PHIL Harris of Australia wants information on her grandfather David Davis, who was born in Leeds in 1856. David - pictured - was the son of Wolf Davis and lived at 9 Weatherall Street, Broughton in 1901.

Phil Harris, PO Box 266, Elsternwick, Victoria 3185, Australia or email westonlodge@hotmail.com

10 children

Catherine Youngren of Vancouver is trying to find information or descendants of her great great aunt Selena (Abrahams) Waters.

Selena was born in Liverpool or Chester in 1852, the daughter of Simon and Leah Abrahams. She married Levy/Levi Waters on February 19, 1873 in the Great Synagogue, Manchester.

Selena and Levi lived in Manchester and then Sheffield. Levi Waters was a tailor in Sheffield and died there in 1906. After his death Selena moved to Manchester and remained there until her death at the age of 85 in 1937. Selena and Levi had 10 children - Dinah (born January 1,1874), Yettah (1875), Esther (born 1876), Violet (born 1877), Annie (born 1879), Rose (born 1883), Samuel (born 1885), Mostyn (born 1887), Ada (born 1889) and Sylvia (born 1892).

Dinah married Louis Marks Leshinsky in 1899 and moved to Hull. They had at least two children. Yettah married Emmanuel Kleyne in 1905 and moved to Nottingham. They had two daughters.

Annie married Joseph Solomons from Manchester in 1909, and moved to Walsall. They had at least two children.

Rose married Charles Solomons from Manchester in 1908. Samuel was a clothier and married Beatrice Goldstein in 1907 in Hull, They later to moved to Leeds where Beatrice died in 1949, and Samuel in 1957. They had at least four children.

Sylvia Waters died in 1915 and Mostyn in 1916 - they were both unmarried. Ada Waters married Jack Shenker in 1927 in Manchester. Ada died in 1942.

Catherine Youngren Interior Designers inc., #225 ­1628 West First Avenue, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6J 1G1, Canada or email cy_design@telus.net

Morris reader

VIKKI SHEPHERD of Edinburgh wants help tracing Abraham Morris.

Abraham changed his name from Abramovitch when arrived from Russia around 1860 to study Jewish law.

He was a second reader at The Great Synagogue, Cheetham Hill Road, Manchester.

He also worked for a cap maker called Mr Doniger and was the treasurer of the cap makers union.

Vikki's grandmother had started researching her family tree before she died. Unfortunately there is no one left to verify the stories she was told as a child.

Vikki added that a Mark Morris came from Prussia in the 1860s with his family and her grandmother believed he was a relative. He was in charge of the supervision of kosher meat.

Vikki Shepherd, 29 Redhall Drive,Longstone, Edinburgh EH142HG or email vikkishep@yahoo.co.uk

No Stone unturned

IVAN STONE of Australia is seeking information on any family or friends of the late Isaac Stone who died 1899 aged 36 and was buried in a Leeds cemetery.

Isaac came to Leeds in the 1880s from Russia with his wife Fanny. They had five children, Mark, Rose, Leah, Rebecca and Samuel.

The family lived at 44 Lilac Terrace, Leeds. After Isaac died the family moved to Birmingham.

Ivan is also seeking the family of Jacob Stone who died in Newcastle in 1927, aged 61 and was buried in Ravensworth cemetery.

He lived with his wife Rosa and baby Lily, born 1891.

Ivan Stone, Unit 2, 27 Spring Road, Caulfield South, Victoria, Australia 3162 or email haspro@hotmail.com

OFF TO USA

CHARLENE ROSEN of America is visiting Manchester in the spring to research her family.

Her grandmother, Rachel Singer, was born in Manchester in 1875. Other siblings in the family were Rebecca, born in 1872 and Sarah, born in 1864.

There was also a Pearl who married an Australian with the surname Rugowky and emigrated there.

Charlene's grandmother emigrated to America in 1880 along with Sarah and Rebecca.

At least one brother remained in Manchester.

Charlene's grandmother's parents were Joseph and Bloomah (Blanche) Kahlberg Singer.

Joseph Singer was a tailor who was born in Poland. He had a brother named Soloman who married Hannah (Annie) Shellberg.

Charlene Rosen, 89 West Dugway Rd, Lenox, Ma. 01240, USA, email crosen1@adelphia.net or telephone 001413-637-1985

NEW roots

VALERIE JEFFERSON of Chepstow is trying to trace the roots of her great grandparents Morris and Golda Ritter who arrived in London (from Russia) sometime after 1885.

They are listed on the 1901 census at 8 John's Place, Mile End, Old Town, London along with their children Isaac, Joseph and Rachel born in Russia and Abraham; Bessie and Deda born in London.

Valerie's grandfather Joseph moved to Bristol and married the daughter of a German Jew.

The official marriage certificate for Isaac shows that he married a Louisa Peterson in the Bethnal Green Great Synagogue.

"Having discovered my Jewish roots fairly recently I am desperately trying to find out as much as possible in order to preserve it for my children," Valerie said.

Valerie Jefferson, River Lodge, Hardwick Hill, Chepstow NP16 5PN, telephone 01291 626831 or email valeriejefferson@btinternet.com

Music hall

THE music hall industry in England was dominated by Jewish families from 1880 to 1920.

Ann Jensen, an Australian academic and journalist, is tracing many of them whose clients included people like Vesta Tilley and Marie Lloyd. Names she is interested in include theatrical agents Richard Warner, Ernest Warner, Emmanuel Warner, Jack Somers and Ben Nathan, the de Frece family of Liverpool, journalists Henry Phillips and editor of The Era, Edwin Ledger, and a theatrical artiste Annie d'Este.

Ann is particularly searching for the Warner archives.

Ann Jensen, 'Mansefield', Granger Place, Hartley Vale, NSW, Australia 2790, or email annjen@ozemail.com.au

Family history

Cissie Eppel (nee Goldman) of Vancouver is looking for Irvine Goldman, son of cousin Leonard and Bertha Goldman who lived at 18 Seaforth Terrace, Leeds. Cissie would like to send Irvine a copy of the Goldman family history that she has recently published.

Cissie Eppel, #802 - 591 W 57th Avenue, Vancouver. BC, V6P 1R9, Canada or email leppec@shaw.ca

Shop in Vicar Lane

STEPHEN LEVEY of Borehamwood is investigating his family tree. He is looking for descendants of Annie Lewis who lived in Leeds at the beginning of the 20th century.

He believes she had a shop in Vicar Lane. She came from Poland to London and then later to Leeds. Her husband Solomon died young and she had five children - Abraham, Morris, Jane, Harry and Barnet born between 1882 and 1892.

Stephen Levey, 11 Red Road, Borehamwood, Herts, WD6 4SR or email stetic77@hotmail.com

JGS conference

THE Manchester branch of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain holds its annual conference on June 3 (10am) at the city's King David High School. The branch holds its open day on February 18 (1pm) at St Gabriel's Church Hall, Prestwich.