Double Names

by David Kuchta

As you do more genealogical research you will come across surnames that have a double name.

I myself have seen this in my family tree¼Kuchta-Dudik. As I researched this double name business, I came across several answers as to why this happened. Of course, the fact that this had happened a long time ago, we have to assume or use supposition as to why the double name was used. During my last research request for family surnames, I asked the researchers at the Bratislava Archives, what they thought about the double name. As you read some of the report you will come across the word "nicknames." Here in this country (America), many people use a nickname for various reasons. Some names describe a person's profession, hobby or sport. Some might even refer to his physical stature. Such as the word, "Slim."

In Slovakia, various nicknames were used because many of the families had the same surnames throughout a village. Also, certain families seem to like to use the same first name of their parents or grandparents. In America we use the word Junior to a child named after ones father and from that point on, further generations have numbers such as: Dave Kuchta 1 or Dave Kuchta the second, third or fourth. If you have four generations still living at the same time, just using the name Dave to explain one family member becomes very confusing. So at times, a nickname comes into play. But here the nickname is usually referred to the first name of the person. In Slovakia, it refers to the families surname. Here is PhDr. Peter Draskaba the director of the Archives, answers this question:

"The parents of Elizabeth Zloch, according to the information at their marriage, were also farmers. George Zloch and Katherine Valunch/Waluch, who were married in Vrbovce on Nov. 23, 1829. At the birth of Elizabeth Zloch, in Vrbovce, on July 11, 1846, the parents are recorded as George Zloch and Katherine Privratska. In researching the rest of their children from 1833 to 1846, comparing the rest of the information from godparents and their domiciles, we are nearly positive that Katherine Privratska and Katherine Valuch are one and same person. Reason for the change to the mother’s nickname is not shown. Perhaps only a family nickname receptively from the surname of the mother, Katherine Valuch. Precise verification of this supposition would require time and financial exacting research."

About the name Dudik attached to the surname of John Kuchta goes likewise as a nickname in the family of John Kuchta, which, served and differentiated them from the rest of the family with the same surname. In Vrbovce, the application to the surname was often used and continued through a few generations with little change in the variety of surnames. So as you see, the nickname can follow the family for several generations. The double name is also used when a man marries a women from another town and if they live with the new wife's parents, they will attach her name to his name so that people sending mail or looking for him know where to go. Another explanation is that if the wife's family is rich, famous, or influential he will attach her family's name to his for recognition.

When a child was born, before the parents were married, the priest or minister would register the name of the child as that of the mother family name, at baptism. When and if they got married, the name of the father would be added to his name. Sometimes, the father's name would be right after the person's first name, or at times would follow the mother's maiden name. For that period of time, he ends up with a double name. There is also the possibility that if the mother married another man, not the father of her child; his name would be last, with his mother's name in the middle. At this point, the research on double names isn't what we can call an exact science, but it does give us a little prospective of why a double name was used.

by, Walt Czeslak

The key to success with family research is gathering various records. There are many forms of records that family genealogists can utilize and all avenues should be explored. A basic mistake when obtaining civil and official documents is to assume all information on a primary record is totally accurate. Civil records which recorded events can have spelling, date, parents names and place of origins transcribed incorrectly. While this information is listed on an official certified document, civil records of events were only as accurate as the informant’s knowledge. At times, children of parents who were immigrants may not have learned their parents exact date and place of birth let alone the names of their grandparents. In these records the word that brings a dreaded dull feeling to the family researcher is "unknown." Depending upon the record, the informant would have offered responses to the town or city registrar questions, and, if they were not sure the only statement they could give was "I have no idea" and therefore, "unknown" in civil records to fill a question line is infamous. Of course, documents can be very exact and spellings totally proper. It will be found though that records will hold a few, if not many, errors. Even on higher level governmental documents such as a Petition for Naturalization, information found on this record can be incorrect. The utilization of only one primary source as a main section of information is a limitation. A review of secondary sources and other documentation is necessary.

Birth, Marriage and Death Records

These records can be informative, or the most confusing addition to a family researchers files. Depending upon how much information was actually known, or how little, these records will reflect what the informant had knowledge of. Blending the early years of immigration with limited language capabilities, the results to fill out these civil records could be confusing. There are many variables in relationship to this topic. If an informant was born in America and had no problems communicating in English, the hurdle could be minor but, when asked for pertinent data such as mothers place of birth and maiden name, only the best guess (if it was not actually known) was the only answer an informant could give. Names are a particular problem at times as many people utilized nicknames (such as Julia for Helena) or, a name that everyone addressed them by. When researching further, a family genealogist may find the record of birth in the town or village of origins and, can be surprised to view the name given originally was not a name the individual held. Spellings can be problematic. If immigrants came from another country that administratively was not of their own heritage and language, records could have been issued for immigration which may not have been the language of the individual who held the paperwork. A problem that did develop at times is many families could have two or even more spellings of surnames among their own ancestors. Various spellings of surnames did happen and can be found in many records. Depending upon the time period of immigration, what spellings were utilized for official paperwork, families changing or having their surname changed in America and other unknown reasons, different spellings of a surname within immediate and extended family lines may be discovered.

The county or town of origins line on civil records can also be a pitfall. As an example, records will denote an individual came from the Austro-Hungarian Empire or, it will be broken with two parts. One document may state the individual came from "Austria" and another will say "Hungary." For those who had ancestors from the present day Slovak Republic, neither of these titles for a county or area of origins would be geographically or technically correct. Research has to be compiled to locate the name of the exact village or town of origins if not known. With the name, a family researcher can then learn what the former country was and, what it may be today. This information can help the family researcher to gain a broader view of the history for places ancestors resided. Many factors decided a spelling upon records and this has to be taken into account. When researching documents, a family researcher may find a record that could be close year wise for an event, but, may feel the spelling of the surname is not correct. Even if a record has a few letters added or subtracted, this indeed may be your surname and a record necessary for your files. When confronted by numerous spellings of a surname it is best to keep a log of all names encountered. This log can be very useful as research progresses and is a very quick reference sheet. Also, knowing how various surnames were written is an interesting part of family historical record keeping and a beneficial research tool.

Another thought to be kept in mind is immigrant ancestors who were born in one town, migrated to another and then, left to immigrate permanently. In these cases, immigrants may have identified themselves as having originated in the last place of residence but, this may not have been the actual location of birth. For the children of immigrants, birth certificates may contain many informational errors. If a midwife was utilized and depending upon particular local laws, she may have been required to offer to the town registrar all vital statistic information for the certificate. If the midwife could only basically communicate and, if she went to the registrars office alone, many times it may have been her best guess as to the information necessary for a birth record. In other cases, a midwife could have been fully fluent in English but again, may not have been informed properly as to information necessary for the certificate. Another factor is the heritage and language of a midwife. If the midwife was of another language or heritage, this could have influenced how she would offer a spelling for names and information. A good indication of an informants error is if you discover a request document to the state vital statistic office for a "corrected copy" of a birth record. This application was generally filled out by the mother, father or even the individual to correct information originally applied to a record of birth. The record was an affidavit requesting that corrections would be changed on the record. These documents are excellent reference sources as, if you have the original document but, find this application, you will know what errors were listed originally. These changes in a birth record could have been made soon after the record was filed or, many years later depending if the mistakes were discovered by an adult who wished to have their birth record accurate.

Marriage records are interesting, but sometimes offer incorrect ancestor information. On older certificates data found could be the name of the officiant of the marriage which will include an address and even a church or, office name (i.e. County/Local Judge or Justice of the Peace.) If the names on the marriage record are not spelled property or, nicknames were used (i.e. Majk or Mishko for Michael), the officiants name and address can offer a family researcher another lead to explore. A marriage record can also hold a good lead as to the addresses of both bride and groom prior to the marriage. This evidence can help when viewing other address related records such as Federal and State Census records. Depending upon the state and how much information was required, a marriage record can hold the names of the bride and groom, what their ages and place of birth were, parents names, names and addresses of the witnesses and a few other informative leads. Again, the dates for birth may be incorrect but, the address information most times was very accurate and can help in locating where ancestors resided during a particular year. Death records can hold a wealth of data and, if the deceased was attended to by a physician, many records will explain the cause of death. This will not only aide you in family research but, assist to gain a better understanding of various medical problems within family lines. Included with a death certificate will be the mortician who handled the arrangements. This can be a good foundation to finding further data if the business is still operating. As years progressed, many certificates evolved and requested more information lines. Again, this does not mean the data was correct but that due to laws and requirements, more information was necessary. It is not uncommon to see death certificates today which have an elderly informant add the infamous "unknown" for parents place of birth or even a mothers maiden name. One line of information on a death certificate is if the person had been involved in a war or military service. The dates will be offered for what period they served and the conflict. This can help for gathering military information on an ancestor which, can be obtained from various governmental agencies if available.

An excellent reference site for vital statistic offices in all states is supplied by the National Center For Health Statistics. At this site you can locate the particular state needed to obtain copies of civil records that are necessary for research. These pages will also tell you information on cost per document, what types of records and years available and other important reference background to obtain birth, marriage and death certificates. These records are also available at the town or city vital statistic office where the event took place. If you are not sure of where the original certificate may have been filed, contacting the state vital statistics is the best way to obtain copies of these various certificates. NCHS - How to Obtain Birth, Death, Marriage, and Divorce Certificates

Federal and State Census Records

These records can hold a wealth of information but again, may not always be accurate. The most difficult part of these records are ages the enumerator may have placed upon his sheets. If an individual was asked how old they were and the answer was "I am 50 years old" the enumerator may have just subtracted 50 from that present year. While this was a very common sense approach to listing a birth date, it is not always accurate as the person giving their age may not have even known their year of birth let alone the month and day. Census takers compiled data and many tried to gather information required for their sheets as best they could. Many times, an enumerator had no choice but to use common sense in placing an entry upon sheets. When it came to place of origins this could be a difficult question as, some stated they came from the Austro-Hungarian Empire and with limited space, the enumerator may have decided if they looked and sounded Germanic, it was Austria but, if they looked and sounded Slavic, it would be Hungary. Another important aspect of various census records is who exactly offered the information to the enumerator? Many times, if an enumerator was trying to collect information for an address and the person asked did not have a command of the language, someone who could converse would be summoned which, could have been a child born in America or even a neighbor.

Here again is where data on census records must be reviewed carefully and, confirmed via other documents. If the person offering information had limited knowledge or translated information which was cryptic, what was transcribed may have been incorrect. Also, the enumerator may have misinterpreted the information offered or, felt the answer given was not acceptable and added their interpretation from the respondent. The Federal Census records for 1910 and 1920 do offer the relationship of family members but again, this can be in error. If there were children living in the household but, were not part of an immediate family, you are never sure if the enumerator or the individual answering questions listed them as a family member or, as a "boarder." The boarder title can become confusing as, you may find children listed in this category who were indeed family members. Due to various circumstances children could have lived with extended family members and how the informant answered may have determined this title. A first thought that comes to mind when a family researcher sees the word "boarder" is to think they are not a family member and this may not always be correct. A good clue to the "boarders" title while researching census records is to keep a list of the surnames found residing with your ancestors. These names will help determine who were indeed family members and, also, other surnames who could have married into your family at a later date. Those who originated from small towns and villages tended to be very close and kept in contact after arrival if they immigrated to the same place. It was natural for a family to take in someone from their town of origins as a paying boarder or, as a favor to family and neighbors who were still living in Europe. Starting with a review the 1920 Federal Census first is a good basis for future research. Due to its date, many immigrants had been living in their new country for a good number of years and at that period may have mastered a better command of the language or, had older children who could answer the enumerator’s questions. This Federal Census also offers more informational lines than did past census records. For the Federal Census records of 1900 and 1910, information given may have been compromised due to the language barrier of being a recent arrival in a new country. Starting with the 1920 Federal Census records and then working backwards is a good way to begin with as much data as possible. After this, scanning past census records to see how much information concurs with the later year census records can help a family researcher to obtain much needed material.

Property Ownership, Transfer Deeds and Wills

These records are sometimes overlooked in research but, can hold many clues. Property Deeds and Deeds of Transfer can hold errors and misspellings. If a family owned a home and then, sold it to purchase another, you may find the original deed or transfer deeds with one spelling and then, a second spelling on the future record. Again, this depended upon the informants ability to communicate or, what record they may have offered to record the information. Transfer deeds can contain a number of names as, if there were numerous individuals that held interest in a property, these names were also listed. If multiple names on these records are found, keep a listing of all surnames. As your family search develops you may find these names are extended family members or, good friends who owned part of a property along with your ancestors. Deeds to property are a good way to gauge the movement of a particular family. They can offer a clear time line which can aide the family researcher to locate ancestors during various periods. Transfer deeds and property ownership deeds can also tell how much a property was purchased for along with other basic information. This can aide a researcher to understand the economic standing of ancestors in relationship to their first arrival. A Last Will and Testament is another good indication of family relationships and property ownership. Again, the names upon these official documents may be misspelled or, some information can be in error. A Last Will and Testament can offer stipulations of bequests to organizations, a church or fraternal/ethnic groups that can be contacted for further ancestor information. A possible mention in a Last Will and Testament are family members who at that date still resided in Europe. This can be an interesting discovery especially if a full address with town name are provided. Depending upon your state, a Last Will and Testament can most times be found at the county level. For Property Deeds or Transfer of Property Deeds, these may be listed at the county and also at the local level in city or town hall.

Naturalization Paperwork

Depending upon the date of application, these documents can offer many leads in family research. What does change is one or two witnesses were necessary to sign an affidavit. These witnesses gave a sworn statement that they had knowledge of the individual who was applying for Naturalization. This could have been helpful as, the witnesses were either born in the United States or, had a good fluency in English and could have helped the petitioner with their application. Problems can be encountered when the informant was asked to provide various answers to application questions. Some of these questions were what town they came from, what date they were born and what ship did they arrive on. For answers to these questions, the applicant may not have remembered these facts. Depending upon how much time lapsed between arrival and application, the informant may not even have remembered the name of the ship or the date they arrived in an American port. Sometimes, many applicants just took their best guess as to the name of the ship and date of arrival if they never kept their processing paperwork. This can be a false lead as if this date is utilized to try and secure the shipping manifest via the date of arrival on a Naturalization form, it can be incorrect if it was offered in error. Depending upon your state, these records can be kept at the county level as many times, this is where an applicant could go to take the oath of United States Citizenship. These records are also on file with the Immigration and Naturalization Department of the United States Government and can be found at the Federal Building for the area where the oath was taken. Always check from census records the place an ancestor was living when naturalized. If an ancestor moved to another state and you have no knowledge of this fact, contacting your County Court House or United States Federal Building may not offer the results you need. Naturalization records will be on file with the office that covered the area where the event originally took place.

Research in the Polish Archives

by, Krystyna Majsiak

If your ancestors came from the Republic of Poland it can be difficult yet not impossible to compile your family history. A task of utmost importance is to obtain the name of the village, town or city that your ancestors came from. Boarder changes that have occurred over time can make this a challenging part of your research. During the last century parts of Southern Poland were contained within the former Austro-Hungarian empire and referred to as Galicia. Other portions were administered by the Russian Empire and Prussia. The Republic of Poland does have a long archival past. The earliest date for official archives in Poland began in the 13^th century. The records during this period were generally compiled by church and various governmental administrations. During the 14^th century the Archiwum Koronne (Crown Archive) was begun and later the Archiwum Metryki Koronnej (Archive of the Crown Register) was started. During Poland’s long history many other nations ruled what is today the Republic of Poland. Various policies were enacted by those of the Russian Empire, Prussia and the Austro-Hungarian empire which administered the region of Galicia. During the early 1800's the central archives were moved to St. Petersburg, Russia. The Archiwum Ogolne Krajowe (General National Archive) began in 1808 within the area of Warsaw and became Poland’s first modern archive. Later, the name for this archive was changed to the General Archive of Historical Records. Territory administered by Russia had ten provincial archives and in 1867 Archiwum Akt Dawnych (Archive of Historical Records) was founded. Territory administered by Prussia held two archives which were located in Poznan (1869) and Gdansk (1878). Territories administered by Austria held Archiwum Krajowe Aktow Grodzkich i Ziemskich (Archive of Town and County Court Records) which had two locations, Lvov (1784) and Krakow (1877). When Poland finally became independent after World War I the official state archives of the Republic of Poland were started on February 7, 1919.

After 1919 many new archives were established especially in Warsaw. General Archive of Historical Records, Archive of Historical Records, Treasury Archive, Archive of Public Education and Army Archives were formally started and expanded rapidly. Unfortunately, World War II brought great destruction upon many archives in Poland. The Nazi government not only occupied Poland but also all governmental structures including regional and national archives. Archives which suffered the most damage were located in Warsaw and almost 100% of the data was destroyed. During the 1950's the administration of many archives was re-structured. The State Archives Head Office was begun and now administers archival records. The Managing Director of State Archives is the central focus of the Republic of Poland’s administration of all records and archive collections. A general overview of the archives system of the Republic of Poland is listed below with the following three main national archives which are all located in Warsaw:

Archiwum Glowne Akt Daynych (General Archive of Historical Records) This archive contains records prior to 1918.

Archiwum Akt Nowych (Archive of New Records). This archive contains records after 1918.

Archiwum Dokumentacji Mechanicznej (Archive of Audiovisual Records). This archive contains photographs, sound recordings and microfilm documents issued beginning with the 20^th century.

The Republic of Poland has many archives and sub-offices. There are 29 state archives stationed in provincial capitals and 57 local branches with 5 local offices which are connected to the state archives. Most of the material located within these archives dates from the 19^th and 20^th centuries but other time periods are found within these archives. Poland also has archives which compile data relating to various topics. There are separate archives relating to state offices, industrial businesses, various institutions, trade unions, social groups and organizations, churches and political parties. These archives go beyond the scope of personal family genealogy and give a broader picture of the social structure of the society. 

It is extremely important to locate the region a village or town is located in. Without this, it is difficult to pinpoint the proper archive necessary for your research. If you are not positive of which archive to correspond with, below is the address for the Head Office of State Archives:

Naczelna Dyrekcja Archiwow Panstwowych

00-950 Warszawa

PO Box 1005

ul. Dluga 6

Republic of Poland

The archive records compiled by the Roman Catholic Church are valuable as they contain information which may not be listed at governmental levels. It is important to take note that there can be variations in the Roman Catholic Church records. Some local Roman Catholic (and other church based records) in Poland do not follow the standard column format. In other records, you will see the name, date of birth, mother and father names and other data in column form. In many Polish records, this format was not utilized. What may be encountered is a narrative style which will tell the entire story of the event in paragraph form. This can make translations difficult and very time consuming. One positive aspect of the paragraph format is the additional information they tended to contain. Often the paragraph style will denote the actual time and day of the week for the event along with other interesting facts. There are many Roman Catholic archives at various levels. If ancestors were Roman Catholic it is easiest to find the Archdiocese, or Diocese the town or village researched is located in. From this point it can then be determined which archive may be needed. One of the Roman Catholic archives is The Archdiocesan Archives of Poznan, their address is:

Archiwum Archidiecezjalne w Poznaniu

ul. Lubranskiego 1

PL-61-108 Poznan

Republic of Poland

 

If you are researching ancestors that were Greek Catholic or Orthodox and do not know the diocese, the following addresses may be of assistance:

 

Greek Catholic

 

Kuria Metorpolitalna Obrzdku Greckokatolickiego

Plac Czackiego 2

37-700 Przemysl

Republic of Poland

 

Orthodox

 

Archiwum Warszawskiej Metropolii Prawoslawnej

Al. Solidarnosci 52

03-404 Warszawa

Republic of Poland

If you know the name of the village or town and wish to contact the local priest to obtain documentation, a simple letter of inquiry can be sent. It is best to send the first letter of inquiry, either to a church or the state archives, in Polish. After this first letter a determination can be made if the archive, local church or town has English reading and writing capabilities. A sample letter of inquiry is provided below. This can be used for Roman Catholic, Greek Catholic or Orthodox clergy for the town or village church to obtain a copy of the baptism, marriage or death record of an ancestor. 

Polish Version:

(DATE)

Wiebebny Ksieze Proboszczu:

Uprzejmie prosze o wystawienie metryki chrztu (malzenstwo, smierc) dla nastepujacej osoby:

Imie i nazwisko (Add name of individual)

Data chrztu (malzenstwo, smierc) (Add date of event)

Zalaczam ofiare na kosciol oraz na pokrycie oplat pocztowych.

Serdecznie dziekuje

English Version:

(DATE)

Dear Reverend Father:

I wish to obtain the baptism (marriage, death) certificate of the following individual. 

Name, Date of Baptism (Marriage, Death). 

Enclosed is a donation for your church and to pay postal fees. 

Thank you very much.

It is beneficial to make the attempt to contact the ancestral village or town directly. Contacting the village or town can help a researcher gain more information on a particular family or to learn about the ancestral village or town. If numerous requests are needed for many certificates of birth, marriage and death it is better to write directly to one of the various archives that would cover that particular region. Another avenue of research is the local Family History Center of the Mormon Church (LDS). They have a searchable database that can be utilized to determine if your ancestral village or town is available on microfilm. The films can be rented for a minimal fee and you can have a first hand look at the actual records. Unfortunately, not all records are on file with the Family History Center. This does not mean that the records are not available. They may just not have been filmed by the (LDS). In this case the state archives or church archives in Poland must be contacted. Below is a partial list of the official state archives in the Republic of Poland for Poznan, Szczecin, Krakow (Bochni branch), Lodz, Katowice (Pszczyna branch) and Przemysl.

Archiwum Panstwowe w Poznaniu

ul. 23 Lutego 41/43

60-967 Poznan

Republic of Poland

 

Archiwum Panstwowe w Szczecinie

ul. Sw. Wojciecha 13

70-410 Szczecin

Republic of Poland

 

Archiwum Panstwowe w Krakowie - Oddzial w Bochni

ul. Konstytucji 3 Maja 3

Republic of Poland

 

Archiwum Panstwowe w Lodzi

Pl. Wolnosci 1

90-950 Lodz skr. poczt. 36

Republic of Poland

 

Archiwum Panstwowe w Katowicach, Oddzial w Pszczynie

Brama Wybrancow 1

43-200 Pszczyna

Republic of Poland

 

Archiwum Panstwowe w Przemysl

37-100 Przemysl

ul. Lelewela 4

Republic of Poland

by, David Kuchta

If you are like me and didn't start researching your family roots until later in life, then there is a good chance that your grandparents and your parents have departed this earth. There are many ways of doing your genealogical research in this country by searching church records, county and state records, etc. Also, while going through cemeteries you can get tons of information about family and relations. This article though is basically about searching for information of your ancestors in what we call the old country.

Being I am from Slovak ancestors, I am going to use Slovakia as the key country for my research. If you have all the information such as the original spelling of the descendent that you are going to research, along with the town and the church he or she went to you could do much of this research at your local LDS Family History Center, that is, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. They have miles and miles of microfilm of just about anyone's ancestors from this country. To start, let me tell you, it isn't always easy. If you get lucky you could probably spend several hours trying to find your descents that you are looking for. Once you find this material, it could be written in Latin, Cyrillic, Hungarian, German or Slovak. For Slovak, more than likely it could be what is known as High Slovak. The pastors of the churches that your descendants went to wrote much information in long hand. Some was also written by town officials so some of the handwriting is far from legible. It isn't easy! The next way to do your research is to write to the churches or towns that your descendants came from. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn't. Many of the old church documents were transferred to more central churches or archives and there may be gaps in records on the local level. At this point, it looks like an up hill battle. But trust me, in time, much of the information you requested will eventually come your way.

I had written to a church in Vrbovce were my father was born. In the mean time, through the offices of that town and women who worked at the church, I started getting a little information about my ancestors and also about possible descendants. The Priest or Ministers of the churches or the people who work for the town offices in Slovakia probably don't speak or read any English. When you write to them it should be in Slovak. Also if you want some returned mail, it would be nice to send along some money to cover their time and postage. I usually included a ten-dollar bill. Put it in a way that it is for postage and that if there is no information for you, that they can donate it to the church. When you read that you may have some relation living in your family's ancestral town, you feel a special sensation come over you. In the mean time, I had written to the Bratislava Archives in Slovakia for information on my father's side of the family. Later in this article I explain how you too, can also get this genealogical information for your family tree.

When this information comes, you are in 7th heaven. This is the first time that I knew who my great grandparents were and who my great, great grandparents were. That's when you start seeing surnames that you never saw before. Your great grandmother and gg-grandmother's surnames are probably strange to you also. This is the point of what researching the families name is all about. But, there are times that you will hit a brick wall. You will end up dead in your tracks for a period of time. Like a friend told me, at times you have to go forward and even side wards to get the show on the road again and how true this is! Let me explain a few pit falls that you may encounter along this road. The day before I received a request to write this article a new found friend in Slovakia sent me a letter with various surnames of potential descendants from my father's ancestral town in Slovakia. This woman searched through town and church records looking for Kuchta, Plesa and Zloch surnames. She wrote down what she found. Problem is that 15 years of records from 1880 to 1895 were missing. In this time period is when my grandfather was born.

So what happened is that I found myself reading some surnames that I recognized but with some dates that didn't jive with what I have received from the Bratislava Archives.

What I had to do is work this puzzle out. It is fun to a point, but after awhile some of the names started driving me up a wall. The big problem with my ancestors and probably yours is that they all had the same first name. In my family, Juraj, Anna, Jan, Katarina, Alzbeta, and Pavel are first names that each and every generation of my family used. Where the heck my name of David came from, only the good Lord knows? Probably when my parents told the good Reverend that they were going to name me David, he probably cringed and I would imagine that all my ancestors rolled over in their graves. What happened is that my great grandfather named one of his sons Juraj, and that Juraj named his son Juraj. Talk about blowing ones mind, especially if you don't have a birth date to go along with the name. I also saw where there were other Juraj's in the family tree.

Thankfully most of the names had birth dates and some marriage dates to go along with their names. With all the various ancestors I have read about, one new name did catch me off guard. This I guess was a daughter of a great uncle of mine who had a daughter named Luzana Kuchta. I asked my sister who is the historian of my family, if she ever hear of any of our relatives with the name Luzana. She never even heard of that name before. When you do research on your family's name, you go backwards into time. Here was a Jan Kuchta and Luzana Povalac, of whom I didn't have any recollection. I knew my gg-grandfather was Jan Kuchta but he was married to different women with other names. Could this Luzana have been his first wife? Because of different epidemics that happened in the early to mid 1800s, many families died. On my mother's side, her grandfather lost his first wife and six children to some kind of plague. There are several archives in Slovakia. Bratislava Archives will search through most of Slovakia for information on your descendants. To keep the costs down and to get the researchers on the right track you should have the correct spelling of the way it was spelled in Slovakia. Some of our ancestor's names were Americanized when they came to this country. You don't want to send them this name. It is also good to tell them what town or area that they came from. If you only think that they were from a certain place, put a question mark after the name of the town (?) or area that they may have come from.

Birth dates of the persons you are starting your research are very important Even the marriage date of the person is helpful. Mention both husband and wife. Put down the wife's maiden name along with her married surname. Remember many of the old Slovak families had the same last name and also the same first names were used quite frequently. You must help the researchers get a good start. Above all, mention (if you know) if they were Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Greek Catholic, Orthodox or Jewish. One of the things you must mention is how much you would like to spend on the research. The more the research spreads out the higher the costs. If you just want to go back a couple of generations, and have a few of the sons and daughter mentioned, then offer $100. If you want them to research farther back into time and also lists uncle and aunts and their children then expect to pay big bucks. The price rises dramatically if you want a lot of information. Some people offer to pay $300. This could get you a good family tree. Remember that this is only on one side of the family, your fathers or mothers side. If you want both, then the price doubles. Most information takes about six months before they get back to you. I have had some done in two months and I have heard about some people waiting around 18 months.

The important thing to remember is to give them enough of solid, bon-a-fide information to get started. You don't have to use a regular form that they have. There are some, but they aren't necessary. The last time I used just plain paper. Don't add anything that isn't pertinent to the research. This letter could be written all in English. Give them the name of the ancestors that you are requesting the information about. Give dates, towns, and church affiliation. Make sure you put down how much money you want to spend on the research and then sign your name on the bottom of the paper. They don't give you any notification that they received your letter requesting research information. When they get done with the research they will mail you a letter, telling you how much research hours they have done and how much money to send to them. For my two reports they spent around eight hours on one which took six months for them to get back to me. The second report was about 9 hours and took two months. There is no way to know how long it will take for them to do the research. By the way, it comes back in Slovak. So have somebody lined up to do the translation if you cannot. There is no better feeling then reading these reports on your ancestors. You now know your family roots and it is a sense of belonging. The address to send for research information is:

Statny Oblastny Archiv V Bratislava

Krizkova C. 7

811 04 Bratislava

Slovenska Republika    

Send mail to webmaster with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2003 T.C.C.