tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6223435721248605051.post6908127766969077046..comments2024-02-20T08:01:32.002+02:00Comments on All My Foreparents: THE ONLY GUARANTEE IS MY BEST EFFORTIsraelPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16748957039859625149noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6223435721248605051.post-19531296252432141822013-03-24T02:37:55.515+02:002013-03-24T02:37:55.515+02:00I do know how to spell. Typing is another matter.I do know how to spell. Typing is another matter.IsraelPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16748957039859625149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6223435721248605051.post-68538306558711974082013-03-24T02:36:57.899+02:002013-03-24T02:36:57.899+02:00I am going to close off these remarks by thanking ...I am going to close off these remarks by thanking everyuone who read and commented, including the many who commented by duirect email.<br /><br />As it happens, the client saw what I wrote as well and we have pretty much reconciled.<br /><br />Something new for next week, though maybe a little bit later than usual. We do have other things going on these past few days.IsraelPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16748957039859625149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6223435721248605051.post-63090176312104503052013-03-22T21:23:34.402+02:002013-03-22T21:23:34.402+02:00Feedback smeedback -- the woman was rude, so why a...Feedback smeedback -- the woman was rude, so why ask her for feedback? How did she come to you for help, Israel? Were you recommended? Had she used you before? Personally, I know you are a careful, thoughtful genealogist who takes his work seriously. You view "your" cases as if the missing *are* your relatives. But there are no guarantees when we delve into genealogy. Most "roads" are dead-ends, but now and then it's possible to strike gold. <br /><br />As we all know, you can't research Jewish genealogy without colliding with the Holocaust. Trying to find out what happened to people who perished is a painful and very difficult endeavor. We want to find these people and at the very least, we want to "name" them. In this case, records from 1940 are missing, gone. You do the best you can. As you say, your only "guarentee" is your best effort.Susan J Gordonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6223435721248605051.post-62538501290444529682013-03-21T12:42:05.857+02:002013-03-21T12:42:05.857+02:00Matthew, it's curious to hear from you over he...Matthew, it's curious to hear from you over here having just heard from you over there!<br /><br />As it happens, I heard back from the client after she saw a message about this on LinkedIn. I haven't had the time to read it carefully and respond, but the general sense was conciliatory.IsraelPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16748957039859625149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6223435721248605051.post-62552357982126059052013-03-21T12:41:25.479+02:002013-03-21T12:41:25.479+02:00Israel,
I agree that you should follow up and ask...Israel,<br /><br />I agree that you should follow up and ask for clarification. It might not be as rough as the initial reading would suggest. (I find it a little odd someone would insult you and then ask you for more help in the next sentence.)<br /><br />It's hugely important to profit from her feedback, good or bad. The more you know about her feelings, the better -- you can use that to avoid sticky situations in the future. When feedback is negative it's hard to take (especially when it's unjustified), but the best we can do is use it to our advantage. We turn out happier *and* so do future customers.<br /><br />It's a bit like learning to navigate the dating world in youth. We make mistakes, we're sometimes treated unjustly, etc. -- it hurts, but the best we can do is learn from it so the next date goes a little better.Matthew K. Taborhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09846446436531786759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6223435721248605051.post-42187338901006110722013-03-21T12:37:27.505+02:002013-03-21T12:37:27.505+02:00Israel,
I agree that you should follow up and ask...Israel,<br /><br />I agree that you should follow up and ask for clarification. It may or may not be as rough as an initial reading suggests.<br /><br />Here's why: it's hugely important to profit from this feedback. Regardless of what she comes back with, you'll know more about her reaction and can use that to avoid pitfalls with others in the future.<br /><br />I heard a neat little joke the other day: If a friend borrows $20 and you never hear from him again, it was worth the money. That might apply a bit to this situation -- might rank at the bottom of lovely experiences, but you can use it to your advantage to be happier yourself *and* to augment customers' happiness in the future.Matthew K. Taborhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09846446436531786759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6223435721248605051.post-12965999551949011742013-03-21T12:37:10.849+02:002013-03-21T12:37:10.849+02:00Israel,
I agree that you should follow up and ask...Israel,<br /><br />I agree that you should follow up and ask for clarification. It may or may not be as rough as an initial reading suggests.<br /><br />Here's why: it's hugely important to profit from this feedback. Regardless of what she comes back with, you'll know more about her reaction and can use that to avoid pitfalls with others in the future.<br /><br />I heard a neat little joke the other day: If a friend borrows $20 and you never hear from him again, it was worth the money. That might apply a bit to this situation -- might rank at the bottom of lovely experiences, but you can use it to your advantage to be happier yourself *and* to augment customers' happiness in the future.Matthew K. Taborhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09846446436531786759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6223435721248605051.post-265352663457176572013-03-17T23:08:53.102+02:002013-03-17T23:08:53.102+02:00Israel,
I just have to respond because I've &...Israel,<br /><br />I just have to respond because I've "been there." I absolutely knocked myself out for a client once who not only was unhappy and rather insulting but actually only paid me a quarter of what was due. I decided to let it drop, and was as groveling and professional as I could be in my reply. It still irks me to think about it. I guess there will just BE people like that.<br /><br />ValerieValerie Sternhttp://www.allouryesterdays.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6223435721248605051.post-71734917096633812592013-03-17T13:57:24.580+02:002013-03-17T13:57:24.580+02:00I recommend you "get curious". Ask the ...I recommend you "get curious". Ask the client for clarification about what they meant by "the case could have been handled more professionally." They may not have been referring to you at all but the other researcher who you admit took a long time. You could also ask them, "how could I have handled things differently?" And their question about what would you do if it was your family member could simply be a request for advice on next steps. Jillaine Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04444423544581346723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6223435721248605051.post-81468417102812071852013-03-17T13:21:52.882+02:002013-03-17T13:21:52.882+02:00I am posting these additional thoughts in response...I am posting these additional thoughts in response to a comment made by a reader by direct email.<br /><br />The other possibility is that the birth was elsewhere. The father of the child was born in neighboring Boryslaw, so perhaps she had the baby in his town. Problem there is that both 1938 and 1940 are missing, according to Miriam Weiner.<br /><br />I do not know where the mother is from, but by far the largest instance of the mother's surname is in Drohobycz, so she is likely from there. But she could have been from one of several towns in the neighborhood and the birth could have been wherever she was from. Searching all those would likely be pouring good money after bad - but I shall point out that option.<br /><br />They'd be really annoyed at me then. And, no, I don't know if I'd do that if it were my relative.<br /><br />(In the next few years, we may find a birth record for the mother, as more records are transferred to the archives. But the mother's name is the ultra-common Rachel, so even if I found her, I would not be sure that I had.)<br /><br />One of the ironies here is that as recently as 1997, there was a living woman, here in Israel, from Drohobycz, with the same birth surname as Rachel. She may have known the child's name - if someone had wanted to ask her.IsraelPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16748957039859625149noreply@blogger.com