"
To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child
". (Cicero)
Once you start you will soon realize why it is so addictive. It is not just about learning
who your ancestors are and where they came from. It is about learning about the worlds they
lived in and about Jewish history and a great many other things you never thought you be
interested in. Genealogy makes you grow as a person.
I frequently receive emails asking "I have the following names in my family tree.
Are these Jewish names?"
In most cases there is no way to definitively answer that question.
There are certain names that are traditional Jewish names. The most obvious are names like
Cohen or Levy, or names of Hebrew or Aramaic origin (Nahman, Sarfati, Malka, Gabbai, and
the like). But other names, such as those of Spanish or Arabic etymology were carried by
both Jews and non-Jews and therefore cannot be said to definitively indicate Jewish or
non-Jewish ancestry. Some were more common among Jews while others were rarer among Jews.
But further research is needed to determine if your particular ancestors were Jewish.
Reading the section on
Jewish Names and genealogies
could be helpful.
Sephardic Family Trees: Websites various Sephardic families have created about their own families.
Sephardic Surnames: Resources about many Sephardic surnames, their meanings and origins.
Genealogy forms: Forms to organize your research and avoid duplicating effort.
Search the Site: Could be useful, though because of the many possible name variants it often is not. Remember to look at the Site-Map (next item).
Site-Map: most of the major topics on the website.
B)
Look at the
Site-Map:
.
C)
At the top of each page is a navigation bar (highlighted in yellow) that allows you to go
back to the main sections you can from.
D)
At the bottom of each page is a collection of links (highlighted in yellow) to rapidly go
to the main sections of the website.
E)
Both the navigation bar at the page top and the Links at the page bottom have links to
immediately go to the main home page of
"Sephardic Genealogy Resources"
.
5.
How can I move around in the "Resources for Sephardic Genealogy" website?
A)
At the top of each page is a navigation bar (highlighted in yellow) that allows you to go
back to the main sections you can from.
B)
At the bottom of each page is a collection of links (highlighted in yellow) to rapidly go
to the main sections of the website.
C)
Both the navigation bar at the page top and the Links at the page bottom have links to
immediately go to the main home page of
"Sephardic Genealogy Resources"
.
6.
Why is my family name not included or found on your website?
It is impossible to include all possible Sephardic families nor have I attempted to. You may
have to search for additional information about your specific family.
Be sure to check the
Family sites
and the section about
Sephardic Surnames
. Also check out JewishGen's
Family Tree of the Jewish People
database for other genealogists who might be researching your family or ancestral towns and
be sure to add your own name and interests for other researchers to find you and share
information with you.
13.
Why is there not more information about certain countries or places?
It is impossible to include all possible Sephardic genealogy resources nor have I attempted to.
I have tried to provide as much information as I could, but of course it is incomplete. As you
start on your research you will learn of additional resources. Be sure to email me,
JeffMalka@SephardicGen.com
, and contribute your discoveries to help other genealogists.
By reading (see Books section), asking
questions on various newslists (see Sephardic Newslists), doing your own research.
Join a Jewish genealogy Society and attend
their meetings and lectures.
16.
How can I organize my genealogy research and records?
Although it could all be done on paper it is better and easier to use a genealogy software program.
There are many good genealogy software programs and few cost more than $30-50. My personal
preference of the current crop is Millennia's Legacy
program which is both easy to use and very powerful, but there are many others.
See also Genealogy Forms.
17.
How do I create and print pretty family Tree charts?
Most genealogy software programs make this easy to do permitting a large variety of formats.
Some are better than others at this and there are even specialized graphic programs though these
are rarely necessary.
20.
How do I avoid all my research getting lost after I am gone?
Genealogy software programs allow you to easily produce and print charts, family histories, and share
your data with relatives and others. Sharing family trees with relatives is an excellent method to
preserve the data and incidentally to transform uninterested relatives into interested relatives
willing to share information and jog
their lost memories.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
comments to
JeffMalka@SephardicGen.com
Sephardic Genealogy HOME page.
Created by Jeff Malka
All rights reserved.