Croatian Roots

Professional Genealogical Research Services

P.O. Box 462
Salisbury, CT 06068
USA
Telephone: (860) 824-7799
E-mail: fritz@croatianroots.com

Who we are?
Croatian Roots is a professional research service for anyone who needs research done in the field, in Croatia. The primary focus of our service is to locate data and retrieve documents that will prove and document the ancestral links for our clients. Such documents include: copies of birth, wedding, death and baptismal certificates, copies of archive pages, photos of tombstones, etc. The research includes methodical search of the vital records in the offices of the National Archives of Croatia and in the local archives throughout Croatia.

Mrs. Sanja Frigan-Ciuha, my sister, who lives and works in Zagreb, performs the search in Croatia. She has “graduated” by researching our own roots of family Frigan. She was able to trace our origins to 1699 in the small village Northeast from Zagreb, called Donja Glavnica. The search is still on!

Since 1996, Sanja is providing research service to many customers of Croatian origin. She was often instrumental in finding and providing a contact to distant relatives, which led to many happy reunions. In 95% of her cases, she is successful in tracing the data and expanding the knowledge of her clients’ ancestry.

What does the service consist of?
There are two types of research one can order:

· preliminary genealogical research

· specific research

The purpose of preliminary genealogical search is to locate the data in Croatia. The following are results of preliminary search one should expect to receive:

· An answer as to whether data is available in the National Archives of Croatia in Zagreb, or one of the regional offices of the National Archives. The answer will not come in a simple "yes" or "no" form, but will indicate exactly which time periods are available for Birth, Death and Wedding records for a specific village or town. If the books with vital records are found in the archives, Sanja will spend a few hours trying to find records of customer's ancestors.

· An answer as to what books or data are available in the local sources, such as a local parish and local office of records (Zupni Ured and Maticni Ured). Customer will receive the full address and phone number for the local office for direct contact. If the data is not available in the National Archives' office, Sanja will attempt to obtain the records from the local church or government office in the place of origin.

· A list of persons presently residing in the place of origin or surrounding area and the city of Zagreb, with the same last name as the surname researched. This is a useful list in trying to establish if there are any close or distant relatives still residing in Croatia.

Costs
Preliminary research in the amount of $100 is payable in advance. Additional search in the National Archives of Croatia is available at the rate of $20-25 per hour, depending on the volume of work ordered. Specific research requests are negotiated separately on case-by-case basis and they are usually ordered after the preliminary research is completed. Price for each vital document (birth, wedding, death certificate) retrieved is $40 per document. This price includes all administrative fees our researcher has to pay in order to obtain requested documents. It is refundable if the documents ordered are not found.

Many customers need to know ahead of time how much will the completed research cost. It is impossible to be precise, but usually Sanja’s customers place an order between $200-$750 to complete the search. The most important is, you stay in control. You can order additional search in any blocks of hours: 1, 2, 5, 10, etc.

What if nothing or very little information is found?
There is absolutely no guarantee of success. The results clearly depend on many factors that may be beyond our control: How much initial information is available? Is that information accurate? What if the records were destroyed? Are there any living relatives in Croatia?

Our researcher will make every possible effort to locate the data on your ancestors, but your fee is not for the amount of data, but for the time he or she will spend doing the research.

If absolutely nothing is found in the preliminary research, your cost is limited to $100.

How long will it take before I get first results?
Usually, it takes approximately 3-6 weeks for the completion of a preliminary search. You can always inquire about the status of your search request. We will send you updates, data and information as the research progresses.

References and completed searches?
Please feel free to ask for a reference from some of our clients whose search requests have been completed. Click here for a listing of: References or here for a listing of: Completed searches

Still interested? What to do next?
Visit the Contracts & Forms page. From there you can print out all the forms necessary to start your search. When completed, mail to:

Croatian Roots
P.O. Box 462
Salisbury, CT 06068
USA

Please do not forget to enclose your check for $100 payable to FRITZ FRIGAN. Remember, the more data you can provide, the more successful our search results will be. We will forward all information to Croatia and the research for your family history will begin.