So some of y'all have access to census records eh?

[JohnKleeb]

I dont, I cant get the service btw, (poor ass student)
But if you could do searches on:
Kovalcik in Cambria County, Pa from 1910 on ward
Beltz in Cambria County, Pa from 1910 on ward
Kleeb in whatever County Pittsburgh, Pa is in from 1880 on
Keown in whatever County Pittsburgh, Pa is in from 1880 on
I literally have no idea what generation Irish or German I am. I do know that my Slovak and Slovene ancestors came here early last century, my oldest great aunts and uncles were born in the 1900's and early 1910's. The last person to arrive in this country who is a direct ascendant of me was my great grandmother Helen Zima later known as Kovalcik from Slovakia, see my great grandfather John Kovalcik had a wife who was around his age and they had some children together but she contracted TB in the early 20's and died. My great grandmother's family knew my great grandfather somehow and set the two up and she came to America. She ended up being the mother of my grandmother on my mom's side. Anyhow thank guys, I would love to find out about these people. Also, Rhi said you guys found pictures and such. It would be amazing if you found pictures of my great grandparents through my mom's dad's side, Ive never seen a picture of Francis Beltz and Josephine Nautigal(wrong spelling I think) later known as Beltz. According to my grandfather, my mom resembles her. My mom unlike her parents is a light brunette and practically a blonde, my grandparents had dark hair in their youth, as I do now.

[Cooley Hurd]

1. I found this:

Pennsylvania 1910 Miracode Index

Name: Joseph Kovalcik
Birthplace: Hungary
State: PA
Age: 31
Color: W
Enumeration District: 0105
Visit: 0255
County: Cambria
Relation: Head of Household
Other Residents: Relation Name Age Birth Place
Wife Mary 26 Hungary
Daughter Amelia 09 New York
Daughter Mary, Jr 04 Pennsylvania
Daughter Annie 02 Pennsylvania
Son Joseph, Jr NR Pennsylvania

Also, I'll pm you with the link where you can download images of the census records I found on the Kleeb and Kovalcik sunrames...:thumbsup:

[JohnKleeb]

2. Thats not him

My great grandfather was a Slovak not a Hungarian and the guy is way too old to be him too. BTW some of those images are family members of mine for sure, my great grandfather was in fact Henry Kleeb.

[China_cat]

44. You might also want to check

Butler County. There's still a large Slovak population in Lyndora and surroundings.

[fudge stripe cookays]

3. I couldn't find any Kovalciks in Cambria County in 1910

Not according to godfrey anyway.

Most of the Kovalciks I did find in Pennsylvania that yesr are even older that the one the previous poster found.

This one looked a little more promising:
Joseph Kovalcik, 19, BP: Austria, Franklin Township, Fayette County, PA
He is shown as a boarder in a boarding house, with possibly another relative Kovalcik (that first name is hard to read. Possibly Arne or something close to it.)

His occupation is listed as miner in coal mine, and nationality is shown as Slovak.

What info do you have that puts him in Cambria County? You'll be surprised at what you find when you start looking. I have been surprised to find my ancestors in places I never knew they had lived. Don't discount any small piece of information you receive. But much of the information that I received from family was dead wrong. And because I clung to it for so long, it was more difficult to search for stuff in the long run sometimes.

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[JohnKleeb]

9. I meant to look in 1910 on up

but I am positive, its Cambria since thats where Johnstown, where my grandparents on mom's side grew up is located.

[Cooley Hurd]

11. Were you able to glean anything from the census records I gave you?

:)

[fudge stripe cookays]

14. OK...here's 1920---

KOVALCIK, JOSEPH 41 M W AUST PA CAMBRIA EAST TAYLOR 1920

KOVALCIK, THOMAS 36 M W CZEC PA CAMBRIA 16-WD JOHNSTOWN 1920

Let me know which one looks better. I'm assuming Thomas?

Thomas, year of immigration 1902 Job: Laborer, Steam Railroad Co.
wife Pauline (both born in what looks like Cesko, Slovakia)
year of immigration for her is 1898.
AL stands for alien, and NA is Naturalized. She is shown as alien; he has a PA in that blank, so I'm not sure of his status.

Chldren:
William 9, son, b: Pennsylvania
Edward 2 6/12, son, b: Pennsylvania
Josephius (?), 2/12, son, Pennsylvania (it looks like Josephine, but has child listed as son)

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[fudge stripe cookays]

4. Beltz: Cambria County

BELTZ ADAM 30 M W PA PA CAMBRIA RICHLAND TWP 1910

BELTZ SOLOMON H 29 M W PA PA CAMBRIA ELDER & SUSQUEHANNA 1910

Let me know if either of these guys look right; I can give you the full entries for families.

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[fudge stripe cookays]

5. Kleebs in Pittsburgh:

KLEEB, GUSTAVE A 30 M W GERM PA ALLEGHENY 25-WD PITTSBURGH 1910

KLEEB, HENRY C 61 M W GERM PA ALLEGHENY 24-WD PITTSBURGH 1910

KLEEB, KATHERINE 50 F W GERM PA ALLEGHENY 25-WD PITTSBURGH 1910

KLEEB, WILLIAM A 24 M W PA PA ALLEGHENY 25-WD PITTSBURGH

These are from 1910. 1880 is not cataloged in godfrey, and chances are, you will not find any entries for 1890. The 1890 census burned in a catastrophic fire at the archives in the 1920s. Only a few pages from various areas were saved.

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[JohnKleeb]

10. Henry C Kleeb would be my great great grandfather I assume

[fudge stripe cookays]

15. What was your Grandfather's name?

It's easier to work from yourself backward as opposed to going backwards to yourself.

If you give me a little more from you back I can do more to look for you.

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[JohnKleeb]

16. I believe it was also Henry, I am not sure

BTW if you can look in 1920, look for a Howard Kleeb, that would be my late grandfather and he would be 7.

[fudge stripe cookays]

17. No Howards appearing

for 1920 who are very young.

[JohnKleeb]

19. Thats too weird

I never met him so I dont know where he lived the first years of his life. This sucks. Hmmmm is there any John Kovalciks in 1920 Cambria or Louis Beltz or Bevec(some people in my other grandfather's family went by Beltz, some by Bevec)

[fudge stripe cookays]

22. See? That's what's fun about genealogy!

You're learning!

You may find your last names spelled 20 different ways by the end of your search. And they're never where you think they're supposed to be.

Keep your chin up. Let me see what the family records look like.
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[JohnKleeb]

24. BTW if theres a Josephine Beltz from 1920, I think she'll be mid 30's

and a little older than Francis.

[fudge stripe cookays]

18. 1920 Kleebs in Pennsylvania

KLEEB FREDERICK J 27 M W PA PA ALLEGHENY 24-WD PITTSBURGH 1920

KLEEB HENRY C 71 M W GERM PA ALLEGHENY 24-WD PITTSBURGH 1920

KLEEB KATHARINA 59 F W GERM PA ALLEGHENY 22-WD PITTSBURGH 1920

KLEEB OTTO F 33 M W PA PA ALLEGHENY SHALER 1920

[JohnKleeb]

21. Try the whole state if you can please

[fudge stripe cookays]

23. I did sweetie.

That's the whole state. There could have been a misspelled name or something. I'll keep looking for a bit.

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[JohnKleeb]

25. Oh all of them were in Allegeny? thats weird

I could have sworen that my dad's dad and his family lived in PA at that time.

[fudge stripe cookays]

27. That's the county that Pittsburgh is in.

In genealogy, you don't do anything without listing the county. Otherwise, you won't be able to locate the records.

[JohnKleeb]

28. Oh yeah duh stupid me, other than Allegehny, I have no idea

[fudge stripe cookays]

6. Keowns in Pittsburgh: 1910

KEOWN, CRESTLINE M 54 F W PA PA ALLEGHENY 11-WD PITTSBURGH 1910

KEOWN, JOHN 71 M W PA PA ALLEGHENY MCCANDLESS TWP 1910

KEOWN, KATE B 50 F W PA PA ALLEGHENY 26-WD PITTSBURGH 1910

KEOWN, MARY 32 F W OH PA ALLEGHENY 21-WD PITTSBURGH 1910

KEOWN, ROBERT G 41 M W PA PA ALLEGHENY MCCANDLESS TWP 1910

KEOWN, THOMAS F 22 M W PA PA ALLEGHENY 21-WD PITTSBURGH 1910

KEOWN, WILLIAM 64 M W PA PA ALLEGHENY MCCANDLESS TWP 1910

KEOWN, WILLIAM 51 M W IREL PA ALLEGHENY 8-WD PITTSBURGH 1910

KEOWN, WILLIAM 68 M W PA PA ALLEGHENY ROSS TWP 2-PCT 1910

KEOWN, WILLIAM J 34 M W SCOT PA ALLEGHENY 2-WD WILKINSBURG 1910

See my comment above about 1880-1890.
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[JohnKleeb]

13. Strange, there is no Michael Keown, thats my nana's father

[fudge stripe cookays]

20. Let me see if he shows up as a family member for any of these folks.

These are just the heads of households.

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[fudge stripe cookays]

26. Here we go....1920 21st Ward Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, PA

Michael Keown 46
wife is hard to read: Lollin? Lallea? 42
William 16
Sarah 15
Elizabeth 12

Looks like they were all born in PA, but the census taker's writing is atrocious! I cannot read his profession either, sorry!

[JohnKleeb]

29. Oh damnit

No :( not him.

[fudge stripe cookays]

30. How do you know?

I just did a general search, and he's the only Michael Keown that shows up in all the states at the time.

[JohnKleeb]

32. because I know

my grandmother was 8 in 1920, had a sister named Nelly, one named Elizabeth, one named Sally, and a brother William. Did it in reverse order btw, the ages would proceed like this William-Sally-Elizabeth-Nelly-Kathyrn(my grandmother)

[fudge stripe cookays]

34. Well this is him, sweetie.

There are 2 more daughters I missed on the second page. Nellie and Katherine, who are 8 and 7, and both born in Pennsylvania.

We also have to teach you the "nickname game." Sally is a long-accepted nickname for Sarah.

So there's your Michael. Now, we need to figure out where he was in 1910. Then we can find his dad's name, and possibly figure out when he came over.

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[JohnKleeb]

35. Well then

:), btw the mother's name is Lillian I believe. She later died in 1925. Ya know when this is all said and done, I would love to have this organized. I don't know his father's name, my relatives who have a brief family tree live in Philly, so I dont ese them really ever, in fact we've met twice. I had no idea Sally was a nickname of Sarah btw.

[fudge stripe cookays]

36. Cool.

So far, nothing coming up for him in 1910 using all kinds of wildcards. I'll use Lillian and see what I can find.

We're making progress already! :-)
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[JohnKleeb]

37. I know this about her btw, her maiden name was Joyce

I am taking notes on some of this. I always thought her real name was in fact Sally, I said Elizabeth even though I do know she went by Betty. Funny, my nana's sister was the only oen who didnt have a nickname really, my nana later went by Kate or Kitty. Now, I should find about that area of the Burgh, according to what I hear, its near where three rivers stadium was. I always did assume that my great grandfather and mother were Americans, but I think their parents were probably Irish immigrants.

[fudge stripe cookays]

38. Well, that will help!

If your parents would help you out, maybe you could persuage them to let you get a Family Tree program. Then you can keep all this stuff straight. It keeps it organized, and let'e you know what you're looking for.

I paid about $30 or $40 bucks at Target about 6 years ago for mine. You might be able to get a good deal on a version that's getting upgraded.

We all started off as newbies. And it's impossible to keep all this stuff straight until you have some organization. :-)

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[JohnKleeb]

41. I had this thing that I downloaded for free a long time ago

Well I am planning to work this summer so I may be able to save some money up via that route.

[fudge stripe cookays]

39. Looks like, from what I can read...

that they were at 1231 Hamlin Street.

I'm doing that with my Smith descendants when I head up to the Midwest this summer.

I had several families, all related, living on this one street in Beloit, Wisconsin. I hope some of this houses are still standing!

[JohnKleeb]

40. Hmmmm Ive never been to Pittsburgh so I have no idea where that is

I am gonna assume though that it was a middle class neighborhood. My dad has told me that her father was the building engineer of one of the first skyscrapers in Pittsburgh. Sucks that the guy's handwriting cant be read, maybe you can send it to me somehow, I have terrible handwriting myself so I might have a shot.

[fudge stripe cookays]

42. It looks something like...

Rutcher
or Derpetcher

"Dispatcher" maybe?

And the place of work looks like "Elevator Diop...."

If you can find out the name of that building.
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[JohnKleeb]

43. I dont know what building that could possibly be

[fudge stripe cookays]

31. Do you have his birthdate or death date?

Or know how old he might have been? What was his full name? He might not have been listed as Michael.

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[JohnKleeb]

33. hmmmm no I dont, I believe it was in the 1870's though, I know little help

[fudge stripe cookays]

7. If you just keep searching, using various methods,

you can do like I did Kleeb. I kept locating cousins however I could, and the first thing I did was ask if they had any photos. Of my great grandfather Smith's 9 brothers and sisters, I've managed to obtain photos of all of them but one.

You can also do Yahoo people searches for your names, and see what you come up with. I have some very unusual names in my bunch, and they've been instrumental in finding more information.

Use your local libraries and Mormon family history centers. You can do online searches to see where the nearest temple is, and they usually have a small history center located alongside.

They are invaluable. Don't be freaked out about the religion issue. They are there to help you, and don't care if you are Catholic or whatever. Films are very inexpensive to order. Just tell the folks working there what you are looking for, and tell them you're a newbie. They can get you all set up with the stuff they keep in stock, and show you what you can order.

[CBHagman]

8. Kleeb, if you're in DC, you can get access for free.

Just toddle down to the National Archives and go in the entrance facing Pennsylvania Avenue (same side as the FDR memorial). You'll have to sign in and get a researcher badge, but it's easy from there. You can use the computers OR get microfilm, and you can learn how to use the Soundex code to find your relatives.

Also, if you don't want to go that far, just hit the Library of Congress. The Jefferson Building has a local history\genealogy room. Both there and at the National Archives you can get access to Heritage Quest and to Ancestry.com.

On edit: Local family history centers (run by LDS volunteers) are also something to consider, for those of you who are outside of a major metropolitan area.

www.familysearch.org

[JohnKleeb]

12. Hmmmm maybe I could do it someday

I am not in DC right now, I am at home.