ALTE COCKER TRAVELS
  • Welcome to My Website
    • How To Do a Home Exchange >
      • Doing the Logistics of a Back to Back Home Exchange Trip
      • Preparing for a Home Exchange >
        • Home Exchange Problems >
          • The Ticket Dance
          • Homeexchange.com: Too Much Hype, Poor Management
          • The Nasty Side of Home Exchanging
          • Why Home Exchangers Can Drive You Nuts
        • Going Crazy Before A Home Exchange--Tossing Stuff
        • Last Minute Departure on a Home Exchange
        • Shit Hits the Fan before Home Exchanges
      • Retirement the AlteCocker Way
      • Trip Drill for AlteCockers
      • When You Want to Home Exchange for a Long Time
      • Home Exchange vs. House Sitting
  • Europe Summer 2019
    • Prague July 20-30
    • Paris July 31-August 3, 2019
    • Brittany August 4-23, 2018
    • London August 23-August 30, 2019
  • Australia-New Zealand 2018
    • Perth Australia June 15-July 27, 2018
    • Broome Australia Outback Tour
    • Darwin Australia August 2018
    • Great Barrier Reef Australia August 2018
    • Melbourne Australia August 2018
    • Wellington New Zealand September 2018
  • Asia
    • Taiwan October-November 2015
    • Southeast Asia 2015-2016 >
      • Chiang Mai Thailand January-February 2016
      • Surin Elephant Round Up, Surin, Thailand, November 2015
      • Bangkok February 2016
      • 12 Days in Malaysia January 2016 >
        • Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, January 2016
        • Borneo, Malaysia, January 2016
      • Singapore: December 12-17
  • AlteCocker in Southeast Asia November 2014-January 2015
    • Chiang Mai >
      • Loy Krathong in Chiang Mai
      • Farang Lantern Release Chiang Mai
      • Puppet Festival Chiang Mai
      • Day Trips Outside Chiang Mai >
        • Whitewater Rafting on the Mae Taeng with Siam River Adventures
        • Chiang Rai and Mekong Day Trip
        • Baan Chang Elephant Park
        • Lampang Elephant Conservation Center and FAE Elephant Hospital
        • Bhuphing Palace
        • Queen Sirikit Botanical Gardens
        • Royal Park Rajapruek
      • Living the Expat Life in Chiang Mai
    • January 1-6, 2015: Chiang Mai, Thailand
    • AlteCocker in Bangkok, Thailand
    • Photos from Thailand November 2014-January 2015 >
      • Bangkok >
        • Jim Thompson House Bangkok
        • Grand Palace Bangkok
        • Kanchanaburi/Bridge on the River Kwai Day Trip
        • Flower Market Bangkok
        • The Lowdown on Mobile Passport
        • Evening Chao Praya Cruise Bangkok
        • Other Bangkok Sightseeing
    • Kayak Trip to the Andaman Sea
    • AlteCocker in Siem Reap (Angkor Wat), Cambodia >
      • Photos from Cambodia December 2014 >
        • Angkor Wat
        • Ta Prohm
        • Banteay Srei
        • Beng Mealea
        • Floating Village Outside Siem Reap, Cambodia
        • Other Non Temple Sites Siem Riep, Cambodia
    • AlteCocker in Yangon, Burma >
      • How to Get a Myanmar (Burmese) Visa from Chiang Mai, Thailand
      • Photos from Myanmar (Burma) January 2015 >
        • Shewdagon Pagoda Yangon
        • Karaweik Evening Entertainment Yangon
    • Final Thoughts on Planning a Trip to Southeast Asia
    • AlteCocker in Phuket, Thailand (Kayak Trip)
  • You Are What? Going to Australia Again?
    • Fiji to Sleep? 3 days 2008 (with photos)
    • Sydney, Australia, 2008
    • Kawana Waters Queensland, Australia, 2008
    • Brisbane 2008
  • Europe
    • 2014 Grand European Haj: Poland, Belarus, Turkey, Sweden >
      • Part 1: Poland and Belarus >
        • Krakow Home Hospitality Returned 2014
        • Warsaw Home Exchange 2014
        • Belarus--Brest & Minsk--A Visit to the Ancestors 2014 >
          • Getting a Visa for Belarus
    • France >
      • Bordeaux France 2013 >
        • Photos from Bordeaux 2013 >
          • St. Emilion
          • La Bataille de Castillon
          • Sightseeing Bordeaux City
          • Touring Vineyards Outside Bordeaux
      • Martinique Home Exchange May-June 2015 >
        • May 25-27, 2015: Two Days in Dominica
      • Paris France >
        • How to Eat at the Pre Catalan in Paris
      • Paris for a Week July-August 2015 >
        • Paris 2015 Photos
        • Pere Lachaise Cemetery
      • Toulouse France 2013
      • Scandinavian Adventures >
        • Photos from Toulouse Home Exchange >
          • Cordes sur Ciel Medieval Festival
          • Albi
          • Grotte de Niaux
          • Carcassonne
          • Day Trip to Greenland July 31, 2016
          • D'Artagnan's Home Town: Auch >
            • Loire Valley France >
              • Amboise: Leonardo da Vinci & a Mass Beheading
              • Chenonceau: A Mistress, A Queen, A Transvestite Ball
              • No Baguettes Here: Eating Whole Grain Bread in Tours, France
          • Colomiers France Home Exchange July 2013
    • Germany >
      • Total Eclipse? Well, Not Exactly
      • A Day out from Hamburg: Wedel and the Blankenese
    • Great Britain >
      • Museum of London: Not for History Nuts Only
      • Leicester Square Ticket Booth London--Nah!
      • Westminster Abbey--Do Not Miss Evensong!
      • Bergen, Norway
      • From Bergen to Oslo by Boat and Train
      • The Palpable Presence of Death: Verdun
      • Fredrikstad, Norway, 2012
      • A Day out in Yorkshire: Rieveaulx Abbey
      • Edinburgh: Doin' The Fringe
      • Doin' The Tattoo in Edinburgh
    • Iceland and Italy Summer 2016 >
      • Iceland July 12,-August 2, 2016
      • Lake Como August 3-August 30, 2016 >
        • Verona Opera Festival August 8-10, 2016
        • Corsica
      • Venice August 30-September 2, 2016
      • Florence September 2-11, 2016
    • Spain >
      • Barcelona August 2015 >
        • Bella Italia >
          • The Shopping Tour to Italy: Oops!
          • When a Vacation Turns Into a Disaster
        • Photos from Barcelona August 2015 >
          • Sagrada Familia August 2015
          • Park Guell August 2015
          • Casa Batllo August 2015
          • Casa Pedrera (Casa Mila) August 2015
          • A Short Exchange in New Orleans
          • Girona and Dali Museum
      • Salamanca Spain 2013 >
        • Salamanca Sightseeing >
          • Salamanca Cathedral
          • Plaza Mayor Salamanca Spain
        • El Corazon de las arribes
        • Ciudad Rodriego and Siega Verde
        • Through Portugal to Santiago de Compostella
        • Pena de Francia
      • Madrid Spain 2013 >
        • Art Galleries Madrid
        • Ambling around Madrid
        • Madrid Bullfight Ventas
        • Escorial and Aranjuez
        • Segovia
      • Salou, Spain, Home Exchange August 2015 >
        • Cistercian Route, Catalonia, 2015
        • Photos from Salou, Spain, Home Exchange, August 2015 >
          • Tarragona, Spain 2015 >
            • Castels (Human Towers) in Tarragona
            • Sant Magi Heads
          • Valencia Day Trip
          • Montserrat Catalonia 2015
    • Part 3: A Second Home Exchange in Stockholm 2014 >
      • Sweden Photos 2014
      • Mariehamn, Åland Islands, Finland >
        • Photos Mariehamn, Aland Islands, 2014
  • Costa Rica November-December 2013
    • Costa Rica Begins. AlteCocker Makes New Friends
    • Capuchin Monkeys on Kayak Trip Quepos
    • Sloth Sanctuary Near Limon
    • Costa Rican Hummingbirds Savegre
    • A Vist to Famous Matt & Jen in Puerto Viejo
    • Tortuguero, Costa Rica
    • Costa Rican Flowers/Lankester Gardens (Cartago)
  • Turkey: The Best Home Exchange Ever!
    • Off the Coast of Istanbul in the Sea of Marmara: The Princes' Islands
    • To Eat in Istanbul Try "Istanbul Eats"
    • A Day at the Topkapi Palace with Photos
    • My Home Exchange Neighborhood in Istanbul, Cevezli
    • Cappadocia, Turkey, the Adventure Begins >
      • Alte Cocker in Cappadocia, July 2011 (Photo Gallery)
    • Why Edirne? >
      • Alte Cocker in Edirne, July 2011 (Photo Gallery)
    • Part 2: A Second Home Exchange in Istanbul 2014 >
      • Canakkale, Gallipoli and Troy
      • Three Days in Selcuk (Ephesus, Pamukkale) >
        • Istanbul Photos 2014
        • Photos from Selcuk Turkey 2014 >
          • Ephesus: Photos
          • Pamukkale and Hierapolis: Photos
          • Selcuk: Photos
      • Some Final Thoughts on Turkey
  • New Zealand North Island 2008
    • Auckland, New Zealand
    • Rotorura, Waitomo Caves, Lake Taupo, Tongariro Volcano
    • Cape Reinga
    • Bay of Islands
    • Kamo, NI, NZ Home Exchange
  • Miscellaneous Pearls of Wisdom from AlteCocker
    • So You Don't Speak the Language, Get Pimsleur!
    • Be Careful Whom You Travel With
    • Jewish Mormons? Only in America
    • Driving in Europe
  • Drumheller, Alberta: Land of the Dinosaurs
  • How to Get the Most out of Your European Trip Part 1
    • How to Get the Most out of Your European Trip, Part 2
    • A Modest Proposal to Solve Museum Overcrowding in Europe
    • Washington DC >
      • The 4th of July Fireworks in DC: NO!
      • How to Do the Smithsonian without Killing Yourself
      • How Not To Do a Tour of Washington DC >
        • A Short Exchange in New Orleans
    • How the Other Half Lives: The Hilton Waikaloa on the Big Island
    • Salzburg Marionette Theater: Not to Be Missed!
  • Theme Parks in Europe
  • United States
    • Sonora California March 17-April 2, 2017
    • Wolf Trap Farm Park: Theater under the Stars
    • Kalispell, Montana, Home Exchange October-November 2017 >
      • Dog Sledding at Base Camp, Big Fork, MT
    • Eclipse 2017
    • Mardi Gras 2019

Jewish Mormons?  Only in America.

About 20 years ago, AlteCocker found herself in Salt Lake City on a home exchange. After several days of schlepping around to scenery and white water rafting, AlteCocker told SonCocker that he was going to the public pool for a few hours while AlteCocker went to the Family History Library to do some research.

For genealogists going to The Family History Library is the precise reason for going to Salt Lake City. AlteCocker has been researching her family history on and off for many years. To go to Salt Lake City without going to The Library would be like going to Mecca without completing the pilgrimage. Salt Lake City possesses the largest genealogical library in the world because the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) believes in converting the dead to the Mormon faith, so that families can be reunited in heaven for time and eternity. Having said that, AlteCocker does not want to get embroiled in religious controversy.

YentaKvetch is a Jewish atheist. She doesn't believe in the Mormon view of life--or afterlife. Nevertheless, she thanks the Church for amassing the documents that make it easier for genealogists to find the proverbial needle in the haystack.

 AlteCocker had something specific in mind when she went to The Library.

Her family, like the majority of American Jews, came to the US at the turn of the 20th century due to pogroms in Russia. The family settled first on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Over time, the descendants scattered.

There was this story that she wanted to check out. AlteCocker’s paternal grandmother had an older sister Lena, who married Harry Weiner. Lena had asthma. They went West with the intention of settling in Seattle--which they thought had a dry climate. Please don't laugh. They were “greenhorns” fresh off the boat; they had no idea what they were doing. They got as far as Utah, when someone was kind enough to tell them the truth about Seattle.

Great Aunt Lena and Great Uncle Harry stayed in Utah--first in Ogden and then in Salt Lake City. The family story said that Uncle Harry went to synagogue on Saturday and the LDS Church on Sunday in a painful effort to fit in to his new environment.  Aunt Lena supposedly had mental problems.   Insofar as the rest of the family was concerned, they dropped off the face of the earth.

AlteCocker walked into The Library and went over to the computers and typed in “Lena Weiner”. There was nothing. Then she typed in “Lena Palin”. “Palin” was Great Aunt Lena’s maiden name. She got an immediate hit. She also knew from the hit that the Salt Lake City family had no genealogical information to give AlteCocker because some of the data entered was incorrect. Nevertheless, it was obvious that she was looking at Great Aunt Lena’s entry.

Quickly she ran through the library looking at rolls of microfilm. The last name “Weiner” had been changed to “Wyner”, presumably to make it look less Jewish or to prevent the kids from being called "hot dogs" at school. Great Aunt Lena and Harry had been converted to the Mormon faith after their death by their son, David Wyner. Again, no sense in getting involved in religious warfare as no one's mind will be changed.

AlteCocker ran back to the main area in the library. How could she find David Wyner? What happened to him? A man asked her for her "recommend" card proving that she was a Mormon in good standing. She told the man she was not a Mormon. The man suggested she check the telephone directory.  Not very helpful.

With great trepidation, AlteCocker opened the Salt Lake City telephone directory. She looked up “Wyner”, but there was no “David Wyner”. Then she looked again. No, there was no “David Wyner”, but there was someone living at David Wyner’s address with the same last name. AlteCocker made the telephone call. “I'm your cousin from the East Coast,” she said. The woman she spoke to knew exactly what AlteCocker was talking about. There was never any doubt.

How long do you think it took AlteCocker from the time she entered The Library until she made the telephone call? It took just 45 minutes.

When SonCocker got picked up at the pool, he was very impatient. He did not share AlteCocker’s enthusiasm for her discovery. Kids!

AlteCocker spoke with David Wyner’s widow, who had remarried after his death. Several days later, Alte and SonCocker met the Mormon branch of the Kvetch family. They lived within walking distance from her home exchange house! The Wyners were nice people who sort of looked like other Cocker relatives. If the truth be told, however, AlteCocker had nothing in common with them except a set of common great-grandparents.

AlteCocker did share her genealogical data with the Mormon family. Each Christmas David Wyner's widow sent her a card for several years. One of the sons kept in touch with her and they had occasional e-mail.   Then he dropped off the face of the earth until recently he sent AlteCocker a friend request on Facebook.  It landed in her "other" folder, and, since she did not even know she had an "other" folder until recently, he had to wait a couple of months for a response.  She friended him.

If you go to Salt Lake City with even a slight interest in genealogy and pass up The Family History Library, you will regret it. You might not find Jewish Mormons, but, if you take the time, you are sure to find something.

If you can't get to Salt Lake City, your local Mormon Church should be able to advise you how to go about ordering records from The Family History Library if you want to use them to do genealogical research--even if you are not a Mormon.
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