Reading Records I Can't Actually Read: Exploring Czech Church Records
I thought it would be fitting, for my first real blog post, to go back to the family that really kicked off my interest in genealogy. These notes are actually from research I did over a year ago. Going forward, this blog will be a mix of discoveries both old and new.
For anyone who has done research on relatives from the Czech Republic, you should already know about the treasure trove that are the Church parish registers from the various regions. If you haven't, you may be missing out on some very valuable records!
When I started my research, I didn't know much about my great great grandmother- I knew her date of birth, time period of immigration and that she was sent here to marry the child of a man who had immigrated from the Czech Republic as well.
What I started with:
Rose (Ruzena) Chalupnik, born March 3, 1881
Immigrated to US in 1902. Has at least one sister, named Josie, and her Uncle sponsored her immigration.
Translation of her birth record as provided by a Czech genealogist, obtained in 2015:
While this doesn't give me any new information, it does a couple of good things for me.
1- it puts me in a book that I may find siblings
2- familiarizes me with the records of the region
3- initiates the feeling of connection
Where do I go from here?
I clearly speak no Czech, but does that mean that I can't use these records? Absolutely not! These records are actually very cleanly written - some regional records that I've read are incredibly difficult to decipher. Since I already have a translation of this particular record, I can use that to help me understand the format of the records. This particular book is very well organized, with it being very easy to identify the father and the mother.
There are some really great resources out there that can help the non-czech speaker read these documents.
Family Search - Czech Handwriting
Family Search Wiki- Czech Genealogical Word List
My first research technique here will be to create a log sheet for this book, noting the first find (including date, name and other pertinent information) and then begin looking through the book. The method you take to reading the record book will vary depending on the layout of the book (are all towns combined into the singular book or are they divided into sections? Is the book dedicated to just births or does it contain birth, marriage and death records?). When I began this research, I started with Ruzena, and then moved forward in time. After I had completed that, I went back to the beginning nd worked my way back to Ruzena. (You can do your research however you like! I think one thing that will become obvious the more I write is that I do jump around sometimes, especially if I hit a brick wall. (This is why documenting your research is so very important.)
From this one record book, my research log began filling up:
Zamrsk, Svitavy - Evangelical Teleci Records, R 18-7, 1874- 1884
P 52 - Vaclav, DOB 2/23/1876, parents Vaclav Chalupnik and Anna Plihalova, Damasek #2 (interesting note on the birth record, which at a glance appears to be legitimizing Vaclav?)
P 103 - Vaclav, DOB 7/11/1878, parents Vaclav Chalupnik and Anna Plihalova, Damasek #2 (nope, not a typo. Guessing if I check death records between 1876 and 1878, I will find Vaclav #1)
p 169 - Ruzena, DOB 3/3/1881, parents Vaclav Chalupnik and Anna Plihalova, Damasek #2
P 240 - Blazena, DOB 8/17/1883, parents Vaclav Chalupnik and Anna Plihalova, Pusta Rybne #80
I also found a nice index and took a couple screen shots for later reference:
I found a few other names of interest in this book that could probably lead me in the direction of other family members- such as an Anna Chalupnikova, and the last names Rompotl and Teply, which per Ruzena's birth record, were her grandmothers surnames.
What does all of this information tell me?
1- Ruzena had at least 4 siblings (I did not find Josie in this book, so there should be at least 1 more sibling, but there could be even more!)
2- The family may have moved from Damasek #2 to Pusta Rybne #80 some point between 1881 and 1883. (This will be helpful as I look for more records)
What questions am I left with?
1- When did Vaclav #1 pass away? Estimated between 1876 and 1878.
2- when did Vaclav Chalupnik and Anna Plihal get married?
3- what is the odd notation under Vaclav's birth record?
How will I proceed from here?
1- begin looking at the Teleci Evangelical record books that were right before and right after this book, starting with the births to identify any remaining siblings (including the known Josie).
2- seek out the marriage record of Vaclav Chalupnik and Anna Plihal, in the same record books
3- begin seeking the birth records for Vaclav Chalupnik and Anna Plihal.
I feel I should note:
I have advanced far beyond this family in my research, and looking back at some of my notes from a year ago makes me want to warn my former self. For one - these are some of the easiest church records I have ever read. The farther you go back, the harder it gets, and different regions all have different formats for their records. I would have done a few things differently - probably taken more notes of the related surnames that I saw, so I wouldn't have to repeat scouring the book from beginning to end. But alas, the past is past and now I've done more research and have a better grasp of the records.
So the big question that I haven't talked about yet, is where did I find these records? These records were some of the easier records to find, as they are housed on familysearch.org, but not all regions of Czechia are. There are many different ways you can go about looking for these records. For those of you just starting your research, I plan on doing another post on ways to locate your ancestors, find their records and conduct this same research. There is truly just too much for me to write about in just this one post.
I'll be back soon with more musings, discoveries and genealogy tips!
Lori
Surnames discussed: Chalupnik, Plihal, Rompotl, Teply
Regions: Damasek/ Teleci
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