Looking for death and burial

[Feige Elka Stern feigestern@yahoo.com]

X-No-archive: yes
Hello my fellow JGenners,

For nearly twenty years I've been looking for my GGF's death record and burial
place.

I was hoping someone might give me an idea for how to find this.

My GGF, Morris (Meylech) Hoffman and his wife Rivka (my GGM) lived in Pittsburgh,
PA and Montreal at various times. I’ve found them in city directories in both
places. I found them in the 1916 Pittsburgh city directory. In 1916 my GGM is
listed as a widow, so I’ve surmised that he died either in 1915 or 1916.

They live for a few years in Montreal (my GM’s brother was born there in 1906) but
I was unable to find him there. I found a death certificate for a Morris Hoffman
but the death date is 1918 so I don’t think that’s the right guy.

I found another death certificate for a Marris Kaufman in 1915 but I doubt it’s the
right person. I’ve made 2 trips to Pittsburgh to have a look in the New Light
Cemetery, where a cousin believes he is buried. He has 2 siblings buried there but
I couldn’t find him.

He does have a brother buried in Beth Jacob Cemetery, but he doesn’t show up in the
JOWBR or any of the other burial websites.

My GGM is buried in Cleveland, where she moved after he died.

If anyone has some ideas for me, I really appreciate hearing them.

Thank you so much for any help you can offer,

Feige Kauvar Stern
Cleveland, OH

Researching:
KAUVAR (KOLOVARSKY) Seduva, Lithuania; SILVERSTEIN, Raseiniai, Lithuania; NAFTEL,
Raseiniai, Lithuania; SCHENKER, Dankera, Latvia and Birzai, Lithuania; MEILECH,
Dankera, Latvia; HOFFMAN, Kishinev, Bessarabia; SCHWARTZ, Braila, Romania,
SOBEL, Kleparov (Lvov), Ukraine; SINSHEIMER, Freinsheim, Germany; STERN, Russia;
YUDKOVITCH, Warsaw, Poland; FRIEDMAN, Brest, Russia
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Watch JewishGen's video -- click here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nASSn4rDXh4
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Planning to use Ancestry.com? Start by using the "Ancestry Search Box"
on the JewishGen homepage.
By doing this, any eventual subscription to Ancestry.com will result in
Jewishgen receiving a commission.
It's an easy way to help JewishGen!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Support JewishGen with a contribution to the JewishGen General Fund!
http://www.jewishgen.org/jewishgen-erosity/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sign up for the JGFFAlert!
http://www.jewishgen.org/jgff/jgff-faq.html#q3.7
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Join our mailing list at http://lyris.jewishgen.org/ListManager if you
would like the convenience of receiving all soc.genealogy.jewish posts in
your mailbox, instead of having to search for them in the newsgroup, whose
content may not be consistently carried in its entirety by all providers.

[Pat Weinthal pweinthal@earthlink.net]

X-No-archive: yes
Feige Kauvar Stern in Cleveland, Ohio has hit a brick wall in finding a death
record and burial place for someone who may be buried in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
City directories narrowed the window for when the death occurred. She has checked
online databases, but hasn't obtained death certificates for likely candidates.

Here are common approaches:

* Get the death certificates.
The undertaker and cemetery are recorded on US death certificates. The state will
look up records for a fee if you do not have a date or certificate number.

* Look in the local newspapers for a death notice, obituary, or burial permit.
Your public library can identify newspapers in print at the time. Many are
available on microfilm and can be borrowed via Inter Library Loan (ILL). Don't
overlook Jewish newspapers. If you can't find the person, look for other relatives.
They may be buried together.

* Contact the local public library as well as examine its website.
Many have genealogical and local history departments. Resources often include
obituary indices or necrology files. Some are searchable online. Historical
societies index local cemeteries and donate the books to libraries. You can send
email requests for advice to the reference librarian.
Libraries often will do look-ups and send you obituaries or other content for a
small fee. The Carnegie Library in Pittsburgh has excellent genealogical resources
and guides to collections. The Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives at the Heinz
History Center includes temple and community organization archives. The University
of Pittsburgh (Pitt) text searchable digital collection includes Pittsburgh Jewish
newspapers, university yearbooks, and school publications.

There are many more avenues to travel.

* City directories and telephone directories of the time have lists of local
synagogues and cemeteries. Temples and other religious groups compile burial lists.
Many cemeteries offer on-line burial look-up databases. If not, send a letter.

* Several websites offer obituary look-ups or indices of names.
For example, Obituary Daily Times on Rootsweb.

* Local historical societies and genealogical societies may have online catalogs of
their files. Some files may be internet accessible.

Since you are in Cleveland, don't overlook a phenomenal resource in your own back
yard: Western Reserve Historical Society.

I visited this facility. The staff are research experts. They can help you identify
archives and relevant resources anywhere, not just in Ohio.

The vast majority of burials are not to be found on the internet. Although JOWBR
and others have been inventorying cemeteries, the best way to find out where
someone is buried to use standard, pre-internet, research techniques in combination
with the web.

Sincerely,
Pat Weinthal
Massachusetts