Researching Kovacek. I’m researching my mothers side of the family, whose mothers maiden name was Kovacek. I was always told by my mother (Died 1988) that my Grandmother was born in Austria and that her mother was Czechoslovakian. I have recently obtained from my uncle a copy of my Grandmothers Birth/baptism Certificate, showing she was born in Hernals, Vienna in 1897 and was named, Aloisia Kowacek. It shows her mother as Elisabeth Kowacek (Born 1878), there is no fathers name, but a God Parent, Aloisia Steiner. I have a copy of my Grandmothers Marriage Certificate and she married my Grandfather, Sergeant Leonard Victor Young in Batoum, Georgia, in 1919 and then gives a Father as Parlik Kovatchek. They returned to England and had five children. I understand that the family had a fur factory in Czechoslovakia and I have seen envelopes which have been sent from a bank in Usti nad Labem, but don’t know if that was the area they lived in. I have photos of them in Karlsbad from 1927 to 1933 and also a post card, post marked Tusset, Bohmerwald. I have other post cards with writing on but cannot read them. I have been told from my uncle, that my Great Grandmother, Elisabeth Kovacek was put into a concentration camp in the second world war. She survived that, but died afterwards. I have looked in the Web Czech Phone directory and find only four names are registered and fourteen in the Austrian directory, so it must be an unusual surname. I would love to find out more information on my Kovacek family in Czechoslovakia or Austria, but it seems almost impossible. I write this with the hope that someone may be able to help in anyway, or any suggestions, no matter how small. Thank you. John Guest.
I wasn't able to find much on this name. I'd thought this name more common, but perhaps I was confusing with the Slovak "Kovacik." I did find one family genealogy site (from a small town in Texas), whose Kovaceks come from the Moravian town of Kozlovice, near Frydek-Mistek (there are actually two towns called Kozlovice--the other is south of Plzen--as far as I can tell, but this one seems more likely, given the origin of other ancestors on the page). The most recent entry is Mariana, born 1825. Since three of the four Kovaceks in the Czech online phone book are from the area (Frydek-Mistek and Ostrava), you might consider trying it. Here's the site: http://www.matusek.com/genealogy/havel/d6.htm#P397 and the link to the webowner's contact info: http://www.matusek.com/genealogy/havel/havel.htm
Hi sova, Thank You very much for taking the trouble to reply. I have looked at the site you have found and will email to see if any more info is available on the kovaceks. Do you think if I wrote to the three people in the phone book asking if they have any knowledge of somone going to England in 1919 it would help ? Also on the Birth cert. it is spelt with a W, but because it was in Vienna and W is prounonced "V", I take it that it is the correct spelling. My mothers name was Winifred and my grandmother always called her Vinifred. Thanks again, John Guest.
It is possible that the three people in the CR might be of some help; however, it is not very common for Czechs to know much of their genealogy beyond their grandparents, or perhaps great-grandparents. On the other hand, if your grandmother was is a concentration camp, perhaps she was Jewish, and Jewish families tend to keep better family records, so anything is possible.
