I keep hitting roadblocks researching my grandparents and their ancestors.

[no_hypocrisy]

What exactly happened when they immigrated here from Lithuania, the Russian Empire, etc.?

Specifically, all I can find is their "American names," not their original birth names. I tried to extrapolate potential Hebrew names without much luck.

Were they told when they registered to live here that their past lives had died with their past names and from this point forward, the names they were given were their only names?

I know my great grandparents were not named Louis and Jeanette and my grandmother was not named Ida. And because either the officer was dyslectic or just gave out Americanized versions of last names, I'm stuck with a two-generation surname.

I WANT TO KNOW WHO I AM!!!!