STANDING IN UNITY WITH UKRAINIANS and UKRAINIAN-AMERICANS

 PROTESTS AROUND THE WORLD.

My heart goes out to those innocent of violence.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE POLES AND THE HUNGARIANS...

JSTOR GALICIA THE POLES AND HUNGARIANS  Just want you all to know that if you can get into JSTOR through your local library (university libraries usually subscribe) you can read this paper by Bela. K. Kiraly... the two countries had a traditionally friendly relationship...

THE VALUE OF READING NAMES OF WITNESS TO MARRIAGES and EXTREME GENEALOGY: GENETEKA - USING THE POLISH GEN DATABASE for RESEARCH : GENEALOGY PRO TIP #6

THE VALUE OF READING NAMES OF WITNESS TO MARRIAGES and EXTREME GENEALOGY: GENETEKA - USING THE POLISH GEN DATABASE for RESEARCH : GENEALOGY PRO TIP #6

There are good reasons to collect information from the original source document, which you can usually link to via a scan - either directly to that document or to the archive that holds it.  

Now some of you may know I've been accused of "extreme genealogy," but it has paid off for me.

We have to be careful because of our modern concept of "godparents." Often we think this should be another married couple or at least one woman and one man who have been chosen to be there for the spiritual guidance of the child, especially if one or both of the parents are unable to do this at some time in the future.  However, this is an honorific role and many people never get any special attention from their godparents at all.  (And today in some churches the godparents can be two men or two women who may or may not be married.)

In Hungarian records you often see up to four men signing off on a marriage. In baptism you do often see a man and a woman chosen, who may or may not be married or related.

Be aware that sometimes witnesses are not people who are related at all or may have no special interest in the people involved other than that they are fellow parishioners. Some of these witnesses were simply people who were pious or at the church a lot - or people who were old and retired and could be depended on to show up.

In small villages everyone was working hard and long hours and a baptism or marriage were certainly important events because of the religious significance of them, but they might not get the attention or the expense some of us give these events now.

This was also the case in churches where recent ethnic immigrants went to get married in the United States. Even in some Catholic churches, a couple could present themselves to the priest and be married very simply - without a Mass or attendees.  (Married in the priest or minister's office - not much fanfare - in the middle of the week too!  Almost a civil marriage but for the setting, the officiant, and the blessing.)

Reading the witnesses of a marriage, look through several years of marriages at least to see if there is a repetition of names. You might ask yourself why so and I will get to that in a moment.

When you get into the 19th century records or before, you will notice that priests list their names and often have a distinctive handwriting. This is the name of the priest who performed the ceremony. Check to see if the church still exists and what it's patron saint or name is and what the history of the church is.  You may also be able to learn more about the priest and the Holy Order or Denomination he belonged to.

There may also be banns of marriage dates and notes.  It's fun to see what day of the week the marriage occurred. The notes I've read seem to be a repetition of what appears in the columns.  Look, however for words that indicate a SPECIAL DISPENSATION has been given so that the couple can marry.  This means that there was some concern that they should not be married. Some reasons for a special dispensation would be that one or both people are not in good standing with that church for some reason, such as perhaps one of them never shows up at church for services or that one of them is of a different religion, or that there is known to be or suspected to be a too close genetic relationship - such as first cousins. Generally, a special dispensation was not needed because of a wide age difference or because one of them recently lost a spouse. Sometimes if the bride was 16 or less, some consideration had to be given.  (The priest may write that the person is 15 1/2. as if he is proving they are almost 16.) I have seen some questions about the purity (celibacy) on the archival records. (!) It's true that a priest could decide he will not marry someone because they have not been virginial.  (You wonder how those illegitimate children ever got baptized.)  Another reason for the bans of marriage was to broadcast the intention in the communities of both the bride and groom in case there are objections such as that the person is already married or one of them is considered unsuitable for the purposes of marriage, such as reproducing. (Being simple might be one of those if it was the man but less so if it was the woman.)

POLISH ALPHABET PRINTED

Source Wiki

The few lines that are in the marriage or baptismal archival document, believe it or not, stand to uphold legalities such as inheritance rights.

When you see that the same men are signing off on a marriage, it's as if the elders or other important people in the community - nobles or public officials - are signing a legal document.  The marriage may have been a match with the community goals and land ownership the prime reason for the match rather than love.  (If the name is noble, you might want to research to find out if that person owns the town!)

If you find the actual signature of your ancestor as a witness on someone else's marriage(s) check to see if the handwriting is that of the priest or their very own!  That the person knows how to sign their name indicates that they are of a higher educational level than most people in that place and time though that might be the equivalent of our first grade in school. (Even nobles did not always learn to read and write since that was something a servant scribe could do.) It can be thrilling to find the actual pen and ink signature of an ancestor because they witnessed and signed off on this legal document - marriage.

Sometimes the godparents or the witnesses to a marriage also have a bit of pressure on them because the parents of the child are his or her employees and it's a way to verify financial ability to be married.

*I once saw the same couple as godparents on the repetitive illegitimate births of an unmarried woman and I could not help but think that she was a servant in their home and that the husband was probably the father and that his wife knew all about it. 

Another thing to do is to watch the house numbers. It's understood that houses as we know them today and houses that average people lived in during the 19th century and before are very different. No indoor plumbing. No running hot water. Heat provided only by the oven in the dwelling or maybe a fireplace or two. Several families or extended families and servants or workers inside - sometime in the winter with the horse, sheep, and the cow too - the body heat counted on to help them all withstand the cold. Sometimes though seeing the same house number associated with surnames does indicate relationships.

Using this method with Hungarian records, I was able to determine that before 1867 my lineage did not live in a certain village and the name of the family who had been there first.  Actually, they lived in the next village over but it took a census to determine that.

I wish you all the best of luck as you do all the right things to trace your roots. Leaps of intuition and synchronicities do happen, and some people believe also that the ancestors in the next world are ambitious for you to find them on those records.  So, say a little prayer of acknowledgement and thanks.

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This post is part of a series on the subject.  To pull all the topics up, click on the tag Pro Genealogy Tips- Galicia

BEST NEW POLISH COOKBOOK! FRESH FROM POLAND by MICHAL KORKOSZ (It's Vegetarian!)

We're not opposed to trying new recipes or other ethnicity's cuisine are we?  

Now that libraries are reopened in my area, I went wild borrowing new books.  I have a stack of fifteen from two different libraries and this old book worm is slowly making her way through them. On the new book shelf I found this cookbook and a a couple others that focus on Polish cooking.  This one is the best.

Perhaps I needed to be awakened to the possibilities of pierogi. 

 These recipes all have a little twist to them, a little update, and Pierogi with Sauerkraut, Mushrooms, and Candied Orange Zest which is suggested for the Christmas holidays but too bad that's past, is delicious. What about goat cheese, spinach, and roasted almonds as a filling?  Oh I do so want to try several of the recipes and I'm not vegetarian!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S TO MY READERS!

 Yellow Roses for Friendship.

MARISKA HARGITAY JOYFUL HEART FOUNDATION : LOVE SOMEONE YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW

JOYFUL HEART FOUNDATION   "When Mariska Hargitay started playing Oliva Benson on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, the content of the scripts, as well as the work she did to prepare for the role, opened her eyes to the staggering statistics about sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse in the United States.  She received hundreds, then thousands of letters and emails from survivors disclosing their stories of abuse, many for the first time.  She wanted to answer - really answer - those letters, to address the suffering they described, and honor acts of courage they represented.

***

Seems to me this is a good time to donate to help someone you don't even know and maybe some you do.

HEROINE OF HUNGARY

 

Apolinia Jagella

She cared for the wounded during the "Hungarian War" and came to

the United States to visit, where she was applauded, but for her it was an exile.

MULTIPLE NAMES ON BIRTH RECORDS and ETHNICITY : GENETEKA - USING THE POLISH GENEALOGY SOCIETY DATABASE for RESEARCH : GENEALOGY PRO TIP #5

MULTIPLE NAMES ON BIRTH RECORDS and ETHNICITY : GENETEKA - USING THE POLISH GENEALOGY SOCIETY DATABASE for RESEARCH : GENEALOGY PRO TIP  #5 

In the United States the typical child was given two names, a first and a middle, before their surname. In some families you might find naming has to do with honoring a father or other family member.

However, it is unusual in Old Polish/Latin records for most children who were baptized to be given two names. This is not just because a person was born humble, a peasant or poor, which may be indicated by the term 'rustic' or 'Ag' = Agriculture = a farmer.  (Not all farmers were poor.  You may have to find out if they are tenant farmers or subcontractors.)

When a Christian child reached the time to be Confirmed, they got to choose a name for themselves, which was repeated by the priest or bishop who was performing the Confirmation ritual. Old school is that this is the name a person would be called in heaven, having been a 'soldier for Christ'. In the United States Polish immigrants named their child at birth, and the child used the name they chose at Confirmation as their middle name in adulthood. (So that's why three of your aunts all took the name of their mother at Confirmation.)

Try not to get genealogy myopia by looking for Honorifics or naming patterns in your research.  Quite likely it is not a person but a saint that the parent or parents were honoring. There were saint calendars with saint name days that they could look to, in order to name their child. Much depends on the church, the order of the priests who ran it, and the place they lived, how big the population was, if it was subject to outside influences because of trade and being a market town (more cosmopolitan).  If your ancestors went to a Polish speaking Catholic church as immigrants, you may find that they were still naming a child for the saint whose day they were born on or near.

I've seen pages of children born within a few days of each other all being given the same name indicating to me that the church their parents belonged to and baptized them in was very traditional. This name they found was on the Franciscan name days calendar.  The Franciscans were originally out of Italy, and this is how there got to be so many Polish Anthony's (Antonin or Antal).

If the child is Greek Catholic, the choice of names extends to some names that are rarely used within Roman Catholic churches. (Basil, Theodora, etc.) Please note that many Greek Catholics claim a Ruthenian heritage and there is now a revival and cultural awareness of this ethnic group that lived in the Carpathian Mountains and thus at least three countries (depending on the border history.  See previous posts about them!) However, when you hear the term Ukrainian, this may mean Ruthenian is the actual ethnic heritage rather than ethnically Ukrainian. In Galicia, there was significant intermarriage between the two groups, and also a group that combined Roman and Greek Catholicism called Uniates.

Now, if you see two or more given names, don't assume that those are twins. You may see the word binomial, that means two names. Gemelli is the word for twins.  Another indication of twins may be the number of godparents. Sometimes you will see that the person was given not just two names but three or four.  In this case the child most likely has parents or family that is noble, aristocratic, high ranking, notable, or rich. (But the names given still might not be honorifics) or it may simply be a Germanic influence.

Here are some articles that I thought would be of interest on this subject.

CULTURE POLAND : BEGINNERS GUIDE

This guide by Mikolaj Glinski is quite interesting, as it deals with nicknames and the origins of the rarest Slavic names.  According to his site, Mikolaj studied classics in Berlin at Humboldt University and also cultural studies at the University of Warsaw Institute of Polish Culture.

WIKITREE : POLISH and UKRANIAN NAMES

EXCERPT: Mary (Marena)  Polish 'Marya.'  Ukrainian: Mariya or Maria  (Note: "Most of our ethnic Polish ancestors who used the name Mary in American were actually baptized as Marianna.  This name isn't a combination of "Mary" and "Anna." It's actually a name that means "like Mary." In Polish culture, Mary the Mother of God was held in such reverence that it was considered sacrilegious to name a child Mary, in the same way that one didn't name a boy "Jesus" after the Son of God.  Instead, the name Marianne was used, in the hopes that the child would be like Mary."  You will see the same Marianna in Ukrainian baptisms and marriage records.

In Hungary Maria is a common name given to the first born daughter.

ROMAN CATHOLIC TRADITIONAL FRANCISCAN SAINTS CALENDER  

Please note that you should look for a calendar that was used about the time that the child was born, as there could be some variations by Holy Order and also you will notice that the majority of the saints named on this master list did not seem to get honorifics in Poland.  But let's take a look at a fictional family that has a girl child born September 4th.  Her name Rose, perhaps Rosalia or Rozalia, which comes from Saint Rose of Viterbo, and Italian saint. Let's say the next year in early September, the couple have another girl child. They can't give another girl the same name, Rose, so instead they might name that child Marianna for the Nativity (birth) of the Blessed Mother. A son born in late August - early September might be Joseph. Alternatively, another girl might be named Josefa.

If you know or suspect someone was baptized in the Greek Orthodox tradition, look for the appropriate saint calendar. On Geneteka, Greek Catholic records are clearly marked in the database as such, however, something you may find is that a surname is represented in both Roman and Greek Catholic churches.  Check the meaning of the surname.*  This will help you avoid spending time on a surname over a spelling question when the two surnames actually mean very different things though they are quite alike.

In either case, check to see if the church in the village is still standing and what the name of it is, because the records rarely record the name of the church. Some of these old churches are simply breathtaking inside.  Others feature amazing structures made of carved wood.

In Hungarian records you will see naming patterns among common people that are mostly about birth order.  Also, if a child dies, the given name may be repeated. I have yet to find that in the Polish records. So, remember that the Greek Catholic person does not have to have lived in the Ukraine and you will find Greek Catholics in Hungary - or Hungarian Lands which would include present day Slovakia and Romania too.

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This post is part of a series on the subject. To pull all the topics up, click on the tag Pro Genealogy Tips - Galicia

UKRAINE : AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY by PAUL ROBERT MAGOCSI : MAGYAR AMERICAN BOOK REVIEW

 

C 2007 University Toronto Press

I enjoyed this book, which probably needs another chapter or two, because of what has been happening in recent events with the possibility Russia will invade Ukraine and various countries - NATO - offering resistance of some sort. I thought the author did a good job of being unbiased, using population statistics, and taking us through events through history including border changes and so on.  Reading this book helped me better understand just how complicated it has been. Maps and photos are so helpful.  What impressed me is how passionate people have been about the politics and economic aspects of life in this part of the world and how violent it has been.

Like Hungarians in Romania, there is a sizeable population of ethnic Russians in Ukraine. It seems there long been various ethnicities, from tribal days forward, in this land. 

Still, it is my not so humble opinion that the real reason Russia wants the Ukraine is not just to expand its already sizeable turf or because it wants its borders to be up against many a European nation. I think it is because the Ukraine has fertile farmland and poverty and that it is a 'breadbasket' that can feed people and with the possibility of low wage agricultural workers.  In the United States a 'breadbasket' can be a place like the central valley of California where the low wage workers are migrants, often from Mexico.

If I were someone who could influence Russia - Putin - I would say to him that Russia has the opportunity to create new cities and use new technologies for the benefit of people there and can lead the way towards new forward thinking culture and society - there in the country they already have - and that is where they should put resources rather than military actions. I realize that much of Russia is considered too difficult because of the weather to easily sustain people at this point, but I think this is possible.  Who knows?  If Global warming is the continuing trend this cold place may become most desireable.

I wonder how many people self-identify as solely Ukrainian these days.

The history of this area of the word includes the Greeks and the Scythians, the Khazars anbd the Kievan Rus, the Mongols and the Tartars, and just about every kind of Slavic ethnicity.

In this book you will be guided with knowledge of what was Ukraine during the Austrian Empire of 1772-1815, in 1875 Austria-Hungary, after World War I including the West Ukrainian National Republic. Soviet Ukraine of 1932, lands in Poland circa 1930, what the situation is with Rusyn (Ruthenian) people living in Romania and Czechoslovakia in 1930, Carpatho-Ukraine in the World War II era of 1939-1941, and Soviet Ukraine in 1945.

I wish for peace.

C 2022 Magyar-American BlogSpot

CELEBRATION

 

TIMELINES - THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN HUNGARIAN AND POLISH WOMEN IN INDEXES : USING THE POLISH GENEALOGY SOCIETY DATABASE for RESEARCH : GENEALOGY PRO TIP #4

TIMELINES - THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN HUNGARIAN AND POLISH WOMEN IN INDEXES  : USING THE POLISH GENEALOGY SOCIETY DATABASE for RESEARCH : GENEALOGY PRO TIP  #4

Death records I've encountered that are so far indexed on GENETEKA seem to be the least useful. I was so hoping to confirm the rumors of how certain ancestors died but cannot even find the records despite carefully paging through. Most of the reasons why someone died reveal that medical knowledge was not so advanced as it is today. I have often wondered at old people dying of "inflammation." I think this means the person probably retained water and appeared swollen by the time they died, which happens with some cancers.

I find creating a TIME LINE in which you note the dates of children who were married and what it says about their parents (i.e. is one of both deceased?) will at least help you limit your research.

Starting with a person's birth, follow them through the years for marriages and children. If you notice they are called a widow or widower on a remarriage record, then you know that by that time their previous spouse died.  If a child marries, his parents will likely be listed and it will translate to something like:

Jan, the son of the d.p.  (deceased parent) Marcus, and Marianna Sobato, means that at the time of his marriage his birth father was deceased, so there is a date that can limit your research in a positive way, but the mother is alive. By listing the births of children to Marcus' wives, and finding their marriages, you may get closer to the date of his death.

Additionally, you may have to go to the records that are not yet indexed or question what is indexed.

HERE IS MY BIG COMPLAINT ABOUT GENETEKA INDEXING.

In Hungarian records it seems understood that a woman is listed by her maiden/birth name at birth, marriage, and death, though in her community she is known as the married woman, Mrs. Szabo or Szabone. (ne suffix.)  However, in the Polish records I found women listed under their previous married name in the database. If someone has not noted that with a little :i: (information) icon then basically, you'll have to discover this yourself by reading the original records. Going to the information about her parentage is important so that you have her maiden/birth name. So, you may have to dismiss the database surname of the bride in marriages and go with what you know about the groom rather than the bride's surname.  More than one of my ancestors had three marriages due to the deaths of their first two spouses and that a careful indexer bothered to read and note the maiden name on each was of great help and made me aware this was not the case with every indexer.

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This post is part of a series on the subject.  To pull all the topics up, click on the tag Pro Genealogy Tips- Galicia

WHO ME?

 

THE CONCERNS OF THE PRIEST - MARRIAGES : GENETEKA - USING THE POLISH GENEALOGY SOCIETY DATABASE for RESEARCH : GENEALOGY PRO TIP #3

THE CONCERNS OF THE PRIEST - MARRIAGES : GENETEKA - USING THE POLISH GENEALOGY SOCIETY DATABASE for RESEARCH : GENEALOGY PRO TIP  #3

Jewish records (and other minority religions such as Lutheran and Mennonite records) are available in special archives in Poland and JewishGen is a helpful database site for Jewish records. 

So far GENETEKA is primarily Roman Catholic and Greek Catholic records. Appearing in Greek Catholic records may indicate that the person is of Ruthenian (such as Lemko) heritage or of a different ethnic heritage than Hungarian or Polish. Research the surname as well, however, because there was intermarriage, especially as we go through the 1800's into the 1900's.  Also given names will be a clue as to religion and ethnicity- more on that in another post.

Be aware that if a couple moved to a village where there was only a Roman Catholic church, they might attend and worship there, and so it was with Greek Catholic churches in villages. In America they might settle where an ethnic church and belong there. There might also have been agreements between the couple to raise some children in one religion and others - the other. Typically, if the mother was Greek Catholic, she might want her daughters raised in that church but might allow her sons to follow their Roman Catholic father. **

Just think practically. A person would work hard all week and want to see Church as a pleasure - a respite - and a social opportunity - but how far do they really want to travel?  On foot?

If the town also had a Jewish temple, that might indicate that it has a larger population than a village.

What might indicate a "mixed" marriage?  Well, if the priest writes in that Banns of Marriage have occurred in two different parishes or churches, that is a clue. Sometimes the name of the church or the name of the other village appears.  Check these out on church and village history sites!  You may find the name of the church, see photos of it, even find it on a YouTube video tour.

What are banns of marriage?  A public announcement - back in the day usually from the pulpit - that a couple plan to marry.  Usually three Sundays in a row.  The idea was to give people who know the individuals to voice an objection to the marriage and stop it.  A popular story device on soap-operas for sure!  Check those dates for the day of the week they occurred.  Usually this was right before the marriage - but not always.  How much time passed between the third announcement and the marriage ceremony?

What were the good reasons to object?

Knowledge that a person is already married to someone else.  Or that the person promised marriage to someone else who is alive.

In some cases, that there is some dispute involving the inheritance (of land usually) that needs to be resolved first.  (Remember that Old Europeans did a lot of match making and that villagers might have decided what child would marry who when they grew up long before.  Sure there were love matches but these were practical people.)

Knowledge that the man - potential father in particular - is not capable of supporting a family.

Too close a relationship.  You will find that whole villages are somehow genetically related - many families intertwining. Still there was a general idea that too close cousin marriage was not a good idea.

A strong parental or authority figure objection or for some reason the marriage is seen locally as not good for the community.  

The priest will record the names and parentage of the bride and groom including their ages.  In some records the actual birth date is listed.  If it says 11/3/1879 that means March 11, 1879.  The day is first, the month is second.

Did people really not know how old they were?  Or lie.  It seems sometimes this is true. In my experience they are not too far off.

Legitimacy.

This is not just about being celibate until married for holy religious reasons. The priests baptized so many babies and the illegitimate ones tended not to thrive without the support of a father and everybody knew it. Remember at this time most women were wives and mothers and outside income was the husband's role. Sad to say but some women were taken advantage of by seducers, sexual harassers, and rapists.  And sometimes people had affairs. The most important aspect of marriage was for the bearing of and raising of children. You see the death records and you see how few children made it to adulthood and begin to feel a sense of amazement when you notice someone died in their 70's because of senility (they were just old.)

The socio-cultural-religious system endorsed marriage as the best economic way as well.

One of my ancestors was married three times due to his wives dying before he died.

If you see one woman with multiple illegitimate children - no father's name or heritage mentioned - she may be someone who is unlucky in love, a prostitute, or having an affair with a married man.  Follow her if you can and see if she every marries.  ****

If you take the DNA test and it proves you are not the actual genetic heir of a person on your chart, well it's not unheard of.

Added note Feb 3 2022  Greek Catholic records do not conform to the Julian Calendar at all times and are usually behind.  I.e Roman Catholic Christmas is December 25th, Greek Catholic (or Orthodox Christmas) is January 16th.  Which means that if a person you are seeking on records was baptized in a Roman Catholic Church on Christmas, that same person baptized in the Greek tradition would show in records baptized on January 16th - and a different year! However, you'll have to research to find out when and where there was conformity and my feeling is this.  If the records are in Latin or Polish and not Cyrillic script, then they are likely following the Julian Calander. 

** But since the Roman Catholic Church used to insist that anyone who married there would promise to raise their children Roman Catholic, you may find the children all follow the parent whose church they married in.

*** see also how long the children live. 

Added note April 2023  JewishGen appears to have sold their database to Ancestry TM.

Added note April 2023.  Geneteka is uploading some Lutheran records under the term Evangelical.

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This post is part of a series on the subject.  To pull all the topics up, click on the tag Pro Genealogy Tips - Galicia

LOOKING AT AN ARCHIVAL DOCUMENT GENETEKA - USING THE POLISH GENEALOGY SOCIETY DATABASE for RESEARCH : GENEALOGY PRO TIP #2

LOOKING AT AN ARCHIVAL DOCUMENT  GENETEKA - USING THE POLISH GENEALOGY SOCIETY DATABASE for RESEARCH : GENEALOGY PRO TIP #2

GENETEKA GENEALOGY POLAND  the important link!

PROS :

1) Your need to read Polish is minimal because like many church records in Europe, LATIN is used.

2) If you can get through some handwriting hazards, there are good Latin- English and Latin - Polish reference books at the library or on-line translators!  You will soon learn a Derelictus is simply a widow- not a worthless bum!

3) The columns or categories are generally obvious, be it that you are looking for marriages, deaths, or births.

4) You'll have to be patient for indexing is an ongoing project, one you may want to get involved with. So if an index helps you get to the person you're looking for, well, you can still get to the records from there.  If your ancestor doesn't come right up in the index, but you have some information from immigration documents such as from the steamship, draft registration, or citizenship papers, you might want to start by reading the records from that place.

5) Get maps and descriptions of villages easily on-line to help you understand your ancestor's geographic and cultural world. Begin with the link above that lists the 21 "Provinces" of today's Poland and record coverage.

CONS :

1) There are missing records that will not ever be indexed because they are simply missing. This is because they were never collected, they were ruined by fire, flood, or some other disaster, or because of war, particularly World War II. Still start out hopeful.  (Great Grandma may have been born up in the mountains in the winter and her baptism may have been by midwife (common) and /or not reported at all.)

2) *** Some records you will find twice, in two different handwritings.  This is because a small local church might keep a record and then report it to the main parish.  It's helpful when one of these records is neatly written.  BE AWARE THAT FOR SOME REASON THE COPIES MAY NOT BE IDENTICAL and that you should look at both because some pages may be missing from the original books or the copy.

3) If you have the misfortune of finding a paper - such as a typed letter - tape - over the exact part of the book page you want - you can still write to the archive and ask someone to look under there!  Sometimes there were two images taken - the paper moved for one of them.

4) Watch for the naming of other locations when reading records such as where the bride or groom was born or lives at this time.  Nat. is an abbreviation for native.  It loosely means the person was born there but in general it means that person has lived there a long time.  Just like you might be born in Chicago but have moved to Denver 30 years ago. You stopped telling people you are from Chicago long ago.

5) You may be wondering why the person writing the record - usually the priest - has such an interest in what a person's ancestry and legitimacy is...  Be blessed that they actually wrote so much because you'll have the names of another generation back quickly.  Yes, in some records, especially way back, there may be missing information on the baptism. Such as the name of the mother.  (I hate that!)  The inclusion of the name of the midwife in both Christian and Jewish records intrigues me.  I think it was to say "This person knows this baby belongs to this mother!"

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This post is part of a series on the subject.  To pull all the topics up, click on the tag Pro Genealogy Tips - Galicia

YOU CALLED?