Finding Your Slovak Ancestors

There are few enough books on researching Slovak Ancestry. For this reason alone, Finding Your Slovak Ancestors…, by Lisa A. Alzo is valuable to many researchers. Approximately 650,000 Slovaks emigrated to North America between 1875 and 1914. That mean millions of descendents living in Canada and the United States today. Utilizing over 15 years experience, Alzo presents her techniques, along with resources and key methodologies to tracing one’s Slovak roots.

The book provides an overview to both traditional as well as online resources. Alzo provides examples to finding and interpreting records. She helps the reader analyze different record types. She even covers conducting successful oral interviews and working with family members to record stories and memories.

Finding Your Slovak Ancestors focuses on research one can do from home. Why pay the high cost of travel when there is so much that can be done without exuberant fees. Alzo guides researchers to local sources, as well as those records which can be found on the Internet. The author notes that many records for Slovakian villages have been microfilmed and are available through the Family History Library.

Ultimately, Alzo guides the researcher to creating contact with others searching their Slovak ancestry. She recommends, and discusses how to, use community based research tools and groups. Working with and supporting other researcher may open up opportunities which would otherwise remain closed off.

Table of Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Why Do You Want to Know?

• Identity
• Medical Reasons
• DNA Testing
• DNA Definitions
• Curiosity about Customs & Traditions
• Leaving a Legacy
• The Journey Begins

Where to Begin?

• Start with Yourself
• Pedigree Chart/Ancestor Chart
• Home & Family Sources
• Gather Family Information
• Family Group Sheet
• Asking Questions
• Recording Information
• Ancestor Data Sheet
• Contacting Your Relatives
• Becoming a Good Interviewer
• Before the Interview
• During the Interview
• Conducting the Interview
• Questioning Techniques
• After the Interview (follow-up/transcription)
• Avoiding Duplication of Efforts
• Is Your Family Tree Online?
• Personal Ancestral File
• Ancestry World Tree
• RootsWeb
• Published Family Histories
• Slovak Societies & Surname Databases/Reference Projects
• Utilizing the Family History Library
• Family History Centers (FHC)
• Traditional vs. Online Research
• Online Research

Starting in North America

• Start with the Census
• Canadian Census Records
• Locating Canadian Census Returns
• Newfoundland Census Returns
• How and Where to Consult Census Records
• United States Census Records
• Federal Census Records
• What You Need to Know to Find the Correct Census Records
• Sources for Obtaining Street Addresses
• Traditional Census Searches
• Soundex
• Organization of Soundex Records
• The Soundex Card
• Soundex Information
• U.S. Federal Census – Glitches and Problems
• Still Missing Your Ancestors?
• Public Records Sources: Vital Records
• U.S. Vital Records
• Death Records
• Newspaper Databases
• Birth Records
• Marriage Records
• How to Obtain Vital Records
• Other Records: Divorce and Adoption
• Canadian Vital Records
• Church Records
• Special Considerations Regarding Vital Records Research
• U.S. Social Security Death Index
• Who is Listed in the SSDI?
• What Information Does the SSDI Contain?
• What do the Numbers in a Social Security Number Mean?
• What Other Information is Available from the Social Security Administration?
• How can I get a Copy of the Original Records?
• Why Can’t I Find the Person I’m Looking for?
• LDS
• RootsWeb.com
• Family Tree Legends
• U.S. Naturalization Records
• General Guidelines for Obtaining Copies of Naturalization Records
• Alien Registration United States
• Canadian Naturalization Records
• Alien Registration Canada
• Land/Probate Records
• Land Records United States
• Land Records Canada
• Land Petitions
• Métis Land Claims
• Probate (Court) Records
• Canada
• Online Public Records
• Probate (Court) Records – United States
• Canadian Military Records
• Post-First World War Records
• Military Records: United States
• Access to Military Service and Pension Records
• The Family History Library
• Ancestry.com
• Other Sources
• Immigration Records (Passenger Lists/Ship’s Manifests)
• Canadian Immigration Records
• Border Entry Records
• Emigration from Canada
• United States Immigration Records
• Searching the Ellis Island Database
• How to Find Exotic-Sounding Names
• Additional Stumbling Blocks
• Morse’s Tools
• Another Tools: Edward Rosenbaum
• Other Methods for Finding Ancestors Arriving
• Before Ellis Island or at Other Ports
• To Find Your Ancestor’s Ship
• Obtaining a Picture of Your Ancestor’s Ship
• Internet Resources

Slovakia: Brief Historical Synopsis

• Where is Slovakia?
• Brief Historical Background
• Overview of Slovakia’s History (all dates, A.D.)
• Political Considerations
• Language Issues
• Slovaks and Religion
• Slovaks and Family
• Leaving Home: A Glimpse at Slavic Immigration
• Are You Really “Slovak?” How to Know?
• Czech, Hungarian, Polish, Slovak, Ukrainian? Other?
• Czech
• Czechoslovak
• Hungarian
• Polish
• Slovak
• What is Rusyn?
• How to Find the Ancestral Village
• Research Steps
• Locating the Ancestral Village
• Maps
• Other Useful Maps
• Printed Gazetteer(s) and/or Atlas
• Gazetteers of Hungary
• Other Atlases/Gazetteers
• Online Gazetteers/Atlases
• Using Shtetlseeker
• Place Name Hungarian-Contemporary Conversions
• Accented Characters

Geography

• Language Concerns: Slovak, Hungarian, Latin, etc.
• Identifying Key Words and Phrases
• Records Available for Slovakia
• Local Parish Records
• Civil Registration
• LDS Microfilmed Records
• Church Records
• Index of Slovak State Archives Church Records
• Searching the Online Family History Library Catalog
• How to Read and Interpret Birth, Death, and Marriage Records
• Marriage Records
• Names
• Jewish Records
• Other Helpful Resources
• Census Records (Czech)
• Census Records (Slovak)
• Other Records
• Local Histories
• Military Records
• Nobility
• Tax Lists (berni ruly)
• Contacting Relatives
• Making Contact

Scaling the Brick Wall: Dealing with False Leads and Pitfalls in Your Research

• What if the Records are Not Available on LDS Microfilm?
• Writing to the Ancestral Town or Village
• Enclosures
• Czech & Slovak State Archive Records
• Research in Person
• State Regional Archive Centers
• Research by Mail
• Helpful Tips for Mail Requests
• Look at Unlikely Sources for Information
• Networking: Finding Others
• Internet Searching
• Posting Queries in Printed Publications
• When to Hire a Professional

Identifying “Cluster” Communities

• A Glimpse at Slovaks Around the World
• Slovaks Living Abroad
• How to Located ‘Cluster’ Communities
• A Good Place to Begin: The 1990 U.S. Census
• Slovak Lineage by State in the U.S.
• Slovaks in Canada
• U.S. & Canadian Maps
• Search Immigration Records and Census Records
• Slovak Churches: Rich Repositories of Information
• Web or Telephone Directory Searches
• Contacting the Parish Priest
• Visiting the Parish Cemetery
• Attending Church Functions
• Viewing Church Records
• Analyzing, Interpreting and Organizing Your Data
• Analyzing Data
• Interpreting Data
• Overview of Slovak Traditions
• Religious & Social Customs
• Weddings (Marriage)
• Births (Baptisms/Christenings)
• Death (Funeral/Burial)
• Identifying Community Celebrations
• Slovak Festivals & Other Events

Slovak Communities

• Internet Research
• Cyndi’s List
• Google
• Other Websites
• Meta Search Engines, etc.
• Traditional Research (Society Lists & Publications)
• National Organizations
• Other Groups
• Slovak (Eastern European) Conferences & Local Meetings
• Local Meetings
• Other National Groups
• Benefits of Attending Such Conferences
• Other Slovak Websites
• Colleges & Universities with Slavic Languages Departments
• Language Classes
• Historical Societies & Museums
• Newsletters & Other Forms of Communication

Networking

• Networking Protocols
• Web and Directory Searches
• Newspaper/Journal/Magazine and Other
• Publication Advertisement
• Message Boards
• Classes
• Village-Based Associations
• Village-Based Associations: Should You Form One
• Funding Issues
• Identifying a Membership
• Consolidating Research Projects
• Fundraising and Other Projects
• Sharing the Work
• Expanding the Circle to the Ancestral Village
• Making Contact with Relatives and Others in Slovakia
• Planning a Gathering or Reunion

Sharing Information

• Options for Publishing and Sharing Information
• Traditional Print Materials (Newsletters, Booklets, etc.)
• Electronic Publishing
• E-mail Lists
• Websites
• Public Websites
• Private Websites (myfamily.com)
• Village Sites: Milpos
• Revising & Updating Information
• Recruiting “New Blood”
• Keeping the Momentum Going
• Miscellaneous Resources
• Conclusion

Surfing for Slovak Ancestors

References/Further Reading

Appendix

Order Finding Your Slovak Ancestors… from Family Roots Publishing; Item #: HV04, Price $23.52.