Genealogy… Say Happy Hanukkah to Your Ancestors

If you’re one of the lucky  genealogists who have discovered that their ancestors were Jewish, don’t forget to wish them a Happy Hanukkah. If you had to dig around to uncover Judaism, they were hiding it. The history books are full of  pogroms against Jews, no doubt your ancestors went through them. They survived but their heritage did not. Kinda fun to look back in time and imagine your ancestors lighting the menorah and eating latkes. Happy Hanukkah to our Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Grand Grandparents!

Suellen Ocean is the author of Secret Genealogy – A How-to for Tracing Ancient Jewish Ancestry:

How Did the Leek Become the National Emblem of Wales?

Many years ago, in 640 A.D. Germanic tribes marched into Wales, intent on conquering it. The Welsh Britons, fought back. The legend is that the Britons, encouraged by their patron Saint David, pulled up leeks and secured them into their caps, enabling the soldiers to distinguish themselves from the invading tribes. The Britons must have felt that the leeks in their caps brought them good luck, (they won) and now today, that legend lives on, for the leek is the national emblem of Wales. But a leek as the national emblem did not suffice. Today the leek shares that title with the lovely daffodil. The daffodil is a very pretty flower and the leek, well… it’s kind of like an onion. But in Welsh, a leek is a cenhinen and a daffodil is a cenhinen pedr, so it’s understandable. But I imagine, the Welsh are quite proud of the leeks in their caps. And even if the Germanic tribes eventually swept through there, a victory is a victory and the story goes… the leeks in their caps, helped them win the war.

Suellen Ocean is the author of Secret Genealogy III – From Jewish Anglo-Saxon Tribes to New France Acadians. Available here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/148407579X

The Ghosts of Christians Passed

Last Saturday I looked up museums and ran across an historic cemetery. My husband and I took the dog and meandered through the flowering magnolia trees and profuse blooms of orange poppies. It was a huge cemetery so it turned out to be a great place to get exercise and with all the flowering trees, wild flowers and rose bushes, it was actually a cheerful place. A lot can be learned from visiting a cemetery. There were sections for various wars and sections where victims of a cholera epidemic in 1850 claimed almost 1,000 lives. There was a security guard walking around and I visited with him. “Is there a Jewish section?” I asked. He seemed confused and thought about it for a minute and said, “No, I don’t believe there is.” I suspect though, that there’s a cryptic Jewish section and I look forward to returning to see if I can find it. I might have luck looking through the Masonic and Oddfellows sections because many California Jewish Pioneers’ proudly display the symbols of these secret societies on their tombstones. Suellen Ocean is the author of Secret Genealogy – A How-to for Tracing Ancient Jewish Ancestry, Secret Genealogy II – Uncovering the Jewish Roots of Our Christian Ancestors and Secret Genealogy III – From Jewish Anglo-Saxon Tribes to New France Acadians. Available here:

Secret Genealogy: http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Genealogy-Volume-Suellen-Ocean/dp/0965114082

Secret Genealogy II:   http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Genealogy-II-Christian-Ancestors/dp/1484053222

Secret Genealogy III:   http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Genealogy-III-Jewish-Anglo-Saxon-Acadians/dp/148407579X

eBooks and computer downloads available through Smashwords:

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eBooks at Barnes & Noble:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Secret-Genealogy-by-Suellen-Ocean

        

Genealogy: Elusive German Ancestors

German-Jews, the term almost seems an oxymoron, but of course many Jews were at one time, and are today, Germans. I have a Jewish friend who thinks it’s amusing that his parents named him Jerry, German slang for a German. The Nazis were so inhospitable, it’s hard to understand why Jews would want to remain or return to Germany, except that the love for their country was immense. But Jews made their homes in Germany many generations ago. In antiquity, Jewish traders traveled into Germany and so did the Greeks, Syrians and other Eastern merchants, and many made their homes there, with as much right to do so as any. In 1871 German Jews received equal rights. So if you’ve any confusion, rest assured, your German Jerrys could be Jews. Suellen Ocean is the author of Secret Genealogy – A How-to for Tracing Ancient Jewish Ancestry, Secret Genealogy II – Uncovering the Jewish Roots of Our Christian Ancestors and Secret Genealogy III – From Jewish Anglo-Saxon Tribes to New France Acadians. Available here:

Secret Genealogy: http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Genealogy-Volume-Suellen-Ocean/dp/0965114082

Secret Genealogy II:   http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Genealogy-II-Christian-Ancestors/dp/1484053222

Secret Genealogy III:   http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Genealogy-III-Jewish-Anglo-Saxon-Acadians/dp/148407579X

eBooks and computer downloads available through Smashwords:

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ocean

eBooks at Barnes & Noble:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Secret-Genealogy-by-Suellen-Ocean

        

Rh-Negative Blood Factor… An Ancient Ethnic Clue?

I have Rh-negative blood and so do a lot of Basques. But so do other groups like Oriental Jews and Ancient Iranian Jews, as well as Berbers. It would seem that I had an ancestor belonging to one of those ethnic groups, and they eventually, in the 1600s, came to the New World. But while reading, “Atlas of the North American Indian,” by Carl Waldman, I see that researchers have found similarities in language of Native Americans as well as grave markers, in Pennsylvania and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, that resemble those of the Basque. The Basque may have come to America long before Colonialism and it’s possible that through a Native American ancestor, I’ve inherited this blood type. It is a very ancient connection and one that is intriguing, adding one more possibility to think about in that elusive history of the Rh-negative blood factor.  Suellen Ocean is the author of Secret Genealogy – A How-to for Tracing Ancient Jewish Ancestry, Secret Genealogy II – Uncovering the Jewish Roots of Our Christian Ancestors and Secret Genealogy III – From Jewish Anglo-Saxon Tribes to New France Acadians. Available here:

Secret Genealogy:  http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Genealogy-Volume-Suellen-Ocean/dp/0965114082

Secret Genealogy II:  http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Genealogy-II-Christian-Ancestors/dp/1484053222

Secret Genealogy III:  http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Genealogy-III-Jewish-Anglo-Saxon-Acadians/dp/148407579X

 

       

Religion and Genealogy: What’s A Crypto-Jew?

A Crypto Jew is someone who practices Judaism in secret while professing another religious faith. There was a lot of fear about being a Jew in Europe during the 14th, 15th, 16th century and in the 1700s, in North America, Jews were expelled from the Louisiana Territory. In Europe, when the Spanish monarchy decided they wanted a united Catholic Spain, obviously for wealth and power, Jews were forced to be cryptic about their religion. It was either that or be deported, without most of your possessions, because being a “Judaizer” meant one forfeited their wealth, or a sentence of death was handed down for their “Judaizing” and not by humane means.

Today, there’s a new movement afoot and it’s growing in popularity, especially in the Southwest. People who discover their ancestors were Jewish are returning to their roots. Although it’s popular in Catholic Latino populations, it isn’t isolated to this group. There are folks of all persuasions pleased to discover who their ancestors were and to learn the religion of the ancients.

Suellen Ocean is the author of Secret Genealogy – A How-to for Tracing Ancient Jewish Ancestry, Secret Genealogy II – Uncovering the Jewish Roots of Our Christian Ancestors and Secret Genealogy III – From Jewish Anglo-Saxon Tribes to New France Acadians. Available here:

Paperback:

Secret Genealogy:  https://www.createspace.com/4234160

Secret Genealogy II:  https://www.createspace.com/4235650

Secret Genealogy III:  https://www.createspace.com/4239009

eBooks and computer downloads available through Smashwords:

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ocean

eBooks at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=Suellen+Ocean&x=3&y=12

eBooks at Barnes & Noble:

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Ancestry & Genealogy: Time to Know Who You Really Come From

No more secrets. It’s not necessary. No more lies. DNA can shed light on it. Our ancestors may have “pretended” to be of an ethnicity they weren’t born with but let’s check it out. Why do so many Americans have Old Testament Hebrew names? Hosea… first king of the Jews? Why would an ancestor have that name if he wasn’t from a Jewish family? Rebecca, Rachel… Old Testament names… maybe the ancients were from Judah. The habit of persecuting Jews was rampant during the Middle Ages and still practiced into the 18th century… Jews were expelled from the Louisiana area. Check it out… do you have Southern ancestry? Did they the leave Louisiana area between 1724-1803 and move into the adjoining territory? Maybe they were Jewish and they didn’t want to be persecuted. Maybe they were just done with it. But guess what… we’re just gettin’ started. We want to know who we really are!

Suellen Ocean is the author of Secret Genealogy – A How-to for Tracing Ancient Jewish Ancestry, Secret Genealogy II – Uncovering the Jewish Roots of Our Christian Ancestors and Secret Genealogy III – From Jewish Anglo-Saxon Tribes to New France Acadians. Available here:

Paperback:

Secret Genealogy:  https://www.createspace.com/4234160

Secret Genealogy II:  https://www.createspace.com/4235650

Secret Genealogy III:  https://www.createspace.com/4239009

eBooks and computer downloads available through Smashwords:

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ocean

eBooks at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=Suellen+Ocean&x=3&y=12

eBooks at Barnes & Noble:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Secret-Genealogy-by-Suellen-Ocean?store=ebook&keyword=Secret+Genealogy+by+Suellen+Ocean

       

What Does Prodigal Mean? As in Prodigal Son…

Prodigal means given to reckless extravagance, characterized by wasteful expenditure, lavish, squandering. The story in the bible about the prodigal son was one of welcome. The father welcomed his son home, even though he had squandered his wealth. The father saw the son as being alive again. This popular parable is attributed to Jesus.

Suellen Ocean is the author of Secret Genealogy – A How-to for Tracing Ancient Jewish Ancestry, Secret Genealogy II – Uncovering the Jewish Roots of Our Christian Ancestors and Secret Genealogy III – From Jewish Anglo-Saxon Tribes to New France Acadians. Available here:

Secret Genealogy: http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Genealogy-Volume-Suellen-Ocean/dp/0965114082

Secret Genealogy II: http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Genealogy-II-Christian-Ancestors/dp/1484053222

Secret Genealogy III: http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Genealogy-III-Jewish-Anglo-Saxon-Acadians/dp/148407579X

eBooks and computer downloads available through Smashwords:

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ocean

eBooks at Barnes & Noble:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Secret-Genealogy-by-Suellen-Ocean

       

What Does the “Messianic Hope” Mean?

The expression “Messianic Hope” is used by both Christians and Jews. Because Christians believe Jesus is the messiah, the anticipation of his return (Second Coming) is their “Messianic Hope.” However, for Jews it is different. Recorded in the Old Testament of the bible, is the Jewish belief that a king of the Davidic line (Royal House of David) would deliver Israel from oppression. A family that for centuries continues the name David in all its various forms may be historically preserving their descent from the House of David. Similar names include: Davidson, Dovid, Davids, Davi, Davis, Daves, Davin, Davins, Davala, Daviu, Davies, Daud, Daud Ibn, Davila, Davilla and Davision. Suellen Ocean is the author of Secret Genealogy – A How-to for Tracing Ancient Jewish Ancestry, Secret Genealogy II – Uncovering the Jewish Roots of Our Christian Ancestors and Secret Genealogy III – From Jewish Anglo-Saxon Tribes to New France Acadians. Available here: http://www.oceanhose.com

       

Genealogy: Have the Name Isaac in Your Family Tree?

Isaac is a Hebrew name that originally meant “laughter.” Isaac holds a special place in Jewish history, as it is from him that in the Book of Genesis, the “Chosen People” descend. His father and mother were Abraham and Sarah, his wife was Rebecca and his son was Jacob. So, in Jewish history, Isaac was a big deal and so were his family.

Suellen Ocean is the author of Secret Genealogy – A How-to for Tracing Ancient Jewish Ancestry, Secret Genealogy II – Uncovering the Jewish Roots of Our Christian Ancestors and Secret Genealogy III – From Jewish Anglo-Saxon Tribes to New France Acadians. Available here:

Secret Genealogy: http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Genealogy-Volume-Suellen-Ocean/dp/0965114082

Secret Genealogy II: http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Genealogy-II-Christian-Ancestors/dp/1484053222

Secret Genealogy III: http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Genealogy-III-Jewish-Anglo-Saxon-Acadians/dp/148407579X

eBooks and computer downloads available through Smashwords:

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ocean

eBooks at Barnes & Noble:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Secret-Genealogy-by-Suellen-Ocean