Using the indexes to the alien files at the FelixArchief

If you know about a relative who immigrated via Antwerp to Belgium, you can find his alien file at the Antwerp Archives (FelixArchief).

In an earlier article on the Antwerp Archives (FelixArchief), I summarized which files are already in the archives (see An introduction to the alien/immigrants files at the Antwerp Archives). But before you can take a look at the files, you need its file number. In this article I will show how to find the file number via the indexes (there are other ways to find out the file number like police reports, censuses, deportation orders, etc).

The indexes which are in the possession of the FelixArchief (Antwerp Archives) cover the following range of years:

  • 1840-1874
  • 1875-1885
  • 1886-1900
  • 1901-1915
  • 1916-1930
  • 1931-1950
  • 1951-1961
  • 1962-1970
  • 1971-1990’s

Here are a few examples of how these indexes look like. As you can see, each row contains the file number, the names, and the place and date of birth.
This example is from the index of 1886-1900 with some people whose surnames were Timberg:

Here is another example with a part of two subsequent pages from the index of 1916 – 1930 with more people whose Continue reading

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How to subscribe to the online services of the Antwerp Archives

Please note that I am not affiliated with the Antwerp Archives although I strongly support them. Therefore, don’t contact the archives for any question which relates specifically to my website. Only contact them for matters which are related to them and their services.

For some services on the website of the Antwerp Archives (the “Felix Archief”), you first need to sign up (for free) which can be done online. I suggest that you start working on the website without signing up. On accessing most of the objects, you’ll be required to sign in as a user. If you don’t have yet a login and password, then this is the moment to sign up. You can do this on the logon screen which will be presented to you when you try to access a page which is only accessible to registered users. Click then on the word ‘hier’ in the sentence:

Heeft u nog geen bezoekersnaam of wachtwoord? Klik dan hier

(translation” If you don’t have yet a login and password, click here):

In the next screen you can Continue reading

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A new school inspector and the walls of Jericho

A new school inspector is assigned to the grade 4 class in one of the local schools in Soweto.

He is introduced to the class by the teacher, Miss Wesizwe.

She says to the class: “Let’s show the inspector just how clever you are by allowing him to ask you a question.”

The inspector decides to ask a biblical question.

He asks: “Class, who broke down the walls of Jericho?”

For a full minute there is absolute silence. The children all just stare at him blankly.

Eventually Sipho raises his hand. The Inspector points excitedly to him.

Sipho stands up and says: “Sir, I don’t know who broke down the walls of Jericho, but I am innocent.”

The inspector looks at the teacher for an explanation. She says: Well, I’ve known Sipho since the beginning of the year and I believe that if he says that he didn’t do it, then he didn’t do it.”

The inspector is shocked at the level of ignorance and storms down to the principal’s office and tells him what happened.

The principal replies: “Look I don’t know the boy, but I socialise every now and then with his teacher and I believe her. If she feels that the boy was not involved, then he must be innocent.”

The inspector can’t believe what he is hearing. He grabs the phone on the principal’s desk and dials the Minister of Education. He relates the entire episode and asks her what she thinks of the education standard in the school.

The Minister sighs heavily and replies: “Eish wena. You know I am very busy. I don’t know the boy, the teacher or the principal. Just get three quotes and have the wall fixed by my brother.”

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The Goldberg Brothers – The Inventors of the Automobile Air Conditioner

Here’s a little factoid for automotive buffs or just to dazzle your friends..

The four Goldberg brothers, Lowell, Norman, Hiram, and Maxwell, invented and developed the first automobile air-conditioner. On July 17, 1946, the temperature in Detroit was 97 degrees.

The four brothers walked into old man Henry Ford’s office and sweet-talked his secretary into telling him that four gentlemen were there with the most exciting innovation in the auto industry since the electric starter.

Henry was curious and invited them into his office.

They refused and instead asked that he come out to the parking lot to their car.

They persuaded him to get into the car, which was about 130 degrees, turned on the air conditioner, and cooled the car off immediately.

The old man got very excited and invited them back to the office, where he offered them $3 million for the patent.

The brothers refused, saying they would settle for $2 million, but they wanted the recognition by having a label, ‘The Goldberg Air-Conditioner,’ on the dashboard of each car in which it was installed.

Now old man Ford was more than just a little anti – Semitic, and there was no way he was going to put the Goldberg’s name on two million Fords.

They haggled back and forth for about two hours and finally agreed on $4 million and that just their first names would be shown.

And so to this day, all Ford air conditioners show — Lo, Norm, Hi, and Max — on the controls.

I can hear your groans from here. Control yourself!!! A buddy sent me this, and I was sucked in, too! Just forward it.

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הקץ להמהומים המסורתיים

(מאך א- מויציא (קיבלתי באי-מייל

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לזקן אחד היה כלב

לזקן אחד היה כלב, שהיה ידידו הטוב ביותר. יום אחד, הכלב מת בשיבה טובה, והזקן, שהיה קשור אליו מאוד, הלך לרב, וביקש ממנו שיעשה לכלב אזכרה ושיקרא עליו “קדיש”. הרב הסתכל עליו בפליאה ואמר לו: “אדוני, קדיש אומרים רק על יהודים שנפטרים, ולא על חיות. אבל, אם זה באמת כל כך חשוב לך, אז בצד השני של הרחוב, יש בית כנסת רפורמי. תנסה שם, אולי תמצא שם את מבוקשך.
“אתה חושב שהם יסכימו לקבל תרומה של 75 אלף דולר לבית הכנסת לזכר הכלב?” שאל הזקן.
הרב הסתכל עליו ואמר: “75 אלף דולר!!! למה לא אמרת לי שהכלב יהודי???”

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You don’t want to become a rabbi

A boy decided that he wanted to become a rabbi when he grew up, so his father suggested that he go to speak to their shul rabbi to find out what the job entailed.

“Ask me any question about the rabbinate and I’ll give you the answer,” declared the rabbi when the boy went to meet him.

“Well, besides giving a sermon for about fifteen minutes on Shabbat morning, what else do you do all week?” the boy asked.

“You don’t want to become a rabbi,” thundered the rabbi. With questions like that you want to become the shul president!”

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What happens when a fly falls into a coffee cup?

*The Englishman*:
Throws away the cup of coffee and walks away.

*The American*:
Takes out the fly and drinks the coffee.

*The Chinese*:
Eats the fly and throws away the coffee.

* The Japanese*:
Drinks the coffee with the fly, since it was extra.

*The Israeli*:
Sells the coffee to the American, the fly to the Chinese, and buys himself a new cup of coffee.

*The Palestinian*:
Blames the Israeli for the violent act of putting the fly in his coffee; asks the UN for aid, takes a loan from the European Union to buy a new cup of coffee; uses the money to purchase explosives, then blows up the coffee house, where: the Englishman, the American, the Chinese, and the Japanese are all trying to explain to the Israeli that he was too aggressive.

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I’m already in the Army

A friend was in front of me coming out of Shul one day, and the Rabbi was standing at the door as he always is to shake hands. He grabbed my friend by the hand and pulled him aside.
The Rabbi said to him, “You need to join the Army of G.d!”
My friend replied, “I’m already in the Army of G.d, Rabbi.”
The Rabbi questioned, “How come I don’t see you except at Yom Kippur and Yizkor?”
He whispered back, “I’m in the secret service.”

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Blessed with children

A rabbi meets a couple and asks them how many children they have.
“Sadly we are not blessed with any children yet.”
“Let me write down your names and place a note in the Kotel for a blessing.”
Five years later he meets the women again and asks,
“So how is the family?”
“Well rabbi, we were blessed with 10 children; two sets of twins and two sets of triplets.”
“Amazing! I would like to congratulate your husband. Where is he?”
“He is in Israel.” She replies
“What is he doing there?”
“Trying to find that note you placed in the wall.”

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