The Czech word for “Estate” is Velkostatek. According to Wikipedia (as translated from Czech to English by Google translate):“The estate is the name for a farm with an area greater than 100 ha [ha = hectares. 100 hectares = ~247 acres] agricultural area. In the history of this term also denoted a feudal estate . In the Middle Ages, and especially in the early modern…
Category: History
die hausbücher der nürnberger zwölfbrüderstiftungen
Ever wondered what your ancestors looked like? If they were a compass needle filer, they could have looked like: I found a really interesting, really old dictionary of occupations from 1400-1500’s Germany. It’s called “die hausbücher der nürnberger zwölfbrüderstiftungen”. The best part? These are portraits of real people. How cool would it be if your…
What day of the week were your ancestors married?
I recently read a fascinating post over at one of my favorite blogs, Czech Genealogy for Beginners. You really should read the whole post, because it is quite interesting. Blanka Lednicka is the author if this blog. She wrote:If you take careful look on the wedding dates and you translate them into days, you’ll find…
Reasons why Czechs immigrated to the United States between 1850-1930
There are many reasons why Czechs decided to immigrate. The year of immigration could give you some important clues. Early immigration (1850-1900) is usually about the desire to farm and own one’s land. Serfdom and Manors existed in the Czech lands until 1848. Even after that, land ownership was restricted to certain classes. It was…
Illegitimacy in Catholic Czech Records: Different Types
If someone is born out of wedlock, they are illegitimate. But what does this mean? What is the process of legitimizing the child? And why would it be important to do so? What I have learned mostly comes from the New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia on their pages about legitimation and illegitimacy. Basically, if a child is born out…
Why I like Czech research
Genealogical research is really fun. It’s the closest I will probably ever get to time travel. It’s interesting, because I always hated my history classes in High School and college. But, as it turns out, I actually really love history as it pertains to individual people. Local history is fascinating. Studying the lives and events of…