If your ancestors originally came from Bohemia, Moravia, or Silesia (the three regions of the Czech Republic), and you're working on your family tree and/or considering a trip to the Czech Republic to do genealogical research "in the field", this web site will help you understand the various records that are preserved within the 100+ State-run archives. We're excited to share nearly 20 years of experience doing family history research in the Czech archives. We describe various documents that were collected throughout the Czech lands and provide tips on how to navigate through the archives, both in person and online.
Learn more about the project: A Genealogist's Guide to the Archives of the Czech Republic.
Births typically occurred at home. During the actual birth, the woman's mother or mother-in-law was present. In many cases, the baby arrived long before the midwife could be summoned. It was
...With growing international economic activity in the mid-1800s, the Austrian authorities recognized the need for comprehensive demographic and economic data. Based loosely on the recommendations
...Each town hall kept a "Register of citizens", which listed all individuals with the right of domicile in that community. These registers were recorded either in a book or on index cards. The
...The Grundbuchblätter Diverse: Böhmen, Mähren, Schlesien are the basic service sheets for Austrian army personnel from Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia. Data shown includes year of birth, place of
...Based on a provision made during the Council of Trent (1545 – 1563), the Catholic church started to maintain not only registers of births, marriages, deaths, and confirmations but also
...The most important event in the life of our ancestors has always been the wedding. The success of the individual farming enterprise depended heavily upon the character, personal qualities, and
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Before a wedding, the betrothed pair and their witnesses were interviewed and, during this talk, a protocol about the examination of sponsors (examinis antematrimonialis
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The announcement of wedding banns were required before a couple could be married. For this purpose, the promulgation books (liber promulgationum sponsorum, liber publicationum, liber
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The sacrament of confirmation (acceptence of the Holy Ghost) was conferred upon adolescents to mark their growth in maturity in their Christian life. Confirmation was administered by
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Before the start of the Thirty Years' War in 1618, only about 15 % of Bohemians and a third of Moravians were Catholic. When Protestantism was outlawed in the Renewed Land Ordinance issued
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