Hi Melissa and other readers
It was I, sighting a tempting but tentative conclusion, who found the Uzbekistani possibility, which was suggested by lounge-floor-Solomon. Still, there are in fact Bukhara Jews, and it feels likely enough for me to accept it as a working hypothesis that the family came from Bukhara, directly or indirectly, to England at some time. I do mean to suggest that I am seeking hard evidence. Money may need to be spent, preferably by someone who actually has money.
As for whether this boy was family - he thought it likely, but then again he didn't really know any more than I. Yet we accepted that we are probably cousins.
My guess is that Bokhara may have been a use-name derived from the family's origin - perhaps the fashion for surnames was not established in Uzbekistan at that time. It might be a time consuming exercise to discover more, but I'll poke around in-between my other little jobs and see what can be done.
I'll find lounge-floor Solomon if I can, and ask him to put me in contact with his family, who might be more in a position to suggest a way to advance the enquiry. However a desirable next step might be to obtain birth records of whatever kind for Solomon Bockerah and/or for Isaac, Solomon Bockerah's brother, to see if I can find their parents' names and origins.
What efforts have already been made to find such birth records, anybody, please?
Mark
