Course curriculum

    1. Meet Your Instructor: Lisa A. Alzo

    2. Course Overview

    3. Course Access: June 8 - July 5, 2026

    4. Learn To Use the Course Player

    5. Contact Us

    6. Before we begin ...

    1. Introduction to the Czechs and Slovaks

    2. Key Events in Czech and Slovak History

    3. Czech and Slovak Immigration and Emigration

    4. Summary, Key Points and Discussion

    1. Before You Begin

    2. Setting Research Goals

    3. Get Organized with a Research Log

    4. Summary, Key Points & Skill-Builder Exercise

    5. Discussion

    1. Czech and Slovak Names

    2. Key Resources for Determining Names and Places

    3. Census Records

    4. Vital Records

    5. Social Security Death Index

    6. Military Records

    7. Additional Records

    8. Naturalization Records

    9. Alien Registrations (AR2s and A-Files)

    10. Passenger Lists and Emigration Records

    11. Port of Departure Records

    12. Passport Applications

    13. Finding Czechs and Slovaks in Canada

    14. Key Points and Skill-Building Activities

    15. Discussion Board

    1. Pinpointing Places

    2. Using Maps and Atlases

    3. Using Gazetteers

    4. Review: Watch Excerpts of Eastern European Maps & Gazetteers

    5. Key Points and Skill-Building Activities

    6. Discussion

    1. Finding Czech and Slovak Records

    2. 1a. Through FamilySearch.org

    3. 1b. Through FamilySearch.org

    4. 2. Through Archival Websites

    5. 3. - 5. Write to the Archives, Research in Person, Hire Someone

    6. Language Issues

    7. Summary, Key Points, and Activities

    8. Discussion

About this course

  • 2 hours of video content

Don't Let Your Family History Remain a Mystery

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Instructor(s)

Lisa A. Alzo, M.F.A. is a professional writer, instructor, and internationally-recognized lecturer. She is the author of 11 books, including The Family Tree Polish, Czech and Slovak Genealogy Guide, and hundreds of magazine articles.

Lisa A. Alzo

Instructor

How Family Tree University Courses Work

  • Courses

    Our courses consist of four or more written lessons that may also contain videos, slide shows, and other elements. There are self-directed quizzes and/or exercises to help you apply your knowledge. In addition, you'll have access to discussion boards where you can ask your instructor, questions about the materials during the course dates.

  • Instructor

    Instructor access for the duration of the four weeks, so you can ask questions about what you've learned.

  • Access

    Our courses are designed to be easily accessible! Once you've registered for the course, you'll be able to log in on the start date to see all the lessons. Each lesson is available within your browser. You can work at your own pace.

  • Materials

    All the materials will be available for download, and you'll have access to the course materials online for about a year after the start date. After the course end date, it will go into read-only mode, so you'll still be able to reach the materials, but you'll no longer have access to the instructor or message boards.

  • What You'll Need

    Please ensure that you have internet access and that your browsers and computer system are fairly up-to-date. The course materials are designed to be compatible with most devices.