A new research direction

I recently discovered some records that are pretty exciting, and may eventually allow me to answer some long-mysterious questions and break through some brick walls on one of my family lines.

First, the necessary background information. In my father's mother's mother's family, we have:

1. Goldroads!

My 2x-great-grandfather was named Elias (or Hillel) Goldroad. In addition to that, Elias's cousin Jacob Goldroad married Mary Miklisanski, who is the sister of Elias's wife Annie Mikshomski (yes, Miklisanski = Mikshomski; it also, according to lots of different records, = Mikleshonok, Meckshanski, Michelshousky, the list goes on and on, and it doesn't help matters that some of the siblings went by Dubowski instead; you can read more about that whole saga in The Five Dubowskis).

The highlighted sisters (Annie and Mary) married two men (both surnamed Goldroad) who were cousins to each other. Annie married Elias, and Mary married Jacob.

Specifically, our Goldroads come from Slavuta, in Volhynia, Ukraine. We see this consistently in various records we have for the family.

• Nancy Goldroad (the daughter of Elias Goldroad and Annie Mikshomski, who is also my great-grandmother) listed her birthplace as "Shivuta" on her oldest son's birth record.
• When Elias Goldroad's wife Annie Mikshomski remarried after his death, the Hebrew marriage record stated that she was from Sloviyat.
• The Australian certificate of naturalization for Jacob Goldroad (Mary Miklisanski's husband) gives his birthplace as Slavuta.
• The death record for Jacob Goldroad gives his birthplace as Sluvitta.
• When Jacob Goldroad and Mary Miklisanski got married, the Hebrew marriage record gave Slavitta as his origin.

We even see Slavuta referenced in records for people we have been told by older relatives are connected to our Goldroads. A possible nephew of Elias Goldroad, Myer Gold, lists Myer's birthplace as Shalwta on his marriage record.

2. Barripps!

Jacob Goldroad very clearly changed his family's name (himself, his wife, and his children) to Barripp. Nobody seems to know why, but he did. 

When he went by Goldroad

When he went by Barripp

1882: His marriage record 1890: Birth certificate for one of his daughters 1891: England census 1892: Passenger list immigrating to Australia (as Goldrad) 1893: Australian Immigration Deposit Journals 1899: Birth index entry for his son Samuel 1900: Sydney, NSW, Australia Sands Directory 1901: Australia census 1902: Australian naturalization certificate 1902: Sydney, NSW, Australia Sands Directory 1903: Wedding announcement for one of his daughters 1903-1905: Sydney, NSW, Australia Sands Directories

1910, 1913, 1914, 1919: New Zealand electoral rolls 1921: Engagement announcement for one of his sons 1922: Marriage notice for one of his sons 1925: Various records of his death

And of course these Barripps are also connected to Slavuta. A number of the documents listed above for Goldroads which mention Slavuta are for Jacob Goldroad, whom we know changed his surname to Barripp sometime between 1905 and 1910.

3. Melameds!

This surname being connected to our family is much more shaky and not based on any documentation that I've yet been able to find, but:

• Family history passed down to us says that Elias Goldroad's brother was known with the surname Melamed and the surname Gold.
• An Ancestry tree I found (yes, I know, highly unreliable, but it demonstrates a trend) also says that brother of Elias Goldroad went by the surname Melamed.

There's a whole family tree structure branching off of this brother of Elias Goldroad that was given to me. I've been trying to corroborate it with documentation, and have been having some success - certainly the people in that family branch exist, and so far the family tree structure seems to be correct, too. I just haven't been able to demonstrate that this "Melamed/Gold" progenitor is a brother of my 2x-great-grandfather Elias Goldroad.

But what's very interesting is that this branch of Melameds or Golds also have a connection to Slavuta. One of the supposed sons of this progenitor is named Myer Gold, and his marriage seems to give his birthplace as Slavuta!

Scan of Myer Gold and Rachel Sternberg nee Joffe's 1933 marriage record, with Myer's birthplace highlighted in red

So, with all that under our belt, we move to the new documentation I found. These three records are what I found exciting:

1. Ellis Island arrival record, January 22, 1910

First page of 1910 arrival record; Josef is highlighted in red

Second page of 1910 arrival record; Josef is highlighted in red

A man named Josef Baraph arrives at Ellis Island, New York, New York, USA. He sailed from Bremen on January 8, aboard the SS Zutin. He is 21 years old (b. abt 1889), male, single. His occupation is given as "box maker skilled printer". His last permanent residence was Slawuta (Slavuta). He was born in Slawuta. His closest contact in the country he came from is his father, Pinchas Baraph, in Slawuta, Wollhyniez (Volhynia), Russia. He is headed for Boston, Massachusetts. His closest contact in the USA is his brother Nathan Goldrud, 27 Wall St., Boston, Massachusetts. 

2. Ellis Island arrival record: March 27, 1906

March 1906 arrival record; Sisiel is highlighted in red

A woman named Sisiel Barak arrives at Ellis Island, New York, New York, USA. She sailed from Rotterdam on March 12th, aboard the SS Ryndam. She is 20 years old (b. abt 1886), female, single, no occupation. Her last permanent residence was Slawuta (Slavuta). She is heading for Boston, Massachusetts. Her closest contact in the US is her brother, N. Goldrud, Box 648, Maynard, Massachusetts.

3. Ellis Island arrival record: December 1, 1906

December 1906 arrival record; Pinches is highlighted in red

A man named Pinches Melamed arrives at Ellis Island, New York, New York, USA. He sailed from Hamburg on November 16, aboard the SS Pretoria. He is 20 years old (b. abt 1886), male, single. His occupation is given as sailor. His last permanent residence was Slawute (Slavuta). He was born in Slewute. He is heading for Boston, Massachusetts. His closest contact in the US is his cousin, Nathan Goldrad, 13 Maynard St., Boston, Massachusetts. 

So with these three records, we have a man named Nathan Goldrud, who is a brother of Baraphs/Baraks and a cousin to a Melamed, and we know that the Baraphs/Baraks and Melamed in question are from Slavuta. It is so very likely that this is my family!

I unfortunately haven't been able to connect things up the line very much further, although I have been able to connect things sideways.

Joseph's marriage record identifies his mother's name as Bela. And that information allowed me to find more siblings of Nathan, Joseph and Sisiel:

1. Jennie

Her death certificate gives her parents as Pinca Barap and Bala.

2. Ethel/Hetla

• Her death certificate gives her parents as Pincus Barap and Bala.
• Her 1921 arrival record gives her last permanent residence and birthplace as Slawuta; as well, her closest contact in the country she came from is given as friend Ola Demalciuk in Slawuta, Wolynien (Volhynia). 
• Her naturalization record gives her birthplace as Slarowta.
• Her transcribed marriage record gives her parents as Pinkus Barpin and Bella Katchkom (there is obviously some very VERY bad transcribing going on here; unfortunately I don't have access to the original image to see what "Katchkom" actually might be).

3. Kele

She is listed on Ethel/Hetla's previously-mentioned arrival record as her closest contact in the USA: Sister Kele Spiegel, 852 Rendolph St., Philadelphia.

From here, I'm somewhat stymied because I'm having a really hard time tracking these people in the US - some of them cannot be found on census records, and I seriously cannot find this Nathan Goldrud person in Boston anywhere, although this might be his petition for naturalization (I notice that although his name is written in the form as Goldrud, he signs it Goldroad). 

I've also tried going back to the old country, using various online resources to try and find the parents of all these people (i.e. Pinchas Barap and Bella Katchkom), with no luck. Have also tried substituting the surnames Goldroad and Melamed and still no joy.

But I still think this is a very interesting start, and I intend to keep hunting!