The NYC skyline is changing once again. According to today's Friday (December 30), New York Sun, "Buoyed by low interest rates and a decline in crime, New York City is in the midst of a historic construction boom on par only with the real estate rush that defined the early 1960s and the late 1920s, eras that gave birth to iconic city structures such as the Met Life Building and the Chrysler Building." For the complete article, "New York in Building Boom of Historic Scale", please go to: http://www.nysun.com/article/25157 I hope this information is useful or, at least, interesting. Chag Sameach* Chanukah, Walter Greenspan Great Falls, MT & Jericho, NY * KHAHG sah-MEHY-ahkh = A Joyous Holiday The 8-day rabbinic Festival of Chanukah began Sunday night, December 25.

HI everyone, Blessed Safe New Year to all. Since it is the start of New Year in a few days I thought I would compose this now. I have a NOYES JONES born in Renselaer Co NY 1808 ie 1809 disputed year. His birth is recorded in Court House papers. I have learned his father is NOEL JONES mother is Susanah ?? JONES. I suspect that she may be a NOYES descendant. IT's just a guess. Noyes appears to be their first born child in census for 1810. My fun begins in determining after 1810 where his father NOEL and mother Susannah are at living, residing or deceased. I am working through the NOEL JONES in The Census for Ancestry. I am looking at some that maybe a sibling to NOYES b 2+ years later and some that may be NOEL b 1780s father NOEL JONES son of Silas JONES SR. I m tracking all NOEL's per say to find a link clue or confirmation on some data. I have discovered there was NOEL JONES in Alleghany Co 1870 wih wife ?Patience he may be a sibling of NOYES JONES. I found NOEL JONES in Independence Allegany Co. NY 1880 9 June pg 7 dist 9 enumeration dist no 21 98 106 Jones Calvin B w M 40 0 10 farm Celestia J f 32 wife housekeeper NOEL w m 68 father 0 0 1 retired farmer (repeat of family names ) 1870 Allegany co NY JONES NOEL  possible sibling of NOYES 156   156   JONES NOEL  58 M .. Stage driver    1500 500 NY       Patience  58 F Keeping house   NH       Calvin  B 30 m farmer NY    --- Oct      Elliza 24 F  at home     NY      Celestia 22 f   house work   NY Oct      Beebe  Franklin  11  NY m    ---1 1790 NOEL JONES with many childen in Rensalaer Co of today.. My NOEL born 1780 this may be his father. 1800 Petersburg Noel has several children but has 2 boys that in 1810 would have been more than old enough to be the NOEL that mar Susannah that had NOYES in 1809. Many of my NOEL's b 1780 relatives near him. 1810 NOEL and wife and NOYES are listed in census of same area Petersburg. 1820 I lose them NOEL JONES in Brookfield Madison NY no clue if mine 1830 find a NOEL JONES in GA attending to death of kin again no clue except those JONES in GA along with SWEET ALLEN HEWITT are all from NY at one point I have figured by research. 1850 Independence NY a NOEL has a wife Elizabeth he is 65 she is 58 or 53 hard to read children Sarah 19 and Dolphus 14 Could this be him with new wife. It implies he was born 1885? 1860 NOEL and Patience in same with two more children listed diff ages not listed before? Cayuga, NY Onieda NY Petersburg NY 1850 Cayuga NOEL father Sept 1813 son Volney P 5 of 1/5 b Jan 851 49 rented ?F11 animals Conquest Cayuga NY 188 188 Independence Allegany Co bo 1785? NOEl JONES 65 m farmer 1500 Elizabeth 58 f Sarah 19 f Dolphus JONES 14 m Allgany NY Independence 224 230 Noel JONES sr 38 M farmr 150 NY Pateince 37 m Calvin B JONES 10 son Eliza JONES 4 F ALLEgny Independence 1840 NOel JONES 10 1 1 30 0 100000/100021 Hewitt next to and Briggs NOEl b 1837 mass NOYES son ** 13 in 1850 Petersburg census with NOYES and family NOW Does anyone have any information on any of these posted JONES famlies in NY? I know many shy away from the JONES name but someone out there must have a clue or two. Noyes as adult ma Susan Madison ie Mattison etc. around 1832? supposedly in Springfield MASS. and Ironically the boy NOEL JONES was born in MASS 1847/8 papers not in front of me. HE was not first child. Thank you for reading through this mess and if you have JONES in NY with any possilbe link to SILAS JONES SR lineage or any of above named JONES please contact me. Blessngs and be safe SusiCP@aol.com

Hi I am looking for information on Benjamin F Butler born in NY abt. 1811 He had 2 brothers, Joseph and Jeremiah and a sister Margaret. They headed to West Virgina around 1822, with there parents. I am trying to find out who there parents were. Some state it was Joseph and Margaret but another record, list the father as Benjamin. Some believe that the son Joseph who married a Margaret was mistaken for the father. Can anyone tell me where I might look for this information? I am clueless when it come to NY Thank you Peggy

Hi Terrance, I have some Osborns from the 1700's. If you are interested, let me know. I also noticed that you have a Tirzah Stanhope. I have some information on the Stanhopes in England. One of my family (William Stanhope Badcock) is a descendant of the Stanhopes. Laurien Babcock Fan ----- Original Message ----- From: "Terrance Kott" <terrykott@yahoo.com> To: <GEN-NYS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, December 25, 2005 3:33 PM Subject: William Osborn Family 1780-1840 Attica, NY > Looking for ANY mention on my g-g-g-g grandfathers > family in Attica, New York. > -1-William Osborn > Born between 1780-1785; In New York according to Son's > 1880 Census. No death record found. He married-Tirzah > Stanhope she was Born between 1785-1794. > - > -1-Lorinda > Osborn Born between 1805-1808 She married Benjamin > Earl -2-Alanson Osborn Born August 1810 in Attica, > Genessee Co., New York -He married Priscilla Lamphere > Sept. 19, 1836; Where? -3-William > Osborn Jr. Born about 1813 Attica, Genessee Co., NY He > married Fannie Tabor > -4-Harry Davison Osborn Born May 27, > 1817 in Attica, Genessee Co., NY. He married Phoebe > Bird > -5-Tirzah Stanhope Osborn Born Sept 6, 1820 in Attica, > Genessee Co., NY. She married Harvey S. Booth > -6-Samuel Stanhope > Osborn Born Nov. 17, 1822 in Attica, Genessee Co., NY > He married Margaret Mathers in 1845 in Kalamazzo > County, MI > -7-Andrew > Jackson Osborn Born August 28, 1825 in Attica, > Genessee Co., NY He married Sophronia Foster October > 17, 1849 -All children were born in > Attica, NY with the exception of Lorinda who was > possibly born elswhere. > -Looking for birth records, place of residence in > Attica, when arrived in Attica. The father and mother > could be buried in Attica. I found William Osborn in > the 1820 and 1830 Census of Attica, Genessee Co., New > York. Other than that I have no info about William or > his wife. HELP!! > - > - Terry Kott > > > > > > __________________________________ > Yahoo! for Good - Make a difference this year. > http://brand.yahoo.com/cybergivingweek2005/ > > > ==== GEN-NYS Mailing List ==== > Have you seen the GEN-NYS-L mailing list archives? > http://archiver.rootsweb.com/GEN-NYS-L/ >

Looking for ANY mention on my g-g-g-g grandfathers family in Attica, New York. -1-William Osborn Born between 1780-1785; In New York according to Son's 1880 Census. No death record found. He married-Tirzah Stanhope she was Born between 1785-1794. - -1-Lorinda Osborn Born between 1805-1808 She married Benjamin Earl -2-Alanson Osborn Born August 1810 in Attica, Genessee Co., New York -He married Priscilla Lamphere Sept. 19, 1836; Where? -3-William Osborn Jr. Born about 1813 Attica, Genessee Co., NY He married Fannie Tabor -4-Harry Davison Osborn Born May 27, 1817 in Attica, Genessee Co., NY. He married Phoebe Bird -5-Tirzah Stanhope Osborn Born Sept 6, 1820 in Attica, Genessee Co., NY. She married Harvey S. Booth -6-Samuel Stanhope Osborn Born Nov. 17, 1822 in Attica, Genessee Co., NY He married Margaret Mathers in 1845 in Kalamazzo County, MI -7-Andrew Jackson Osborn Born August 28, 1825 in Attica, Genessee Co., NY He married Sophronia Foster October 17, 1849 -All children were born in Attica, NY with the exception of Lorinda who was possibly born elswhere. -Looking for birth records, place of residence in Attica, when arrived in Attica. The father and mother could be buried in Attica. I found William Osborn in the 1820 and 1830 Census of Attica, Genessee Co., New York. Other than that I have no info about William or his wife. HELP!! - - Terry Kott __________________________________ Yahoo! for Good - Make a difference this year. http://brand.yahoo.com/cybergivingweek2005/

I regret to inform you of Dick Ivory's passing on 12/21/2005. The Ivory Family

I regret to inform you of Dick Ivory'a passing on 12/21/2005.

> > According to today's (Wednesday, December 21) The Wall Street Journal's > OpinionJournal.com, "In the mid-18th century, one in five New Yorkers was a > chattel." > >I found this very interesting as my ancestor, Peter Groom freed his negro wench in his will in 1795. I had wondered if it was common for their to be slaves in NY. Marilyn

According to today's (Wednesday, December 21) The Wall Street Journal's OpinionJournal.com, "In the mid-18th century, one in five New Yorkers was a chattel." The article continues, "The largest exhibit in the 201-year history of the New-York Historical Society, "Slavery in New York" was prepared by a distinguished team of historians headed by James Oliver Horton, Benjamin Banneker Professor of History and American Studies at George Washington University, and supported by 17 "scholarly advisors" including such luminaries as Columbia University's Eric Foner and Yale's David Blight. It is accompanied by a handsome companion volume, also titled "Slavery in New York," edited by historians Ira Berlin and Leslie M. Harris." For the complete article, "Slaves and the City", please go to: <http://www.opinionjournal.com/la/?id=110007707> I hope this information is useful or, at least, interesting. Chag Sameach* Chanukah, Walter Greenspan Great Falls, MT & Jericho, NY * KHAHG sah-MEHY-ahkh = A Joyous Holiday The 8-day rabbinic Festival of Chanukah begins Sunday night, December 25.

Hi Marty, Thanks for your generous offer. Would you please check for Charles George Miller - might be listed as George or C. George. Died 1949 in Newburgh, NY. Thank you, Joni joni_a@yahoo.com __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

I just added histories for all towns in Ulster County, NY for your use. A few of these are quite small, but most are larger. These were typed up by a wonderful women who wants to stay anonymous, so I can not take credit for that part. With the addition of these there are over 300 New York State local histories at my web site. http://www.rays-place.com New York local histories http://history.rays-place.com/ny/index.htm Cheers Ray Brown

Here is a repeat of my limited offer, which expires December 31st 2005. Requests received after that date will not be answered. So far I've had 15 requests, 9 of whom were found in the coroners' reports. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Hi folks, I may be sticking my neck way out, but what the heck...here goes. From 1905 to 1950 (only) coroners in Orange County NY presented annual reports to the county Board of Supervisors of UNUSUAL deaths which they had investigated ...deaths like murder, suicide, drowning, hit by a train, kicked by a horse, etc...only cases where a doctor was not present to sign a death certificate. These were published in the "Board of Supervisors Report" for that year. They consist of just one paragraph, which tells who died, when, where and why (cause of death). A handful of them named other relatives. During this 46-year period 6,016 individual reports were published, covering 3,453 different surnames...far too many to post here. This is a valuable resource that was not noticed until a few years ago. They are not death certificates, and give limited information, but they help focus on date and place of death. A volunteer at Orange County Genealogical Society created an index of these reports. I have a copy of the index at home, and can quickly tell if any given name was included. From now until 31 December 2005 I will volunteer to check the index of coroners' reports found in the Orange County (NY) "Board of Supervisors Reports", and if the name requested is located, to quote the actual report on this list. Before you request a lookup, remember the parameters: 1. Must have died in Orange County NY. 2. Must have died between 1905 and 1950. 3. Must not have died in a hospital or in the presence of a doctor. 4. Send only name and (approximate) year of death...nothing else, as the index is by name and date of investigation. If found, it will tell the year and page. Please, no long-winded explanations...just one line per death, and no "fishing parties" such as "any Smith between 1920 and 1930". If found in the index, I will go to OCGS in Goshen and copy the exact report, then post it to the list. If not found in the index, I will tell you off-list, so as not to waste the time of hundreds of people on the list. So go ahead and send requests if you think someone may have died under unusual circumstances in Orange County NY between 1905 and 1950. I'll try my best for you...until 31 December 2005. Requests received after that date will not be answered. Marty Irons k2mi@frontiernet.net All e-mail scanned by Norton 2005 anti-virus, updated online daily. May all your ancestors YELL at you, telling you how and where to find them. PS: great great grandfather John F IRONS.... b. 1811 "somewhere"....possibly Otsego County NY.... m. 1834 Hartwick, Otsego, NY d. 1854 Cazenovia, Madison, NY.... please stand up on that brick wall and yell out the names I've sought for 12 years....LOUDER! Who were your parents? Were they from RI? Where were you born? Was it Otsego County NY? Did you have a brother named Orlando? Who were your other siblings?

Hi all, Many more News items, BMD's and pages and pages on Ontario Co. history, have been added to the website. http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ny/county/ontario/histindex.htm Enjoy and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! Dianne http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ny/county/ontario/

The first edition of our Newsletter is ready now. You may subscribe to it for free at http://www.ny-genes.com . Our website, blog and newsletter are full of hints and ideas on how to do research in New York State. Each month we will try to bring a unique publication out in the Newsletter. This month is a manuscript Town Tax Assessors List from 1846. Everything is free. Hope to see you there. Dick Hillenbrand Upstate New York Genealogy (UNYG) website: http://www.ny-genes.com blog: http://ny-genes.blogspot.com/

----- Original Message ----- From: "Richard "Dick" Hillenbrand" <nygenes@gmail.com> To: <GEN-NYS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, December 05, 2005 10:43 AM Subject: Re: KIDDER Family to Nine Partners ~1750 > Betty wrote: > >> Hello, >> >> I haven't written about the KIDDER families in a while ! But, I >> continue to try to help George KIDDER in FL in his attempts to update the >> 1941 "KIDDER book." >> >> One family with a lot of missing information is the James KIDDER >> > I have one that is no doubt from this group but I have never been able to > discover her parentage. > > Mary KIDDER 1745-1822, b. poss. CT - d. Columbia Co., NY and is buried in > the East Chatham Cemetery with her husband Capt. Nathan HERRICK 1743-1826. > > I would be very happy to conspire with others on this. > > Dick Hillenbrand > Upstate New York Genealogy (UNYG) > website: http://www.ny-genes.com > > ______________________________ Hi Dick, I only have the KIDDER book on CD, and it is OK for searching for male KIDDER's (sort of), but it is fairly difficult to find female KIDDER's. So, I first looked in one of the Indexes to see if the HERRICK name is mentioned. And, I didn't find your Capt. Nathan HERRICK, but I did find .. Capt. Benjamin HERRICK "of Reading and Fitchburg" (MA). Benjamin had married Elizabeth KIDDER, b1758 to Rev. Jonathan KIDDER, long-time school-teacher in Billerica, MA. And, Elizabeth had a sister, Mary KIDDER, b1756, who married Joseph BUTLER in 1778, who was said to have died in the Rev. War. I then went back to Mary KIDDER's b1745 "anywhere" and didn't find one which matched up to your information. So, I would suggest e-mailing George KIDDER in FL and asking if he has her in his files ! It would be interesting to find out if Nathan HERRICK and Benjamin HERRICK were brothers or cousins -- perhaps that is a way to find out more on Mary KIDDER. As I think I mentioned before (to List), there is "a lot" of missing or incorrect information on the KIDDER's who left CT in 1700's and moved to the NY / VT border ! Betty P.S. I think KIDDER's from MA and NH "also" moved north to the NY / VT border, and there is probably missing information on them, also ! Two of the men were the older brothers of my ancestor, Calvin KIDDER, b1765 NH. Wilder KIDDER, oldest son of Joseph KIDDER and Rebecca CHAMBERLAIN of New Ipswich and Temple, NH, was a "famous Fifer" in the Rev. War. He reportedly went north to the VT / NY border and "disappeared." But, someone told me about a year ago that he probably moved to .. PA ! I don't remember finding any more information on his brother, Joseph KIDDER, who probably also fought in the Rev. War, and probably went to the NY / VT border with his brother ! (If he survived the War.) (My Calvin KIDDER, as a very young man, went to Nova Scotia ~1783 with the families of his friends.)

Betty, I know nothing about your Kidder family but my guess is that your "Nine Partners" would be either the "Great Nine Partners Patent" or the "Little Nine Partners Patent" which would have been Dutchess County/Columbia County, New York. Perhaps one of the old histories of those Counties might offer some help. I know that many genealogical libraries have such histories on microfilm. djweber djwdjw@ix.netcom.com

Hi Dick, You are correct that Mary KIDDER, b1745, could very easily have been one of the descendants from that extended James KIDDER family from Mansfield, CT. I can check for you later in the day to see if I can find her. Or, you can e-mail George KIDDER and ask him. He has everything in his computer, and indexed, and searchable ! In case I forgot to post the URL for George's web site, it is: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/1255/1255.htm His contact information is there ! Betty ----- Original Message ----- From: "Richard "Dick" Hillenbrand" <nygenes@gmail.com> To: "Betty" <bbffrrpp@comcast.net>; <GEN-NYS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, December 05, 2005 10:43 AM Subject: Re: KIDDER Family to Nine Partners ~1750 > Betty wrote: > >> Hello, >> >> I haven't written about the KIDDER families in a while ! But, I >> continue to try to help George KIDDER in FL in his attempts to update the >> 1941 "KIDDER book." >> >> One family with a lot of missing information is the James KIDDER family >> which was one of the first families to leave the MA Bay Colony. He and >> his wife moved to Mansfield, CT, ~1703 - about when that town was being >> founded. They had many children born there, but, if you read his >> paragraph in "the KIDDER book," it seems that many members of his >> family, including himself, might have been victims of the "Smallpox >> epidemic" in the 1720's ! >> >> One curious thing is that the "KIDDER book" says that the eldest son, >> James KIDDER, "was appointed executor of his father's estate" in 1729, >> and "was present at the settlement of his grandfather's estate in >> Cambridge, MA," in 1734. In 1740, he "deeded" his land to his mother >> and an "in-law" in Mansfield, CT and moved to VT, and subsequently to >> Delhi, NY. What is curious is that the KIDDER book has him marrying a >> Hannah CURTIS (no place, no year), but him not having a son, James >> KIDDER, until ~1780 -- when James was in his 70's !!! >> >> This past week, someone has posted a query about James' brother, Ephraim >> KIDDER, who married Freedom BARNARD, in Coventry, CT. They had 8 >> children born there, and then moved to Nine Partners, NY, ~1750, where >> they had 3 more sons ! >> >> The "KIDDER book" only has information on 3 of their sons, Oliver, Abel, >> and Ephraim, Jr., and one of their daughters (out of 11 children). >> But the person looking for information is looking for the >> next-to-youngest son, John KIDDER, b~1755. >> >> (One of the sons moved to the "Berkshires" in MA, but we don't know which >> one !) >> >> I was wondering if anyone had any information on these KIDDER families ! >> >> And, I was wondering if anyone has any KIDDER information which they >> would like included in the "updated version" of the 1941 book - which >> George Kidder in FL hopes to publish next year ! >> >> Thank you for your time ! >> >> Betty (near Lowell, MA) >> >> P.S. I believe Nine Partners was one of those "border towns" which >> might have been in VT at some point. >> > I have one that is no doubt from this group but I have never been able to > discover her parentage. > > Mary KIDDER 1745-1822, b. poss. CT - d. Columbia Co., NY and is buried in > the East Chatham Cemetery with her husband Capt. Nathan HERRICK 1743-1826. > > I would be very happy to conspire with others on this. > > Dick Hillenbrand > Upstate New York Genealogy (UNYG) > website: http://www.ny-genes.com > > >

Betty wrote: > Hello, > > I haven't written about the KIDDER families in a while ! But, I > continue to try to help George KIDDER in FL in his attempts to update > the 1941 "KIDDER book." > > One family with a lot of missing information is the James KIDDER > family which was one of the first families to leave the MA Bay > Colony. He and his wife moved to Mansfield, CT, ~1703 - about when > that town was being founded. They had many children born there, but, > if you read his paragraph in "the KIDDER book," it seems that many > members of his family, including himself, might have been victims of > the "Smallpox epidemic" in the 1720's ! > > One curious thing is that the "KIDDER book" says that the eldest son, > James KIDDER, "was appointed executor of his father's estate" in 1729, > and "was present at the settlement of his grandfather's estate in > Cambridge, MA," in 1734. In 1740, he "deeded" his land to his > mother and an "in-law" in Mansfield, CT and moved to VT, and > subsequently to Delhi, NY. What is curious is that the KIDDER book > has him marrying a Hannah CURTIS (no place, no year), but him not > having a son, James KIDDER, until ~1780 -- when James was in his 70's !!! > > This past week, someone has posted a query about James' brother, > Ephraim KIDDER, who married Freedom BARNARD, in Coventry, CT. They > had 8 children born there, and then moved to Nine Partners, NY, ~1750, > where they had 3 more sons ! > > The "KIDDER book" only has information on 3 of their sons, Oliver, > Abel, and Ephraim, Jr., and one of their daughters (out of 11 > children). But the person looking for information is looking for > the next-to-youngest son, John KIDDER, b~1755. > > (One of the sons moved to the "Berkshires" in MA, but we don't know > which one !) > > I was wondering if anyone had any information on these KIDDER families ! > > And, I was wondering if anyone has any KIDDER information which they > would like included in the "updated version" of the 1941 book - which > George Kidder in FL hopes to publish next year ! > > Thank you for your time ! > > Betty (near Lowell, MA) > > P.S. I believe Nine Partners was one of those "border towns" which > might have been in VT at some point. > I have one that is no doubt from this group but I have never been able to discover her parentage. Mary KIDDER 1745-1822, b. poss. CT - d. Columbia Co., NY and is buried in the East Chatham Cemetery with her husband Capt. Nathan HERRICK 1743-1826. I would be very happy to conspire with others on this. Dick Hillenbrand Upstate New York Genealogy (UNYG) website: http://www.ny-genes.com

Hello, I haven't written about the KIDDER families in a while ! But, I continue to try to help George KIDDER in FL in his attempts to update the 1941 "KIDDER book." One family with a lot of missing information is the James KIDDER family which was one of the first families to leave the MA Bay Colony. He and his wife moved to Mansfield, CT, ~1703 - about when that town was being founded. They had many children born there, but, if you read his paragraph in "the KIDDER book," it seems that many members of his family, including himself, might have been victims of the "Smallpox epidemic" in the 1720's ! One curious thing is that the "KIDDER book" says that the eldest son, James KIDDER, "was appointed executor of his father's estate" in 1729, and "was present at the settlement of his grandfather's estate in Cambridge, MA," in 1734. In 1740, he "deeded" his land to his mother and an "in-law" in Mansfield, CT and moved to VT, and subsequently to Delhi, NY. What is curious is that the KIDDER book has him marrying a Hannah CURTIS (no place, no year), but him not having a son, James KIDDER, until ~1780 -- when James was in his 70's !!! This past week, someone has posted a query about James' brother, Ephraim KIDDER, who married Freedom BARNARD, in Coventry, CT. They had 8 children born there, and then moved to Nine Partners, NY, ~1750, where they had 3 more sons ! The "KIDDER book" only has information on 3 of their sons, Oliver, Abel, and Ephraim, Jr., and one of their daughters (out of 11 children). But the person looking for information is looking for the next-to-youngest son, John KIDDER, b~1755. (One of the sons moved to the "Berkshires" in MA, but we don't know which one !) I was wondering if anyone had any information on these KIDDER families ! And, I was wondering if anyone has any KIDDER information which they would like included in the "updated version" of the 1941 book - which George Kidder in FL hopes to publish next year ! Thank you for your time ! Betty (near Lowell, MA) P.S. I believe Nine Partners was one of those "border towns" which might have been in VT at some point.

Mazel Tov* on the 10th anniversary of the GEN-NYS-L mailing list. Walter Greenspan Great Falls, MT & Jericho, NY * Mazel Tov (MAH-zl TAWV) Yiddish/Hebrew. Literally, good luck. This is the traditional way of expressing congratulations. "Mazel tov!" is the correct and traditional response upon hearing that a person has gotten engaged or married, has had a child, or has become a bar mitzvah. It can be used to congratulate someone for getting a new job, graduating from college, or any other happy event. Note that this term is not used in the way that the expression "good luck" is used in English; that is, it should not be used to wish someone luck in the future. Rather, it is an expression of pleasure at the good luck someone has already had (we don't want to attract the 'evil eye', kain ein horeh, do we?).