Ted Gostin

   Jewish Genealogy  

Have you ever wanted to trace your Jewish roots, but weren't sure where to start?  It is possible! As a professional Jewish genealogist, I can help you:

• Document your family's arrival and early years in the U.S.
• Learn where your family came from in the "Old Country"
• Trace your family back through foreign records

Check out my Jewish Genealogy page for more information about how a professional genealogist can help you trace your family history.

  Southern California Research

Since I live in Southern California, I naturally specialize in genealogical research in this region.  I can help clients research their family histories in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura Counties.   Check out this section for more information on what to expect from genealogical research here in Southern California.

 Generations Press Books 

My publishing company, Generations Press, publishes books on Jewish genealogy, Southern California resources, and immigration research.  We also sell new and used books from other publishers in the same subject areas.

Research Rates

Click here for information on current research rates, minimum charges, reimbursable expenses, billing procedures, etc.

Lecture Schedule

I will be taking a break from lecturing for awhile and am not scheduling new lectures at the present time.

• Saturday, September 17, 2022, 1:00 p.m. PDT, Whittier Area Genealogical Society, "Finding Vital Records Online - Beyond Ancestry & FamilySearch."  While many genealogists will stop their search for online vital records after reviewing the commercial site Ancestry.com and the Mormons’ FamilySearch website, there are a multitude of other places on the internet where one might find birth, marriage and death information. This lecture reviews and illustrates the breadth of other vital records sources available, including other online genealogy sites; local, county, and state level public agencies; and from public, university and college libraries, and historical and genealogical societies.  Sorenson Library, 6934 Broadway Avenue, Whittier, CA 90606 (or by Zoom if facilities still closed to meetings)  Free Admission.

• Sunday, January 22, 2023, 2:00 p.m. CST, Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois, "Ukrainian Jewish Records - New Online Resources."  Recent years have seen an explosion of online Ukrainian-Jewish genealogical records, after decades of having almost no access to such records. Sources include what is commonly called the Alex Krakovsky website, a Wikimedia site with millions of Jewish records from Ukrainian archives scanned by Alex Krakovsky and others; digitization projects at many branches of the Ukrainian State Archives; continued filming of Ukrainian records by the Mormons’ Family History Library and FamilySearch website; and partial indexes of Ukrainian-Jewish records by private genealogists on several internet sites, in both Russian and English. This lecture reviews these resources and shows how to use them and what can be found in the records, using the speaker’s own family as an example.  Zoom lecture, free admission.  See website for meeting link.