The Russian Jewish ancestry of the Gorceys was a mystery to their family until recently.  Leo and Bernard Gorcey were famous movie and stage actors in the 1930-1950s and starred in the Dead End Kids and Bowery Boys films. They are also close relatives to David Kathan’s wife. The talk will review the research steps and analysis required to find the original Gorcey surname and Russian town of origin. The talk will also cover the persistence required and the research methodologies and sources used, particularly the FAN Principle. 

 

This is a Hybrid Meeting! Join us In Person or via Zoom at 1:30 PM EST. Be there in person for snacks and schmoozing or join on Zoom from wherever you are. This program is free to JGSGW members. Non-members may attend for $5 either in person or via Zoom.  Guests may register through the link marked GUEST Event Registration. The Zoom link will be posted in the Members Only Files under Meeting Info & Links. (These files become visible on this website after members sign in.)

Speaker: David Kathan is a long-time genealogist and a JGSGW member, with expertise in Colonial American genealogy, Jewish genealogy, and the use of DNA in genealogy. An economist, David recently retired from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, where he focused on the integration of distributed energy resources into the wholesale electric power system. David initially became interested in genealogy in his teens, but he took a 40-year hiatus to focus on schooling, career, and family. He was stricken by the genealogy bug again in the early 2010s and has been actively researching his lineage along with his wife's Ashkenazi ancestry. David has spoken before several genealogy societies on his research over the years. He has a bachelor's degree from Grinnell College and a masters and doctorate from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.