A summary of all changes to this site over time
October 2020 Link updates for sites that have changed, move or disappeared. August 2020 Hello, it's me! I'm back. After a seven year hiatus, I'm back to update this site. While the strategy remains constant, links have changed and better resources have surfaced. I've also retired since the last update, and coronavirus has kept me close to home, so there is time on hand to dedicate to this. Once both myself and my cousins in Slovakia give the "all clear", I plan to be back to Eastern Slovakia for an extended period of socializing the the family and research. So look for updates here, on a weekly basis as I go through every page. Please send suggestions for changes to the web site, I'm all ears! I am also continuing my studies of the Carpatho-Rusyns, with an interest in the period from the end of World War One (1919) and the Velvet Revolution (1989). The more I learn, the less I know! My objective is to develop material that describes this period to a level greater than an overview, but not as great an academic paper or book. It will be clear and easy to understand for the mortal student who has a more than passing interest, but doesn't have the time to study it in depth. In the end, I plan to publish material and give some talks to general audicences on specific topics during this period of time. It's at least six to 12 months away. The whole Cold War period in Czechoslovakia has been a big blank space in my knowledge. Perhaps it is for you too. I just finished reading a book, "Czechoslovakia: Behind the Iron Curtain" which is excellent. It gave me a lot of insights about what actually happened, and the knowledge to ask better questions of my cousins. The authors have established a non-profit Global Slovaka "dedicated to sharing Slovakia with the world." I highly recommend it. SITE UPDATES, 8/3/2020 Tip: Use translate.google.com to translate foreign language sites. (how to set your browser language coming soon!) :20th Century Photos from Eastern Slovakia (in Slovak, but easy to follow)
May 2013
20th Century Photos from Eastern Slovakia (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - actively being updated) Church Record Headers (originally produced by John Jasso) , new page "Slovakia Full Circle, The Return Journey, 1904 - 2001" , republished Ukraine State Archives, Hungary State Archives, Slovakia State Archives Hungary State Archives on-line collections Hungary State Archives collection of historic castradal and other maps (in Latin) Hungary State Archives Urbaria et Conscriptiones (Early taxation and census records, 16-19th century) Hungary World War 2 Prisoner of War database A nice YouTube video of Wooden Churches from the region Saints Name Days - Useful when there is confusion about birth dates
November 2012 since the original publication of his page on A-H Military records, Carl Kotlarchik has continued to collect new information which creates an even more valuable guide. Please refer to Carl's own site for the most recent news and information. Austro-Hungarian Army Records - Carl's Definitive Site (2012-13)
June 2012 1715 and 1720 Hungary Ubarial Census from Hungary Archive
December 2011 1912 U.S. Passport Application - Samuel Feldman, US Citizen, born Kolbasov, SK (formerly Hungary) - Credit to H. A. Weinbaum (rcvd2011)
May, 2011 General FHL update for Slovakia and Czech RepublicApril, 2011
Carl writes: I recently became aware of a new website that provides information about WWI soldiers. The National Library of the Czech Republic has digitized and placed on line, casualty reports from the war. These reports provide information about a soldiers unit, his birth place and date, type of wound or whether he was killed or captured, and the location. This is enough information to then locate what his unit was doing during the war. ... I found so many discrepancies between Steve Blodgett’s published information and the one from Wrede that I finally just put together charts for each region of the empire.
This is pretty exciting news because as you know, the
personnel records for Hungarian soldiers after 1867 have been destroyed.
So, now there is a way to finally obtain information on the service of a WWI
soldier. And since many men were wounded or captured in this war, many
people should be able to find their relatives.
"The other item is the Abauj-Torna county registry of nobility, from 1646-1755... The registry includes the lesser nobility, which encompasses a lot more than one might think. One finds Slavic as well as Mgyar and German surnames here." This site is in Magyar. As time permits I'll create an English guide to get yourself around the site.
August, 2010 Period articles regarding Slovakia, CzechoSlovakia, Austro-Hungary can be found following issues of the National Geographic magazine: Dec. 1912, Feb. 1917, Feb. 1921, June 1927, Jan. 1933, Aug. 1938, Dec. 1945, Jan. 1987, Sept. 1993. (Thanks to George Dolnak for compiling this list.) Traditional Patterns of Naming Carpatho-Rusyn Children
July, 2010 Hungary Census of 1910, Czechoslovakia Census of 1921 and 1930 Accessing Seventeenth Century Hungarian Urbarial Records Online by Richard Iglar Rusnaci - Another photo essay of the extinct eastern village of Ruske along with a written history
June, 2010 Ukrainian Weekly Newspaper - Archives (online 1933-present) May, 2010 General FHL Resource Page Update - With the advent of the "Pilot" and "Indexing" projects, the FHL now has three resources to use in your research. The general trend towards web-accessible content presents very exciting opportunities. Slovakia microfilm records are being digitized and Czech Republic records are being recorded and digitized at a rapid pace. Requesting an Immigration File - Updated to reflect the new BCIS process Place Name Identification Strategies - Updated strategy for using phone books, sources for ship manifests. Added section on general guiding principles Family History Library Resources - Update explaining the different FHL offerings and what they mean for records in Slovakia and Czech Republic. FHL Pilot - Clarifies the use and availability of this important document image archive for Slovakia and Czech Republic church records. April, 2010 Traditional Patterns of Naming Carpatho-Rusyn Children A Guide for Locating Military Records for the various Regions of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, by Carl Kotlarchik Brief Overview of the World War II Enemy Alien Control Program (U.S. National Archives) - Immigrants who were not naturalized citizens at the start of WWII and were citizens of enemy nations such as Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary were subject to strict monitoring and recordkeeping. Often these records may reveal important details about your ancestors. March, 2010 Updated Guide to Finding Your Ancestral Village - Enhanced to include newly available online tools January, 2010 Online Slovakia Church Records (Presov Region) are available once again (FHL Pilot) - Contains records through 1905. Czech Military Records at the Family History Library
November, 2009
October, 2009
June, 2009
January, 2009
January, 2009
Bill Tarkulich to present Dukla Pass Lecture Saturday, February 7th, 2009, 3-5 PM Minneapolis, Minnesota Sponsored by the Minnesota Rusin Association As part of their annual Duchnovich Day St. Mary’s Cathedral—School Building—17th and 5th Street N.E. Come for the whole day - Lecture, Ethnic Rusin Dinner and Entertainment
November, 2008
For those who may be struggling in their pre-1903
research, specifically regarding some of our ancestors who may have arrived
in the earliest waves, I came across a story of a little-known off-year US
federal census. I do not believe it has been filmed by the FHL, so you may
have to go to the US National Archives to access it.
Here is a recent article describing it. October, 2008 Looking for a Village? "FuzzyG" (or Fuzzy Gazetteer) searches for place names world-wide and can handle variations in spelling, thereby making the searches more robust. "FuzzyG" is a service of the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission.
September, 2008 FHL INDEXING OF PRESOV-REGION RECORDS (Volunteers Needed) The FHL (Family History Library) informs me that they have been busy digitizing microfilms (converting microfilms into files that are computer-readable) from the PRESOV region. In a few short weeks, they will be make those files available for general researchers (like you and me) to participate in the indexing of these records. Indexing involves reading the image (from the convenience of your home or office computer) via the internet, and transcribing the data - events, names, dates into a typewritten form. Once that data is entered, the FHL will use it to create search-able indexes for surnames, village names and other critical elements. This is very exciting since it brings us much closer to the goal of having the microfilm images available to us via the internet. This "next generation" project is happening much faster than I imagined and I am delighted to see it's progress. If you want to get a feel for what the indexing project is like, or to sign up now, check out their indexing web site. You will see the many projects already underway, you can also register now and download the necessary software
Coming Soon
August, 2008
JULY, 2008
JUNE, 2008 Battle of Dukla Pass - Saturday July 26, 2008 - Munhall, Pennsylvania
Family History Center - Floodgates open for Slovak Republic, Czech Republic and Ukraine records!
July, 2007
BIG NEWS! The FHL has signed an agreement to begin filming the Czech Republic Archives records
May, 2007 Snina Region Tourism Site - RECOMMENDED Nice descriptions of villages in this region, good map, Lists of hiking paths, tourist attractions including roadside monuments, lodging, restaurants, recreation, cemeteries, manor houses, folk architecture, brief history. A good resource for readers of these pages. NEW, 2007. (English, German, Slovak) Zakarpatská Oblast - Nice Photos from Rusky Potok, Nova Sedlica, Ubla, Ulicske Krive, Snina, Prislop, Stuzice (Ukraine). 5/2007 The Battle of Dukla Pass lecture was held on May 5th, 2007 in Bridgeport, CT. If you missed it or would like follow-up information, here are some short-cuts. Usage Note: The village "wildcard" character has changed to an underscore "_" placed in this field. This will yield results for all villages.
April, 2007
Battle of Dukla Pass - 5/5/7 - Bridgeport, CT BATTLE OF THE DUKLA PASS LECTURE BRIDGEPORT, CT, APRIL 20, 2007: The New England Chapter of the Carpatho-Rusyn Society will host an interesting lecture and slide presentation by noted historian, BILL TARKULICH, about the famous BATTLE OF THE DUKLA PASS. The event will take place at St. John the Baptist Carpatho-Russian Church at 364 Mill Hill Ave. Bridgeport CT, at 1:30 PM on Saturday May 5th, 2007 The Battle of Dukla Pass occurred at the end of the Second World War in eastern Czechoslovakia. Many residents of southwestern Connecticut who are of Slovak, Carpatho-Rusyn or Czech descent will be interested in learning more about this event that took place in their parents’ homelands. As the Russian and First Czechoslovak Armies moved across Poland in 1944, they planned a quick diversion to aid the SNP-(Slovensko Narodne Povstanie / Slovak National Uprising) via the Dukla Pass. This diversion became one of the bloodiest conflagrations in Slovak history with casualties over 138,000. The combatants were Russian, Czechoslovak, and German. The lands were remote, wooded and sparsely populated. The Dukla Pass cuts through the Carpathian Mountains in Northeastern Slovakia- as a historic strategic pass way from Poland into the Hungarian Plains. The fighting occurred in a region populated by Rusyn villages. At one point more than 6O% of the First Czechoslovak Army were Rusyns. Special guest John Kulhan, a decorated member of the (Free) Czechoslovak Army Corps and one of the few remaining combatants will be in attendance. This very stirring lecture will take place at the Church Auditorium of St. John the Baptist Church Carpatho Russian Church at 364 Mill Hill Ave. Bridgeport Ct. at 1:30 PM on May 5, 2007. Admission is free! Refreshments served! Donations gratefully accepted. Special Guest We are honored that Mr. John Kulhan, who fought under Ludvik Svoboda in the Free Czechoslovak Army Corps and participated in the 1944 Dukla fighting will be in attendance. Mr. Kulhan has been asked to say a few words and will be available for questions afterwards.
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April, 2004 Added 1828 Census Sample Images Added Slovakia Travel Atlas link Index of Slovak State Archives Church Records - sample page added Place Names Terminology - updated March, 2004 1828 Tax Census Information Updates Winter 2004 in the Ulic Valley (Slovakia) Photos Phone Books Updated Updated - Tips for Using the Ellis Island Database Updated details & Galicia and Bukovina reference - History Updated Family History Center Library descriptions of Slovakia Holdings Updated 1869 Census Word lists
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