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