When we were planning this conference, Omicron was raging, and so we decided to yet again have the conference online.
What we certainly did not expect was a Russian invasion.
In addition to creating mass displacement, suffering, and death, the war in Ukraine has, of course, severely curtailed researcher access to Ukrainian archives, and has prevented us from having any speakers from Ukraine this time around. Regardless, we have a great, though slightly abbreviated, program on topics relate to records in the United States (including a talk on the newly-released 1950 Census by genealogy superstar Stephen Morse!), and tools and case studies that you can make use of when Ukrainian archives again become accessible.
Conference schedule
The schedule is in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−04:00)
Sunday, May 15th, 2022
Session Summaries:
Jewish Russian Empire research: A case study from the Chernihiv region
Jewish records in the Russian Empire include traditional genealogical records like vital records and censuses, but there are many other record types as well that can help understand ancestors and other family members. This case study will look at one such family living near what is now Chernihiv, Ukraine, starting with their life (and related resources) in the United States, and tracing the family back well into the 1700s. A wide variety of documents on this family will be discussed and will demonstrate the breadth of information available for understanding one's family--if you are persistent and follow the clues that they left behind. While this talk focuses on a Jewish family, many of the resources will be applicable regardless of religion.
Searching in the 1950 Census with and without a name index
When the 1950 census will be released in April 2022, it will not have a name index. So finding people in the census will involve searching by location instead. Even when a name index becomes available, there will still be many reasons for doing locational searches.
The census is organized by Enumeration Districts (EDs), so the location needs to be converted to an ED before the census can be accessed. The One-Step website contains numerous tools for obtaining EDs. This talk will present the various tools and show circumstances in which each can be used.
Researching in the Archives and Registry of Vital Statistics (RAHS) in the former Galicia and Bukovina
Elaine will be covering her genealogy inquiry process over many years, including trips to Ukraine and knocking on many doors. She is researching on her Kalynchuk and Stetsko family branches from the village of Strilkivtsi, Borschiv District, Ternopil Oblast and for the Pawliuk and Tkachuk family branches in the village of Malyatyntsi, Kitsman District, Chernivtsi Oblast. She will be covering what the process was like in the earlier days, to how much it has improved over the years, to what avenues are currently available for Ukrainian genealogy researchers.
Speaker Biographies
Alexis Buryk is a multidisciplinary artist, educator, and speaker with experience in writing, theater, film, and photography. She holds an MFA in Writing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, as well as a dual-degree BA in History and Cinema Studies from New York University, and has studied at the Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theatre, Second City, Catapult, and Sackett Street Writers' Workshop. Her written work has been featured on stage in the virtual cabaret, Twentysomething (2020), online at Apartment Therapy, and in The Ukrainian Weekly, while her photographic work has been featured in The New York Times, New York Magazine, and Brides. She owns and operates City Love Photography and offers generative writing experiences through her workshop, Mindful Ink. For more information, visit alexisburyk.com, or reach out at alexis@alexisburyk.com.
Lucjan Cichocki’s adventures with tracing family histories started in 2013 with a visit to the diocesan archive in Przemyśl. A friend of his showed him what old nineteenth century vital records looked like and what information they contained. Gradually he became more and more accustomed to various kinds of longhand and was able to maximize the results of his work while minimizing the time needed to complete it. Nowadays, genealogy research is his full-time occupation and he is honored to have discovered the roots of many. His work includes searching for records at diocesan and state archives, searching for records at parishes, finding living relatives, driving people to the villages their ancestors lived in, and translation of vital records. Contact information: "Polish Ancestry Research by Lucjan Cichocki", www.polishancestryresearch.com, info@polishancestryresearch.com.
Aleksandra Kacprzak is a genealogical researcher living in Poland and the owner of the Office for Genealogical Research “Genoroots.” Ms. Kacprzak graduated from Copernicus University in Toruń with a degree in archival science and completed the Eastern European Genealogy course in Salt Lake City. She is a genealogical lecturer in both the United States and Poland. Ms. Kacprzak is a founding member of the Polskie Towarzystwo Genealogiczne (Polish Genealogical Society) and Stowarzyszenie Polscy Profesjonalni Genealodzy (Association of Polish Professional Genealogists). In addition to her genealogy work, Ms. Kacprzak also provides heir tracing services for both lawyers and the courts. She is a licensed tour guide, and organizes personal ancestral tours, as well as culture-oriented tours for larger groups.
Kinga Urbańska is a genealogist, historian, archivist and the founder and co-owner of Your Roots in Poland. She received a master degree in history, archival and historical sources at Pedagogical University of Kraków. She also manages projects to save local historical sites. Kinga is interested in Polish history of the 19th century and emigration. Her favorite research region is Galicia. She focuses on non-metrical family history sources, such as military records, personal files (career and education), newspapers, obituaries, cemeteries, nobility, censuses and court records. Her company also sponsors Polish Roots Tours so individuals can discover their Polish ancestor’s places of origins. She assisted with uncovering Polish roots for the PBS television series Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr., where she had a chance to work on research for (among others) Dustin Hoffman, Juliana Margulies, Tea Leoni, Gloria Steinem, and Bernie Sanders. More about her and her work can be found at www.yourrootsinpoland.com.