Hey everybody! Today I would like to spotlight a fellow Czech Genealogist named Carl Linert. He doesn’t do social media, but is very involved in online Czech genealogy forums. He both answers and asks very pertinent questions, most notably about Czech Land Records (for example, this thread). I have come across his name dozens of time in various queries while researching my Moravian Texas Czech ancestors, and so I was thrilled when we actually struck up an email correspondence!
I asked if he would share some tips and advice with me for researching with Czech Land Records. With his permission, here is what he wrote:
“When working with the land records, I transcribe a page first, then go back and take one word at time to translate. After I have translated the words then I put them together in sentences. Sometimes have to use Google Translate to make sense of the sentences.
There have been times when I have spent a hour or more trying to figuring out one word. If I can’t figure it out then I will look at it on another day.
It is good to know the currency that is used during the time period, such as Gulden, Thaler, Kreuzer, etc. and their abbreviations.
Make a list of words that are commonly used in the records.
Keep in mind when working with the German words you will see a “h” added after a “t”, or “t” after a “d”, “ÿ” instead of “i”, “g” instead of “k”, “p” instead of “b”, “w” instead of “v”, etc.
With Czech words: chz = č, rz = ř, g = j, etc.
You may see some Latin words used usually at the end of the page refering you to another book such as “Gewährbuch” or Vormersbuch”.
Sometimes the Gewährbuch is listed at the Familysearch site.
I find the following sites helpful to me:
Czech words: http://www.slovnik.cz/
German words: http://dict.leo.org/
Latin words: http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.
Finding German words that don’t exist in modern dictionaries:http://woerterbuchnetz.de/DWB/“
Finding German words that don’t exist in modern dictionaries:http://woerterbuchnetz.de/DWB/“
Thank you so much, Carl! I know this information will be useful to others with Czech ancestors who want to start delving into the land records, because it has already helped me do the same!