DOING GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH ON SLOVENIAN ROOTS FROM ABROAD

There are many general and specialized books for genealogists in English along with more and more useful materials available on the internet. So why write about this subject again?

Probably it isn’t necessary, but I have been tempted for sometime to write a guide specifically for genealogists outside of Slovenia who were interested in researching their Slovene origin. Most of these people doing this research come from the United States where the majority of requests arose for such a guide. I will try to write this guide from the perspective of those abroad who only recently discovered their roots were in Slovenia. These are mostly grandchildren and great grandchildren of immigrants who usually do not speak Slovenian and have little knowledge about their ancestors’ homeland.

Often their parents and grandparents didn’t tell them a lot about their homeland. Most were looking for better opportunities to survive and as most of their energy was directed to this end, they had neither time nor motivation to keep in contact with the homeland. They rarely left information about their ancestors and relatives or memories of the "stari kraj" to their children and grandchildren.

Most of this has been lost forever, but it remains worth trying to recover at least a part of what a genealogist requires for his work from the sources available. It is with this intent that this guide has been written.

Slovenia

Slovenia has been an independent country since 1991. Before this, it was a part of Tito’s Yugoslavia. Prior to the second world war it was part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes. Until the end of the first world war, it belonged to the Austrian Habsburg monarchy for centuries but also for a short time was under the direction of Napoleonic France. More than one thousand years ago the Slovenians lived in a Slavic empire led by King Samo. A more curious reader can read more about this in other publications. As an illustration, I will name just one example from modern history.

My sister was born in 1940 in the kingdom of Yugoslavia. I was born in 1941 under the Italian occupation in Italy. My brother was born in 1943 in Germany after the Italians capitulated, while my next sister was born in 1945 in the Federal Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia. We all were born in the same house in the suburbs of Ljubljana, so it is important for a genealogist to be aware of the fact that there were changing religious and civil jurisdictions at various times. These changes are of critical importance when conducting this research. I will not go into details but I will mention those characteristics that would be helpful to the inexperienced researcher.

Civil and Church archives

The most valuable source of information for family research is the Archbishopric Archives of the Roman Catholic Church. Most of the population of today’s Slovenia are Catholics and events such as births, baptisms, marriages and deaths were recorded since the seventeenth century by the local parishes. Some of these documents have been lost for different reasons but many have been preserved. Most of them have been kept in local parishes or local city halls. But most will be found in the Archbishopric Archives. A list of these books is available.

In 1972, a catalogue, Vodnik po matičnih knjigah, was published and after being updated it remains a good source of information on what is available in local parishes and archives. Another book entitled, Vodnik po župnijskih arhivih, is a further reference for genealogists. This guide includes Status Animarum, a very interesting parish census record. These are the two most valuable sources for genealogists. Apart from this there is also additional information available in church and civil archives such as census records, certificates of citizenship and many funds records. Researching these sources are beyond the skills of a beginner,. Therefore a detailed study of the applicability of such materials is not within the sphere of reference for a beginner. The above mentioned archival sources are relatively well documented and some can already be found in computer files . Before long they will be accessible also on the internet. For the time being it is important to realize that archival sources exist and are more or less accessible to researchers. It can be said without reservations that researching one’s roots by means of registers is possible all the way back to generations who lived in the seventeenth century if not even earlier. My opinion is that for a beginner this should suffice.

Registers

I have already mentioned that the main and essential sources of information are three registers with relatively uniform records in all the parishes, known as birth (baptism), marriage and death registers of which either the original document or a copy has been preserved. They are mostly manuscripts and only very few are stored on microfilms or in computer files.

Most of the manuscripts are beautiful and sometimes even amazingly neat but there are also some which are almost illegible either due to their antiquity or bad handwriting. Although most manuscripts are relatively neat a researcher will sooner or later come across several examples of handwriting which will bear little resemblance to modern manuscripts so it might take him a while to get used to them. This is particularly the case with Gothic characters. Today there are only a few experts who can read them while all the others tend to give up the research or turn to an expert for help.

Past centuries documents make our research also more difficult due to the lack of uniformity in the written records of names, surnames, places and other facts. A certain uniformity will thus be found for the first time in the written records from the second half of the nineteenth century. They were mostly written in the Slovenian language and the manner of writing was similar to the way we still write. This is particularly so with the way we record phonemes such as “č”,”š” and “ž”. Prior to that these phonemes were recorded with two or more letters such as “ch”, “sh”, “sch” etc. The surname Žnidaršič was probably spelt in the following manner: Zhnidarschich. Sometimes even a surname would be translated into German, for example Wolf instead of Volk or Vovk.

Due to different reasons at different times in our history our towns were also named differently. The country which covered a large part of today’s Slovenia was called Kranjska (Krain in German language, which is also the name of the present town Kranj). Ljubljana was called Laibach, Tržič Neumarktl, Jesenice Assling etc. There was barely a town not recorded in the language of the majority - Slovenian. Dictionaries of topographic names (gazetteers) should help you with the research (they are available on the internet) along with the comparisons made between the old and the new maps of the country.

Also first names were entered differently at different times. Older records contain mainly Latin names but later on German terminology prevailed. Most of those whose first name was Janez were thus recorded as Joannes or Johann. People were seldom recorded in register by the name he or she was really known by. Neža was thus registered as Agnes, Jera as Gertrud(is), Polona as Apol(l)oni(j)a. It is particularly awkward that the one and the same person gets to be recorded differently on different occasions such as birth, marriage and death by the same recording clerk. A researcher should be familiar with all these different written records of first names which can be found in many reference books. In the Slovenian language we have Leksikon imen by Janez Keber.

Parish and Local Chronicles and Monographs

Local and parish chronicles can prove very useful since they can help the researcher to unravel many puzzles. Some even contain family records of several different generations along with many interesting details of the town’s history. A researcher should therefore always find out if such chronicles exist although there might be language problems as most of these documents are not translated.

Other Sources

These are local censuses, court records, military records, lists of immigrants, funds records etc. Although they might reveal some very interesting information in my opinion the research work in this direction would be too difficult for a beginner.

How to Start

First I would like to resume what you will also find in many other reference books. My advice to every beginner is to first note down what he or his relatives already know. He should then complete these facts with the information from the family records using two fundamental forms: an ancestral chart and a family group sheet which are both published in several reference books. Next a researcher should get in touch with the local genealogical society and/or Slovenian Genealogical Society in the USA which has numerous chapters. Finally the researcher should use the computer to help him with his work as well as one of the many genealogical programs.

First Steps in the New Country

Although every researcher will set to work differently, he will soon realize that he will work more efficiently if he abides general reccomendations. Upon filling in the form "My Ancestors" a researcher will immediately see what kind of information he lacks and at the same time he will also be able to determine the course of his research. My advice is to first try and look for available information in your new country since this will make your research much easier in "stari kraj". The archives in the new country usually keep some very important records such as the lists of passengers aboard the ships, the lists of immigrants and the documents of naturalization.

You will probably find a genealogical society in your town or in the vicinity. Do not fail to visit it because the information you will get there may prove valuable later. You must also pay a visit to Family Research centers which you will find in most larger towns and were founded by Mormon Church. Although their files include very little information about the Slovenian people the visit may still be worth the trouble.

A Visit to "Stari Kraj"

When you have exhausted the home records together with the archives in the new country it will make sense to continue your research in "stari kraj". First you will have to locate the parish your ancestors were from which can be a rather difficult task since all you may know is that they came from a town or village somewhere near Ljubljana, Novo mesto or Bled. In today’s Slovenia there are hundreds of parishes whose information is fundamental for genealogical researches of the past centuries. In Ljubljana alone there were at least four parishes in the past century all of which a researcher, who wants to collect some information about the ancestors from Ljubljana should not fail to visit. On the other hand these ancestors may not have lived in Ljubljana but in one of the neighboring parishes. There were ten or even more of these and this might discourage many researchers. Once the parish has been located and you have information such as the date of birth or marriage you are already relatively close to the successful continuation of the research. Now you can write to the parish, civil or the (Arch-)bishopric Archives and ask them for a copy of the register. In the case of birth you will find out who the parents of the person you have been looking for were, and in the case of marriage you will find out the names of the parents on the bridegroom’s as well as on the bride’s side both of which will help you go on with your research. Mere correspondence though will not take you far, firstly because the archives usually do not employ enough people to conduct thorough researches and secondly because one can easily lose track in the very same town or parish, so a beginner will once more find himself up a blind alley.

Upon having located the parish your ancestors came from you may decide to visit "stari kraj" and/or the archives where the materials are kept. I strongly recommend this if you have time to spare.

Searching for Relatives

In "stari kraj" there have probably remained your ancestor’s brothers or sisters who also must have had families of their own. Future generations often still live in the same town and house their parents did. Perhaps you have kept in touch with them by mail in which case your job will be much easier. Or you may come across some letters your parents exchanged with them previously. You may even find out that a relative of yours has already done some research into his ancestry in which case you can both benefit from the information exchange without having to double your work.

Most Slovenian people nowadays have no difficulty understanding English so there should be little if no language barrier. Before setting off it would be smart to get in touch with your "cousins". If you have lost their addresses just look them up in Slovenian directories available on the internet. The Telekom Slovenia directory should satisfy your needs.

Field Research

If you decide to do some research work on your own you will probably adjust the aim and the course of your research to your interests. If you are mainly interested in tracing back your ancestry as far into the past as possible, most of your work can be done in the archives. The

(Arch-)bishopric Archives are those who will serve your purpose best. There are two main ones at present, one in Ljubljana and the other in Maribor, the procedure being similar in both.

You have to inform them about your arrival in advance and specify the materials you’ll be needing. The working hours are usually from 8 am to 13.30 p.m. and there is no fee. None of the books is photocopiable but you will be allowed to take photographs or use your video camera. In theory you will have access to all the archive documents prior to the year of 1900, the procedure being the same in both the archives where also most of the materials can be found. Nevertheless many books can only be located on the premises of parish or civil archives, visits to which you will have to discuss separately as there are no general rules. This task could be a bit more complicated mainly because it is difficult to agree upon the time of the visit. Moreover these archives do not have librarian facilities so you will depend on the kindness of the person in charge and the time he has at his disposal since he can not leave you unsupervised with the materials. Unfortunately theft and damage to property are not uncommon on these premises.

Professional Researchers

In Slovenia there are also some experts skilled in genealogical research who do the job for you on request. But as far as I know there is nobody whose primary activity is conducting researches on a professional level. Sometimes experienced researchers might accept your request and charge you global tariffs. You will also find it useful to study the standards in various reference books when hiring a professional. It will be mutually beneficial if the contents and the range of research are precisely defined from the very beginning. The best way to start the research is to give all the basic information to the researcher you have hired. He will then look into the case and make plans for the research localizing the area and available sources. Next he will spend a day or two conducting research into the archives and finally let you know the results in his report for which he will charge you around 300 dollars. Depending on the results the person placing the order will initiate further research. At such an early stage you will have to take certain risks since no one can guarantee you success in advance.

Computer and the Internet

It is highly advisable to use the computer; no further recommendations are necessary on this. I also equally recommend the use of the internet and the electronic mail. Thus you will be much more efficient at your work and you may come across some amazing facts which will help you with your research.

Reference files

Memebers of Slovensko rodoslovno društvo (Slovene Genealogy Society) occasionally produces accumulated index of persons in their genealogy files. The index is experimentaly posted on www.genealogy.si. There are some other reference files. A very useful one is the mentioned Telekom Slovenia phone directory.

The Addresses of the Archives

Arhiv Republike Slovenije, Zvezdarska 1, 1000 Ljubljana, tel. 00386 1 2414200

Zgodovinski arhiv Ljubljana, Mestni trg 27, 1000 Ljubljana, tel: 00386 1 3061303

Nadškofijski arhiv Ljubljana, Krekov trg 1, 1000 Ljubljana, tel: 00386 1 1337044

Škofijski arhiv Maribor, Koroška 1, 2000 Maribor, tel: 00386 2 2511542

Škofijski arhiv Koper, Trg Brolo 11, 5000 Koper, tel: 00386 6 6117204

(These are only the most interesting repositories for genealogists although I could add at least ten more to the list)

Reference materials

Dr. Branka Lapajne: Researching Your Slovenian Ancestors,

Her address: 108 Hollywood Ave, Willowdale Ontario, M2N 3K3 Canada

Vasja Butina: Moj rodovnik, Cankarjeva založba (sold out)

Janez Toplišek: Rodoslovje, Trzin, Pernetova ul. 13