My wife is one-half Czech; her mother's name was Krotz (though I wonder if this was changed from Kroc). The mother was born in Odell, Nebraska in the early 1900's. I'd like to begin tracing her Czech roots. The Krotz's are also apparently part of the larger Bednar family. Any ideas as to where to start?
Hello, You need to work your way back from your mother-in law. If she was born in Nebraska you must first try to get her birth certificate. I'm not American so i am unfamiliar with your birth certificates around 1900 but would assume this will give you details of her parents, their ages, profession and more importantly where they were born (assume Czech - Moravia or Bohemia). If you are lucky you may obtain a place name in CZ. I am sure there are people on this site that can point you in the right direction once you have found when your wife's family entered the US and left CZ. Best of luck.
Looking for Kroc/Krocova in Czech phonebook gives about 200 entries, there exist also Kroč/Kročová. You would have to be more specific. The family name Bednář is even more frequent.
