I started blogging about my ancestors in a different, new blog. Czech it out here:http://czechoutmyancestors.blogspot.com/ But…the transcription that follows is for my ancestor. So why did I put it here? Well…I know exactly what it feels like to be without resources to learn how to transcribe and translate Czech Land Records into English. I want…
Month: June 2016
The Anna Perašek Village of Origin Problem: Mary Golka/Golík
I really feel for anybody who is struggling to trace their Moravian Czech ancestors to a village of origin. I especially feel for anybody who has dealt with what I call the “Anna Perašek” problem, after a woman who has eluded me for years. To qualify for the “Anna Perašek” problem, your ancestor must do…
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…
First Pass on first few paragraphs Transcription of Purchase Contract of Anton Hruby
Tonight I didn’t work on my Krczmarsky problem, as my friend Lukas emailed me an extensive theory about why it might be possible that Michel is the father of my Joseph, and I haven’t yet been able to find enough time to respond yet to him. More on that interesting problem in forthcoming blog posts. So,…
Scan for the Person
Here’s a handy tip that you might have known already, but I thought it was worth sharing. It can be really tempting to just scan the pages for the house number, especially when the clerk had extremely scribbly handwriting. I find that this is more common in the 1830’s-1880’s. Surprisingly, the further back you go…
Archdiocesan Archives in Wroclaw
Well, it’s official: we are taking 1 or 2 days to go to Poland and try to find the records in the Archdiocesan Archives in Wroclaw. I called the LDS missionaries and arranged for them to be translators for us. I hope that works out, and that we find something! If not, we will have…
Will I find answers to my Czech question in Poland?
Danny and I will go to the Czech Republic for the first time ever in a little less than a month. I’m very excited, and of course I’m trying to plan my trip in a way that lets me also do genealogical research! Although, I’m starting to think that I might need to return to…
Book Review: “Deciphering Handwriting in German Documents” by Roger P. Minert
This is an excellent book for anybody who is researching family who lived somewhere that was influenced by any iteration of German rule. So, basically almost all of Europe. The principles found in this book are really useful to anybody who studies archaic paleography of any kind. Minert takes the reader through a concise history…