pleased to hear from you.
Cheers from Trish

Re: Azerbaijani genealogy

TrishMorati — 2007-07-03 06:13:48Z

I am researching the name Florence Emily Turner born 1875 in Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales. Florence Emily was my grandfather's sister. Would be pleased to hear from you.
Cheers from Trish.

Re: Florence Emily Turner

pauldew1 — 2008-04-30 04:08:31Z

My grandfather Frederick Dewsbery was born 11th February 1873. He married Florence Emily Turner. She died November 1941.

Regards and good luck.

Re: Harb family in Ramallah

valoree926 — 2007-05-16 14:50:55Z

I know that my grandparents are Nijmeh and Azzia Shihadeh. And my father is Mousa Shihadeh.

Re: Baakrime surname; Morocco & Yemen; Yemeni tribes

JOSEPH6888 — 2008-05-09 23:32:09Z

I am trying to trace where my ancestors came from. I am Moroccan but am adopted so I do not know much about my Moroccan family. I know they are Moroccan Arabs ,not Berbers, and I was told that at some time they came from Yemen,probably around the time of the expansion of islam,. My ancestral name is El omari. I was wondering if you had any info on this name and on Moroccans coming from Yemen?

Re: family Douglah

bdouglah12 — 2008-06-06 04:12:13Z

I just saw your reply for the Douglah family from Iraq. What do you mean by the root of Douglah family? I'm american but my husband is iraqi, I lived in Baghdad for seventeen years, I do have info on the Douglah family, we are now living in the United States. Hope to get a reply from you.

Regards,

Re: Turkish Empire

bdouglah12 — 2007-06-22 03:57:42Z

Dear Sue - I did talk to you on the phone about a month ago, I have been waiting for a reply from you, I also sent you the info I had. Did you receive it? Look forward to getting the pictures and the letter. If you lost my
address it is: 7041 Rushwood Dr.
El Dorado Hills, CA 95762

Best Regards, Beverly Douglah

Re: Kohli surname

joannabenson — 2007-02-26 15:57:15Z

Jan,
Familysearch.org does not have Katherine Kohli’s parents listed. She was born in St. Stephen Bern, Switzerland in 1816.
I have found some more Swiss Kohli family.
Just so I was keeping with open-minded frame of thought; I checked on the rest of DH’s Swiss side of the family. The previously mentioned Katherine Kohli married David Karlen. They had Louise Karlen b. 1853 in Bern, Switzerland, died 1901 Idaho, USA. There are no other siblings listed.
I checked up the Karlen line for any other non Swiss sounding names. On David Karlen's grandmothers line the Krammachers;3 grandmothers up is Magdalena Jaggi b. 1670. Jaggi is a very common Indian name.
So I thought why not, I will check Louise Karlen’s husband’s family Kunz. On the Kunz side of the family way back I find a whole lot of Kohli’s. Johannes Kohli b. 1578; Johannes Kohli 1604; Benedicht Kohli b. 1645; Johannes 1696; Susanna Kohli b. 1719. Susanna married Jakob Ludwig Mani. I wonder about that name so I check and find Tibetan and India roots. Tibet is next to Northern India so this makes sense. The Mani line goes back to 1732. I can see that there are cousins marrying cousins especially with the Manis. SO I would bet that there is a connection between the two Kohli families.
Also Indians have been emigrating from India to Europe since the last 1400’s beginning with the Portuguese and later the British. This really is very possible. That and DH’s DNA Tribes test. The India lines are WAY dominate in his test. Email me at thebriscoes at Comcast dot net if you would like to discuss this further.
Joanna

Re: Kohli surname

joannabenson — 2007-02-19 21:02:56Z

Hello,
My husband recently had a DNA test from DNA Tribes. Surprise India showed up! Kohli is a very common India name. The little research I have done tells me that thousands of Indians migrated to Europe thru England for hundreds of years. These people first came as servants. Later they emigrated as professionals i.e. doctors, lawyers etc...
Many Indians then migrated to other parts of Europe. DH's ancestor is Katherine Kohli b. 1816 in Bern Switzerland. All the other Kohlis I have found originate from that area.
Family History is so fun!!
Joanna

Re: Kohli surname

joannabenson — 2007-02-25 20:23:27Z

No not anymore. Katherine Kohli is his great great grandmother. Katherine was married to David Karlen whose paternal grandmother is Anna Zabli (west African name). On David Karlen's maternal Kammacher line about four generations back is a Jaggi (VERY common Northern India name). I got all of this on www.familysearch.org. This is the LDS site and free to all.
BTW I have been doing non-stop historical research and there was a lot of migration from India and other parts of the world to Europe. This does not appear to be as uncommon as one might think.
(Me on my soapbox) We need to get out of our "little box of Euro-centrisim" and into the "big tent of hummanity" where the big fun party is going on:)
Thanks for being open minded
Joanna

Re: Cristello and Hathoot of Nicholas ancestry from Lebanon

awp4h2o — 2008-10-13 03:32:57Z

I am looking for Dwayne Hathoot that lived in Kerman, CA. in the early 60's.

Re: Looking for Dekelaita

RobertJerin1 — 2007-05-05 01:05:17Z

FYI Yugoslavia did not exist in 1903! Zagreb of course is in Croatia. Dorothy is most like an Americanized version of Dorica SAMAC who immigrated Nov 1920 destination to her father Paul living at Chicago. Next of kin in Croatia was her brother Paul. She was traveling with her 7 year old brother Josip (which is Joseph in English) They were detained for 2 days at Ellis Is perhaps because she was a single female traveling with a child... or perhaps because they had little money with them... also there is a notation on that ship manifest indicating that she applied for US Citizenship in 1943

Re: Dekelaita / KelaitaFamily from Iraq

samdekalita — 2007-09-08 18:38:09Z

I do not have much information on Samuel DeKelaita/Kelaita But my grandfather is buried in the assyrian cemetary in flint, mi

Re: Looking for Dekelaita

samdekalita — 2007-09-08 18:24:40Z

Jackie,I am the son of Kjuresh (Silas)Dekalita if you have any further information on the family I would like to know?Thanks Sam

Saffy (Safi) Family

johnHayes278 — 2007-07-10 06:45:57Z

My grandfather Alexander William Saffy (b.1869) and his siblings, Richard (b.circa 1870), Calil (b.1872), and Elias (b.1876) were born in the Beyrouth area. Parents were Wavdon Saffy and Mary Bahroc. Seeking any possible connections.

DNA Ancestry in UAE

pankajsohaney — 2007-08-04 12:44:20Z

DNA Ancestry in UAE aims to help the clients to discover their roots through genealogical research. This is a great tool for those individuals or groups interested in exploring their ancestry and lineage. By submitting a DNA sample to us, clients can receive an impressive analysis of their geographic origins.

Re: Dekelaita / KelaitaFamily from Iraq

pankajsohaney — 2007-08-04 12:42:57Z

Re: Saffy (Safi) Family

pankajsohaney — 2007-08-04 12:41:42Z

DNA Ancestry UAE aims to help the clients to discover their roots through genealogical research. This is a great tool for those individuals or groups interested in exploring their ancestry and lineage. By submitting a DNA sample to us, clients can receive an impressive analysis of their geographic origins.

Re: Turkish Empire

SuedNew — 2007-06-22 01:55:20Z

Beverly, I've sent pictures, the letter Leo wrote and the Taylor\Benenhaly record. I would love to correspond with you. Sue

Re: Kohli surname

bkoehli — 2007-03-16 20:46:56Z

I live in Edmonton AB Canada. My grandfather Ernst Kohli was born near Bern Switzerland in the 19th century. He and a number of his brothers and sisters emigrated to the U.S. in the 1890's or early 1900's (I have the ship manifests from the Ellis Island website). Grandpa Ernst married Marie Richenbach and they settled in California where my father Ernest Jr. was born. The family then moved to Alberta where Grandpa registered a homestead. Somewhere along the way they name was anglicized by removing the umlaut from the "o" and adding an "e", which is quite common. When I searched "koehli" in an all-america phone book a few years ago, I got a large number of hits in the east and midwest U.S.

I too have noticed that Kohli is a common (East) Indian name, but I don't know if that is a result of historical intermarriage or simply coincidence. "kohl" in english is "coal", and my swiss friend tells me that "kohli" means "coal miner" and that there are, or were at least, a lot of coal mines in the Bern area.

Incidentally, a Dutch war bride once told me that in her country, "kohli" meant "little cabbage head", and was a term of endearment.

I still have a lot of relatives in California, although I do not know them, and the name is different since it was my grandfather's sister who settled there.