European Emigrant
Heritage
Heritage
Our Work
We are an inheritance genealogy company that handles cases where the decedent or a parent was born in the Soviet Bloc (Bloc). Bloc countries were Communist until 1990 and are shown in pink and red:
We are an inheritance genealogy company that handles cases where the decedent or a parent was born in the Soviet Bloc (Bloc). Bloc countries were Communist until 1990 and are shown in pink and red:
We also work Yugoslavian (aka Balkan states) cases. Yugoslavia became independent of the USSR in 1948. It remained Communist until 1990, then divided into Bosnia, Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo, and Macedonia.
Example: A Lithuanian Case
Our research of the record property owner Philip LEOPOLD showed that he died thirty years ago, allegedly with no heirs. We commenced genealogical research and after some weeks we discovered that his original name was Pinya LEPAR and that he was not born in Poland as he claimed in his 1953 US citizenship application, but in Kriukai, Lithuania.
To identify his grandparents we used a technique that Detective Colombo would have liked. We hired the entire class of a history professor of a university near Kriukai to locate and transcribe all tombstones bearing the paternal surname LEPAR and the maternal surname and their spelling variants.
These enthusiastic students walked hundreds of cemetery rows and transcribed 70+ stones, which eventually led to European Emigrant Heritage (EEH) finding cousin heirs. We obtained distribution of the property to these cousins. Only one of them had ever heard of Pinya LEPAR / Philip LEOPOLD.
RESEARCH PHOTOS
Village research ↑ James and Volodya of EEH seek memories of past times. "How many children did they have?" "Where were they moved to?"
Soviet Bloc archives ↑ Sniezhana of EEH examines records of Bulgarian prisoners interred in Nazi work camps.
Example: A Siberian Case
The decedent died in 2019 reportedly with no heirs. Our research discovered that his grandfather had a half brother named Grigoriy KORNEEV. The following letter by EEH describes our solution to the case:
Example: A Siberian Case
The decedent died in 2019 reportedly with no heirs. Our research discovered that his grandfather had a half brother named Grigoriy KORNEEV. The following letter by EEH describes our solution to the case:
...According to Vladimir Dahl’s magnum opus, Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language, the definition of “selo” is “A place built and settled by peasants in which there is a church, and sometimes selo consists of many scattered derevnyas all belonging to one congregation and one church.”
Petroselki Derevnya and Molotychi Selo are only three miles apart (Our Proof #25). From the fact that all derevnyas had to belong to a selo so that its residents would have a church, and from Dahl’s above definitions, we conclude that Petroselki Derevnya belonged to Molotychi Selo. Thus Grigoriy could say he resided in either place...
...It is obvious that Grigoriy KORNEEV and Grigoriy ABALMASOV are the same man. Consider:
1.) Grigoriy KORNEEV and Grigoriy ABALMASOV are both shown in the above records having the same patronymic name, Kuzmin, meaning “son of Kuzma.” The given name “Kuzma” is now, and was in 19th Century Russia, a fairly rare name...
4.) Grigoriy Kuzmin KORNEEV and Grigoriy Kuzmin ABALMASOV both arrived in Siberia in 1896 (Proofs 16 and 17).
5.) Grigoriy Kuzmin KORNEEV and Grigoriy Kuzmin ABALMASOV then lived in the same tiny place, Belovodovskoye Settlement, Mariinsk Okrug, Tomsk Guberniya, Siberia (Proofs #30 & 31).
6.) It would be an exceedingly unlikely coincidence if two different men with the names Grigoriy Kuzmin, from villages only 3 miles apart (Proof #25), travelled 2,026 miles (Proof #27), to the same tiny Belovodovskoye Settlement, both of them in 1896!...
Sincerely,
James Hannum, Director
European Emigrant Heritage
...It is obvious that Grigoriy KORNEEV and Grigoriy ABALMASOV are the same man. Consider:
1.) Grigoriy KORNEEV and Grigoriy ABALMASOV are both shown in the above records having the same patronymic name, Kuzmin, meaning “son of Kuzma.” The given name “Kuzma” is now, and was in 19th Century Russia, a fairly rare name...
4.) Grigoriy Kuzmin KORNEEV and Grigoriy Kuzmin ABALMASOV both arrived in Siberia in 1896 (Proofs 16 and 17).
5.) Grigoriy Kuzmin KORNEEV and Grigoriy Kuzmin ABALMASOV then lived in the same tiny place, Belovodovskoye Settlement, Mariinsk Okrug, Tomsk Guberniya, Siberia (Proofs #30 & 31).
6.) It would be an exceedingly unlikely coincidence if two different men with the names Grigoriy Kuzmin, from villages only 3 miles apart (Proof #25), travelled 2,026 miles (Proof #27), to the same tiny Belovodovskoye Settlement, both of them in 1896!...
Sincerely,
James Hannum, Director
European Emigrant Heritage
HEIRSHIP PROOFS
Below are 3 of the 51 proofs we provided in the above case. These 51 proofs established all family tree links, from two generations above the decedent down to his half second cousin heirs.
DIVIDED FAMILIES
When someone dies with "no heirs" it is usually because of a family division which remained permanent. Researching families' hardships such as those shown below helps us to find unknown heirs.
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Forced migration ↑
Throughout Josef Stalin's long dictatorship (1922-1953) he forcibly resettled millions of people from all over the Bloc, to random other locations in the Bloc, to break up communities and destroy national identities, which he feared would rebel.
A brother would be sent north, a sister south, and perhaps never hear from each other again. In time each branch forgot the other.
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Throughout Josef Stalin's long dictatorship (1922-1953) he forcibly resettled millions of people from all over the Bloc, to random other locations in the Bloc, to break up communities and destroy national identities, which he feared would rebel.
A brother would be sent north, a sister south, and perhaps never hear from each other again. In time each branch forgot the other.
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World Depression ↑
Shown here is a closed East German bank. No money meant migration to find jobs. From 1920 to 1940 the Depression displaced and divided millions of family members.
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Shown here is a closed East German bank. No money meant migration to find jobs. From 1920 to 1940 the Depression displaced and divided millions of family members.
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Gulags ↑
Under Stalin's rule, and then Brezhnev's rule (1960-82), many Bloc men were sent to these Siberian forced labor prison camps. This ended many marriages, estranged fathers from their children, and siblings from siblings.
A typical case: A daughter estranged at age 6 from her gulag father never knew that she had a half-brother, so when she died in 2021 no one knew she had half-nephews. Indeed no one cared if she had no heirs, for most officials and attorneys are paid the same regardless of whether they find heirs.
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Under Stalin's rule, and then Brezhnev's rule (1960-82), many Bloc men were sent to these Siberian forced labor prison camps. This ended many marriages, estranged fathers from their children, and siblings from siblings.
A typical case: A daughter estranged at age 6 from her gulag father never knew that she had a half-brother, so when she died in 2021 no one knew she had half-nephews. Indeed no one cared if she had no heirs, for most officials and attorneys are paid the same regardless of whether they find heirs.
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WW II
Most of the fighting in World War II was in the Bloc. Over 30 million Bloc citizens died from combat, bombing, starvation, and cold exposure. Millions more became displaced refugees and emigrants.
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Most of the fighting in World War II was in the Bloc. Over 30 million Bloc citizens died from combat, bombing, starvation, and cold exposure. Millions more became displaced refugees and emigrants.
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"No heirs" means no known heirs.
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Holocaust
Most of the six million Jews killed by the Germans were from the Bloc. Many Bloc Jews survived:
1.) Many Jews fled West before the war before most Bloc countries became part of the Bloc;
2.) Many fled during the war to Russia east of Moscow, where Germany never reached;
3.) Many survived the war by using fake identification to pose as non-Jews, by going to neutral countries such as Switzerland and Sweden, or by hiding in forests or farms;
4.) Many survived in German forced labor: agriculture and war factories; and
5.) Some were partisans fighting against the Germans, and some in order to survive collaborated with the Germans.
All five of these events divided family branches. All five make it appear that decedents have no heirs.
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Holocaust
Most of the six million Jews killed by the Germans were from the Bloc. Many Bloc Jews survived:
1.) Many Jews fled West before the war before most Bloc countries became part of the Bloc;
2.) Many fled during the war to Russia east of Moscow, where Germany never reached;
3.) Many survived the war by using fake identification to pose as non-Jews, by going to neutral countries such as Switzerland and Sweden, or by hiding in forests or farms;
4.) Many survived in German forced labor: agriculture and war factories; and
5.) Some were partisans fighting against the Germans, and some in order to survive collaborated with the Germans.
All five of these events divided family branches. All five make it appear that decedents have no heirs.
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Emigration
Before and after WW II many Europeans emigrated to foreign countries. This led to permanent loss of contact with those left behind.
Before and after WW II many Europeans emigrated to foreign countries. This led to permanent loss of contact with those left behind.
CONTACT US
Telephone
1 (202) 993-7050
Zoom
Let's see and hear each other. Include others in the conversation.
email
Please send all written communication to us by email. After 31 Dec 2022 all paper envelopes, FedEx, etc. will be returned to sender unopened. Thank you for understanding that most of our work is done on the road and we need instant and portable data.
Our email address is [email protected]
Please send all written communication to us by email. After 31 Dec 2022 all paper envelopes, FedEx, etc. will be returned to sender unopened. Thank you for understanding that most of our work is done on the road and we need instant and portable data.
Our email address is [email protected]
email
attachments
Please photo-graph all obituaries, old passports, marriage records, etc. and email to us.
attachments
Please photo-graph all obituaries, old passports, marriage records, etc. and email to us.
Shipping
Ship items that cannot be photographed, such as whole books and whole reels of microfilm, to 700 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington DC 20108. Email us the shipping or postal receipt. After 31 Dec 2022 all shipped items that can be photographed will be returned to sender unopened.
Ship items that cannot be photographed, such as whole books and whole reels of microfilm, to 700 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington DC 20108. Email us the shipping or postal receipt. After 31 Dec 2022 all shipped items that can be photographed will be returned to sender unopened.
Facebook
To read Facebook posts about EEH's cultural, historical, and genealogical research, choose James Hannum residing in Washington DC: https://www.facebook.com/
To read Facebook posts about EEH's cultural, historical, and genealogical research, choose James Hannum residing in Washington DC: https://www.facebook.com/
Website
The address of our website which you are reading now is https://www.EuropeanEmigrantHeritage.com/
[Spell Emigrant with an E.
An Emigrant leaves a country, an Immigrant arrives in a country.]
The address of our website which you are reading now is https://www.EuropeanEmigrantHeritage.com/
[Spell Emigrant with an E.
An Emigrant leaves a country, an Immigrant arrives in a country.]
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European Emigrant Heritage's website
is dedicated to
Simon Wiesenthal (1908-2005).
He brought justice to millions of
World War II mass murder victims' families,
through years of painstaking research
finding and identifying ex-Nazis
and enabling their prosecutions.
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