The 17th biennial CGSI Conference was held in Lincoln, Nebraska last weekend. It was my first time presenting at a major genealogy conference, and I loved it. I presented on four topics: The Civil Code of Austria and Why it Matters for Czech Researchers, How to Use Czech Land Records for Genealogical Research, Czech Wikipedia,…
Lela and the Freedom Tank
Libuše (Lela) Hrdonková was born in the small Czech village of Stod in 1922. She was 16 when the Nazis invaded and occupied her country. She was forced to work in a munitions factory. She would throw bread to prisoners in rail cars, crowded and starving to death on their way to concentration camps. She…
Bitter in my Failure or Valid Criticism?
I am currently a member of APG, the Association of Professional Genealogists. To become a member of that organization you merely have to pay a fee. Then you get to be part of this glorious listserv which constantly fills up your email with all kinds of interesting, tangential, useless bits of information, usually when somebody…
Memories of 1856, written by František Marák : PART TWO
Memories of 1856 Written by F. Marák Originally Published in Czech 7 October 1951 in Věstník Continued from part one. At first, I didn’t do anything about it except laugh, but as every corner was “full”, the laughter left me. Regardless of whether I wanted to or not, I had to carry the chamber pot up…
Exhibition in the City of Prague Museum: “Prague 1848 – 1918”
The City of Prague Museum’s long-term temporary exhibition (June 13, 2018 –February 24, 2019) called “Prague 1848-1918” showcases influential events from a 70-year span and describes how these moments affected the city. Visitors will follow the development of Prague from an enclosed town to a city with extensive suburbs. The displays show popular places in…
Geneagoals 2018
Here is an update of my “geneagoals 2018.” I was pregnant from January to August. Here is what I wrote: Here are the most important genealogy priorities framed as broader level goal so I can have a higher chance of success while I struggle through being pregnant. Always have enough family names to take…
Memories of 1856, written by František Marák : PART ONE
Memories of 1856 Written by F. Marák Originally Published in Czech 7 October 1951 in Věstník Translated December 2018 by Kate Challis Editor’s note: – In the previous Věstník there was an announcement that the organizer wanted to receive the biographies and experiences of our old settlers that were published in various magazines and calendars thirty,…
Obituary of Bořivoj Penc, long-time actor with the Jára Cimrman Theatre
by Tracy A. Burns The legendary Jára Cimrman Theatre is in mourning this summer as actor Bořivoj Penc died at age 82 on June 26, 2018. A member of the famous theatre group for 35 seasons, Penc performed in 13 of the 15 plays. He had known Zdeněk Svěrák, the co-founder of the theatre…
A Hidden Index and a “Typo”
I decided to research my Pavliskovec line. I am related like this: my great grandma Betty Michna Bedřich Michna, the first generation immigrant Alžběta Wiesnerová Josef Fabian Wiesner Veronika Pavliskovec Josef Fabian Pavliskovec I wanted to find the parents of Josef Fabian Pavliskovec. By the way, I do not really know if the surname might…
Family Future
I am 5 months pregnant with my fifth child, a boy. He is due August 19. This summer is going to be very long, hot, and challenging with four other small kids at home, especially because I haven’t been feeling great. It went from nausea to intense fatigue and constant grating pain, and I just…