an interview by Susyn Y. Mihalasky
This 1995 Carpatho-Rusyn American piece is an interview conducted
by staff writer Susyn Y. Mihalasky, on practical methods for tracing
Carpatho-Rusyn family history -- from American immigration and church
records back to the ancestral village in the Carpathian homeland.
Mr. Thomas A. Peters is a certified professional genealogist who
specializes in, among other things, Carpatho-Rusyn ancestry and the history
of Carpatho-Rusyns in northern New Jersey. He was interviewed in March
1995 by Susyn Y. Mihalasky, a staff writer with Karpatska Rus',
the Yonkers-based Lemko Rusyn newspaper. This article is copyright ©
use is prohibited.
Mr. Peters, please tell us something about your own ethnonational
heritage and how you first became interested in genealogical research.
On my father's side, I am Acadian French, Irish, and Scottish. On my
mother's side, I am Slovak and Carpatho-Rusyn. I have been able to trace
my Acadian ancestry to the early 1600s; my Scots ancestry to about the
late 1700s, and my Irish ancestry to about 1830. With the assistance of
the archive in Prešov, my Hirkala/Kaámar Slovak ancestry has thus
far been traced to the early 1800s. My Carpatho-Rusyn ancestry is stalled
with the names of my great-grandparents: Vasyl and Hafija (Geggyo) Kovach,
both from Packan'ovo in the former Bereg county, Transcarpathia. I expect
records to be available for Transcarpathia within the next few years as
a result of recent microfilming in Ukraine by the Genealogical Society
of Utah (the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, or Mormon Church).
Actually, I got started in genealogy by hearing stories about my wife's
ancestry from her late grandmother. She was always telling stories about
her grandfather who was an early iron miner in Morris county, New Jersey.
I decided one day to try to find out more about these miners. I used the
United States Federal Censuses to verify their occupations, the names of
children, birthplaces, etc. I soon knew more about my wife's family than
they did. My wife, Jessica, became interested as well. This all began in
1980. We are now both professional genealogists. I work as a freelancer
specializing in German, Slovak, Polish, and Carpatho-Rusyn ancestry. My
wife works for the New Jersey Historical Society in Newark as the staff
genealogist. Of course, both of us are so involved now in helping others
that we rarely get time to work on our own family histories.
Tell us something about genealogy, your methodology, and the tools
you use as a genealogist. If I come to you with a confused "not-this-not-that,
Carpathian-something, Russian-but-not-Russian" heritage and one or
two family or place names on an old yellowed, illegible letter, what do
you do? How do you start?
First of all, if you come to me bearing tales of a confused or a negative
identifier heritage (not Polish, not Slovak), then I know that you are
Carpatho-Rusyn. I have helped hundreds of individuals with their genealogical
research as a volunteer librarian at the Family History Library of the
Mormon church in North Caldwell, New Jersey. The only persons that relate
to me a sense of confused heritage are the Rusyns. Hopefully, after I have
cleared up their sense of confusion, we can proceed with identifying sources
of information to assist them in their research.
Initially, I ask people to provide me with the vital statistics on themselves.
You should always begin research with yourself and work backwards. I would
of course, ask his/her birthdate and birthplace; the names of his/her parents,
including maiden name of the mother; their places and dates of birth; their
marriage date and place; their places and dates of death and places of
burial. I continue this process until we reach backwards to the immigrant
ancestors.
The more information that the person has, the easier it is to do the
research. It is very important to have the names of the places where the
immigrant and his family lived. Records in the United States are
generated in these places. I will check the United States Federal
Censuses taken in 1920, 1910, 1900, and 1880. Our Carpatho-Rusyn ancestors
began coming to the United States about 1880 or later. Sometimes,
I will check the New Jersey State Censuses taken in 1885, 1895, 1905, and
1915. New York had censuses as well in 1905, 1915, and 1925. These censuses
place our ancestors in their ethnic neighborhoods, particularly in the
industrial cities of the northeastern seaboard.
I also ask if the immigrant male became a U.S. citizen, since this engenders
naturalization records which can provide an array of useful data including
birthplaces, birthdates of the immigrant, his wife, his children, when
he/she came to America, and the name of the ship and date of arrival.
If the immigrant was in the U.S. prior to the First World War, I check
for a World War I draft registration card. At that time all males, whether
citizen or alien, were required to register for the draft. I check Passenger
Arrival Records in the port of New York, especially in the period 1897-1943,
which has an index. Depending upon the time period, the manifests can list
the last place of residence in Europe and/or the birthplace, age, sex,
marital status, personal description, place of settlement in the United
States, and names of next of kin in Europe.
Byzantine Catholic or Russian Orthodox registers almost always give
the ancestral village in Europe in marriage, baptismal, and death registers.
They are the best record source in the United States for determining ancestral
village names. I check the civil registers of births, marriages, and deaths
in New Jersey, New York, or wherever the persons lived. I bear in mind
the fact that many immigrant births were unrecorded. That is why ethnic
church records are so important in chronicling our ancestry in the United
States.
I also ask my clients if they have any documents which their immigrant
ancestors may have brought with them to the United States. Frequently,
these documents are abstracts of baptismal and marriage records given to
them by priests before they left Europe. Many immigrants also wrote home
to their priests to obtain these documents. Often descendants do not realize
that these precious papers contain information that is vital to them in
their ancestral search. These documents can be written in Latin, Hungarian,
or Slavic Cyrillic. They are important to your research because our
ancestors sometimes came from small villages that did not have their own
parishes. In such circumstances, our ancestors were likely to have worshipped
at the next largest village.
Once I have ascertained the following information, I can begin to perform
research in European records (provided that they are available to me):
-
The full name of the immigrant ancestor that he/she received
at birth. For example: Vasyl Takach, not "Bill" Takach. -
The religion. If we are dealing with an immigrant born prior
to 1900, this will always be Greek Catholic. If we are dealing with a 20th
century birth, the person could be Orthodox as well. -
An approximate date of birth—at least the year.
-
The name of the ancestral village. No research can be performed
without the village name. -
The names of the immigrant's brothers and sisters. A
surname may be very common in the ancestral village and the siblings' first
names might be the only way of distinguishing a particular family from
related families of the same surname.
Can you share with us any "good stories" of a particular
genealogical search that called for especially challenging or improvized
"detective work"?
Most immigrant research of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries
is straightforward. My clients may already know the ancestral village
name. This is the most critical piece of information that I need to begin
a European search. The only problem that might come up is the fact that
a particular immigrant ancestor may have been illegitimate.
We should remember that those who came before us were not always saints
and may have lived in crowded homes while serving as servants. Temptation
was always there! If you are pursuing your family history, you must be
prepared for this eventuality. Few families can escape this problem. You
are no less a person because of something your ancestor did!
What special difficulties or unique aspects are there that set genealogical
research on Lemkos and other Rusyns apart from research on other groups?
If you are researching your Lemko heritage, it can be simple or it can
be quite complex. Greek Catholic Church records were maintained in Galicia
from probably the early 1700s. Copies of church records were maintained
from 1784 on and served as civil records of birth, marriage, and death.
The problem is that no one seems to have definitive information regarding
the location of church records maintained by the Byzantine Catholics and
the more numerous Orthodox churches.
Operation "Vistula," the forcible relocation of the Lemkos
to western and northern Poland, is the culprit. The people of an entire
region were physically uprooted. Where were the church records sent? Some
may have been taken to the new localities by the priests. Some may have
been turned over to Roman Catholic priests in Poland for safekeeping. Perhaps
some are in church archives such as in Przemysl.
Additionally, civil records offices called USC (Urzád Stanu Cywilnego),
have vital statistics for each town. There should have been records from
at least the mid-nineteenth century down to 1947, at the time of the relocation.
I would think that these records should have been sent to a Polish archive
or some other type of repository.
The Mormon Church has microfilmed Greek Catholic church records for
about 60 Lemko villages out of a possible 300 or so. These 60 villages
may have a partial series of records. For example: Komancza has excellent
records from about 1764 to the 1880s. The town of Tylawahas birth records
only for the period 1831-1855. They are quite remarkable birth records,
though, in that they give information on up to four generations!
To use these records, you would probably have to know the name of your
great-grandfather born prior to 1855. More records are constantly
being "discovered" in archives and local registry offices. An
inquiry to the Polish State Archive in Warsaw can be made to determine
what, if any, records are available for research on your Lemko families.
I suspect that Greek Catholic records for the Lemko Region may be
found among the holdings of the Ukrainian State Archives in L'viv or Kiev.
This will become known in the next few years as microfilming in Ukraine
proceeds. There may be census or other records that can be consulted in
local Polish archives—particularly the archive in Rzeszów. An
inquiry there can determine their record holdings.
Descendants of Rusyns from the Prešov Region in Slovakia have an easier
time in researching their ancestry. As far as I am aware, all Rusyn
parishes there have at least some records available. These records may
begin as early as 1727 in Kojsov or as late as 1885 in Miková, the
birthplace of Andy Warhol's parents.
These church records are housed in the state archives in Levoãaand
Prešov and have been microfilmed by the Mormon Church. They should be available
to the public sometime this year. You will have to go to a Family History
Library of the Mormon Church. For instance, there is one located at 125
Columbus Avenue, opposite Lincoln Center, in New York City (telephone:
1-212-873-1690). Mormon or LDS Family History Libraries are also located
in many other cities in the United States. Check your yellow pages under
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Anyone can use their libraries.
You can order microfilm at a cost of $3.00 per roll. Most records will
be in Latin with occasional entries in Hungarian or Slavic Cyrillic.
The Rusyns of Transcarpathia, Ukraine will have a chance to research
their ancestry within the next year or so. Microfilming of church
records is a priority. You can also visit the archives in Poland, Slovakia,
and Ukraine, and attempt to do the research yourself.
Are people with a more complex heritage or who are often confused
about their heritage—like Carpatho-Rusyns—more likely to become genealogists?
There is no doubt in my mind that doing one's genealogy enables one
to understand oneself better. I did an oral history interview with my aunt
who is now 81 years old. The more that I learned about my Slovak
grandfather, the more I felt that I really had many of his characteristics.
He was very soft spoken and calm. He did not raise his voice often. He
left the children's disciplining to his wife. He was a man of few words.
He knew who he was. His daughter in anger once said to him: "Papa,
who do you think you are?" He said: "I'm me. Who are you?"
Today everyone is looking to discover who they are, but he already knew.
The descendants of Carpatho-Rusyns are starting to discover that they
can learn much about their family heritage. They are discovering that not
all of the records were lost during World War II. They are seeking their
heritage along with other "ethnic" Americans.
Would you tell us about any research projects you have undertaken
which were/are specifically related to Carpatho-Rusyns?
I am always working on some type of Rusyn project. I have compiled a
partial list of Rusyn and Slovak residents of Passaic, New Jersey who registered
for the draft during World War I. I noted only those who cited a specific
village of origin. This list comprises about 300 men.
I am working on three projects now: the first is a listing of all of
the residents of Passaic county, New Jersey who came from Austria-Hungary
and who became citizens during the period 1875-1906. In this survey, I
will identify Rusyns who became citizens during this time period and should
find Slovaks and Jews, as well.
I am also compiling a list of all Christian given names that appear
in Rusyn or Rusyn-American church baptismal records. Most of these names
are in Latin. I will attempt to provide Rusyn Cyrillic cursive script examples
as well as printed Cyrillic transcriptions and English language translations.
Some of our Rusyn given names are unusual and are not found in any standard
texts. Of course, this will be most helpful to those doing genealogical
studies, particularly those of us who do not know the language.
I have also been transcribing the baptisms and marriages from the registers
of Sts. Peter and Paul Russian Orthodox Church in Passaic. This church
was established by former members of St. Michael's Greek Catholic Church
in Passaic who were dissatisfied with the actions of their priest. The
parish was Greek (Byzantine) Catholic from 1902-1909. In 1909, it became
an Orthodox Church as a result of parishioner dissatisfaction in connection
with the trusteeship struggle with the Latin-rite hierarchy as well as
the celibacy issue. The parishioners of this church were Lemkos from Galicia
and Rusyns primarily from the Prešov Region. Occasionally, there are entries
for Transcarpathian immigrants and also people from the more southwestern
counties of Borsod and Abaúj. I intend to transcribe the period
from 1902 to maybe 1915. The families will be reconstructed from the registers.
I may also write a short history of the church along with the family data.
I have newspaper articles pertaining to the church as well. Eventually,
I hope to elicit the cooperation of St. Michael's Byzantine Catholic Cathedral
in allowing me to access data on their early families, particularly for
the period 1890-1902.
In this manner, I will have accumulated data on the early Carpatho-Rusyn
immigrants in the city of Passaic. I will then be able to illustrate where
in the homeland these immigrants originated, how they were related to one
another, and so on.
Finally, what kind of assistance or advice can you offer Carpatho-Rusyn
root searchers?
You must be persistent in your search. You must seek alternative record
sources if the church books are "lost." You can always
research your entire family, that is, not only your grandparents, but their
brothers and sisters, and trace their families down to the present. This
is your extended network of families.
Last but not least, you owe it to your children and grandchildren to
put down in writing or on tape your own memories of your childhood, stories
about your parents, grandparents, and other relatives. This is not difficult
to do. If you do not write down these thoughts for your offspring,
our culture will eventually be totally assimilated. Perhaps you are aware
of your heritage, but are the younger members of your family aware of it?
Be proud of your heritage! You are truly one of the unique ethnic groups
in the United States and the world!
Mr. Peters offers a slide lecture, "Researching the People From
'No-Mans Land': The Carpatho-Rusyns of Austria-Hungary," which
he is willing to present to any group that requests it. The lecture covers
basics, including an introduction to the Rusyn people themselves and to
record sources in the United States and Europe. Readers interested in arranging
for a presentation, or in procuring Mr. Peter's genealogical services may
contact him at: Thomas A. Peters, C.G.R.S., 59 Tracy Avenue, Totowa, New
Jersey 07512-2041; tel. 1-201-790-5053.
Susyn Y. Mihalasky, Clifton, New Jersey
The Carpatho-Rusyn Knowledge Base**
Colophon
"How to Find Your Roots," a 1995 interview conducted by Susyn Y.
Mihalasky for Karpatska Rus' (copyright 1995 Carpatho-Rusyn American
Magazine and S. Mihalasky), is hosted at carpatho-rusyn.org
(Carpatho-Rusyn Knowledge Base). Captured 2026-08-05 from
http://www.carpatho-rusyn.org/cra/petercra.html. Published here under
permission held by the New Tianmu Anglican Church for this material,
recorded 2026-08-05; all rights remain with Carpatho-Rusyn American
Magazine and Susyn Y. Mihalasky.
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