Users of this site will be very saddened to learn of the death of Angela Shire (1932-2019), who surely merits a starring place on Jewish Genealogy’s Roll of Honour.

Having fully researched her family, visiting archives here and abroad Angela believed that records should be made available to all.

Angela’s first major project, Great Synagogue Marriage Registers 1791-1850, extended, indexed, and (with permission) prepared for publication the pioneering transcription of an anonymous American researcher, thus for the first time making accessible to all one of the core resources for Anglo-Jewish research

Photo by C. E. Newall

With the advent of the internet, she went on to set up, with Gaby Laws, two related websites that build on this early work and take it much, much further: Synagogue Scribes and Cemetery Scribes.

What marked Angela out in her staunch commitment to sound genealogy was her unflinching insistence on following the evidence. She loved sleuthing and would spend as long as it took to disentangle skeins of contradiction and mystery. She won the admiration and affection of fellow researchers around the world for her unfailing generosity with data and well-grounded advice.

Angela was also, for those who had the privilege of knowing her, a great friend. She was a serious, punctilious and principled person, without question, but also imaginative and often very funny with her wry wit. She loved the good things: poetry, classical music, jazz, and lively conversation over a glass of good wine. Above all, she was intensely interested in people.

Angela is survived by her husband and two sons, always at the centre of her rich and productive life. They will feel her loss most keenly, but it’s a loss that affects us all.


Comments

Angela Shire 1932 – 2019 — 4 Comments

  1. We met Angela at the London genealogy conference way back organized by Jewish Gen. We were invited at her home and we will never forget her willingness to help and her kindness. My interest was Salom Del Valle and Ricardo family. Later she came over to the Netherlands for her research on the Weijel family which was mine as well. She and her husband invited us in one of the best restaurants over here and enjoyed a lovely evening with good food and wines. My last contact was a few years ago.
    So sad to hearing she passed away. A good friend she was.
    René and Els Van Wijngaarden

  2. I am saddened to read of Angela Shires passing.
    I have used these sites for years and have enjoyed using them and the occasional contact with the owners.
    Thank You for so much help over the years
    Esther Kahn Melbourne Australia

    • Thank you for your kind comments. Angela is missed by so many of us.
      Please rest assured that our sites will continue and grow.
      Admin

  3. Thank you, Gaby, for such a beautiful remembrance of Angela. I feel lucky to have met her and to have experienced her intensely interesting & witty company

    Her passionate research and work with you in creating Synagogue Scribes and Cemetery Scribes is a gift to us all, and an inspiration to see what each of us can do to build on it.

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