Czechoslovak Genealogical Society Int’l 2011 Genealogical/Cultural Conference

October 26-29, 2011 Major Sponsors

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic

CSA Fraternal Life located in Oak Brook, IL. Formerly Czechoslovak Society of America.

Program and Syllabus Information

Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International 13th Genealogical/Cultural Conference

October 26-29, 2011 Sheraton Westport Chalet 191 Westport Plaza St. Louis, Missouri

The Czechoslovak Genealogical Society does not endorse or warranty any product or service offered by speakers, sponsors, donors, or vendors who appear at this Conference. Additional copies of this syllabus may be purchased during the conference at the CGSI sales booth. After the conference they may be obtained from CGSI upon availability by writing to the address below or ordered directly off the bookstore on the CGSI Web Site. Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International P.O. Box 16225 St. Paul, MN 55116-0225 E-mail: [email protected] Web Site: http://www.cgsi.org Copyright © 2011 by the Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International. Copyright applies to the compiled material presented herein as the 13th Czechoslovak Genealogical/Cultural Conference Syllabus, as well as loose leaf material distributed in conjunction with the syllabus. Any copying, electronic manipulation, or other use of this matter, beyond the limitation of “Fair Use,” is expressly prohibited without the specific permission of the Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International. Each lecturer retains the specific, individual copyright for his or her submitted material.

CONFERENCE ON-SITE SERVICES

THURSDAY - SATURDAY OCTOBER 27 – 29

VENDORS / KROJE EXHIBIT (ROOM: MATTERHORN) VENDORS A wide assortment of vendors will offer items relating to arts, crafts, fraternal insurance products, genealogy books, t-shirts, maps, cookbooks, and genealogical services, including tours, guiding, and archival and town research. The CGSI will have a full selection of sales products.

BAINE / CINCEBEAUX FOLK DRESS (KROJE) EXHIBIT About twenty native folk dress from Bohemia, Moravia and Slovakia will be modeled on mannequins, plus other single pieces of headdresses, shawls, scarves, caps, etc. will be on display. These many special pieces have been brought back by Helene Baine Cincebeaux and her mother Helen Baine during more than 40 years of travel to the Slovak and Czech Republics. Special thanks to Marvin Moehle for providing Mannequins and George Terbrack for wall dividers, transportation and setup of the Exhibit. HOURS OPEN Thursday October 27 Friday October 28 Saturday October 29

9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. 7:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

CGSI TRAVELING LIBRARY (ROOM: LUGANO) As a service to conference participants we have assembled a traveling library, a collection of some of the most used and more appropriate reference resources. The books have been selected based on the ethnic and geographical makeup of the host city, so we have all of our St. Louis and area Czech and Slovak books. Suzette Steppe and her volunteers will work with you to help find whatever information we have available for you. A photocopier is available to make copies of pages from the books, maps or personal papers. The cost is 25 cents per photocopy. Copies of small jobs will be copied while you wait. However, larger copy requests may be done during breaks or after hours for later pickup. Please note that U.S. Copyright laws are in effect. Certain materials may not be copied and others will need to be stamped with the copyright notice. HOURS OF SERVICE The following times slots are available for use of the library. To register you must pick up a Ticket from the ticket stand at or near the CGSI Registration Desk. Each ticket will have the day and time period that it will admit the bearer to the library. You may also wait outside the Lugano room in case there are any no-shows. Registration is limited to 12 researchers per time slot. Thursday October 27 Thursday October 27

9:15 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. 2:15 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.

10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Friday October 28 Friday October 28

9:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. 3:30 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.

Saturday October 29 Saturday October 29

8:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m. 2:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.

9:30 a.m. – 10:45 p.m.

1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

CONFERENCE ON-SITE SERVICES

THURSDAY - SATURDAY OCTOBER 27 – 29

NETWORKING ROOM AND TRANSLATION SERVICES (ROOM: ZERMATT) NETWORKING /SHARING ROOM This room is made available to post information about your surnames or villages on Cork Boards to make contact with others sharing a common interest. People may meet during the Thursday evening Regional Networking Sessions (see below) and then can continue with sharing of data at any time throughout the Conference.

TRANSLATIONS CGSI has arranged for translators to assist for a fee in translating or summarizing your short documents or letters. Please notify someone at our Registration Table what language you need translation from and leave your name, Room Number or a cell phone number so we can setup a time for the work with the appropriate translator. The standard fee will be 25 cents per line translated, with a line being 60-65 characters. Individual translators may have a surcharge for more difficult handwriting. The opportunity also exists to hire a translator for post conference work. All fees go directly to the translator, unless the translator defers payment to CGSI.

REGIONAL NETWORKING SESSIONS AND SOCIAL MIXER (Thursday October 27 – 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.) Come participate in our Networking Session and Social Mixer to become acquainted with fellow attendees whose ancestors are from a similar geographic area of Bohemia, Moravia or Slovakia. Report to the following rooms based on the province your ancestors lived in. Versailles I (lower level)

Bohemia

Versailles II (lower level)

Moravia

Alpine I/II

Slovakia

(street level)

Within each of the three rooms we will have signs with names of Major towns within these provinces set out on tables. Find the town that is closest to where your ancestors lived and join that group. If you have ancestors from multiple areas you may move around to find the table that best meets your needs. Grab yourself a beverage of choice at the Cash Bar situated near these rooms.

SILENT AUCTION (Friday October 28 – Saturday October 29) Donations of these items were made to the CGSI by speakers, vendors, members, and various businesses with proceeds of the auction to be used to take the “CGSI Traveling Library” to locations with Czech or Slovak population. There will be over 100 items displayed on tables located near the breakout rooms. Each item will have a minimum bid on a bidding sheet with the required increments by which the bid can be raised. Each conference registrant will be assigned a unique bid number that can be found on the back of his or her name tag. Bidding will begin on Friday and end at the designated time on Saturday. The winning bidders must pick up and pay for their items with check, cash or credit card after the winners have been announced. Help support the spread of our valuable resource to areas that need our assistance.

TH1

9:15 – 10:15 A.M.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 27

RESOURCES FOR CZECH AND SLOVAK RESEARCH AT ST. LOUIS COUNTY LIBRARY Larry Franke, Reference Librarian Special Collections, St. Louis County Library Headquarters 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63131 (314) 994-3300, www.slcl.org Special Collections at St. Louis County Library Headquarters has many resources for Czech, Slovak and Bohemian Jewish research. Some of them include other ethnic groups, such as the databases listed below, while others are specific to the Czech, Slovak or Bohemian Jewish communities, such as the Czech-language newspaper, St. Louiské Listy and records from Czech and Slovak churches. Please note that this is a selective list and that many additional resources are available for Czech, Slovak and Bohemian Jewish research. I.

Subscription Databases a. AncestryLibraryEdition.com b. Footnote.com c. HeritageQuestOnline.com d. AccessNewspaperArchive.com, 1759-present e. Nineteenth-century U. S. Newspapers f. Historical New York Times, 1851-2007 g. Historical St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 1874-1922 h. St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 1988-present

II. Selected Ethnic St. Louis Newspapers on Microfilm a. Jewish Free Press, 1885-1887 (with gaps) b. Jewish Light, 1947-1977 c. Jewish Tribune, 1879-1884 (with gaps) d. Jewish Voice, 1888-1920 e. St. Louiské Listy, 1902-1923 (in Czech) f. Westliche Post, 1857-1938 (in German) III. Resources at the Special Collections Web Pages at www.slcl.org a. b. c. d.

PastPorts, the Special Collections Department electronic newsletter Collection guides Indexes Finding aids

IV. St. Louis Catholic Archdiocesan Parish Records on Microfilm, including those for the following Czech and Slovak parishes (listed in order by founding date): a. St. Mary Mission (Mashek, Lincoln County), 1849 b. St. John Nepomuk (St. Louis City), 1854 i. See St. Louis Star-Times article, February 21, 1933 c. St. John Lateran (Rock Creek/Imperial, Jefferson County), 1859

TH1

9:15 – 10:15 A.M.

d. e. f. g. h. i. j. k.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 27

St. Mary (Hawk Point, Lincoln County), 1874 Sacred Heart (Troy, Lincoln), 1879 St. Philomena (House Springs, Jefferson County), 1880 St. Paul (Fenton, St. Louis County), 1887 St. Wenceslaus (St. Louis City), 1895 Most Holy Trinity Slovak (St. Louis City), 1898 St. Mary (Hawk Point, Lincoln County), 1919 St. Anthony (High Ridge, Jefferson County), 1921

V. Catholic Diocese of Belleville [Illinois] Parish Records on Microfilm a. Sts. Cyril and Methodius, 1911 VI. Bohemian Synagogue/Temple a. B’nai El, 1852 i. See St. Louis Star-Times article, May 22, 1933 VII.

St. Louis Cemeteries a. For the Czech and Slovak Catholic community i. St. Vincent de Paul, 1841-1866 ii. Sts. Peter and Paul, opened 1864 iii. Resurrection, opened 1928 b. For Czech Freethinkers i. New Picker’s Cemetery/Gatewood Gardens Cemetery (Evangelical, but many Czech Freethinkers are buried here), opened 1862 ii. Sunset Memorial Park (non-denominational), opened 1922 c. For Slovak Lutherans i. Concordia Cemetery, opened 1856 ii. Sunset Memorial park (non-denominational), opened 1922 d. For Bohemian Jews i. New Mt. Sinai, opened 1849

VIII.

St. Louis Directories a. St. Louis City, 1821-present (with gaps) b. St. Louis County, 1893-present (with gaps)

IX. St. Louis City and County Civil Records on Microfilm a. St. Louis City birth and death records, 1850-1908 b. St. Louis marriage records

TH1

9:15 – 10:15 A.M.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 27

i. St. Louis City, 1806-1965 ii. St. Louis County, 1877-1980 c. St. Louis guardianship case files, 1802-1901 d. St. Louis naturalization records, 1816-1928* e. St. Louis City and County land records (contact library for details) f. St. Louis City and County wills and probate records (contact library for details) X. Resources for Bohemian Jewish Research a. Zion in the Valley: The Jewish Community of St. Louis by Walter Ehrlich. 2 vols. Columbia, MO: University of Missouri Press, 1997. XI. Parish, Organizational, and Community Histories a. 125th Jubilee of St. John Nepomuk Church, St. Louis, Missouri. St. Louis: St. John Nepomuk Church, 1979.* b. Bohemian Hill: An American Story by Nini Harris. St. Louis: St. John Nepomuk Parish, 2004.* c. History of the Archdiocese of Saint Louis: A Condensed History of the Catholic Church in Missouri and Saint Louis. St. Louis: Western Watchman Publishing Co., 1924.* d. Souvenir Book of Holy Trinity Slovak Parish, St. Louis, Missouri: Diamond Jubilee of Parish: Golden Jubilee of Present Church, Celebrated November 4, 1973. St. Louis: Holy Trinity Slovak Parish, 1973.* e. Souvenir to Commemorate 100 years of Teaching by the Sisters of Notre Dame at St. John Nepomuk School, St. Louis, MO: 1869-1969. St. Louis: St. John Nepomuk School, 1969. f. St. Lucas Evangelical Lutheran Church, 100 th Anniversary, 1905-2005. St. Louis: St. Lucas Evangelical Lutheran Church, 2005.* i. See St. Louis Star-Times article, Feb. 4, 1935 XII.

Map a. Pictorial St. Louis: The Great Metropolis of the Mississippi Valley by Camille N. Dry. Originally published 1875. Reprint, Hazelwood, MO: McGraw-Young Publishing, 1997.

XIII.

Czech Language Word List a. Genealogical Word List: Czech. Salt Lake City: Family History Library, Family History Department, 2000.

For additional resources, see the Bohemian, Czech, Moravian & Slovak Genealogy Guide from the Special Collections Department at St. Louis County Library or at the Library’s website at www.slcl.org/sc/pdfs/rg_bohemian_guide.pdf. *Index available at St. Louis County Library website, www.slcl.org.

TH2

9:15 – 10:15 A.M.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 27

THE ALTAR OF OUR FREEDOM: CZECH SERVICE AND SACRIFICE IN THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR By Tom Pearson Copyright 2011 by St. Louis Public Library. All rights reserved.

PERSONS OF CZECH DESCENT IN THE U.S. (1860) In 1860, the following states had the most persons of Czech descent: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Wisconsin—7,060 Czech settlers Missouri—3,132 Czech settlers Iowa—2,700 Czech settlers New York State—2,438 Czech settlers Illinois—2,106 Czech settlers Ohio—1,317 Czech settlers.

Birthplace for these persons is generally listed as Bohemia, Moravia, or Silesia. They lived mainly in these cities/counties: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Wisconsin—Manitowoc; Milwaukee; Racine; Jefferson; Grant Missouri—St. Louis; Jefferson; Lincoln Iowa—Johnson; Linn; Jackson; Clayton New York State—New York City Illinois—Cook; Madison; St. Clair Ohio—Cuyahoga; Hamilton

A majority of Czech immigrants were either farmers or skilled tradesmen. Much Czech settlement in the U.S. occurred between 1845 and 1880. The vast majority of Czech Americans were opposed to slavery, and therefore supported the North during the Civil War. Many of these Czechs had been supporters of the European revolutions of 1848-1849, when uprisings in numerous European countries had attempted to overthrow existing regimes and establish democratic forms of government. When those revolutions all failed, some Czechs were forced to flee Europe in order to avoid detention or death. CZECH SERVICE IN THE CIVIL WAR The following Civil War regiments included numerous men of Czech descent: 1. Wisconsin: 9th Wisconsin Infantry; 26th Wisconsin Infantry 2. Iowa: 22nd Iowa Infantry 3. New York: 8th New York Infantry; 39th New York Infantry (Garibaldi Guards); 45th New York Infantry 4. Illinois: 9th Illinois Cavalry 5. Indiana: 32nd Indiana Infantry 6. Ohio: 107th Ohio Infantry Most Czechs living in the Confederacy avoided conscription into the Southern army by hiding in the woods or in swamps, or by serving as teamsters in caravans that took embargoed cotton to Mexico. A majority of Czechs living in the Confederacy resided in Texas in the cities or counties noted: Texas—Austin; Colorado; Fayette During the Civil War, it was possible to serve in three basic types of Union Army military unit: 1. Regular Army: military units raised directly by the federal government. Regular Army units could serve wherever the President ordered them to go. 2. State volunteer regiments: military units raised directly by the states. These units could serve in their home state, but could also serve elsewhere once they had been mustered into federal service. 3. Militia units: military units raised by the state in local areas, which usually did their service in that local area.

TH2

9:15 – 10:15 A.M.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 27

Many men of Czech descent chose to serve in militia units, generally enlisting in the company of relatives, friends, and/or men from their own neighborhood. Service in militia units generally offered the advantages of: 1. 2. 3. 4.

Short-term service. Service close to home. Service with men who spoke the same language. Relatively low risk of loss of life or limb.

Fair numbers of men of Czech descent served in these Missouri Civil War militia units: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

1st U.S. Reserve Corps Regiment (three-month) 2nd U.S. Reserve Corps Regiment (three-month) 3rd U.S. Reserve Corps Regiment (three-month) 3rd Missouri State Militia Cavalry Regiment (three-year) 1st Missouri Infantry Regiment (three-month) 4th Missouri Infantry Regiment (three-month) 5th Missouri Infantry Regiment (three-month)

VERIFYING CIVIL WAR SERVICE OF CZECH ANCESTORS You can search for Czech men who served during the Civil War in the following online databases: Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System: http://www.itd.nps.gov/cwss/ Missouri Soldiers Database: http://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/soldiers/ Illinois Civil War Muster Rolls and Descriptive Rosters: http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/archives/datcivil.html Iowa in the Civil War Project: http://iagenweb.org/civilwar/books/logan.htm Indiana Civil War Soldiers Database: http://www.indianadigitalarchives.org/TitleInfo.aspx?TID=77 Ohio Civil War Rosters: http://www.ogs.org/research/search_ohcwss.php New York State Civil War Soldiers Database: http://www.archives.nysed.gov/a/research/res_topics_mi_civilwar_dbintro.shtml Roster of Wisconsin Volunteers in the War of the Rebellion: http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/roster/ MILITARY SERVICE RECORDS OF CZECH ANCESTORS Once you know the regiment and company a man served in, you can then look for a compiled military service record (CMSR) for that individual. If he served in a state volunteer regiment, NARA in Washington, DC likely has a CMSR for that man. If he served only in a state militia unit that was never federalized, then the only record of his service is probably at the State Archives in the state he served with. Ordering CMSRs from NARA: http://www.archives.gov/veterans/ CMSRs available from Footnote.com: http://go.footnote.com/civilwar_records/ REGIMENTAL HISTORIES You may also wish to find more information about the regiment he served in. A good way to start that process is to check Dyer’s Compendium of the Civil War: http://www.civilwararchive.com/regim.htm You can also check Worldcat.org to see if a book history has been written for the regiment he served in: http://www.worldcat.org/ You can use these search terms to find histories for regiments from a particular state: regimental histories missouri

TH2

9:15 – 10:15 A.M.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 27

FEDERAL PENSIONS FOR CIVIL WAR SOLDIERS & THEIR WIDOWS If he served in a state volunteer regiment, or if his local militia unit was in fact federalized, he or his widow would have been eligible for a federal pension based on his Civil War service. There is an index to these federal pensions on Ancestry.com: http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=4654 St. Louis County Library Special Collections Department has produced a finding aid for Missouri militia units found in the federal pensions index: http://www.slcl.org/branches/hq/sc/sc-orgindx-mo.htm IF HE DIED DURING THE WAR If he died during the war, you can look for his place of burial on these websites: Nationwide Gravesite Locator: http://gravelocator.cem.va.gov/j2ee/servlet/NGL_v1 SUVCW Graves Registration Database: http://www.suvcwdb.org/home/ WHY DIDN’T HE SERVE IN THE CIVIL WAR? If you cannot find a record of his service in the Civil War, the reason may be this: he never joined the army or got drafted! Why didn’t some men serve in the army during the war? There were a number of legitimate reasons for not doing so, including: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.

Worked in an exempt occupation (railroad man, telegrapher, etc.) Not a citizen, and had not begun the naturalization process (and therefore couldn’t be drafted) Minister, or membership in religious sect opposed to war Paid to stay out (commutation or substitution) Physically or mentally challenged Chronic medical condition (alcohol, tuberculosis, venereal disease) Not enough teeth to bite open a powder bag, or no trigger finger Too young or too old (less than 17, more than 45) Too short or too tall (under 5’0” or over 6’3”) Too light or too heavy (less than 100 lbs or more than 220 pounds) Too dishonest (convicted felon)

LIBRARIES & ARCHIVES 1. Civil War Research at the National Archives: http://www.archives.gov/research/military/civil-war/index.html 2. Guide to Civil War Resources at the Missouri State Archives: http://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/resources/civilwar/ 3. Cyndi’s List—Civil War Libraries, Archives, & Museums: http://www.cyndislist.com/cw.htm#Libraries BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Capek, Tomas. The Czechs in America. NY: Arno Press and the NY Times, 1969. MHM, SLCL, SLPL. Czech Americans (Wikipedia article): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czech_American Czech American Civil War Association: http://www.cacwa.cz/ Czech Civil War Re-enactment: http://www.radio.cz/en/article/55211 A Czech in the American Civil War: http://digital.lib.uiowa.edu/cdm4/browse.php?CISOROOT=/czech Czech Pioneers in Wisconsin: http://www.svu2000.org/cs_america/wisconsin.htm Frequent Czech Surnames: http://zlimpkk.tripod.com/Genealogy/moresurnames.html

TH2

9:15 – 10:15 A.M.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 27

8. HeritageQuest.com: http://www.heritagequestonline.com/hqoweb/library/do/index 9. Martinek, Josef. One Hundred Years of the CSA. Cicero, IL: Executive Committee of the C.S.A., 1985. See pp. 46-49. MHM, SLCL, SLPL. 10. Pospishil, Joseph. A Czech in the American Civil War. http://cdm.statelibraryofiowa.org/cdm4/browse.php?CISOROOT=%2Fczech 11. Rombauer, Robert J. The Union Cause in St. Louis in 1861. St. Louis, 1909. MHM, SLCL, SLPL. 12. Zeman, Deborah, Czech American Education Center Offers Czech language help.

Tom Pearson, Reference Librarian Special Collections Department--St. Louis Public Library 1415 Olive Street, St. Louis, MO 63103 Email: [email protected]

TH 3 10:30 – 11:30 A.M.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 27

BEGINNING GENEALOGY Lisa A. Alzo, M.F.A. E-mail: [email protected] Overview Curious about your roots but don’t know where to begin? This workshop will show you how to “jumpstart your genealogy!” Learn the basics and how to investigate your family’s history using traditional research methods and the Internet. The first half of this workshop will cover how and where to begin your research, how to find and locate home and family sources, interview relatives, put together a family tree utilizing the latest genealogical tools and references, use technology to streamline the process of entering and recording data, store and preserve old documents, photographs, and organize your information. Tips for online searching as well as locating paper records will be presented. The second half of this workshop will address long-distance research, planning genealogical research trips, how to build a “genealogy team” through networking with other researchers and experts, and tips for sharing your research and writing your family’s story. Key strategies for overcoming the most common “brick walls” will also be discussed. Beginning Your Genealogical Research  Start by researching records on this side of the ocean and work backward  Be flexible and open to alternate spellings, a variety of languages, alphabets, etc.  Anticipate/expect confusion – names, dates, and place of origin  Utilize Internet resources when possible; ;  Complete a Pedigree Chart, Family Group Sheet, Ancestor Data Sheet (see www.lisaalzo.com)  Always verify information (whether from online or traditional sources)  Focus on North America first: Records easier to access  Provides clues to village of origin; Helps you to avoid making critical research mistakes Research Steps 1. Begin with the immigrant’s name and birth date 2. Gather family details about immigrant 3. Locate the name of the town or village of origin 4. Search U.S. Records for surnames (check siblings, cousins, etc.) 5. Identify location of town/village of origin today (current maps) 6. Check for available records at the Family History Library (FHL) 7. Establish contacts in village or town (mayor/priest), either by e-mail or snail mail 8. Write to archives if possible or hire professional researcher

TH 3 10:30 – 11:30 A.M.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 27

Key Information to Research:  U.S. Census/Immigration/Vital Records/Cemetery/Church records; Emigration/Other records  Town/village of origin; Talk to family members/relatives first (ask for documentation)  Don’t overlook siblings or friends/neighbors  Develop a research strategy or plan  5 W’s approach: Who, What, When, Where, Why  Document everything! Searching Across the Pond  Check FamilySearch first!  Write to or research in archives  Czech and Slovak Archives (research procedures, record availability, etc. will differ depending on country/archive)  See CGSI Web site (under "Research," "Using Archives" for information:  Consult: Czech and Slovak Letter Writing Guide (LDS) Item #36340 (PDF)  Professional Researchers  You may wish to consult with a professional researcher  Association of Professional Genealogists in America  Board for Certification of Genealogists  Cyndi’s List  Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International Networking: Finding Others  Helps you to break down brick walls (every genealogist has them!)  Join genealogical and historical societies  Post queries in genealogical publications or on society websites  Facebook ; Twitter ; Blogs www.geneabloggers.com  Online Message Boards/Forums: Ancestry.com ; Yahoo!  Slovak Pride Database  Establishing Contacts in the Ancestral Village (mayor or priest): Google the town/village Genealogy is: 

One Part Skill



One Part Persistence



One Part Serendipity!

TH 3 10:30 – 11:30 A.M.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 27 Ten Quick Tips for Finding Your Ancestors* Lisa A. Alzo, M.F.A.

1. Exhaust all North American (US, Canadian) sources first (talk to relatives and check for documents, get records). 2. Get the immigrant’s name right (names may not appear the same way in foreign records as you know them in English). 3. Learn naming practices and customs. See . 4. Brush up on history. Try Google Books , or Internet Archive . 5. Study geography (use historical maps, atlases, and gazetteers). Check the FEEFHS Map Library for resources . 6. Bypass foreign-language barriers (use translation aids to read and interpret records). Find resources online such as Google Translate or Word lists from FamilySearch . 7. Find online records (mostly US but more from overseas are being digitized). Learn what’s online at ; and use the Internet to connect with cousins. 8. Use Family History Library microfilm or visit its online search site: to search indexes and browse digitized records. 9. Write to the archives (or research there in person). Consult for tips. 10. Hire a professional to get what you can’t. See the CGSI Web site . *These tips have been adapted from the article “Victory in Europe” by Lisa A. Alzo for Family Tree Magazine. Read more at: . Portions reprinted with permission. Additional Resources: Finding Your Slovak Ancestors by Lisa A. Alzo, (Heritage Productions) Other Articles/Books on Genealogy “18 Simple Steps to Becoming a Genealogist” by Lisa A. Alzo (free handout on Lulu.com) For more tips and links see the “Beginning Slovak Genealogy” syllabus for this conference

Be serious about your research, but have fun doing it!

TH 4 10:30 – 11:30 A.M.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 27

CZECHOSLOVAK ETHNIC FOODS By Sidonka Wadina

This discussion will focus on ethnic foods, how they were prepared in the old days and how they have evolved as the types of foods Czechoslovaks enjoy cooking and eating today. Because old recipes were mostly unwritten and handed down from mother to daughter most existed only in the heads of those who prepared them. In those days recipes were simple hearty meals based on the availability of ingredients. Most of these foods came from home gardens, neighbors, the forest, or rivers. Most rural households had a garden which provided them with vegetables, a pig, chickens, geese or ducks and maybe a cow. If there was room, fruit trees, apple and/or pear, which provided sweet variety to the family’s diet. If there was no cow for milk, the homeowner could barter with a neighbor who did have one, offering fruit, vegetables or smoked meat in exchange. The men in the family often hunted for wild game and fished. The forests provided mushrooms, berries and edible plants which were harvested for the family’s pantry and were dried or preserved. Due to their availability, certain foods became traditional and were consumed on holidays or special occasions. How these ethnic foods have played an important role in the traditions and customs of the people will also be discussed.

Houby (mushrooms)

Medovníky (decorated honey cake) cookies

TH5

1:00 – 2:00 P.M.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 27

BOHEMIAN JEWS IN SAINT LOUIS By Don Makovsky

I.

II.

As an introduction and background, I intend to present some generalizations about Bohemian Jews who came to America in the mid-19th century as the one choice above all other places to emigrate: Describing the fast pace of migration, particularly between 1848 & 1854. The motivations for leaving Bohemia for America which included political, social, religious, as well as economic. Who emigrated: Generally, unmarried people, as opposed to families, people that could not or were not allowed to start a family or business because of anti-Jewish restrictions.

III.

Their settling in St. Louis: Where they lived, what their occupations were.

IV.

Prominent individuals: Block family, Isidor Bush, August M. Bondi, Rabbi Isaac Mayer Weiss, Meyer Friede, Moritz Freund.

V.

Conclusion: An evaluation of their political, and religious stands and their contribution to the both the Jewish and general community of St. Louis

BIBLIOGRAPHY Ehrlich, Walter. Zion in the Valley, University of Missouri Press, 1997 Diner, Hasia R. A Time for Gathering: The Second Migration 1820-1880 Johns Hopkins Press, 1992 Sarna, Jonathan D. American Judaism, Yale University Press, 2005 Primm, James Neal. Lion of the Valley, Pruett, 1981 Korn, Bertram W. American Jewry and the Civil War, Jewish Publication Society of America, 2001 Sachar, Howard M. The Course of Modern Jewish History, Dell, 1958 Makovsky, Donald I. Origin and Early History of the United Hebrew Congregation of St. Louis 18411859, Master’s Thesis, Washington University of St. Louis, 1958 Freund Family Records

INTERVIEWS Gladys Freund Barker, 2011 Lee Scissors, 2011 Andrew Schwartz, 2011

TH6 1:00 – 2:00 P.M.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 27

AUSTRIAN, BOHEMIAN, CZECHOSLOVAKIAN – THE ABCs OF GLASS COLLECTING By Deborah Truitt

TH6 1:00 – 2:00 P.M.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 27

TH6 1:00 – 2:00 P.M.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 27

TH7

2:15 – 3:15 P.M.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 27

GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH AT THE MISSOURI HISTORY MUSEUM LIBRARY AND RESEARCH CENTER Dennis Northcott, Associate Archivist for Reference [email protected] 314-746-4510 Missouri History Museum Library and Research Center 225 S. Skinker Blvd. (across from Forest Park) Library: 314-746-4500; Archives: 314-746-4510 Hours: Tuesday–Friday, Noon–5 PM; Saturday, 10 AM–5 PM www.mohistory.org The Missouri Historical Society (now known as the Missouri History Museum) was founded in 1866, and since that time has been collecting material on the history of St. Louis, the state of Missouri, and the Louisiana Purchase territory. The collections also include extensive published materials on states east of the Mississippi River. The collections include holdings regarding the colonial and territorial periods, the American fur trade, western travel and exploration, steamboats and river transportation, the Civil War, and the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. 

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Best Starting Points for Genealogists The Genealogy and Local History Index—http://genealogy.mohistory.org/—is an ever-growing index containing hundreds of thousands of references to personal and corporate names (primarily St. Louisans and St. Louis businesses) that appear in selected library, archives, and photograph collections at the Missouri History Museum Library and Research Center. The following Web page provides links to additional catalogs, guides, and indexes to the collections at the Missouri History Museum Library and Research Center: http://www.mohistory.org/search_options The Genealogy Links page provides links to some of the best indexes, databases, and guides to researching St. Louis ancestors: http://www.mohistory.org/lrc/family-history/genealogy-links To receive the monthly “Genealogy and House History News” e-newsletter, send an email to Dennis Northcott at [email protected], with “subscribe” in the subject line of the email and your name in the body of the email. To view a flyer of 2011 genealogy lectures and workshops, go to http://www.mohistory.org/files/series_brochures/Genealogy%2011%20flier.pdf

List of Notable and Unique Genealogical Holdings CENSUS RECORDS  Non-federal St. Louis city censuses, 1847-1866 (not taken every year; incomplete; unindexed) (microfilm)  St. Louis city census, 1845 (indexed online at http://genealogy.mohistory.org/genealogy/source/19)  Missouri state census for St. Louis city & county, 1840 (indexed online at http://genealogy.mohistory.org/genealogy/source/17)  Carondelet, Mo., census, 1857-1858 (indexed online at http://genealogy.mohistory.org/genealogy/source/3)  Some colonial and territorial censuses (see Census Collection, Archives)  Federal mortality, industry, and agricultural schedules for Missouri, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880 (mostly unindexed; microfilm) NEWSPAPERS Collection contains mostly St. Louis–area newspapers, including:  Missouri Gazette and Republican, 1808 to 1919 (microfilm)  German-language Westliche Post, 1857-1938 (microfilm)  St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 1919-1948 and 1961-present (and some scattered dates pre-1919) (microfilm)  German-language St. Charles Demokrat, 1889-1916 (microfilm)

TH7

2:15 – 3:15 P.M.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 27

MAPS & ATLASES  St. Louis street maps, plat maps, ward maps, and fire insurance maps (see map drawers in old-style Library Card Catalog)  Missouri county atlases (see map drawers in old-style Library Card Catalog) DIRECTORIES & GAZETTEERS  St. Louis city and county directories, 1821-1980 (available in Reading Room and on microfilm); St. Joseph city directories, 1859-1975 (incomplete); St. Charles city directories, 1891-1988 (incomplete) (microfilm); Kansas City city directories, 1861-1935 (microfilm)  Missouri state gazetteers, 1860, 1876-1899 (incomplete) (Reading Room and microfilm) MILITARY RECORDS  Civil War: diaries, correspondence, muster rolls, records of veterans’ societies (see “Guide to Civil War Manuscript Collections in the Missouri Historical Society Archives” at http://www.mohistory.org/files/archives_guides/CivilWarManuscriptsGuide.pdf)  Records of the First Regiment Infantry, National Guard of Missouri, 1873-1910 (Archives)  World War I Biography & Service Records: Persons Who Enlisted in St. Louis City & County (indexed online at http://genealogy.mohistory.org/genealogy/source/39 and http://genealogy.mohistory.org/genealogy/source/56) COLONIAL, LOCAL & STATE GOVERNMENT RECORDS  Nineteenth-century Missouri tax lists (several counties represented; mostly pre-1845; unindexed) (Taxes & Tax Lists Collection, Archives [some on microfilm])  St. Louis County voter registration books, 1924-1936 (does not include the City of St. Louis; unindexed) (see guide at Archives Reference Desk)  Washington County court records, 1799-1853 (bulk 1814-1833) (abstracted) (Inventory at Archives Reference Desk)  St. Louis Board of Police Commissioners personnel records, 1861-1894 (name index at front of volumes) (Archives)  St. Louis Circuit Court records, circa 1804-1858 (index available on microfilm)  Dexter P. Tiffany Collection, which includes various records of the St. Louis County Court, 1808-1902; the City of Carondelet, Mo., 1825-1870; and the Washington County Court, 1813-1830 (inventory online at http://www.mohistory.org/files/archives_guides/TiffanyCollection.pdf)  The Missouri Land Records Collection (1775-1979) contains records regarding the surveying and sale of public lands in Missouri, the confirmation of colonial land claims in Missouri, and the taxation of land (partially indexed in Archives Card Catalog).  Colonial and early Missouri records for the districts of Ste. Genevieve, St. Charles, and New Madrid (see inventory at Archives Reference Desk)  Records of the French and Spanish administration of the district of St. Louis, 1766-1804, includes deeds, land claims, marriage contracts, etc. (WPA card index available at Archives Reference Desk)  Published records, such as Pennsylvania Archives and Maryland Archives RECORDS & PUBLICATIONS OF BUSINESSES, INSTITUTIONS & ORGANIZATIONS  St. Louis House of Refuge journal of commitments, 1854-1899 (indexed in St. Louis Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vols. 25-26; copy of index available at Archives Reference Desk)  St. Louis Protestant Orphan Asylum minute book, 1834-1852 (abstracted), and record book of admissions and removals, 1882-1916 (abstracted; index online at http://genealogy.mohistory.org/genealogy/source/83) (abstracts available at Archives Reference Desk)  American fur trade ledgers, 1802-1871 (indexed) (index available at Archives Reference Desk)  Weick Brothers Undertaking Company records, 1911-1950 (index available in Library Vertical File–Weick Funeral Home)

TH7

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2:15 – 3:15 P.M.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 27

Howard Funeral Home records, 1913-1975 (The records dated 1913-1943 are indexed online at http://genealogy.mohistory.org/genealogy/source/73.) Society of Colonial Wars in Missouri membership applications (alphabetical by applicant’s name)

SCRAPBOOKS  Personal and family scrapbooks (Some are indexed in Library Information File.)  Necrology scrapbooks, which contain obituaries, death notices, and probate announcements clipped from St. Louis newspapers, circa 1880s-1970s (indexed in Library Information File; also indexed online at http://genealogy.mohistory.org/genealogy/source/301) PERIODICALS  Missouri Historical Society quarterly historical publications; journals of state historical societies and genealogical societies (indexed extensively in Library Information File)  The Central Baptist, 1895-1912, includes extensive obituaries and marriage notices, covering Missouri, Kansas, and Illinois (unindexed)  Some company employee magazines (see Library Catalog; many are indexed in the Genealogy and Local History Index) OTHER PUBLICATIONS OF INTEREST TO GENEALOGISTS  Local, county, and state histories; histories of St. Louis–area businesses, institutions, and neighborhoods  Numerous genealogical abstracts and indexes to various county records for Missouri and other states (i.e., probate, cemetery, marriage, census, etc.)  Published and unpublished family histories and genealogies, some dating back to the nineteenth century  School yearbooks, mostly for St. Louis public schools and Missouri colleges and universities  Annual reports of various businesses, private organizations, and local and state government agencies (see Library Catalog)

TH8

2:15 – 3:15 P.M.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 27

BEGINNING SLOVAK GENEALOGY Lisa A. Alzo, M.F.A. E-mail: [email protected] Nearly 620,000 Slovaks came to the United States during the period of “mass migration” (18801914). With a vast number of Americans claiming Slovak ancestry today, the interest in Slovak genealogy is greatly increasing. This session will provide an overview of how to begin the research process using both traditional and online sources. Learn how to identify your ancestral village, locate and interpret vital records, trace ancestors through census and immigration records, utilize the Family History Library, tips for contacting possible relatives, writing to Slovak archives, and how to find and hire professional researchers. The basics of organizing your research and strategies for overcoming the most common pitfalls and problems specific to researching Slovak ancestors will also be discussed. Overview  Reasons Slovaks left homeland: economic, political or religious repression  Many returned home after earning enough money to buy land back home  Over 500,000 Slovaks had settled in the U.S. by 1914 whereas only about 5,000 Canada  Major reason in the disparity in numbers was economic o Massive industrialization in the U.S. in late 19th c. requiring cheap labor o Canada was little industrialized until the 20th c. (population: more farmers) Beginning Your Genealogical Research  Start by researching records on this side of the ocean and work backward  Be flexible and open to alternate spellings, a variety of languages, alphabets, etc.  Anticipate/expect confusion – names, dates, and place of origin  Utilize Internet resources when possible  Complete a Pedigree Chart, Family Group Sheet, Ancestor Data Sheet (see www.lisaalzo.com)  Always verify information (whether from online or traditional sources)  Focus on North America first: Records easier to access  Provides clues to village of origin; Helps you to avoid making critical research mistakes Key Information to Research:  U.S. Census/Immigration/Vital Records/Cemetery/Church records; Emigration/Other records  Town/village of origin; Talk to family members/relatives first (ask for documentation)  Don’t overlook siblings or friends/neighbors Research Steps 9. Begin with the immigrant’s name and birth date 10. Gather family details about immigrant 11. Locate the name of the town or village of origin 12. Search U.S. Records for surnames (check siblings, cousins, etc.) 13. Identify location of town/village of origin today (current maps) 14. Check for available records at the Family History Library (FHL) 15. Establish contacts in village or town (mayor/priest), either by e-mail or snail mail 16. Write to archives if possible or hire professional researcher Locating the Ancestral Village  Check maps, printed gazetteers and/or atlases; online Gazetteer  Federation of East European Family History Societies Map Library  Use Shtetlseeker available via ; Google Earth http://earth.google.com  Nazvy obci Slovenskej Republiky (Names of Villages, Slovak Republic) Milan Majtan, 1997

TH8

2:15 – 3:15 P.M.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 27

Foreign Vital Records/Census Records/Other Records  The Family History Library (FHL) ; not all records filmed yet  Until 1950, the churches held all of the official village records for birth, marriage and  deaths. After this time, "civil registration" initiated; some records still w/ local priest  Sometimes church records for several villages were kept in another parish in a larger, nearby town  Variety of languages used (Cyrillic, Greek, Hungarian, Latin, Slovak)  Consult Web site by John J. Jaso  In Slovakia, censuses were taken according to Hungarian law  Some Hungarian census returns have been microfilmed and are listed in the FHL Catalog under HUNGARY or SLOVAKIA CENSUS  Of special note: 1828 Landowner Census; 1848 Jewish Census of Hungary; 1869 Census (most valuable to genealogists)  Muster rolls and qualification lists are available from the 1700s to 1915; mostly Austrian  Local Histories/Nobility (from the 1600s); Tax Lists (Austrian records 1654, 1684, 1746, 1757, 1792) Research by Mail Most records more than 100 years old are now kept in state regional archives [statni oblastni archivy]; later records are maintained at the vital records sections [matricní oddeleni/oddelenie] of local city offices. Slovak Ministry of Interior and Environment, Archivná Správa, Krizková 7, 811 04 Bratislava, Slovak Republic Consult: Czech and Slovak Letter Writing Guide (LDS) Item #36340 (PDF) Professional Researchers (check credentials) Networking: Finding Others  Facebook ; Twitter ; Blogs ; Message Boards < http://messages.yahoo.com>; ; Slovak Pride Database ;  Establishing Contacts in the Ancestral Village (mayor or priest) Google town/village Slovak Genealogy Web Sites Family Search Wiki Portal: Slovakia Eastern Slovakia Genealogy Research Strategies Slovak Genealogy Search Toolbox: Immigrant History Research Center (University of Minnesota) Radix Genealogical Research in Hungary Slovak Links Slovak Telephone Directory The Carpatho-Rusyn Society The Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International (CGSI) The Slovak Institute Genealogy Slovakia (Cisarik) Conclusion: Effective Slovak genealogical research in the 21st century is not accomplished by only traditional research or only online research, but rather a combination of both. For further reading: Finding Your Slovak Ancestors by Lisa A. Alzo, (Heritage Productions, $25.00) www.genealogicalstudies.com

TH9

3:30 – 4:30 P.M.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 27

CZECHOSLOVAK EMBROIDERIES: A VISUAL LANGUAGE by Sidonka Wadina

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Discussion of ancient motifs, patterns, their meaning and translation in textiles. Fabric iconography; a study in the identification, description, and the interpretation of images. The Goddess Motif and its evolution after Christianity. Traditions involving textiles and cloths.

There will be a Power Point presentation to accompany the lecture. An excerpt from the discussion follows………. “For the most part, history has been written mostly by men, about men's activities, and women's stories were only partially recorded and preserved. But from ancient times, women have also recorded their stories, using visual symbols; on eggs, in straw work, in folk painting, and on fabric. While we can still read the incomplete written histories, we have forgotten how to de-code the visual language used on fabric and thus, early women's stories are largely unread .But if we return to the visual record, we are surprised to see how resistant to change and how accurate the visual record is. From the earliest times, only the more durable arts survived, but we do have a fabric record and what it tells us about the life of women is extraordinary. If we could read it clearly and accurately we would know what women were experiencing, recording and preserving.”

Embroidery illustration – Copyright Sidonka, 2009 Embroidered sleeve on blouse

TH10

3:30 – 4:30 P.M.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 27

TRACKING ST. LOUIS LAND OWNERSHIP AND OCCUPANCY (FOR USE IN GENEALOGY) Dan Vornberg, St. Louis Email: [email protected]

October 27, 2011 Syllabus Notes and References The early St. Louis District records are available at the Missouri State Archives in Jefferson City and copies are available in the St. Louis County Library. However, this talk will focus on the post Statehood period of ownership, when small lots of land were surveyed and sold to individuals or landlords that constitute the properties on which the majority of the Bohemian immigrants lived when they moved into what became a German Southside neighborhood after mid-century. The Bohemians were comfortable there because as former occupants of the Hapsburg Empire they had been required to learn at least some German which was the language of the realm and shared values with many of the immigrating Germans. This is the area of St. John Nepomuk Catholic Parish’s which was established in 1854. Prior to that, the Catholic Bohemians’ joined their German neighbors and attended St. Vincent de Paul, St. Mary of Victories, and SS. Peter and Paul. As the land was subdivided and sold or distributed, it was known as the Soulard Addition in the St. Louis Recorder’s Office. The same principles and record keeping systems continued into the early 1900’s as additional Bohemians and Slovaks, Protestants, Catholics and Free Thinkers moved to St. Louis. Outline and space for notes The Colonial French and Spanish Period (1754-1804)

Land surveys, grants, and recording

The Territorial Period (1804 to 1821)

Early statehood recording earlier claims and the Missouri Land Commission

City Directories (Placing your ancestor in a place and time). Street Name Changes. Death records often include place of death.

Using Assessor’s records to determine who owned a piece of property at a particular time. Probate abstracts.

Moving from assessors records to Deeds. Second party loans, third party trustees.

TH10

3:30 – 4:30 P.M.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 27

Using maps to place individuals Using insurance maps to see what the property was like and to sort out uncertainty

Using the Pictorial aerial view maps to picture the community in which your ancestor lived

Case Study 1 - Joseph Behm, Catholic, day laborer, rented residence

Case Study 2 - Frank Matoushek, Catholic, owned residence, cooperage business, Banking, business mentor

Case Study 3 - Moritz and Jetta Steiner Freund, Bohemian Jews, rented residence, bakery business

Case Study 4 - Josef Mottel/Mottl, Free Thinker, rented residence, tavern operator

TH10

3:30 – 4:30 P.M.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 27

Resource availability Fleming, Ann Carter. St. Louis Family History Research Guide. Fleming Publishing, St. Louis, 2008. Chapters on research facilities and bodies of records for St. Louis City and County. Availability of City Directories for St. Louis published by a number of companies. Refer to catalogs in libraries or file listings on web sites St. Louis Public Library www.slpl.org 1821-1930 spotty early St. Louis County Library www.slcl.org 1821-1930 spotty early Missouri History Museum Library & Research Center www.mohistory.org 1821-1980 spotty early Ancestry.com fee based website various years in late 19 th century and mid 20th century Footnote.com fee based website 1863-1923 Missouri History Museum Library & Research Center has house research index searchable by address in their genealogy catalog www.mohistory.org St. Louis City Recorder of Deeds includes separate Archives Department in City Hall for pre-1930 deeds. Comprehensive deeds available on microfilm, subdivision as well as some individual surveys available. Building permits available from about 1900 including demolition dates. City Hall, 1200 Market Street, St. Louis, MO 63103. Telephone 314-641-8474. E-mail [email protected]. (Parking on street or lot entrance on Clark Street.) St. Louis City Assessors office. Comprehensive assessment records in books and microfiche. Plat books that show current property and owners and a numbering system to track ownership back in time until somewhere in 1865-1920 period for each property depending on when it transferred ownership. Room 120, City Hall, 1200 Market Street. Telephone 314-622-4185. (Parking on street or lot entrance on Clark Street.) Sandborn fire insurance maps. Missouri University Library. http://laurel.lso.missouri.edu/search-S6. Washington University and Missouri History Museum. Fire insurance maps produced by Alphonso Whipple 1870-1898. http://digital.wustl.edu/unrealcity/. Pitzman, Julius. Atlas of the City and County of Saint Louis Missouri. A. B. Holcombe & Co, Philadelphia, 1878. Alphabetized index of all landowners compiled and added by the St. Louis Genealogical Society in 1997 and revised and reprinted in 2006. Includes map of city block numbers. Pictorial St. Louis. A Topographical Survey drawn in Perspective A.D. 1875 by Camille N. Dry, designed and Edited by Rich J. Compton. St. Louis. Reprinted by McGraw-Young Publishing. Todd A. McGraw & Steven R. Young, 1997. Secretary of State of Missouri. Probate records. www.sos.mo.gov/. Genealogists and Historians tab; then Archives Online Database tab; then Missouri Judicial Records tab. Type in all or part of last name and select from available choices. Searches on exact spelling entered. This group contains a large majority of 19th century St. Louis Probate packets, some with wills, and some without. Property is inventoried within the packet and may give exact reference to deed of acquisition and or legal description of the property owned in the estate.

OPENING SESSION 8:00 – 9:15 A.M.

FRIDAY OCTOBER 28

SINGING OF THE NATIONAL ANTHEMS Prior to our Keynote Address we will sing the National Anthems of the United States, the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic. Sister Anita Smisek, OP of Sinsinawa, Wisconsin will lead us in singing.

STAR SPANGLED BANNER (AMERICAN NATIONAL ANTHEM) Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn’s early light What so proudly we hail’d at the twilight’s last gleaming? Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro’ the perilous fight, O’er the ramparts we watch’d, were so gallantly streaming? And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof thro’ the night that our flag was still there. O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave? -

Francis Scott Key

KDE DOMOV MŮJ (CZECH NATIONAL ANTHEM) (Text by Josef Kajetán Tyl, 1834) Kde do – mov můj?

Where is my home?

Kde do – mov můj?

Where is my home?

Vo-da hu - čí po lu - čí – nách

In the meadows, brooks and fountains

bo – ry šu – mí po ska - li – nách

Murm’ring forests, on the mountains

v sa – dě skví se ja – ra květ

In the gardens‘ blooming flow’rs,

zem – ský ráj to na po – hled!

All this paradise is ours!

A to je ta krá – sná ze – mě,

And it is the Czech’s great country

ze – mě če – ská do – mov můj

Splendid Country, oh my home,

ze – mě če –ská do – mov můj!

Splendid Country, oh my home,

English translation - © Czech Music Alliance

OPENING SESSION 8:00 – 9:15 A.M.

FRIDAY OCTOBER 28

NAD TATROU SA BLÝSKA (SLOVAK NATIONAL ANTHEM (Text by Janko Matúška, 18211877) Nad Ta-trou sa blýs-ka,

hro-my di - vo bi - jú.

Nad Ta-trou sa blýs-ka,

hro-my di - vo bi - jú.

Za-stav-me ich, bra-tia, ved’ sa o - ny stra-tia,

Slo-vá-ci o - ži - jú.

Za-stav-me ich, bra-tia, ved’ sa o - ny stra-tia,

Slo-vá-ci o - ži - jú.

English Translation Tatras filled with firey lightning and with thunder, Tatras filled with firey lightning and with thunder! People, let’s be daring while ahead we’re faring, Slovaks ne’er will sunder! People, let’s be daring while ahead we’re faring, Slovaks ne’er will sunder!

English translation - © Czech Music Alliance

OPENING SESSION 8:00 – 9:15 A.M.

VERSAILLES BALLROOM

FRIDAY OCTOBER 28

“MEET ME IN HISTORIC ST. LOUIS” KEYNOTE ADDRESS by Joan F. Huisinga, Copyright 2011 Joan F. Huisinga, a fourth-generation St. Louisan, currently teaches St. Louis and Missouri history at Meramec College and the Thomas Dunn Foundation. She is a graduate of DePauw University, and holds an M.A. from Webster University, St. Louis. She served on the faculty of The College of William and Mary and more recently concluded 30 years of service on the faculty of Webster University. Huisinga is the education chairman for the Professional Tour Guides Association of St. Louis and serves as a guide and lecturer on St. Louis. She has authored two publications: (1) Celebration of Beginnings: The Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy. (2) Churches of Soulard: Celebrating 14 Churches in and around the Historic Soulard District of Saint Louis. Selected Bibliography of St. Louis Resources Baer, Howard F. St. Louis to Me. St. Louis, Mo.: Hawthorn Publishing Company, 1978. Benoist, Elizabeth S. Dish Ran Away with the Spoon. San Antonio, Texas: Naylor Company, 1968. Coyle, Elinor Martineau. Old Saint Louis Homes, 1764-1865: The Stories They Tell. Saint Louis: Folkstone Press, 1979. Coyle, Elinor Martineau. Saint Louis Homes, 1866-1916: The Golden Age. Saint Louis, Missouri: Folkestone Press, 1971. See “Little Bohemia,” pp. 84-85. Drummond, Malcom C. and Walter L. Eschbach. Down by the Gravois: The Photography of Richard Gruss, South St. Louis, 1900 through the 1920s. St. Louis, Mo.: Harland Bartholomew, 1976. Faherty, William Barnaby. Dream by the River: Two Centuries of Saint Louis Catholicism, 1766-1997. 3rd rev. ed. Saint Louis, Missouri: Archdiocese of St. Louis, 1997. Fifield, Barringer. Seeing Saint Louis. Herb Weitman, Photographs. 2nd ed. St. Louis, Missouri: Washington University, 1989. Hagen, Harry M. This Is Our Saint Louis. Saint Louis, Missouri: Knight Publishing Company, 1970. Kirschten, Ernest. Catfish and Crystal. New York: Doubleday, 1960. McDermott, John Francis, ed. The French in the Mississippi Valley. Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois, 1965. Misselhorn, Roscoe. Misselhorn’s Pencil Sketches of St. Louis. Sketched by Roscoe Misselhorn. Edited by Harry M. Hagen. St. Louis, Missouri: Riverside Press, 1976. St. Louis Magazine. St. Louis, Missouri: Hartmann Publishing Company, 1995-present. See Annual Guides. Primm, James Neal. Lion of the Valley, St. Louis, Missouri. Boulder, Colorado: Pruett Publishing Company, 198190. Savage, Charles C. Architecture of the Private Streets of St. Louis: The Architects and the Houses They Designed. Columbia, Missouri: University of Missouri Press, 1987. Tofts, Carolyn. Soulard: The Ethnic Heritage of an Urban Neighborhood. St. Louis, Missouri: Social Science Institute, Washington University, 1975.

OPENING SESSION 8:00 – 9:15 A.M. VERSAILLES BALLROOM

FRIDAY OCTOBER 28

Wayman, Norbury L. History of St. Louis Neighborhoods. St. Louis, Missouri: St. Louis Community Development Agency, 1970s. Twenty-seven St. Louis Neighborhood Histories were written in the early 1970s. The Soulard Neighborhood is in the area of St. Louis formerly known as Bohemian Hill. An outline map of the 27 neighborhoods, plus the 27 neighborhood histories, are available on the Internet. Text only. http://stlouis.missouri.org/neighborhoods/history/

Major Public Institutions holding St. Louis Historical Materials Midwest Genealogy Center Independence, Missouri http://www.mymcpl.org/ Missouri History Museum Library and Research Center St. Louis, Missouri www.mohistory.org/lrc-home/ Missouri State Archives Jefferson City, Missouri http://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/resources/resources.asp St. Louis Public Library St. Louis, Missouri ww.slpl.org Slavic American Imprints Collection Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville Edwardsville, Illinois www.siue.edu/lovejoylibrary/ Special Collections Department St. Louis County Library Frontenac, Missouri www.slcl.org The St. Louis Mercantile Library University of Missouri, St. Louis St. Louis, Missouri www.umsl.edu/mercantile/ The State Historical Society of Missouri Columbia, Missouri http://shs.umsystem.edu/index.shtml

Joan F. Huisinga, Copyright 2011

OPENING SESSION 8:00 – 9:15 A.M.

VERSAILLES BALLROOM

FRIDAY OCTOBER 28

St. Louis Historical Materials Available on Free Sites Genealogy in St. Louis Information on a variety of local history books and genealogical records pertaining to historic St. Louis. http://genealogyinstlouis.accessgenealogy.com/ Missouri Valley Special Collections Kansas City Public Library Local History Index: An analytical index to the major historical quarterlies published in Missouri. Many entries pertain to St. Louis. http://www.kchistory.org/cdm4/explore.php?page=localhistoryindex Missouri Digital Heritage More than 6.8 million records can be accessed through Missouri Digital Heritage, including the collections of the Missouri State Archives, the Missouri State Library and more than 50 institutions from across the state. http://www.sos.mo.gov/mdh/ Missouri History Museum Library and Research Center Digitized Books and Documents: Books of historical significance to St. Louis history. http://contentdm.mohistory.org/cdm4/browse.php?CISOROOT=%2Flib Missouri State Archives Contains several online resources and databases, including Missouri Death Certificates, 1910-1960, and Naturalization Records, 1816-1955. http://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/resources/ordb.asp St. Louis Genealogical Society Access to certain databases and publications on this site may require membership in the Society. http://www.stlgs.org/ St. Louis Globe-Democrat Collection Contains an index to the Clippings Files known as the newspaper "morgue.” Over 10,000,000 separate articles were cut out and filed by the newspaper between the 1920s and 1980s. http://www.umsl.edu/mercantile/special_collections/slma-112.html St. Louis Post-Dispatch Obituary Index An ongoing project by the staff of the St. Louis Public Library. http://www.slpl.org/slpl/gateways/article240117800.asp St. Louis Public Library Indexes and Bibliographies: St. Louis local history indexes and finding aids prepared by the staff of the St. Louis Public Library. http://previous.slpl.org/libsrc/lisindex.htm Special Collections Department, St. Louis County Library Indices to various books, newspapers, and records prepared by the Special Collection staff. http://ww.slcl.org/branches/hq/sc/indexes.htm

The State Historical Society of Missouri Official historical society for the state of Missouri. The newspaper library is the largest “state” newspaper collection in the country. http://shs.umsystem.edu/index.shtml Joan F. Huisinga, Copyright 2011

F1

9:30 – 10:45 A.M.

FRIDAY OCTOBER 28

RECONSTRUCT YOUR ANCESTRAL VILLAGE By Margo Smith

Family history is more than a set of charts of names, dates, and places. Enhance your understanding of the context of your family history by reconstructing the population of your ancestral village through time via available parish, tax, and census records, nobility investigations, etc. You can never review the documents too many times. You can gain fresh perspective on a family history by looking at the same data in a new way. This presentation demonstrates a reconstruction of the village of Polerieka, Slovakia. Select your ancestral village, preferably a small one for your first reconstruction. (1) Use 3 x 5 cards to develop the structure of each family starting with the beginning of the parish records. (2) Develop a separate spreadsheet with a column for each family and rows for each year. In the relevant cells, insert the events (baptism, marriage, burial) from the parish record. Include godparents/witnesses and other information (e.g., social status) in the cell. Using color coded arrows, draw lines connecting the individuals with ties to other families (via marriage, baptismal sponsorships, marriage witnesses, confirmation sponsors). Using color coded boxes (cells) add families included in the 1715 and subsequent tax lists, the 1869 census, the mid-1700s nobility investigations, etc. Significant historical events in the village, if they are known, can be inserted in a row for the appropriate year. As children marry, add a new column for that family next to the parental column. [If you search online, look for surnames of both the husband and wife to find those “lost” via creative spelling.] (3) Analyze your results to determine the patterns of social behavior in the village. The results may be different by region (agricultural, mining) or religion, or through time. Your completed network can reveal: (1) which individuals and families are connected to others via biology or social links, (2) some connections with others outside the village via marriage or god parenthood, (3) typical family dynamics, (4) typical causes of death (e.g., cholera outbreaks), (5) how your family compares with other families in the village (e.g., size of farm and harvest, size and composition of the family, extent of linkages with other families), and (6) additional insights previously not apparent to you. Magyarország. Országos Levéltár. Vagyonősszeírás, 1828. Salt Lake City: Filmre vette The Genealogical Society of Utah, 1961. Census of the taxable population (serfs and the nobles to whom they are obligated) of Hungary, 1828. Includes taxable livestock. By county and village. Available on microfilm. Magyarország. Consillium Regium Locumtenentiale Hungaricum. Nemesség bizonyito iratok, 1723-1784. Salt Lake City: Filmre vette a Genealogical Society of Utah, 1964. Documents on the nobility investigations, by county. Data varies. Not inclusive of all noble or apparently noble families. Available on microfilm. Magyarország. Helyartotanács. Az 1715 és 1720 évi országos ősszeírások, Esztergom megye 1720. Budapest: Magyar Országo Levéltárban, 1972. Feudal land tenancy census records of Hungary, by county and village, for 1715 and 1720. Serfs. List for 1720 also includes the noble to whom the serf is obligated. Available on microfilm. The 1715 land tenancy record is also available, by county and village, online at www.arcanum.hu/mol

F1 9:30 – 10:45 A.M.

FRIDAY OCTOBER 28

Magyararország. Helytartótanács. Ubéri tabellák, 1767-1773. Budapest: Magyar Országos Levéltár, 1972. Feudal land tenancy census records of Hungary, 1767-1773, by county and village. Includes serfs and the noble to whom the serf is obligated, cash and in kind taxes, some agricultural produce, robota requirement, names of members of village council, rules governing the relationship between serfs and nobility, quality of soil.. Available on microfilm. Matviya, John. “Recreating a Slovak Village” in FEEFHS Journal, XIV (2006): 86-89. The author relied on the 1869 census which is available on microfilm for 12 of the 15 counties, Greek Catholic parish records, and records from western Pennsylvania. Slovak parish records are available on microfilm from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Parish records for what is now eastern Slovakia are available online at www.familysearch.org

F2 9:30 – 10:45 A.M.

FRIDAY OCTOBER 28

ŠILLER’S PAMÁTNÍK AND WHAT WE LEARN ABOUT THE FIRST CZECH PROTESTANTS IN THE USA By Jan Dus

What Should I Expect? • This presentation will give you an introduction into Šiller’s Památník. • It will tell you about its style, content, and authors. • Hopefully it will encourage you to read it. • It will look at some other sources and compare those with the information that Památník gives us. The First Glimpse The Title • Památník Českých Evanjelických Církví ve Spojených státech obsahující popsání všech českých sborů presbyterních, neodvislých, reformovaných, congregačních, methodistických a baptistických roku 1900 stávajících. • Memorial of Czech Protestant Congregations in the United States including description of all Czech Presbyterian, Independent, Reformed, Congregational, Methodist, and Baptist congregations existing in 1900 • Compiled by: VILÉM ŠILLER, VÁCLAV PRŮCHA and R. M. De CASTELLO; published by „Křesťanský posel“; Chicago, Illinois; 1900 • Not an average book Why? • Why would anyone write a book about Czech Protestant congregations? • Listen to the editor • What does he mean by that? • We went from our old country of oppression into this new country of freedom. • One would expect that people would use the new freedom for the good. • They do not. • Památník written about (and by) a minority within a minority • Covering not only Czech, but partially also Slovak, and even Polish congregations • A little bit of statistics • Czechs in the USA: 531,193 • Roman Catholics: 40% • Protestants: 4-5% • Freethinkers: 55% Form of the book Structure of Památník • 288 pages • Brief Prologue • Foreword on Czech Protestant history by Josef Břeň • Congregations – Sorted by denominations • Always starts with a brief introduction of Czechs in a particular denomination • Followed by individual congregations

F2 9:30 – 10: 45 A.M.

FRIDAY OCTOBER 28

Language of Památník • Very elaborate • Old-style vocabulary • Long sentences • At times not fully understandable in Czech • Lost in the translation • How to translate old-fashioned language? • Czech supports longer sentences than English • Authors loved very long sentences Authors • Vilém Šiller, Václav Průcha and R.M. DeCastello call themselves „compilers“ • Work of many pastors • Writing contributions • Revising texts of others • Šiller, Průcha, and DeCastello • Wrote big portions of Památník • Redaction of the whole text • Rev. Vilém Šiller • Author or compiler of most of the book • Born 1872 in Blučina, Moravia • Studied high-schools in Brno and Kolín • Studied theology in New York • Pastor in Saratoga, IA (1898) and Hokins, MN (1900) • Rev. Václav Průcha • Author or compiler of the part on Independent congregations • Studied in Minneapolis and Oberlin, OH • Associate pastor in Chicago (1896) • Talks more of his brother, Rev. Jan Průcha, than of himself • Rev. R.M. Decastello • Author or compiler of the Methodist-Episcopalian congregations • Born in Bohemia • Studied at the German seminary in Berea, OH • Pastor in Cedar Rapids, IA (1895) • Later pastor in Chicago (1897) • Publisher of Křesťanský Posel Magazine (1899) The General Message Authors are ministers – “churchy” perspective • Building congregations • Excited about new missions • Disappointed by slow moves forward Positive views of Czech people • goal oriented • poor but determined

F2 9:30 – 10:45 A.M. • •

hard working • pastors traveling all around • determined volunteers listen

Criticisms of Czech people • freethinkers • break away from the traditions of the “old country” • alcoholism • dancing • listen Individual stories Hopkins, MN • Old Czech congregation • Still existing • Daughter church of Borová, CZ • Sister Church of Polička • listen Rev. Gustav Alexy • 1874 – started mission work among Czechs in New York • 1877 – organized Czech Presbyterian Church in NY (Jan Hus) • listen Clarkson, NE • Established 1877 • Two Zion churches – both built 1888 • Památník gives a different story than I heard! • Whom to believe? • Listen • Rev. Filipi leaves for Czechoslovakia • Aug. 24, 1922 • Listen to a story of the Colfax County Press • Listen to Jan’s story • Sanctuary dedicated Sept. 23, 1923 Památník as Genealogical Resource What do we learn from Památník • Information about the town/region • Information about Czech/Slovak settlers in the region • Information about religious life in the area • Individual stories Comparison with alternative sources • Local and regional histories •

Official congregational histories

FRIDAY OCTOBER 28

F3 9:30 – 10:45 A.M.

FRIDAY OCTOBER 28

KEYS TO AMERICAN RECORDS OF OUR CZECH ANCESTORS: Tools For Genealogists Who Don’t Speak Czech – Part I carol jean smetana 167 County Road A4A, Sapello, New Mexico 87745-5026 [email protected]

This session introduces the Czech alphabet, Czech diacritical marks and the pronunciation of Czech letters; ways to determine the Czech spelling of a surname and its possible Anglicized spellings; the different masculine and feminine forms of Czech surnames; and how to use these tools to find “lost” ancestors in American records. Significant immigration of Czechs (Bohemians) to the United States began in the second half of the nineteenth century. Many of us, therefore, find that after going back only three or four generations, our family history research leads us to the Czech Republic. But before we can use records in the Czech Republic to discover more about the families of our immigrant ancestors, we must first search American records for important information, such as the names of the immigrants’ parents and siblings and the names of the villages where the immigrants were born. Too often, however, our efforts to uncover that crucial information are blocked by our inability to find our ancestors in American records such as the U.S. census, even though “we know they should be there.” Usually they are, but their names are spelled in ways that are unexpected and unimaginable – unless we understand some basics of the Czech language. The tools of this first session are helpful in searching for Czech and Czech-American ancestors in English-language databases, such as census, birth and death records. Once we determine the proper Czech spellings of Anglicized surnames, we can anticipate possible phonetic spellings and variations of the Czech names, which can aid us in locating our Czech ancestors in American records.  The alphabet looks familiar enough - can I just ignore those marks above the letters? Czech is a phonetic language – it is pronounced the way it is written. An introduction to the Czech alphabet and the significance of the accent (diacritical) marks lays the foundation for proper pronunciation.  Why can’t I find my great-grandfather’s death certificate? Many Czech surnames have been Anglicized. We need to go back to the original Czech spelling (including diacritical marks) of the surname to understand how our ancestors might have pronounced it. Then we can imagine possible alternative spellings that might have been used in English-language records; after all, record keepers usually wrote down what they heard, and many had no knowledge of the Czech language. The death certificate was there – the surname just wasn’t spelled the way I expected it to be! Czech proper names – why don’t married couples have the same last name? Josef Bastýř is married to Marie Bastýřová. The husband of Marie Sladká is Josef Sladký. And who is Pepíček? Czech nouns are masculine, feminine or neuter, and their gender affects surnames. First names, too, can vary from record to record. While formal names were usually used for baptismal documents, Czech diminutives and nicknames were sometimes used in census records, obituaries, and on tombstones.  Practical applications – now it’s beginning to make sense!  Determining possible phonetic spellings for a Czech surname  Determining the probable Czech spelling for an Anglicized surname  Census and other database searches  Names on tombstones Keys to American Records of our Czech Ancestors © 2011 carol jean smetana

F3 9:30 – 10:45 A.M.

FRIDAY OCTOBER 28

Czech Pronunciation Tool Letter English Pronunciation Example

Letter English Pronunciation Example

a á b c č d d´ e é

o ó p q

ě f g h ch i í j k l m n ň

like a in above, like u in cup like a in father like b in boy like ts in bats like ch in child like d in dog like d in duty like e in net no real equivalent in English – similar to e in there or ledge like ye in yes like f in food like g in good like h in head like ch in Scottish loch, German Bach like i in fit like i in machine or the ee in feet like y in you like k in key like l in lit (can be used as a vowel) like m in mother (occasionally used as a vowel) like n in niece like ny in canyon

r ř s š t t´ u ů ú v w x y ý z ž

like o in obey like o in lost like p in pet like q in quiet – found only in foreign words; is replaced by k in Czech like r in rent but rolled a bit (can be used as a vowel) like the rge in bourgeois like s in sun like sh in shine like t in tea like t in Tuesday like u in full or in push like u in rule like u in rule like v in vine like v in vine – found only in foreign words; is replaced by the v in Czech like x in axe – found only in foreign words like i in fit like i in machine or the ee in feet like z in zoo like z in seizure

A few more notes to help determine possible spellings:  q, w and x are used exclusively in foreign words – standardized Czech replaces q with kv and w with v to “naturalize” the foreign word.  You might find i, j, and y used interchangeably; also s and z.  You might find w used for v; k for g; cz for č; rz for ř; sz for š.

Czech Diminutives Names become diminutives – nicknames, terms of endearment, etc. – by adding endings to the root: Male -ek, -ík, -eček, -íček Female -ka, -ečka, -íčka Honza, Honzík, Honzíček (John, little John, Johnny) Anna, Anička (Ann, Annie) Karel, Karlík, Karlíček (Charles, Chuck, Charlie) Božena, Božka, Boženka (Bessie, little Bessie) Petr, Petřík, Petříček (Peter, Pete, Petey) Marie, Mařka, Mařenka, Maruška (Mary) děd, dědek, dědeček Neuter -ko, -ečko, -íčko, -átko syn, synek, synáček (son, little son, sonny) děvče, děvčátko (girl, little or baby girl) dítě, dítko, děťátko (child, kid, baby) Keys to American Records of our Czech Ancestors © 2011 carol jean smetana

F3 9:30 – 10:45 A.M.

FRIDAY OCTOBER 28

Some English Variants of Some Czech Names Alena Helen, Magdalena Alžběta, Bětka Elizabeth, Betty Amálie Amelia, Emily Bedřich Frederick Blanka Blanche Bohumil, Bohuš, Míla Ben, Robert Božena, Boženka Bessie, Thea Eliška Ella, Ellie, Alice, Elizabeth František, Franta (m) Frank, Francis Františka (f) Frances Gustav August Hynek, Ignác Ignatius Jan, Jeník, Jenda, Honza, Honzík John Jana, Janička Jane, Jean, Joan Jaroslav, Jarda, Jaroš, Jarušek Jerry, George Jindřich, Jindra (m) Henry Jindřiška, Jindra (f) Henrietta Jiří, Jiroušek (m) George, Jerry Jiřina, Jirka (f) Georgina Jitka Judith

Josef, Pepa, Pepík, Pepíček (m) Joseph Josefa, Pepina (f) Josephine Marek Mark Marie, Maroušek, Maruška Marie, Maria, Mary Markéta Margaret Matěj, Matuš Matthew Miloslav, Míla Miles Ondřej, Ondra Andrew Pavel Paul Růžena, Růženka Rose Řehoř Gregory Václav, Venceslas, Venceslaus, Vaněk, Vašak, Wenceslas, Wenceslaus, Wenzl, Wenzel, Wencil, James, Wendell, William Vavřinec Lawrence Vílem William Vítězslav, Vít Victor, Vitus, Guy Vojtěch, Vojta Albert, Adalbert Žofie, Žofka, Žofinka Sophia

Useful Websites http://www.behindthename.com/nmc/cze.php – Behind the Name, the etymology and history of first names: Czech and Slovak names with English equivalent (if any), includes diminutives http://www.familysearch.org/eng/search/RG/images/34032_WLCzech.pdf – “Czech Genealogical Word List,” created by Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah, discusses and illustrates language characteristics, including variant forms of words, alphabetical order, spelling; key Czech words for finding and using specific types of Czech records; a general Czech-English word list; numbers; and date and time. http://www.omniglot.com/writing/czech.htm – information about the Czech language, pronunciations, links to online Czech dictionaries, Czech language radio, Czech news and magazines http://slavic.lss.wisc.edu/czech/sounds/ – Czech sounds tutorial provides practice understanding and pronouncing the sounds of the Czech alphabet Useful Books Adresář a almanach českého obyvatelstva v Chicagu – Directory and almanac of the Bohemian population of Chicago published in 1915 by the Bohemian-American Hospital Association (Chicago), available online to read or download in pdf format at: http://openlibrary.org/b/OL23268989M/Adresár_a_almanach_ceského_obyvatelstva_v_Chicagu http://www.archive.org/details/adresralmanach00bohe Czech Personal Names published by The Czech & Slovak American Genealogy Society of Illinois – reprint of booklet compiled by U.S. Central Intelligence Agency 15 May 1964 Česko-anglický příruční slovník genealogický/Handy Czech-English Genealogical Dictionary compiled by Jan Pařez, Scriptorium, 1999 [ISBN 80-86197-07-7] The Denní Hlasatel Obituary Index: 1891-1995 on cd-rom; The Denní Hlasatel Obituary Index: 1891-1970 in hardcopy format; The Denní Hlasatel Obituary Index Volume II: 1971-1995 in hardcopy format – all published by The Czech and Slovak American Genealogy Society of Illinois – an index of over 89,000 entries Keys to American Records of our Czech Ancestors © 2011 carol jean smetana

F4 11:00 A.M. – 12:15 P.M.

FRIDAY OCTOBER 28

HISTORY OF THE ST. LUCAS SLOVAK EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH IN ST. LOUIS By Steven Kulifay

The primary focus of this talk is the formation and history of the St. Lucas church, which is the only Slovak protestant institution in St. Louis. However, there were other small settlements in the region that were served by the St. Lucas church ministry. There was also another church, St. John’s in Granite City, Illinois, that is still in existence. There will be some discussion on the interaction of these various congregations as well as a survey of the parish records and published histories. The growth and movement of St. Lucas will be reviewed. There are a number of cultural aspects of church life that may be of interest to the audience as well as some interesting features of the old church building. The talk will conclude with the state of the church today in South St. Louis and a discussion of the evolution of the church institutions and how the Slovak church interacted over time. There is a fascinating St. Louis connection to the broader national issue of the formation of Czechoslovakia and the document signed in Pittsburgh (The Pittsburgh Pact) to support the concept at the time of World War I. A member of St. Lucas and ancestor of the presenter was a signer of that document.

F4 11:00 A.M. – 12:15 P.M.

FRIDAY OCTOBER 28

Speaker Bio: Steve Kulifay, is a descendent of several of the founders of St. Lucas Slovak Church which began in March 1906. He has a firsthand knowledge of the culture and history from his own family, but also has an intense interest in church history and the families that were its members. Steve is the historian and archivist at St. Lucas. Steven Kulifay [email protected]

F5 11:00 A.M. – 12:15 P.M.

FRIDAY OCTOBER 28

DOCUMENTING CZECH IMMIGRANT ARRIVALS by Leo Baca Introduction Invariably, Czech-American genealogists and family historians reach the point of asking how their ancestors came to America. Many questions come to mind. What was the name of the ship? When did they immigrate? How long was the voyage? What did the ship look like? What was the port of entry? In answering these questions, a significant amount of research needs to be done. When Did They Immigrate? The sources for immigration dates include oral history, census records, naturalization records, newspapers, and the internet. Passenger Lists There are two kinds of passenger lists. They are the customs passenger lists and the immigration passenger lists. The important thing to remember about passenger lists is the fact that the captain was required to turn in a list at each port of call in the United States. The customs passenger lists gave the passenger's name, age, occupation, and country of origin. The heading gave the date and port of departure as well as the embarkation port and date. Microfilm copies of those passenger lists and abstracts can be purchased from the National Archives. In addition, microfilm copies can be rented from the LDS through a Family History Center which may be located near you. What about the Ship? If you are interested in learning about the physical details of your immigrant ancestor's ship, the best overall source is Lloyd's Universal Register. This was a grand attempt at cataloging all the world's ships over 100 tons. As a note of caution, Lloyd's has published registers of ships that it insures since the early 1800s but the Lloyd's Universal Register is totally different because it also includes ships not insured by Lloyd's. Other good sources are Passenger Ships of the World Past and Present by Eugene W. Smith and Ships of our Ancestors by Michael J. Anuta. Internet Sources The best free internet source for passenger arrival information is the Ellis Island Archives website (http://www.ellisislandrecords.org). This website has passenger list records, copies of original manifests, and ship information (often a picture) on the 22 million immigrants who arrived in Ellis Island (New York) between 18921924. Ancestry.com is the best internet source for passenger arrival information, but a subscription is required. However you may be able to get free access to their databases through your local library. Just contact the research librarian to see if access is available. The Texas Seaport Museum maintains an immigration database website (http:/www.tsm-elissa.org) for arrivals in Galveston and other Texas ports. Publications To date, nine books entitled Czech Immigration Passenger Lists, Volumes I-IX have been published. Volume I (Revised) Galveston 1848-1861, 1865-1871; New Orleans 1848-1879; 1,000 + more names added Volume II Galveston 1896-1906; New Orleans 1879-1899 Volume III Galveston 1907-1914 Volume IV (Revised) New York 1847-1869 (1,525 Czech names added) Volume V New York 1870-1880 Volume VI New York 1881-1886; Galveston 1880-1886

F5 11:00 A.M. – 12:15 P.M.

Volume VII Volume VIII Volume IX

FRIDAY OCTOBER 28

New York 1887-1896 Baltimore 1834-1879 Baltimore 1880-1899

Anyone wishing to obtain copies of these publications should either check my website (http://home.roadrunner.com/~lbaca) or write to me for information concerning price and availability. My address is: 1707 Woodcreek Drive, Richardson, Texas 75082-4524. My email address is: [email protected].

CGSI Database CGSI has prepared a searchable database of the arrivals listed in Volumes V-IX. It is available in the MembersOnly section of the CGSI website, (www.cgsi.org). A search by Surname gives the following options on the drop down menu: “Starts With”, “Is Equal To”, “Contains”, “Ends With”, and “Sounds Like”. You may select an Arrival Port in your search options, choosing from Baltimore, Galveston, or New York. When New Orleans data is added that will be a fourth choice. The user can select a range of arrival years, by entering a beginning and ending year to narrow down a search. If the user knows the name of the ship his or her ancestor arrived on, or has found their ancestor and wants to get the names of all passengers whose information was extracted they can enter the ship name to retrieve a list. Due to the variations in spelling of names, extensive use of the “Starts with” and “Contains” search functions are recommended. Entry of at least 3 digits of a surname is required. If more than 200 records are found, try narrowing your search by entering first names, arrival ports, or specify a year range. When making a search we advise starting with only the last name option, rather than including a first name because only the head of the family or primary family member’s complete name is searchable in our database. If you know your ancestor immigrated alone then both a last and first name can be used. On the results screen there may not be enough room to show some of the fields, but these can be viewed (if their data exists) when you click on the highlighted “Surname” on the record of interest. This will provide a page that lists all information for that one passenger. On the screen that displays after you click on your ancestor’s Surname, you can choose to view a listing of all Czech passengers from Leo Baca’s volumes that arrived on that same ship, by clicking on the option next to the Ship Name. The arrivals in Volumes I-IV will be added late 2011 or early in 2012.

F6 11:00 A.M. – 12:15 P.M.

FRIDAY OCTOBER 28

PORT OF DREAMS – BALLINSTADT – HAMBURG EMIGRATION MUSEUM (www.ballinstadt.com) By Rebekka Geitner Hamburg – the “Gateway to the World” and starting point for millions of soon-to-be Americans A unique emigration museum in Europe was opened on July 4th 2007 on the site of the former “Emigration Halls”. The BallinStadt Port of Dreams tells the moving story of more than five million people. Persons who left their homes between 1850 and 1939 via the port of Hamburg to start a new life in America. 81 % of them stayed in the United States – today every fifth U.S. citizen has German roots. Hamburg made emigration history. Apart from Germans, many came from Central and Eastern Europe. For all of them, Hamburg was the “Gateway to the World”. They left their homelands to find fortune in the “Country of Unbounded Possibilities”. All of them made a stopover in the Port of Hamburg. Large shipping companies such as the Hamburg-Amerika-Linie (HAPAG) organized their passages and looked after health checks, passport formalities and ticketing. BallinStadt – A Living Museum Located on historical ground, BallinStadt is a place rich in emotion. Visitors can experience the emigrant's journey. It is the history of Europe – and perhaps their own history as well. It is the history of persons and their dreams, hopes and fears – which are just as valid today as they were back then. Hamburg has dedicated the Emigration Museum “BallinStadt” – named after Albert Ballin, director-general of the great shipping company HAPAG – to all of these emigrants. Between 1901 and 1907, Ballin had their own town built for them right in the port area, offering sleeping and eating facilities, shops, churches, a synagogue and a dispensary. A Journey from the Past, through the Present, to the Future The BallinStadt Emigrant World Hamburg gives visitors a comprehensive and moving impression of the mass phenomenon of emigration, covering all phases from packing up to arriving and settling in a new country. In addition to providing fascinating glimpses of the different phases of leaving one’s former life and traveling to start a new one, the exhibition also examines what made people choose to leave their home and traces their fortunes after their arrival in New York. The interactive edutainment exhibition allows visitors to relate to the past and present aspects of emigration; innovative technology enables them to slip into the role of an emigrant and embark on a journey to a new life. Children can accompany their parents on this journey, allowing them to experience the topic from their own perspective. The exhibition will offer special school programs for varying age groups. Family Research Center Visitors can search the passenger lists from 1850 to 1934 and the MyFamily database (in German: Ancestry.de). They provide a wealth of information about the five million emigrants who left from Hamburg and are a unique source of information for researchers. The port of dreams The main exhibition, housed in the second building, provides an authentic and moving impression of all the phases involved in emigration. Visitors learn about many topics, including Living in Europe, Decision and Departure, Hamburg – The Port of Emigrants, The Ocean Journey, The New World and A New Home.

F6 11:00 A.M. – 12:15 P.M.

FRIDAY OCTOBER 28

Life in the Emigrants’ Halls Building 3, which contains an exhibition about the life in the Emigrants’ Halls, includes the last remaining sections of the original historical building. Visitors get a deeply moving impression of the atmosphere in these halls one hundred years ago. Hamburg - City on the Waterfront With the Elbe and Alster rivers and its broad boulevards, public places and parks, Hamburg is known as one of Europe’s most beautiful cities. The Hamburg metropolitan region is home to 4.3 million people who treasure its unique location on the waterfront, cosmopolitan openness and exceptionally high quality of life. Population: 1,744,000 inhabitants (2005), Metropolitan Area 4,300,000 inhabitants Foreign Citizens in Ham burg: 255,000 fellow-citizens from 182 countries Total area Hamburg: 755.3 square kilometers. With 100 consulates, after New York City Hamburg has the world’s second-largest concentration of consulates.       

Built between 1898 – 1901 and extended in 1906/1907 Number of buildings 1907: 30 (two hotels, large dining halls, a church, a synagogue, a music pavilion, hygiene and disinfection facilities and several administrative buildings) Total area 1907: 13 acres Total area today: 7 acres (including “BallinPark”) Exhibition area: 32,000 sq. ft. Number of emigrants via Hamburg 1850-1934: 5.2 million Emigrants per year staying inside the Emigration Halls: up to 150,000 They came from: Germany (42%) Russia (23%) Austro-Hungary (25%) Balkan countries (7%) Denmark, Norway, Sweden (2%) Switzerland (1%) They went to: United States of America (81%) South America (10%) Canada (5%) Africa (2%) Australia (1%) Asia (0.2 %)

Trunks inside BallinStadt Emigration Museum

F6 11:00 A.M. – 12:15 P.M.

FRIDAY OCTOBER 28

Exterior view of Ballinstadt Emigration Museum buildings

The entrance to the main building of the Ballinstadt Museum with the book store in rear of photo.

F7 2:00 – 3:15 P.M.

FRIDAY OCTOBER 28

IMMIGRATING AND GROWING UP IN A ST. LOUIS SLOVAK LUTHERAN COMMUNITY by William Sam Kolnik and Joyce Ochodnicky Kolnik

William and Joyce Kolnik's combined presentation will be a PowerPoint presentation containing many photographs and maps.

Joyce will discuss the Slovak Lutherans that emigrated at the turn of the 20th Century and why they chose to relocate. She will review the journey, from what port they emigrated, including memories of their experiences on the ships, at what port they entered America and how they traveled to St. Louis. A discussion of where the Slovak’s first settled in St. Louis, who owned the buildings, and what the living conditions were like for these immigrants. Neighborhood maps will be shown where they first settled as well as photographs of some of the buildings. The first occupations of these men will be discussed. Women’s adjustment to city life will be discussed including the types of jobs that employed the women. What was the interaction like between the Slovak Lutherans, the Slovak Catholics, and the Czechs in the St. Louis ethnic community? The joining together to form religious and social groups due to mutual belief, language and background. Fraternal organizations that they joined and the publications of these organizations. The Funeral home and cemeteries that served these Slovak Lutherans will be discussed as well as where the records are located. William (Bill), a first-generation American of Slovak immigrant parents, will relay his personal expereinces growing up in a St. Louis Slavic neighborhood, including religious, cultural, educational, social, and family life. His comments will be highlighted with photographic images of the people, individual buildings, and the neighborhood.