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In general, the Jewish registers cover the time period from 1850 to 1895, when civil registration of births, marriages and deaths was introduced. Some registers go back to the late 1700s and early 1800s, but it was only in 1787 that Emperor Joseph II ordered the Jews throughout Hapsburg territories to adopt German family names to replace their Hebrew patronyms. The names could have been spelled differently from the way they are spelled now. | In general, the Jewish registers cover the time period from 1850 to 1895, when civil registration of births, marriages and deaths was introduced. Some registers go back to the late 1700s and early 1800s, but it was only in 1787 that Emperor Joseph II ordered the Jews throughout Hapsburg territories to adopt German family names to replace their Hebrew patronyms. The names could have been spelled differently from the way they are spelled now. | ||
The authorities required more than one copy of registers be kept. Thus, some registers are misleading because they are later transcripts written in the same handwriting covering many decades in which the rabbi or scribe has preserved the history of the families of the community by including the births and parentage of newly arrived members of the | The authorities required more than one copy of registers be kept. Thus, some registers are misleading because they are later transcripts written in the same handwriting covering many decades in which the rabbi or scribe has preserved the history of the families of the community by including the births and parentage of newly arrived members of the community. For example, registers of births may include births that had occured in places as distant as Moravia. | ||
Required format of the Jewish registers was introduced about 1885. Registers were kept in two or more copies or were periodically transcribed so it is necessary to look at all copies available and compare them. Young people, often only in their teens, moved considerable distances away from their birth places and parents in search of work and new homes. They might find spouses in the new communities or return home to find a spouse and then to bring a part or all of their family with them to the new community. | Required format of the Jewish registers was introduced about 1885. Registers were kept in two or more copies or were periodically transcribed so it is necessary to look at all copies available and compare them. Young people, often only in their teens, moved considerable distances away from their birth places and parents in search of work and new homes. They might find spouses in the new communities or return home to find a spouse and then to bring a part or all of their family with them to the new community. | ||