by Rick D. Cauthen
Certainly one of the most accessible tools for genealogical research particularly to those of Jewish ancestry would be a Jewish Cemeteries. The oldest Jewish cemetery located in Hamilton County is the Chestnut Street Cemetery dating back to 1821 located at the corner of Chestnut Street and Central Avenue in the downtown region of Cincinnati. Unfortunately, it closed rapidly in 1849 as this small plot of land was consumed during the Cholera Epidemic that had wiped out so many in the Cincinnati area. It is not only the oldest Jewish cemetery in Cincinnati, but in fact, it is the oldest Jewish cemetery west of the Allegheny Mountains.
Certainly one of the most accessible tools for genealogical research particularly to those of Jewish ancestry would be a Jewish Cemeteries. The oldest Jewish cemetery located in Hamilton County is the Chestnut Street Cemetery dating back to 1821 located at the corner of Chestnut Street and Central Avenue in the downtown region of Cincinnati. Unfortunately, it closed rapidly in 1849 as this small plot of land was consumed during the Cholera Epidemic that had wiped out so many in the Cincinnati area. It is not only the oldest Jewish cemetery in Cincinnati, but in fact, it is the oldest Jewish cemetery west of the Allegheny Mountains.
The most basic fact that can be gleaned
simply from which Jewish cemetery your ancestor is buried in is simply whether
that individual was of the Orthodox, Conservative, or Reform Jewish movements.
Every Jewish cemetery formed historically by a particular Jewish congregation.
That congregation would have belong to one of those broad movements. Knowledge
of which movement any specific Jewish cemetery belongs to just involves a bit
of research about the congregation that founded it.
Since 2004, the majority of
Jewish cemeteries in Cincinnati have been managed and maintained under the non-profit
organization “Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati.” This organization has
become a major tool for all Hamilton County Jewish Genealogists. Jewish
Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati can be found on the web at http://www.jcemcin.org/. This site will
provide a rich source of information about the history of all the Jewish
cemeteries located in this Hamilton and Butler counties. Once on the main home
page, you will find a header labeled “Genealogy” on the menu.
Once you click on the Genealogy
menu, you will be taken to their data base whereby you can do a simply search
for your ancestor and you will find a quick response listing the first &
last names, the cemetery, and the date of death. Additionally, you will find an
actual photograph of the head stone or marker. If you would like to make an in
person visit to the actual grave, by continuing to click on the last name of
your ancestor, you will find more detailed burial information showing the
specific burial location such as lot number, section number, and grave number.
Of course, first-hand experience
has taught me that actually using that information to find the actual grave can
be much more challenging. So here is a very helpful tip! Take your cell phone
with you as begin to search for the location of your Jewish ancestor. If you
are particularly struggling in your search, you can phone the Jewish Cemeteries
of Greater Cincinnati staff at 513-961-0178 during regular business hours, and
you can explained to them who you are trying to find. They can take the name of
any deceased person for which you happened to be standing by and they can direct
you by telling you how many rows to walk forward or backward and so many graves
to the left and the right in order to located your ancestor.
Jewish headstones may uncover
more information that just the birth date, and death date. It may uncover who
they were married to if buried adjacent to their spouse. Plus, these headstones
may uncover more genealogical information if you can translate the Hebrew inscription.
To be continued…
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