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THE GENCLASS NEWSLETTER - October 2007
http://www.genclass.com
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TOPICS:
= Tip of the Month: Voter Registration cards .
=Where’s
Wallachia?
In Search of Dragons, Vampires, and Your Ancestors
by Lisa A. Alzo, M.F.A.
=
Upcoming classes: November and December
Welcome
to the latest issue of the GenClass newsletter!
Just
in time for Halloween this month’s newsletter focuses
on two seemingly unrelated subjects: genealogy and vampires!
But those of you who can trace your ancestral town or village
is
back to East or Central Europe, may find the following article
of interest.
If
this is your first time reading this newsletter, welcome!
Our
monthly newsletter includes a featured article by an expert
GenClass instructor, a tip of the month, and a list of upcoming
courses
--------------------------------
Tip of the Month:
Voter Registration cards are often sources which may be
overlooked or under utilized by genealogists,
but may contain key details about your ancestors.
For
example, if he/she was a naturalized citizen, the court
where the naturalization occurred may be listed
on the voter registration card.
--------------------------------
Where’s Wallachia? In Search of Dragons, Vampires, and
Your Ancestors
by Lisa A. Alzo, M.F.A.
--------------------------------
During
the Summer and Fall of 2005, Elizabeth Kostova’s first
book,
The Historian, (Little, Brown & Co.), appeared on the
New York Times
Best Seller List, and was named the 2006 Book Sense “Book
of the Year”
Award in the Adult Fiction Category.
The
Historian revisits the Dracula tale through the eyes of a
young American girl,
living with her father in Europe who comes across evidence
that Vlad
the Impaler—Dracula—was real, still, exists, and
may be hunting them.
Sure,
the story of Dracula has been told before (most famously in
Brahm Stoker’s 1897 novel, and various Hollywood adaptations),
but Kostova’s novel promises a new twist. I enjoy reading
historical
novels and because of my own Slovak and Carpatho-Rusyn ancestry,
the Eastern European focus of this one prompted me to purchase
a copy and do some digging about the basis for the story.
It
turns out that there was indeed a real “Dracula.”
He was Prince Vlad III,
also known as “Vlad Tepes”—the “Impaler—of
Wallachia (historical
spelling also shown as Walachia).
Although he wasn’t a “real” vampire, “Vlad
Tepes” was a true prince
of darkness—a feudal lord in the Carpathians (a major
mountain system,
in central and eastern Europe), who tormented his subjects
and
prisoners of war in unbelievably cruel ways, and whose barbarous
reign formed the basis of the legend of “Dracula.”
Wallachia
and Transylvania were two ancient regions in what is
now Romania. According to legend, Wallachia was founded in
1290
by a Transylvanian named Radu Negru, or Rudolph the Black.
Wallachian society (and its politics) was complex. For example,
the throne of Wallachia was hereditary but not by the law
of Primogeniture
(passed from father to son). The prince was elected by the
country's
boyars (land-owning nobles). This caused fighting among family
members,
assassinations, political divisions, and other turmoil.
Dracula's
grandfather, Prince Mircea the Old, reigned from 1386 to 1418.
He fought to keep Wallachia independent from the Turks but
was
forced to pay tribute to them. He and his descendants continued
to rule Wallachia, but under the dominance of the Ottoman
Empire (Turkey).
Mircea had an illegitimate son, Vlad, born around 1390. He
grew up
in the court of King Sigismund of Hungary, who became the
Holy Roman
Emperor in 1410. Sigismund founded a secret fraternal order
of knights
called the Order of the Dragon to uphold Catholicism and fight
Turkey.
Once Vlad was admitted to the Order, the boyars started to
call him
Dracul, meaning "dragon." Vlad's second son would
be known as
Dracula, or "son of the dragon," and because Dracul
also meant "devil”
some of Dracula's enemies called him, "son of the devil."
In 1431,
Sigismund made Vlad the military governor of Transylvania.
That same
year, Vlad III was born. (There is some confusion in the secondary
sources concerning Dracula's exact title. Generally, he is
referred to
as Vlad III, however, many sources refer to him as Vlad IV
or Vlad V.
Later, as Prince, Vlad “the Impaler” achieved infamy
for his tortuous
methods of execution— most notably his penchant for impaling
victims
on tall wooden spikes.
To
learn more about the various legends, myths, and stories consult
the following Web sites:
<www.vladtheimpaler.com>
<www.royalty.nu/Europe/Balkan/Dracula.html>
<www.ucs.mun.ca/~emiller/tepes.htm>
<www.ucs.mun.ca/~emiller/DragOrd.htm>
You be “The Historian”
Think
you might be related to Dracula? If so, you are in some
famous company. Prince William of England descends from
the same noble house that produced Vlad III,
<www.ancestry.families.aol.com/landing/strange/dracula/correct.html>
and,
surprisingly, President George W. Bush, and John Kerry also
share
a paradoxical connection to Dracula—the common link is
through
the Royal House of Windsor
<http://landing.msn.ancestry.com/famoustree/strange/bushkerry/c.aspx?sourceCode=13673>
If you think you have a family connection to Vlad the Impaler,
if your ancestors hail from what is now Romania, or if through
reading the book you are just curious about the geography
and
history of these places, you can do some investigating on
your own.
Maps, Gazetteers and Atlases
To
get a sense of place, consult maps and atlases (both historic
and contemporary versions)
An excellent printed reference is the Historical Atlas of
Eastern Europe.
Also,
check gazetteers—books that show all the towns in a particular
country, and how they are organized into political jurisdictions
(provinces, counties, districts, etc.). You can begin by looking
at
a contemporary map of Eastern Europe using Mapquest <www.mapquest.com>.
If you use the JewishGen “Shtetlseeker” at <www.jewishgen.org>
to search
for places, you will find a link to MapQuest there. In addition,
there are
a number of great online historic maps you can consult. For
example,
there is the “map room” of The Federation of Eastern
European
Family History Societies (FEEFHS) <http://feefhs.org/maps/BALK/ba-walac.html>.
Historic maps may also be purchased online from sites such
as
<www.genealogyunlimited.com>. Also, the site, Antique
Maps of
Bulgaria and Romania <www.bergbook.com/htdocs/Cache520.htm>,
provides a “zoom” feature to focus in on a particular
location,
and there is an option to purchase the maps (although some
are a bit pricey).
Another
good strategy is to check your local library for other books
about the history and politics of the region <www.royalty.nu/Europe/Balkan/Dracula.html>.
Romanian Genealogy
Researching
your Romanian roots can be complicated, but not impossible.
There are some excellent printed and online resources to consult.
One is Romanians in the United States and Canada: A Guide
to
Ancestry and Heritage Research, by Vladimir F. Wertsman, which
lists more than 1,000 annotated books, periodicals and Web
site sources.
You can purchase the book ($36.00) from Genealogy Unlimited
<www.genealogyunlimited.com/romania.html>
Researchers
will also want to check out the Romanian links on
the FEEFHS Web site <www.feefhs.org>, and peruse the
Romanian GenWeb <www.rootsweb.com/~romwgw/index.html>
for general and research tips, links to maps, administrative
record offices and researchers in Romania, a step-by-step
guide
to help you locate your town, and more!
If
you’d like to learn more about finding your ancestors
in Romania,
or other countries in Eastern/Central Europe, consider signing
up
for the Eastern European Genealogy Research: Part 1 (Basic)
course
which starts November 1, 2007.
+---------------- UPCOMING CLASSES -------------------+
Register for a class at http://www.genclass.com
NOVEMBER
2007: Classes start November 1, 2007
*
Adoption Investigative Class:
Detailed search advice and assistance for successfully
locating and reuniting adoptees and birth families.
*
Canadian Research - Internet Resources - Part 3
Armed with the knowledge gained from Parts 1 & 2, you
will be
guided through the 'drill down' process of website layering.
*
Eastern European Genealogy Research: Part 1 (Basic)
This class will show you how to begin researching your Central
and Eastern European roots using both traditional and online
sources.
*
Genealogy Research in the Great Lakes States
This course will focus on generalized and locality specific
resources
of six area states - Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota,
Ohio and Wisconsin.
*
FTM 2008 - The Basics:
Help finding your way around this new Family Tree Maker program,
as well as learning how to enter your information including
names,
dates, media and sources.
*
Lost Friends and Family Investigative Class
Detailed search advice and assistance on the methods to use
for successfully tracing "lost" relatives and friends.
*
Native American Genealogy
Learn how to start your research for your Native American
Ancestors.
*
Organizing Your Family History
Learn the techniques to ensure efficient organisation of your
research.
DECEMBER 2007: Classes start December 4, 2007
*
Adoption Investigative Class:
Detailed search advice and assistance for successfully
locating and reuniting adoptees and birth families.
*
Basic English Research
Learn how to start researching your English ancestors -
historical background, geography, finding the "bones"
of your family.
*
Basic Jewish Genealogy:
A step-by-step overview of what you need to know to track
your family.
*
Eastern European Genealogy Research: Part 2 (Intermediate):
This class will continue on from the basic Eastern European
research class,
focusing on how to expand your research beyond your own family
into a more community-oriented protocol.
*
Lost Friends and Family Investigative Class:
Detailed search advice and assistance on the methods to use
for successfully tracing "lost" relatives and friends.
Learn more at http://www.genclass.com
Register for a class at http://www.genclass.com
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That's all for now, until next month!
-- LISA ALZO, Newsletter Editor
============[
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