Yes, we are all aware of the Sudeten Leipzig archives, and that is all there is, just the Sudeten Mountains and some of the larger Erzgebirge - Ore Mountain villages, but it does not penetrate to the Egerland and other more populated areas, but yes, there is THAT! I am very thankful for sharing your experience and will pass on this knowledge. Thank you, Aida --------------------------------------------------------- ----- Original Message ----- From: <Anettka@aol.com> To: <GERMAN-BOHEMIAN-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, June 24, 2006 6:26 PM Subject: [GERMAN-BOHEMIAN] Re: GERMAN-BOHEMIAN GERMAN-BOHEMIAN FTM vs PAF > In a message dated 6/24/2006 4:27:43 PM Pacific Standard Time, Aida > writes: > Don, can you please tell us if you had a Czech genealogist with you or > just a translator? We need to know because there is a group here > interested in visiting the Pilsen Archives this Fall. > > Aida, > > I have been to the Plzen archives a number of times over the past almost > two > decades. Very little has changed there, except it was harder to get > copies > after Archivex 'went out of business', and now you no longer need Kolek > (stamps) > when you use one of their books. Also, they now allow cameras to make > document copies (without flash), since copy machines are old, and it takes > time to > make copies from books, much less the more difficult job of making copies > of > films. Many archives have filmed those manuscripts that are in sad shape, > so > sometimes, like for the 18th century, films are all you get. However, the > 'newer' > books of the late 19th century should be just that, original books. > > The attendents in the archive speak, of course, Czech, but many of them > also > speak German, and the younger ones speak English. I have gotten along > quite > well on my limited Czech, being able to obtain the documents I want. In > questionable cases, I was able to provided a document name, written in > Czech, with > info brought 'just in case'. > > THe materials the archives has on their holdings are 'catalogued' in > folder, > but information on what they have is available in books at the FHL, or > other > libraries, like the CGSI one, and probably other places on line. Let us > not > forger Felix's wonderful site and information in this regard. If you go > here and > look for your towns of interest, you will find where records for them > reside, > and what parish books to ask for in what time period, since many villages > changed parish affiliation over time: > http://www.ihff.at/IHFF_buecher_Boehmen_und_Maehrene.htm > > By the way, you can find more information on the films I mention in prior > response to the list at this site: > http://www.genealogienetz.de/reg/SUD/kb-leipzig.html . So you were > mistaken in your assumption Bohemian records had not > been filmed and reside with LDS. I had wondered why and how the LDS was > able > to filme records in East Germany during the cold war. In April I was at a > conference in Salt Lake City where some of the FHL people spoke. The said > that > after WWII and all the destruction that occurred in Germany, the East > Germans > didn't want to lose any more records, and the communist gov't approached > the > FHL to come and film in their archives.... How could they refuse such an > offer. > Hence the documents I've personally seen/used filmed in Berlin and other > places in the '60s > > As far as document translation, if you have the LDS Czech research guide, > guides on Swabach/German Gothic/Sutterlin letter forms, and perhaps of > list of > common genealogical terms, you should not have any problem translating, > since > the usual form for the church records was columnar, not script. If you go > after > land records, that's a different story, but land records are not held at > that > archive. Because the Czechlands were an occupied country for so many years > as > part of the Austo-Hungarian Empire, the Czech language was suppressed and > German usually used. Deciphering the handwriting will be your biggest > problem, > but practice will help. > > If there are several of you going, I suggest you call or write the > archives > and tell them when you will be there, and how many will come. They have a > very > small reading room, and while in the past I have not required > reservations, > maybe it was because it was just me and I was there in the fall or spring. > If > you write, do not expect a response from them; they just don't do that, > but you > could call prior to arriving to make sure they have your information. > > Anettka > > > ==== GERMAN-BOHEMIAN Mailing List ==== > Visit the German-Bohemian Heritage Society Web Page! > http://www.rootsweb.com/~gbhs/ >