About Us

 
 

The Staff

Genealogists with Over 60 Years Combined Experience

Publisher & Managing Editor

Steven M. Osifchin


Editor

Joy E. Kovalycsik


Technical Support

Divan Zedwet

 

   

 

 

 

Olsov

 
 
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Village History & Photos

Courtesy of Pete Semanick

 

Searching For My Slovak Roots

by, Peter Semanick

 

Pete Semanick's Trip to Slovakia

by, Peter Semanick

 

Olsov Folk Singing Trio

 

 

Village History & Photos

 

imgThe village seal is star-shaped in blue with three gold fish positioned on itself.

 

Olsov probably originated in the second half of the 13th century and was built by settlers accordingly with just whatever they could afford. The oldest written information is in the year 1309, when joint-members of the noble Henrich family, son Rikolfa, sold the village property in Olsov to the noble Michal family. He and his sons settled there and their descendants employed themselves close to their homes. In the year 1337 the property in Olsov was sold to Jakub Roh, a vassal of the noble Rikolfa. In the first half of the 15th century, part of the village became the squire Uzov's, of the family of Tekule. In the 16th century the village was partly owned by the royal Kamenica family and gradually went to the ownership of the nobility in Torysy, Bresovice, squires Farkasov and Merseov. In the 19th century Olsov was under the ownership of the royal Tahyov family.

 

According to the writings in the second half of the 16th century settled farmers were taxed 3 times in 80 years. In the 16th century new inhabitants settled in the village and in the year 1600 there were already 20 homes. In the year 1787, there were 30 homes and 282 inhabitants and in the year 1828, 42 homes in which lived 327 residents. There were ironworkers, which formed an agricultural union and bred cattle.

 

Heraldry-

Originated and was preserved two copies of the seal. The oldest in the year 1787 on a document from April 1, 1789, where in circular writing around the seal is observed as SIGILUM: PO: OLYSO. (Seal of Olsov). In the seal field are pictured star-shaped cross with three fish. In the year 1837 the village got to draw up a second type, a copy which is preserved in a document on June 10th, 1856. In the seal's field s the illustration of six stars. In circular writing is OLYSO: HELY (seg): PETSETJE: 1837 (seal of Olsov)

 

Above the illustrator's proposal of the coat-of-arms pattern are gathered the oldest copy of the historical seal.

 

Text on the coat-of-arms by, Jozef Petrovic

 

 

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Olsov village secretary and mayor with Pete Semanick's grandson, Pete and the school headmaster. The two American Indian hand made ceramic Madonna figurines were his gift for the remodeled church.
 

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Remodeled Church

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Views of town from the Church

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Town and surrounding farmlands

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Pete's gift to the school - a music piano keyboard.

Pete has graciously been supporting the village financially by sending money for various school projects.

The girl on the right and the middle girls are his cousins through the Bucko family name.
The children put on a music / singing performance in his honor.

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The elementary school children have a pizza party at the end of last school year courtesy of Pete.

 

Olsov Folk Singing Trio