Five Places to Find East European Ancestors Online

Thanks to guest blogger, Lisa Alzo, for this article.

Is finally finding those elusive East European ancestors one of
your genealogy goals or resolutions for 2013? 
You’ll be happy to know that with greater access to records, and a number
of archival efforts in various countries, more information is coming online.
Here are five places to start your search.

1. FamilySearch. With millions of records
online that can be viewed for free—including many for Czech Republic,
Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and Ukraine—the FamilySearch site is a fabulous
resource. Start with the FamilySearch
Wiki to learn more about each country, and about FamilySearch digitized
and microfilm record collections, and find links to maps, gazetteers, word
lists, letter writing guides, and more!

2. Online
archival sites.
Many archives and organizations are digitizing records and putting them
online.  Some examples include: Acta Publica and Prague City Archives (Czech Republic) Estonian Historical Archives
(Estonia), Geneteka  (Poland) Latvian State Historical
Archives (Latvia).

3. Federation
of East European Family History Societies.  Use the Federation
of East European Family History Societies (FEEFHS) free online map library to view
historic maps to help you pinpoint your ancestral town or village, and its
free resource directory to
follow links to country-specific genealogy resources.

4. Special
collections of libraries and repositories. Public and university libraries
have books, manuscripts, microfilmed records and other special collections
worth searching for information you might be missing.  Many have begun digitizing records and
making them available online (some to the general public).  If the records are not digitized, most
sites have finding aids or research guides you can download to learn about
both online and onsite research.  A
few excellent examples include Connecticut
Polish American Archives at Central Connecticut State University, the Polish Room
at the University of Buffalo, The Czech and Slovak
Collections at the Library of Congress, and the Slavic
Resources and Ukrainian
Collection at the University of Toronto. You can also search WorldCat to locate other libraries and
collections.

5. Google. Utilize the power of Google to search for your ancestors’
names and hometowns.  You would be
surprised at how many towns and villages have their own Websites.  In addition, you may find a blog (Geneabloggers lists more than 3,000
genealogy and family history blogs), a Facebook
page, or a Pinterest board related
to surnames or places you’re researching. 
Don’t forget to use the advanced search feature
to find pages published in a particular region (e.g. Slovakia, Hungary,
etc.)

Want
to learn more?  Register for the free
January 23, 2013 Legacy Family Tree webinar on Best Internet Resources
for East European Genealogy, and check out the currently available Legacy
QuickGuides™ on Czech,
Slovak,
and Croatian
genealogy. Watch for other guides coming soon!

Even if
your family history quest does not take you to Eastern Europe, you can still
investigate the above resources and tailor your searches to suit your needs!

Lisa A.
Alzo is a freelance writer, instructor, and lecturer who has been tracking her
ancestors for over 23 years. She is a frequent presenter for the Legacy Family
Tree Webinars series and can be contacted via http://www.lisaalzo.com.