I have done a great deal of thinking about my Czech ancestors. I often wish I could just ask them the many questions I have about their lives, not just questions of identity (Veronika Lidiak, can you please tell me who is the father of my illegitimate third great grandmother?), but questions of their personalities,…
Category: questions
What did my emigrant ancestors think when they saw Prague for the first (and probably only) time?
As I leave Moravia for the first time, of course I have had many thoughts about what it must have felt like for my ancestors as they left. Many, if not most, of them never had the opportunity to return home and ever again see this place, and more importantly, their family and friends who…
My Czechs were all Catholic…
…but what if they weren’t? What if before they were Catholics they were Hussites? The more I learn about the history of Protestantism in the Czech lands, the more I realize how little I know. What if some of them were Jews? I don’t know of any, but the more I learn about the history…
Ultimogeniture
Apparently Czechs practiced ultimogeniture, which is “the tradition of inheritance by the last-born of the entirety of, or a privileged position in, a parent’s wealth, estate or office” according to Wikipedia. So, before the laws passed allowing land to be subdivided (circa ~1850), the youngest son would inherit the father’s house. I wonder if this pertains…
What does the Grave’s Location in a Catholic Cemetery Mean?
I knew that 19th-mid 20th century Catholic cemeteries (and perhaps some modern ones too?) had stringent rules about who was allowed to be buried there. My friend from West, Texas (a predominately Czech community) pointed out something to me that was really interesting. In her own words: As I have traversed through many cemeteries over…
Can you get Czech Records that have not been digitized but are old enough to be made publicly available?
My Czech cousin answered a question I have had for a very, very long time. I thought it would be good to post this for others who may be wondering the same thing. Privacy laws in the Czech Republic limit public viewing of records to those older than 100 years for birth records, older than 75…
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…
Can Catholics be Odd Fellows?
Yeah, I know some Catholics who are odd fellows, but can they be Odd Fellows? 😉I tried to research this online, but was not coming up with very many conclusive answers, so I decided to post my question on the Transitional Genealogists Forum. This forum is a place where professional genealogists and those en route to becoming…
Texas Immigration Agents Records: Do they exist, and if so where to start?
The 30 September 1887 newspaper “the Galveston Daily News” contains the only known passenger list for a group of incoming Texas immigrants, the majority of whom were German and Czech. (located here, page 8). The arrival manifests were destroyed in the 1900 hurricane in Galveston. The Bremerhaven-Bremen departure lists only exist for the years 1920-1939 (accessible…