Sojourn in Slovakia: The Sequel. Day 6: Part IV: Searching for Osturňa Ancestors

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

We walked down to the end of town that held the Mayor's office, church, and cemetery.  We rang the doorbell of the Mayor's office but there was no answer.  Michal called the phone number.  We learned that the Mayor was not in town but that we could visit the office the next day.  We went to the priest's residence and did not get an answer there either, but did reach the priest by phone.  He was in another town, but said he would be back in the evening and we could come back then to look at the church books.  We walked over to the church and cemetery and looked around.  The cemetery was on a bit of a slope.  We quickly scanned the graves we could see in what appeared the older part of the cemetery but did not see any names of my ancestors.  It was very hot and getting close to dinner time so we decided to head back to the penzion.

St. Michael the Archangel, Osturna, Slovakia

Cemetery

We got a chance to relax a bit, check e-mail, etc. before dinner.  Once my friend Thom arrived to join us, we enjoyed a delicious meal.  

Beef, gravy, and dumplings

After dinner we drove back down to the church house and Pan Fara Toth (the village priest)   welcomed us.  He had the church books out on his dining room table and let us look through them.  I was looking for specific ancestors and events.  I already had information about births, marriages, and deaths for many of my ancestors thanks to microfilm from the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, and from those who went on the previous trips, so I did not need to look for any of those during this visit.  I found some records for my Figlar and Gazdik families, but there were others whose names were not in the books.  I knew that the family had moved before my grandfather came to America so we would have another village to visit.  

We thanked the priest and headed back to the Penzion.  I offered the priest a donation for the church.  It had been a long day, so I decided to turn in.  

Photos by Lisa A. Alzo

Copyright 2012, Lisa A. Alzo

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