Croatian Genealogy Workshop
Join genealogy expert Robert Jerin for the History Center’s first Croatian Genealogy Workshop.
Designed for beginner and advanced family historians alike, Jerin will guide participants on a tour de force of genealogical records available to uncover insights into your Croatian ancestors.
Through hands-on case studies, you’ll learn where to turn for the largest caches of Croatian birth, marriage, and death records available online and discover the best strategies for finding the home villages of your ancestors.
Archivists from the History Center’s Detre Library & Archives and representatives from the University of Pittsburgh’s Archives & Special Collections will also deliver customized remarks to highlight the best archival record sets in their collections to trace Croatian ancestors locally. Members from additional local genealogical and heritage organizations will also be on hand to share insights and best practices with workshop attendees.
The program will also explore the history of Croatian immigration and other historical context essential to genealogy research. Up-to-date information on Croatian dual citizenship will also be discussed.
Included in registration is Jerin’s own handbook in PDF format, “Searching for Your Croatian Roots,” as well as access to a recording of the workshop for a two-week period following the event.
Admission
Admission is $30 for History Center members and $40 for non-members.
This is a hybrid program. Attendees can participate either online or in-person at the Heinz History Center.
Boxed lunches are available for an additional fee of $16. For any dietary restrictions, please contact [email protected].
Captioning will be provided at this hybrid program.
For more information, contact Sierra Green at 412-454-6361 or [email protected].
About the Speaker
Robert Jerin is a second-generation Croatian American who has been researching Croatian family histories since 1986.For the past 25 years, he has led Croatian genealogy workshops across the United States and Croatia. Over more than three decades, he has helped connect hundreds of families around the world through his research and expertise.
He is the past President of the Croatian Heritage Museum and Library in Eastlake, Ohio, former English Editor of the Croatian Voice Newspaper, past President of Cleveland Junior Tamburitzans, President of Croatian Fraternal Union Lodge 995, Kardinal Stepinac, former member of the CFU Junior Cultural Federation, current Alternate Trustee of the CFU National Board of Directors, member of Cleveland District Genealogy Roundtable, The Cleveland Hungarian Genealogy Society, and was recently honored with being awarded a lifetime membership in the Croatian Genealogy Society (Hrvatskog rodoslovnog društva “Pavao Ritter Vitezovic”) based in Zagreb, Croatia.
Since 2005, he has accompanied over 1,200 people on heritage and history tours to Croatia, often helping people connect with relatives in Croatia. In 2014, he was recognized by the Croatian National Tourism Board for those efforts.
Robert began helping individuals discover their Croatian family history, but soon recognized that many second-, third-, and fourth-generation descendants had limited knowledge of Croatian history and culture. In response, he expanded his work to include publishing resources that explore these topics and provide broader historical context.
His latest effort to connect people with their roots is the Croatian Heritage and Genealogy Facebook Group, which has grown to more than 34,000 members worldwide. With participants from the United States, Australia, Canada, South America, South Africa, New Zealand, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and Croatia, the group provides a global platform for sharing knowledge and fostering connections.
Robert and his wife, Sue, are passionate about helping others explore and better understand the culture and history of Croatia.