Question

i need help finding the true last name of my maternal ggf - Benjamin Yexley Dein, a jew born in Kiev in 1882.

Comments

my maternal great grandfather was a jew born in kiev and came over ca 1904 to avoid fighting in the russo-japanese war.  his name was Benjamin Yexley Dein.  Not sure about the Ben, Yexley appearantly was his fave cigar brand.  His father Jacob(Yaakov) was a jewish judge in keiv.  we think the dein comes from that but we know its not his true surname.  any suggestions as to a mechanism to track down the real name.  He never told his kids, most are dead anyway.  my grandfather either didn't know or care as he never told my grandmother (still alive).  he settled in ACNJ and rand a clothier and furrier on atlantic ave. any help would be appreciated.

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>Yexley appearantly was his fave cigar brand

Spectacular. I aspire to a little of the devil-may-care attitude of a man who names himself after his favorite smokes. :)

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Possibly a brother  or cousin ? ?

Jacob Dein

 in the 1900 United States Federal Census

VIEW

Name:	Jacob Dein
Age:	14
Birth Date:	Dec 1885
Birthplace:	Russia
Home in 1900:	Philadelphia Ward 11, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Ward of City:	Eleventh
Street:	Green St
House Number:	112
Sheet Number:	3
Number of Dwelling in Order of Visitation:	47
Family Number:	55
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Immigration Year:	1895
Relation to Head of House:	Son
Marital Status:	Single
Father's name:	Albert Dein
Father's Birthplace:	Russia
Mother's name:	Ida Dein
Mother's Birthplace:	Russia
Years in US:	5
Occupation:	At School
Attended School:	9
Can Read:	Yes
Can Write:	Yes
Can Speak English:	Yes
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Albert Dein 39 Ida Dein 32 Jacob Dein 14 Rosie Dein 12 Samuel Dein 11 Eva Dein 7/12

Source Citation

Year: 1900; Census Place: Philadelphia Ward 11, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Roll: 1456; Page: 3; Enumeration District: 0195; FHL microfilm: 1241456

Source Information

Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.

 

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Maybe ? ?

Benjamin Yudin

 in the New York, State and Federal Naturalization Records, 1794-1940

VIEW

Name:	Benjamin Yudin
Declaration Age:	27
Record Type:	Declaration
Birth Date:	15 Oct 1881
Birth Place:	Vitebsk Russia
Arrival Date:	26 Nov 1904
Arrival Place:	New York, New York
Declaration Date:	28 Jan 1909
Declaration Place:	USA
Declaration Number:	12112

Source Citation

National Archives and Records Administration; Washington, DC; ARC Title: Index to Petitions for Naturalizations Filed in Federal, State, and Local Courts in New York City, 1792-1906; NAI Number: 5700802; Record Group Title: Records of District Courts of the United States, 1685-2009; Record Group Number: RG 21

 

Answer 1

Yeah, it makes him seem cool and all (I'm sure he was but he died a decade before my birth). But the point remains, he never told anyone in his family his true last name. Therefore tracking him and his ancestors in Kiev down is at a standstill. Before anyone suggests, he married a nice Jewish girl from Warsaw who came over with he parents in the 1890s named peter and mollie schlossberb née grossman. My gm was Henrietta (yetta) dein née schlossberg

Thanks for any help.

SJP

Answer 2

DNA can be a good alternative if you don't have last names.