Eastern Europe Books

Polish Roots (Paperback) by Rosemary A. Chorzempa

This pioneering work on Polish family history is designed to provide the American researcher with the kind of information he needs in order to succeed in his genealogical research. Written by a national director of the Polish Genealogical Society of America, it throws cold water on the myth that successful Polish genealogical research is beyond the powers of ordinary people.

Mrs. Chorzempa begins with an examination of Polish-American resources, touching first on records kept by the Polish-American family, then veering off into a discussion of the standard records employed in genealogical research, such as census and naturalization records, ships' passenger lists, vital records of birth, marriage and death, records of fraternal societies, newspapers, church records, and military records.

She treats each of these record groups in the context of Polish-American research, setting a framework for her discussion of the records held by the LDS Church in Salt Lake City. She also provides a breakdown of libraries and archives with Polish genealogical materials and a comprehensive list of Polish genealogical societies.

The bulk of the book is focused on research in Poland, as the author shows the reader how to find and use church and civil records; how and where to locate research services, libraries, and archives; how to make sense of Polish names and the naming practices of the major ethnic groups; and how, ultimately, to deal with the Polish language. To clinch it, there is even a letter-writing guide, a transliteration of queries and requests to be sent to Polish churches, civil record offices, and institutions for purposes of obtaining assistance.

Perilous Voyages: Czech and English Immigrants to Texas in the 1870s

(Centennial Series of the Association of Former Students, Texas a & M University)

by Lawrence H. Konecny (Editor), Clinton Machann (Editor)

 "These are rich and fertile lands, so cheap that the labouring man may get his board and ten acres for an honest month's work, and the rich man find large profits upon his investments." -from William Kingsbury's 1877 pamphlet promoting Texas

In Perilous Voyages, English and Czech immigrants' tales of coming to Texas provide fascinating counterpoints to each other and to the glowing claims about the Lone Star State made by Kingsbury and others.

The first part includes a complete reprint of Kingsbury's pamphlet, giving insight into the rhetoric of Texas immigration. In the second part, the experiences of the immigrants themselves are illuminated through Englishman William Wright's private diary. The third section narrates the story of thirty-six men, women, and children who left their Moravian homeland in 1873 to pursue dreams of prosperity and the good life in Texas.

Journeys into Czech-Moravian Texas (Charles and Elizabeth Prothro Texas Photography Series)

by Sean N. Gallup

With well-written, detailed text based on research and personal interviews and with sensitive, comprehensive photography, Gallup provides a fine portrait of today's Texans descended from Czech immigrants. Texas-Czech culture remains strong in Texas, and the author tells how Texas-Czech customs and language survive despite the pressures from mainstream, modern American culture.

He also describes Texas-Czech ethnic identity, organizations, relations with other ethnic groups, ties to the modern Czech Republic, and prospects for the future.

- Hardcover: 140 pages
- Publisher: Texas A&M University Press; 1st ed edition (September 1998)
- Language: English
- ISBN: 0890967512

Russian Immigrants (Immigration to the United States) (Hardcover)

by Lisa Trumbauer, Robert Asher (Editor)

- Reading level: Ages 9-12

- Hardcover: 96 pages

- Publisher: Facts on File (November 2004)

- Language: English

- ISBN: 0816056854