Laurie Hoper wrote: > I am searching for the family of Mary Gyzdick, she would be my GGGrandmother. She was born 25 Nov 1863 in Czech and immigrated to the US with her brother John in 1882 per her obituary. > Obituaries are not a very valid source of information from many years past. What do the 1900 and later Census say for her year of immigration? > They settled in the Hazelton area of Luzerne county, PA. I have obtained her obituary, news clippings and her death cert. All have different spellings for her maiden name in everything. Even her children's birth records and death records have her maiden name spelled differently. > subscribe to and ask about her surname on http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/intl/CZE/CZECH.html or http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/intl/CZE/CZECH-SURNAMES.html. or the message board for the latter. > > In 1886, she married a John Micklos, born 20 Jun 1861, also of Czech. It states that they were married in the Hazelton area, but I am not sure of what church. In 1889, they moved to Minnesota and settled there. Both passed away in Jackson county, Minnesota. > > I have looked under all the names that were on the documents that I have received. I have checked under the 1880 census, it is aggravating that the 1890's have been destroyed. 20 years is a HUGE window for some. I cannot find anything in the PA databases that lead me to the correct spelling of this person's surname. > > I am looking for any help on the correct spelling of the last name for this individual. I know her brother's name was John and her father's name was John. I would also like to know if there are any catholic churches in the Hazelton area that would have been active in the late 1800's. I do believe they were of the catholic faith. > How did John spell his surname? Were either John of Mary naturalized? The marriage license dockets for Luzerne from 1885 are available though a FHC. bob gillis