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Europe / Re: Slovakia - birth record - difficulty reading?
« on: Tuesday 03 April 12 04:05 BST (UK) »
My goodness... look at all of these helpful replies! So sorry - I must have missed the notifications, and have only just gotten back here.
First - the web link path to the listing:
https://www.familysearch.org/
then scroll down to Browse By Location... Europe... Slovakia... there is only one consolidated title there: "Slovakia, Church and Synagogue Books, 1592-1910"
Then the next page there's also only one option: "Browse through 1,316,135 images"
Then it offers you the choice of religions.
I have been searching "Greek Catholic" (a term I'd not realized was synonymous with Greek Orthodox.) That pick of religion was a guess, as my great-grandfather's family emigrated from Greece and was Greek Orthodox.
My Slovakian great-grandmother married him after leaving central/eastern PA for NYC, so I had thought perhaps she was also Greek Catholic... but as it turns out that their child (my grandfather) was actually baptized twice, once in a Roman Catholic church (in Canada, where he was born) and then again, several months later, in a Greek Orthodox church in NYC, where his father's (Greek) family lived. So presumably my Slovak ancestors were Roman Catholic, and I've been looking in the wrong place.
In any case, I'm told there are Glovn(y)a and Kovalic(h) records in Michalovce - Markovce and Prešov - Lenartov... which I'd like to find and see, but I don't see those regions/cities listed under the Roman Catholic links. Perhaps there's more than one religion happening in the Slovak family history?
While I'm giving history, I should mention that the Glovna/Kovalich relatives are cousins at best, they're just the only relatives that I've been advised do, in fact, have extant records in this database.
What I'd really love to find somewhere in there (no idea what city, or if the records exist) is a record for a Michaly Sborai (Michael Sboray/Sporay/Szborai in the US: "zchboray"), and/or a Borbora Matij (Barbara/Bertha Mate, Matay, etc in the US) both born circa 1872-3.
These are my great-great-grandparents and they emigrated to America in 1889/1890 (records differ), possibly after they married, possibly before. All of their children (that I know of) were born here, starting in 1891.
I have reason to believe that (despite the fact that every record I have found says only that they were from Austria and/or Hungary) they were in fact Slovak by ethnicity. I have not been able to locate a single US birth, marriage, or immigration record for either Michael or Barbara that says what town they came from.
It's all a big mystery, and while I'm willing to take the time to search through the records, it's frustrating that I wasn't even aware that what looks like a Z in that record I posted (I was seeing Zpera), is, apparently according to your (very helpful, thank you) translation, a G.
Can anyone suggest a translator or beginner Cyrillic site that will help me know what to look for?
I really appreciate the help and advice... thanks a bunch...
Anita
First - the web link path to the listing:
https://www.familysearch.org/
then scroll down to Browse By Location... Europe... Slovakia... there is only one consolidated title there: "Slovakia, Church and Synagogue Books, 1592-1910"
Then the next page there's also only one option: "Browse through 1,316,135 images"
Then it offers you the choice of religions.
I have been searching "Greek Catholic" (a term I'd not realized was synonymous with Greek Orthodox.) That pick of religion was a guess, as my great-grandfather's family emigrated from Greece and was Greek Orthodox.
My Slovakian great-grandmother married him after leaving central/eastern PA for NYC, so I had thought perhaps she was also Greek Catholic... but as it turns out that their child (my grandfather) was actually baptized twice, once in a Roman Catholic church (in Canada, where he was born) and then again, several months later, in a Greek Orthodox church in NYC, where his father's (Greek) family lived. So presumably my Slovak ancestors were Roman Catholic, and I've been looking in the wrong place.
In any case, I'm told there are Glovn(y)a and Kovalic(h) records in Michalovce - Markovce and Prešov - Lenartov... which I'd like to find and see, but I don't see those regions/cities listed under the Roman Catholic links. Perhaps there's more than one religion happening in the Slovak family history?
While I'm giving history, I should mention that the Glovna/Kovalich relatives are cousins at best, they're just the only relatives that I've been advised do, in fact, have extant records in this database.
What I'd really love to find somewhere in there (no idea what city, or if the records exist) is a record for a Michaly Sborai (Michael Sboray/Sporay/Szborai in the US: "zchboray"), and/or a Borbora Matij (Barbara/Bertha Mate, Matay, etc in the US) both born circa 1872-3.
These are my great-great-grandparents and they emigrated to America in 1889/1890 (records differ), possibly after they married, possibly before. All of their children (that I know of) were born here, starting in 1891.
I have reason to believe that (despite the fact that every record I have found says only that they were from Austria and/or Hungary) they were in fact Slovak by ethnicity. I have not been able to locate a single US birth, marriage, or immigration record for either Michael or Barbara that says what town they came from.
It's all a big mystery, and while I'm willing to take the time to search through the records, it's frustrating that I wasn't even aware that what looks like a Z in that record I posted (I was seeing Zpera), is, apparently according to your (very helpful, thank you) translation, a G.
Can anyone suggest a translator or beginner Cyrillic site that will help me know what to look for?
I really appreciate the help and advice... thanks a bunch...
Anita
