Finding Your Family History by Robert Cox
Connecting with Distant Relatives on Ancestry
Much genealogical research involves searching through historical records to find connections between the relatives in your family tree . Uncovering the stories of these relatives makes for a richer understanding of our family history . After you have interviewed all of your known relatives and researched written records , you may be able to extend your family history by contacting more distant relatives who have stories to share .
A good place to start looking for distant relatives is through the Ancestry member data base . Many Ancestry members provide one or more public family trees of their relatives . You can search these trees by selecting “ Public Member Trees ” under the Search tab . This will bring up a template in which you can enter a name of an ancestor , together with vital statistics like birth , death , and marriage and the father , mother , and spouse of that ancestor . On completion , the search will bring up a link with the number of family trees that contain your ancestor and the owners of each family tree . You can then send a message to each tree owner who interests you . I recommend sending short messages to many members . Introduce yourself , explain what your connection is to them , and ask them to reply to the message if they are interested in connecting or collaborating with you on your research . Note that people on Ancestry are there for a variety of reasons , and not all are interested in connecting with other members , even if they are relatives . So , don ’ t expect everyone to whom you write to respond . You can get an idea of how interested members are in genealogy by checking the size of the family tree or trees they have contributed , seeing whether they describe themselves as Beginner , Intermediate , or Advanced , and seeing whether in their profile they describe themselves as “ Willing To Help ”. Ancestry also provides an indication of how long it has been since they have signed into Ancestry .
If you have taken an Ancestry DNA test , you can also make connections with distant relatives using the Ancestry DNA “ shared matches ” feature . Let ’ s say you know one Ancestry member who is a second cousin , George . It means that you and George share a pair of great-grandparents . By looking through the DNA matches you share with George , you can find other members who share the same DNA sequences that you and George share . If they also have public family trees , you many be able to find the exact connection . If you are really ambitious , you can even try to build a family tree for those that do not have one , to see if you can find the connection yourself .
Mountain View Family History Spotlight
The family of Lenny ’ s paternal grandfather , Simon Siegel , were Jews from Lithuania and Latvia who left the Russian
Empire in the 1890s in search of a better life . Simon first went to Brazil to join a utopian community , but eventually made his way to Baltimore , Maryland , where he was a garment worker . Hours were long and wages were low . Simon was arrested in a successful strike by the Amalgamated Clothing Workers . Lenny ’ s father Henry was Simon ’ s seventh son .
A cousin of Lenny ’ s father , Simon Sobeloff , was the US Solicitor General under President Dwight Eisenhower . Sobeloff presented the government ’ s arguments on the
Isadore Bresinsky
Lenny at home with Isadore ’ s copper pot . implementation of the Supreme Court ’ s decision in Brown v . Board of Education , which outlawed segregation in public schools . Lenny ’ s maternal grandfather , Isadore Bresinsky , was a coppersmith . Lenny notes that Isadore invented a rotary clothes dryer which was exhibited at the World ’ s Fair in Cleveland , Ohio in 1936 .
Lenny grew up in Culver City ,
Los Angeles County , California . He was born in 1948 , the year Israel became a country . Lenny ’ s family was active in their local Reform synagogue , collecting dimes to plant trees in Israel . But during the 1967 war , they became concerned that Israel was becoming an aggressor . Lenny continues to hope that eventually both Jews and Palestinians will be able to live together in peace . Lenny attended Stanford University during the Vietnam War , where he was a leader in the movement to sever Stanford ’ s connection with the US Defense Department ’ s electronic warfare programs . This is where he met his future wife , Jan Rivers , who was also active in political causes .
Jan grew up in Mountain View , so after college Lenny and Jan came here
to start a family . Lenny got involved with local politics , serving on the Planning Commission , and advocating
Jan and Lenny at the 100th Anniversary of Loreto Street in 2024
by Robert Cox , MVHA Vice President
Former Mayor Lenny Siegel ’ s family has a long history of activism in civil rights and equity for working people .
Simon Sobeloff
Lenny ’ s wife Jan and Lenny as high school seniors
for rent relief . Lenny was instrumental in getting Mountain View to limit the number of apartments which could be converted to condos . Decades later , Lenny supported activists who put together the ballot initiative for Mountain View ’ s rent control charter amendment . Lenny ’ s advice to young activists is “ Be persistent !”
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