ZAMAGURZE AREA RESEARCH PROJECT
© The Zamagurze Area Research Project (ZARP) -- all rights reserved
Monthly Newsletter # 11 -- January 2000
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Greetings to all ZARP members reading our 11th newsletter. With a new
year we have lots of ideas for the future. Among them a published surname
list (over 10,000 occurances within ZARP now listed). A few advanced copies
were sent out at Christmas -- you can read comments in the "Letters"
section. Also to come: hitherto unavailable ZARP parish records and census
extractions and making this specialized research data available on CD.
As we continue to grow your help and suggestions are always appreciated.
Some have village or area photos we can post on ZARP's webpages, too. (JPEG
format is best!) We again have many new ZARP members this issue. As always
we greet our newcomers with: Vi'tany' & Powitanie! (Welcome!) :))
-- Paul K. Bingham
ZARP Team Leader
bingham@iols.netWEBSITES TO CHECK OUT__________
(1) Mike Kokavec's beautiful High Tatra Website:
www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Pressbox/2510/tatry.html
(2) Howard Relles has this photograph cover maybe you can help him identify:
http://home.earthlink.net/~rellesb/folderdesigns.jpg
(3) Mike Churilla sends us a URL with many interesting things about Slovakia
on "Ken's Slovakia Page": http://www.gocee.com/kc/slovakia.htm
(4) As a reminder our ZARP webpage is at: http://ns1.iols.net/users/bingham/
and ZARP's secondary webpage on Delphi is at:
http://members.delphi.com/pkbinghamTRIPS TO SLOVAKIA IN 2000____________
Helene Cincebeaux led our fun August tour -- she has three this summer with
stops in the Tatra mountains and two with days in Polish Spisz! She can
provide you a driver/translator for day trips to visit ancestral villages.
Visit her website at: www.our-slovakia.com or e-mail her at Helenezx@aol.com
for more info.
(2) Thom Kolton is taking a group of Osturnites to Slovakia next year
including Vienna, Bratislava, and Budapest. For more information e-mail him
at: thom_kolton@hotmail.com.YOUR GREAT LETTERS____________
--"Paul: your newsletters were just forwarded to me. What a treasure!
We are planning a trip to Slovakia. We haven't made any final plans yet. If
you have any suggestions I would like to hear them." - Frank Vlossak
--"Hi Paul, Thank you for the newsletter. We always enjoy reading it. The
info about writing to Poland and Slovakia may just give us the encouragement
we need to do that." - Lou & Mary Swentek
--"Dear Paul, I received the photographs of the village church -- they are
quite beautiful. Thank you so much! Given the amount of time and resources
you donate to ZARP, I do not think a membership fee is out of line. I would
be happy to be a paying member! Keep up the good work!" - Marylee Skwirz
--"Hi Paul, I just got back from 2 weeks in the "frozen northland" of
Pittsburgh. I found some new relatives while there just following the leads.
I always feel I should have done more and years sooner." - Bob Williams
--"Hi Paul, I do not have much information as to where my Slovak family
originated. Are relatives from the KUBASEK family still there? I appreciate
your help in solving the mystery." Thank you, Bonnie Galenzoski
°°°Hello Bonnie, The KUBASEK (or KUBASIK) families in our project come from
the villages of Kacwin, PL (was Kacvin, SK before 1920) and Jurgow, PL
(Jurgov, SK prior to 1920).
--"Would love to plan another ZARP trip like we had last year. Didn't we
have a great time - we are still enthusing over all the wonderful people! I
have some very special memories from that trip!!" - Helene Cincebeaux
-- "Hi Paul, just found your site and the name of BOGACIK in the list. I am
working on my wife's family. Do you have the address for the Spisska Stara
Ves Parish? It might be possible to get birth or death records. Thanks to
you and the group. -- Jim Menegos
°°°Hi Jim, Writing to the parish may not give you the information you seek.
We've found that all the older parish records were taken to the archives.
But you are in luck: Spisska Stara Ves' records were microfilmed by the LDS
church. The roll numbers you want are: 1739846 & 1739847. -- Paul
--"Wishing you all a Happy New Years. May the new year bring us all health,
happiness, safe travel, more genealogical adventures and readable church
records!" - The Melis'
--"When visiting the Zdiar town hall, the clerk gave us some "souvenirs":
small, laminated cards with the history, a flag, map, etc. The history was
in German and I just had it translated. Zdiar was founded at the beginning
of the 17th century and belonged to the estate of Lendak. In 1918 it was
occupied by the Polish army. There have always been between 100 and 150
houses in the village. I discovered so many interesting facts during my
research!" - Marti Haney
--"Ahoj, Paul! D'akujem vel'mi for the ZARP new surname book and the special
picture of the church in Rel'ov. Everything is so appreciated. My
father-in-law who grew up around Pittsburgh will be surprised at all the
familiar names on the list. (Did you know that about 1 in 5 Pennsylvanians
have Slovak roots?) Paul, that book is truly a labor of love - very
interesting. God bless you for ALL your efforts. You have many
Slovak-Americans smiling!" - Marianne Ponist
--"Dear Paul, Several months ago you mailed to me copies of the first ZARP
newsletters. Thank you very much for sending me these materials. I indeed am
interested in this project. I have not been successful in locating the
records for the Spis village of Hagy. My grandmother's maiden name was
STEFANAK, also spelled STEFANIAK. The Family History Library has no
microfilm records from a Roman Catholic church in Hagy. Was Hagy was served
by a church in a nearby village? Thank you in advance for any help you can
give. -- Norman Hudak
°°°Hello Norman: Hagy, SK is so very close to the village of Rel'ov that I
am confident they were part of that parish. I was there last September...it
is truly a beautiful little place! The Rel'ov parish records were
microfilmed by the Mormon church and are on rolls# 1791520 & 1791521.
When you begin your research you will find in the birth records that a
column for where the family lived is often on each page. If you are
confident they were from Hagy then scanning the pages looking only for
entries that say "Hagy" will make the task quicker. Here are the spelling
variations of your surname that we know of: *STEFAN^AK (has a hachek over
the "N"), STEFANICK, STEFANIC, STEFANEK, *STEFANIK,
STEFANYK, STEFANYAK and *STEFANJAK. I put an astrix by the variations we
know specifically were used in Hagy, but there may be more. This surname is
also found in the neighboring villages of Rel'ov, Zalesie, Velka Frankova,
Osturna, Matiasovce, Spisske Hanusovce, Spisska Stara Ves, Velka Lesna,
Zdiar and Mala Frankova. There are also occurances on the Polish
side in the villages of Niedzica, Falsztyn, Krempachy and even a few
occurances as far away as Gron, Gronkow and Gliczarow Gorny. Although our
surname list shows 5 occurances from Hagy, once you get into the records you
may find the line extends into another village. The most occurances (11) are
from Velka Frankova, SK. Good luck to you in your research! -- Paul
--"Hi Paul! Keep up the great work in the new year!!" - Michael Zavacky
--"Paul -- HOW CAN I EVER THANK YOU?! This is the information I've been
doggedly chasing for 5 years!!! I'm saying a quick prayer for you that
you someday know how VERY happy you have made me today-- and that you
receive the same happiness! -- Rob Otrembiak
--"Paul & ZARP, We wish for you a safe, secure, prosperous, and pleasurefull
holiday and new year. Lovingly, the Havlicek Family
--"Hi, Paul. Glad to be back "in the loop". I'm living in Kosice, SK right
now, but have been up to Osturna several times. I learned that I have family
still there, and we've become fast and furious friends. I tell ya, I think
Spis is more beautiful in the winter than summer. It's really spectacular.
I've been doing almost weekly diary entries about my experiences on the
MyFamily.Com newsletter. Some are actually interesting! Thanks for the
newsletters. I really like reading them. -- Thom Kolton
--"Paul, Just writing to tell you that your wonderful video and pictures
arrived here on Saturday. I grew up in a small community in NW Connecticut,
not knowing how or why we were there, or what my heritage might have been,
until your tape arrived. I can't thank you enough for taking the time and
effort to give definition to my family and to our heritage. I watched with
great interest the pictures of our homeland, the hills and trees and farms.
I understood why my Dad was such a great gardener, a trait I have inherited.
Throughout my career in the armed forces of the United States, through the
grade of Rear Admiral, U.S.N., I have been asked, often, what nationality I
represented. I now have a good answer, thanks to your selfless efforts. I
cannot thank you enough for giving definition to my family's history, and to
my recollections of those people who, growing up in the old country, gave us
a new heritage in these United States, and all the freedom that represents.
Thank you, and God bless."
"Tom was blown away to see those gravestones with his surname on them. I
have already taken the photos to be copied for his sisters and a brother of
Tom's father Valentine who's still alive. Thanks again!" -- Tom & Pat Marfiak
--" Received your package in the mail today. Downtown Lechnica sure does
appear to be a wild place! The photos of the churches are also very
interesting. And the countryside -- looks like where I'm from in PA. I can
see why the immigrants felt comfortable with their surroundings in my home
town. I read of your difficulties with getting the videos together. Everyone
who is involved in genealogical research knows of the need for patience.
Something worth getting is worth waiting for! I also received in the mail a
couple of days ago a Christmas card from Slovakia! You had given me the
address of a potential relative in Lechnica. He was the one that sent the
card. Pavol, my now confirmed relative, will be sending me family info in
the near future! I am sure the memories of your trip are still vivid in your
mind. Just wanted to let you know that the trip is still
bearing fruit. Thanks again! -- Dan ZelonkaRECORDS UPDATE______________
Bill Serchak, who has been wading through all of the Spisz parish records he
photographed in August writes: "Hi Paul, Before I leave Saturday for a 12
day trip to SLC & the Utah Genealogical Association seminar, I want you to
know that I have made significant progress." Here are just a few of the ZARP
surnames he has found and confirmed by village:
**Nowa Biala, PL: BEDNARTSIK, BENDIK, DLUGHI, HADZIMA,
MISKOVICS, NEMEC, POLTORAK, SCOLARTSIK,
STOLARCIK, SZKUPIN, TOMASSKOVICS, WALKOSS
**Krempachy, PL: KURNATH, ORGANISCAK, PETRASEK
**Trybsz, PL: KOLODZIEJ
He reports that when he is done with his extraction work he will be able to
add several hundred surnames our ZARP list!SLOVAK NAT'L MUSEUM IN MARTIN BURNS_______
An electrical fire in October gutted the Slovak National Museum of Ethnology
and Culture in Martin, SK. Vladimir Lindner has some photos of the damage on
his webpage at: www.iarelative.com/bc_slovak/Martin2.htm. They are going to
rebuild but given the Slovak economy right now this is really going to be
difficult. Here is an account# for donations if you care to help out:
1351836 154/0200 VUB Martin.POSSIBLE MEMBERS LOST___________________
Here's some ZARP surname researchers that we are unable to contact.
If you recognize any of these, please let us know!
Joann Z. Mottese jermo64@hotmail.com
Blanka Bajankova@FAO.org
Peggy Folmer pf7santa@webtv.net
Edward Griglak ah870@cleveland.freenet.edu
Russ Hayes/Frank Kurtz randbisc@m7.sprynet.com
D. Redding dredding@mindspring.comOTHER NOTES______________________________
(1) Contact us if you would like the e-mail address of someone in ZARP. (2)
If you have comments, questions, someone's address to add to our mailing
list or missed any newsletter issues, just ask! (3) This e-mail newsletter
is sent out free to all who want it (due to ISP anti-spamming policies in
groups of <20). Newsletter Editor: bingham@iols.net
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