Beginning Slovak Research
By Lisa A. AlzoEven with the ever-changing political landscape, your Slovak roots are still more easily discovered when you start with U.S. sources.
Nearly 620,000 Slovaks immigrated to the United States during the period of mass migration (1880—1914). While many Slovak immigrants returned to the old country after saving enough money to purchase land there, some 500,000 settled permanently in the New World.
Because of the changing geographical and political borders, language barriers and name changes for towns, villages, and counties, researching Slovak ancestors can often be more challenging than looking for other European kin. When searching for Slovak ancestors, it is often tempting to begin your research across the Atlantic. However, a more practical approach is to first search sources available in the United States, then work back to the country of origin.
Although exotic-sounding Slovak surnames may provide another obstacle when researching U.S. census, immigration, or other records, there are a number of strategies that can be used to find these names in online databases and other indexes.
Where Is Slovakia?
Slovakia is a small, mountainous country landlocked in the heart of Europe between Poland, Ukraine, Hungary, Austria, and the Czech Republic. Slovakia’s history is complex and one of the most fascinating in all of Europe. From the tenth century until 1918, Slovakia was part of the Kingdom of Hungary. In the sixteenth century, Hungary (including Slovakia) became an associated state of the Hapsburg Empire. Between 1867 and 1918 the Austrian Empire was restructured into a dualist state called Austria-Hungary. Because all Slovaks lived in the Hungarian half of the Empire, they were considered Hungarian citizens. For most genealogists, this time period holds the greatest significance.
Before conducting genealogical research, you may want to read a history of Slovakia. For a brief summary, refer to a “Short Chronological History of Slovakia,” by Anton Hrnko.
Find the Village of Origin
Once you have some basic background on the history of Slovakia, your first step is to find the village of origin. First, obtain the immigrant’s name and date of birth either from documents or by talking to the immigrant or immediate family members. It is important to ask individuals where things happened to get an understanding of “place,” remembering that location is a key component in genealogical research. Also, ask about documentation for these events in home and family sources such as Bibles, diaries, documents, school report cards, and early correspondence. Family heirlooms, photographs, autograph books, military records, funeral books, and sympathy cards may also provide valuable information.
Determining the town or village of origin is often the most daunting aspect of conducting Slovak genealogical research. Typically, the most important piece of information to trace your ancestors is their place of birth. (Sometimes it’s even more important than the immigrant’s surname.) This is because most of the information being researched is generally indexed, organized, and stored according to geography—usually in this order: country, county, region, village name.
The best place to begin is with U.S. records. Census, church, immigration, naturalization, and vital records as well as newspapers and compiled family histories all hold valuable clues for determining an ancestor’s place of origin. Such records are accessible using traditional research methods and/or consulting free or pay-for-access databases available on the Internet.
Microfilmed records available from the Family History Library may also prove useful. Starting stateside often saves the frustration of res earching the wrong family line or making an incorrect assumption about the village of origin. While this method may be applicable to researching any ethnic group, it is particularly useful for Slovak research because of the many complex geographical and political changes.
Census Records. U.S. federal population schedules (1790—1930) offer a good picture of a family at a specific time period. While not likely to show an exact place, census records often provide clues for obtaining other documents such as naturalization and immigration records, which may contain specific information on an ancestral town or village.
For East and Central European immigrants, the census returns for the years 1850—1930 often prove the most fruitful. Other sources such as land and probate records, tax lists, voter registration cards, and historical newspapers are excellent supplemental sources to census data and should not be overlooked.
When searching U.S. census records, it is not uncommon to find only a country listed for a Slovak ancestor in the “Place of birth” column, which is not much help when trying to locate a specific ancestral town or village.
For example, “Slovakia,” “Hungary,” even “Austria” and the conspicuous “Slovakland” (not a real place) may appear. In particular, for the 1930 census, pay close attention to the “Language spoken at home” column to see if “Slovak” is listed, although recognizing that this may not fully confirm a true “Slovak” identity. For the 1920 census, look at the columns under “Nativity and Mother Tongue” for clues.
Social Security Death Index. Despite some limitations, the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) is a useful tool for family historians. This database is an index to basic information about persons with social security numbers whose deaths have been reported to the Social Security Administration. It is a resource worth checking, both fo r the ancestor and for other family members. When searching for Slovak names, always be aware of the many variations for spelling both first and last names. In addition, try adding ”-ova”—the traditional suffix for Slovak female surnames.
The SSDI may be accessed online at Ancestry.com. Because data and updates will vary, be sure to check all available versions of the SSDI. Depending on the date of birth, it may also be possible to request a copy (for a fee) of the ancestor’s original application for a social security card.
Vital Records. Vital records contain information on major life events such as births, marriages, and deaths, and may also list place of origin for an ancestor, his or her children, and siblings. Typically, copies of vital records are obtained either by writing to or visiting the county or state vital records office. Information on how and where to write for vital records is available for each state in books such as Ancestry’s Red Book or online at VitalCheck.
Before sending a request, research the specific requirements of the particular office. Fees, turn-around time, and policies may vary. In addition, during the last year genealogists have discovered to their dismay that several states have closed or limited access to previously available online vital records indexes.
When consulting vital records, many genealogists become frustrated to find the birthplace listed as just “Czechoslovakia,” “Hungary,” etc. If available, the corresponding church record may provide more details, often listing the exact town or village name and sometimes the names of the parents or other close relatives in Europe.
Church Records. If you are unable to locate the civil death record, try searching for the equivalent church document—a baptismal, burial, or marriage certificate. Also, try searching obituaries, cemeteries, headstone inscriptions, fun eral home records, memorial cards, lodge or fraternal organization burial or insurance records for the desired information.
Naturalization Records. Depending on when your ancestor immigrated, naturalization records can provide the exact date and port of arrival, as well as the name of the ship, the port of departure, and the immigrant’s date and place of birth. Pre-1906 naturalization records may be found at the local county courthouse, county or state archives, or in the National Archives, if the immigrant was naturalized in a federal court.
If your ancestor immigrated to the U.S. after 1906, you can also request a copy of your ancestor’s naturalization records. Duplicate copies of post-1906 records are available through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Immigration and Emigration Records. Immigration and emigration records are useful for locating an individual’s place of birth or last place of residence. You should search both the place of departure and place of arrival.
When looking through immigration records, especially the Ellis Island Database (EIDB), note that “Place of Last Residence” does not always mean place of birth. Another clue is to look for others from the same village since many traveled together. Look also at destination since entire villages sometimes transplanted to the United States, particularly to mining or mill towns during the peak immigration years.
Immigration arrival records (customs or passenger lists) contain information such as “last residence,” “final destination in the U.S.,” “if going to join a relative,” the “relative’s name and address,” and “name and address of closest living relative in the native country.” The passenger arrival lists after 1900 are often the best because they show town of origin, next-of-kin in Europe, and destination. However, unindexed lists can be tedious to search.
The EIDB contains transcribed ship manifests of more than 22 million immigrants (passengers and crew) who came to the United States through the Port of New York between the years 1892—1924. It also contains links to digital images of original ship’s manifests and photographs of the actual ships provided by the National Archives.
Port of Departure Records. Many Slovaks were so-called “birds of passage,” meaning that they did not necessarily intend to settle permanently in the United States. Slovak men often came over for a year or two just to earn enough money to go back to their homeland and purchase land, and would return later to earn more money. This means there may be more than one entry record for an ancestor, so look carefully at both the “State of Origin,” “Place of Residence,” and “Destination” columns for port of departure records.
Hamburg and Bremen were the most common departure ports for Slovak immigrants, although some may have used other European ports. The Family History Library has the Hamburg passenger lists on microfilm. Search the online catalog under “Germany, Hamburg—Emigration and Immigration: Auswandererlisten 1850—1934.” Note the distinction between direct and indirect lists, and always check both. The Hamburg state archive offers a database, Link To Your Roots, containing some Emigration Lists of Hamburg. There is a fee for the service.
Unfortunately, most of the records from Bremen have not survived. Due to a lack of storage space, some lists (1875—1909) were destroyed by Bremen city archivists. Some of the other records were lost during Allied bombing in World War II. However, thanks to an ongoing reconstruction effort, some Bremen Passenger Lists, (1920—1930) can be viewed online.
Canadian Records. Some Slovaks immigrated first to Canada and then crossed the border to settle in the United States. Check for Canadian census, immigration, vital, and other records online via the National Archives of Canada, inGeneas, Canadian Immigration Records, Ancestry.com, and Immigrants to Canada.
Delve Deeper
Once the name of the town or village in Slovakia is identified, the next step is to determine its location in both pre- and post-World War I. Check maps, printed gazetteers, and atlases—both modern and pre-1918 versions. Also, consult the Family History Library catalog for its extensive collection of books and microfilms of Hungarian and Slovak gazetteers. You’ll also want to check the Slovak Gazetteer. In addition, some Hungarian county maps prior to 1918 are available.
Another way to find a place is to use Shtetlseeker. This search will display latitude and longitude for each location and a link to a map via MapQuest. While Shtetlseeker contains many old place names, it does not contain them all. You may need to convert between contemporary place names and old Magyar place names and sort through the obstacle of similar town names occurring in more than one district.
Search Slovak Records
The knowledge of both the Slovak and Hungarian place names is also important when searching church, vital, census, and other records.
Parish Records. Most parishes did not keep records until the 1600s, but some religious groups began the process earlier than others. A law was issued in 1827 in Hungary that duplicate copies of vital records b e deposited in the bishop’s consistory archive. The churches held all of the official village records for births, marriages, and deaths until 1950, when all church registers were declared to be the property of the state, and those more than 100 years old were transferred to the State Archives (with some exceptions). It is also possible that some records from 1895 to the present are still with the priests of the local villages.
Before the 1800s, most records were written free-hand and often were not columnar in nature. The Hungarian rulers then attempted to standardize the recordkeeping by instituting a tabular recording method. (The actual date varies by parish.) Most of these records are written in either Magyar (Hungarian), Ukrainian, Slovak, or Cyrillic. For assistance with reading and interpreting old records, consult Slovak or Hungarian dictionaries, purchase word lists from the Family History Library, or refer to church record translation websites.
Note that church records for several villages were sometimes kept in another parish or in a larger nearby town.
Civil Registration. Civil registration in Hungary (including Slovakia) was introduced in 1895. After World War I and the formation of Czechoslovakia, new policies were instituted for the keeping of vital records. Civil registration became the official registration in 1920, and church registers were no longer considered publicly valid.
Vital Records. Most records more than 100 years old are now kept in state regional archives (statni oblastni archivy). The archives may be searched by appointment, or through a hired researcher. Later records are maintained at the vital records sections (matricní oddeleni/oddelenie) of local city offices.
The Family History Library has microfilmed a substantial portion of the records of Slovakia and Hungary. Check the FHL catalo g for available holdings.
Vital records research is also possible by regular mail. All written queries should be addressed to:
Slovak Ministry of Interior and Environment
Archivna Sprava
Krizkova 7
811 04 Bratislava
Slovak Republic
Websites are available for both the Embassy of the Slovak Republic and the Slovak National Archives.
The archival administration will arrange for searches of birth, marriage, and death registers deposited in the state archives. The only records available for genealogical research by mail (with rare exception) are parish registers of births, marriages, and deaths. Costs for this type of research will vary. Other records, such as census or land records, are difficult to access by writing, but they can be researched in person.
Census Records. The earliest censuses taken in Slovakia were head counts for taxation purposes and were carried out according to Hungarian law. Some of the Hungarian census returns have been microfilmed. Most of the earlier census records are either geographically limited or focused around landowners, making the 1869 census the most valuable for genealogical research. It provides each occupant’s name, birthdate, birthplace, occupation, religion, ethnicity, literacy, and other information. Consult the Family History Library Catalog under Hungary or Slovakia—Census.
Other Records. The Family History Library also has microfilmed copies of some military records (muster rolls/qualification lists), local histories, nobility documents, taxation lists, and other useful records.
Take Your Research a Step Further
There are a number of ways to go beyond researching individual ancestors and develop a community-based research protocol. Keep in mind that extended families often lived together in Slovakia. It was not unusual for parents, grandparents, children, aunts, uncles, cousins, and in-laws to live under one roof—a practice that often continued in the New World. This is important for genealogists because sometimes information on an ancestor’s sibling, cousin, or other relative may reveal a missing detail.
U.S. Census and Immigration records can be used to identify the “cluster communities” of Slovaks that were formed in the United States during the years of peak immigration. Upon searching immigration records, make a note of other immigrants from the same town or village and also note their destination in the United States to see if they settled in the same area. Next, try to build a list of surnames common to a particular village. Contact churches in immigrant communities (clusters) for names, check with local genealogical or historical societies, and search telephone and e-mail directories both in the U.S. and Slovakia.
Networking: Finding Others
Joining a genealogical or historical society is a great way to find others with similar research interests. In addition, these groups have regular membership meetings and often sponsor local or national conferences.
The Internet is a dynamic networking tool, enabling genealogists to post queries about surnames and localities to Slovak Message Boards/Forums such as those on Ancestry.com and Genealogy.com. Some researchers will even include surnames and villages in their e-mail signature, or create their own websites. Another good strategy is to submit names to established surname projects, such as the Slovak Pride Database or the Slovak Surname Location Reference Project.
If you decide to research in Slovakia, it could be t o your advantage if you are able to locate families living there. Search the Internet using the village and surname. Next, assemble a list of names common to the village and try to find the name of the mayor or priest. Building a village-based community is another way to expand your research. For more information, read the article Building a Village-Based Community by Megan Smolenyak, in the September/October 2002 issue of Ancestry.
This strategy can result in a real connection to those living in the village or town today. Developing relationships can be most helpful if a visit to Slovakia is planned. Use the Internet to locate travel companies specializing in trips to Eastern Europe.
When to Hire a Professional Researcher
A professional genealogist or researcher can assist with locating elusive or restricted records in Slovakia. The researcher should be familiar with the area’s history and geography and should have established relationships at the archives. For information about a professional genealogist’s credentials and fees, consult the Association of Professional Genealogists in America, the Board for Certification of Genealogists, International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists, or the Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International (Professional Genealogical Researchers for Czech and Slovak Republics).
Researching your Slovak genealogy is not so difficult if you follow a step-by-step process. Begin by learning family details about an ancestor. Utilize available U.S. records and online databases to identify the place of origin. Check maps, atlases, and gazetteers to locate the ancestral village. Consult the Family History Library for microfilmed records, and use dictionaries and translation resources to assist with interpretation.
Whether you choose to conduct research on your own or hire a professional, there are a variety of Slovak records readily accessible both in this country and abroad to guide you along the path to your ancestors.
Bremer Passagierlisten 1920 - 1939
Church Record Translations (John Jaso)
Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International
Embassy of the Slovak Republic
Federation of Eastern European Family History Societies
Immigration History Research Center
National Archives and Records Administration
National Czech and Slovak Museum
Northeast Slovakia Research Strategies
Society for Czechoslovak Arts and Sciences (SVU)
Suggested Reading
Lisa A. Alzo, Three Slovak Women (Gateway, 2001).
Angus Baxter, In Search of Your European Roots (GPC, 1994).
Thomas Bell, Out of This Furnace (University of Pittsburgh Press, 1976).
John P. Colletta, They Came in Ships: A Guide to Finding Your Immigrant Ancestor’s Arrival Record (Ancestry, 2002).
Alice Eichholz, Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County and Town Sources (Ancestry, 1992).
Helen Epstein, Where She Came From (Penguin Putnam, 1998).
John A. Hudick, Finding Your Ancestral Village in Slovakia, Czechy, Ukraine, Galicia and Hungary in the Former Austro-Hungarian Empire (Self-published, 2002). www.slavicroots.com
S. J. Kirschbaum, History of Slovakia: A Struggle for Survival (St. Martin’s, 1996).
Elena Letnanova, Beginner’s Slovak (Hippocrene Books, 2001).
Jane Lewit and Ellen Epstein, Record and Remember: Tracing Your Roots Through Oral History (Scarborough House, 1994).
Daniel M. Schlyter, Handbook of Czechoslovak Genealogical Research (Out of Print; Genealogy Unlimited, 1985) ASIN: 0912811021. Check the Family History Library Catalog.
Nina Trnka, Slovak/English and English/Slovak Dictionary. (Hippocrene Books, 1992).
Lisa A. Alzo received a master of fine arts degree in nonfiction writing from the University of Pitt sburgh and currently resides in Ithaca, New York, where she is an instructor of genealogy and writing courses. She is the author of Three Slovak Women (Gateway Press) and the recipient of the 2002 Mary Zirin Prize given by the Association for Women in Slavic Studies. Lisa teaches Basic and Intermediate Slovak and Eastern European research for MyFamily.com, Inc., and often speaks at national conferences and for genealogical and historical societies.
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