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Resources for German-Bohemian Research
Research Mission
Bibliography
Research in the United States Research in the Czech and Slovak Republics
Research in Other Areas
Research materials in the GBHS Library
The German Bohemian Heritage Society's
Research Mission
The GBHS was founded in 1984 for the purpose of gathering information about
the immigration and culture of the ethnic German people from Bohemia to
Minnesota. It was discovered that a very large chain migration took place
starting in the latter part of the 19th century and continuing until WWI
from Kries Bischofteinitz, Tachau, and Mies to the town of New Ulm and
the surrounding rural counties of Brown and Nicollet. With this migration,
a significant transplantation of culture also took place, especially of
language and music. This information was gathered and presented in a book
published by the society entitled German-Bohemians, The Quiet Immigrants.
Since the founding of the society, the scope of it research has broadened
significantly. During research done by Ken Meter and myself, we discovered
that there was likewise a significant immigration of German-Bohemians to
other parts of the U.S. North central and northeastern Wisconsin has a
significant population of Germans from Bohemia, primarily from the Bshmerwald
area of southwestern Bohemia in Kreis Markt Eisenstein, Prachatitz. There
is also a significant settlement of German-Bohemians in eastern North Dakota
near the towns of Alice and Jessie. I discovered from the Catholic Church
records of St. Agnes Parish in St. Paul, Minnesota, that a large group
of emigrants from Kreis Krummau, Kaplitz, Budweis and Prachatitz also settled
in that parish during the last half of the 19th century. These groups along
with the New Ulm German-Bohemians, are described in a booklet published
by the society entitled Border People, The Bshmish (German-Bohemians) in
America. It has also been learned there is a large group of German-Bohemians
from the Landskron area of eastern Bohemia that settled near Watertown,
Wisconsin, just east of Madison. Mr. Ed Langer has done extensive research
into this group. There also seems to be a concentration of emigrants from
Falkenau on the Eger living in and near Milwaukee, Wisconsin and also a
group from western Bohemia in Buffalo, New York.
In addition to all these early immigrants, there are large numbers of
pre WWII immigrants in parts of western Canada and many post WWII emigrants
living in Chicago, New York and many other large cities in the U.S. that
have a sizable German populations.
I am sure that there are other areas in the the U.S. as well as New
Zealand, Argentina, Mexico and Brazil with significant numbers of German
emigrants from Bohemia, however, we have not to this point been able to
locate them.
This German-Bohemian Heritage Society page will contain a great deal
of hard information about German-Bohemians, many family data bases and
lists of parish records, tax lists, bibliographies, research aides, etc.
GBHS has several additional sites on the world wide web in connection with
FEEFHS, the Sudeten Germans, and the German Genealogical Society.
The GBHS will gladly share its research findings and Immigrant Family
Data Base. Queries can be addressed to Robert Paulson. Additional information
about the GBHS can be obtained from Louis Lindmeyer.
We are also most interested in obtaining any additional information that you
care to share with us about German-Bohemian immigration, history, culture,
genealogy, etc. for our society, web Page. or our newsletter, Heimatbrief.
You can reach us by email.
Robert Paulson rpaulgb@comcast.net
Louis Lindmeyer lal@newulmtel.net
Paula Goblirsch paulagoblirsch@gmail.com
Robert Paulson, founder of and Research Committee chair of the German-Bohemian
Heritage Society (GBHS)
Map of the Alte Heimat/New Homeland
Map of Böhmisch Settlements in the American Midwest
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