Ancestral Towns' Facebook Groups

You may belong to a Facebook group that covers your neighborhood or town.  Most of what's discussed probably isn't of interest to people not currently living there--you'll see items for local sale, complaints about traffic or roads, and similar things.  There are usually similar groups for your towns of origin, and I encourage you to join them, because amongst those posts that won't be of interest to you, you might find genealogical gems that you might not have found otherwise.  These aren't those genealogy-specific groups (which are great resources as well) but rather the groups that cover people's day-to-day lives.

Document mentioning my great-great uncle, Hirsh (son of Shimon) Tolchinsky, obtained via a local Facebook group

I received the above document as a result of a post that was made in a local group for the town of Losinivka, Ukraine.  A current resident (who's also somewhat of a history buff) found a case from 1910 which investigated drunk judges and brought in examples.  I asked for the information about the Tolchinsky that was mentioned and learned that, "Witness Anton Dmitriev Bagmut, a peasant from the town of Losinovka, witnessed the drunkenness of these judges in the case of the Jewish townsman Gershka Simonov Tolchinsky and Anton Bagmut, a peasant from the town of Losinovka, for the oil mill/creamery."

1924 Enemies of the People List, Losinovka, Tolchinsky family

Another gem I found in a Facebook group was a list of local people who were named Enemies of the People by the Soviets in 1924.  Among those listed were four siblings, all first cousins to my great grandfather.  Their sin was having owned property.

These aren't the only genealogical tidbits I've received via Facebook groups.  Sometimes I have posted (in the local language, using Google Translate) that my family had emigrated from the town and I asked about historical information or information about my surnames.  I'll often include some historical document that I have about the town, which generally mentions names of the current residents' ancestors as well. The local people have almost always responded with stories, documents and even photos--sometimes about the general Jewish community but often about my specific family name that I mentioned in the post.

Local phone book info about Lefands/Lefants in the area--including birthdates.  Obtained via a Facebook post.

I've been given contact information about people with my surnames still living in the area.  In many Eastern European areas, names almost always include patronymics (the father's name), so I am usually able to tie them into my existing family tree.

So join these Facebook groups.  Use Google to determine the current spelling of your ancestral towns' names (in the local language) to make sure you find existing groups.  Interact with the current residents.  And between the posts about cows for sale and complaints about potholes, you may find genealogical gold.

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