Abstract

A vast number of immigrants came to America from Eastern Europe in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. Border changes, language differences, political considerations, and exotic-sounding surnames often complicate the search for Austrian, Czech, Hungarian, Polish, Rusyn, Slovak, Ukrainian, and other Eastern European ancestors. Traditional methods and online resources for tracking ancestors both in the U.S. and the old country will be discussed, as well as techniques for overcoming some of the most common obstacles and problems faced during the research process.

2/37

Common Myths: EE Research

• Myth #6 – Locality research should be based on current geography
• Myth #7 – “I know my ancestor came through Ellis Island…but I can’t find him/her!”
• Myth #8 – Immigrants never returned home to the Old Country
• Myth #9 – The “place of residence” listed on an immigration record is the person’s “place of birth”
• Myth #10 – Your ethnic identity is 100% certain

4/37

Why Start Stateside?

• Records easier to access
• Provides clues to town/village of origin
• Helps you to avoid making critical research mistakes

6/37

Ancester (Pedigree) Chart

Ancestry.com has many useful charts available for download. See http://www.ancestry.myfamily.com/save/charts/
ancchart.htm for the ancester (or pedigree) chart.

8/37

Create your own charts

You can also create your own charts. Don't hesitate to invent your own forms or charts. If you find that a new form would make your genealogical research easier, quicker, or provide for better documentation, create your own chart.

10/37

Learning Details About Immigrant

• Personal and family details
• Locate the town/village of origin
• Search U.S. records for surnames (don’t overlook siblings or friends/neighbors)

12/37

What if the Civil Record is Unavailable?

• Church records
• Cemetery/burial records/headstone inscription
• Obituaries, funeral home records, memorial cards
• Lodge, fraternal, burial/insurance records
• Newspapers
• Land/Probate Records
• Also check Canadian Archives Records
  http://www.lac-bac.gc.ca/02/020202_e.html

14/37

LDS Microfilmed Records

• The Family History Library ( (FHL)
  http://www.familysearch.org)
• Has filmed some records for some countries; but not all in all countries at this point (see details on next pages)
• Records for several villages in one parish in larger, nearby town

16/37

How to Read and Interpret Church/Civil Records

• Birth, Marriage, Death
• Languages (Cyrillic, Greek, Hungarian, Latin, Slovak)
• Can often be difficult to read and interpret
• Consult Web site by John J. Jaso
  http://www.bmi.net/jjaso/index.html

18/37

Census Record

The slide has an image of a Sample LDS Microfilm Census record, 1869 (Osturna) Hungary - image quality is poor - unreadable

20/37

General Guidelines for Research in Eastern Europe

• Records: Type and availability will depend on the country
• Be flexible in your research
• See handout on Eastern European Web Sites

22/37

Croatia and Serbia Montenegro

• Many records are available through the LDS FHL film catalog
• Check FEEFHS RESOURCE GUIDE http://www.feefhs.org/ethnic.html

24/37

Hungary

Primary source of information:

• Parish registers (on microfilm through the FHL)
• Civil registration began in October, 1895 (privacy law stipulates that birth records become public record only after ninety years have elapsed)
• Other records through regional archives and/or correspondence or professional researchers Copies are also in the Hungarian National Archives in Budapest (check web site: http://www.natarch.hu/mol_e.htm
• Records in Latin and Hungarian

26/37

Poland

• Galicia had civil records of birth, marriage, and death beginning in the early 1800s
• Church registers (many held it local parishes; some in archives; some on microfilm (FHL)
• Records in Latin, Polish, and German
• Polish Genealogical society http://www.pgsa.org; HALGAL http://www.halgal.com

28/37

Slovakia

• Primary information source: parish registers (up to 1895) held in state regional archives
• Records in eastern archives have been filmed by the Family History Library
• Bratislava and Nitra archives in southwestern Slovakia have not yet been filmed
• Records in Latin and Hungarian (some in German or Slovak)
• Survey of parish registers in Slovakia up to the time of civil registration ("Prehlad matrík na Slovensku do zostátnenia matricnej agendy"), prepared by the Slovak State Archives (1992) filmed by the Family History Library
• Available on microfiche (LDS # Fiche 6000786) in two films; less expensive to order than microfilm your local FHC will keep it indefinitely; good cross-reference

30/37

Sub-Carpathian Rus (Ukraine)

• If village is now in the Ukraine, no microfilmed records yet available
• Ukrainian archives answer a few inquiries, but it is virtually impossible for non-Ukrainians to do research in the National archives there
• Best to hire a local researcher (Check FEEFHS RESOURCE GUIDE)

32/37

Other Areas

• Albania
• Banat
• Bulgaria
• Bukovina
• Latvia
• Etc. CHECK FEEFHS RESOURCE GUIDE http://www.feefhs.org/ethnic.html

34/37

Networking: Finding Others

• Genealogical and historical societies/queries in genealogical publications
• Online Message Boards/Forums: Ancestry.com http://www.ancestry.com, Genealogy.com http://www.genealogy.com; Delphi Forums http://forums.delphiforums.com; http://www.our-slovakia.com
• Mailing Lists (John Fuller) http://www.rootsweb.com/~jfuller/gen_mail_
  countryslo.html
• Establishing Contacts in the Ancestral Village (mayor or priest)

36/37