In some of the families, we have made tremendous progress in working backwards and in others we have discovered new relatives.  A lot of ground has been broken with records from European archives, particularly AGAD in Warsaw which has many vital records for the period 1859-1899.  Jacob Laor and I have worked hand-in-hand with non-Pikholz researchers to gain access to additional records without overtaxing our limited budget.  Recently we have begun to see the first fruits of the JRI (Jewish Records Indexing) Project, which is the first attempt at a systematic indexing of AGAD's Galician records.  The JRI index for Skalat is in hand and those for Zbarazh and Zalosce will be in a few days.  Zurawno, Buczacz, Kopicienice will follow soon after.  Other towns - Rozdol, Skole, Komarno and of course Stryj - are dependent on additional funding from the general Galician genealogy community.

We are now preparing for searches of Lwow and Tarnopol archives, which include records from before 1860 - again with non-Pikholz researchers, in order to spread the cost.

At the same time, we have found new information in the newly-available Ellis Island records, records of Mandatory citizenship records here, Yad VaShem records, Vienna Jewish community records and assorted other databases.  We have also used cemetery records and our web-site includes some two hundred twenty graves of Pikholz descendants and spouses (with about fifty more in preparation).  It has been my intention to establish a proper memorial to Holocaust victims of Pikholz descent on the website, but I have not been successful in getting sufficiently organized.  (There are some four hundred and I am surely undercounting at that.)

I feel safe in saying that we have reached the point where most new information gives us more answers than questions.

TWO FAMILIES OR ONE?
We started our project with a general sense that all Pikholz are probably related and that the town of Rozdol was the source.  In time we discovered the large number of Pikholz descendant who came from Skalat and it became clear that these were either two separate families or two distinct branches of the same family.  The Rozdolers seem to be descended from one Pinchas of Rozla who we believe died on Rosh HaShanah 1825.  The Skalaters, on the other hand, seem to go further back, with at least half a dozen Pikholz from Skalat who were born before 1800.

In my own mind, it is clear that Pinchas of Rozla was not a part of the Skalat Pikholz clan.  But his wife Sara Rivka might have been.  I would like to think that we will find a death record for her, perhaps showing that she came to Rozdol from Skalat, bringing the Pikholz name with her.

CONJECTURE
Jacob Laor and I are in contact nearly every day and we cannot help but speculate on who is connected to whom how, particularly on the more complex and more elusive Skalat side, where both our families come from.  We have decided to make some of this conjecture available to the rest of you - linked from this page.  The Skalat chart is based on a hand-drawn chart that Jacob sent me a few weeks ago and includes some of my own thoughts as well.  These charts are limited to the first generations of each family, with links to the more detailed family charts on the web site itelf.  As always,  your comments are welcome.

Names and connections marked in green are conjecture.
Names, dates and connections marked in red are unconfirmed but with evidence
Non-Pikholz spouses are in Italics	Hyperlinks to "Families" are underlined	Leviim are marked
The Skalat Families	The Rozdol Families	Back to Main Pikholz Page

         3 Sivan 5761, 25 May 2001                                                                                                      Israel P.