Czechia Determining a Place of Origin

Czech Countryside

The following is still under construction...

In the Czech Republic, most records used in family history research are kept on a town or parish level. Therefore the exact town of origin must be known before research in Czech records can begin. Most of the time, the Czech place of origin is found in sources created in the country of immigration. These records should be searched for the ancestor, possible relatives, and other associated persons.

Determine Background Information

When did the immigrant arrive in America?
In which specific area did he settle?
Which records exist for that area?
In which port did he arrive? Which records exist or are available?
Was the immigrant prominent? Was the surname unusual or common?
Did the immigrant come alone or did he come as part of a group or with a religious leader?
Which historical events were occurring in Europe, and also in America, that could have played a role in influencing emigration or immigration?
Did anyone appear on the passenger list with the ancestor, who settled in the same area as the immigrant?

Check Home and Family Sources

Family Bible
Emigration papers: passport, emigration permission, travel tickets, boarding passes etc.
Occupational papers, lodge or guild records, journeyman letters
Church certificates: christening, confirmation, marriage, death or burial records
Family letters – which are generally dated and list a place!
School certificates
Family pictures - watch for explanations usually written on the back and/or photographer's address or town on the front!
Funeral cards and obituary notices
Drivers license, insurance papers, etc.
Diaries and personal journals
Published family histories
Any documents written or printed in a foreign language or handwriting style. The basic rule is: If you can’t read it, have it read by someone who can.

FamilySearch at www.familysearch.org

Ancestral File
1880 US Census with links to images on www.ancestry.com
International Genealogical Index (IGI)
Pedigree Resource File
US Social Security Death Index
Vital Records Index
Browse/Search Family History Web Sites
Family History Library Catalog
Record Search Pilot
Historical Books

United States Census Records

United States Federal Census records provide the basic framework of the family. The ancestor should be located in every census taken while he lived in the United States. All censuses are available online at www.ancestry.com with indexes and images. Some years are also available at www.heritagequestonline.com. Because handwriting could easily be misinterpreted, try various searches including truncated search using three or more letters and an asterisk for a “wild card”. However, if the ancestor still cannot be found in the census records, it may be necessary to search the census microfilm for the specific locality ‘by hand’.

1850, 1860, 1870 Federal Census

Beginning with the 1850 Census, all household members are named and province or country of birth is listed. 1860 and 1870 Census often list province rather than the country.

1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 Federal Census

They provide clues as to country, province, or even the place of birth. Month and year of birth are listed. The 1900 Census lists the year of immigration to America, also years married and month and year of birth. The 1900-1930 censuses ask if the immigrant is a US citizen or an alien and for the year of immigration.

Check State Censuses wherever they are available. They were usually taken midway between Federal Censuses.

For detailed information about all United States Censuses see United States Census.

United States Vital Records

State and county vital records:

marriage record, marriage licence, especially application for marriage licence
death record
divorce record

Church records:

child’s christening record
confirmation record
marriage record
burial record
membership record
tombstone inscriptions
cemetery record

Military records:

pension/service files
WWI draft registration cards available on www.ancestry.com

Public records:

civil court records
probate records
land records
tax records

Naturalization Records

The information recorded on naturalization records differed widely and may include birth dates, birth places, and other immigration information about the immigrant and members of his family.

Declaration of Intention to become a US citizen - usually filed within 2 years in the country. Information provided therein is generally the most correct.

Petition for Naturalization - usually filed between one to three years after declaration was filed. Information correct most of the time.

Certificate - does not contain valuable information.

Prior to 1906 all US courts dealt with naturalizations. These records may be found at federal, district, county, circuit, or city court levels, so check all courts in the area. The declaration of intention can be filed in one court/locality, and the petition for naturalization in another. It is important to check for all possible records, since they may contain different clues. Beginning in 1906, the Immigration and Naturalization Service [INS], now called United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, took care of naturalizations nationwide. Records are kept at regional offices.

For detailed information about all Naturalization Records see United States Naturalization Records.

Newspapers, Periodicals, Other Compilations

Newspapers, especially obituaries
Foreign-language newspapers
Published genealogies
Genealogical Magazines
City Directories
County atlases, plat books

Local Histories

Town Histories - may include information if your ancestor was among the first settlers in the area, if he was prominent, or if he made significant contributions of some sort (art, architecture, etc.).
County Histories - may include information about specific ethnic groups, where they settled, who their leaders were and where they came from, biographical sketches, and churches with biographical information about founding members of the congregation.
State Histories - usually contain very general information about early settlers and their origins.

Emigration Information

The process of emigrating from one country to another generated various records. Records of departure in the country of origin are called emigration records.

Information about records useful for locating Czech places of origin is found at https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/Czech_Republic_Emigration_and_Immigration

Immigration Information

As of July 2006, www.ancestry.com has indexed passenger lists from the following ports, most with linked images:

New York, 1820-1850 [no images], 1851-1891, and some records from the 1930’s
Baltimore, 1820-1948, also an earlier index without images from 1820-1872
Boston, 1820-1943
Philadelphia, 1883-1945
Atlantic Ports, Gulf Coasts, and Great Lakes Passenger Lists, 1820-1871
Galveston, 1896-1948
New Orleans, 1820-1945

However, it isn’t always clear how complete both indexing and images are. For instance, the Galveston indexes are linked to images, but for some reason apparently only the left page of the lists was scanned in. The right page that includes the town of birth is not available, and there is no hint in the description that it exists.

Additional information:

New York passenger lists begin in 1820. Filmed indexes are available for 1820 - 1846, 1897 – 1943. Prior to 1882 relatively few lists contain the town of origin. Both last residence and place of birth are required on the form beginning in 1907. Less information is required for U.S. citizens.

Lists from 1892 to 1924 are available on the Internet at www.ellisislandrecords.org. However, the search capabilities are limited. For expanded search capabilities use www.stevemorse.org. Another online-index for New York 1830-1913 is www.castlegarden.org. This is NOT linked to images, so must be used in conjunction with other websites. Both indexes and images for 1820-1957 are available on www.anccestry.com.

If a search on www.ancestry.com doesn’t work, it may be helpful to check other record formats and indexes:

The Philadelphia, Boston, Baltimore, and New Orleans lists are indexed on microfilm for the greater part of the 19th Century and partly up to 1929. Indexes and lists are available for other ports as well.
Filby’s Passenger and Immigration Lists Index (973 W32p, tan colored books)
Canadian border crossing records (1894 - 1954) are available on film; some Canadian emigration records are now available on line.
Galveston, Texas- most of the early passenger lists were destroyed, but there are some books of extracted and compiled lists of immigrants of various nationalities. This website may be helpful [you need a password, but it’s free]: http://www.tsm-elissa.org/immigration-main.htm.

To find out which regional archive holds the records that you need go to http://www.ihff.at/indexstarte.htm. Click the gazetter and picture cards link on the left and then click continue link at the bottom of the page.

REMEMBER: 90% of all places of origins are found by examining American sources very carefully.

Use every possible avenue in order to find the place of origin for your Immigrant ancestor.

And "never, never give up!”