August 7, 2010 Meeting Report

Another great meeting! Dekuji mockrat (Thank you very much) to the folks who brought treats!!!!

We had an excellent meeting due great input and sharing as we mulled over research questions. Ed Schultz brought his computer and a computer projector to help us as we analyzed the problems and questions we discussed. So ... IF ANY OF US WANT TO SHARE COMPUTER INFORMATION, BRING IT ON A CARD OR MEMROY STICK TO SHARE BY PROJECTING IT ON THE WALL.

Welcome to new attendee BERNIE BUNDERLE who is researching the Bohemian surnames Bunderle and Drahota in Chicago, Minnesota and Pennsylvania. New attendee AUDRY ROLEY from Tacoma is researching the names Dobris and Zeransky from Zlonice, Bohemia. Audry was in Washington DC doing research at the National Archives. In Archives #2 there are German SS Military records that are available only by researching there. Audry can tell you what to do and not do when using National Archive Records. MARY FIGEL brought her sister GINA and niece KARA to the meeting. They are visiting for the weekend and told about the letters Mary and Gina's father wrote as a doctor during WWII. They have a good start and now are going to find a great aunt's family here in the US.

VICKY QUACKENBUSH has made internet contact in the Czech Republic and is slowly working on her challenges!! Vicky also brought a piece of luster ware pottery that has a family story. It is definitely Czech!!!! RON TEKER hit a gold mine by going to South dakota to get family information. He has pictures of relatives in Sokol uniforms, folk costumes, and a book in German that might be a passport for his relative. Also there is a lovely marriage certificate in Slovak from 1910 from an American Slovak church. Also he had a Sokol picture book from at least the turn of the century that names people in the pictures! The Sokol discussion prompted LOUISE SHARP to tell about her trip to Prague in 1938 to attend the Slet (Sokol program) with her Czech relatives. It was then suggest to PAULA HUGHART, Louise's daughter, to tape this wonderful experience her mother had.

JOHN DZIAK's Slovak parents lived in Anaconda, MT, coming through Canada. His ancestor was part of the Czech Legion in Russia during WWI and walked from Russia to Slovakia to get home, a short cut from taking the train across the Siberian Railroad. John also confessed he did not make the krumkaka treats he brought in, that AUDREY ERICKSON made them. Since she is Slovak by osmosis we decided that was ok. MARJORIE & BOB VERNON shared that Marjorie has a family passport like Ron Teker's.

JO HERBER has found a second cousin in Virginia that she is communicating with now. Jo also suggested that Ron have the lovely marriage license from 1910 preserved for posterity. Jeanette Housner had the most interesting thing happen to her family. THEY WERE GOOGLED BY CZECH RELATIVES TO FIND THEM HERE IN THE USA ... successfully! Jeanette brought old letters and pictures sent here by these relatives. A younger generation there communicates with them in English!!!!! What a goldmine!!!!! Her grandparents were in touch with their generation in Czechoslovakia and eventually lost contact in the '60's.

COLLIE LISKA attended a reunion in Pennsylvania and soon was helping his brother's friend find a village in Slovakia. He found the village on Google Maps but then that info was gone at a second try. Good thing he had printed out that info. But now he is wondering why that happened.

BOB LUSSIER is lucky to have a relative who his researched their Slovak roots and has written a book. Bob hopes to get a copy of that book to share.

JANET ROACH attended the Brychotva Forum that I announced in a Tidbits. She met this famous Czech glass artist and learned about her history and saw her artistic products. She also went to Dale Chihuly's Boathouse to help celebrate Jaroslava Brychova's birthday and see Chihuly's glamorous studio. This was a fundraiser for Jaroslava's museum in Zelezny Brod that will open soon. At the Seattle Folklife Festival Janet bought toe and finger glass files made in Czech glass from Tereza Hemstad at her booth of Beautiful Czech Glass. http://www.beautifulczechglass.com/ The files are shaded glass that are quite artistic. Janet also attended a genealogy meeting where the head of Family Tree DNA spoke. Janet also wants us to know there are THREE Family History Library websites available for research:

http://fsbeta.familysearch.org/

http://www.familysearch.org/eng/default.asp

http://pilot.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html#start

HARV KNIZEK has a Czech relative getting married. He wondered what would be a good wedding gift. Ed Schultz suggest a nice family history done by Ancestry.com when you join. Native Northwest Indian prints were suggested and glass from our area. Now I forget what else was suggested. Oh dear!! JOAN KNIZEK volunteers at the National Archives on Sand Point, working from 10 AM to 1 or 2 PM. Ancestry.com is available on 10 computers. The volunteers are very knowledgable and are there to help!

I brought the June 2010 NASE RODINA, CGSI's quarterly, (www.cgsi.org) with my two articles "Made in Czechoslovakia" and "Czech Perfumes 101" to share. Also brought the new book ART POTTERY OF JOSEPH MRAZEK, A collector's Guide by Robert and Harold Mrazek.

NEXT MEETING IS SEPTEMBER 4, 9:30 TO NOON! SEE YOU THERE!

Yep, there were 22 of us at meeting today. Many thanks to all of you for a super meeting!!

Happy researching,

Rosie Bodien

Researching Los(s), Kure, Kubes, Smetka, Kratina, Pavlica, Jirinec, Hytych, Vasicka, Kopecka, Vojkovska, Uhlika, And Zindulka

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