Tag Archives: Slovakia

A visit to ancestral hometowns in Slovakia: Obišovce and Žehňa

Posted on April 12, 2014 by johnkowal

In an earlier post, I wrote about my visit to a cluster of small villages in eastern Slovakia where my Slovak ancestors – the forebears of my maternal grandmother Anna Sabol – once lived. On a beautiful fall day I set out … Continue reading →

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A visit to ancestral hometowns in Slovakia: Trebejov and Kysak

Posted on January 26, 2014 by johnkowal

When I started researching my family history, I couldn’t tell you where any of my immigrant ancestors came from. Now, after a whole lot of sleuthing, I have many of my ancestral hometowns nailed down. I know exactly where my … Continue reading →

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Finding missing pieces of the puzzle at the Košice state archives

Posted on December 27, 2013 by johnkowal

I recently traveled to Slovakia to research family history records not available in the United States. The records were part of a set supposedly available online. But due to a frustrating bureaucratic snafu, I have not been allowed to view … Continue reading →

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The half-brother who emigrated to America

Posted on October 7, 2011 by johnkowal

Months ago, when I was perusing U.S. census records for my great-grandparents Andrew and Mary Sabol, I came across a relative named John Hovan. In the 1920 census, he was living in the Sabol household in Raritan, New Jersey. He … Continue reading →

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Old church records shed light on my Slovak great-great-grandparents

Posted on October 7, 2011 by johnkowal

Each of us, as a matter of simple biology, descends from sixteen great-great-grandparents. When I started this research project. I didn’t know who any of them were. Ten months later, I can name eleven of them. My Polish great-great-grandparents, Bazyli … Continue reading →

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A breakthrough on the Slovak branch of the family tree

Posted on September 28, 2011 by johnkowal

One of the first things I learned from my research is that I’m one-quarter Slovak (through my mother’s maternal grandparents Andrew and Mary Sabol). But I couldn’t figure out where my Slovak ancestors hailed from – until now. Earlier this … Continue reading →

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