Europe Research Trip, Summer 2012

Well, it’s finally happening. I have booked my flight to Europe. Since I procrastinated enough, the trip is coinciding with the IAJGS conference, thus, I’ll be finishing my European tour there.

My whirlwind tour of Europe will be to all of my ancestral locations, as much as I know them now. I’m obviously hoping to find more when I’m there. In Poland, I will be researching in Kalisz for my Halpert and Szleper families, Rutki for my Mularzewicz family, Wizna for my Kurlender family, and Lomza for records for the two. In Ukraine, my family is from Mukacheve, Kopynivtsi, and Zubivka. And in Moldova, my family was from Otaci (Ataki) and there are a few records in the capital of Kishinev.

European Research Trip, Summer 2012

Yes, there is a bit of distance between those locations. I think my biggest challenge, besides the languages, will be getting to Moldova. The trains in Ukraine seem a little screwy. I hope they’re not as complicated as they seem online.

For quite a while, I have been trying to learn Polish. At this time, I have found a really great method to learn to speak Polish, but I don’t know that I’ll be any good at understanding when other people speak Polish. I might also go through the Russian version of the same method before I get there; I have it ready to go.

This is my first venture to Europe, besides the week in England when I was 12. I’ve never been to these archives and I’m not sure what I will find. I certainly hope everything works out well and I get access and find the records that I need. Although cautious about it, I am willing to take on some client work, especially to help pay for the trip. If you need research in any of these locations or others along the way, contact me and we’ll see if we can work something out. Otherwise, I’m sure I’ll be going back again in the future.

5 thoughts on “Europe Research Trip, Summer 2012”

  1. Hi Banai,

    Great trip! Have a fantastic time. My best recommendation is to have good guides in each place. They will help you get around — even arrange a driver and car, will translate, and, based on others’ experience, can smooth the way at archives. I assume you’ve already arranged that. If I may ask, for future reference, who are they?

    –Mark

    1. I haven’t gotten that far. I started to contact a few people in Europe, but only one answered. I have a few more recommendations that I have to email. I think I’ll be winging it a bit.

  2. It is really great when you get to visit a placethat your ancetors came from. A few years ago I was able to ancestry research trip myself and I had a fablous time taking picures of important places and getting documents. Good Luck!

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