Dear H-SIG Members:

I had been thinking for several years of writing to the Presov Archives to
see if they had records that would answer some outstanding questions that
the microfilms at the Family History Center for Saros Megye, including
census, did not provide. I was hoping to find the siblings of my great
grandfather, my great great grandparents marriage records ( I had the death
records and wanted to get their parents names >from a marriage record) and to
find out how two people on my tree were related going back to the early
1800's as they were >from the same town- Mestizko.

In July, 2003 I finally decide to write to the Archives, including copies of
the records I already had. I included these copies to help them find what I
was looking for and duplicate what I already had. These records were
obtained >from the microfilms at the FHC. I limited the search monetarily
to $125.00 USD.

In October, I received a response in English to send the Archives an
International Money Order for $132.50 USD-(including postage and handling)
with no information about what if anything they found. I had enclosed
several International Reply Coupons (IRC) but evidently they don't use them
as they returned them later with their findings. For your information their
charges are:
simple research: 400.00 sk/1 hour
demanding research 600.00sk/1 hour
very demanding research 650.00 sk/1 hour
typing 80/1 hour
archives administrative fee 100/200sk
they noted that the exchange rate at the time was 35,337 sk on October 2,
2003.
Payment must be made by international money order or check and sent
registered mail. Payment is required even if they are unsuccessful in
finding what you requested, but you don't know that until after the payment
is made and their letter is received.

About four weeks after mailing the check I received their response in
Slovakian with a cover letter in English saying if this is not what was
requested to let them know.

The findings were disappointing. After having the letter translated, I
found they said they only had records >from 1852 forward for the towns I was
interested in, as the towns requested would be in the Bardojov district
(Kurima, Svidnik, Ninzny a Vysny Orlik, Girlatovice, Zborov and Vysny
Komarnik). The documents I wanted were for marriages, and births before
1852. The rest of the letter was a reiteration of what I sent them in
documents included with my inquiry letter. It is interesting that they did
a chart of my grandmother and her siblings, but they only listed 6 people
and I sent them all of her siblings which were 12- so I had more information
off the microfilms >from the Family History Center made >from the Presov
Archives, than what they said they had! I had not asked for a list of my
grandmother's siblings. I had asked for a listing of her father's siblings
(my great grandfather) and their descendents, if any. I sent them a copy of
his second marriage since it listed his parents and their town of residence
when alive. Since I had asked for whatever information they had on my great
grandfather except for the information on children I already had, I had
included the birth records I had so they would not be duplicated.

The end result was that they were not able to answer my 5 information
requests, and the information in the letter they typed, was a reiteration of
everything I had provided to them.

I hope that you have better results with contacting the Presov Archives.

Jan Meisels Allen
Agoura Hills, CA

SEARCHING: REICH, WALD, ZUPNIK/ZSUPNIK - Presov, Szvidnik, Orlik, Zborov,
Mestizko, Stropkov, Giraltovice, Komarnik, Kurima, Slovakia previously
Hungary
MEISELS, LIEBERMAN, SEGAL Brody, Ukraine
FREJER, WILAMOWSKY, KREPLAK, GUTFARB, PIATKOWSKA-- Stawiski, Poland
BERENSZTAJN, SZAPIRA, IMJAK, PERLA, ASZ- Lomza, Poland
SZLANG, KLAJNMAN- Sochaczew, Poland