| My father's father's family came from Lithuania, specifically from the
town of Siauliau (pronounced "Shavli"). His parents came over to the U.S.
in the 1880's with the first three of their five children. No other relatives
made the trip, apparently. Before he died, my grandfather told me that he
never knew any of his aunts, uncles, cousins or grandparents. His only
recollection is that _his_ father, who died in 1923, used to correspond with
relatives still in Europe. The whole branch of the family may have perished
in the Holocaust, but there may be survivors somewhere.
I don't know the ancestral family name, as "Ellis" is an Anglicization of the
now-lost original. It may have been pronounced "Yoelish", "Jolles" or
something analogous, but these are only guesses. However, I do know that
my great-grandmother's maiden name was either Sirota or Serota, depending on
the spelling.
I spent several years tracing my family tree, but this part of the tree
remains a mystery. The furthest I can trace back is to my great-grandfather,
Abrahm Ellis, son of Benjamin and Lily, and my great-grandmother,
Eva Sirota Ellis, daughter of Yakir and Rachael. It has been prominent
family custom to name children after deceased ancestors, so if your relatives
have similar names, you might be a long-lost family member!
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