ViewMate - Image Archive, Image 114909 - Translation - Tombstone - England - Newcastle Upon Tyne - Kranz


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Information

Picture

Question

Category: Translation - Tombstone
Approval Date: 7/12/2026 9:05 PM
Family Surname: Kranz
Country: England
Town: Newcastle Upon Tyne
Date of Image: 1907

Click the picture to enlarge

This is the headstone of my great-great-great grandfather. He died in 1907.The headstone is in a bad way and we are considering replacing it. Unfortunately the writing is illegible. I am looking for an individual or company that specialises in trying to figure out the text.

Response

7/13/2026 6:10 PM

I can make out the beginnings and ends of some of the lines, but that would probably not be of great use without the eroded middle section.

Have you tried taking photos at different times of day and at different angles, with and without flash? This might bring out more of the text. Some have been successful in teasing out difficult characters by using the 'aluminum foil' method, which uses very thin foil (I believe that you call it tin foil?). You can Google for instructions.

Providing whatever you know about your great-great-great-grandfather (it's amazing that you have his burial place and his stone!) might also help decipher (or, at least, educated-guess) more of the text. (Date of death, Hebrew name, father's name, etc.).

Have you tried to discover who the engraver was? Cemetery records might have this information, and engraving tombstones is sometimes a family occupation, with a number of generations following the family tradition. If such a firm exists, there might be records there, too.

As to finding specialists: I would suggest posting your question to the jewishgen Discussion Group (https://groups.jewishgen.org/g/main).

Good luck!

7/16/2026 12:46 AM

I see the name YECHIEL in big letters on the third line.

Two lines below that is the date. It may be:
-Wednesday, the 10th of Iyar
-Wednesday, the 10th of Adar
-Wednesday, the 11th of [unclear month]. (If the letter aleph is part of the date -- i.e. the 11th -- and not the beginning of the name of the month, then I can't tell what the month is.)

I hope this helps!

ViewMate Posting VM 114909

Submitted by Ben Guttentag

Learn more about our organizational leadership, mission, and values. There are numerous opportunities to get involved yourself!

Search millions of records from around the globe, including more than 4 million records related to the Holocaust, and more than 4.2 million burial records. Records are continually added each month - check back often for new information!

Discover your ancestral town, explore geographic/regional based sections of the JewishGen site (Research Divisions), and explore what daily life was like for your ancestors - and what we can learn from them today.

Enhance your research with online classes and dozens of helpful articles. University students can apply for the Bennett & Robin Greenspan L'dor V'dor Legacy Program, and those "out of school" can help preserve Jewish Heritage in Poland with unique study & volunteer experiences.

Connect with tens of thousands of other JewishGen members via the Family Finder, Discussion Group, Facebook Group, and ViewMate. It's a great way to share success, ask questions, and stay informed of the happenings throughout the Jewish genealogical community.

The JewishGen site is offered as a free public resource. However, it costs a lot of money to maintain and expand our services. If you are in a position to do so, please consider a contribution today - your support will make a difference!

ViewMate Posting VM 114909

Submitted by Ben Guttentag