In Part 1 of “Surfing for Slovak Ancestors” I wrote about using the subscription-based databases at Ancestry.com. In this column, I thought I would share with you a number of other worthwhile websites to check for information on your Slovak and eastern European roots.
The Family History Library
Because of its extensive efforts in microfilming civil and church records in many areas of Slovakia, the Family History Library has for years been an excellent resource for researchers. In addition, the FHL also has a large collection of atlases, gazetteers, and maps, an extensive “Research Helps” section with word lists and letter writing guides.
Ellis Island Database
This database, first launched in April 2001, contains immigration records of some 22 million immigrants who came to the U.S. through the port of New York from 1892-1924. A significant number of Slovak immigrants passed through Ellis Island. You can search the site for free, but you must register with a user name and password. The site has since been upgraded and offers user many expanded search capabilities.
One-Step Web Pages by Stephen P. Morse
A collection of online forms used to search certain genealogical databases in “One-Step.” The most notable is the “Searching the Ellis Island Database in One Step,” which enables researchers to mine data from the Ellis Island Database. Users can choose “sounds like” search criteria for first and last name, as well as town name, and define a number of other more specific parameters. This is especially helpful for locating the often misspelled Eastern European surnames and towns/villages.
Federation of Eastern European Family History Societies (FEEFHS)
This site should be one of the first stops for anyone researching ancestors from Eastern and Central Europe. The FEEFHS web site provides an extensive online “map room,” a collection of unique surname databases, and other links.
The Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International (CGSI)
The society serves to promote Czechoslovak genealogical research with ancestry in the Czechoslovak region as it was in 1918, including families of Czech, Bohemian, Moravian, Slovak, German, Hungarian, Jewish, Rusyn, and Silesian origin. Learn about travel resources, the Czech and Slovak Archives, and available professional researchers.
The Carpatho-Rusyn Society
Many Slovaks actually find that they have Carpatho-Rusyn ancestry. This non-profit organization dedicated to manifesting Carpatho-Rusyn culture in the United States and supporting Rusyn culture in the homeland in East Central Europe. There is also a link to “The Carpatho-Rusyn Knowledge Base” for articles, organizations, and other useful references.
Czechoslovak Society of Arts & Sciences (SVU)
The SVU is a nonprofit, nonpolitical, cultural organization, started in 1958, and dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge, the free dissemination of ideas, and the fostering of contacts among people. Check the site’s many informative links!
Jewishgen.org
Often, people of Eastern European descent will discover they have Jewish roots, and even if you don’t, this website is worth a look! Along with a variety of databases and other useful links, the site includes ShtetlSeeker (which enables you to search for towns in Central and Eastern Europe, using exact spelling or the Daitch-Mokotoff Soundex system).
It’s All Relative
The “It's All Relative” Genealogical Research Pages offer tools, resources, and information to help you search your Czech, Bohemian, Moravian, Slovak, Lemko, or Carpatho-Rusyn family history and ancestry.
Our Slovakia (Slovak Pride Database)
This site includes Helene Cincebeaux’s list of more than 23,000 Slovak surnames and villages. Also, check out Helene’s “Tours of Slovakia” for upcoming trips back to the homeland.
Slovak Links
Contains a large collection of Web links to sites about/or pertaining to Slovaks both in the U.S. and abroad. A great “one-stop” site for finding information related to your Slovak genealogical research.
Church Record Translations (John Jaso)
Reading and interpreting church records written in old world languages is often a big obstacle for researchers. This site is an excellent resource for anyone who must translate birth, marriage, and death records from Hungarian, Latin, or Slovak languages.
Eastern Slovakia Genealogy Research Strategies
This informative website includes genealogical research strategies, methods and unique resources for people with roots in Eastern Slovakia (Slovak Republic)/formerly Czechoslovakia/formerly Upper Hungary.
Slovak Telephone Directory (Telefonny Zoznam Slovenskej Republiky)
This site is a current online Slovak telephone directory that contains an “English Version.” There is a Residential Directory, Directory of Businesses, and “All Subscribers.” You can narrow your search to a surname and the name of the town or village, or search a wider geographical area using a particular area code. This is a great tool for finding out if you still have any living relatives in a particular town or village.
LinkToYourRoots
Many Slovak immigrants Europe departed from Hamburg, Germany. For a long time, the index to these records (1850-1934) has been available on microfilm through the Family History Library. The “Link to Your Roots” database (Hamburg State Archives) allows online searching of the emigration lists (years 1890-1906). The initial search can be performed for free, but the results show only minimal details (in text format, not digitized images): Surname, First Name, State of Origin, Marital Status, Date of Birth, and Destination. For a fee, (based on the number of records ordered and payable by credit card), you can see other details, such as the name of ship and date of arrival.
Bremen Passenger Lists 1920 – 1939
Bremen was another frequent port of departure for Slovak immigrants. Unfortunately, with the exception of 2,953 passenger lists for the years 1920 – 1939 all other lists were either lost or destroyed. You can search the database free of charge, and obtain such details as Family Name, First name(s), Sex, Age, Place of Residence, Nationality, Profession, and Destination.
Radix – Genealogical Research in Hungary
This website is dedicated to genealogy research in Hungary and it aims at helping family historians in finding out more about their Hungarian ancestry. Key available resources include: Industry and trade directory of Hungary in 1891, a searchable 1913 gazetteer of Hungary, and a listing of most frequent Hungarian surnames, an online forum, and a link to a new Hungarian genealogy Weblog (BLOG) called Radixlog.
The Slovak Institute
The Slovak Institute in North America is located in Cleveland, Ohio, and houses a number of Slovak books and periodicals, along with a link to the Surname Location Reference Project (SLRP)—a database of immigrants from Slovakia and their North American descendents.
Immigrant History Research Center (University of Minnesota)
This is a great online reference site for the American immigrant experience. The Center’s collection is particularly strong in its documentation of Eastern, Central, and Southern European ethnic groups. Users can browse the collection online by ethnic group, but materials do not circulate. Check the site for more details.
As you can see, with so many websites to explore, the Internet can open a gateway back to your ancestral homeland. So what are you waiting for? Pull up a chair, fire up your computer and start surfing. The information you seek about your Slovak ancestors may only be a few mouse clicks away!
Lisa Alzo is the author of Three Slovak Women, Baba’s Kitchen: Slovak & Rusyn Family Recipes and Traditions (Gateway Press), and the recently published Finding Your Slovak Ancestors (Heritage Books), as well as numerous articles for genealogy magazines. She is an instructor of Eastern European, Slovak, and Great Lakes Region genealogy classes for MyFamily.com, and is a frequent speaker at national conferences, genealogical and historical societies. Lisa can be reached through her website.
Lisa’s Upcoming Classes at MyFamily.com:
Copyright 2005, MyFamily.com.
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