References of my clients
I first learned of Martin through a friend he had done research for, and decided to email him about possible research on my Father’s family. This was nearly 10 years ago. With no more to give him than the names, birthdates, and villages of my Grandparents, he was able to uncover an incredible amount of detail on both of these families that dates back to the 1600’s. Church and Census registers tell a history long forgotten. It was astounding. I often wish my Dad and his siblings were still here to share this information with. He is an excellent Genealogist and Historian. If you are sincerely interested and your family comes from this region, I recommend you take this unique opportunity to let Martin gather this information for you. Few are fortunate to have this kind of expertise available to help explore their family history. His research work is literally an heirloom of my families’ history. You will find Martin’s fees for service very reasonable and his research results only of professional quality.Mark Zubik
I would like to highly recommend Martin Pytr as a genealogist and guide in the Czech Republic! Martin did research on my family, who lived in Bergstadt, Austria, and surrounding areas, which is now Horni Mesto, CZ. He not only found records from my family, but he also sent copies of the records, as well as maps and information about the areas in which they lived. Further, he used old maps to determine where their houses were located, and if they were still standing. Earlier this summer, I had the opportunity to travel to the Czech Republic, where I met Martin. He acted as genealogist and tour guide as he took my husband and me to the various towns from which my family came. We actually were able to find the houses were several family members lived (including my great-grandparents! ) He also contacted people in the towns in advance, and so we were able to get help from local people as well. Because of his help, we were able to get inside the church where my family members were baptized and married. Martin’s thoroughness and expertise in his research made the visit to my family roots the thrill of my life. I used another genealogist earlier in my research, who was much more expensive, and did not come close to giving me the amount of information that Martin provided. If you are researching family in the Czech Republic/former Austria, Martin Pytr is the best choice as far as I am concerned, in helping you get the information you need!
Janell O. Nickols Williamsburg, Virginia, USA
I found Martin Pytr's genealogical services to have been excellent and his prices very fair.With the information I provided Martin he was able to trace my ancestors back to the late 1780's. I would highly recommend him to do your genealogical research.
Glenn McDonald
I am very satisfied with the services Martin provided in discovering my Sulak family's roots in Moravia. He was very methodical and thorough in researching at the Opava Archive which contains the church records of many of my Czech ancestors. His estimates of time and cost were very reasonable and spot on. Martin provided photographs of the original documents. There were often inconsistencies in the old records and Martin was able to sort through them. Martin also did research on the land records that extended our lineage back nearly 100 years before the first church records. His research laid the groundwork, so when it came time for me to travel to the Czech Republic, Martin met me at the Airport in Prague, and we set out on my ancestral family trip of discovery through Bohemia and Moravia. Along the way, he recounted much history of the regions we were traveling through, and we made stops at several historical town centers. I planned the itinerary, and Martin help arranged for lodging. In the home villages of my ancestors, Martin acted as interpreter to some of my distant relatives that I was able to contact.
David Schroeder
Martin has been a great help in my Czech research. He has researched church records, land records, census and other sources completely. I have since been able to locate some of these documents on line and found his work to be very accurate. He has responded to all my requests for information, copies, translations and more in a professional manner. He has translated the records from German, Czech and Latin to English. He once served as a guide for me and did a great job. He has priced his services very reasonable. I would highly recommend Martin to anyone.
Larry Hakel
I have used Martin Pytr's services for both research on my family in the area now known as the Czech Republic, and as a tour guide when I was lucky enough to visit that area. I gained so much information from him about my grandmother's family and her family--including copies of old maps, baptism records, land records, pictures, etc. When my daughter and I visited that area a few years ago, Martin and a driver met us at our hotel. Martin then proceeded to drive us to all the little villages where my family had lived... including actual addresses and many houses still standing. We visited the little church that my grandmother would have attended as well as the larger church where she was baptised. We saw much of the country and learned many details of the history of the place and how my ancestors would have lived. Martin's English was very good and I thought his fees quite reasonable. He had done so much research before we arrived that he was able to efficiently plan our travels. Very little back-tracking needed. He had identified individual houses and the lots where other houses had been. In each town he took us to the "City Hall" for even more information. He has continued on occasion to notify me of new information he has run across. He is always helpful when I have questions too. I would highly recommend Martin for both research and guide services. He is very pleasant to deal with.
Linda Suttich, Martinez, CA U.S.A.
I was given Martin Pytr's name by someone in Texas who had used him previously. I contacted Martin by email and agreed on a time and place in the Czech Republic to meet and travel to several places where my mother's family had come from. Martin did a great deal of research on the information that I had given him. Considering that some of the streets had changed names and some of the towns had combined, he came up with a wonderful day of seeing old home places. One we saw had a newer house on the old property, but the address was the same. The most delightful visit we had was with a Dutch man. Martin went to the door and started introducing himself and, speaking in Czech, tried to tell him who we were and what we were wanting. When the man heard that we were Americans, he said to start all over again and speak in English as he didn't understand Czech very well. So we were able to speak with him ourselves and had a delightful time. We know that the house was correct from a description that we had gotten from another group who had visited with another guide. Martin's use of the English language is great and, of course, his Czech was perfect when speaking with the local people. He took us to a wonderful place where we enjoyed a delightful lunch and we even got to visit in his home with his mom who served us refreshments. I would highly recommend Martin. We found him to be a knowledgeable and personable guide for us.
Mary Davis
Martin Pytr prepared genealogy reports for me in anticipation of my visit to Moravia. The reports were amazing in their detail. Not only were the family members reported thoroughly but the geographical and historical information added another level interest to the reports. They were worth every penny that I spent on them. Then when we visited Moravia I hired Martin to tour with us. He picked us up at the airport and drove us to Frenstat where we stayed in the hotel that he had recommended for us. He arranged everything for us. We toured for several days visiting many of the communities where my family originated from. We even stumbled on to a fair on the weekend and enjoyed some delicious local food. Martin had done some research into the location of property that my family would have lived on and with GPS coordinates we were able to see several parcels of land and even a house where my family had lived. Martin is a very thorough researcher and a very conscientious genealogist. I highly recommend him.
Joanne Miller
I am happy to offer this recommendation for Martin Pytr. Our relationship first began when I used the service that he offers as a genealogist. I could not have been more pleased with the results. All of this culminated with a memorable trip to the Czech Republic in 2003. My name is Vernon Kostohryz of Kostohryz-Rydel lineage from the Texas community of West. I am currently enjoying retirement in Mexico. In 2003 my wife and I and one of my sons gathered in a Prague hotel with Martin Pytr to begin three weeks of one of the most memorable trips of our lives. My son had driven a rented car from Paris. He drove, Martin guided, and my wife and I enjoyed all from the back seat. This included eating kolaches from a large supply that we regularly replenished from every bakery along the way. We were successful in finding centuries-old home sites of many of our ancestors. We were surprised to learn of ancestors that were famous and even others that were infamous. For instance, Martin told me of this famous relative and guided me to the man’s childhood home site in the village of Hodslavice: Frantisek Palacky (Czech Historian and Politician) 1798-1876 As a child, when I was picking cotton in Texas, no one told me that I was the 1st cousin, 4 times removed to Frantisek Palacky, who according to Wikipedia is known as one of the three fathers of the Czech Republic, the first being the King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV , the second is František Palacký and the third is Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk. You may share some more of our trip by going to this site: http://kostohryz.tripod.com/czechtrip/trip.html Every day was a new adventure and how I yearn to return!
Vernon Kostohryz
In August 2007 I had the fortune to visit the Frydek-Mistek area of the
Czech Republic. Martin Pytr met us there and served as our guide over two
days. He brought us to an area of the city where my grandmother's family
lived including locating a house where the family once lived. He also took
us to a Museum dedicated to the emigration of Czech families to Texas.
Subsequently he also provided research into the family of one of my great
grandfather's brothers than provided a valuable piece that was missing from
my family tree. It was pleasure working with him.
I included a picture that we took when we were there.
Kennan Zishka
