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TATRA AREA RESEARCH GROUP
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© TARG All rights reserved. (Former ZARP & PARG Newsletter)
Monthly Newsletter for May 2000
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Vi'tany' & Powitanie! (Welcome!) So very much important items to cover
this issue. Please read it thoroughly!
First: "What's with the name change?", you ask. ZARP and PARG are being
combined and will be known now as the "Tatra Area Research Group" or TARG.
This will allow for more regional sharing of common Goral history and
culture and coverage of surnames common to both the northern Orava (and
Orawa) and Spis (and Spisz) areas surrounding the Tatra mountains. It will
also help facilitate less costly bulk mailing of newsletters to the present
and future ZARP and PARG members not on the internet.
TARG will also include some new villages (as those between Nowy Targ and
Zakopane) as well as villages with deep connections to ZARP and PARG
previously left out -- such as Lendak which founded Zdiar. All of the local
village clusters under ZARP and PARG Team Member oversight will remain
intact. The name TARG (being like the name of the largest city in the study
area -- Nowy Targ) will result in many more hits and new people finding us.
We are working toward having an interactive website later with lots of
TARG information and databases online. This will be at a new website with
the URL www.ancestral.net. A master list of TARG villages will be posted
when complete on our present ZARP and PARG sites.
Also to announce: Helene Cincebeaux has wanted to plan a special trip
exclusively for all TARG (ZARP and PARG) members. I have been working with
her on this and can announce this information to all who are interested. The
14-day, 12-night tour will be called the "Tatra/Goral Homecoming 2001 --
Spotlighting Spis (Spisz) & Orava (Orawa)". This tour is scheduled for
August 7 through August 20, 2001. (Read more about it elsewhere in this
issue.) Though still in the planning stages, Helene is trying to hold the
price of this special tour for our membership down to around $2300 per person --
which includes just about everything. If you would like to contact her
please visit: www.our-slovakia.com or e-mail her at: helenzx@aol.com. Please
tell her you are a ZARP, PARG or TARG member and read about it here.
Continued "Thank-you's" from our family for your love and prayers while
our son recovers from his serious injuries. Miraculously he will be 100% one
day the doctors tell us. Right now he still has some pain and goes to
physical therapy or a doctor's office nearly every day each week. The road
is slow but made more tolerable with your
support.
For those who have written asking if I will do some research or
videotaping for them in the old country this summer -- I unfortunately have
no plans to visit there this summer, but instead in August of 2001. This summer will be
a busy one: it looks as though I will soon change my present 60
hour-per-week job and be taking one in California that will allow me much
more time for what I love to do: THIS! But some of this summer will be spent
moving the family and resettling, so I don't think I will be going overseas --
though I would love to!
We have a new Team Member in charge of Lapsze Nizne -- Joanne Loricz.
She has enlargements of all of the parish baptism and marriage records
1742-1900 photographed last summer. Joanne is not yet online, but can be
reached by writing her at: 4716 Towerline Rd., P.O. Box 379, Hale, MI
48739-0379. Joanne also reports that some records for Hagy, Slovakia are in
the Spisska Hanusovce parish records available through LDS FHC's as rolls #
1739894 and 1739895. We welcome Joanne to TARG.
-- Paul K. Bingham
TARG Team Leader
bingham@iols.net

WEBSITES TO CHECK OUT__________
1) Lots of nature & vista shots from above Spisz, Orawa & Podhale:
http://studiope.rubikon.pl/galeria/index.htm
2) Chart with Slovak Orava & Spis town names and modern Orawa & Spisz
equivalents: http://www.geodesy.gov.sk/sgn/gnzOSN/obce/POLSKO.htm
3) Podhale-Spisz-Tatry Biking site:
http://www.bikeboard.com/new/turystyka-polskie-wertepy-tatry-podhale-spisz.html
4) Wooden Church sites with Map in English
http://www.pnto.dial.pipex.com/whattodo_wooden.htm
5) Malopolskie Information site:
http://www.malopolskie.pl/language/englisch.htm
6) Regions in Malopolskie and town addresses in each:
http://www.astercity.net/~mendel/komakad/sbnptsm.html
7) Information about Slovak Week on sent in by Publisher Ivan Klc:
www.slovakweek.com
8) Sharon Smoot found a new Jewish Gen database: index of
surnames 1890 New York Immigrants from Austria, Poland & Galicia. At:
www.jewiishgen.org/ -- then click on Databases (under Eastern Europe).
9) Joseph Marhefka sends us this useful Czech and Slovak Facts site:
http://members.aol.com/Mpgregor/private/fact.htm
10) Article: "Future of Goral Regionalism in America" by Dr. Thad Gromada:
http://www.polishnews.com/fulltext/essay/essay46_1.shtml
11) Nimbus Records has CD "Music of the Tatra Mountains" by Gienek Wilczek's
Bukowina Band http://www.nimbus.ltd.uk/nrl/world/5464a.html
12) Polish Culture Resources (with lots of Goral stuff!):
http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/~aa051/polish.html
13) Góralska Rodzina site:
http://web2.ica.net/miedzy_nami/Previous/october98/Gorale.html
14) Ann Greene & Judy Quashnock give us these site to decipher Latin, German
& Hungarian in Slovak recds: Latin & Hungarian: http://www.bmi.net/jjaso,
Hungarian names: http://www.fam.aust.com/topolcsany/names/, German Script:
http://home.t-online.de/home/hans-peter.voss/04eng.htm
15) Slovak webcams and webpages with Coat of Arms Shields for many Slovak
towns! www.gates96.com/cam/europe/slovakia/index.html?_T.html
16) Kat Turk shares these Slovak sites from Gloria Butler Davis: Region
Biela Orava: http://www.namestovo.sk/regione.html and
http://www.sknet.sk/orava-tour/gb/orava.html
Orava Art Gallery: http://www.art-gallery.sk/og/english/repro.htm
Slovakia Document Store: http://slovakia.eunet.sk/
History of Crafts in Slovakia:
http://194.250.50.191/Infocentre/pub/eng/emdp10.6.htm
E-mail discussion list supporting English teachers:
http://www.egroups.com/group/slovakia-english/info.html
Radio: http://www.eunet.sk/twist/twist.html
17) 1828 Hungarian Land Census information:
http://feefhs.org/ah/hu/con-1828.html
18) Malopolskie churches site with Patron Saints, addresses and Mass times:
http://www.diecezja.krakow.pl/zycie/msze_pd.htm

YOUR GREAT LETTERS____________
-- "Paul, I recently received the April newsletter. Really appreciate the
letter and all the work you put into it. Please add one of my cousins to
your mailing list - your newsletter may be of much help to them in their
search. Thanks again for your efforts." - Sherri Kuran
-- "Paul, My father asked me to find a Coat of Arms for the Orava surname
TROJAK. My search led me to your website. Dr. Trojak is my dad's doctor...he
takes good care of him. As a gold leaf artist, my dad would like to present
him with his coat of arms in appreciation. Can you help? - Ken Kelly
***Ken, An interesting request! Since TROJAK does not appear in any list of
noble families of the region, they were probably originally serfs like most
of our immigrant desendants were. So the TROJAK name will likely not have a
true coat of arms, although some unscrupulous businesses may offer you a fake.
Many Slovak villages have a coat of arms, shield or emblem. Since these
villages were generally very small, most everyone was related in some
fashion over time -- and so a village coat of arms would be an appropriate
substitute. There are multiple TROJAKs listed in the little village of
Lomna, Slovakia. Lomna has a webpage with its simple shield at:
http://www.namestovo.sk/lomna/index.html - Paul
"Dear Paul, Thank you very much for helping us. My Dad likes the Lomna Coat
of Arms. He'll paint it on the reverse of the glass. The flower petals and
the rocks will be white silver leaf and the leaves and stems will be gold leaf.
Thank you again!" - Ken
***
-- "Hello Paul, I will be making my first trip to Eastern Europe July 2000.
Both sets of grandparents, both sets, came from the area you are
researching. It has been fantastic to see the sights via your newsletter.
I've received the newsletter through someone else on your list. Would it be
possible to added to your newsletter list? Thanks for your hard work."
- Michelle Marhefka
***Michele, I know you will enjoy your trip. I've already added you to our
list for the May issue. Glad to have another Marhefka onboard! - Paul
-- "Hi Paul, Thanks again for the wonderful and informative newsletter.
Also, Thank God that your son is recovering nicely. I wondered where I could
find out something about the villages that my mother's parents came from.
Both vilages were Ruthenian (Rusyn) Orthodox. Do you have any suggestions?
Thanks in advance." - Marge German
***Hi Marge, I'm supposing that you have tried the
ShtetlSeeker site at: www.jewishgen.org/ShtetlSeeker/loctown.htm. Just type
in a place name and "click"! There are also three excellent Rusyn
information sites at: www.iarelative/slovakia.htm, www.tccweb.org, and www.carpatho-rusyn.org/. - Paul
-- " Dear Paul, Thank you for the newsletter and for all of your hard work
in putting it together. We are glad to hear that your son continues to improve." - Mary
Ann & Lou Swentek

MAY DAY TRADITIONS_________
ZARP Team Member Karen Melis is writing about a May Day tradition in her
family newsletter. Relatives interviewed recalled there was a few men of the
"Dolina" who would go up and cut trees down early on May 1st and tie them to
the corner of the house. Every house had a tree when they woke up. Has
anyone more light to shed on this Spisz/Goral tradition?

MEGAN SMOLENYAK, BOOK & PBS SPECIAL_______
ZARP Team Member Megan Smolenyak has been making daily appearances on
television, radio and at book signings all over the country to promote her
new book: " In Search of Our Ancestors" and the genealogy special on PBS in
June which will show scenes from our Tatra area! See your local listings for
date and time! Go Megan! We're so proud!

TRIPS TO SLOVAKIA IN 2001____________
Helene Cincebeaux's exclusive ZARP & PARG members tour: "Tatra/Goral
Homecoming 2001 -- Spotlighting Spis (Spisz) & Orava (Orawa)". Scheduled for
August 7 through August 20, 2001.
We are attempting to include as much meaningful ZARP and PARG stops and
activities in both Slovakia and Poland in our itinerary as possible. The
following is only a partial and incomplete list at this point: Shopping in
Bratislava's Old Town, Cicmany, Orava Castle, Slanica Island Museum & Orava
lake boat tour, Namestovo, Zuberec folk museum, Orava Party, Podhale,
Zubryca Gorna outdoor Szkansyn museum, Babia Gora visit, Museum of Tatra
Goral culture in Zakopane, Zakopane Market visit, Chokolow Museum, Nowy Targ
environs, Lopuszna quaint Manor House, Jurgow Soltys museum house, Niedzica
Castle, Trybz Church, Nowa Biala Library visit, picturesque Dursztyn,
Kroscienko folk market & spa, Grywald & Debno UNESCO churches, Czorsztyn
Castle ruins, Zdiar Museum, Zdiar Festival and folk wedding, Dunajec raft
ride, Goral picnic in Pieniny National Park, Cerverny Klastor, Stara
Lubovna castle, Litmanova, Tatranska Lomnica cablecar to top of the Tatry,
Lendak, Kezmarok Castle and bookstore, Levoca, Spisske Kapitula archive
visit, and end with the singing fountain in Kosice our last night. We will
also arrange for lots of ancestral village visits and attenance at Mass in
tour-goers ancestral churches.

SLOVAKIA CROSS INDEX OF TOWNS AVAILABLE_________
Andy Verostko tells us about a cross reference of all Slovak towns
and their parishes available through local LDS FHCs. The author is Jana
Kalesna and the title is "Prehlad Matrik Na Slovensko Do Zostatnenia
Matricnej". The Library Reference # is: 943.73 K23k, Microfische #: 6000786,
Microfilm #: 1183541 Item 4. (I have used this item in my local FHC --
highly valuable! - Paul)

OTHER NOTES______________________________
(1) Contact us if you would like the e-mail address of someone in PARG or
ZARP. (2) If you have comments, questions, someone's address to add to our
mailing list or missed any newsletter issues, just ask! (3) This e-mail
newsletter is sent out free to all who want it (due to ISP anti-spamming
policies in groups of <20). Newsletter Editor: bingham@iols.net
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