If your ancestors emigrated to America from the Czech lands in the second half of the 19th century, records of their emigration might exist in the local archives, in particular for those who left later.
For example, here are Silesian applications for foreign emigration 1877-1879.
Here are Silesian applications for foreign emigration 1880-1881.
Here are Silesian applications for foreign emigration for 1889.
Several years ago, my cousin went to the archives and looked at these records. He found my great great great uncle Jan Šumbera’s emigration records and photographed them. There was a file for each of the emigrants with several pieces of paper. For Jan there were about 6. Here are some of them:
It seems like the sum total for 8 persons to travel to America was 8,000 fr. I wonder how much that would be converted to today’s dollars. I also wonder if we can use this document to determine more about the trip itself: how long was it exactly, what exact route did they take, etc.
Here they are listed as going to Amerika /: Texas :/ – those funny brackets with colons are like parenthesis in old records.
Look how detailed of a record this is, giving the exact names and birth dates for all family members, including the wife’s maiden name.
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Finding aid’s title:
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ZEMSKÁ VLÁDA SLEZSKÁ V OPAVĚ (1747)1850 – 1928
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Finding aid’s No.:
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43
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NAD sheet No.:
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1192
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Chapter:
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Inventory Number:
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1054
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Signature:
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23
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Date range:
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1877-1879
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Type of registration unit:
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karton
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Registration unit No.:
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238
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Content:
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Povolování vystěhovalectví do ciziny, propouštění ze svazku rakousko-uherské monarchie.
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Finding aid’s title:
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ZEMSKÁ VLÁDA SLEZSKÁ V OPAVĚ (1747)1850 – 1928
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Finding aid’s No.:
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43
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NAD sheet No.:
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1192
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Chapter:
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Inventory Number:
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1054
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Signature:
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23
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Date range:
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1880-1881
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Type of registration unit:
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karton
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Registration unit No.:
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239
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Content:
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Povolování vystěhovalectví do ciziny, propouštění ze svazku rakousko-uherské monarchie.
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Finding aid’s title:
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ZEMSKÁ VLÁDA SLEZSKÁ V OPAVĚ (1747)1850 – 1928
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Finding aid’s No.:
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43
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NAD sheet No.:
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1192
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Chapter:
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Inventory Number:
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1054
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Signature:
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23
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Date range:
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1889
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Type of registration unit:
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karton
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Registration unit No.:
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245
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Content:
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Povolování vystěhovalectví do ciziny, propouštění ze svazku rakousko-uherské monarchie.
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My cousin also transcribed all of the surnames for emigrants for these three record sets. Since he was transcribing from German, and not all of the surnames were familiar, he warns that his transcriptions are not perfect. Also, be aware that this includes people who lived squarely in Moravia. Why did they apply in the Silesian office? Who knows.
My own ancestors were from Velké Kunčice, a village which essentially was razed to make way for the steel mill expansions and mining industry. Jan’s younger brother, my third great granda Ludvig Šumbera, worked in the Vítkovice Steel Mill as a steel melter and pourer. He suffered from a severe burn on his leg when molten metal accidentally spilled on him. His knee was badly scarred and he walked with a limp for the rest of his life.
I have an antique art deco clock which makes me think of him. Apparently one of his hobbies was tinkering with clocks. He had one in every room which he wound every Sunday, and according to his granddaughter, Elsie Stavinoha, “they had better be synchronized with the others.” There are so few of these kinds of details about my Czech ancestors. I treasure these details. Whether or not he owned the antique clock which I inherited, or if he even had the chance to see it ever, I am sure he would have appreciated it. It belonged to his other granddaughter, my great grandma Betty. My dad remembers it chiming in her house. She married my great grandpa Vašíček in 1919. Grandpa Šumbera died in 1927. It is possible, then, that he saw the clock, which makes me smile.
Are any of your ancestors on these lists? Do you want to acquire the actual record? Let’s talk, because I know how to get them!
Here are those indexes:
1877-1879 Silesian Emigrant Surname Index
1 Schitenhelm
2 Schaffer
3 Zimmer
4 Hermman
5 Schwenda
6 Beck
7 Bluhdorn
8 Spiller
9 Beitz
10 Hubner
11 Sennenberg
12 Felkel
13 Pachonik
14 Mattern
15 Draese
16 Mildner
17 Klament
18 Gobel
19 Kandler
20 Rotner
21 Wagner
22 Groger
23 Hackenberg
24 Schmidt
25 Lovy
26 Leyen
27 Muller
28 Klein
29 Prais
30 Singer
31 Hurtig
32 Weidner
33 Scholz
34 Wagner
35 Kauf
36 Nitsche
37 Konig
38 Bayer
39 Pflegen
40 Reichel
41 Schindler
42 Vietz
43 Skumovitz
44 Richter
45 Ziebolz
46 Ludvig
47 Knothe
48 Spentlich
49 Hubnich
50 Pohl
51 Blasche
52 Streit
53 Pejkart
54 Weckie
55 Zelder
56 Schindt
57 Ficley
58 Heinzl
59 Handel
60 Rutkovski
61 Melzer
62 Fessarek
63 Kenker
64 Schnidt
65 Schalz
66 Kraus
67 Meier
68 Peinelt
69 Karplus
70 Kiezlich
71 Wnzelik
72 Heinrich
73 Ertel
74 Seidel
75 Langnickel
76 Wladarsch
77 Kohn
78 Krais
79 Weis
80 Ribbert
81 Kanta
82 Zimmerman
83 Amster
84 Ziedler
85 Heissig
86 Spenlich
87 Gurlich
88 Krisch
89 Felkel
90 Reimelt
91 Jakob
92 Schnaider
93 Roth
94 Lauger
95 Hanke
96 Bannert
97 Kandler
98 Springer
99 Pilzer
100 Danetzky
101 Lienert
102 Kzal
103 Schwanke
104 Wiedman
105 Reichel
106 Lauchert
107 Grosss
108 Heissig
109 Pilzer
110 Wiesner
111 Schmiedt
112 Jarisch
113 Domofsky
114 Feichmann
115 Brodkors
116 Atzler
117 Zimmer
118 Seifert
119 Schindler
120 Heissig
121 Spiller
122 Heinke
123 Klaz
124 Gorlich
125 Schifller
126 Schumbera
127 Stanzel
128 Schmidt
129 Jorge
130 Hermann
131 Zelder
132 Moser
133 Schwanke
134 Soltner
135 Menzel
136 Atzler
137 Hampel
138 Stefan
139 Simon
140 Schwanke
1880-1881 Silesian Emigrant Surname Index
1 Kalus
2 Fischer
3 Kunisch
4 Moritz Niessner
Bílovec
5 Rindt
6 Lowy
7 Thiel
8 Szymurda
9 Reh
10 Franke
11 Hanke
12 Klein
13 Hermann
14 Krupa
15 Kirchner
16 Kruper
17 Badjura
18 Magerle
19 Mrowetz
Jablunkov
20 Hannak
21 Hanke
22 Ivan
23 Šumny
24 Kavala
25 Worm Nitsche
26 Ausnitza
27 Wolke
28 Bohm
29 Schenk
30 Heinz
31 Dvorsky
32 Neuwirth
33 Ohnhauser
34 Worm Nitsche
35 Wujtek
36 Jedlicka
37 Franke
38 Ronge
39 Kirsch
40 Keilish
41 Keilish
42 Nertwig
43 Neugebauer
44 Ludwig
Raskovice
45 Peter
46 Specht
47 Sommer
48 Mitsche
49 Kudel
50 Witwig
51 Ditrich
52 Branner
53 Teschner
54 Hluchy
55 Wujtek
56 Hlubek
57 Kupka
58 Blasch
59 Beilner
60 Holubek
61 Holik
62 Oschanetz
63 Weiss
64 Gellnar
65 Jagenndorfer
66 Lux
67 Pilzer
Mahr.Ostrau
68 Chlupaty
69 Bohm
70 Kitzl
71 Kuffel
72 Ronge
73 Schromm
74 Schmidt
Tyra
75 Stanikovsky
76 Glater
77 Valter
78 Heinzel
79 Schiessel
80 Galistal
81 Sedlacek
82 Dvorsky
83 Suchanek
84 Ertel
85 Gelner
86 Banke
87 Hosse
88 Pesche
89 Veidlich
Mahr. Ostrau
90 Pawlorek
91 Deschel
92 Gubel
93 Paul
94 Meier
95 Streit
Mistek
96 Ripper
97 Klein
Frydek
98 Czapla
99 Thienel
100 Siegel
101 Jurger
102 Grossman
103 Ehler
104 Galganek
105 Olbrich
106 Schenk
107 Weiser
108 Krauer
109 Streit
110 Kuntschik
111 Kohn
112 Bathelt
113 Blaschke
114 Seiber
115 Ehler
116 Geppert
117 Ohnheiser
118 Sovak
119 Fiebnich
120 Grossman
121 Sommer
122 Zimmer
123 Schenk
124 Kanzler
1889 Silesian Emigrant Surname Index
1 Wenner
2 Hans
3 Korbel
4 Exner
5 Peschke
6 Folwarčný
7 Kral
8 Kolbe
9 Reichel
10 Dvořák
11 Adamski
12 Piatke
13 Stokl
14 Schliske
15 Englisch
16 Hasse
17 Kubisch
18 Dathiewitz
19 Pfleger
20 Fietz
21 Baller
22 Elner
23 Dostal
24 Lossman
25 Geisler
26 Stein
27 Klimek
28 Schalisch
29 Rosenberg
30 Bratfeld
31 Togel
32 Hein
33 Protzner
34 Nikmann
35 Havliček
36 Fischer
37 Rothe
38 Martinek