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.
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.
