This presentation introduces the National Desertion Bureau Card Catalog Database, a genealogical resource documenting more than 18,000 cases of family abandonment and separation from 1911 to 1935. Established in New York in 1911, the Bureau worked to locate men who had deserted their wives and children, secure financial support, and, where possible, reconcile families. Working with hundreds of organizations across the United States and abroad, and publicizing cases in outlets such as the Jewish Daily Forward’s “Gallery of Missing Husbands,” the Bureau left behind a rich paper trail documenting family separation, migration, poverty, conflict, and personal resilience.
The database includes names of husbands and wives, case numbers, referring organizations, and case-opening dates, with some cards also noting addresses, causes of desertion, locations where men were found, and case outcomes. This talk will provide historical context for the Bureau’s work, demonstrate how to search the database effectively, and show how these records can help illuminate the lives of Jewish immigrant families in New York City and beyond.
About the Speaker:
Gavin Beinart-Smollan is a Curator at the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. Previously, he served as the public historian in residence at The Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services, where he created the National Desertion Bureau database. Gavin has worked on public history projects for the YIVO Institute and the American Association for State and Local History, and is the creator of the South African Jewish Cookbook Project. He holds an MA in Jewish history from Hebrew University and is completing his PhD dissertation at New York University on the transnational family relationships of Lithuanian Jews from 1899 to 1949.