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CGSI Research Collection

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The CGSI Research Collection contains materials on Czech and Slovak history, genealogy, and culture. Assistance is available to help you access information from the collection.

If you are planning an in-person visit please check the Hoffman Research Library website for the most up-to-date information on operating hours.
Sections

About the Collection

CGSI Library Shelves

CGSI maintains a research library of more than 1,200 items.

This collection includes items on:

  • Family histories (view a list of those that have been digitized)
  • Village histories
  • Census data (including the 1654 Berní rula, 1651 Soupis, and 1793 Soupis)
  • Maps and gazetteers
  • Dictionaries and language aids
  • Fraternal organizations
  • History
  • Folk arts and crafts
  • Telephone directories

The collection does not circulate and is only available for in-person research. For members who are unable to visit the collection, CGSI volunteers can assist with lookup requests.

Many of the books are in the Czech or Slovak language. Listings of the collection contents (sorted by either title or author) are available below.

The Research Collection is different than the CGSI Digital Library or the CGSI Traveling Library.

CGSI Research Collection Holdings at the Minnesota Genealogy Center (Sorted by Title)
CGSI Research Collection Holdings at the Minnesota Genealogy Center (Sorted by Author)

Location of the Collection

The CGSI Research Collection is housed within the Minnesota Genealogy Center (MGC) in Mendota Heights, Minnesota. The MGC contains holdings focused on several ethnicities and geographic areas. Staffed by volunteers, access to the MGC and the CGSI Research Collection is free to current CGSI members. Non-members pay an access fee of $10 per visit.

When planning a visit, please check the MGC website before visiting for current hours or phone (651) 330-9312.

Research Assistance

In order to make library resources more accessible to all members, research of some of the collection's materials are available to CGSI members via request.  

Free Research Services 

CGSI members can receive assistance help on:

  • deciphering town names in documents
  • locating towns or villages
  • postal codes of ancestral locations

Paid Research Services

A CGSI volunteer can research selected books and reference materials from the collection. These selected resources include:

  • Leo Baca’s Czech Immigration Passenger Lists
  • ZČBJ's Fraternal Herald death index
  • Nebraska / Kansas Czech Settlers
  • Telephone directories of the Czech Republic and Slovakia

Historical maps and atlases are a possible resource, but due to their varied nature and condition, results may be mixed.

Making A Research Request

For members who are unable to visit the Research Collection in person, some assistance is available. Requests need to be as specific as possible and indicate which resources should be searched. We cannot accept open-ended research requests such as “tell me what you have on the Jan Dvorak family of Omaha, Nebraska”. Research is conducted by CGSI volunteers who will not be able to translate any information for you found in a foreign language.

When submitting requests, a minimum charge of $10 for members or $20 for non-members must accompany the initial request for information along with a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

Requests should be sent to the CGSI office at:

Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International
P.O. Box 16225
St. Paul, MN  55116-0225
USA

An alternative is to email your research request. You will be notified of the cost estimate and how to arrange payment.

Research Fees

Source

Books

Family Histories

Maps

Microfiche

Member Fees$10.00 per 1/2 hour of research
Non-member Fees$20.00 per 1/2 hour of research

Additional Fees / Notes

Expenses for photocopies and additional postage will be billed
Source

Telephone Directories

Czech Republic and Slovakia

Member Fees$5.00 for each surname per directory
Non-member Fees$10.00 for each surname per directory

Additional Fees / Notes

Plus $.25 for each entry found
Source

Copies of St. Paul Archdiocesan Church records

(from the online database, up to 1934)

Member Fees

$5.00 for the first copy

$2.00 for each additional copy on the same roll of microfilm

Non-member Fees

$10.00 for the first copy

$3.00 for each additional copy on the same roll of microfilm

Additional Fees / Notes

Required information:

  • church name
  • microfilm number
  • page number
  • surname
Source

Copies of St. Paul Archdiocesan Church records

(after 1934)

Member Fees$10.00 per 1/2 hour of research
Non-member Fees$20.00 per 1/2 hour of research

Additional Fees / Notes

Required information:

  • church name
  • subject’s full name
  • type of record (baptism, marriage, death)
  • date (or approximate time frame +/- five years)
Source

Copies of Leo Baca’s Czech Immigration Passenger Lists

(from the online database)

Member Fees

$5.00 for the first page of results

$2.00 for each additional page of results

Non-member Fees

$10.00 for the first page of results

$3.00 for each additional page of results

Additional Fees / Notes

Required information: surname

Optional information: the volume number (if known)

Note: up to 17 passenger records are included in a page of search results

Source

Copies of Leo Baca’s Czech Immigration Passenger Lists

(not from the online database)

Member Fees$10.00 per 1/2 hour of research
Non-member Fees$20.00 per 1/2 hour of research

Additional Fees / Notes

Required information:

  • full name of passenger
  • approximate year of arrival +/- five years

Optional information: port of arrival (if known)

Research Fees
Source Member Fees Non-member Fees

Additional Fees / Notes

Books

Family Histories

Maps

Microfiche

 $10.00 per 1/2 hour of research $20.00 per 1/2 hour of research Expenses for photocopies and additional postage will be billed

Telephone Directories

Czech Republic and Slovakia

 $5.00 for each surname per directory $10.00 for each surname per directory Plus $.25 for each entry found

Copies of St. Paul Archdiocesan Church records

(from the online database, up to 1934)

$5.00 for the first copy

$2.00 for each additional copy on the same roll of microfilm

$10.00 for the first copy

$3.00 for each additional copy on the same roll of microfilm

Required information:

  • church name
  • microfilm number
  • page number
  • surname

Copies of St. Paul Archdiocesan Church records

(after 1934)

 $10.00 per 1/2 hour of research $20.00 per 1/2 hour of research

Required information:

  • church name
  • subject’s full name
  • type of record (baptism, marriage, death)
  • date (or approximate time frame +/- five years)

Copies of Leo Baca’s Czech Immigration Passenger Lists

(from the online database)

$5.00 for the first page of results

$2.00 for each additional page of results

$10.00 for the first page of results

$3.00 for each additional page of results

Required information: surname

Optional information: the volume number (if known)

Note: up to 17 passenger records are included in a page of search results

Copies of Leo Baca’s Czech Immigration Passenger Lists

(not from the online database)

 $10.00 per 1/2 hour of research $20.00 per 1/2 hour of research

Required information:

  • full name of passenger
  • approximate year of arrival +/- five years

Optional information: port of arrival (if known)

Video Tutorial on the CGSI Research Collection

During a 2017 webinar, information was presented on materials in the collection. View the video to learn more about the available resources and how to use them.

00:01 Library Resources
08:22 Slovak Village Lookup Tools
19:30 Gazetteers, Town Histories, and Military
24:15 Fraternal Records
33:15 Family Histories
40:52 Other Resources and Maps

 

 

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CGSI Research Collection