Croatia, Church Books - FamilySearch Historical Records

Croatia

What is in This Collection?
This collection includes baptismal, marriage, and burial records from different churches in Croatia, such as Roman Catholic, Serbian Orthodox, Jewish, and Military congregations, for the years 1516-1994. It also includes vital records of Jews and some early civil registration of the Napoleonic period.

This collection dates to a period when Croatia was not yet an independent country, so it includes records created under governments of different countries, such as Hungary and the former Yugoslavia. A patent, ruled by Emperor Joseph II in 1784, mandated the inclusion of certain sections in all parish record books maintained by the clergy. These register records were later used also as civil vital records. As of 1868, the Ministry of Internal Affairs took over the right to supervise the maintenance of these records. This collection contains records from the following denominations and civil units:


 * Civil (Građanski)
 * Evangelical (Evangelička crkva)
 * Greek Catholic (Grkokatolička crkva)
 * Jewish (Židovska)


 * Military (Vojni)
 * Orthodox (Pravoslavna crkva)
 * Reformed Christian (Reformska crkva)
 * Roman Catholic (Rimokatolička crkva)

Reading these Records
These records are written in Croatian. For help reading them see:
 * Croatia Languages
 * Serbo-Croatian Genealogical Word List

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The information in these records usually include the following:

Birth
 * Date and place of baptism
 * Name of infant
 * Gender and date of birth
 * Legitimacy
 * Religion
 * Parents' names, residence, and place of origin
 * Names of witnesses or godparents

Marriage
 * Date and place of the event
 * Names of the bride and groom
 * Their civil statuses (widowed, single, divorced) at the time of the event
 * Places of origin and residence of the bride and groom
 * Names of parents
 * Name of witnesses

Burial
 * Place and date of the event
 * Place and date of death
 * Name of the principal (deceased)
 * Civil status of principal at time of death
 * Civil status and name of spouse, if married at time of death
 * Parents' names
 * Sometimes, place of burial

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching, it is best to know the following information:
 * Name of the person
 * Year of the record

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?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * If available, check the image for additional information
 * Analyze the entry to see if it provides additional clues to find other records of the person or their family
 * Record entries for other people with the same surname to identify possible relationships

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

 * The person may be recorded with an abbreviated or variant form of their name
 * Try searching by surname only
 * Remember that spelling was generally not standardized until the early part of the 20th century

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in Croatia.
 * Record Finder
 * Croatia 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.

Croacia, registros parroquiales (Registros históricos de FamilySearch) Croácia, Livros da Igreja (Registros Históricos do FamilySearch)