John Newmark
@transylvaniandutch.com
Genealogist. Research Admin. Father. Husband.
Blog: http://blog.TransylvanianDutch.com
Banner: Former Westminster Jews Free School, SoHo London. Great Grandfather attended late 1890s. Photo taken 2023. Building now used as a grocery.
Blog: http://blog.TransylvanianDutch.com
Banner: Former Westminster Jews Free School, SoHo London. Great Grandfather attended late 1890s. Photo taken 2023. Building now used as a grocery.
Pinned
John Newmark
@transylvaniandutch.com
· Nov 14
Family surnames I’m researching:
Newmark
Cruvant/Kruvand
Blatt
Dudelczak
Deutsch
Lichtman
Vanevery
Denyer
My ancestors came from:
Warka, Poland
Losice, Poland
Volhynia, Ukraine
Buciumi, Transylvania
Margitta, Transylvania
Cekiske, Lithuania
Hampshire, England
Netherlands
#genealogy
Newmark
Cruvant/Kruvand
Blatt
Dudelczak
Deutsch
Lichtman
Vanevery
Denyer
My ancestors came from:
Warka, Poland
Losice, Poland
Volhynia, Ukraine
Buciumi, Transylvania
Margitta, Transylvania
Cekiske, Lithuania
Hampshire, England
Netherlands
#genealogy
I have several funeral homes send me obituaries in my email. Not only am I a genealogist- I’m getting older.
Today I received one dated Nov 30, 2020. I didn’t notice the date until the obituary mentioned the pandemic.
Computer programs do the darndest things.
#genealogy #technology
Today I received one dated Nov 30, 2020. I didn’t notice the date until the obituary mentioned the pandemic.
Computer programs do the darndest things.
#genealogy #technology
November 15, 2025 at 1:06 AM
I have several funeral homes send me obituaries in my email. Not only am I a genealogist- I’m getting older.
Today I received one dated Nov 30, 2020. I didn’t notice the date until the obituary mentioned the pandemic.
Computer programs do the darndest things.
#genealogy #technology
Today I received one dated Nov 30, 2020. I didn’t notice the date until the obituary mentioned the pandemic.
Computer programs do the darndest things.
#genealogy #technology
November 9, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Ancestry is trying out their “famous relative” feature again on their app. Shades of We’re Related and OneWorldTree. Just as inaccurate as before.
The below screenshot I found humorous as they messed up on gender, and that is something that should be easy to code.
The below screenshot I found humorous as they messed up on gender, and that is something that should be easy to code.
October 30, 2025 at 12:48 AM
Ancestry is trying out their “famous relative” feature again on their app. Shades of We’re Related and OneWorldTree. Just as inaccurate as before.
The below screenshot I found humorous as they messed up on gender, and that is something that should be easy to code.
The below screenshot I found humorous as they messed up on gender, and that is something that should be easy to code.
Finally decided to try Ancestry’s Pro Tools. One key interest was their reports.
They claim to offer a Register descendancy report. The numbering system is not accurate though. They start over with 1 on every family grouping.
I can’t be the first to notice.
It should be fixable.
#genealogy
They claim to offer a Register descendancy report. The numbering system is not accurate though. They start over with 1 on every family grouping.
I can’t be the first to notice.
It should be fixable.
#genealogy
August 6, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Finally decided to try Ancestry’s Pro Tools. One key interest was their reports.
They claim to offer a Register descendancy report. The numbering system is not accurate though. They start over with 1 on every family grouping.
I can’t be the first to notice.
It should be fixable.
#genealogy
They claim to offer a Register descendancy report. The numbering system is not accurate though. They start over with 1 on every family grouping.
I can’t be the first to notice.
It should be fixable.
#genealogy
The administration has announced that they will not be filling the Veterans Claim File FOIA requests.
They will only provide minimal genealogical information.
I filed several requests in December. I received notifications they were being processed but I have not yet received any of the files.
They will only provide minimal genealogical information.
I filed several requests in December. I received notifications they were being processed but I have not yet received any of the files.
Search the BIRLS Database - over 18 million records about deceased US veterans, from the US Department of Veterans Affairs, now online and FREE from Reclaim The Records
Search the BIRLS Database - over 18 million records about deceased US veterans, from the US Department of Veterans Affairs, now online and FREE from Reclaim The Records
www.birls.org
August 5, 2025 at 7:27 PM
The administration has announced that they will not be filling the Veterans Claim File FOIA requests.
They will only provide minimal genealogical information.
I filed several requests in December. I received notifications they were being processed but I have not yet received any of the files.
They will only provide minimal genealogical information.
I filed several requests in December. I received notifications they were being processed but I have not yet received any of the files.
Reposted by John Newmark
Graves
Tombstones
Skeletons
Cemeteries
Emily Dickinson fan fantasy.
Genealogist’s Sunday afternoon.
Cemeteries
Skeletons
Research
Trees
#Tetractys #poetry
Tombstones
Skeletons
Cemeteries
Emily Dickinson fan fantasy.
Genealogist’s Sunday afternoon.
Cemeteries
Skeletons
Research
Trees
#Tetractys #poetry
May 31, 2025 at 3:26 PM
Graves
Tombstones
Skeletons
Cemeteries
Emily Dickinson fan fantasy.
Genealogist’s Sunday afternoon.
Cemeteries
Skeletons
Research
Trees
#Tetractys #poetry
Tombstones
Skeletons
Cemeteries
Emily Dickinson fan fantasy.
Genealogist’s Sunday afternoon.
Cemeteries
Skeletons
Research
Trees
#Tetractys #poetry
In honor of #NationalPoetryMonth I have shared on my #OnePlaceStudy Substack a poem written by a resident of the OPS and published in 1920.
Some may feel it is still timely today.
I also share a little research conducted on the author.
A Cry of the Foreign-Born by Leah Rachel Clara Yoffie
Some may feel it is still timely today.
I also share a little research conducted on the author.
A Cry of the Foreign-Born by Leah Rachel Clara Yoffie
Poem - A Cry of the Foreign-Born - Leah Rachel Clara Yoffie - 1920
In honor of National Poetry Month, I share a poem written by a woman who grew up in the Little Jerusalem/Carr Square tenements.
open.substack.com
April 1, 2025 at 1:42 PM
In honor of #NationalPoetryMonth I have shared on my #OnePlaceStudy Substack a poem written by a resident of the OPS and published in 1920.
Some may feel it is still timely today.
I also share a little research conducted on the author.
A Cry of the Foreign-Born by Leah Rachel Clara Yoffie
Some may feel it is still timely today.
I also share a little research conducted on the author.
A Cry of the Foreign-Born by Leah Rachel Clara Yoffie
I found these images online as possible #photographs of my third great-grandparents. The woman died in 1880 and the man in 1873. The photographs would have been taken in Canada. I know photography was unusual in the #1870s, and was wondering if these are similar to other 1870s photos.
March 23, 2025 at 3:06 AM
I found these images online as possible #photographs of my third great-grandparents. The woman died in 1880 and the man in 1873. The photographs would have been taken in Canada. I know photography was unusual in the #1870s, and was wondering if these are similar to other 1870s photos.
I used Ancestry’s search features to break down some demographics for my One Place Study. I used The 3rd Ward of St Louis City in the 1900 census as my starting point.
Demographics of the Third District - 1900
On Using Ancestry.com to Uncover a Neighborhood's Demographics
open.substack.com
March 8, 2025 at 7:47 PM
I used Ancestry’s search features to break down some demographics for my One Place Study. I used The 3rd Ward of St Louis City in the 1900 census as my starting point.
Reposted by John Newmark
Romance in Little Jerusalem - 1895🔗 is the latest post by John Newmark @transylvaniandutch.com for his #OnePlaceStudy of Little Jerusalem and Carr Square Tenements in St Louis, #Missouri. It's a 19th-century love story transcribed from the St Louis Post Dispatch of Oct 13, 1895. #OnePlaceWednesday
Romance in Little Jerusalem - 1895
Below I share and transcribe a 19th-century love story from the Oct 13, 1895 St.
transylvaniandutch.substack.com
March 5, 2025 at 12:30 PM
Romance in Little Jerusalem - 1895🔗 is the latest post by John Newmark @transylvaniandutch.com for his #OnePlaceStudy of Little Jerusalem and Carr Square Tenements in St Louis, #Missouri. It's a 19th-century love story transcribed from the St Louis Post Dispatch of Oct 13, 1895. #OnePlaceWednesday
March 3, 2025 at 2:59 AM
What heirlooms have your family passed down?
This is perhaps my most unique family heirloom.
Currently approximately 63 years old.
This is perhaps my most unique family heirloom.
Currently approximately 63 years old.
A Unique Family Heirloom
Below is a picture of a wishbone from a turkey. A turkey my grandmother baked for her parents’ 50th Wedding Anniversary in 1962 I think I...
blog.transylvaniandutch.com
February 27, 2025 at 11:34 PM
What heirlooms have your family passed down?
This is perhaps my most unique family heirloom.
Currently approximately 63 years old.
This is perhaps my most unique family heirloom.
Currently approximately 63 years old.
Today my legacy.com obituary alert notified me of an obituary from seven years ago.
February 26, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Today my legacy.com obituary alert notified me of an obituary from seven years ago.
Another genealogical pet peeve. The use of “Mrs. husband’s name” on documents. I want to know HER name.
But it’s not just genealogy. In 2025 my wife still gets mail addressed to her in this fashion. It really needs to stop.
But it’s not just genealogy. In 2025 my wife still gets mail addressed to her in this fashion. It really needs to stop.
February 26, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Another genealogical pet peeve. The use of “Mrs. husband’s name” on documents. I want to know HER name.
But it’s not just genealogy. In 2025 my wife still gets mail addressed to her in this fashion. It really needs to stop.
But it’s not just genealogy. In 2025 my wife still gets mail addressed to her in this fashion. It really needs to stop.
The look on a genealogist’s face when examining a census record.
February 26, 2025 at 2:31 AM
The look on a genealogist’s face when examining a census record.
Reposted by John Newmark
Update: BIRLS.org has now sent 12,400+ #FOIA requests in just the ~63 days since launch.
That's ~20% of what the VBA (the relevant sub-agency within the VA) usually gets in a single *year*!
And yet the letters *are* going out, and some people are starting to get their C-Files too. Kudos to the VA!
That's ~20% of what the VBA (the relevant sub-agency within the VA) usually gets in a single *year*!
And yet the letters *are* going out, and some people are starting to get their C-Files too. Kudos to the VA!
Search the BIRLS Database - over 18 million records about deceased US veterans, from the US Department of Veterans Affairs, now online and FREE from Reclaim The Records
Search the BIRLS Database - over 18 million records about deceased US veterans, from the US Department of Veterans Affairs, now online and FREE from Reclaim The Records
BIRLS.org
February 25, 2025 at 9:35 PM
Don’t forget to backup your data.
February 25, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Don’t forget to backup your data.
Another meme I created a few years ago. (This one in 2019 if my FB memories app is accurate)
#genealogy
#research
#science
#politics
#everything
#genealogy
#research
#science
#politics
#everything
February 24, 2025 at 3:53 AM
Another meme I created a few years ago. (This one in 2019 if my FB memories app is accurate)
#genealogy
#research
#science
#politics
#everything
#genealogy
#research
#science
#politics
#everything
I have added a page to my #OnePlaceStudy listing in alphabetical order the residents of the tenements I’m researching. It’s incomplete as I have not finished going through the 1900 census for the neighborhood. I will update as I continue.
open.substack.com/pub/transylv...
open.substack.com/pub/transylv...
Residents of the Tenements
Below is an incomplete list of the residents of the Carr Square neighborhood tenements in 1900 St.
open.substack.com
February 22, 2025 at 5:59 PM
I have added a page to my #OnePlaceStudy listing in alphabetical order the residents of the tenements I’m researching. It’s incomplete as I have not finished going through the 1900 census for the neighborhood. I will update as I continue.
open.substack.com/pub/transylv...
open.substack.com/pub/transylv...
February 22, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Today I received four more notification letters, so now I know 5 of those 6 FOIA requests are being processed.
Of course…as slow as I knew the process would be…with the recent layoffs at the DVA I expect it to be even slower.
Of course…as slow as I knew the process would be…with the recent layoffs at the DVA I expect it to be even slower.
On Dec 24 @reclaimtherecords.org announced their Vererans C-File database. I didn’t submit my first 6 FOIA requests until Dec 26.
I just got my first notification letter that they’ve received 1 of those 6 requests and are processing it. It will likely be several months for the docs. I can wait.
I just got my first notification letter that they’ve received 1 of those 6 requests and are processing it. It will likely be several months for the docs. I can wait.
Thanks to ReclaimTheRecords it’s now free and easy to order US Veterans Benefit Claim files (aka C-Files). I have submitted a half dozen FOIA requests since the announcement. It may take months to actually get the docs but im looking forward to what I learn
www.reclaimtherecords.org/records-requ...
www.reclaimtherecords.org/records-requ...
February 22, 2025 at 3:56 AM
Today I received four more notification letters, so now I know 5 of those 6 FOIA requests are being processed.
Of course…as slow as I knew the process would be…with the recent layoffs at the DVA I expect it to be even slower.
Of course…as slow as I knew the process would be…with the recent layoffs at the DVA I expect it to be even slower.
I thought I’d experiment with posting on Substack so I imported my One Place Study from blogspot. Only 10 posts to import, all from 2022, but I have continued researching so I have more to write.
open.substack.com/pub/transylv...
open.substack.com/pub/transylv...
Little Jerusalem - Carr Square OPS | John Newmark | Substack
A One Place Study of Little Jerusalem & Carr Square Tenements - St. Louis, Missouri - Early 1900s. Click to read Little Jerusalem - Carr Square OPS, by John Newmark, a Substack publication. Launched 1...
open.substack.com
February 21, 2025 at 3:08 AM
I thought I’d experiment with posting on Substack so I imported my One Place Study from blogspot. Only 10 posts to import, all from 2022, but I have continued researching so I have more to write.
open.substack.com/pub/transylv...
open.substack.com/pub/transylv...
My 2nd great grandfather lived in the tenement section of St Louis in 1900. His block went by many names including 8th Street Yard, Castle Thunder, and Wild Cat Chute. It was a hotbed of criminal activity before he moved in.
#genealogy #stl #tenements
blog.transylvaniandutch.com/2025/02/a-pl...
#genealogy #stl #tenements
blog.transylvaniandutch.com/2025/02/a-pl...
A Place of Many Names - Eighth Street Yard, Castle Thunder, Wild Cat Chute
When researching the neighborhoods your ancestors lived in, it's important to know all the names the area was known by. Sometimes there were...
blog.transylvaniandutch.com
February 18, 2025 at 1:25 PM
My 2nd great grandfather lived in the tenement section of St Louis in 1900. His block went by many names including 8th Street Yard, Castle Thunder, and Wild Cat Chute. It was a hotbed of criminal activity before he moved in.
#genealogy #stl #tenements
blog.transylvaniandutch.com/2025/02/a-pl...
#genealogy #stl #tenements
blog.transylvaniandutch.com/2025/02/a-pl...
A new blog post concerning a new-to-me free website containing digitized community archives.
#genealogy #history
#genealogy #history
Community History Archives
Recently I learned about a new free archive website - Community History Archives From their website: The archives are across the United Stat...
blog.transylvaniandutch.com
February 16, 2025 at 5:19 PM
A new blog post concerning a new-to-me free website containing digitized community archives.
#genealogy #history
#genealogy #history
On Dec 24 @reclaimtherecords.org announced their Vererans C-File database. I didn’t submit my first 6 FOIA requests until Dec 26.
I just got my first notification letter that they’ve received 1 of those 6 requests and are processing it. It will likely be several months for the docs. I can wait.
I just got my first notification letter that they’ve received 1 of those 6 requests and are processing it. It will likely be several months for the docs. I can wait.
Thanks to ReclaimTheRecords it’s now free and easy to order US Veterans Benefit Claim files (aka C-Files). I have submitted a half dozen FOIA requests since the announcement. It may take months to actually get the docs but im looking forward to what I learn
www.reclaimtherecords.org/records-requ...
www.reclaimtherecords.org/records-requ...
Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem (BIRLS) Death File - Reclaim The Records
www.reclaimtherecords.org
January 31, 2025 at 10:49 PM
On Dec 24 @reclaimtherecords.org announced their Vererans C-File database. I didn’t submit my first 6 FOIA requests until Dec 26.
I just got my first notification letter that they’ve received 1 of those 6 requests and are processing it. It will likely be several months for the docs. I can wait.
I just got my first notification letter that they’ve received 1 of those 6 requests and are processing it. It will likely be several months for the docs. I can wait.