Seeking help in finding parents of my grandfather Franc Rupret
My grandfather Frank Roberts (1893-1944) (G8LH-FGN) was born Franc Rupret (possibly Rupreht). I've added a Collaborate note here:
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/G8LH-FGN
Naturalization records state he was born in [but maybe near?] Laibach, Austria - what is now Ljubljana, Slovenia in 1893. Oral family history says both of Franc's parents had died by the time he was a teenager. Franc was raised but not formally adopted by Martin Podgorelec and his wife Mary.
We are hoping to learn the names and birth dates of Franc's parents or the town where the family lived. We've come up empty on FamilySearch and Ancestry. We would be very grateful for any help or suggestions. Thank you!
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Ben, I had a chance to do a little digging. In looking at your FamilySearch tree, I only saw two sources attached to your ancestor. With that limited information, I checked other collections on other sources and found information that you graciously provided in your query.
With that said, I found a few things you might not be aware of, and you will have a little digging to do. First, mapire.eu is a go-to map research tool I love to use for Austrian research. Here's the link for Laibach. The "i" and "y" in German is interchangeable and make the same sound, therefore accurate. Expect variations. Here's the link on Mapire.eu https://maps.arcanum.com/en/map/europe-18century-firstsurvey/?layers=163%2C165&bbox=1607792.944863656%2C5785317.314215927%2C1625975.4029669925%2C5792034.218076487 I highly recommend you explore the map and the nearby locations. Because, you will need them.
The next source for you to explore, is the FamilySearch catalog, for Austria, Krain, Laibach. Here's the link to what the catalog lists show.
Search Results for FamilySearch Catalog Austria, Krain
The most interesting collection(s) will be the census records, specifically the 1900. Now, I started a search, but had things to do. when you open up the books, they are not much different from our census records, in that they provide a table of alphabetically listed surnames, there are some pages in between, with what look almost like index cards with a little more information on them, and what may be the head of the household. I would look through the entire census, since it is 1900, your ancestor should be about 7 years +/-1 year, having been born in 1893. The census is in German and Hungarian. You might be able to do a census survey to see who shows up in the census.
Without knowing where exactly your ancestor is from, we run into the next challenge, that comes with some good news. In the Search Results for FamilySearch Catalog, Austria, Krain, you will want to check what the Places within Austria, Krain, Laibach has to offer. Please keep in mind the map link provided earlier is important, because you will want to orient yourself to what place names are within Laibach and around it.
Matricula Online is your next source to explore. Click on Search for Places. search by the modern name, Ljubljana, and you will get 10 hits on the Matricula map. https://data.matricula-online.eu/en/suchen/?place=Ljubljana&diocese=&date_range=1500%2C2000 Here's where it gets tricky. You will see a table with a list. Ljubljana has a place name next to it in each box. These places appear to be in Laibach/Ljubljana. I went to the first collection and looked through the index and did find a few children with the surname of Rupret. However I did not find Frank born on the day he says he was. I would look to see if he was born a different year. Those children that I did find with that surname were from the same location. I suspect they may be related. But, without confirming Franks birth date, I would be speculating.
My suggestion: Go through the list, search each book, look for Frank, or Franz, or Francis, make notes of the Ruprets you find, and the places they are from, then use google maps to create a layer, where a pin may be dropped and color coded, where you add the sources and detailed notes in your research log. When you find your Frank Rupret, you will know who his parents are, and you will have notes, links, and pinned locations on your map to identify who is related.
I would also, do a search in FamilySearch and Ancestry, and see if any other Ruprets from Laibach/JLjubjana came to the United States. Keep a research log, so that you don't duplicate your work, and can track your findings. I hope this helps.
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In looking at Frank, I only found two sources attached. Thank you for providing details which made identifying Frank in other collection databases easier. I have good news in that there are resources and records for you to look through.
I found Laybach on the map at Mapire.eu, which is the go-to online map for Austro-Hungarian research. The "i" and "y" are interchangeable in German, expect variations. Mapire Laibach . The names surround this may be relevant. Please make a note of these place names, and take a little time to explore the surrounding place names.
FamilySearch has a nice collection of records, Search Results for FamilySearch Catalog Austria, Krain, Laibach and there are census records that might be useful in conducting a census survey for Frank Rupret. Please keep a detailed research log. The 1890 census is the most relevant, in that Frank would have been about seven years old. We don't know if he had older or younger siblings, so if you find Frank in the census, you may also find his parents and siblings. The census is in both German and Hungarian, and is in a table form with surnames listed much like our census records.
Popis prebivalstva, 1890 In between pages you will find a printed page, and then cards similar to index cards with a name, birthdate and place. I recommend you look through these to see what you find.
Your next resource will be Matricula Online Church Records (Catholic). FamilySearch has a tutorial, Matricula Online Church Record Portal Go to Search places and enter in Ljubljana. I tried Laibach, and Laybach, but it only accepts the modern place name. Search for Places Ljubljana revealed 10 hits.
Here's where it gets tricky, please note, there is a place name listed to the right of Ljubljana. These are different places, with the map above, and google maps, you can create a google map personalized to the pins you drop on the locations each of these are from. You can even edit the pin, and add links, and keep those in a detailed research log. The first place listed, I checked, and did find children born with the surname of Rupret. However, I did NOT find Frank Rupret. I checked a couple of years before and after, in the index, but indexes are not always reliable. I recommend you go through each place name on the list, and look for Frank on his birthdate, and monitor for children with the same surname from the same place. (I saw maybe four).
You have yet another option, after you do this work. Do a search for other Ruprets who emigrated to the U.S. from Laybach/Laibach/Ljubljana. See if there might be a connections. And, I would probably do some research on the family that adopted him, to see what you find out about them. There might be a connection.
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Annette, thank you so much for these great search suggestions. I don't believe I've tried any of the sources you suggested except possibly the first one. I thought I had found something there on an 1890 census but the name was Rupert, a far more common surname. I see I really need to keep a detailed search log. The personalized Google map is another great technique I'd not thought of.
I have found passenger lists showing Frank's foster father coming over first, and then his wife with young Frank coming over some months later. Interestingly, I think, Frank used the name "Franz Podgorelec" on the passenger list. Probably easier to explain traveling with Mrs. Podgorelec than using his true surname.
Great idea looking for a possible connection between the Rupret and Podgorelec families in the old country, also searching for other, possibly related Ruprets on passenger lists.
Thank you for your detailed help. I was out of ideas. Now I can continue searching with these new sources.
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