Hello Bob -- Reading between the lines of what you say, I am interpreting it as a suggestion to enjoy researching family heritage and don't get tied up with terminology. My maternal grandparents came from Bohemia. My grandmother was born in NYC -- she used the term Bohemian and Bohunk -- as it sounds like your family did. Technically, they were wrong. But we still will remember what they said. Learning the history of the area, you will learn the correct terminolgy -- I think Kevin Kittelson has done a good job explaining it -- but we shouldn't let a difference in terms stop us from enjoying and researching. When I speak of where my family came, I usually say Bohemia, an area that is now part of the Czech Republic. And lucky you, you took the opportunity to visit your family's homeland -- I hope to do that some time too. My family was from Kutna Hora and Cirkvice, near Prague. Susan ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bob Waterous" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, April 14, 2006 12:06 AM Subject: [CZ] Being Bohemian > Fellow Subscribers, > > Now that I'm 60ish I find it interesting to see how great a difference a > few fast passing years make in a person's understanding of their heritage. > I was born in Chicago in 1944, the son of a Yankee/Irish/American father > and a Bohemian/American mother whose parents both came from Bohemia. > > My mother's family called themselves Bohemian. They said that this > foreign tongue they were speaking was a slavic language called Bohemian > or Czech. In those days they told us that Bohemia was a part of a country > called Czechoslovakia but that it had once been a part of the Austrian > Empire. > > They also said that even though some parts of the family called themselves > Austrian they were still proud of their Bohemian heritage. Above all we > were of Bohemian descent. > > I traveled to the Czech Republic with my wife and children in 2004. We > drove north from Hungary through Slovakia to Bohemia. Czechoslovakia no > longer existed because times had changed. But, Bohemia remained in place > with Prague as its centerpiece. > > We were very fortunate, with the help of the Czech list, to have > connected with cousins in Prague where we were invited guests in their > home. To facilitate communication they hired a translator who spent her > days with us as we traveled around. > > During conversations, I noticed that every time I mentioned the word > "Bohemian" or "Bohemia" she translated it to something that sounded like > "chechy". Rightly or wrongly I assumed that is where the Czech Republic > and Czechoslovakia got the name. > > Looking back to the growing up years I consider myself fortunate in having > had that direct contact with those Bohemian immigrants I called > grandparents. > > I feel happy to know beyond any doubt that whatever they may call the > nation containing Bohemia, my children and I are of Bohemian descent on my > mother's side. > > After everything I've told and showed my children I wonder what they will > say to their children about our heritage. > > My best wishes to all of you in your research. > > Bob Waterous > > About the Bohs > http://www.carpatho-rusyn.org/spirit/chap2.htm > > > > > ==== CZECH Mailing List ==== > No off topic posts, flames, virus warnings, prayers, jokes, > chain letters, etc. Violators will be placed on message monitoring > and/or lose subscription privileges. > >