2010 Lincoln Symposium - NE

             CGSI 2010 Lincoln Symposium Overview:                       They Came to the Heartland

Research Day

• CGSI Traveling Library – experienced researchers were available to assist participants using this unique set of Czech genealogical research materials
• Nebraska State Historical Society Library – located next door to the Nebraska Union, this Library was available for personal research.
• An all-day tour, The Czech Spirit Survives in Saline County, Nebraska, led by historian and Czech heritage enthusiast, Janet Jeffries, visitrd historic sites in Saline County, Nebraska with the destination of Wilber, the U.S. Czech Capital.
• The exhibition, Back to One’s Roots – Our Ancestor’s Everyday Lives Shown in Archival Documents, prepared by the Czech National Archives, was available for viewing

            
                                         Research Day at the
                     Nebraska State Historical Society Library

            
                                         UN-Lincoln Student Union

            
      T.J. Slansky, CGSI member from San Antonio, TX; Bruce Garver, speaker
               from Omaha, NE; and Steve Parke, speaker from Pueblo West, CO

            
                        ;                         Loiuis Meyer

BY JORDAN PASCALE / Lincoln Journal Star | Monday, April 26, 2010
                      How CGSI found Meyer’s hometown
A combination of knowledge and teamwork helped the Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International help member Louis Meyer of Lincoln identify his family’s village of origin.
   1. Meyer wrote to CGSI to try to identify his family’s ancestral village in the Czech lands, which was known to him as “Schuttuver, Austria,” near Karlovy Vary (known in German as “Carlsbad”) and his remembrance that at one time there was a Jewish community there.
   2. Tony Kadlec, CGSI corresponding secretary and genealogy research coordinator, distributed Meyer’s request to the CGSI Genealogy Research team of volunteers.
   3. Ginger Simek, president of CGSI, spent about 40 minutes looking through the CGSI library collection and a copy of “Das Konigreich Bohmen: bd. Elbogner kreis” by Johann Gottfried Sommer. The 1847 book documents the various administrative districts of the Austrian Empire, which included parts of present-day Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Louis Meyer, 91, always wanted to know exactly where his grandfather came from. He knew this much: His grandfather was born in 1853 in northwest Bohemia near a town called Karlovy Vary in the present-day Czech Republic.

At 16, Meyer came to America. He has been looking for answers for years, but after he wrote a letter to the Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International (CGSI) seeking assistance, he found out a lot more.

Volunteers at the CGSI scoured through books, libraries, maps and the Internet searching for Meyer’s grandfather’s hometown. Why all the hassle? “It (the village) is where the past really starts,” Meyer said. “It’s the only way you can trace your generations back and find out the different influences on your forbears.” He found the answer he was looking for: Schuttiber – a village of 61 houses and 631 inhabitants, including 27 Jews. One of those 27 Jews is presumably his grandfather, Louie Meyer.

“We think this story is a great example of how it is never too late to be interested in learning about your own genealogy and how a combination of knowledge and teamwork helped CGSI to help member Mr. Louis Meyer of Lincoln, Nebraska, to identify his family’s village of origin,” CGSI volunteer Tony Kadlec said in an e-mail. Friday and Saturday, CGSI held a genealogical symposium titled “They Came to the Heartland” at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Union at 14th and R streets.

The symposium featured informational exhibits, expert presentations, genealogy networking sessions, items to purchase from the CGSI traveling library/store, a social mixer and guided tours of Czech settlements such as Crete and Wilber. Volunteers such as Kadlec, who helped Meyer with his search, were on hand to help others with their genealogical search. By day, Kadlec is president of an engineering/technology company in St. Paul, Minn., and is married with two kids. At night, however, he volunteers as corresponding secretary for CGSI, responding to all calls that come to the CGSI. He also helps with genealogy research requests. Kadlec works with all available sources of information and a team of volunteers to satisfy each request.

While the CGSI and Meyer have yet to confirm that Schuttiber is indeed his grandfather’s home village, they are pretty confident that their theory is correct. “The final step is to provide Mr. Meyer with information to connect his family to ancestors in these villages,” Kadlec said. “It would be the final set of conclusive proof to explicitly connect him to his village and possible still-living relatives in the area.”

Meyer attended the symposium on Saturday where he meet and thanked the volunteers who helped him out. He also wanted to find more maps and learn a little more about the village. “I’m going to be 92 in July,” Meyer said. “I figured if I’m going to figure this stuff out, it’d be wise to do it now rather than later.”

Reach Jordan Pascale at 473-7120 or at jpascale@journalstar.com.