_______________________________
TATRA AREA RESEARCH GROUP
_______________________________© TARG (Formerly ZARP & PARG) All rights reserved.
Newsletter for September & October 2001
---------------------------------------
Vi'tanje & Powitanie (Welcome)
---------------------------------------
Hello TARG members. Let me begin this issue with our condolences to any
of our TARG families who lost loved ones in the unspeakable tragedies which
occurred on September 11th. Surely it has touched all of us profoundly, but
with so many TARG members in the Tri-State area and Pennsylvania I expect
the horror has hit some very personally. Our prayers go out to you and your
families and our military now in harm's way. Several of our contacts
overseas have sent their deepest sympathies. I pass those on as well.
(Coverage of what unfolded in the U.S. was seen in Slovakia and Poland 24
hours per day on television just as it was here.)
I was beginning a September TARG Newsletter last month, but in the face
of so many more important matters, I felt that it should wait. America's
leaders are now encouraging us to try and "get back to normal" with our
lives, so I will make that effort. We would like to hear from you if you have
information to share, questions to ask or stories to tell.
-- Paul K. Bingham
TARG FounderTARG WEB SITE UPDATES__________
If it's been a while since you last visited our website, you will be
pleased to know that some new things have been added. It has also been
streamlined to load a little faster and look a little neater. We will
continue improving it, adding your village photos and making more
information available to TARG members. We also look forward to your comments
to help in our improvements. The website is at: www.1avenue.com/targHOLD ON TO THOSE OLD PHONEBOOKS__________
It has come to my attention that all of the cell phones we noticed on
our August trip becoming so popular both in Poland and Slovakia are having
another effect. Cell phones and airtime are now cheaper in most places there
than a regular home phone (which charge connect time even for local calls).
Consequently many are not renewing their home phones, but getting cell phones.
While this is good news for Slovak and Polish consumers, it means we are
losing an important research tool. You see, cell phone numbers are NOT
listed in printed phonebooks or on the internet white pages there. Some TARG
members have already noticed their relatives' names have disappeared in the
newest 2001 phonebooks.YOUR LETTERS__________
Hi Paul: I enjoyed reading your article in the last newsletter on the
trip this summer. Sounds fantastic! But did I understand that you will not
have a similar trip, with a genealogist aboard, until 2003? I am interested
in Durtsztyn and Niedzica especially and would want to spend a little time
there. I had planned on a 2002 tour but if not available until 2003, I shall
just have to wait. -- Sylvia Cooke P.S. I gave your web site to a "new"
cousin.
***Hi Sylvia. Thanks for your e-mail and passing along TARG's web site to
your cousin. It is true that Helene and I have discussed a true TARG
genealogy trip (like the one in August) for the Summer of 2003. However, I
believe she is considering a three-country trip next year which will include
four days on both the Polish and Slovak sides of the Tatras. That would be
one you might want to look into as well. -- Paul
Hi Paul: We want to thank you for the August edition of the Newsletter
and we enjoyed reading about your trip. -- Mary Ann and Lou Swentek
***Thank you for the kind comments. It really was a lot of fun and so
productive as well. -- Paul
Hi - I accidentally came across a web site that searches the Ellis
Island database with different parameters. I may have even found my grandfather's
brother by putting in his first name, the first initial of his last name, and the year(s) he arrived. The site is: http://sites.netscape.net/stephenpmorse/ellis/ellis.html
If you have the right browser, you can every sort by villages!!! -- Marti Haney
***Thanks for sharing this wonderfully helpful site for the Ellis Island
information. -- PaulTARG IN THE FUTURE__________
I have had e-mails from some of you showing a natural reluctance to
travel to the old country right now. I think this feeling will wane in the
coming months. Nonetheless, a few of us have talked about how to get more
TARG group research done "in absentia". Besides a couple of experienced
Slovak genealogists who we can count on, it would be nice to have a few
"locals" we can call on to do village, site and potential family visits as
well as look-ups and church record photography. A prime candidate would be
someone who has an interest in doing these tasks, knows the area well, has a
private car, can write replies in English and has some technical aptitude in
taking pictures and sending e-mail. It would be nice to find a few of these
helpful souls in various corners of the TARG region that we can call upon.
My own cousin Lucjan is such a candidate. He possesses all of these
traits and can also speak both Polish and Slovak. He is in his final year at
the University of Krakow studying computer science. He has the ability to
scan and e-mail photos and documents. His mother also works at the local
post office which would facilitate shipping items if need be. Really the only thing he
lacks is some adequate camera equipment. He has assisted me in photographing
complete parish records in three different villages, so has experience with this.
Some in TARG may have relatives or contacts they know who we as TARG
members could help equip for future assistance. Please let me know if you
have someone we could rely on for such duties and we will try to follow up.
I have been told by various TARG members that I should charge for TARG
membership or to get the monthly newsletter. I do not want to do this. I
think if you have roots within TARG and are willing to share what
information you have with the others, you are then a member. But equipping
locals to aid us will indeed take money. To this end, I believe we can try
some "fund raising" ideas to meet our needs. Please send me ideas if you
have them.
For my own cousin's situation, I am proposing to offer for sale some of
the wonderful books I brought back from our trip. Some of these are
available from other individuals and websites, all at higher cost than I am
offering them for. Hopefully, TARG members will take advantage of these
buys and in the process help this cause. Do you have a need for more
detailed research facts or a relative who would like something from the old
country as a Christmas gift? Then please see the next section for a list of
15 items offered.BOOKS FOR SALE__________
These items to raise money for research camera funds are all in stock
and shipping will be by first class mail (unless too heavy and so listed).
Items are first-come, first-served. Prices are in US dollars. If you live
outside the United States, please contact me for additional information.
Photos and descriptions of each of these items are on the TARG webpage
at: www.1avenue.com/targ. Near the bottom, between the photo of the smiling
Krempachy priest and the TARG guestbook is a link marked: "To see a list of
books found on our recent trip to the Tatras click here: BOOKS". Click on
"BOOKS" and a page with these items will come up.
Here is a short list of these items and their prices:
1. Complete Polish Atlas: 27.- (plus 5.- s&h)
2. Slovak Podrobny AutoAtlas with postal codes: 21.- (plus 5.- s&h)
3. Tatras 2002 Calendar: 5.- (plus 2.- s&h)
4. New Dajama Guide to Liptov, SK in English: 13.- (plus 3.- s&h)
5. New Dajama Guide to Orava, SK in English: 13.- (plus 3.- s&h)
6. New Dajama Guide to Spis, SK in English: 13.- (plus 3.- s&h)
7. New Dajama Guide to the Tatras in English: 13.- (plus 3.- s&h)
8. Giant Polish-English Dictionary: 36.- (plus 3.- s&h heavy)
9. 1998 Polish phonebook: 20.- (plus 3.- s&h heavy)
10. 1998 Slovak phonebook: 14.- (plus 5.- s&h)
11. Spis: Pearl of Slovakia including English: 28.- (plus 5.- s&h heavy)
12. Children's Illustrated Slovak-English Dictionary: 7.- (plus 3.- s&h)
13. Zdiar History 1590-2000: 23.- (plus 5.- s&h)
14. Orava Lake Villages Memorial Book: 9.- (plus 5.- s&h)
15. Jurgov History 1941-1995: 9.- (plus 3.- s&h)
Checks or M.O.s can be mailed to the TARG mailing address below. (Please
make these out to P. Bingham as TARG does not have its own account.) Thank
you in advance for your support!DID YOU KNOW?__________
The President just appointed the former governor of Pennsylvania to be
the new "Homeland Security Chief". His name is Tom Ridge and his mother is a
Slovak. In fact, she was born in the village of Petrova, Saris county.
Petrova is just outside of our TARG sphere of influence, just about 10 miles
due east of the TARG Rusyn village of Sulin, northeast of the Spis city of
Stara Lubovna.CONTACTING TARG_____________________
To contact TARG the e-mail address is: TARG_NET@hotmail.com
Our new website is at: www.1avenue.com/targ
TARG's mailing address is: P.O. Box 3533, Escondido, CA 92033.
^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^vBack to E-Newsletter list, back to Main Page.