Contents

INTRODUCTION

PART 1: LINKING YOUR FAMILY TREE TO POLISH, CZECH, AND SLOVAK LOCALITIES

CHAPTER 1
YOUR POLISH, CZECH, OR SLOVAK HERITAGE

Take pride in your Eastern European heritage. This chapter briefs you on why you should research your Polish, Czech, and Slovak ancestors.

CHAPTER 2
JUMP-STARTING YOUR POLISH, CZECH, AND SLOVAK RESEARCH

Maximize your research time by planning ahead. This chapter outlines how to identify your goals, build a family tree, and apply key genealogical principles.

CHAPTER 3
IDENTIFYING YOUR IMMIGRANT ANCESTOR

Unlock the two keys to European research: the name of your immigrant ancestor and his hometown. This chapter offers strategies for finding these crucial pieces of info that will guide the rest of your research.

CHAPTER 4
THE HISTORY OF POLAND

Dive into the turbulent history of Poland with this crash course guide to Polish history through the Commonwealth era, the partitions, the world wars, and beyond.

CHAPTER 5
THE HISTORY OF THE CZECH AND SLOVAK REPUBLICS

Catch a glimpse of these countries’ histories, from their time in the Austro-Hungarian Empire to the formation of Czechoslovakia and eventual independence.

PART 2: GETTING TO KNOW THE OLD COUNTRY

CHAPTER 6
UNDERSTANDING EASTERN EUROPEAN GEOGRAPHY

Learn how geography shaped your ancestors’ lives by using maps, atlases, and gazetteers.

CHAPTER 7
LANGUAGES, SURNAMES, AND GIVEN NAMES

Master the mother tongue with these resources for learning the basics of the Polish, Czech, and Slovak languages and naming conventions.

PART 3: TRACING YOUR FAMILY IN POLAND, THE CZECH REPUBLIC, AND SLOVAKIA

CHAPTER 8
VITAL RECORDS

Discover the most basic “wheres” and “whens” of your ancestor’s life with this guide to birth, marriage, and death records.

CHAPTER 9
CENSUS RECORDS

Reach into the past to find where your ancestors lived in a given year. This chapter outlines where to find (and how to use) census records in Eastern Europe.

CHAPTER 10
MILITARY RECORDS

Follow the tracks your military ancestors left behind with this guide to military records from Eastern Europe.

CHAPTER 11
OTHER RECORD RESOURCES

Expand your research horizons with these resources you may not have thought to check. This chapter details how to use records like newspapers and local histories.

CHAPTER 12
HERITAGE TRAVEL AND ON-SITE RESEARCH

Walk a mile in your ancestors’ shoes with these helpful travel tips.

PART 4: ADVANCED SOURCES AND STRATEGIES

CHAPTER 13
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

Check out these case studies from genealogists who have tracked down their Polish, Czech, and Slovak ancestors.

CHAPTER 14
WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU GET STUCK

Conquer your research roadblocks with this guide to resources for when your genealogical research comes to a standstill.

APPENDIX A UNDERSTANDING POLISH

APPENDIX B UNDERSTANDING CZECH

APPENDIX C UNDERSTANDING SLOVAK

APPENDIX D US GENEALOGY ARCHIVES AND LIBRARIES

APPENDIX E CIVIL RECORD ARCHIVES IN EUROPE

APPENDIX F CHURCH RECORD ARCHIVES IN EUROPE

APPENDIX G SAMPLE LETTERS TO REQUEST RECORDS

APPENDIX H POLISH, CZECH, AND SLOVAK HISTORICAL AND GENEALOGICAL SOCIETIES

APPENDIX I WEBSITES AND PUBLICATIONS