East of London Group

   Contact: Shirley Collier

Updated May 2009

The JGSGB East of London group is based in Redbridge, Essex and meetings are held on Monday evenings, every three months, at Ilford Synagogue, 22 Beehive Lane, Gants Hill.   We try to cover every aspect of Jewish genealogy and our meetings are not restricted to local research but worldwide.   Each meeting contains items of interest for both new family researchers and the more experienced genealogists.   This is very much a self-help activity and although so much is now available on the internet we enjoy bringing people together and putting them in touch with each other.  We have found members who share the same interests, both in family names and towns and on occasion, even relationships. We try to provide guest speakers who are able to give informed information regarding source material and there is always an opportunity to ask questions and socialise over tea and biscuits.   For details of future meetings please see the programme section on the website.

Committee members: Shirley Collier (Chairman), Ida Lawrence, David Miller  and Raymond  Montanjees
 

                        
OUR PREVIOUS MEETINGS HAVE INCLUDED:

• JEWISH GENEALOGICAL WORKSHOP
  Richard Pearlman.  This was our inaugural meeting  and topics covered included tips for both Ashkenazi and
  Sephardi family tree research with member  participation
   

• QUESTION TIME
  The JGSGB's own experts: Doreen Berger (Anglo-Jewry),  Richard Cooper (Poland), Elliott Porte (Lithuania),  
  George Rigal (Anglo-Jewry and Insurance researcher)
   

• JEWISH GENEALOGY ON YOUR DOORSTEP
  Using local resources for family research, including a section on computer
  access, with a huge range of books and leaflets to browse through.
   

• "TELL US YOUR FAMILY HISTORY"
  Special guest JGSGB member and journalist Francis Beckett, son of former
  Labour MP turned Mosley blackshirt, John Beckett.
   

• GENEALOGY IN THE BALTICS
  Saul Issroff, author and Baltics' genealogy guru, gave a
  jam-packed rundown of the resources available.
   

• MIGRATION AND THE PORTS OF LONDON
  Academic Nick Evans showed the routes by which our ancestors reached the
  Ports of London and Hull from former homelands.
   

• "WE DON'T SPELL OUR NAME THAT WAY"
  Sue Fifer showed how to use spelling of surnames to unlock Eastern European
  ancestry.
   

• HOW CEMETERIES KEEP OUR ANCESTORS ALIVE!
  Elliott Porte.  Uncovering Jewish family history in graveyards which can give can give
  precious clues to a family's past.
  .

• RICHARD PEARLMAN'S GENEALOGICAL LIBRARY
  Richard brought his magnificent library of reference books and other
  material.
   

• PRESERVING THE HERITAGE OF THE JEWISH EAST END
  Clive Bettington, founder of the Jewish East End Celebration Society, spoke
  about his efforts to save the heritage of the Jewish East End
   

• JCR-UK (JEWISH COMMUNITIES RECORDS IN THE UK)
  Louise Messik -  The recording of Jewish communities which might otherwise be lost forever.
   

• EXAMINING THE ARCHIVES HELD AT TOWER HAMLETS LIBRARY
  Malcolm Barr-Hamilton, Archivist of the library in Mile End which holds the complete JC on microfilm, Poor Rate Books,
  Land Tax, etc. and  over 25,000 photographs.
   

• FINDING YOUR FAMILY RECORDS AT THE FAMILY RECORDS CENTRE (now removed to TNA at Kew). 
  Guest speaker Gerry Toop
   

• "DAVID BADDIEL AND ME"
  Modelled on the BBC "Who Do You Think You Are" and presented by Alice Josephs
   

• THE USE OF COMPUTERS FOR ACCESSING CENSUS RECORDS - David Annal from the TNA
   

• “SEX, LIES AND CIVIL REGISTRATION” -   Audrey Collins from the TNA
   

• THE YAD VASHEM NAMES RECOVERY PROJECT – Linda Paterson
   

• BOTH SIDES OF THE BOSPHORUS – Tradition and Culture in Turkey – George Anticoni
   

• BRICK  LANE - Historically, and Present Day – Naomi Fellerman
   

• RESEARCH MATERIAL AT THE LONDON METROPOLITAN ARCHIVES - Linda Carey
   

• IMMIGRATION - Roger Kershaw from the TNA