Czech Republic, Church Books - FamilySearch Historical Records

Czech Republic

What is in This Collection?
This collection will include records from 1552 to 1981. Entries are usually arranged in chronological order and, after 1784, in a columnar format. During certain times, one book was used to list all the baptisms, marriages, and burials for all the villages in a parish for one year. At other times each village had its own section of baptisms, marriages, and burials, which were listed chronologically. Some records are on preprinted forms, and most records include indexes.

Often one parish consists of books written in all three. Records from one state regional archive (statní oblastní archive) may favor one or more languages. For example, records from Litoměřice are usually written in German or Latin. Records from Plzeň or Třeboň are usually written in Czech, German, and Latin equally.

A filmed security copy of each book is stored at each state regional archive, but because of poor film quality, some of these are unusable for research. Books from the early 1900s (even though they may have been started earlier) are still stored in local city halls or other institutions.

The edict of the Council of Trent in 1563, which mandated the creation of church books, applied to Czech congregations. Austrian Emperor Joseph II issued the Edict of Toleration on October 13, 1781, which allowed Protestants, Jews, and others to keep their own church records under the supervision of the Catholic Church. Though the Protestants were allowed to keep registers starting in 1771, they were copied into Catholic registers. In 1781, Protestants continued to keep registers under Catholic supervision.

Starting February 10, 1784, Joseph II required that all church birth entries include the full names of both parents and all grandparents, along with their towns of origin and their military conscription numbers or unique address, such as Plichtice č. 5 (č is an abbreviation for čislo, or "number"). The emperor also required that records be kept in Latin or German, though Czech was often used. Column headings, which had started around 1784 (sometimes earlier), became mandatory.

In 1790, the Austrian government (under which Czech records were kept) created a law requiring indexes to be kept. In 1802, another law was passed requiring all older matriky (church books) to be indexed. Only rarely are volumes not indexed.

Starting in 1869, the civil authorities took charge of the record-keeping of births, marriages, and deaths. However, individual churches continued to actually record these events. The official legal copy was kept by local officials when many of the clergy refused to perform Catholic rites for non-Catholics. Everyone was registered under this new system, not just those appearing in Catholic or Protestant registers. The church books cover a majority of the population.

The earliest Czech book was created in 1441 (a book of christenings from Horní Jiřetín). Books have been kept to the present, but because of privacy laws, they are available for research only through 1905.

Reading These Records
These records are written in Czech, German, or Latin. For help reading the records see the following:
 * Czech Republic Genealogical Word List
 * Czech Republic Language and Languages
 * German Word List
 * Germany Handwriting
 * Deciphering German Script 1-12 (Kurrentschrift)
 * Deciphering German Script 13-24
 * Deciphering German Script 25-36

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

Baptismal
 * Date and place child born and baptized
 * Child's name
 * Gender of child
 * Religion
 * Legitimacy
 * Parents' names, occupation and place of residence
 * Parents' legitimacy
 * Grandparents' names, occupation and place of residence

Marriage
 * Date and place of marriage and by whom married
 * Name of groom
 * Groom's age, occupation, civil status and residence
 * Groom's birth date and baptismal date
 * Groom's legitimacy
 * Groom's parents' names and residence
 * Name of bride
 * Bride's age, civil status and residence
 * Bride's birth date and baptismal date
 * Bride's legitimacy
 * Bride's parents' names and residence
 * Names of witnesses

Burial
 * Date, place and time of death
 * Name and occupation of deceased
 * Gender, age, and religion of deceased
 * Birth date of deceased
 * Cause of death
 * Burial place

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?

 * 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 in your research for your family in the Czech Republic.
 * Czechia Guided Research
 * Czech Republic Record Finder
 * Czech Republic 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.

República Checa, libros parroquiales (Registros históricos de FamilySearch) República Tcheca, Livros da Igreja (Registros Históricos do FamilySearch)