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 written in Hungarian. For help reading them see:
 * 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?

 * 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

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

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

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

Hungria, Índice de Registros Vitais Judaicos (Históricos do FamilySearch)