Hi list, I just had to join in on this conversation. I live very near 2 totally Czech communities, Protivin and Spillville in Iowa. There are a number of "old" Czech cooks here that make kolaches on a regular basis, especially at Christmas time. Although I am Norwegian, Swedish and English by birth, my husband's ancestory(Czech and German) has rubbed off on me through the years, and I too now make kolaches. They are very good and we fill them with prune, poppyseed, and apricot filling. Some of the ladies have started filling them with cherry filling also. I have the recipe for them from one of these "old" Czech cooks. If anyone would like it, let me know. I also have a book written by Cyril M. KLIMESH called "They Came To This Place. A History Of Spillville, Iowa and It's Czech Settlers". He details the events leading up to and after the settlement of Spillville. I have found by reading it, that not all of the people mentioned in it are indexed in the back, but I am willing to do lookups in it if anyone thinks their ancestors may have come to Iowa. Laurie Researching: Bohemia: TUPY, MZIK, C(Y)ZAR, KRUCEK, NOVOTNY Germany: BIGALK, KAPLER England: MANUEL, MINERS, LAVIN, KEW, CASTERTON, OGDEN Sweden: SANDERS Norway: GRINIGER