Started out Sat. with a tour of Jelsava. When Gita was growing up in the town she said it was a very pretty town with a population of 5,000. I don't know the year the factory went up during the communist era, but it was put up outside of the town and makes some chemical that is used in fire brick. As a result it has polluted the town and the population is down to 3,000. I would have not noticed had it not been brought to my attention, not having known what the place looked like before. Like a lot of other smaller towns and villages in Slovakia the young people have gone to Bratislava or further west for jobs and these places are now mainly old people and Gypsies. And, so it was with Jelsava. The town was a mere shadow of it's former self. The buildings were run down (except city hall) and I found it somewhat depressing. We just looked at the outside of the Evangelical church and Catholic church, as the next day I would be attending services at the Evangelical church. The Manor House was not much more than a shell as was the big old church school that had been part of the Evangelical church. Walked up the hill to the cemetery to put some flowers at my grandfathers grave. It was all the way at the top of the hill, at the very end of the cemetery. You could look over the entire town from there. The cemeteries I saw in Slovakia are not that large. The space is leased out for about 25 years. If the lease is not renewed, or the grave area is not kept up, it is leased out to another family. From what I have read, the remains are put in a common grave, the tomb stone is broken up, and someone new moves in. Pretty depressing to me. My grandfather died in 1908, and at the very most, my grandmother could have renewed the lease when she went back to visit in 1931, but that is still over 60 years ago. I asked Gita why his grave was still there. Her remark was simply that probably no one wanted it. The prime real estate area of that cemetery was down at the bottom of the hill. There were just a few old graves at the top where my grandfather is. The entire family was with me, including Rasto and we all walked around looking for Tomazy, Gettler and Kristofik graves. Aside from Gita's father, and 2 other Kristofiks, from the 1930s and 1960s we found none. I have about 150 death records of my Kristofik, Tomazy and Gettler family, who must have been buried in that cemetery and not a one is to be found in that cemetery today. The only reference to them ever having existed, to my knowledge, is church records. In two generations, their existence is all but forgotten and unknown by their descendants in this country. Pretty sad, I am trying my best to do something about it. From there we went to Gita's mothers house and I met her and Gita's sister, Janka. I enjoyed walking down that old street, knowing that probably a great many of my family had lived on that street. They came out of the house to greet us and we went in and once again, I was treated to a small glass of liquor, pastries, and other drinks and goodies. The grandmother gave me a tour of the back of the house, the garden, chickens, and 2 out buildings that had been used for making leather. They were still there and looked untouched since Gita's father died. Processing leather and making various things from it was common business in that area. Lots of boot makers, etc., listed in the church records. Across the street from the houses is a canal that they got the water from to soak the leather. Our next stop was Muranksa Dela Luka. My grandfather and great grandfather seem to have bounced back and forth from Sumiac and Jelsava. While in Sumiac, most of my dad's older brothers and sisters (8) were born. If one attended the Evangelical church, they had to go to the one in Muranska Dela Luka, as it was the closest one. Still, it was about a 15 mile trip from Sumiac. We were greeted by the minister and his wife. He took us into the church and spoke at length about it. It is in great condition. It has a sister church in FL that has donated money for the restoration and up keep of it. Then he took us to the rectory where we were served a small glass of liquor, pastries and other drinks. He brought out the church annals (like a diary of the church) that went back to the late 1700s. He brought out the communion cup and plate that had 1791 inscribed on them, and it was all very interesting, and I was a bit overwhelmed, but the best was yet to come. Tomorrow, Joyce