Montenegro Letter Writing Guide

Introduction
In order to get genealogical information from Montenegro, it is necessary to determine where the records you need are located. To do this you first write to the archive to inquire where the records are. After receiving a reply you send a letter to the address given to you by the archive. It may be possible for you to get information by writing. However, you can expect to wait several months for a reply and it is also quite possible, that you will not receive an answer.

Following are two sample letters to guide you in writing genealogical inquiries. Type or clearly print your letter using these sample letters as a guide.

Use Sample letter A as a guide to write a letter asking where the records are located. Include two International Reply Coupons in your letter to cover their postage costs in answering you. You can obtain International Reply Coupons at your post office. The answer should include the address of the archive or registry office where the records you need are located.

Upon receiving the needed address, use Sample letter B to write a letter to the place where the records are kept. Again include two International Reply Coupons.

Please note the following when writing your letters:

Dates
Write dates in day-month-year order. For example: ''12. aprila 1844 / oko [about] 1844''. The names of months are not capitalized. The months in the possessive form used in writing dates are:

januara, februara, marta, aprila, maja, juna, jula, avgusta, septembra, oktobra, novembra, decembra.

Sample Letter A
Državni arhiv Crne Gore Novice Cerovića 2 81250 Cetinje MONTENEGRO

Dragi Gospodine/Gospodjo! Moj predak je rodjen [rodjena if the ancestor was a female] u Crnoj Gori. Ime: Datum rodjenja: Rodno mesto: Vera: Želio bih da saznam podatke o njegovom (njezinom if the ancestor was a female) datumu rodjenja i venčanja. Takodje bih želio da saznam podatke o roditeljima moga predka. Molim Vas možete li mi napisati gde mogu da dobijem spomenute informacije? Uz pozdrav і poštovanje,

Translation of Sample Letter A
Dear Sir/Madame: My ancestor was born in (NAME OF REPUBLIC OR AUTONOMOUS PROVINCE). Name: Birthdate: Birthplace: Religion: I would like information about his (her) dates of birth and marriage. Also, I would like information about the parents of my ancestor. Please, could you inform me as to where I can obtain the requested information? Respectfully yours,