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GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH IS FASCINATING!!
The history of the Lemkos in the Carpathian Mountains is readily available and is a necessary starting point for anyone attempting to understand this family’s origins. A most important primary source is the metrical documents (baptisms, marriages and funerals) conducted and recorded by each parish priest. They were Greek Catholic (Uniate) parishes in predominantly Roman Catholic countries like Poland, Slovakia and Hungary. In 1945, Russian authorities of the USSR liquidated this church, imprisoned the hierarchy, shot, tortured, crucified, or sent the priests to Siberia, and confiscated all church property. Although parish records disappeared, the duplicates held in diocesal offices in Peremyshl, Lviv and other centres, were taken by the secret police (NKVD) to become part of Soviet State Archives. Orest Talpash has visited the National Archive branches in Lviv and Tarnopil. He obtained photocopies of all baptisms and marriages from the parish of Labowa which were kept in the Peremyshl branch of the Polish Archives. The Library of the Church of Latter Day Saints in Salt Lake City, USA has microfilmed the funeral records from Labowa, which are in the Central State Archives in Lviv. See LDS microfilm Vol. 201-4A/6744 Deaths 1848-1918 FHL-INTL Film [2381496 Item 3] The LDS Library also has copies of the handwritten original passenger lists of hundreds of ships that brought European immigrants to USA ports in the 1800s. The Census and Naturalization records in USA and Canada are available and informative. Finally, interviews of relatives, probing their memories about parents and grandparents, brings fresh insights into the people of this family. Please email me with comments and enquiries.
Additional links to check: http://www.lemko.org/roots.html
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