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TATRA AREA RESEARCH GROUP
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© TARG All rights reserved.
Newsletter for February 2003
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Greetings to all of our TARG members new and old! We've lots of news,
but most important is telling you that my sons and I will be in the Tatras
the first two weeks of March! Yes, we found tickets and will be leaving
March 2nd from LAX to Vienna, then taking a train to Krakow and Zakopane. We
will be staying with our cousins in Jurgow. I hope to bring back some winter
photos and load my bags with new books and maps for you, like I usually do.
Some of what I bring back from my March trip depends on you: If you have
requests, please let me know. Prepaid titles will get the most priority. By
the way, I am still going on our August Tour and hope many of you are, too!
Autographed copies of Jim Down's exciting book "WWII: OSS Tragedy in
Slovakia" are now available. Also, many (who's letters are not printed
below) asked me to hold autographed copies of the book for them. Some of
these have yet to send their checks in to me. I was hoping to use the money
I had tied up in those book copies to bring back more titles from Slovakia
and Poland. If you've just forgotten, please go ahead and send in your order. Thanks!
Speaking of Jim Downs, he has been asked to be a speaker at the 2003
North American SVU Conference in Cedar Rapids, Iowa June 26-27, 2003. There
was also a couple of articles recently mentioning Gen. Donovan and the OSS
(from the book) in Time Magazine. (See weblinks below.)
Our TARG website guestbook, where TARG members list the surnames and
villages they are researching, is now up and running on the TARG website. At
last count there were a couple of dozen entries already. Thanks for your participation!
-- Paul K. Bingham
TARG Founder

WEBSITES__________
1. The URL of our TARG website is: www.mytarg.net or also http://mytarg.net.
Visit any time...and I would love to hear your suggestions and encouragement.
2. Time's story showing Gen. Donovan & OSS:
http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101030203/story.html
and a direct reference to Donovan (no picture):
http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101030203/story3.html
3. Site about creation of the OSS during WWII: www.carpetbaggerops.org/
4. Sharing this Maniowy site: www.maniowy.prv.pl courtesy of Bob Janowski.
5. Ellis Island's website at www.ellisisland.org.

YOUR LETTERS__________
~~~Hi Paul, You mentioned you were trying to get some autographed copies of
the book "World War II Tragedy in Slovakia" by Jim Downs. Just want to let
you know we would be interested. The book really sounds interesting. - Eileen
***Hi Eileen, Yes, the signed Jim Down's book is now available. For ordering
info go to: http://.mytarg.net and click on "Available Books". - Paul
~~~Paul, Please put aside a copy of the book on the WWII exploits of Maria
Gulovich. A check for $23.00 follows. Regards, Florian S.
***Hi Florian, The book is waiting for you. Thanks! - Paul
~~~Dear Paul, I am interested in purchasing at least six copies of " World
War II: OSS Tragedy in Slovakia." I met Mr. Downs at the Slovak Embassy in
D.C. and he spoke to several of us about some fascinating portions of his
book. My sisters and I have become very interested in the book. Both my
parents were from Rajecka Lesna and immigrated to the U.S. - Joe Klucho
***Hi Joe, I'll be happy to hold six autographed copies for you. - Paul
~~~Hi Paul, Thanks for your great plugs on the August Trip. The TARG
Newsletter looks great -- lots of info. I would like to mention the websites
you list in my Slovak quarterly and give a plug for your TARG group. Also
would like to excerpt what you wrote on Jim Down's book with credit to you.
Would that be okay? Oh, just a note: TARG long-time members Paul Hadzima and
Karen Melis have both signed on for the August Trip, too! - Helene Cincebeaux
***Hi Helene, Go ahead and include anything you want from the TARG
newsletter in yours! Also -- wonderful to hear that Paul and Karen are
coming, too! Just like old times!!! - Paul
~~~Hi Paul, Thanks for the newsletter. My Nephew and I are planning on
going on the 3rd Goral reunion trip. Can't wait! I will do research on
Szaflary and Maruszyna mostly. My grandmother comes from there and folks
with same last name (found in the phonebook thanks to you) are still in that
area. (Note: If anyone has trouble for some reason with the website, that
copy and paste you wrote for the website works beautifully.) I have a mini
CD disk digital camera to take along on our trip. How can I help with group
research? - Mary Starosta
***Hi Mary, Wonderful to hear you will be joining us! Thank you for your
willingness to help, too! There are others who have family from Szaflary and
those records are NOT available on microfilm. If you, or a relative, can
persuade the parish priest to let you photograph pages of the old records it
would be a great thing. I've done it in several villages so far. Also village
shots from any village you go to (main street, the church, cemetery, towns
people) are all wonderfully received by TARG members unfamiliar with
their ancestral villages. - Paul
~~~Paul, Thank you so much for the monthly newsletter. It's so full of
information. In the last newsletter a Mary Starosta wrote you about her
grandmother from Szaflary. I would appreciate it if you could forward my
email her. I would love to exchange information. - Joyce Jaster
***Hi Joyce, I would be happy to do that for you. - Paul
~~~Thank you forwarding my email so quickly. I did receive a response from
Mary already. This is so exciting! Thanks for the connection. - Joyce
Jaster ~~~Thanks Paul, The MAGIC is working already! - Mary Starosta
***Glad to help! - Paul
~~~Hi Paul, My grandmother's information (baptism record) came from Parafia
Rzymsko-Katolicka p.w. Sw. Andrzeja Apostola. Could this be its website:
http://www.fara.olkusz.net.pl/glowna.php3?akcja=archiwum? - Mary
***Hi Mary, No, the site you found is for a Saint Andrew's church, but it's
the wrong one. The Szaflary church is pictured on other websites. Try this:
http://www.nowotarski.pl/powiat.php?pokaz=szaflary and this one:
www.podhale.net.pl/szaflar.htm. The Saint Andrew's church there was built in
1799. Maruszyna is a nearby village which now has its own parish church, but
it was built more recently -- in the early 1960s. As such, the village
looked to Szaflary as its parish church prior. The records you seek would
probably still be there in Szaflary. I cannot locate any websites for Maruszina. - Paul
~~~Dear Paul: I saw in an older newsletter (in your website's archive) that
the book Nazvy Obci Slovenskej Republiky (lists all Slovak village names
back in history) could be ordered from a "Jan" in Zilina. I sent him an
E-mail and it bounced back to me as being undeliverable. I did see where he
recently signed off Slovak World, so I guess this is no longer a valid E-mail
address. Is there any way I can get the book for $25? Sincerely, Joyce Hewlett
***Hi Joyce, I don't know that Jan is still around. How about ordering the
book for $20? Dan Kisha (daniel.kisha@prodigy.net) owns the "Slovak Import
Company" on the internet and carries it for $20. His address is:
http://pages.prodigy.net/daniel.kisha. If you can wait, I'm going to try to
bring back some copies from my March trip, too. -- Paul
~~~I am doing research on Dursztyn. What is the name of church shown on your
website? Thanks, Ann Riggen
***Hello Ann, The church depicted in the great photo by TARG member Marc
Kuklinski is the church of Sv. Jana Chrzciciela (Saint John the Baptist)
built 1983-1988 and consecrated in 1989 by Cardinal Franciszka Macharski.
The parish has been in existence since as early as 1880, but was too poor to
have its own church. Parishoners attended the church in nearby Krempachy
until they could build their own. - Paul
~~~Hi Paul, When requesting vital records for the town of Piekielnik,
Poland, would one write to Jabolanka, Krakow, or where? Also, the small town
that I see on your map, Trstena...is that town in Poland now or in Hungary?
Please orient me on those towns. I'm grateful for your time. - Donnamarie
***Hi Donnamarie, Jablonka was the largest town in the area at the time. But
when you say "vital records" do you mean civil records? Back in 1891
Piekielnik and Trstena were both towns in the county of Orava, Slovakia
which along with the rest of Slovakia was under Hungarian rule. Piekielnik
was a village right on the Polish border at the time and went by the Slovak
spelling of "Pekelnik". The Hungarians spelled the county name of Orava as
"Arva"...you will see references to this. All confusing at first, I know,
but stick with it and you will soon make sense of it all and move on to more
discoveries. Piekielnik was part of Slovakia until 1920. Most records dating
from 1920 and earlier would be in Slovakia. The parish records (birth,
marriage, death) would also be in the original parish church. Before 1920,
copies were sent to Spisska Kapitula (the Roman Catholic archive) in
Slovakia as well. Trstena is still in Slovakia today. Only Polish villages
(that were Polish before 1920 and remained Polish) sent their copies to the
R.C. archives in Krakow. - Paul
~~~Dear Paul, I discovered a website devoted to Maniowy PL. The author has
included a very large photo album under "Nostalgia", with lots of pictures
taken from the 1930's to 1960's. Besides giving a vivid impression of town
life during that period, there are lots of images of the buildings from
earlier generations. I could identify the church (built 1826) and school
which my grandfather had included in his own small personal collection of
photographs. It's a gold mine for anyone wishing to make contact throughout
the area including Czorsztyn, Kluszkowce, and Sromowce. The site is at:
www.maniowy.prv.pl. Please let TARG members know! - Bob Janowski
***Hi Bob, Thank you! I always thought something like this might exist.
Thanks for finding it and sharing it with us. I will let the group know! - Paul
~~~Hi Paul, Thanks for the info on the online Polish phone directory. I'm
excited! If Europe can do it, why can't we? - Rob Otrembiak
***Hi Robert, There is actually an online phonebook for the entire USA. I
stumbled across it searching for something on Google when I entered
someone's name and then the words "phone number." It gives you names, phone
numbers and mailing addresses free. Oh, are you coming with us in August? I
know you'd expressed interest earlier! - Paul
~~~Dear Paul, Started recently my search. Did not have much, but got some
info and everything opened up. Long way to go. Surnames: Feczan, Kornaj &
Holowacz. Like to receive TARG e-newsletter. Thanks. - Bob
***Hi Bob, Thanks for your inquiry and for supplying the info that you do
know. I've put your name on the e-mail list. -- Paul

PRINTING ELLIS ISLAND MANIFEST IMAGES_________
~~~Hi Paul, Since you're familiar with the Ellis Island website, maybe you
can tell me if I'm going crazy or not. I have on file .gif files of various
actual manifests I saved. I printed them out quite a few times in the past.
I'm trying to repeat that process now but can no longer get a .gif
extension. Did they realize they lose money if people can save and download
the images? -- Karen
***Hi Karen, Hmmm. This is a new wrinkle. I had not been to the site in a
while...not at all this year yet. This is certainly new and obviously a way
to get you to buy their copies. Oh, well. They do need to support themselves
somehow, and the images they sell are of much higher quality. This new
blocking feature is similar to another website I was on recently. If you
just want a quick copy to refer to later for research, there is a way to do
it. The fact is, once you've opened the image on their website, and it's on
your screen, it is also now in your computer's memory. All you have to do is
find the temporary image and save it to your hard drive. I was able to
successfully save the .gif image from the Ellis Island site that I just
opened and then print it. It just takes a little doing. These instructions
will work for Windows 95, 98, 98SE and XP.
RETRIEVAL INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Get on Ellis Island's website at www.ellisisland.org.
2. Navigate to the passenger records and conduct your search.
3. Click on the button marked "View Original Ship manifest".
4. Minimize this Ellis Island window. (We'll come back to it later.)
5. Double-click on your desktop's "My Computer" icon.
6. Double-click on your C: drive's icon. (This is generally where your
Windows folder and all of its files are...if not click on the drive where they are.)
7. Double-click on your Windows folder.
8. Scroll down and double-click on your Temporary Internet File's folder.
9. A window should open. Click on "Edit" found along the tool bar at the top.
10. Click on "Select All". (All icons shown will be highlighted.)
11. Hit the delete key on your keyboard.
12. When asked if you want to delete these, hit "Yes".
13. Minimize the Temporary Internet File's folder. (We'll come back to it later, too.)
14. Again maximize the Ellis Island site window and click on the magnifying
glass icon to open the manifest enlargement.
15. A new window will open and the manifest will fill that window. Wait
until the image has fully loaded.
16. Minimize this manifest window.
17. Minimize the Ellis Island site window.
18. Maximize the Temporary Internet File's folder.
19. Click on the "Up" folder icon in the top tool bar to take you back to
the Window's file folder contents.
20. Again locate and double-click on the Temporary Internet File's folder
and a few new icons will appear.
21. Make sure this Temporary Internet File's folder window only fills half
the screen. Use the mouse to reduce it's size if needed and move it to one side.
22. Double-click on your desktop's "My Computer" icon again to open another window.
23. Double-click on the C: drive icon (or whichever drive you want to store on).
24. Click on "File" found in the tool bar at the top.
25. Move the cursor down and highlight "New" to open a submenu.
26. Click on "Folder".
27. A new folder will be created.
28. Name it "Ellis-gifs" (or whatever you like) and move it to the other
side of the screen so most of both windows can be seen at the same time.
29. Double-click on the new folder.
30. Now click over on the Temporary Internet File's folder window to activate it.
31. Click and drag the image icon with a long name made of a letter and lots
of numbers (your manifest image!) over to your new Ellis-gifs folder. (The
c.gif and weif_btn_closwin.gif are webpage stuff and not your manifest.)
32. Now you have the manifest image in your folder permanently.
33. Rename it SOMETHING.gif, where SOMETHING is memorable enough so you can find it easily later.
34. Repeat this process as needed for each additional image saved.
35. When you are done, close all of the open windows and you will have all
of your new manifest images for printing and editing safely in your new folder.
***Note: Please try this when you get time to make sure it works for you.
Any suggestions/improvements would be welcome. Thanks. -- Paul

TARG WWII HISTORY BOOKS SIGNED BY AUTHOR________
Last time we discussed the new book "World War II: OSS Tragedy in
Slovakia," by Jim Downs. It is one of those books that is hard to put down.
Realizing much of the story happened within our TARG study area makes it
even that much more fascinating. We now have a limited quantity of copies of
the book especially autographed by the author for TARG members! (Please see
the TARG website at: http://mytarg.net and click on "Available Books" for
more details.) If you wanted to know what the history of the German occupation
was in our TARG area between 1938 and 1945, this book is A MUST READ!

SPECIAL TARG TRIP IN 2003____________
Well, folks, I've sent in my deposit to go on the big August trip...how
about you?! The Goral Homecoming Trip to Slovakia & Poland with Helene B.
Cincebeaux (and lots of other TARG members!) is planned for Aug. 5 thru Aug.
15, 2003. Just a $500 deposit will reserve you a spot! We will be in ALL of
the old Slovak counties of Spis, Liptov and Orava and in Poland's Spisz,
Podhale Orawa and Krakow regions, too. We will have side trips available to
archives and other destinations of interest. As usual, Helene will have
drivers and translators to let you break away from the group to visit your
ancestral villages or new-found family while we are close. A full itinerary
and other information is available on our "Trips" page on the TARG website
at: www.mytarg.net/Trips.html. Have a look!

MONEY RAISED FOR OSTURNA CHURCH______
TARG member Megan Smolenyak reports that as of the end of January over
$4,000 had been raised for St. Michael's church in Osturna, Slovakia.
(Osturna is the little village where they have been conducting all of the
DNA research we have reported here from time to time.) This money represents
a milestone in their fundraising for St. Michael's Greek Catholic Church. It
means they are 40% there! Thanks to all who have contributed.

CONTACTING TARG_____________________
To contact TARG the e-mail address is: TARG_NET@hotmail.com. Our mailing
address is: TARG, P.O. Box 3533, Escondido, CA 92033. Our new website is at:
www.mytarg.net or also http://mytarg.net.
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