Paula Kienzle of Rottenburg am Neckar, Germany, is researching the fate of Jews from her home town before and during the Holocaust.

In particular she is looking for relatives/descendants of Sigmund and Fanny Gidion. Three of their sons emigrated to Britain in March 1939 — Walter Gidion, Ernest Gidion and Hans Karl Israel Gidion.

Walter Gidion, born May 25, 1907 in Rottenburg/Neckar. The address given on alien registration papers issued on November 11, 1939 was St Mark’s Road, London W10.

No occupation was given. Previous research has yielded a Walter Simon Gidion who died in October 1992 in Macclesfield, but his date of birth is given as May 22, 1907 — however this may have been a clerical error.

Ernst Samuel Israel Gidion (aka Ernest Gidion) was born on October 31, 1909 in Rottenburg/Neckar. His address, according to alien registration papers issued on November 8, 1939, was 6 Westleigh Drive, Prestwich, Manchester.

His occupation was listed as trainee architect, Moston Brick Co, Moston.

Hans Karl Israel Gidion (aka John R. Gordon), was born on June 10, 1918 in Reutlingen. He married Eva and his address on alien registration papers issued on October 9, 1939 was 8 Albert Road, Whalley Range, Manchester.

His occupation was listed as a trainee in raincoat manufacture with H I Hershcovici, Cheetwood Road, Manchester.

Contact Paula Kienzle c/o Goethe-Institut Manchester, Churchgate House, 56 Oxford Street, Manchester M1 6EU or email rhodes@manchester.goethe.org

Photo wanted

Paul Theobald of Germany, has also contacted the Goethe-Institut Manchester about obtaining a photograph of Salomon Feibelmann.

Salomon was born on March 5, 1890 in Rülzheim/Pfalz (Palatinate) and died on August 21, 1971 in Manchester. He wants the photograph for a new edition of a book by Dr Reinhard Weber called Das Schicksal der jüdischen Rechtsanwälte in Bayern nach 1933 (The fate of Jewish lawyers in Bavaria after 1933).

Salomon had a daughter and may still have relatives in Manchester.

Write to Paul, c/o Gabriele Reinsch, Goethe-Institut Manchester, Churchgate House, 56 Oxford Street, Manchester M1 6EU or reinsch@manchester.goethe.org

Leeds clues

ABBY COOPER of Pennsylvania is looking for relatives in Leeds.

Her maternal grandfather, Albert Hyman’s parents grew up in Leeds and relocated to Brockton, Massachussetts. Albert recently died.

Abby’s great-grandparents were Frances (Fanny) Goldman Hyman and Morris Hyman. Her mother, Paula (Hyman) Irwin, recalls meeting a cousin who was from Leeds on a trip to Israel. His surname was Black and he was related to a professor at a university in Leeds.

Abby’s great-grandmother Frances Goldman Hyman’s brother was Jack Goldman, who relocated to the America and owned a chain of stores.

Her other siblings were Harry Goldman, Dora Goldman Berg and Moriah ‘Mash’ Goldman Davis. Her great-grandfather Morris Hyman’s siblings were Sarah Hyman Gray.

Write to 1007 Helene Lane, Lewisburg, PA 17837, USA, email acooper@bmjgroup.com or abbyirwin1@yahoo.com or telephone 001 570 428-3188

Died after birth

Rhoda Lavine of San Diego is searching for a family named Davis (originally Dubinsky or Dubrovsky) who settled in Newcastle-on-Tyne probably in the early 1900s.

Her grandmother, Mary Davis, emigrated to New York in 1897 or 1898 with her husband, Hyman Berman. Her brother remained in England.

Mary, who was originally from Lithuania, and Hyman had four children. Mary died in 1909 soon after giving birth to a fifth child.

The oldest daughter, Ada Beder, was in contact with the Davis family whose son was a doctor.

Rhoda’s mother, Cecile, was the youngest, 18-months-old when her mother died.

Write to 17614 Marymont Place, San Diego, California 92128, USA, email Rhoart@pobox.com or phone 001858 6745718.

Spring visit

Terri Stern of Connecticut hopes to meet relatives in London when she visits with her mother in the spring.

They are particularly looking for my great-grandfather’s family, related to Sarah and Nathan Lefkowitz or Lefkowits, who arrived in England from Poland in the late 1850-1860s.

They settled in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, where their children were born. There were three boys: Morris (Terri’s mother’s maternal grandfather), Samuel, Jack and a girl, Fannie or Florence (mother of her mother’s cousin,David Shiroff, who died about 10 years ago).

All the children eventually came to America, but there are apparently other extended relations still in England. Other names she knows are Selwyn Egglash; Joseph and Sylvia Rose, and their son Michael, who had a petrol station and mart in Manchester or Wakefield; Betty and Sydney Napper, and their son, Ian, a London barrister who is married to another barrister.

Write to 44 Orange Street, Apt 601,New Haven, CT, 06510, USA or email terri.stern@yale.edu

Young death

Dr Lea Haber Gedalia of Jerusalem is trying to locate descendants of Mina and Sheina nee Zalcberg, born in Lithuania to Doba nee Mozesson.

Doba died young and her husband abandoned the five children —Pessia, was sent to South Africa and married Sax, Abraham, Mina, Sheine, Nechemia — who were raised by grandparents in Zagare —Yitzchak and Gittle Mozesson. Lea is trying to locate Leo and Reuben, born to Etta nee Mozesson in Lithuania.

They were both medical doctors, probably not married and came together with sisters Helena, Bertha and Betty.

Email msleag@bezeqint.net or write to 45/18 Bar Kochva Str. Jerusalem 97875

Hull plaque

HAROLD Pollins has a query about a casualty on the Hull Memorial plaque. “Private M Kaye is listed as a casualty on the plaque,” Harold said. “It gives his unit but the photograph I have of the plaque is not clear. The only Pte M Kaye who is listed as dead in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission is S/18817 Pte Mark Kaye, 6 Cameron Highlanders, died July 31, 1917.” According to another source he was born in Glasgow but lived in Leeds.

Telephone 01865 764487 or email HPOLLINS@aol.com

Four siblings

Heather Marks-Vomberg of Canada is looking for her mother’s relatives.

Her mother’s name was Maisie Melrose and her grandfather was Harry Paul (Herschel Peretz) Melrose. Heather’s grandfather died in 1939 in Manchester. Her mother had four siblings — Sylvia, Pearl, Joan and Basil.

Maisie was in the Women’s Land Army during World War II. Heather’s grandmother, mother and siblings emigrated to Toronto in 1948. Her grandfather had married Hetty (Yetta) Brodie.

Write to 648 Beechwood Drive, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2T 2J7 or email hvomberg@rogers.com

Glasgow family

Daniel Hoenig of Australia is looking to trace his family history in Glasgow.

His grandmother, Annie Jackson, was born in 1910 in Glasgow. She had a sister Rose and a brother Jack. Her parents were Abraham and Leah Jackson who would have been born in the 1880s or 90s.

They moved to Australia in 1927 or thereabouts where Annie met her husband Solomon Gilovitz.

Daniel’s grandparents visited family in Glasgow in the 1970s.

Write to 7 Roberts Ave, Randwick, NSW, Australia or email daniel.hoenig@optusnet.com.au

Graves query

Myra Waddell of Australia wants a photograph of the graves of her great grandparents, who are buried in Rice Lane Cemetery, Liverpool. Their names were Chaim (Hyman) Goldenberg and Deborah Leah (maybe Dora) Goldenberg.

Write to 67/12 Marina Avenue, Belair, South Australia, 5052 or email myra@waddell.id.au

Gunn’s target

Alan Gunn of Buckinghamshire is searching for information on Velma and Pauline Clyne/Kleyne, daughters of Samuel and Hilda Clyne.

Samuel and Hilda, nee Avery, were married in 1923 in Prestwich, Manchester. They had four children — Doreen born 1923, Michael 1926, Pauline 1928 and Velma 1931 — registered in Salford or Manchester.

Pauline married in 1950 to Abraham Wild, Velma married in 1955 to Peter Hickman. Samuel was the son of Isaac and Esther Kleyne/Clyne nee Carp, both born in Russia — Isaac was a tailor living in Cheetham Hill in 1901. They had married in 1897 at the Subrini Synagogue, Salford.

Write to 32 Deansmeadow, Dagnall Nr Hemel Hempstead, Buckinghamshire, telephone 07930389006 or email alangunn@ntlworld.com

Textile worker

Jim Bennett’s grandfather, Stefan Bennett, was born as Shabtai Dawidowicz in 1872 in Wielun, Poland.

In the 1890’s he moved to Lodz to work in the textile industry, and in about 1900 he emigrated to Manchester, possibly with relatives.

In Manchester he became a ‘tailor’s cutter’ according to his December 1902 entry record to America.

He may have lived with relatives from Wielun. He may have had a brother, Abraham Bennett, Davis, Davidson.

As well as any of these families, Jim is also looking for other Wielun families in Manchester, including: Szaja, Moskowicz, Herszlikowicz, Brum, Wohl and Tobias.

He would like to find relatives of tobacconist Herbert Bennett and printer Charles Bennett of Bury New Road, who are listed in the 1927 Manchester Street Index.

Email Bennett@coral.co.il or write to 48 Vitkin St, Haifa, 34754, Israel.

Myer search

Mark Liebman of Australia is looking for information on his great great grandfather Myer Leibman, who was born in Lithuania in 1860. He had three brothers — Moritz, Abram and Julius — and a sister Hinde. Myer left Lithuania and settled in South Africa.

Email liebmans@iinet.net.au or write to Dunoon Street Murrumbeena Melbourne, Australia.

Liverpool form

Helen van Hoorn of Amsterdam is tracing her grandfather Joseph van Embden’s family history.

She found information about her great-grandfather Salomon van Embden and her great-uncle Eliazer van Embden at the Yad Vashem website.

The information was derived from a form filled in by David Harris from Liverpool in 1983. Mr Harris describes himself as Eliazar’s first cousin twice removed. Helen wants information about another of her grandfather’s brother, Nathan (Nardus) van Embden, born December 31, 1889 in Rotterdam. Nathan married Jacoba Sluijter on November 26, 1913, and they had one son also called Nathan, born on April 4, 1916.

Write to Olympiaplein 44 A-2, 1076 Ad Amsterdam, The Netherlands or email h.van.hoorn@planet.nl

Sue’s research

Sue Coleman of Middlesex is researching the Smolensky/Smoliansky family

Sue’s great-grandmother was Jane/Jenny/Shayna Smolensky. She married Max Cohen and had nine children including Sue’s grandmother. The family lived in Liverpool.

Through her research, Sue has found that the family came from Memel or Heydekrug in what was then East Prussia.

Contact Sue at suecoleman1@gmail.com or write to 20 Churchill Avenue, Kenton, Middx, HA3 0AY.