SOUTH African Laura Connolly recently discovered that her grandfather, Harry Nathan, was born in Russia.

She believes he was born around 1895. He was married to a lady named Agnes. They arrived in South Africa in the early 1900s.

"He fought in World War One but did not return permanently to live with my grandmother in South Africa after the war," Laura said.

They had 11 children, some of the names being Louis Alfred Nathan, Derek Nathan, Lola Nathan and Golda Nathan.

Not all of the children survived into adulthood.

"When my grandfather went to war the children were put into the Marsh Memorial Home for Children," Laura added.

"My last and only contact with Harry Nathan was a letter he wrote to the editor of either the Weekend Argus or Sunday Times around 1968/9 when he was looking for his children.

"They were all told by their mother, Agnes, that he was dead. I wrote him a letter and received only a one page reply with a picture of him with his current wife which was taken in Joubert Park in Johannesburg.

"When I tried to contact him again my letter was returned "Address Unknown" so I do not know what happened to him. Unfortunately the letter and the photo were destroyed in a fire."

Write to 9 Le Dore Road, Plumstead 7800, Cape Town, South Africa, telephone 0027 21 7055732 or email laurac1@mweb.co.za

Leeds wedding

Brenda Habshush of Israel recently discovered that her maternal grandparents were married at The New Synagogue in Chapeltown Rd, Leeds, in 1888.

The marriage certificate states: "In 1888 Joseph Winner (Viner/Vyner) wedded Betsy Besinsky (Bershansky/Barsionsky)."

Joseph, who called himself, Joe, Jowe or Yossi, had his names written obviously according to his foreign accent, thus the 'Viner' was spelt 'Winner'. His witness on the marriage certificate was named John Winner.

On the database for Leeds synagogues, Brenda found John on the burial list, his Hebrew name being Yona, Zalman ben Binyomin Viner.

On the gravestone of Joseph, in the Etz Chaim Synagogue cemetery is written Joseph ben Binyomin, which suggests both men had the same father.

According to the 1891 Yorkshire census, John (Yona), married to Rachel (maiden name unknown), lived in Livery St, Leylands.

On the 1901 census the address was 11 St Albans St. The family included six children.

Rose (Raisel bat Yona Zalman) married Isaac Flowers; Leah(Lily) married Morris Beharier from Middlesbrough; Maurice (Moshe Yoseph ben Yona Zalman) married Sophia Rifkin; Annie married Alec Velinsky. All were married at The New Briggate Shul and are buried in the New Briggate section of Gildersome cemetery, Leeds.

John, Maurice and Louis (Aryeh ben Yona) all died in 1932, while Rachel Viner (Rochel, Basyah bat Aryeh) died in 1948, aged 92. Rose Flowers died in 1962. Brenda hopes to discover the birthplace of Joseph and Yona (John) Viner in 'Russia'.

Write to Kibbutz Sde Boker, Ramat Negev, Israel 84993 or e-mail brentsi@sde-boker.org.il or contact Joyce Milton (Vyner) on 0113 2688802

News for Eva

MILAN BLUM of Germany is searching for Eva Mitchell, nee Ledererova, later named Retter or Retterova, who was living in Manchester, England, in the late 1940s.

Eva, born about 1920, escaped from Czechoslovakia before the German occupation in 1939.

Her family, named Lederer, lived in East Bohemia (Czechoslovakia), probably in Rychnov, and were murdered in Nazi concentration camps Auschwitz and Treblinka.

Milan met Eva for the only time in the office of his father, Bedrich Blum in Hradec Králové (Czechoslovakia) in 1946.

"She was there for the necessary inheritance affairs and my father, as a lawyer, helped her that time," Milan said. "After the communists rose to power in 1948, all contacts to Mrs Mitchell were interrupted.

"I left Czechoslovakia after the Soviet invasion in 1968 and lived with my family in Germany since 1969. My father died in 1982. During a visit to Czech Republic in 2004 I received information which could be extremely important for Mrs Mitchell if she is still alive, and, if not, for her relatives."

Write to Elisabethenstr. 14a, D-61231 Bad Nauheim, Germany, telephone 0049-6032-86348 or milanblum@yahoo.de

Wolf hunt

Angie Elfassi of Israel is searching for descendants of Wolf and Ada Richmond.

Wolf was the brother of Angie's grandfather Max.

Wolf and Ada (nee Yewdall) married on August 29, 1894 in Jews Synagogue, Belgrave Street (The Great Synagogue), Leeds.

They had six children - Lena, Edith, Flora, Joe, Lilly and Solly. Lena married Cecil Shanks in 1922 and they had a daughter Betty. Edith married Simon Levi; Flora, Joe and Solly don't appear.Lilly married Leo Williams.

Angie has made contact with descendants of all the other siblings - Isaac Richmond and Nathan Richman.

The family came from Lithuania and their surname was originally Reichzeligman.

Email aelfassi51@yahoo.com or write to 7/24 Menachem Begin St., Yehud, 56478, Israel.

NY born

STEVE ORLEN of Arizona is working on his wife's family tree - the Liebmans, originally from Wankheim, Germany, who settled in America in the mid-1800s. Steve is having trouble with one of the names - Edna L Rothschild, who was born in New York City in 1916 and married in England in 1938 to Frederic Royston.

According to the New York Times' announcement of their marriage, Edna was a student at the School of Economics of London University while Frederic was a graduate of Cambridge University.

Write to Professor Steve Orlen, Dept of English, Modern Languages Bld, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA, or email sorlen@email.arizona.edu

Lost touch

SONYA COHEN of Netanya lost touch with her father's family when she married in Leeds and moved to London 42 years ago.

Her father Hyman Abrahams' sister was Rebeca Small (nee Marks) from Bellott Street, Manchester.

"I always loved my aunt and she had a few sons," Sonya said. "I always travelled from Leeds to stay with my aunt, whose daughter died very young."

Email sonyac@netvision.net.il or write to 20-10 Shlomo Hamelech, Netanya 42268, Israel or telephone 009 8330488

FINE SEARCH

JOSEPH FINE of Cumbria is looking for his living family. Joseph was born in October 1943. His father was Abraham (Jack) Fine, born in 1903 and married in Pendelbury register officer in 1942.

Abraham had four brothers - Harry, Hyman, Lewis and Myer. His home address at the time of Joseph's birth was 79 Bignore Street, Hightown, Manchester. Joseph's grandparents were Joe (Jacob) Fine and Annie (Anna) Fine, who were possibly born in Latvia in the 1870s.

Joseph, whose parents divorced when he was a child, said: "I have lived in Cumbria since 1944 and have never been told any information about my father or his family."

Write to 92 North Lonsdale Road, Ulverston, Cumbria LA12 9DX or telephone 01229 583460.

NZ arrival

STUART EBAN of Singapore wants information on his ancestor Emmanual Ben Ahar Eban, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand in 1845.

He travelled there on the "Slains Castle" from Portsmouth.

Email saeban@kaitiaki.com.sg or write to 1005 Lower Delta Road, #19-01 teresa Ville, Singapore 099309.

TT head

MOSHE BERLIN of Jerusalem is looking for information about Rabbi Dr Moses Berlin and his siblings, wife and children.

Rabbi Berlin emigrated from Hamburg to Manchester in 1880, residing at 38 Petworth Street, Cheetham, and was appointed headmaster at Aria College in Portsea-Porstmouth in 1882, and served as headmaster of the Manchester Talmud Torah during 1902-1907.

Write to Moshe Berlin, Masaryk Street 15,Jerusalem 93106, Israel, email berlin.moshe@gmail.com or telephone 009722 563 9858.

Kindler family

Rica Goldberg of Manchester is looking for present-day members of the Kindler family from London. Her husband's grandmother, Yetta, had a sister Golda Peterofskie (later shortened to Peters) born about 1886 in Manchester. She married Pinchas (Philip) Kindler in Manchester and had six children. One of these children was Sidney (Hyman) Kindler and he had a son, Derek. Yetta and Golda were two of the children of Rachel (nee Levy) and Isaac Peterofskie (Peters) who settled in Manchester about 1870 from Poland.

Telephone 0161-767-9060 or email gerrica@aol.com

From the Hartz

Martha Laufer McDonald of Texas would like to hear from the family of siblings of Fanny Hartz Solomon, Morry Hartz or Leah Hartz. Their father was Ruben Hartz, born in Poland and emigrated to England in the early 1900s. They came to England with their step-mother, Annie Vachlakack Hartz, Martha's great aunt.

Write to 3009 Padre Ct., Plano, TX 75075, USA or email marthamcdonald@verizon.net

Looking for Emma

Linda Neidich Hoffman of South Carolina is looking for Emma Braverman, the daughter of Rodel Neidich and Sam Braverman. Emma's grandparents and Linda's great grandparents were the same, Menachem Mendel and Feigel Neidich.

Write to P.O.Box 429, Beaufort, S.C. 29901, USA or email lindahof@earthlink.net