Hungary Funeral Notices - FamilySearch Historical Records

Hungary

What is in This Collection?
This Collection will include records from 1840 to 1990.

These are printed funeral notices gathered by the National Library of Hungary. About 30% of the records pertain to Budapest and the rest are from other places in Hungary. The collection includes approximately 459,000 individual cards printed in a variety of styles, sometimes on colored paper and generally with a black border. A small percentage are handwritten on printed forms. These records are in Hungarian. The cards are arranged alphabetically by family name and then by given name.

Notices were printed and distributed to family members and friends. Over time they were either collected by someone and donated to the National Szechenyi Library in Budapest or were collected by the Library itself.

These notices represent only a fraction of Hungarians who died during the inclusive years, primarily those from well-to-do, middle-class families and lesser nobility. Some of these notices are from areas no longer in Hungary (Slovakia, Croatia, Romania). There are approximately 459,000 people represented in these cards.

For an alphabetical list of records currently published in this collection, select the Browse link from the collection landing page.

Notices were used to notify family and friends of a death and also served as an invitation to attend the funeral sermon. Generally, these were composed from information provided by close family members. Therefore, the information is fairly reliable.

Reading These Records
These records are written in Hungarian, German, and French. For help in reading these records see the following guides:
 * Hungary Genealogical Word List
 * Hungary Language and Languages
 * German Language and Languages
 * German Genealogical Word List
 * Germany Handwriting
 * France Language and Languages
 * French Genealogical Word List
 * French Handwriting
 * Script Tutorial for French
 * FamilySearch Learning Center videos:
 * Reading German Handwritten Records
 * Reading French Handwritten Records

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:
 * Full name of deceased
 * Age of deceased
 * Date and place of death
 * Major accomplishments of deceased
 * Funeral and burial details
 * Memorial service details
 * Date and place of publication of death notice

Sample Image
Hungarian memorial cards may contain the following information.

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * Name of the person
 * Approximate date of the event

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the 


 * 1) Select Surname letter
 * 2) Select Beginning name to view the images.

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.

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

 * Use the information found in the death notices to obtain the name of the deceased, the date and time of death
 * Sometimes you will learn the age of the deceased, permitting you to approximate the date of birth
 * Use the information to find other records such as birth, christening, marriage, census, land and probate records
 * Use the information to find additional family members

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

 * Try viewing the original record to see if there were errors in the transcription of the name, age, residence, etc. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name
 * Collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you identify possible relations that can be verified by records
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby locality in an area search
 * Standard spelling of names typically did not exist during the periods our ancestors lived in. Try variations of your ancestor’s name while searching the index or browsing through images

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in Hungary.
 * Record Finder
 * Research Tips and Strategies

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.