Czech and Slovak Genealogy Workshop
Join three nationally renowned genealogists for our first Czech and Slovak Genealogy Workshop.
Genealogy experts Rich Custer, Jim Hudec, and Michal Razus will guide beginner and advanced family historians alike on a tour de force of genealogical records available to uncover insights into your Czech, Slovak, and Carpatho-Rusyn ancestors.
Speakers will reveal where to turn for the largest caches of Czech and Slovak birth, marriage, and death records available online. Attendees will also learn the best strategies for discovering the home villages and parishes of their ancestors. Other record sets to be explored include censuses, military files, and historic maps.
This workshop will feature multiple sessions focused on Czech and Slovak genealogical research as well as one lecture specifically dedicated to tracing Carpatho-Rusyn ancestors in Western Pennsylvania.
Archivists from the History Center’s Detre Library & Archives and representatives from the Archives & Records Center of the Diocese of Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh’s Archives & Special Collections will highlight the best archival record sets in their collections to trace Czech, Slovak, and Rusyn ancestors locally.
Members from other local genealogical and heritage organizations will also be on hand to share insights and best practices with workshop attendees.
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 Speakers
Richard Custer
Richard Custer was a co-founder of the Carpatho-Rusyn Society in 1994 and served as editor of its newsletter, The New Rusyn Times, for 21 years, from 1994-2015. He also compiled and edited the Rusyn-American Almanac of the Carpatho-Rusyn Society 2004-2005. His articles on Rusyn genealogy, history, culture, and language have appeared in numerous publications and he has presented on the topic of Carpatho-Rusyn American history at genealogical and Carpatho-Rusyn conferences. He is the author of the blog “The Carpatho-Rusyns of Pennsylvania” and co-authored Príkra (2006), a history of his Carpatho-Rusyn maternal grandmother’s village in eastern Slovakia. He has master’s degrees in international business and Eastern Europe studies from the University of Pittsburgh and lives in Washington, D.C., where he works as a website manager for a U.S. government agency. He is the author of the blog “The Carpatho-Rusyns of Pennsylvania” and co-authored Príkra (2006), a history of his Carpatho-Rusyn maternal grandmother’s village in eastern Slovakia.
Jim Hudec
Jim Hudec was born in Cleveland, Ohio, into a family of Bohemian grandparents and grew up active in Sokol. Always interested in his Czech heritage, Jim has built a forest of family trees for his extended family, including thousands of relatives found in Czech Parish Archives. An active member of CGSI (Czechoslovak Genealogy Society International) since 2011, Jim presented at the CGSI Genealogy Conferences in 2015 (Cedar Rapids), 2017 (Pittsburgh), and 2019 (Lincoln) as well as other smaller training sessions; since 2020 he has been the Speaker Liaison and member of the CGSI Conference Steering Committee. An avid traveler, Jim has visited the Czech Republic several times to visit ancestral villages and meet new relatives. Jim is retired and applies his professional background in software, quality, and process improvement to genealogy research.
Michal Razus
Michal Razus is a professional genealogist, researcher and a tour guide with a great passion in Slovakia. He specializes in genealogy research and private ancestral tours. Since 2009 is a representative of CGSI (Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International) for Slovakia. He was a speaker on genealogy conferences in St. Louis (2011) Chicago (2013), Cedar Rapids (2015), Lincoln (2019) and virtually (2020-2021). He has also delivered virtual lectures through CGSI in 2022 and 2023. In 2015 Michal was a local researcher for PBS series, “Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates Jr.” He regularly contributes to the CGSI magazine Nase Rodina. For more information, visit Slovak Ancestry. He has consulted with Professor Elaine Rusinko from the University of Maryland on Andy Warhol research.