Category Archives: European Ancestors

European Ancestors – Researching in Portugal

Posted on May 25, 2019 by

The obligation to keep church parish records began on 11 November 1563 following a session of the Council of Trent. There are three distinct phases of that researchers in Portugal should be aware of. Between 16th and the end of … Continue reading →

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European Ancestors – Surnames

Posted on May 25, 2019 by

If you are researching an European surname there is a chance you are capturing every instance of that surname wherever you locate it irrespective of whether it connects to your own family or not. The concept of examining the details … Continue reading →

Posted in European Ancestors, Genealogy, One-Name Studies, Pharos - Introduction to One-Name Studies course, Surnames | Leave a comment

European Ancestors – Channel Islands

Posted on May 24, 2019 by

The Channel Islands is made up of five different islands, each one represented by their own flag, as illustrated here. The islands are Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark and Herm. The islands are located in the English Channel close to the Normandy coastline … Continue reading →

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European Ancestors – Isle of Man

Posted on May 24, 2019 by

Most well known as the venue for the TT Motorsport races, the island is located in the North Sea between Great Britain and Ireland The Isle of Man is a British Crown Dependency, which is self governing, however, Britain is … Continue reading →

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European Ancestors – Surname Distribution Maps

Posted on May 23, 2019 by

Surname distribution maps are very helpful in identifying a presence for a surname in a particular country. Below there are a list of Country specific distribution maps. Austria Czech Republic France Germany – Digital dictionary of German surnames Ireland Italy Poland … Continue reading →

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European Ancestors – Migration Links Polish in Persia (Iran)

Posted on May 23, 2019 by

From 1942 until the end of the Second World War there was a population 120,000 strong of Polish migrants in Iran, this was part of around 300,000 Poles that had been forced out of their homeland by the Russians and … Continue reading →

Posted in European Ancestors, Genealogy, Poland | 6 Comments

European Ancestors – Bulgarian Research

Posted on May 23, 2019 by

Continuing with the migration of the European Ancestors material. The flag shown here is of Bulgaria since 1990 until the present day. Bulgaria is the oldest state in Europe to have kept its original name since AD681 and most of … Continue reading →

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European Ancestors – Article Digging up Family Roots in Sicily by Russell Shorto

Posted on May 22, 2019 by

As I continue the movement of European Ancestors material, I read this article by Russell Shorto, who is an American author, historian and journalist.  It was an interesting and fascinating account of researching roots in Sicily. The New York Times published … Continue reading →

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European Ancestors – Researching in Lithuania

Posted on May 22, 2019 by

Continuing with the European Ancestors material with focus on Lithuania. There is an interesting site called the Virtual Electronic Heritage System. The site is attempting to thread and bring together a variety of resources, books, manuscripts, Ephemera and more as a … Continue reading →

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European Ancestors – Researching in Lithuania

Posted on May 21, 2019 by

There are five regions in Lithuania which are known as Rajonas. Each region has a post office that serves the outlaying villages and that town was known as the Pastas. A village or small town town was known typically as … Continue reading →

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