Welcome to the Brotmanblog.  I am glad you stopped by to read about my adventures in genealogy.

The original intention behind this blog was to create a place where members of the extended Brotman family could share family history information without having to clog email or rely on Facebook.  It still serves that original purpose, but it has expanded beyond the Brotman family as my research has expanded to other branches of my family.  Nevertheless, I have decided to keep the name in order to honor my Brotman cousins, who have from the beginning provided me with so much support and encouragement.

The blog also serves as a way for me to explore the issues that are raised when doing family history research and the reasons for doing it.  Genealogy is not just about obtaining names, dates, and documents; it’s about finding meaning in the past and learning from the lives our ancestors lived.  I also try to explain how I do my research in order to help others learn some of the methods that have helped me.  But mostly I am doing this for my own descendants so that someday they will also understand where we came from and what our ancestors did for us so that their dreams and our dreams would come true.

Here are some of my maternal ancestors, the Brotmans:

Bessie Brotman

Max Brotman

Hyman Brotman

Tilly Brotman

Gussie Brotman

Sam Brotman

Here are some of my Goldschlager and Rosenzweig ancestors, my mother’s father’s family:

Moritz Goldschlager

Isadore age 27

David and Sidney Goldschlager

Betty Goldschlager

On the paternal side, here are some of my Cohen, Schoenfeld, and Seligman ancestors:

John Nusbaum Cohen c. 1894

Moritz Seligmann Courtesy of the Family of Fred and Ilse Michel

Babetta Schoenfeld Seligmann Courtesy of the Family of Fred and Ilse Michel

Arthur Seligman, Marjorie, and Eva May Seligman Cohen, 1932 Atlantic City

And finally some of my father’s mother’s family, the Schoenthals and Katzensteins:

Isidore Schoenthal

My grandmother Eva Schoenthal Cohen and my father

Hilda Katzenstein Schoenthal

I want to thank my cousin Judy for helping me to set up the blog; I could not have done it without her.  She played a critical role in getting me started.  However, I am fully responsible for any mistakes or omissions contained within the blog.

Please feel free to leave comments, sharing your own stories and experiences.  I moderate comments to filter out spam or anything that might be deemed inappropriate.  I want to encourage others to contribute, but we also want to protect the privacy of others and prevent embarrassment of anyone, living or dead. I want this to be a place where our children and grandchildren can learn about their ancestors and the lives they lived.

Thanks for your interest, and please come back often!

Amy