This bibliography only contains a portion of the Newberry’s resources on Bohemian history and genealogy. To locate additional resources, please check our catalog or consult a reference librarian.

You can search by Subject in our Primo VE catalog using the “Advanced Search” function to the right of the search bar. Select “Subject” in the drop-down menu of search features in place of “Any field,” then copy-and-paste one of the following subject headings:

Bohemians [locality]
Czechs [locality]
Czech Americans [locality]

For example:
Bohemians Illinois
Czechs United States
Czech Americans Kansas

Results can be filtered by Material Type, Language, Date, Author, Title, etc. prior to searching by using the drop-down menus in the search panel. If your search produces too many options, you can also narrow results using the faceted options on the left-hand side, under the heading “Refine your results.” Clicking on one of these filter terms or the box to their left will limit results to only those that fit this criterion, while clicking on the red box to the right of the term will exclude those results. For more information about searching in our online catalog, please see our Guide to Primo VE.

Guides

Alzo, Lisa A.  The Family Tree: Polish, Czech, and Slovak Genealogy Guide:  How to Trace Your Family Tree in Eastern Europe.  Cincinnati: Family Tree Books, 2016.  Call #: Local History Ref CS872 .A49 2016.

Czech Personal Names. 2000. Call #: Local History Ref CS2860.C9 C94 2000.

Miller, Olga K. Genealogical Research for Czech and Slovak Americans. Detroit: Gale, 1978. Call #: Local History Ref CS524 .M54.

Nemecek, Paul. Czech & Slovak Research Handbook of Biographies and Organizations. 2001. Call #: Local History Ref E184.B67 N461 2003.

Schlyter, Daniel M. Czechoslovakia: A Handbook of Czechoslovak Genealogical Research. Buffalo Grove, Illinois: Genun, 1985. Call #: Local History Ref E184.B67 S35 1985.

Slovak Personal Names. 2001. Call #: Local History Ref CS2860.S53 S66 2001.

Passenger Lists

Baca, Leonard. Czech Immigration Passenger Lists. Hallettsville, Texas: Old Homestead, 1983-. Call #: Local History Ref E184.B67 B33.

Vol. 1: Misc. lists
Vol. 2: Galveston 1896-1906; New Orleans 1879-1899
Vol. 3: Galveston 1907-1914
Vol. 4: New York 1847-1869
Vol. 5: New York 1870-1880
Vol. 6: New York 1881-1886; Galveston 1880-1886
Vol. 7: New York 1887-1896
Vol. 8: Baltimore 1834-1879
Vol. 9: Baltimore 1880-1899

Maps and Gazetteers

Central and Eastern European Maps Selected from the Andrees Allgemeiner Handatlas of 1913. Call #: Microfiche 2818. Includes index. Can be a useful entry into the larger scale Spezialkarte maps (see below).

Dolan, Allison.  The Family Tree Historical Maps Book, Europe:  A Country-By-Country Atlas of European History, 1700s-1900s.  Cincinnati:  Family Tree Books, 2015.  Call #: folio G1796.E6225 D65 2015.

Gemeindelexikon der im Reichsrate Vertretenen Konigreiche und Lander. Vienna, 1903-1908. Call #: Microfilm 1190. Reel 3 contains entries for Bohemia and Silesia. Lacks entries for Moravia.

Meyerhoffer, Hans. Oesterreich-ungarisches Orts-Lexicon. Wien: C. Fromme, 1896. Call #: Local History Ref DB15 .M39 1896a.

Spezialkarte der Osterreichisch-ungarischen Monarchie. Vienna, 1873-1918. Call #: Microfiche 1779. Specify fiche number using index map in General Reading Room.

Chicago

Adresar a Almanach Ceskeho Obyvatelstva v Chicagu. Diretory and Almanac of the Bohemian Population of Chicago. 1915. Call #: F548.9.B6 A4 1915.

Bohemian National Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois. Chicago: Chicago Genealogical Society, 1995-. Call #: Local History Ref F548.61 .B64. Burial records 1877-1902. 6 vols.

Bubenicek, Rudolf. Dejiny Cechu v Chicagu. Chicago, 1939. Call #: F548.9.B6 B8 (also Microfilm 1071). Rich in biography and family history.

---.  A History of the Czechs in Chicago.  Karleen Chott Sheppard, translator.  Chicago:  Czech & Slovak American Genealogy Society of Illinois, 2011.  Call #:  F548.9.B6 B813 2011.  English translation of Dejiny Cechu v Chicagu. 

Chicago Genealogist XXVII: 1 (Fall 1994). Call #: Local History Ref F548.1 .C45. Contains helpful articles on Chicago Bohemian research.

Czech & Slovak American Genealogy Society of Illinois Surname Index #4. April 2004. Call #: Local History Ref E184.B67 S87 2004.

Dejiny desetileteho trvani spolku Starych Ceskych Osadniku v Chicagu, Ill. Chicago: Geringera, 1908. Call #: folio F548.9.B6 S74 1908a. History of the Tenth Anniversary of Old Czech Settlers in Chicago.

Denni Hlastel Obituary Index 1891-1970. Sugar Grove, Illinois: Czech and Slovak American Genealogy Society of Illinois, 1996. Call #: F548.9.B67 N679 1996.

Denni Hlastel Obituary Index 1971-1995. Sugar Grove, Illinois: Czech and Slovak American Genealogy Society of Illinois, 1997. Call #: F548.9.B67 N6792 1997.

Droba, Daniel D. Czech and Slovak Leaders in Metropolitan Chicago. Chicago: Slavonic Club of the University of Chicago, 1934. Call #: E 48962 .24.

Index to the Linhart Funeral Home Records, Cicero, IL, 1913-1954. Sugar Grove, Illinois: Czech and Slovak American Genealogy Society of Illinois, 2004. Call #: folio F549.C56 I53 2004.

Index to the 1872-1889 Death Records of St. Procopius Church, Chicago, Illinois. Sugar Grove, Illinois: Czech and Slovak American Genealogy Society of Illinois, 2003. Call #: Local History Ref F548.9.B67 S75 2003.

Index to the 1890-1915 Death Records of St. Procopius Church, Chicago, Illinois. Sugar Grove, Illinois: Czech and Slovak American Genealogy Society of Illinois, 2002. Call #: Local History Ref F548.9.B67 S76 2002.

Novak, Joe (ed.). Obituary Dates from the Denni Hlastel 1891-1899. Chicago: Chicago Genealogical Society, 1995. Call #: Local History Ref F548.25 .O35.

Psenky, R. Jaromira. Zlata kniha Ceskoslovenskeho Chicaga. Chicago: Geringera, 1926. Call #: folio F548.9.B6 Z5. Many biographical sketches.

Reichman, John J. Czechoslovaks of Chicago. Chicago history with biographies. Reprint of 1937 edition. Call #: Local History Ref F548.9.B67 C94 1997.

Sternstein, Malynne.  Czechs of Chicagoland.  Charleston, S.C.:  Arcadia Pub., 2008.   Call #: Chicago Browsing F548.9.B67 S74 2008.

Zdrubek, Frank B. Dejiny Cesko-Narodniho Hrbitova v Chicagu, Illinois. Chicago: Geringera, 1902. Call #: RA626.B6 Z35. 25th anniversary of Bohemian National Cemetery. Contains map of plot locations.

Periodicals

CSAGSI: The Newsletter of the Czech & Slovak American Genealogy Society of Illinois.  Sugar Grove, Illinois:  The Society, 1997-.  Call # folio E184.B67 C8.

Koreny, Journal of the Czech and Slovak American Genealogy Society of Illinois. Sugar Grove, Illinois: The Society, 1996-. Call #: folio E184.B67 K67.

Dictionaries

Anglicko-Cesky a Cesko-Anglicky Slovnik. Prague: Statni Pedagogicke Nakl., 1994. Call #: Local History Ref PG4640 .A484 1994.

Miscellaneous

Name Index, Fraternal Herald. 1991. Microfilm 1100. Microfilm of index cards for obituaries in the Western Bohemian Fraternal Association’s periodical, the Fraternal Herald (Bratrsky Vestnik), also mortality claims with the Association. Covers early 20th century through 1990, primarily Midwestern and Western states.

Rosicky, Rose. A History of Czechs (Bohemians) in Nebraska. Omaha: Czech Historical Society of Nebraska, 1929. Call #: F 924 .757.

Other Resources

The Family History Library in Salt Lake City also collects Czech and Slovak-related materials. Explore the Library’s online catalog to see what types of records are available through the Family History Library’s microform loan program. Ask at the 2nd floor reference desk for details.

For further Chicago-area research, the Czech and Slovak American Genealogy Society of Illinois is a membership society which specializes in researching and preserving the heritage of Bohemian, Moravian, Slovakian, Silesian, and Ruthenian ancestors with connections to the Chicago area. The society maintains a surname index and research collection, and assists members with research. The organization also publishes the quarterly journal Koreny and maintains an index to it on their website.

The Czechoslovak Genealogy Society International holds conferences and symposia, and offers online resources for members researching families of Czech, Bohemian, Moravian, Slovak, German, Hungarian, Jewish, Rusyn, and Silesian origin. More information can be found on their website.