FEEFHS Guide Slovak Research

A Beginner’s Guide to Slovak Reseach
by Lisa A. Alzo, M.F.A.
Introduction Perhaps you are among those nearly 2 million Slovaks

Nearly 620,000 Slovaks immigrated to the United States interested in finding out more about your ancestors through
during the period of mass migration (about 1880 to 1914).1 genealogical research. This article provides an overview of
Some Slovaks left their homeland for economic reasons, traditional and online resources essential to doing Slovak
others to escape political repression. The majority of the research, and describes the challenges and pitfalls that are
immigrants to the United States arrived before World War I. unique to researching this area of Eastern Europe.
Many returned home after earning enough money to buy While searching for Slovak roots, there is often a
land back home, but eventually some 500,000 Slovaks tendency to want to search for records in the place of origin.
settled permanently in the New World. This article, however, will emphasize how to first search
In 1990, the U.S. Census Bureau issued a Supplemen- home and family sources here in the United States for
tary report to the Census of Population that included people’s determining the ancestral village, and how to utilize church
self-reported ancestry.2 Over 1.8 million people indicated and civil records available on microfilm through the Family
that they are of Slovak descent. The numbers represent History Library (FHL). In addition, resources for writing to
people who do not necessarily know the Slovak language, Slovak archives and finding professional researchers will be
but are conscious of their ethnic background. The report cited, along with tips for networking with others searching
shows a large number of the U.S. population who indicated for Slovak ancestors to gather information, share stories and
they are of Slovak ancestry. solve common research problems.
Fig. 1 - Slovakia, 1918. Courtesy of John Hudick
FEEFHS Journal Volume XI 51

Fig. 2 - The modern Slovak Republic. Courtesy of John Hudick
Where is Slovakia? The earliest evidence of people living in Slovakia

Slovakia is a small, mountainous country situated in the comes from a Neanderthal skull molding found in the village
heart of Europe, landlocked between Poland, Ukraine, of Ganovce which dates back around 200,000 years. Other
Hungary, Austria and the Czech Republic, with a current archaeological discoveries indicate that Celtic tribes came to
population of less than 5.5 million people.3 Slovakia at the beginning of the Iron Age and that the
Slovakia is a country rich in history and culture. This Romans invaded the region in 6 CE. There is a Roman
country’s history is one of the most fascinating in all of inscription from 179 CE still visible on the rock of Trencin
Europe and also one that is quite complex. For the purposes Castle that marked the most northern point of the Roman
of this article, only a brief summary will be provided on the Empire at that time. Following the fall of the Roman Empire,
key events. Those desiring detailed information on the the region that is now Slovakia was raided by various tribes,
history of Slovakia are encouraged to consult the Short including the Huns, the Lombards, the Avars and the
Chronological History of Slovakia, prepared by the Slovak Germanic Goths (events commonly known as the
historian Anton Hrnko available online at <slovakia.eunet.sk/ “migration of people”).
slovakia/history-politics/anthem.html>. It is not known for certain when the true descendants of
Slovaks, the Slavs, first came to Slovakia. It is known that
Brief historical background4 they had become the dominant race by the 7th century. The
Beginning with the time of the Samo Empire (623-665) Samo Empire (623-665), named after its ruler, Prince Samo,
through Great Moravia, the Turkish invasion, Magyarization, was the first organized community of Slavs in the region that
and communism, and even until its separation from the is now Slovakia. Prince Samo’s death in 665 left no capable
Czech Republic in 1993, Slovakia has struggled to be heir to his throne and Slovakia was ruled by the Avars (who
recognized as a nation state. came from the Steppes of Asia), until they were defeated by
52 FEEFHS Journal Volume XI
the Emperor Charlemagne, in 799. The year 833 saw the 833, beginning of Great Moravia
beginning of Great Moravia, which was later destroyed in 863, arrival of Slavic apostles Constantine and Method
907, and the Magyar tribes made their way into Slovakia. In 894, Svatopluk the Great Moravian emperor died.
the year 1000, Slovakia became a part of the Hungarian 907, destruction of Great Moravia.
State. Invasions by the Tatars in 1241 and the Turks in 1530 1000, Slovakia becomes a part of the Hungarian State
followed. 1241, Tatar Invasion
After a Turkish victory at the Battle of Mohac, the 1515, Reformation movement started
Kingdom of Hungary was soundly defeated and found itself 1530, Turkish invasion
divided into 3 separate parts: the territory that is present day 1780, beginning of the Slovak National Revival
Hungary under Turkish rule, Transylvania, a Turkish 1785, abolition of serfdom
protectorate controlled by the Ottoman Empire, and 1792, strong Hungarian influence began
Slovakia. The Hungarian king, Louis II, died during the 1843, legalization of the Slovak literary language
battle. His brother-in-law, Ferdinand I of Austria, made a 1848, demands of the Slovak Nation to the Emperor’s
claim for the Hungarian throne that was contested by many Court
of the Hungarian nobility. Once Ferdinand I was finally 1848-1849, Slovak Uprising
recognized as the ruler of the area that is now Slovakia, or 1861, Memorandum of the Slovak Nation
“Royal Hungary,” as it was known, the Kingdom of 1918, Martin Declaration of the Slovak Nation
Hungary became a part of the Habsburg Empire. Slovakia 1918, origin of the first Czecho-Slovak Republic
managed to withstand the Turkish invasion, but found itself 1939, origin of the Slovak Republic
the center of the Hungarian state and all important 1944, Slovak National Uprising
Hungarian administrative, political and religious institutions 1945, Second Czechoslovak Republic
moved to Slovakia. 1948, communist power enforced
From the 10th century right up to 1918, Slovakia was 1969, signing of the Decree on Czecho-Slovak
part of the Kingdom of Hungary. In the 16th century, Federation
Hungary, including Slovakia, became an associated state of 1989, end of communist power
the Habsburg Empire. Between 1804 and 1867 the 1993, foundation of the independent Slovak Republic
Habsburg Empire was renamed the Austrian Empire, then (January 1)
between 1867 and 1918 the Austrian Empire was
restructured into a double state called Austria-Hungary. In Language issues
this state, Hungary, including Slovakia, had its own Slovak is the official language of the Slovak Republic.
government, parliament, army, and citizenship. Inhabitants The official Slovak written language was adopted in 1843 by
of Austria-Hungary were considered either Austrian or Ludovit Stur based on the dialect spoken in Central
Hungarian citizens. Since all Slovaks lived in the Hungarian Slovakia. The Slovak language holds a central position
half of the Empire, they were all Hungarian citizens. among Slavic languages. It is a west Slavic language, but in
For most genealogists, this time period holds the the east it borders on Ukrainian and Ruthenian and, before
greatest significance for the research process. Because of the the arrival of Magyars (Hungarians) in the Danube basin, it
changing geographical and political borders, researching had direct ties with the south Slavic languages (especially
Slovak ancestors can often be more challenging than looking Slovene), and still retains some of its features today.
for other European kin. One must be aware of both the Slovakia’s central geographic location and other factors
Slovak and Hungarian names changes for towns, villages have made it very easy for other Slavs to understand Slovak.
and counties, etc. and take this into account when searching The printed and written Slovak alphabet (abeceda) or
for documents such as church and civil vital records, census “letters” are basically the same in Slovak as their
returns and other important genealogical sources. counterparts in English. The difference is that some Slovak
Following the end of World War I, the Czechs and letters have special accents, or diacritical marks written
Slovaks formed their own republic in October 1918, but above or to the right side of the letter. These marks changes
Slovakia’s partnership with the Czechs was not an equal one. the phonetic value or pronunciation of the letter. In general,
During World War II, the first Czechoslovak Republic was all letters are pronounced as they are written. The letters q, w,
forced to split, with Nazi Germany forming the Protectorate x are not in the official Slovak alphabet, although they are
of Bohemia and Moravia, and the Slovak Republic. In 1945, used in some foreign words.
the second Czechoslovak Republic was formed and in 1948
communist power enforced. The end of communist power Basic alphabet and pronunciation5
came in 1989; and on January 1, 1993 the independent
Slovak Republic was established. Letter Pronunciation
Aa Like u in but
Overview of Slovakia’s history Bb Same as in English
623-685, Samo’s Empire, the oldest state formation. Cc ‘ts’ like in cats, zz in pizza
824-828, The consecration of the first church at Nitra Dd same as in English
DZ dz Like ‘ds’ in odds to the masculine form of prvý. In English, “first” is used for
Ee ‘e’ as in bet any situation. The short forms of ordinal numbers in Slovak
Ff same as in English are represented by a period after the number, e.g 3. equates
Gg ‘g’ as in good to 3rd. Large numbers are separated by a blank space (1 976
Hh ‘h’ as in hand 324), rather than by a comma, as in Enlish.
Ch ch as in German ‘ch’ as in Bach Overall, the numerical system appears more compli-
Ii ‘i’ as in sit, same as y cated, but once learned, the rules are no more difficult than
Jj ‘y’ as in yes any other western numbering system. You can find a listing
Kk Same as in English for Slovak Language courses on the Internet by searching for
Ll Same as in English “Slovak language” on a search engine, or by visiting the
Mm Same as in English Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International at
Nn Same as in English <www.cgsi.org>. In addition, many publications such as
Oo ‘o’ as in lost Jednota (The Official Publication of the First Catholic
Pp Same as in English Slovak Union of the U.S. and Canada) often announce
Qq Only found in foreign words courses being taught in many cities and towns throughout
Rr Rolled the United States. You may also want to investigate the
Ss Same as in English following Internet sites:
Tt Same as in English (without aspiration) <www.slovak.com/language>
Uu ‘u’ as in put <www.slavism.com/slovak/hungarian/words.htm.>
Vv Same as English
Ww Only found in foreign words Slovaks and religion
Xx Only found in foreign words For Slovaks, religion was above all else in importance
Yy Same as i, as in sit and the church was the place where all of life’s significant
Zz Same as in English events such as baptisms, weddings and funerals took place.
Prince Pribina of Nitra is credited with first introducing
Long vowel Pronunciation Christianity to the Slavs in 828; however, more notable are
the efforts of Cyril and Methodius, two Byzantine monks,
Áá ‘a’ lengthened as in car who beginning in 863 spread Christianity and became
Éé ‘e’ lengthened as in bare known as the “Apostles to the Slavs.” Over the course of the
Íí ‘i’ lengthened as in feel next several centuries, grand churches of various faiths,
Å l´ ‘l’ as in little Roman or Greek Catholic, Orthodox and Evangelical
Óó ‘o’ lengthened as in ‘call’ or ‘fore’ Lutheran, began to develop in villages throughout Slovakia.
À r´ pronounced as ‘r’ above The Greek Catholic (Uniate) Church was founded
Úú Lengthened as in ‘pool’ somewhere between 1596 and 1646. The Orthodox Church
Ýý as i in feel definitively split from the Catholic Church in 1054, and
Letters ‘l’ and ‘r’ can function either as a vowel or Constantinople became the seat of the Patriarch, who was no
consonant longer connected to Rome. The Byzantines had always
maintained a great deal of independence but still belonged to
Plus soft consonants Pronunciation one formally united Catholic Church, and had their unique
Èè ‘cz’ as in Czech rituals, retained married priests (although celibacy was still
Ï ¡d like ‘du’ in duty preferred-they could stay married if they did so before
D±Z d¡z as in ‘g’ in George becoming deacons) and used the Greek language for Mass.
± l’
L ll as in million In Slovakia, the people used Old Slavonic as a liturgical
±N ¡n as in ‘ne’ in new language after Saints Cyril and Methodius went on a mission
Šš ‘sh’ as in shell to convert the Slavic peoples of central Europe.
±T ¡t as in Tuesday The Greek Catholic Church (Uniate or Byzantine in
Z
± z¡ ‘s’ as in pleasure America) was a part of the Orthodox Church that reunited
with Rome. This occurred after lengthy negotiations in the
Other Pronunciation year 1596 and was concluded in the Union of Brest. The
Ôô ‘ow’ as in woe Polish King Sigismund III Vas (1587-1632) wished to lower
Ää Pronounced as a broad ‘e’ as in area the number of pro-Russian Orthodox Ukrainian and
Belorussian subjects in his realm. This was only valid in
Numbers Poland, but was later adopted in the Austrian Habsburg
The Slovak language uses the same Arabic numeral Empire. The Union of Uzhgorod (1648) recognized the
system as the English language, but with some unique Roman pontiff and many Carpatho-Rusyns and Slovaks and
differences. For some numbers there are different gender later (1697) Transylvanian Romanians became reunited
endings, e.g. the feminine form of “first” is prvá as opposed with the Catholic Church.
The Greek Catholics, as they were called in Europe, In 1918, the Hungarian place names for most Slovak and
retained their liturgical rites. Controversies ensued, and Ukrainian villages were changed to Slovak and Ukrainian
pockets of Orthodox faithful remained in Hungary, but most equivalents. Thus, you will find that most of the documents
adhered to the union, and are therefore termed Uniates. Most and records for Slovak immigrants who arrived prior to 1918
of the Balkan Slavs (Bulgarians, Serbians, etc.) and the are in Hungarian. When searching for information you will
eastern Slavs (Russians, Ukrainians, Belorussians, Rusyns,) want to note both the new Slovak, Romanian or Ukrainian
were Christianized by Constantinople in the 9th and 10th name, and the old one from the Kingdom of Hungary.
centuries. Thus, they became Orthodox Christians. Many of If your ancestor was a Czech (be sure not to confuse this
these, under various political pressures, later united or with the generic term Czechoslovak) and s/he came to
reunited with Rome (hence the name “Uniates”). Many of America before 1918, then s/he was an Austrian citizen and
the Ukrainians and Belorussians united with Rome at the typically listed in the ship’s manifest or passenger record as
Union of Brest of 1596. The Rusyns united with Rome at the emigrating either from Austria, Bohemia, Moravia, or
Union of Ungvár/Uzhgorod/Uzhhorod of 1646. It was in Silesia. It is important to note that under the Austro-
consequence of these unions that they became Greek Hungarian Empire, Bohemia, Moravia and Selesia were
Catholics (Uniates), or Byzantine Catholics, as they have provinces of Austria. After World War I the Empire was
been known in the United States since the late 1920s. The broken up and Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia were formed
Greek Catholics have retained much of their liturgy, together with Slovakia into Czechoslovakia. As mentioned
liturgical language, and married priesthood (except in the in the historical background above, Slovakia was part of
United States), and are officially called “Catholics of the northern Hungary in the Austro-Hungarian empire and was
Byzantine Rite” versus “Catholics of the Roman Rite”. The reformed after World War I into Czechoslovakia along with
Rusyns and some eastern Slovaks were Greek Catholics/ Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia. If your ancestor came to
Byzantine Catholics, and thus they were part of the Catholic America prior to 1918, s/he was a Hungarian citizen and
World and not of the Orthodox Christian World, such as the listed on the ship’s manifest or passenger record as
Russians, Serbians, Bulgarians, etc.6 emigrating from Hungary. If your ancestor emigrated after
Today, in Slovakia, you will find a number of religions 1918, then s/he would be listed as emigrating from
practiced including Roman Catholic, Greek Catholic, Czechoslovakia.
Protestant, Jewish, and Orthodox.
Starting stateside
Slovaks and family In researching our immigrant ancestors, it is tempting to
After religion, family life is next in importance to look for information on the village of origin and dive into
Slovaks. Families in Slovakia were often extended. Parents, searching for Slovak records. A more appropriate process,
grandparents, children, aunts, uncles, cousins and in-laws however, is to start stateside and then work back to the
lived under one roof. This practice often continued in the country and village of origin. Why? First of all, you may
New World as immigrants came to the United States and miss important details that could save you from obtaining
often settled in the same towns as family members or incorrect information or from making critical research
relatives, with many even living under the same roof. mistakes down the line. For example, you could end up
Family life was generally closely intertwined with religious researching the wrong family line if your surname is a
beliefs and rituals. common one from Eastern Europe, or you could spend hours
obtaining and researching church records for a village that
Leaving home: a glimpse at Slavic immigration your ancestor may have said s/he was from, but if fact was
During the early part of the 19th century, the Slovak not actually were s/he was born. In this case, you will not
economy grew slowly due to a worldwide economic slump. find a trace of the person in the records!
The Industrial Revolution came later to Slovakia than to
western Europe and the Czech lands. While the Czech lands Beginning your genealogical research
at the time were industrialized, Slovakia remained an In general, there are a few guidelines to keep in mind
economy primarily based on agriculture. As a result, Slovak when beginning your Slovak genealogy.
immigration to the United States increased rapidly at the end
of the 19th century as many Slovaks became dissatisfied with •Start by researching records on this side of the ocean
local conditions. By 1900, Slovakia had lost over 300,000 of and work backward
its population to emigration. •Be flexible and open to alternate spellings, a variety of
Searching for Eastern European roots is often more languages, alphabets, etc.
difficult than trying to locate ancestors from areas such as •Anticipate/expect confusion, this especially applies to
England, Ireland, or Italy. The process of locating the place of origin and dates, and names!
ancestral village for Slovak immigrants who came to
America prior to 1918 can be challenging and frustrating. A good way to approach your research is to develop a
Before 1918, Slovakia, Ruthenia and elements of Ukraine strategy or plan. Using the diagram below (p. 56), think
and Galicia existed as part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. about your research as going in cycles. First, begin with the
Fig. 3 - Research methodolgy chart
immigrant’s name and date of birth. Next, gather family Family group sheets
details about the immigrant and identify your ancestor’s Each piece of information concerning a pedigree
town or village of origin. Then, search U.S. records for ancestor and his/her family is placed on a worksheet,
surnames and places followed by finding the name and commonly known as a family group sheet. This is where you
location of the village of origin today. Continue your will record children, brothers, sisters, etc. Since the end
research by checking for other available records including result of your research efforts will be to compile complete,
the FHL and its holdings; Once you have exhausted all correct and connected families, the use of family group
possibilities in North America you will want to move your sheets from the beginning will make the compilation much
research back to the “old country” by establishing contacts easier. When you’re done, you’ll know who’s missing in
in the town or village, and finally, possibly by writing to the your family tree. For each missing person, you will need to
Slovak archives and/or hiring a professional researcher. obtain the following information: 1) full name (including
maiden names for women); 2) approximate dates for vital
Learn details about your immigrant ancestor(s) events (birth, death, marriage, residence, etc.); 3) locations
First, obtain the immigrant’s name and date of birth. for vital events.
You can do this by talking to the immigrant, or by It is also important to ask individuals where events
interviewing immediate family members. The general rule happened to get an understanding of “place,” remembering
when beginning genealogy is to “start with yourself” and that location is a key component in genealogical research.
work backward in time by filling in as much information as Ask about documentation for these events in home and
you can on a pedigree chart7 or ancestor chart. family sources such as documents, Bibles, diaries, school
report cards, early correspondence (especially from the
Pedigree/ancestor charts Slovakia), photographs, family heirlooms, oral history
An ancestor chart records the ancestors from whom you interviews, and miscellaneous items (military documents/
directly descend, those for whom you intend to compile a records, dog tags, funeral books and sympathy cards, etc.
complete and correct family unit. It shows at a glance the autograph books, home and/or business receipts).
progress you have made towards this goal and what remains
to be done. This is also often referred to as a pedigree chart. Key U.S. sources
I prefer the term ancestor chart, but whatever you choose to For the most part, once Slovak immigrants came to the
call it, the important thing is that you compile one! You can United States, they remained for the rest of their lives. Some
download additional copies of an chart free from Ancestry even obtained United States citizenship. There are instances
at: w w w . a n c e s t r y . m y f a m i l y . c o m / s a v e / c h a r t s / of a loved one returning to his or her homeland and perhaps
ancchart.htm>. dying there, but most often if your ancestor settled in the
United States, he or she died here. Some of our ancestors 3) Searching other various Internet sites, including:
even married here, and most had jobs and owned property. <www.vitalchek.com/>
Their children were likely born in the United States and <vitalrec.com/index.html>
probably attended some form of schooling or formal <www.genealogybulletin.com/archives/HTML/
education. All this to say that unless your ancestor purposely current2.html>
tried not to be found or leave a paper trail, then his/her time <www.cdc.gov/nchs/howto/w2w/w2welcom.htm>
in the United States should be a matter of public record. This You can also perform a blanket search by State on your
time should be documented in one or more of the following: favorite search engine “__” birth index. For example, search
immigration records, census records or vital records. With a for: “Pennsylvania state marriage index.”
bit of digging and a great deal of persistence, you should be You may want to search Joe Beine’s Online Searchable
able to locate one or more of these records. Death Indexes for the USA, which will give you a good place
Pennsylvania and Ohio ranked first and second among to begin in finding what’s available and will tell you what
states reporting Slovak ancestry in the 1990 U.S. Census. Of databases are free and which require a fee-based
the 619,866 Slovaks who came to the United States before subscription, as well as county level resources:
1920, 296,219 settled in the Keystone state, where Slovak <home.att.net/~wee-monster/deathrecords.html>
men found work in steel mills and coal mines. Ohio was
second with 78,982, followed by New Jersey (48,857), New
York (46,209), Illinois (44,010), and Connecticut (21,204).
These states offer a large number of resources for
researching one’s Slovak ancestors. There are also a
number of printed and online U.S. sources that should be
consulted in the genealogical research process.
Civil vital records

Vital records, i.e. birth, death, divorce and marriage
certificates, and adoption records, are some of the best
resources available to genealogists. As a general guideline,
when searching for birth, marriage, death and divorce
documents you should start with your most recent ancestors.
It may seem futile or repetitive to request records when you
already know the facts, but what you think is true may
actually be incorrect. Vital records may also include pieces Fig. 4 - Marriage certificate of John Alzo and Elizabeth
of information that will either corroborate your research or Fenèak. Courtesy of Lisa Alzo
lead you in new directions.
In the United States, vital records were first kept by
churches, then towns, and finally the counties. There is no a Death records
national vital records office. In 1914, however, a federal law While it may be tempting to start your vital records
was passed requiring each state to establish a system of search with a birth record, you should consider looking for a
keeping vital records and maintaining a repository for the death record first. The death record is most recent, and
records. While many states had already established a State therefore should be available. Death records are in most
Department of Health (or equivalent) by 1914, it was not cases easier to obtain than birth records, and usually contain
until 1930 that all states complied with this law. The process the person’s name, date of death and place of death. Death
and cost for obtaining vital records varies from state to state, records may also contain: age of death, cause of death, exact
and the year each state began death registration. time of death; current residence, occupation, date and place
of birth; parents’ names and birthplaces; spouse’s name
How to obtain vital records (maiden for wife); marital status; name of funeral home and
There are basically 3 ways to obtain vital records cemetery; name of physician or medical examiner; name of
information: informant and their relationship to the deceased; and
1) Write to the county or state (or visit in person). officials or witnesses present at the death.
Information on how and where to write for vital records Other vital records you can search in addition to death
is available for each state, using: records are birth records, marriage certificates and license
The International Vital Records Handbook applications, divorce and adoption records.
Ancestry’s Red Book <www.ancestry.com>
The Handybook for Genealogists (10th ed.) by Birth records
Everton Publishers <www.everton.com> Birth records are sometimes more difficult to obtain
2) Search the FHL <www.familysearch.org> using the depending on the state and its privacy laws. Birth records
“Search” tab and “Research Guidance” tabs. usually contain: name of the child; race of the child; gender
of the child; date and place of birth; mother’s name; father’s Adoptions are a bit more challenging to research as
name. Birth records may contain: parents’ information (age, some states have laws that seal adoption records. Check
race, occupation, and place of birth); number of children in state by state for requirements and what information can be
the family, and number of this child in the family; and disseminated. Fortunately, there are many Internet sites that
witnesses to the birth. If you are unable to obtain a civil birth can assist you. Start with the “Adoption” section on Cyndi’s
record, you may have luck finding a baptismal record if your List at <www.cyndislist.com/adoption.htm>. The article,
ancestor was born here and his/her parents belonged to a “About Adoption Research” by Maureen Taylor is a very
church. good resource available at:
<www.genealogy.com/genealogy/69_taylor.html>.
You may discover interesting occurrences and mistakes, as

official documents are not exempt from error.
Special considerations regarding vital records research

With the growing interest in genealogy, some vital
records departments do not have the staff to carry out
extensive searches. They may require more exact
information in order to provide you with a certificate. Before
sending a request, you should research the specific
requirements of the office you are contacting so as not to
waste your time or theirs. Fees and turn around time to
receive the certificates will also vary widely from location to
location. In addition, during the last year genealogists have
unfortunately discovered that several states have closed or
limited access to previously available online vital records
indexes.
What if the civil record is unavailable?

If you are unable to locate the civil death record, try
searching for cemetery records, church burial records,
funeral home records and memorial cards, headstone
inscriptions, lodge or fraternal organization burial or
insurance records
and obituaries
You should look at obituaries and/or funeral home
records for information on your ancestor(s). Obituaries give
more detail than death notices, and are a news item usually
written by newspaper staff from information provided by the
Fig. 5 - Czechoslovakian birth record.
funeral home. Some are more detailed than others, but watch
Courtesy of Lisa Alzo
out for errors. Obituaries often contain incomplete or
incorrect information, depending on the informants
familiarity with the deceased. Some good online resources
Marriage records for obituaries include:
Marriage records are generally accessed at the county or •Cyndi’s List
town level and usually contain: full name of bride and <www.cyndislist.com/obits.htm> Links to sites with
groom; date and place of marriage. Marriage records may obituary data, cemetery transcriptions and funeral home
contain: age and birth date of bride and groom; residences records.
and occupation for bride and groom; marital status (single, •funeralCENTRAL
widowed or divorced); names and birthplaces for bride and <www.funeralcentral.com> Publishes funeral notices
groom’s parents; witnesses and officials present at the similar to those submitted by funeral homes to
marriage. newspapers. It’s a fee service, but the funeral home
must send the notice for inclusion in the database.
Other records: divorce and adoption •Funeral Net
To obtain a copy of any divorce decree in the United <www.funeralnet.com> Locate cemeteries and funeral
States, write or visit the vital statistics office in the state or homes, as well as search for obituaries. The database of
area where the event occurred. For more information, funeral homes was compiled from The National Yellow
consult <www.vitalrec.com/divorce.html>. Book of Funeral Directors.
•Obituary Central of newspaper collections across the U.S. (many will
<obitcentral.com/obitsearch> locates, categorizes and allow you to download copies of relatively recent
presents obituaries online. The “Links” page is obituaries from $1-$3 each).
arranged by state and county, with thousands of links to •News Library - <www.newslibrary.com> points you
obituaries, cemetery transcriptions and death notices. to newspapers from major and midsized U.S. cities. For
•Obituary Daily Times example, I clicked on Pennsylvania and searched for my
<www.rootsweb.com/~obituary> Lists not only news- last name, “Alzo.” The search netted several results,
papers that are being indexed, but those that are in need including articles on the publication of my book, Three
of indexers. If the newspaper has an Internet site, there Slovak Women, as well as my mother’s death notice
will be a link to it. from 2000.
•Obituary Lookups •Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness -
<freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~obitl> A com- <www.raogk.org> volunteers around the world will
munity of researchers from all over the world willing to look up copies of obituaries from various locations.
look up obituaries for free. Please be sure to read the introductory information
carefully before making a request of a volunteer. This is
Cemetery resources not a site where someone will do all of your researching
Cemeteries are a valuable source of information that can for you for free!
be easily overlooked by a researcher. If you determine
where your ancestor was buried from using the above In addition to obituaries in English newspapers, you
sources, you can often visit the cemetery or sometimes order will also want to check foreign language newspapers,
records from the FHL. In addition, there are a number of obituary notices in religious newsletters or newspapers (e.g.
Internet sites springing up with virtual cemeteries or lists of Catholic Universe Bulletin), and fraternal newspapers (e.g.
headstone transcriptions. For example, go to Genealogy.com Jednota), etc. Fraternal organizations or lodges may also
at <www.genealogy.com> and take a look at “Virtual have burial or insurance records. A good source for this
Cemetery,” an interesting database with location specific information is the Immigration History Research Center in
tools. St. Paul, MN, < www1.umn.edu/ihrc/slovak.htm#top>.
Probate court records

As a genealogist you want to investigate court records.
Consider searching wills, civil or criminal records.
Sometimes the information may not shed a positive light on
your ancestor, but there may be valuable information buried
in a court record that can give you clues. Wills provide
information on a spouse, next of kin, etc. and Voter
Registration cards will list addresses and possibly other
useful information. Again, availability of such records will
vary by location, but a good place to start is the local or
county courthouse where your ancestor lived. Again,
Ancestry.com has some probate records among its database
collection. Also, check Cyndi’s List under “U.S.
Courthouses”: <www.cyndislist.com/courthouses.htm>
Online public records

Fig. 6 - Headstone of John Alzo and Elizabeth Fenèak
A good site for searching property and tax records is
Alzo, the authors grandparents. Courtesy of Lisa Alzo
Public Records Online. This database can be a bit patchy
(some counties represented and others not). Also, content
Newspaper databases sometimes disappears due to recent concerns over privacy
There are a number of newspaper resources available issues, but it is still worth a look for potential genealogical
online: value. Cf. <www.netronline.com/public_records.htm>
•Newslink - <www.newslink.com> will allow you to
search for a particular publication online. Many Land records
newspapers now have online editions. Some Land records often contain valuable information for the
publications have online searchable, indexed archives; genealogist, including names of spouses, parents, children
others do not. For those that do not, sometimes there are and previous residence(s). Before the Internet, you would
instructions for obtaining copies from archives or back have no choice but to visit or write to the place where your
issues (usually buried somewhere on the Internet site). ancestors bought and sold land. Thanks to online
Some will refer you to another site that houses archives technology, you may not have to leave home or travel from
one courthouse to another in order to research their land Published abstracts
records. There are a few basic steps you can follow to help Check with the local or regional genealogical society in
your search. or near your county (or town) of interest. You may have a
stroke of luck that a society volunteer or other genealogist
Start at home may have already abstracted the indexes or deed books into
Identify what you are looking for. In other words, focus published periodicals held by the society. In addition,
on a single research problem (your grandfather’s farm, or abstracts may also appear in periodicals. You can use the
great-grandma’s boarding house, for example). Next electronic version of the Periodical Source Index (PERSI) to
identify components of the deed search: write down the search for abstracts. PERSI was developed by the Allen
family, location and time period. County Public Library in Fort Wayne, IN and originally
published in book form with annual updates. In 1999, the
Location, location, location library collaborated with Ancestry.com to produce an
Confirm that you are looking in the right place. electronic version of the database. Many libraries have
Specifically, if you identify that the house, farm, etc. is in a PERSI on CD-ROM, or a subscription to Ancestry.com that
specific county (for example, Allegheny county), but that will allow you access to the database of 1.7 million records.
county as it is defined today may have been in located in a
different county in your ancestor’s day. A critical step Online land records
before you begin your research is to investigate the place and Because of sheer volume, few land records are actually
time because it can save you hours of research effort and available online. This is especially true for records at the
avoid the receipt of a negative response from the wrong county level. In some cases, county offices or state archives
county courthouse. You can determine county formations have placed indexes online, or volunteers have abstracted
from several printed sources including Ancestry’s Red deed indexes and posted them to Internet sites. Three major
Book, The Handy Book for Genealogists. These will tell you sites to check, especially for indexes done by volunteers,
the year the count was formed, the county or counties from are:
which it was formed, the county seat, the zip code of the •Cyndi’s List <www.cyndislist.com>
county courthouse, the year for which the county has land •RootsWeb <www.rootsweb.com>
records, as well as maps showing present day boundaries; •USGenWeb <www.usgenweb.org>
and the Map Guide to the U.S. Federal Censuses 1790-1920, •Ancestry.Com’s court, land and probate databases
which visually depicts the county formation process in 10- <www.ancestry.myfamily.com/search/rectype/court/
year snapshots. It is important to note that in some areas main.htm>
deeds are found at the town level. You can also learn about You may still have to search for deeds the old-fashioned
county basics through the FHL by searching the catalog way, either by a visit to the courthouse in the county of
online for county formation, names of any parent counties interest or by letter. If you plan to write to a courthouse, you
and record losses. can find contact information through printed sources such as
The Ancestry Family Historian’s Address Book or the
Deed books County Courthouse Book. Cyndi’s List is also a great source
Deed books originally belonged to the jurisdiction that for current information. Look under Libraries, Archives &
created them (usually the county). As populations grew in Museums; Societies & Groups; or the United States Index
counties, so did the number of record books. Because land for the locality you’re researching.
ownership is considered an important asset and the basis for If researching your direct ancestors does not uncover a
tax collection and for identifying roads, land records town of origin, you should then consider widening your
(especially deeds) were rarely thrown out. Some counties search to include the immigrant ancestor’s brothers and
moved records to another jurisdiction, while some sisters, and their children. Most immigrants tended to
established regional and state archives systems for the immigrate in clusters, almost always arriving first in an
safekeeping of older records. Because there is no set American community where they had family members or
standard for a record transfer process, you need to take this acquaintances from their European home. If city directories
into account when conducting research for land records. or censuses show a neighbor came from the same country as
You also should be prepared to view old records on your ancestors, note what town the neighbors came from; it
microfiche or microfilm. The largest coordinated effort for may be your ancestors’ home town as well.
land record microfilming has been undertaken by the
Genealogical Society of Utah. Thes microfilms are U.S. and state censuses, mortality schedules
available through the FHL. You can check their Internet site Census returns in the United States are available for the
at <www.familysearch.org> to see what land records are years 1790-1930. excepting 1890 (you can check Census
have available through your local Family History Center substitutes, not yet available for all areas). Returns were
(FHC). Locate your county of interest. Then, look under the taken every 10 years and the data is held for 72 years before
topics for LAND AND PROPERTY and LAND AND release to the public. The most recent to be released is the
PROPERTY - INDEXES. 1930 census (April 1, 2002).
While not likely to show an exact place of origin (for benefits. About 98% percent of the people in the SSDI died
example, Austria is likely to be listed in earlier census after 1962, but a few death dates go back as far as 1937.
returns both for Czechs or Slovaks), census records often Because legal Aliens in the U.S. can obtain a Social Security
provide a good picture of a family at a specific time period card, their names may appear in the SSDI if their deaths were
and can give you clues for obtaining other documents such reported. Some 400,000 railroad retirees are also included in
as naturalization papers immigration records such as the SSDI.
passenger or customs lists which may contain specific The SSDI is not an index to all deceased individuals
information on an ancestral town or village (although the who have held Social Security numbers, or all deceased
information may not be accurate). For Eastern and Central individuals who have received Social Security benefits, or
European immigrants, the 1850-1930 censuses are whose families have received survivor benefits. The index is
extremely valuable. Census records are available in both taken from the U.S. SSA’s Death Master File. It contains the
microfilm and digital formats. Consult the following records of deceased persons who possessed Social Security
Internet sites for information on how to use census records numbers and whose death had been reported to the SSA. In
and their availablity: most cases a report of death was made in connection with
Social Security death benefits.
•Cyndi’s List: <www.cyndislist.com/census2.htm> The SSDI works best for finding information about
•Census-Online: <www.census-online.com> individuals who died in the mid-1960s or later. This index is
•Census Links: <www.censuslinks.com> compiled by the SSA and is available at no charge to the user
on many Internet sites, such as Rootsweb
Census records have been digitized and you can access them <ssdi.genealogy.rootsweb.com>, Family Tree Legends
either on CD-ROM or via online subscription. <www.familytreelegends.com/ssdi> or the FHL
<www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/
•Ancestry.com <www.ancestry.com>, the first com- frameset_search.asp?PAGE=ssdi/search_ssdi.asp>.
pany to offer online access to the complete U.S. census Finally, you might want to refer to the date of last update
- digital census images for all census years 1790-1930. of the particular Internet site’s database that you are viewing.
Includes indexes for the years 1790-1850, 1880, 1920, While the SSDI is available on a number of sites, not all
and 1930, partial indexes for 1860-1870, an index for regularly or consistently update their copy of the database.
1890 (fragment) and images only for 1900 and 1910. The recent updates will have recent deaths, but can also
occasionally include information about earlier deaths as
•Heritage Quest Online <www.heritagequest.com>, well. You should always check the date of the last update.
joined with Proquest in early 2002 to launch their The SSA makes copies of the original Social Security
U.S.Census collection as part of HeritageQuest Online. application form (the SS-5) available to third parties who
It is marketed to libraries, not individual subscribers. request information on a deceased individual. The SSA
Many libraries have purchased the Heritage Quest currently charges $27.00 for each individual application if
Online collection and offer it as a free resource for their the Social Security number is known, and $29.00 if
members. Individuals can purchase CD-ROMs of unknown. This request should be in writing and include the
Census images through Heritage Quest. following information: full name, state of birth, and date of
birth to:
•Genealogy.com <www.genealogy.com>, this site’s
U.S. Census subscription contains records for 1790- Social Security Administration
1930 with searchable indexes for 1790-1820; 1860- OEO FOIA Workgroup
1870, 1890, 1900 and 1910. 300 N. Green Street
P.O. Box 33022
•The FHL offers a searchable index of the 1880 U.S. Baltimore, Maryland 21290-3022
Census at <www.familysearch.org>
Providing names of parents is also helpful, especially with
Social Security Death Index common surnames. Be sure also to provide proof of death,
The Social Security Death Index (SSDI) is a great tool since records of living individuals are not publicly available.
for genealogists, with limitations, of course. This database is
an index to basic information about persons with Social Naturalization records
Security numbers whose deaths have been reported to the Depending on when your ancestor arrived in America,
Social Security Administration (SSA). The death may have naturalization records can give you the precise date and port
been reported by a survivor requesting benefits. It may have of arrival, as well as the name of the ship, the port of
been reported in order to stop Social Security Benefits to the departure and the immigrant’s date and place of birth. Not
deceased. Funeral homes often report deaths to the SSA as a all naturalization records will provide all of the above
service to family members. Beginning in 1962, the SSA information. Some records may give only a year when the
began to use a computer database for processing requests for immigrant arrived. Between 1776 and 1790, each state
established laws, procedures and residency requirements for provided in immigration passenger lists varied over the
aliens to become naturalized Unite States citizens. The first decades, as did the number of columns of information (for
federal naturalization law was passed in 1790, and since that example 21 columns in 1893 compared to 33 columns in
time, a series of Acts have changed restrictions and 1917). In addition to place of birth and personal details, the
requirements. later passenger lists provide clues that you may not find in
Before the 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution was other records you search. For example, “last residence,”
ratified, women became citizens by marrying a citizen or “final destination in the United States,” “if going to join a
through their husbands becoming naturalized. After 1922, relative and the relative’s name and address,” “name and
the federal government began keeping separate naturaliza- address of closest living relative in the native country.”
tion records for married women. Children under 16 are listed Passenger arrival lists after 1900 are often the best
on the father’s naturalization records. If you are searching because they show town of origin, next of kin in Europe and
for naturalization records, check first at either municipal, destination. The drawback, however, is that they can often
county, state or federal courthouses where the immigrant be tedious to search, especially if you are looking at
arrived and settled. Also, check city, county, and state unindexed arrivals.
archives, as well as with the FHL to see if the records and/or Prior to the mid 19th century, the United States had no
indexes have been microfilmed for the area you are immigrant inspection station. In 1855, Castle Garden
researching. If you are unsuccessful with searching the opened and served as immigrant inspection station until Ellis
above locations, pre-1906 naturalization records may be Island opened in 1892.
found at the local county courthouse, county or state Most original passenger arrival lists from 1820-1957
archives, or the National Archives (NARA), if the have been microfilmed and are available through NARA or
immigrant was naturalized in a Federal Court. the FHL and local FHCs.
If your ancestor immigrated to the U.S. after 1906, you The regional records facilities of NARA have films for
can request a copy of your ancestor’s naturalization records the ports in their jurisdictions. Go to <www.archives.gov/
under the Freedom of Information Act. For a naturalization facilities/facilities_by_state.html> for information on NARA
that took place after 27 September 1906, you must make a regional facilities.
formal request using form G-639 from the Immigration and You will also want to check out a handy NARA guide
Naturalization Service (INS). This form is available from called Immigrant and Passenger Arrivals: A Select Catalog
the INS at <www.ins.usdoj.gov/graphics/formsfee/forms/g- of National Archives Microfilm Publications at
639.htm>. To have the forms mailed to you, fill out the form <www.archives.gov/publications/microfilm_catalogs/immi-
at <www.ins.usdoj.gov/graphics/exec/forms/index.asp>. In grant/immigrant_passenger_arrivals.html>. This catalog
your letter and on the envelope, you will want to include in details more fully the availability of records and indexes for
writing “FOIA/PA request”, and mail your request to: each port.
Another useful NARA link is Immigration Records
Immigration and Naturalization Service, Headquarters (Ship Passenger Arrival Records) at
ATTN: FOIA Unit <www.archives.gov/research_room/genealogy/
425 “I” Street. NW immigrant_arrivals/passenger_records.html>. The infor-
Washington, DC 20536 mation you can obtain from passenger record often varies.
Prints of microfilmed passenger lists may be obtained
Immigration and emigration records by mail from NARA for a fee. You should check with
Immigration and emigration records can be quite NARA for current prices. Passenger lists must be requested
helpful for locating an individual’s place of birth or last place using a NARA NATF Form 81. Forms may be requested
of residence. You should search both the place of departure either in writing by phone/fax, or online. To request forms in
and arrival as records sometimes exist in both locations. writing, send a letter to:
Immigration arrival records (customs or passenger lists)
are often good sources of information. Passenger lists from National Archives and Records Administration
1820 to ~1891 were known as “customs lists.” These lists ATTN.: NWCTB Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
were usually printed in the United States, completed by the Washington, DC 20408
ship company personnel at the port of departure, and
maintained primarily for statistical purposes. The data was To request by phone or fax:
really “bare bones” information (name, ship, ship master, Telephone: 202-501-5235
departure and arrival ports, passenger’s name, sex, age, or (toll free) 866-325-7208
occupation, nationality). Fax: 202-501-7170
Arrival records created from approximately 1891 to the
1950s are called “immigration passenger lists.” Like Request forms can also be found online at
customs lists, these were printed in the United States, but <www.archives.gov/global_pages/inquire_form.html>
completed in the ports of departure and then filed in the NARA will not perform research for you. You will need
United States once the ship docked. The information to provide as much information as possible when requesting
Fig. 7 - EIDB “One Step (Short Form),” developed by Sptephen Morse. Screen shot from JewishGen
passenger arrival records. The minimum information Searching the Ellis Island Database (EIDB)
required for a search of the index is: the full name of the This April 17th marked the 2nd anniversary since the
person, the port of arrival and the month and year of arrival. launch of the EIDB <www.ellisislandrecords.org> by the
Additional facts, such as the passenger’s age, and names of American Family Immigration History Center. If you are
accompanying passengers may also be helpful. If a list is not searching for Slovak ancestors, this database provides a
indexed, more specific information is needed, such as the wonderful research tool for the more than 100 million
exact date of arrival and name of the ship (see section below Americans whose ancestors made their way through Ellis
on how to obtain the name of a ship). Ship arrivals on Island. This online database contains transcribed “ship
microfilm are also available through the FHL ordered manifests” of more than 22 million immigrants who came to
through FHCs. the United States through the Port of New York between the
If your ancestor came through the port of New York years 1892-1924, as well as links to digital images of
(Ellis Island) then you have an advantage thanks to the original ship’s manifests and photographs of actual ships
American Family Immigration History Center (and provided by NARA.
thousands of volunteers of The Church of Jesus Christ of The database is free, but you will have to register online
Latter Day Saints) - the ability to search a free online with a user name and password to fully use it. There are
repository of transcribed ship manifests known as the Ellis some fee based features, such as ordering printouts of ship’s
Island Database (explained below). Note that the Ellis manifests. The Ellis Foundation subscriber bonus (for a
Island Database only covers the Port of New York and the minimum $45 donation) allows users to create or maintain a
years 1892 - 1924. Family History Scrapbook and annotating passenger records
Fig. 8 - Search results for “Sztraka” and “Milpos.” Screen shot from JewishGen
in the Community Archives. These features are explained in form). You can use the gray form from the Internet Explorer,
detail on the site. Netscape 6, and Macintosh computers.
The site has been greatly improved since its launch,
allowing for searches for alternate spellings of surnames, as Port of departure records
well as other search criteria such as year of arrival, ethnicity, Hamburg and Bremen were the most common
port of departure, name of ship or name of town could be departure ports for Eastern European (and Slovak)
used (provided these details are known) to further narrow the immigrants. They may have traveled to the country of
search. destination directly or indirectly (via another country such as
England). Unfortunately, the Bremen records were
EIDB search tools destroyed in WW II. However, there is an effort underway
If you experience difficulty locating your ancestors to reconstruct from port of arrival records). Bremen
through a direct search of the database, you may want to use Passenger Lists, 1920-1930 are currently being transcribed
some of the search tools developed by Stephen P. Morse to and uploaded to the Internet at <db.genealogy.net/maus/
assist genealogists search the EIDB using criteria, such as gate/shiplists.cgi>
age, ethnicity, or year of immigration in one step. These The FHL has the Hamburg passenger lists on microfilm.
tools can be accessed at <www.stevemorse.org> or Search the Family History Library Catalog (FHLC) online at
<www.jewishgen.org>. Morse’s tools enable users to <www.familysearch.org> under Germany, Hamburg, Ham-
search for immigrants by town name (something not burg—Emigration and Immigration: Auswandererlisten
possible in early versions of EIDB), as well as conduct 1850-1934. When researching the Hamburg lists, one
soundex searches. There is also a search to locate ship should note that there is a distinction between “direct” and
manifests. “indirect” lists, so it is important to check both during your
Morse’s site does not maintain the data, but provides a search so that you will not overlook your ancestor.
powerful alternative user interface. There are three forms The Hamburg State archive now offers a database with
from which to choose: 1) Ellis Island Database, white form, emigration lists of Hamburg. The database is a work in
searches all passengers and has limited locality search progress, initially covering the years 1890 to 1914, and
capabilities; 2) Ellis Island Database (Jewish Passengers), expanding to include all years between 1850 and 1934.
blue form, searches for Jewish passengers only, and has There is a small fee for the service. The “LinkToYourRoots”
unrestricted locality search, unrestricted soundex search, project can be found at <www.hamburg.de/fhh/behoerden/
and supports some additional search parameters; 3) Ellis staatsarchiv/link_to_your_roots/english/>
Island Database (Short Form), gray form, searches all Another great source is the Immigrant Ships
passengers with unrestricted locality search and unrestricted Transcriber’s Guild, a group of volunteers dedicated to
soundex search, but lacks some of the other search making ancestors’ immigration records easy and convenient
parameters. Another bonus is that the gray one-step form to find. Their mission is to make ship passenger lists
does not have any limitations (unlike Morse’s previously available online at no cost to the researcher. Since its
simulated search-by-town facility on the white one-step beginning in September 1998, more than 5,000 ship
passenger lists, citing over 500,000 passenger arrivals have listed below are available on FHL film 1,181,575 item 2.
been transcribed. The site can be found at: This film includes the localities of Abauj-Torna, Esztergom,
<www.immigrantships.net/> Gomor, Gyor, Hont, Komarom, Nogrod, Nyitra, Pozsony
Some other useful Internet sites for passenger lists: and Zemplen.
Finding Passenger Lists 1820 to the 1940s (Joe Beine)
<home.att.net/~wee-monster/passengers.html> Modern road maps
Czech Immigration Passenger Lists (Leo Baca) Below are some road maps published by Freytag and
<www.angelfire.com/tx5/texasczech/References/ Berndt. Check your local bookstore or college bookstore for
Leo%20Baca.htm> the following maps, or the Internet sites below:
< m a p s g u i d e s a n d m o r e . c o m /
Canadian records results.html?search_string=Kummerly+%26+Frey+Maps>
There were occasions when Slovaks immigrated first to <travel-guides-and-maps.com/index.html?maps/
Canada and then crossed the border to settle in the United kummerly-frey.html>
States. If this is a possibility with your ancestors, you will
want to check Canadian immigration records. You can Other useful maps
locate sources for Canadian immigration records online at 1. U.S. Army Topographical Maps of Europe
the National Archives of Canada <www.archives.ca/02/ Topographical Maps of Eastern and
02020204_e.html>, inGeneas <www.ingeneas.com>, Ca- Western Europe
nadian Immigration Records, Ancestry.com Series M501 and N501, Scale 1:250,000,
<www.ancestry.com>, Immigrants to Canada circa 1955.
<ist.uwaterloo.ca/~marj/genealogy/thevoyage.html>, and Published by the Corps of Engineers, U.S.
the FHL (under Canada) <www.familysearch.org>. Army, Washington D.C.
Copies of these maps are in the
Locating the ancestral village The Free Library of Philadelphia
If you are searching for a town in Slovakia and you Maps Department
know the name of the town, you will want to determine its 1901 Vine Street
location (both today and during your ancestor’s time). You Philadelphia, PA 19103-1189
can do this several different ways. Map Dept: (215) 686-5397, Main Library: (215)
686-5322, Internet site: <www.library.phila.gov>
1) Check maps, printed gazetteers and/or atlases (see the A location of these maps is on the web at
sections on maps, gazetteers and atlases below) <www.iarelative.com/nl3303.htm>
2) Check an online Gazetteer (the Slovak Gazetteer, is
available on the Internet at <www.iarelative.com/ 2. Maps of Slovakia. Expedia Map of Slovakia and
gazateer.htm> other parts of Europe. Allows you to zoom in for detail:
3) Use Shtetlseeker, an outstanding tool which also can <maps.expedia.com/pub/
be used to derive place names. This is an excellent agent.dll?qscr=mrdr&lats1=48.679893&lons1=
resource and often lists both the old and new name of the 19.683341&alts1=650&ofsx=0&ofsy=
town. 0&ntid1=8f&plce1=Slovaki
a&wpst1=1&regn1=1&fmap=1&zz=982976070747>
Maps
You will definitely want to consult historical maps for 3. City Maps of Slovakia (in Slovak, Zobrazit’ mapu =
Slovakia and Hungary, but contemporary maps can also be Get Map) at <mapy.zoznam.sk/browser.pcgi?M=20>
very useful for your search. The Library of Congress Map
and Geography Reading Room has copies of a series of maps Maps can also be found online at <www.Yahoo.com>,
from old Hungary. These maps are County (or Varmegye) <www.google.com>, and <www.ebay.com> (search under:
maps made before 1918. They are colored and laminated in Everything Else:Genealogy:Maps)
various sizes. Contact:
Printed gazetteer and atlases
Geography and Map Division The FHL has an extensive collection of gazetteers of
Library of Congress Eastern Europe both in book form and on microfilm. A brief
Washington, DC 20540-4650 list is given below. For the best results, search the FHLC at
e-mail address: maps@loc.gov <www.familysearch.org>.
Some Hungarian County Maps prior to 1918 are available Gazetteers of Hungary
online at <lazarus.elte.hu/hun/maps/1910/vmlista.htm> Below are some of the best gazetteers available for
Other Hungarian County Maps prior to 1918 can be found on researching both former and contemporary areas of Slovakia
microfilm. For example, the old Hungarian County maps and Hungary.
1. Atlas and Gazetteer of Historic Hungary, 1914 (2nd Rotherburger Str. 25, 8500 70, Nümberg, Germany;
ed. Administrative Atlas of Hungary, 1914) cost is ~ $35.00; Best one-volume source; Gives
“Magyarország közigazgatási, along with an Index of German, Czech, Hungarian and Slovak town name with
Village names used in 1910 to 1914. For each village, cross-reference.
the population, ethnic and religious makeup is 2. Gemeindelexikon der in Reichsrate vertretenen
provided. It can also give you clues when trying to Königreiche and Länder, Vienna, K. and K. Central-
determine what church your family went to and where it kommission (1904 and other dates; individual volumes
could have been located. named Ortslexikon von Mähren, etc.) Available on
2. Magyarorszag Geographiai Szotara, 1851. [Hungar- FHL film.
ian Gazetteer of 1851]. Two volumes of old Hungarian 3. Velký Autoatlas: Ceská Republika, Slovenská
towns in alphabetical order. It gives a description of Republika, 1996. Road atlas with 1:200,000 maps.
each town, lists the nearest post office, lists the number Podrobný Autoatlas Slovenska, 1996. 1:100,000 scale
of inhabitants by religion and lists the features of each road atlas of Slovakia, spiral bound. Vlastivedný
town (in Hungarian, of course). Be careful, words that Slovní? Obcí Slovensku, Bratislava (3 vols, 1977-). In
are now spelled with “C” were then spelled with “CZ” Slovak. Index in vol. 3.
and there is a separate section for “CZ.” The same is
true for certain vowels that have accent marks. They Online gazetteers/atlases
follow the unaccented vowels. FHL film 844,956. 1. Gazetteer of Slovakia <www.iarelative.com/
Descriptive terms include Nagy: large, big; Kis: small, gazateer.htm>. This gazetteer lists all the towns in
little; Also: lower; Felso: upper; Nemet: German; modern Slovakia. Extracted from Gazetteer of
(Var)megye: county. Czechoslovakia, Official Standard names approved by
3. Magyarorszag Helysegnevtare, 1877 (Gazetteer of the United States Board of Geographical Names.
Hungary) by Janos Dvorzsak, comp. Budapest, FHL 2. UC Davis: <www.lib.ucdavis.edu/govdoc/
call number Reference 943.9 E5d v. 1 Index, FHL film MapCollection/gazetteers.html>
#599,564: v. 2, FHL film #973,041: v. 1 and 2 on fiche 3. University of Adelaide (Australia):
number 6000840 (19 fiche). I find microfiche are faster <www.library.adelaide.edu.au/gen/Atlases.html>
and easier to use than the films. Most libraries keep this 4. Information on other Slovak Gazetteers can be
resource as a core holding. I have not used it but have located online by searching Cyndi’s List
read that it is an inexpensive alternative and easily <www.cyndislist.com>
accessed for those hard-to-find villages. The first 5. The FHLC at <www.familysearch.org>.
volume is an alphabetical index which leads to a county,
district, and locality in volume 2. The gazetteer Step 3 (Shtetlseeker)
indicates the sort numbers for each religion found in the The word shtetl (Shteh’-t’l) n. (Yiddish) (pl. shtetlach)
village and the closest parish denizens would have means little city, town, or village. It is often used to refer to
worshiped. the small Jewish communities of Eastern Europe where the
4. Gazetteer of Hungary, 1944. Last section contains an culture of the Ashkenazim flourished before World War II.
alphabetical listing of localities in Austria, Slovakia, Shtetlseeker is a searchable site for towns in Central and
Transylvania and Yugoslavia; FHL call number Eastern Europe, using exact spelling or the Daitch-Mokotoff
Reference 943.9 E5m, 1944, FHL fiche number Soundex system. This search will display latitude and
6053520. longitude for each location, the distance and direction from
5. Gazetteer of Czechoslovakia, Official Standard the country’s capital city, and a link to a map. You can use
names approved by the United States Board of this site to search for towns by location or list all of the towns
Geographical Names. Division of Geography, Dept. of within a certain distance of a given latitude/longitude
the Interior. A copy of this book is in the Library of coordinates. You may find these coordinates using the
Congress, Map and Geography Reading Room. above town search. To access Shtetlseeker, go to the Jewish
Excerpts of this publication are on-line at: Genealogy Internet site at <www.jewishgen.org/
<www.iarelative.com/gazateer.htm> ShtetlSeeker/loctown.htm> N.B.: This method is not 100
percent reliable. Although Shtetlseeker contains many old
For gazetteers of the Czech Republic prior to 1918, use place names, it does not contain them all. It appears that only
gazetteers of Austria or Austria-Hungary. larger villages or cities may have a completely correlated set
of names.
Other gazetteers/atlases
Place name Hungarian-contemporary conversions
1. Pfohl, Ernst. Ortslexikon Sudetenland (Nümberg: There may be occasions where you will need to convert
Preußler, 1987 reprint; originally Orientierungs between contemporary place names and old Magyar place
Lexicon der Tschechoslowakishen Republik, Liberec, names. Also, you may encounter the problem of similar
1931). 698 pages (Order from Helmut Preußler Verlag, town names for some town names occur in more than one
district. In addition, watch for the terms: Nová Ves “new 4. You may want to consider posting to one of several
town”; Hradište “castle site” and Brod “ford,” etc. To help discussion groups and ask if someone online has a copy
with these conversions, refer to: of Nazvy obci Slovenskej Republiky and is willing to do
a lookup for you. Most participants in these forums do
1. Majtán, Milan. Názvy Obcí Slovenskej Republiky not mind helping with one or two look-ups, but try not
(Names of Villages, Slovak Republic), Milan Majtan, to ask for 10 villages or places at once!
1997. This is a recently published book which
identifies all the names and locations for all Slovakia Records available for Slovakia
villages from year 1773 to 1997. This is probably the In eastern Slovakia, church and the land were 2 of the
most reliable method of obtaining the various place most important aspects of everyday life. The types of records
names. Cost is U.S. $75.00; to order visit: available for genealogical research in Slovakia include vital
<www.slovakheritage.org/Shopping/Books/ records (civil transcripts of church records), census records,
nazvyobci.htm> local histories, military records, nobility documents and tax
2. Dictionary of Hungarian place names: Magyar lists. There are usually 3 vital records kept for a person: birth
helységnév-azonosító szótár by György Lelkes, Talma or baptismal record, marriage record, and death record.
Publishers. Useful if your search includes Slovakia,
Carpatho-Ukraine or Hungary. Local parish records
3. Check the Carpatho-Rusyn Society’s Internet page. The records from 1895-1900 to the present are still with
This page is quite helpful, if you are seeking villages in the priests of the local villages. Until 1950, the churches
Northeastern Slovakia, because it lists the Presov held all of the official village records for birth, marriage and
Region Greek Catholic Records available via the FHL deaths. After this time, civil registration was initiated
which contains Slovak, Rusyn and Hungarian names (which means that the government keeps the records.) In
for about 200 villages. While it is limited in scope to this 1950, the church records prior to 1895 were transferred to
small portion of Slovakia, it is still an excellent online the State Archives. There are some exceptions. For
resource. Cf. <www.carpatho-rusyn.org/films2.htm>. example, in some cases, records only until 1890 were
Fig. 9 - Greek Catholic baptismal record, 1878 Fig. 10 - Greek Catholic marriage record, 1874

transferred. In other cases, records as late as 1940 can be When you first see this type of record, you may feel
found in the archives. intimidated by the language, especially with regard to
Before the 1800’s most records were hand written. tabular records. However, once you identify the column
These can be very difficult to scan as the data is not columnar headings, the data contained therein is fairly standard: dates,
in nature. While it can be frustrating to search for a surname given names, surnames or place names, which typically
with this format, it is not impossible. In the 1800’s, the require no translation. Some of these words are not presently
Hungarian rulers attempted to put some discipline into the in use, and may not be found in modern dictionaries.
record keeping by instituting a tabular recording method (the
actual date varies by parish). Records microfilmed by the FHL
Most of these records are written in either Hungarian, The FHL in Salt Lake City is one of the best sources for
Ukrainian or Slovak (sometimes in Cyrillic script). The microfilmed records from Slovakia.
invention of the Cyrillic alphabet is ascribed traditionally to
Church records
Most records more than 100 years old are now kept in
state regional archives and later records are maintained at the
vital records sections of local city offices. These records are
accessible for genealogical research by writing to the
appropriate republic or by personally visiting the archives
there.
For Slovakia, records in eastern archives have been
filmed by the FHL. Bratislava and Nitra archives in
southwestern Slovakia have not yet been completely filmed.
The available records are listed in the FHLC at
<www.familysearch.org> You can order the films at your
local FHC and view them there (for about 4 weeks) and make
photocopies from the microfilm (for about 25-50 cents per
copy), depending on the center.
Index of Slovak State Archives church records

The document Prehlad matrík na Slovensku do
zostátnenia matricnej agendy (Survey of parish registers in
Slovakia up to the time of civil registration) was prepared by
the Slovak State Archives in 1992 and filmed by the FHL. It
is a cross reference of which Slovak Republic villages are
contained in each church register stored in the Archives.
N.B.: this is a comprehensive list of all church records in the
Slovak Republic Archives, but the FHL has not filmed all
records at this point. You can order the microfiche (FHL #
Fiche 6000786) as an inexpensive alternative to microfilm.
Searching the online FHLC

Once you access the FHLC you can do a search on the
place name. Click on the “Library” tab and then click on
“Family History Library Catalog”. Next, click on “Place
Search” to search for matching place names. As you begin
your search, you need to be aware that the particular town or
Fig. 11 - Greek Catholic death record, 1879 village you are searching for may not be found. Sometimes
church records for several villages were kept in another
parish perhaps in a larger nearby town.
Cyril, a Greek missionary sent by Byzantine Emperor
Michael III to the Slavic people in the territory of the current How to read and interpret birth, death and marriage
Slovakia in the late 9th century. Cyril created the Glagolitic records
alphabet, based on the Greek alphabet, adding new Because of the variety of languages used to record birth,
characters to denote Slavic sounds not found in Greek. So far death and marriage records, they can often be difficult to
as is known, no writing in a Slavic language was preserved read and interpret (as noted above). In your search, for data
from the 9th century. The oldest Slavic texts to survive are prior to 1895, you are likely to find data written in Church
in Old Church Slavonic and date to the 10th and 11th century. Slavonic, or Hungarian. Latin is found quite frequently in
Roman Catholic records but infrequently in Greek Catholic Census Records
records. Slovak is most often found in ledgers from western In Slovakia, censuses were taken in the same manner as
Slovakia. I am not going to elaborate on language those conducted in the Czech Lands, but according to
interpretation because it is not my area of expertise. Rather, Hungarian law. Some of the Hungarian census returns have
I will refer you to an excellent Internet site by John J. Jaso been microfilmed in Hungary (see below). Other census
that goes into great detail about church records and their returns for Slovakia are being microfilmed in Slovak
translations in English, Hungarian, Latin and Slovak (with archives and some are available at the FHL. The FHL has the
examples of the columns for each type of record: baptismal, following census material.
death, and marriage).
<www.bmi.net/jjaso/index.html> 1828 Landowner Census
A land and property holder census was conducted in
Names 1828 for the Kingdom of Hungary, the enumerated about 20
How do you know if it is Hungarian versus Slovak percent of the total population. John Adam has generously
spelling? The spelling of the first name is a giveaway. Here produced a reference document (MS Word or PDF formats).
are a few examples: Accented characters have been replaced with English
characters. This document contains all counties in old
MALE Hungary, not only the Slovakia territories. Using this
English: John ...Andrew...Paul.....Michael....Joseph...Steven document is the only quick way to locate a village on the
Slovak: Jan.....Andrej..... Pavol...Michal.....Jozef......Stefan census. The FHL has not indexed these villages in their
Hungarian:.Janos..Andras.....Pal.......Mihaly.....Jozsef....Istvan search tool. This is available from the Tarkulich at
<www.iabsi.com/gen/public/documents/
1828%20census.pdf>
FEMALE Other Census Returns Available from the FHL are listed in
English:.Anna...Mary....Sophia...Susanna......Tereza....Katherine the FHLC under HUNGARY or SLOVAKIA - CENSUS:
Slovak:.Anna...Maria....Zofia.....Suzana........Terezia...Katarina 1725-1775 Census: 1848 (a Jewish census of Hungary was
Hungarian:.Anna...Maria....Zsofia....Zsuzsanna...Terez......Katalin taken), 1868-1871, 1869 (see below).
Most of the census records are either geographically
For additional information on given names, visit quite limited or focused around landowners only, making
<ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/sc/oconee/misc/foreign- the 1869 census the most valuable for genealogical
names.txt> researchers.
Jewish Records The 1869 Census

If you find that your research needs to include Jewish Each village is enumerated, organized by house
congregations, you should check the foremost online number. The house numbers may have been assigned
resource for Jewish Genealogy, JewishGen at arbitrarily by the census taker or affixed to the home. There
<www.jewishgen.org>. is no way to determine that a house plot today corresponds to
a house number recorded in 1869. The data includes: each
Other Helpful Resources occupant’s name, birth date, birthplace, occupation,
The FHL also offers guidance for reading and religion, ethnicity, literacy, and other items. Also noted is a
interpreting records in other languages. They have a detailed inventory of livestock, probably their most valued
collection of “Genealogical Word Lists” in several asset.
languages which are very helpful for performing The census was recorded in Hungarian. Some versions
translations. Typically, these word lists are available at your contain only Hungarian, while others include a combination
local FHC for .50 cents-$1.50 each. You can also purchase of Ukrainian and Hungarian. Other areas of present day
them from the online catalog on the FHL Internet site Slovakia, especially in the west, may contain other
<www.familysearch.org>. Go to the “Search” Tab at the top languages such as Slovak. The lists contains one entry for
then, click “Research Helps” and then click “Sort by each residence. Each entry contains three parts: buildings,
Document Type” and click on “Word List.” N.B.: Some of people and livestock. All data is presented in columnar
the word lists can be downloaded in PDF format. Others just form. Check the Survey of Holdings: 1869 Magyar Census
have a description, so you will have to purchase these lists Data for Slovakia at the FHL.
directly from the FHL or your local FHC. Fortunately, the The present FHLC does not include the settlement
Czech and Hungarian Word Lists are available in PDF names for those listed in the census. The settlement names
format. are listed in alphabetical order, by 1869 Hungarian name, on
Genealogy Library: Reference Table (Common Foreign the film titles, with often more than one settlement name per
Language Terms by Mike Szelog, November 2001) film. The films may or may not have their present day
<freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~atpc/genealogy/ar- Slovak name listed parenthetically in the title. Below are
ticles/records-common-fgn-words.html> two sample 1869 census pages for Osturna Szepes.
Fig. 12 - 1869 census forms (p. 1-2) for house no. 20, Figlyar family
Fig. 13 - Transcription of 1869 census forms shown above. Courtesy of John Hudick

The 1869 Hungarian Census can prove quite valuable in German, Hungarian, or Latin. After 1790, all vital records
your research. In some instances, you may be able to obtain had to be indexed (the accuracy to which this was done
at least the year of birth for some of your ancestors when the varies). Duplicate copies of vital records were then soon
information is not available in the church records. required by law to be deposited in the bishop’s consistory
archive (1799 for the Czech Lands and 1827 in Hungary).
Other Records Civil registration in Hungary (including Slovakia) was not
introduced until 1895. After World War I and the formation
Local Histories of Czechoslovakia, new policies were instituted for the
Books are often published that include the history of keeping of vital records. Civil registration became the
individual cities, towns or villages. Some are available official registration in 1920, and church registers were no
through the FHL. Search the Family History Catalog under longer considered publicly valid.
the town name - HISTORY.
State Regional Archives
Military Records Most records more than 100 years old are now kept in
Muster rolls and qualification lists are available from state regional archives (statni oblastni archivy); later records
the 1700s through 1915. Military records have been are maintained at the vital records sections (matricní
microfilmed by the FHL. The films are mostly of Austrian oddeleni/oddelenie) of local city offices. For the old
records, but some Hungarian records are available. These counties of Zemplen and Saros, they are stored in Presov.
include alphabetically arranged lists of officers and some For Szepes (Spis), the are stored in Lubica. These centers are
common soldiers who were not ethnically German. These open to the public by making prior arrangements or by
records are only of value if you know the regiment to which having the right connections. For more details abut the
your ancestor belonged. There are over 2600 titles for Slovak Archives, refer to Genealogical Research in the
Austrian military records in the FHLC. About one half of Czech Republic and Slovakia by Daniel Schlyter.9
them are personnel and regimental records and the other half If you are planning a research trip to another country.
are military chruch books. All of the records are in German make sure you do the intial legwork firt (research all U.S.
and all of them use German places names when there was sources, check the FHL, etc.) so you don’t waste time trying
one (for example, Slowakai = Slovakia). Cities, towns and to locate records you could have searched in America.
villages may also have German place names. Search the Network with other in an ethnic genealogical society or
FHLC under AUSTRIA - or HUNGARY - MILITARY other group (or online) who have made trips to the homeland
RECORDS. In addition, Karen Hobbs has worked for research and travel tips.
extensively in the area of Austrian military records. She has
published articles for the Czechoslovak Genealogical Research by mail
Society International and the German-Bohemian Heritage In the Slovak Republic, the Ministry of the Interior and
Society.8 the Enviroment is responsible for the administration of
archives.
Nobility records If your ancestor was from the area formerly governed by
The FHL has nobility documents (dating from the Hungary (Slovakia) sen your request directly to the Slovak
1600s) for most of the old Kingdom of Hungary including archival administration:
Slovakia.
Slovak Ministry of Interior and Environment
Tax Lists Archivná Správa
Lists of taxpayers are available. Austrian records were Krizková 7
first compiled in 1654, then in 1684, 1746, 1757, and 1792. 811 04 Bratislava
The lists include only the heads of families who own taxable Slovak Republic
property or have a trade and are helpful when an ancestor is
known to have been in a taxable status. Tax lists are in The archival administration will arrange for searches of
various archives, but not readily available to researchers. birth, marriage, and death registers deposited in the state
The FHL has a collection of unindexed tax lists all written in archives. The only records available for genealogical
Czech. Search the FHLC under CZECH REPUBLIC - or research by mail (with rare exception) are parish registers of
SLOVAKIA - LAND AND PROPERTY. births, marriages, and deaths. Researchers at the archives
will conduct the research and send you a report of what has
Slovak State Archive Records been done. Costs for this type of research will vary, but you
In February 1784, a law required churches to make civil can estimate approximately $55.00 to $85.00 (U.S.). Other
transcripts of births, marriages, and deaths for state use. All records, such as census or land records are difficult to access
churches in Austria and Hungary had to record of births, by writing, but can be researched if you schedule a visit to the
marriages and deaths and such information was the property archives yourself. There are some online references for the
of the state. The law required that all records be kept in Slovak Archives, including:
•Embassy of the Slovak Republic <www.iarelative.com/ thank them in whatever way you feel is appropriate ( e-mail,
embassy.htm> monetary donation to off-set research costs, donation of time
•Slovak National Archives <www.civil.gov.sk/snarchiv/ to add or edit information to their Intrnet site, etc.).
uk.htm>
Networking: finding others
Helpful tips for mail requests You can network with others searching for their Slavic
There are some general guidelines to follow when roots in a number of ways. First, you can join one or more
requesting genealogical information by mail from a foreign ethnic or general genealogical societies, historical societies,
country. or other groups. Most of these organizations have regular
When writing to a foreign record repository, write the membership meetings and local or national conferences.
letter in the language of the country, whenever possible. These conferences are definitely worth the money and time
You can find templates for form letters in several spent. Not only will you often have a chance to hear expert
genealogical guidebooks and on the Internet. The FHL has speakers on a number of genealogical topics, these
an excellent Letter Writing Guide (Czech and Slovak) gatherings also provide you with an opportunity to meet
available for download (PDF format) from the Research others doing similar research. Nothing beats old-fashioned
Guidance section of their Internet site (see fig. 14-15). Ask networking! All of the major genealogy and family history
for only 1 or 2 items at a time and note the response time and magazines list upcoming conferences as do the Internet sites
type of response before requesting additional records. of all the major organizations. You can also check Cyndi’s
Include with your inquiry 2 postal International Reply List under the “Societies & Groups Index” at
Coupons, available from any post office. There is no need to <www.CyndisList.com/society.htm>
send a return envelope. List all the pertinent information
about the person, name, date of birth, place of birth, mother, Using the Internet
father, religion, etc. Also, request information in the form of Message boards and forums such those located at
“Extract of Birth Record”, Extract of Marriage Record”, etc. Ancestry.com <www.ancestry.com> and Genealogy.com
and specifically state that you do not want “Duplicate Birth <www.genealogy.com> are great places to post queries
Certificate”, “Duplicate Marriage Certificate”, etc., other- about surnames and localities you are researching. Both of
wise you will find yourself being billed for duplicate these sites have message boards specific to Slovakia. There
certificates of your ancestors’ siblings that you don’t want. are a number of other discussion groups on the Internet
You should request that they research all direct line related to Slavic Research. Again, check Cyndi’s List (Help
ancestors and specify a cost limit of so many dollars. When from Others Section) at <www.cyndislist.com/
the research is completed they will notify you with an topical.htm#Help>. Another good site is the Slovak
invoice. If you need to send a postal money order or a money Republic Mailing Lists (John Fuller) at:
order from your bank in the country’s currency. <www.rootsweb.com/~jfuller/gen_mail_country-slo.html>
Look at unlikely sources for information Establishing contacts in the ancestral village (mayor or
Before you go to the trouble of preparing, translating priest)
and sending correspondence to the State Archives in If you decide to research in Slovakia, it could be to your
Slovakia, ask yourself if you have really explored all of your advantage to locate families living in Slovakia who have the
options here in the United States. Have you contacted surname you are researching and write to the village mayor
Slovak societies and church groups to see if anyone has or priest. The easiest way to do this is to search the Internet
researched your village or town of interest? Are there any on for you village name and surname.
groups or family associations out there that you could join? Next, assemble a list of names common to the village
What about online information? The beauty of the Internet (not just the obvious surnames for your family but other
is that you can find just about any type of information, but be common names, you never know they could be relatives)
certain to always verify the quality of the source. Check and try to find the name of the mayor or priest
Cyndi’s List <www.cyndislist.com> and RootsWeb
<www.rootsweb.com>. Do a search on Google Other ways to find out common surnames
<www.google.com> for the town or village. You may be •Contact churches in immigrant communities (clusters)
surprised at what you will find! There are many researchers for names
out there who have put a great deal of time and effort •Search phone and e-mail directories
researching particular surnames and/or villages, and a <www.infobel.com/teldir/>
number of them extend genealogical kindness and post their •Search foreign phonebooks, especially those in
findings on the Internet so that other researchers can benefit Slovakia for manes, postal codes, etc. (most public
from the work they have already done. libraries have a collection
The point here is to investigate all possible leads to save •Contact mayor/priest in village or towm
time and money. If you do find that someone has already •Look for Hungarian surnames on the Internet site
located information that you have been seeking, you should <www.bogardi.com/gen/index.shtml>
Fig. 14 - Slovak letter writing guide. Reprinted by permission. Copyright (c) 2000 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc.

Fig. 15 - Slovak letter writing guide. Reprinted by permission. Copyright (c) 2000 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc.

•Tell everyone you know the srnames and villages you Other Research Services), <www.CyndisList.com/
are reseaching (post to your Web site; include in your e- profess.htm>
mail signature) Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International
When writing to a priest or mayor, keep in mind that (Professional Genealogical Researchers for Czech and
they are not researchers. This is especially true if you are Slovak Republics), <www.cgsi.org/base/research.htm>
writing to priests, because they may have to care for more International Commission for the Accreditation of
than one village, and can be quite busy. It is a nice gesture to Professional Genealogists, <www.icapgen.org>
include a modest donation for the local church if writing to a
priest (cash is not recommended). Conclusion
If you are requesting documents, ask the priest if he Researching your Slovak genealogy may appear a
would be willing to make a photocopy of the original record. daunting task at first, but fortunately if you have Slovak
Unless you request a photocopy, he will only transcribe the ancestors you are actually one of the lucky ones because of
necessary, but not all, information on to the official the wealth of resources available through the FHL and other
document. Always include a donation to the church when sources in the United States.
you request a copy. How much should send? It depends on If your ancestor called this county “home” for 1 year, 5
how much work you expect him to do for you. For example, years or 30 years, there should be some documentation about
a simple record would cost $10.00 (U.S.) while a more his or her time in this country through one or more of the
complex request (if you can’t supply an exact date) that following: census records, immigration records, land/
requires the priest to spend time looking for the record, probate records, the Social Security Death Index, vital
perhaps $20.00-$25.00 (U.S.). records, etc. In addition, information is available from the
Establishing ties with a village priest or mayor can Slovak archives in person or via mail, or through the efforts
provide you with more than just research results, but a real of reputable professional genealogists. Whether you choose
connection to those living in the village or town today. For to conduct research on your own or hire someone to do the
more information on the how a group of descendants from research for you, there are a variety of Slovak records readily
the village of Osturna established a mutually beneficial accessible both in this country and abroad to guide you along
relationship with the priest and mayor there, you should read the path to your ancestors.
the article, “Mayors and Clergymen: Powerful Partners in
Genealogy” by Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak. in the
November/December 2002 issue of Heritage Quest Bibliography
Magazine.
Articles
When to Hire a Professional Researcher Smolenyak, Megan Smolenyak. “Mayors and Clergy-
You may decide that you have hit a roadblock in your men: Powerful Partners in Genealogy.” Heritage Quest
research, or perhaps you do not have the time to devote to Magazine (Nov.//Dec. 2002).
searching records, especially in another state or country.
This is where a professional genealogist or researcher can Atlases
assist you. Advantages to hiring a professional include: they Velký Autoatlas: Ceská Republika, Slovenská
are familiar with the area’s history and geography and know Republika, 1996. Road atlas with 1:200,000 maps.
where to look for the records and most likely have Podrobný Autoatlas Slovenska, 1996. 1:100,000 scale
established relationships with the personnel at the archives, road atlas of Slovakia, spiral bound.
and possess the expert knowledge of what and how to Vlastivedný Slovní? Obcí Slovensku, Bratislava (3
research. Some of the disadvantages of having someone else vols, 1977-). In Slovak. Index in vol. 3.
do the research are: cost (research time and often travel Hungarian Village Finder: Atlas, and Gazetteer for the
expenses); they are not familiar with your family and will Kingdom of Hungary. CD-ROM, available from
research only on the facts you provide not knowing the <www.villagefinder.com/cdrom/CD.html>.
nuances or details that you do; you must wait for results
based on this individual’s timetable. Books
If you want to hire someone, you will first want to check Colletta, John P. They Came in Ships: A Guide to
out his or her credentials and fees. You can do this online by Finding Your Immigrant Ancestor’s Arrival Record. Salt
visiting a number of sites. First check out the Association of Lak City: Ancestry Pub, 2002.
Professional Genealogists in America at <www.apgen.org> Hudick, John A. Finding Your Ancestral Village in
Look under country or ethnic group of interest for Slovakia, Czechy, Ukraine, Galicia and Hungary in the
researchers specializing in a particular heritage. A few Former Austro-Hungarian Empire. Grants Pass: Slavic
other sites you can check are: Roots Genealogy Services, 2002.
Board for Certification of Genealogists, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index: A Guide to
<www.bcgcertification.org> Published Arrival Records of More than 3,806,000
Cyndi’s List (Professional Researchers, Volunteers & Passengers Who Came to the New World between the
Sixteenth and the Twentieth Centuries. Detroit: Gale The Handybook for Genealogists. 10 th ed. Everton
Research Co., 1981- Originally 3 vol. Supplemental Publishers. F&W Publications, 2002.
volumes published annually and gathered every few years The International Vital Records Handbook. 4th ed.
into cumulative supplements. Also available on CD-ROM Genealogical Pub. Co., 2000.
(#354) from Genealogy.com <www.genealogy.com>. Schlyter, Daniel. A Handbook of Czechoslovak
Tepper, Michael H. Arrivals at the Port of Baltimore Genealogical Research. Buffalo Grove, IL.: Genun
1820-1834: from Customs Passenger Lists. Baltimore: Publishers, 1985.
Genealogical Publishing Co., 1999.
Tepper, Michael H. Passenger Arrivals at the Port of History
Philadelphia 1800-1819: the Philadelphia Baggage Lists. Hrnko, Anton. Short Chronological History of
Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1986. Slovakia. Slovakia Document Store, October 27, 2003
<slovakia.eunet.sk/slovakia/history-politics/anthem.html>
Conference Proceedings
Gardiner, Duncan. “Slovak Genealogy” Program Maps
Syllabus. Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International City Maps of Slovakia (in Slovak, Zobrazit’ mapu = Get
Conference, 2003. Map) <mapy.zoznam.sk/browser.pcgi?M=20>
Hobbs, Karen. “Military Records at the LDS.” Program Expedia Map of Slovakia and other parts of Europe.
Syllabus. Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International Allows you to zoom in to finer detail:
Conference, 2003. <maps.expedia.com/pub/agent.dll?qscr=mrdr&lats1=48.679
Schlyter, Daniel. “Genealogical Research in the Czech 893&lons1=19.683341&alts1=650&ofsx=0&ofsy=0&ntid1
Republic and Slovakia.” NGS Conference Presentation, =8f&plce1=Slovakia&wpst1=1&regn1=1&fmap=1&zz=98297
2002. 6070747>
Smolenyak, Megan Smolenyak. “Jump Start Your Topographical Maps of Eastern and Western Europe,
Eastern European Research. Program Syllabus, Federation Series M501 and N501, Scale 1:250,000, circa 1955.
of East European Family History Societies, 2003. Published by the Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army,
Washington D.C. 2. Maps of Slovakia
Dictionaries
Other
Online Majtán, Milan. Názvy Obcí Slovenskej Republiky
Obnovit’ slovník, PC Translator® 2003 [Names of Villages, Slovak Republic]. Bratislava, VEDA,
<www.slovnik.sk/> 1998.
Online Q Dictionary, 1999-2000 <www.dcsoft.sk/ Pfohl, Ernst. Ortslexikon Sudetenland: oro-, hydro-
qdictsearch/> und topographisches, statistisches und wirtschaftskundliches
Slovanet, 2002 <www.slovnik.psg.sk/> Nachschlagewerk, Auskunftsbuch èuber jeden Ort ...
Nümberg: H. Preußler, 1987. Order from Helmut Preußler
Printed Verlag, Rotherburger Str. 25, 8500 70, Nümberg,
Lelkes, György. Magyar helységnév-azonosító szótár Germany; cost is ca. $35.00; Best one-volume source; Gives
[Dictionary of Hungarian Place-Names]. Baja: Talma German, Czech, Hungarian and Slovak town name with
Könyvkiado, 1998. Useful if your search includes Slovakia, cross-reference.
Carpatho-Ukraine or Hungary. Gemeindelexikon der in Reichsrate vertretenen
Trnka, Nina. Slovak-English/English-Slovak Dictio- Königreiche undd Länder, Vienna, K. u. K. Central-
nary. New York: Hippocrene Books, 1992-93. kommission (1904 and other dates; individual volumes
named Ortslexikon von Mähren, etc.) Available on FHL
Gazetteers film.
Atlas and Gazetteer of Historic Hungary, 1914.
Gazetteer of Hungary, 1944. Internet sites
Gazetteer of Czechoslovakia, Official Standard names Ancestry.com <www.ancestry.com>
approved by the United States Board of Geographical Joe Beine <home.att.net/~wee-monster/
Names. Division of Geography, Dept. of the Interior. deathrecords.html>
Magyarorszag Geographiai Szotara, 1851. [Hungarian Bremer Passagierlisten 1920 - 1939 <db.genealogy.net/
Gazetteer of 1851]. maus/gate/shiplists.cgi>
Magyarorszag Helysegnevtare, 1877 (Gazetteer of Carpatho-Rusyn Society <www.carpatho-rusyn.org/
Hungary) by Janos Dvorzsak. films2.htm>
Census-Online <www.census-online.com>
Genealogical Handbooks Census Links <www.censuslinks.com>
Eichholz, Alice. Ancestry’s Red Book. American Cyndi’s List <www.cyndislist.com>
State, County and Town Sources. Ancestry Pub., 1992. Czech Immigration Passenger Lists (Leo Baca)
<www.angelfire.com/tx5/texasczech/References/ Steven Morse <www.stevemorse.org>
Leo%20Baca.htm> Tel/Dir <www.infobel.com/teldir/>
Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International USGenWeb <www.usgenweb.org>
<www.cgsi.org> Vital Chek <www.vitalcheck.com>
Ellis Island <www.ellisislandrecords.org>
Embassy of the Slovak Republic <www.iarelative.com/
embassy.htm> Endotes
Family History Library <www.familysearch.org>
Family Tree Legends (SSDI) 1. Fourteenth Census of the United States. Taken in the year
<www.familytreelegends.com/ssdi> 1920, Vol. II, Population: General Report and Analytical
Federation of Eastern European Family History Tables, (Washington, 1922): 984.
Societies <feefhs.org> 2. Supplementary Report to the Census Population, 1990.
funeralCENTRAL <www.funeralcentral.com> U.S. Bureau of the Census.
Funeral Net <www.funeralnet.com> 3. U.S. Bureau of the Census, International Database: Date
Genealogy.com <www.genealogy.com> updated 07/17/03.
Google <www.google.com> 4. Slovakia Heart of Europe (Online) 2002-2003
Heritage Quest Online <www.heritagequest.com> <www.heartofeurope.co.uk/>
Hungarian Surnames <www.bogardi.com/gen/ 5. Slovak Overview (Online) London Translations,
index.shtml> www.london-translations.co.uk/slovak-overview.html
IA Relative <www.iarelative.com> 6. Vardy, Steven. Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA.
Immigrants to Canada email communication, 2003.
<ist.uwaterloo.ca/~marj/genealogy/thevoyage.html> 7. Heritage Quest. Definition of Pedigree Chart
Immigrant Ships Transcriber’s Guild <www.heritagequest.com/gen101/step1.html>
<www.immigrantships.net/> 8. Hobbs, Karen. “Military Records at the LDS.” Program/
inGeneas <www.ingeneas.com> Syllabus, 2003 Czechoslovak Genealogical Society Interna-
John Jaso <www.bmi.net/jjaso/index.html> tional Conference.
Jewish Genealogy <www.jewishgen.org> 9. Schlyter, D. “Genealogical Research in the Czech
Link-To-Your-Roots <www.hamburg.de/fhh/ Republic and Slovakia.” NGS Conference Presentation,
behoerden/staatsarchiv/link_to_your_roots/english/> May 2002.
National Archives of Canada <www.archives.ca/02/
02020204_e.html>
National Archives & Records Administration
<www.archives.gov/index.html>
Newslink <www.newslink.com>
News Library <www.newslibrary.com>
Northeast Slovakia Research Strategies
<www.iabsi.com/gen/public/Documents/
1828%20Census.pdf>
Obituary Central <obitcentral.com/obitsearch>
Obituary Daily Times <www.rootsweb.com/~obitu- Lisa Alzo was raised in Duquesne, Pennsylvania and
ary> currently resides in Ithaca, New York. She earned a Master
Obituary Lookups <freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/ of Fine Arts degree in Nonfiction Writing from the
~obitl> University of Pittsburgh in 1997, and has spent 12 years
Online Public Records <www.netronline.com/ researching her family’s history. Her first book, Three
public_records.htm> Slovak Women, was published by Gateway Press in 2001
Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness and she was the recipient of the 2002 Mary Zirin Prize given
<www.raogk.org> by the Association for Women in Slavic Studies to recognize
RootsWeb <www.rootsweb.com> the achievements of independent scholars and to encourage
Shtetlseeker <www.jewishgen.org/ShtetlSeeker/ their continued scholarship and service in the field of Slavic
loctown.htm> Women’s Studies. Lisa teaches Slovak and Eastern
Slavism.com <www.slavism.com> European Genealogy for MyFamily.com’s online training
Slovak Language <www.slovak.com/language/ program, and was an invited speaker at several conferences
index.html> in 2003 including: The Society for Czechoslovak Arts &
Slovakia Heart of Europe Web site Sciences (SVU) in Cedar Rapids, Federation of East
<www.heartofeurope.co.uk/search.htm> European Family History Societies (FEEFHS) in Salt Lake
Slovak National Archives <www.civil.gov.sk/snarchiv/ City, and the Czechoslovak Genealogical Society Interna-
uk.htm> tional (CGSI) in Houston.

FEEFHS Guide Slovak Research

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

FEEFHS Guide Slovak Research

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

FEEFHS Guide Slovak Research

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

A Beginner’s Guide to Slovak Reseach

by Lisa A. Alzo, M.F.A.

Introduction Perhaps you are among those nearly 2 million Slovaks

Fig. 1 - Slovakia, 1918. Courtesy of John Hudick

FEEFHS Journal Volume XI 51

Where is Slovakia? The earliest evidence of people living in Slovakia

Civil vital records

You may discover interesting occurrences and mistakes, as

Special considerations regarding vital records research

What if the civil record is unavailable?

Probate court records

Online public records

FEEFHS Journal Volume XI 67

Index of Slovak State Archives church records

Searching the online FHLC

Jewish Records The 1869 Census

70 FEEFHS Journal Volume XI

FEEFHS Journal Volume XI 73

74 FEEFHS Journal Volume XI

You might also like