Hungary, Jewish Vital Records Index - FamilySearch Historical Records

Hungary

What is in This Collection?
This collection consists of vital records of Jewish individuals in Hungary for the years 1800 to 1945. The original records are held in county archives under the direction of the National Archives of Hungary [Országos Leveltár] in Budapest. Records that are not part of this collection may be accessible for research by correspondence, or researchers can get permission to research the records in person at the archives.

Beginning in 1788, Jews were required to keep records of births, marriages, and deaths in German under Catholic supervision. Because these records were required for conscription and taxation purposes, Jews often evaded registration. The law was reemphasized several times during the early 1800s. Most Jewish communities did not actually start keeping records until the practice was again codified into law in 1840. In 1885, the Hungarian Royal Ministry of Cults required Jewish vital births, marriages, and deaths to be recorded in vital registers that included several congregations in a sub-district rather than in registers for each individual congregation. Exceptions were allowed when individual congregations paid to have their own registrar. With the beginning of civil registration in 1895, Jewish registers ceased to be official state documents.

Some of the earliest Jewish records have not been preserved and, in many cases, have missing years. Often only the transcripts remain, and the originals are unaccounted for.

Reading These Records
These records are in Hungarian. For help reading the records see the following guides:
 * Hungary Genealogical Word List
 * Hungary Language and Languages

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Birth 
 * Child’s name
 * Date of birth
 * Gender
 * Legitimacy
 * Father’s name, occupation, and place of birth
 * Mother’s name, maiden name, and place of birth
 * Parents’ residence
 * Child’s place of birth
 * Midwife’s name
 * For a boy, date of circumcision and the officiating rabbi
 * For a girl, date of naming
 * Witnesses’ names
 * Death date of infants who died in the year of birth

Marriage 
 * Groom’s name, occupation, and place of birth
 * Names of the groom’s parents and their residence
 * Groom’s residence, age, and previous marital status
 * Bride’s name and place of birth
 * Names of the bride’s parents and their residence
 * Bride’s residence, age, and marital status
 * Date and place of the marriage
 * Proclamations, witnesses’ names, and the officiating rabbi’s name

Death 
 * Deceased’s name, occupation, place of birth, gender, status, and age
 * Cause of death
 * Date and place of death
 * Date and place of burial
 * Parents’ names and occupations

Collection Content
These records contains birth, marriage, and death records. Birth records are the most common in the collection, making up about half of the total records, followed by death records, with marriage records making up the smallest portion of the collection.

Digital Folder Number List
This table describes the content of the microfilm and digital folders that make up this collection. The link in the Catalog column is to the FamilySearch Catalog record for that film where more information may be available.

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * Your ancestor's given name and surname
 * approximate time range for the desired 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?

 * Make sure to fully transcribe and cite the index entry for future reference; see below for assistance in citing this collection
 * Look at the microfilm of the original record, if possible. The online index entry lists the most basic identifying information of an individual; the original record may contain additional information which was not included in the index. Save or print a copy of the image if possible
 * Use the information which has been discovered to find more. For instance, use the age listed in the record to estimate a year of birth, if that is yet undetermined
 * Continue to search the index to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives. Note that family members often appear on an individual's vital records, such as in the role of witnesses to a marriage

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

 * The index entry might be inaccurate.
 * When looking for a person with a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which individual is correct. Use other information, such as place of birth, age, occupation, or names of parents, to determine which candidate is the correct person. If listed, a personal title may be a clue to property ownership or occupation, either of which might be noted in other records
 * Check for variants of given names and surnames. An individual might appear under a different name in a record for a variety of reasons:
 * An individual might have been listed under a middle name, nickname, or abbreviation of their given name
 * Spelling was not standardized for much of the period of this collection, so names were often spelled as they were pronounced. Pay attention to how the name should have been pronounced and try spelling variations that could have that pronunciation
 * It was not uncommon for a woman to revert to her maiden name after the death of her husband
 * Vary the search terms. For example, search by either the given name or surname to return broader list of possible candidates which can then be examined for matches Alternatively, try expanding the date range; this is especially useful in searching baptismal records, as it was not unusual for a child to be baptized weeks or even months after birth

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.