Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl. (source: WIKIMEDIA / CC)
You can read this exclusive content thanks to the FALATH & PARTNERS law firm, which assists American people with Slovak roots in obtaining Slovak citizenship and reconnecting them with the land of their ancestors.
American singer Jon Bon Jovi is among the rare few public figures known worldwide that that wear their Slovak roots proudly on their sleeves. One could argue that American musician Dave Grohl, the former drummer of the grunge band Nirvana and now the frontman of Foo Fighters, belongs to the other group.
Actually, when he recollected his ancestry in his autobiographical memoir The Storyteller, there is no mention of his Slovak origin. Other biographies of him don't mention it either.
However, in its September 2022 quarterly journal, the Czechoslovak Genealogical Society from Minnesota was able to track his ancestors down and show that ancestry on his father's side goes back to northeastern Slovakia.
Conflicting information
David Eric Grohl was born on January 14, 1969 to the family of teacher Virginia Jean and newswriter James Harper Grohl. When he was 7, his parents divorced. He stayed with his mother, who raised him.
This fact probably influenced his lack of attention and interest in his paternal ancestors, notes Marek Rímsky in the article Slovak Origin of Dave Grohl, that was published in the journal. The author was able to put pieces together, despite Grohl's paternal ancestors giving conflicting information about their own ancestry in three US censuses.
Grohl's father was born in 1938 to the family of Alois Grohl and Ruth Bonebrake. Alois was born in the US and his parents were John and Anna Grohl.
According to the 1910 US census, John was 40 years old, came to the US in 1875 and listed Austria as his place of birth with Polish as his nationality.
However, in the 1920 census, John stated he was born in Slovakia and listed Slovak as his native language. Interestingly, he wrote that he arrived in the US in 1890. Anna listed her origin as Austria, with German as her native language.
Finally, in the 1930 census, they both listed Czechoslovakia as their country of origin, while stating that Slovak was the language spoken in their home before coming to the US. This time, John wrote that he came to the US in 1886.
John Grohl died on March 15, 1939. His death certificate states that he was born on May 20, 1868 in Germany.
Dave Grohl. (source: WIKIMEDIA / CC)
Some context necessary
The obvious question is what to make of it.
In the latter half of the 19th century and in early 20th century, specifically between 1867 and 1918, the territory of Slovakia was part of the Austro-Hungarian Emprire. This could explain why John Grohl listed Austria as his birthplace in the 1910 census.
After World War I, the Czechoslovak Republic was established in late 1918 and included the territory of Slovakia. However, in its early years the country had to fight for recognition. This fact could explain why he listed that he was born in Slovakia.
In the following years, Czechoslovakia firmly established itself on the international scene as a sovereign country. This then explains why he wrote Czechoslovakia in the 1930 census.
But what about his death certificate listing Germany as his birthplace? The day before John's death, the so-called Slovak State was established on March 14, effectively becoming a client state of Nazi Germany.
Interestingly, if it is true that he came to the US in 1875, this would mean he was six or seven years old and one of the earliest Slovak emmigrants. It was only around the turn of the century that people started to emigrate in droves from the territory of Slovakia.
Devil in the details
Grohl's surname provides another interesting connection.
In Slovakia, the surname Grohoľ is most common in the historic region of Šariš in northeastern Slovakia, especially around the UNESCO town of Bardejov. This area, among many others, flourished in the Middle Ages thanks to craftsmen and merchants invited from then German lands. The town is also close to the Polish border and throughout history it had many ties with the Polish people.
According to the article, one Ján (Slovak version of John) Grohoľ was born in Bardejov on October 29, 1868. In 1943, a note was added to his birth record that he died on March 1, 1939. However, the town of Bardejov has no record of that person's death on this particular day. The two-week difference might have been caused by miscommunication.
Another clue lies in the name Alois that John Grohl chose for his son; Alois was typical for someone born in a Slovak town, not in the countryside.
So there you have it, a brief overview of Dave Grohl's tangled Slovak roots.
Spectacular Slovakia travel guides
Orava Castle is one of the most impressive castles in Slovakia. (source: Michal Glonek)
A helping hand in the heart of Europe thanks to our Slovakia travel guide with more than 1,000 photos and hundred of tourist spots.
Our detailed travel guide to the Tatras introduces you to the whole region around the Tatra mountains, including attractions on the Polish side.
Lost in Bratislava? Impossible with our City Guide!
See some selected travel articles, podcasts, and traveller info as well as other guides dedicated to Nitra, Trenčín Region, Trnava Region and Žilina Region.
