Czech Republic, Town Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Czech Republic

What is in This Collection?
This collection contains records from towns in what is now the Czech Republic from 1439-1787. The Czech territory during this time period was known as the Kingdom of Bohemia and after 1526 was integrated into the Habsburg Monarchy. This was the beginning of the Czech territory entering into the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Town records were established in the late 13th century to record a great deal of activities that were conducted in the town, such as marriages, trade, and criminal proceedings. Many new town books were created in 1849 and contained meeting minutes, financial and tax records, and other various wealth tracking documents. This collection has various town records captured in the district archive of Chrudim (Státní okresní archiv Chrudim).

Reading These Records
These records are written in Czech. For help with reading the records, see Czech Republic Languages, Czech Republic Genealogical Word List, and Czech Republic Handwriting.

Collection Content
The following information may be found in these records:

Birth Marriage
 * Birth date
 * Name at birth
 * Parents’ names
 * Parents’ residence
 * Marriage date and place
 * Spouse’s name
 * Parents’ names
 * Age

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The person's name
 * Residence
 * Approximate event year
 * Names of other family members

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?
Search the collection by image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.


 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.
 * Titles may be clues to property ownership, occupations, rank, or status within the community.
 * Continue to search records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use the estimated age to calculate a birth date.
 * Use the county code and the certificate number to obtain a copy of the original death certificate from the county.

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Check for variant spellings of the names.
 * Look for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume. In addition local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records.
 * Search the records of nearby localities (or military unties, counties, parishes, etc.).

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the Czech Republic.


 * Record Finder
 * Research Tips and Strategies

Related FamilySearch Historical Records Collections

 * Czech Republic Land Records
 * Czech Republic Censuses and Inhabitant Registers

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.