Manual: Researching the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Eastern Europe
compiled by Geri Harris
(Located: White three-ring binder on the west reference wall)

Click here for additional research at Wiki

The first step in tracing ancestors is determining his or her date and town of birth. Begin by searching the following records for the area where the ancestor lived.

1910 and 1900 give dates of immigration and naturalization. Look for all relatives including uncles, cousins etc.

*Begin with U.S. records (e.g. census) and work back to the time of the person's immigration, and then on to Europe.
Make sure you copy all the census records from 1930 back to when you think they came. 1930, 1920,

Mesa Library Emigration/Immigration and Naturalization sources:
    1. Naturalization: Guide to Naturalization Records of the United States Schaefer,
        Christina K, Book # 973.P4s ( Ref. Wall)
        Records in the United States were kept by local courts until 1906. Contact the
        Reference Desk for help in applying to the US National Archives for naturalization
        records for 1906 and after.  (send for all naturalization papers to the appropriate
        archives. Forms are in the Copy Room.  Women were naturalized on their own
        after 1922).
    2. Passenger list and immigration CDs, Family Tree Make, Genealogical Records:
        Early Texas Settlers for Czech ancestor, 1999 update Passenger and Immigration
        Lists Index
    3. Collection of Ships Passenger Lists from New York, Boston, New Orleans,
        Baltimore, and other eastern ports - (see Books on west Reference Wall)
    4. Hamburg Passenger Lists 1850-1934 (indices and passenger lists and corresponding
        films (in burgundy book on Reference Table. Book # 943.5l5/Hlw2)
    5. Germans to America , Glazier and Philby,  Book # 973W2ger (multiple volumes
        starting in 1850)
    6. Czech Immigration Passenger Lists, Baca, Leo, Book # 973 W3bl vol. 1-9
    7. Ellis Island: Internet search www.ellisisland.org and www.stephenmorse.org
        Most of the immigrants who came from Eastern Europe arrived after Ellis Island was
        opened in 1892.  Vary the spelling of their names. After locating a name on a passenger
        list, the names and dates for all the other passengers should be copied. Examination of
        the other names on the passenger list is often productive because whole families and
        sometimes communities emigrated together.

Maps and Gazetteers
    1. Austria: Gemeindelexicon, FHLC microfilm #1187925, 943.6 E5g
    2. Croatia: Imenik Mesyu u Jugoslaviji. FHLC microfilm # 6053513, 949.7 E5im
    3. Hungary: Genealogical Gazetteer of the Kingdom of Hungary, compiled by Jordan
        Auslander Magyarozsag Helysegnevtqrq, 943.E5d two volumes on west reference
        wall (old Hungary)
    4. Poland: Spis Miejscowosci Polskiej, FHLC fiche #6000369-6000383, 943.8 E5sm
        Slownik Nazwisk Wspolczesnie, 943.8 D4rk vol. 1-10 (survey of surnames found in
        the 1992 phone book)
    5. Maps: check stacks and map table for all countries, e.g. Czech Republic, Slovakia,
        Poland , Croatia, etc. www.davidrumsey.com and www.mapquest.com
    6. Slovak: Noazvy Obci Slovenskej Republiky fiche # 6000840 (names of cities in the
        Slavak Reputlci from 1773-1997) by Milian Majtan (943.73EC)
    7. Cirkevene Matriky Na Slovesnsku film # 1183541 item 4 (Parish registers in Slovakia
        from 16th -19th Century) by Jana Sarmanyova (943.73K23s) published in 1991.
        An earlier version by Jana Kalesna is on fiche # 6000786.

Salt Lake Genealogical Liberary 1-800-453-3860 (ask for International desk)
    1. Research Outlines for each country needed especially "Tracing Immigrant Origins"
    2. Genealogical Word list for each language and Latin www.familysearch.org
        (latest information on  the Family History Library Catalog )
    3. Microfilm of parish records and civil registration
    4. Census records (e.g. Hungarian Empire has 1828, 1857, 1869)
    5. Books on history, family books and specific records etc. can be requested to be copied
        on microfilm

Mesa FamilySearch Library
Search the Mesa FamilySearch Library for book holdings, films, fiche, and maps for each country of interest

Internet
Every county, town and many villages have web sites.
All genealogical magazines and genealogical societies have web sites.
There are many people researching their ancestors and have web sites. Put your surname in a search engine.

Genealogical Societies
Be sure to join your local and national ethnic genealogical society and receive their publications and attend all the meetings you can. Somebody has the answer to your research questions

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