Trace your Eastern European ancestors from American shores back to the old country. This in-depth guide will walk you step-by-step through the exciting--and challenging--journey of finding your Polish, Czech, or Slovak roots. You'll learn how to identify immigrant ancestors, find your family's town of origin, locate key genealogical resources, decipher foreign-language records, and untangle the region's complicated history. The book also includes timelines, sample records, resource lists, and sample record request letters to aid your research.

In this book, you'll find

• The best online resources for Polish, Czech, and Slovak genealogy, plus a clear research path you can follow to find success
• Tips and resources for retracing your ancestors’ journey to America
• Detailed guidance for finding and using records in the old country
• Helpful background on Polish, Czech, and Slovak history, geography, administrative divisions, and naming patterns
• How the Three Partitions of Poland and the Austro-Hungarian Empire affect genealogical research and records
• Information on administrative divisions to help you identify where your ancestors' records are kept
• Sample letters for requesting records from overseas archives
• Case studies that apply concepts and strategies to real-life research problems

About the author

Lisa Alzo, Ithaca, NY, theaccidentalgenealogist.com, is a writer and lecturer specializing in Slovak and Eastern European genealogy. Her writing has been published in numerous publications, and she runs the Accidental Genealogist blog.