Recently Published Magazine Articles
- "What's Your Type?" Family Tree
Magazine, March 2008 (PDF 2396kb)
- "Sister Act" Everton's Genealogical Helper, January/February 2008 (PDF 3151kb)
- "Where Are Slovak Ancestors Really From?"
Ancestry Magazine, January/February 2008 (PDF 1566kb)
- "Unearthing Those Hidden Gems" Internet Genealogy Magazine , January 2008 (PDF 2415kb)
- "Do You Need a Genealogy Agent?" Internet Genealogy Magazine , January 2008 ( PDF 1087kb)
- "There's Something About Mary" Internet Genealogy Magazine , January 2008 (PDF 1993kb)
- "That's Entertainment!" Family Tree Magazine, January 2008 (PDF 2385kb)
- "Ladies First" Family Tree Magazine, January 2008 (PDF 3250kb )
- "What's in That Genealogy Bank?" Internet Genealogy Magazine , November 2007 (PDF 1510kb)
- "Finding your Elusive Eastern European Ancestors: 10 Myths Busted" Family Chronicle Magazine, August 2007 (PDF 683)
- "Seven Sins of Genealogists" Family Chronicle Magazine, October 2007 (PDF 1496kb)
- "Super Sources" Family Tree Magazine, May 2007 (PDF 1827kb)
- "If You Don't Want Them, Shred Them" Nase
Rodina, Quarterly of the Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International,
Volume 19, Number 1, March 2007 (PDF 1137kb)
- "Express Genealogy: 50 Family History Tasks You Can Do in 15 Minutes or Less" Family Chronicle Magazine, March/April 2006 (PDF 1047kb)
- "Morse Code: Streamline Your Online Research" Internet Genealogy, March 2007 (PDF 1887kb)
- "23 Websites to Fire Up Your Family History" Internet Genealogy, March 2007 (PDF 3009kb)
- "Austro-Hungarian Research Online" (PDF 2693kb) "Find the Celebrity in Your Ancestor" (PDF 1191kb) Internet Genealogy Magazine, January 2007
- "Customs Made" Family Tree Magazine, December 2006 (PDF 1292kb)
- "Case Study: Searching for Sam" (PDF 1658kb),
"Deadfred.com" (PDF 541kb), "Virtual Cemeteries" (PDF 545kb) Internet Genealogy Magazine, October/November 2006
- "20th Century Desperate Housewives"Family Chronicle Magazine (10th Anniversary edition), October 2006
(PDF 1208kb)
- "Effective Online Networking"Family Chronicle Magazine, August 2006 (PDF 793kb)
- "Now Playing... Genealogy Podcasts" Internet Genealogy Magazine, July 2006 (PDF 569)
- "Online Genealogical Research Communities" p.34 , "Using Your Digital Audio Player for Family History" p.55 Internet Genealogy Extra (special online issue), June 2006 (PDF 3636)
- "Toning Your Family History Physique" Ancestry Magazine, May/June 2006 (PDF 605kb)
- "Get in the Game" Family Tree Magazine, April 2006 (PDF 1585kb)
- "12 Steps to Genealogical Fitness" Ancestry Daily News, February 2, 2006
- "Journey to the New World: The Ellis Island Database" Family Chronicle Magazine, Feb 2006 (PDF 707kb)
- "Linkpendium" Internet Genealogy, February 2006 (PDF 851kb)
- " 365 Ways to Discover Your Roots" Family Tree Magazine, February 2006 (PDF 3077kb)
- "What Do I Care About Those People? They're Dead" Ancestry Daily News, January 24, 2006
- "Key Contacts for your research" Family Chronicle, December 2005 (PDF 866kb)
- " 20+ Great Gifts for Genealogists" Ancestry Magazine, November/December 2005 (PDF 1244kb)
- "Finding Your Elusive Eastern European Ancestors" NGS NewsMagazine, Oct/Nov/Dec 2005, (PDF 2457kb)
- "Surfing for Slovak Ancestors Part 2" Ancestry Daily News. December 28, 2005
- "Surfing for Slovak Ancestors Part 1" Ancestry Daily News. November 1, 2005
- "Is an Online Genealogy Training Class for You?" Family Chronicle Magazine, October 2005 (PDF 1612kb)
- "DeMystifying Eastern European Research" Ancestry Daily News. July 18, 2005
- "Center of Attention " Family Tree Magazine, August 2005 (PDF 3229kb)
- "Virtual Reunion" Family Chronicle, July/August 2005 (PDF 66kb)
- "Top 20 Sites for Eastern European Research" Family Chronicle, May/June 2005 (PDF 163kb)
- "Family Reunions" Family Chronicle, May/June 2005 (PDF 2084kb)
- "Learning More About Your Athletic Ancestors" Ancestry Magazine, Mar/Apr 2005 (PDF 1433kb)
- "Telling Stories: Bring Your Family Tree to Life ..." Western Pennsylvania History, Fall 2004 (PDF 2986kb)
Three Slovak Women Samples
Chapter 8 (PDF 57kb)
Audio interview sample (MP3 3.1MB)
Transcript of audio interview (PDF 2419kb)
Reviews
Three Slovak Women (PDF 313kb)
"Literary Inspiration: Lisa A. Alzo" Ithaca Journal, Saturday March 15th 2008 (PDF 406kb)
Published Books
| Sports Memories of Western
Pennsylvania (Arcadia Publishing, August 2007) |
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Since the late 1800s, sports have played a key role in shaping the very character of western Pennsylvania. The area's largest city, Pittsburgh, boasts well-known professional sports teams in baseball, football, and hockey. In fact, no other city of comparable size has had such success in sports at the professional level, earning bragging rights and the nickname “City of Champions.” Sports Memories of Western Pennsylvania is a salute to the athletes, coaches, announcers, and fans, both professional and amateur, who together created a rich sports history for western Pennsylvania.
ISBN: 073855037X
# of Pages: 128
Retail Price: $19.99
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e-Book: The Desperate Genealogist's Idea Book: Creative Ways to Outsmart Your Elusive Ancestors
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| Slovak
Pittsburgh (Arcadia Publishing, December 2006) |
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No other city in the United States is home to more Slovaks than
Pittsburgh. It is estimated that close to 100,000 Slovak immigrants came
to the area in the 1890s looking for work and the chance for a better
life. The hills and valleys of this new land reminded newcomers of the
farms, forests, and mountains they left behind. They lived in
neighborhoods close to their work, forming numerous cluster communities in such places as Braddock, Duquesne, Homestead, Munhall, the North Side,
Rankin, and Swissvale. Once settled, Slovak immigrants founded their own
churches, schools, fraternal benefit societies, and social clubs. Many of
these organizations still enjoy an active presence in Pittsburgh today,
serving to pass on the customs and traditions of the Slovak people.
Through nearly 200 photographs, Slovak Pittsburgh celebrates the lives of
those Slovaks who settled in Pittsburgh and western Pennsylvania, and the
rich heritage that is their legacy.
ISBN: 0738549088
# of Pages: 128
Retail Price: $19.99
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| Pittsburgh's Immigrants (Arcadia Publishing, May 2006) |
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Since the mid-1700s, Pittsburgh has welcomed generations of immigrants. This region in southwestern Pennsylvania was once a magnet for European immigrants who carved out livings in steel, iron, glass, and other factories along its famous three rivers. Those immigrants built the city's ethnic neighborhoods: the Irish North Side, the Polish South Side, the Italian Bloomfield, as well as other immigrant enclaves in smaller cities and towns in the surrounding areas. The diversity of Pittsburgh's neighborhoods symbolizes a city truly rich in history and culture. Many notable Pittsburghers in business, the arts and entertainment, and sports were either immigrants themselves or children of immigrants. Pittsburgh's Immigrants pays tribute to the hardworking men and women who made significant contributions to the growth and development of western Pennsylvania and left a legacy of rich and vibrant ethnic culture that endures to the present day. |
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| Three Slovak Women (Gateway Press, 2001) |
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Three Slovak Women is a nonfiction account of three generations of Slovak women in the steel-producing town of Duquesne , Pennsylvania and the love and sense of family binding them together. The book opens with Verona Straka, who immigrated to the United States from the tiny village of Milpos , Slovakia in 1922. The first section unfolds with Verona 's journey from her homeland, and then chronicles her arranged marriage to János Figlyar, a hardworking, but stern coal miner/steelworker, whose fondness for alcohol led him to the often violent outbursts of which she was the target. The story then follows Verona 's first-born, her daughter Anna, as she grows up as a first-generation American, fearful of her father and devoted to her mother, and how this influenced the choices she made for her own life. Finally, the book concludes with Verona 's granddaughter, Lisa, showing how the opportunities presented to her differed from those afforded her mother and grandmother, with reflection on family values and traditions of the Slovak culture-honoring those that have been passed down from the previous two generations, while lamenting what has been lost. |
| Baba's Kitchen: Slovak & Rusyn Family Recipes and Traditions (Gateway Press, 2005) |
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Some of my fondest memories from childhood are the times spent in my Baba' s kitchen. The aromas of fresh bread baking in the oven and chicken soup simmering on the stove, the blending together of voices young and old, and my grandmother in her apron and babushka, provided a warm and welcoming atmosphere for her family.
The kitchen served as the center of the home and as the place where some of life's most important lessons were taught and learned. Simple principles of generosity, honesty and love. It was also in this kitchen I learned to eat the foods and celebrate the traditions that were central to my Slovak and Rusyn heritage. Paska bread at Easter, Bobalky at Christmas and Halushki every Friday night.
Baba's Kitchen is a collection of recipes and traditions passed down through the generations in my family. I share them as a tribute to my grandmothers and to Rusyn and Slovak women everywhere who continue to preserve and share their cooking, rituals and traditions.
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| Finding Your Slovak Ancestors (Heritage Productions, 2005) |

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A vast number of Slovaks settled in North America during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today, countless numbers of descendants of these early Slovak immigrants are searching for their Slovak roots.
This book lists both traditional and online resources necessary for researching Slovak ancestors, and shows how to document and preserve your findings for future generations. |
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