Each town hall kept a "Register of citizens", which listed all individuals with the right of domicile in that community. These registers were recorded either in a book or on index cards. The second variant was more typical for towns, because it was better suited for quick look ups and alphabetic sorting. It is important to note that only people with the right of domicile are listed. If a person or family lived in the place, even for a long time, but did not have the right of domicile there, they are not listed. One must search in the register of citizens where they had the right of domicile. Registers of citizens are sometimes more informative then census records, since they kept a running inventory of all individuals, whereas the census enumerations only give a snapshot of the community approximately every ten years. Registers of citizens list all members including deceased ones and those who moved away.
Samples
Faq
Online
Registers of citizens 1895-1948 (District archive Klatovy, German language)
Register of citizens of Neuern (now Nýrsko), Western Bohemia showing the family of Wenzel Hackl. The register is divided into alphabetical sections as can be seen on the sides of the book. Wenzel and his wife Margaret had children Wenzel, Josef, Karl, Johann, and Theresia. The red numbers in circle links to separate records for children who married and established their own families. This is case of sons Wenzel Hackl who is shown under number 53 and Johann under 83. This is a very convinient way to trace descendants to the present day.English translation of this record
Card index of citizens 1850-1948 (City archive Plzeň, Czech language)
Sheet from the card index for Plzeň, Western Bohemia showing the family of Václav Neumann. Card indexes were more typical for cities with a large population. This record gives a very detailed list of addresses where Václav lived.English translation of this record
WHY were they collected? | Evidence of inhabitants having right of domicile |
WHEN were they maintained? | 1849 – 1948 |
WHO maintained the lists? | Municipal offices |
WHAT information can be found? | Name, age or date of birth, marital status, occupation, date & reason for acquiring or loosing of the right of domicile, places of residence, family members |
In which ARCHIVES are they held? | District archives, city archives (records from Prague, Brno, Ostrava, Plzen and Usti nad Labem) |
In which archive FILES can they be found? | Archives of towns or villages, Municipal people's committee (Místní národní výbory) |
LANGUAGE of records | Czech, German |
AVAILABILITY | Average |
What must be KNOWN before getting started? | The place where the person had the right of domicile must be known. Entries are usually recorded in alphabetical order, or books have alphabetical sections, and within the section must be searched through record by record. In small towns and villages records are more often sorted by house numbers |
Czech expression | Domovská matrika (plural = Domovské matriky), Matrika domovských příslušníků (plural = Matriky domovských příslušníků), Evidence domovského práva, Kniha domovců (plural = Knihy domovců) |
Collections of records sorted on the territorial basis
BLOG COMMENTS POWERED BY DISQUS
-
Registers of foreignersNext >