Czechia Getting Started

Step 1: Gather Information
Begin with family and home sources. Look for names, dates, and places on certificates, family Bibles, obituaries, diaries, and similar sources. Ask your relatives for any additional information they may have. It's likely that your second cousin, great-aunt, or other relative already has some family information. Organize the information you find, and record it on pedigree charts and family group records.

Step 2: Determine Key Information
There are four pieces of information you should know about an ancestor:


 * Actual name
 * Date of birth, marriage, and death
 * Place of origin
 * Religious affiliation

In the Czech Republic, most records used in family history research are kept on a town or parish level. Therefore, the exact place of origin must be known before research in Czech records can begin.

Step 3: Set a Research Goal
Select a specific relative or ancestor born in the Czech Republic for whom you know at least a name, the village or parish where he or she lived in the Czech Republic, and an approximate date when he or she lived there. Decide what you want to learn about this ancestor or about his family. It is also very helpful to know the names of other family members born in the Czech Republic, and their religious affiliation.

As you look over your Family Group Records or Pedigree Charts, ask yourself “What do I want to find next?” Common goals might be:


 * The last person on a specific line of your Pedigree Chart.
 * A missing parent on the Family Group Sheet.
 * A gap between the birth years of the children on a Family Group Record (a wide enough gap that there may be missing children in between siblings).
 * Finding the last children of the parents (during the Mothers’ child bearing years).
 * To find the birth date and place for an individual listed on the Family Group Record without one.
 * Locating the marriage date and place for the parents on a Family Group Record.

You may want to ask an experienced researcher to help you select a goal that you can achieve.

What's Next?
After you have gathered information, determined what you need to know and set a research goal, you can start searching in birth, marriage and death records. Use the following links to learn how to begin using Czech records and tips about Czech research: