Why is this site named Flora-and-Sam.com?
My name is Joan (WELLER) ENGEL and I am a second generation American. My parents, Flora POMERANTZ and Sam WELLER are the starting point for this website. Their parents came to the US from what were then the Russian and Austro-Hungarian Empires and today are towns in Belarus, Lithuania and Poland.
This site traces Flora and Sam's ancestors as far back as we have been able to track them to date and includes the descendants of those ancestors. We have attempted to provide some historical and geographical context and have included some links for further research you may find useful.
How to use this site and help keep it current...
We have done our best to report information accurately, but erroneous assumptions, imprecise reporting and incomplete facts all contribute to potential faux pas. To compound the issue, many of our ancestors used significant variations of their names and the names of their ancestral towns. For example, Chaia, Chaje, Chaia, Ida, Annie and Anna all refer to the same person! We have opted for capturing the original flavor rather than ensuring consistency. This may prove to be confusing at times and we apologize in advance for the confusion. If you notice inaccuracies, please let us know.
BE SURE YOUR BROWSER ALLOWS POP-UPS and REMEMBER TO BOOKMARK THIS SITE!
The best way to explore the site is to click on a family name on the navigation bar on the left to l get you to a family history page. Don't miss the family information links on the right side of the screens!
Additional information, such as maps and immigration details, are listed on the left hand side of the screen below the family names. Don't miss these sections as they provide considerable background information on each of the families. If you get lost, try using the SITE MAP to find your way around.Do you have old photos of family members (identified or not!) or written information about family members? If so, please share with us. eMAIL updates, additions and corrections of family information along with your comments, suggestions, documents and photographs, so that we can include them in your family albums. To memorialize as many of our ancestors as possible, we would like to include your memories of them. Please use the link below to record your thoughts or email eulogies, anecdotes or biographical information for inclusion in the MEMORIAL SECTION of this site.
NOTE: If the email link above does not work with your browser I can be reached at: joan.engel@gmail.com
A Note About Privacy
Every government puts value on preserving its history and that is why we have national archives. Genealogy preserves history; the history of a family.
We have struggled with what data about living relatives to publish on this site. We have chosen to publish the names and birth years of living people and we have done so (a) in the interest of preserving history and (b) so people can find the site (through search engines) and and provide more information about our families. NOTE: Much of the information included on this site has been obtained because family members have found this website and provided considerable data and insight that enhanced our family history.
If you are concerned about identity theft, please know there is not enough information here to be of use to identity thieves. You are NOT still using your mother’s maiden name as your access to your bank accounts, are you? Like it or not, our names are available on the internet for all kinds of things. To pretend that online anonymity can be preserved by not including names on genealogy sites is unrealistic. That being said, if anyone objects to their name being listed here, just let us know.
The purpose of this site is for family members to see who their ancestors were, who their relatives are and how they fit into their family history. You are welcome to read the information, show it to others, or save it for your own personal use. Please check with us before you publish it elsewhere.
Acknowledgements
Thanks go to so many relatives for generously helping with this site. However, several merit special mention: Neil Frieser for beginning the journey; Toni Fine for inspiring and developing the memorial section; Gloria Cohen for persistent editing; Miriam Kelty and Richard and Helen Albertson for their encouragement and feedback; Sibi Shuman for her enthusiasm; and David Katz, Shirley Morson, Rozzie Gottlieb and so many others too numerous to mention here, for sharing their memories and photos. Finally, I would be seriously remiss if I didn't mention the countless hours of research and analysis my husband Bobby contributed to this family history. Were it not for him, much of this information would not be here.