I live in Lincoln, Nebraska, USA, where I have spent many years researching my family's history. My primary family lines include the Vonásek, Svoboda, Heble/Hybl, Husa, Fitl, Krikava, Sikyta, Zítek, Juříček, Pacovský, Zaloma, Hošek, and Šístek families.  

DNA testing has helped confirm what years of traditional genealogical research suggested…that my ancestors trace their roots to Central Europe; Austria, Bohemia, Moravia, Bavaria, Germanic Europe, Sweden, and a bit of Eastern Europe. The bullseye location for my direct ancestors being the Plzeň (Pilsen) Region of modern Czech Republic. Like so many immigrants, they made the courageous, life-changing decision to leave everything they knew in search of a better future in America. Most eventually settled in southeastern Nebraska, establishing roots in communities such as Crab Orchard, Sterling, Filley, Virginia, Liberty, Odell, Barneston, Wymore, Blue Springs, Wilber, Crete, Beatrice, and Lincoln. I have been to the Czech Republic and visited many of my ancestral villages and, astonishingly, have found quite a few ancestral homes still intact.

One of my greatest regrets in life is not asking more questions of my relatives while they were still living. At the time, I never realized how precious their memories and stories would become. Some of those stories remain vivid, others have faded, and a few have undoubtedly changed (in my mind) through the passage of time. If there is one piece of advice I can offer, it is this: record your family's stories. Whether they seem ordinary or extraordinary, write them down, preserve old photographs, label them, and capture names, dates, and places. Someday those seemingly small details will become priceless treasures for future generations. Today, I manage the 'Vonasek Family' trees on both Ancestry and MyHeritage. My goal is to preserve as complete and accurate a family record as possible so that my children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and generations yet to come will know who they are, where they came from, and appreciate the sacrifices and accomplishments of those who came before them.

I am deeply grateful to the countless volunteers on Find a Grave whose tireless dedication has transformed genealogical research and ensured that those who came before us are never forgotten. By documenting burial sites, photographing headstones, preserving cemetery records, and sharing historical information, these volunteers have given names, faces, and stories back to generations that might otherwise have been lost to time. Their selfless contributions, along with the preservation of historical documents, photographs, and local histories, have become an invaluable resource for researchers around the world.

Resources such as the Ancestry.com & Findagrave.com partnership along with Newspapers.com have revolutionized family history research, making it possible to uncover new discoveries, verify family connections, and piece together the lives of our ancestors with a level of detail that previous generations could scarcely have imagined. Every photograph uploaded, every memorial created, every obituary preserved, and every record transcribed represents another thread woven into the rich tapestry of our shared history, ensuring that the lives and legacies of those who came before us continue to be remembered and appreciated by future generations. Genealogy is a journey without a finish line…there is always another story to uncover, another mystery to solve, and another ancestor waiting to be remembered. 

I have been privileged in the ability to contribute to Find a Grave by creating and maintaining memorials, photographing gravestones, adding historical/documented information, and helping preserve the stories of those who came before us (relatives and non-relatives alike). I have also been engaged in the cleaning, preserving, lifting, and straightening of gravestones…work that is both physically demanding and deeply rewarding, ensuring these lasting memorials endure for future generations. I hope you'll join me, however you can, in preserving our families' histories…together, we can ensure that the lives, stories, and legacies of those who came before us are never forgotten.

Finally, I gladly authorize anyone to use my photographs and contributions for any purpose that helps preserve, share, and celebrate our collective family heritage. 

~Maurice Vonásek