Hungary, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Records

 * Magyar Katolikus Egyházi Keresztelési Anyakönyvek
 * Ungarn, Katholische Kirchenbücher

Record Description
This collection will include records from 1636 to 1895.

The text of these records varies between Latin, Hungarian, and German. Earlier records hold less information than more contemporary records.

Roman Catholic parishes were first required to keep church registers in 1563 by order of the Council of Trent. Unfortunately, most of Hungary was under Turkish rule at that time and was unable to comply. Only a few Franciscan registers exist from the Turkish period, and these start in the 1660s. Most Catholic records begin shortly after the Turks departed in 1686. Prior to 1781, all vital records were kept by the Roman Catholic Church; after 1781, you must know the religious affiliation of your ancestors to find their records. Church records are the property of the state and are stored in the archives of the various Hungarian counties of the National Archives of Hungary [Országos Leveltár] in Budapest.

Church registers were created to record the baptism, marriage, and death in the parishioner’s life. Before 1781, the Roman Catholic Church was charged with keeping records for individuals from all religions, including the Jews.

Church records were official records and are some of the most reliable sources of information available for genealogical research in Hungary.

Record Content
Baptism records found in this collection generally contain the following information:


 * Place and date of baptism
 * Infant’s name
 * Sometimes the birth date
 * Names of the father and mother
 * Names of godparents
 * Sometimes names of grandparents
 * Residence

Marriage records found in this collection generally contain the following information:


 * Date and place of marriage
 * Name of bride and groom
 * Age of bride and groom
 * Witnesses' names

Death records found in this collection generally contain the following information:


 * Name of deceased
 * Date and place of death
 * Cause of death
 * Spouse's name or parents' names
 * Date and place of burial

How to Use the Record
Keep in mind:


 * The information in the records is usually reliable, but depends upon the reliability of the informant.
 * Earlier records may not contain as much information as the later records.

Search the Collection
Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor.

Use the locator information found in the index (such as page, entry, or certificate number) to locate your ancestors in the records. This will help you access a specific record quickly. Remember that these indexes may contain inaccuracies such as altered spellings or misinterpretations. If the information was scanned, there may also be optical character recognition errors.

When searching the index, it is helpful to know the following:


 * The county or diocese where the birth or baptism occurred
 * The name of the person at the time of the event
 * The approximate event date
 * The event place

After you find the record, compare the information to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct person. You may need to compare the information of more than one person to make this determination.

When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. Add this new information to your records of each family.

For example:


 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth to find the family in census records.
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate church and land records.
 * The name of the officiator is a clue to their religion or area of residence in the county. However, ministers may have reported marriages performed in other counties.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.

If you are unable to find the ancestors you are looking for, try the following: 


 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames.
 * Check for a different index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties.

For Help Reading These Records
These records are in Latin,Hungarian and German. For help reading the records, see the following wiki articles:


 * Latin Genealogical Word List
 * Hungary Genealogical Word List
 * Hungary Language and Languages
 * German Word List

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Related Websites
Your Guide to Researching Hungarian Ancestors

Related Wiki Articles

 * Hungary
 * Hungary Beginning Research
 * Hungary Church Records

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Record collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records.

This collection may include information previously published in the International Genealogical Index or Vital Records Index collections