Quite a few remnants of various family records which were collected within the last 270 years are searchable. Main documents which could be still studied are listed below. Jewish settlements can so be studied in certain districts down to 1724 while the data from other towns/villages were almost destroyed. During the history of Jewish settlement in the region, several attempts were made to reduce institutionally the number of Jewish families. In 1724, first census of all Jews in so called Czech lands was carried out. Approx. 30 000 Jews inhabited 168 towns and 672 villages in Bohemia and approx. 20 000 lived in Moravia while 2 335 Jewish families (approx. 10 500 Jews) were registered in Prague.

Extremely valuable source of information on Jewish genealogy in Czech lands are (if available in each district of 17 regions) The Registers of Jews which collect the data of several census campaigns.
In 1726, due the order of Charles VI., the number of Jewish families was limited to 8 541 in Bohemia and 5 106 in Moravia. To implant this so called numerus clausus, "Familianten Ordnung" was issued. According to this order, only first-born son of each Jewish family was allowed to marry e.g. to obtain "copulatio consensus". The list of so called "Familiants" were then collected in Books of Jewish "Familianten".

In 1784, patent of Joseph II. was issued to replace rabinate circumcission/birth books by standard record books similar to catholic parish books. The birth records, marriage records and death records were collected at district rabinates. Local rabbis or school teachers were ordered to collect those data - see an example of Novy Jicin. To verify the accuracy of such records, duplicates (control records) were keeped by local catholic priests. In fact, catholic priests often only copied the records which were already collected at district rabinates - see examples of duplicate records.

The original rabinate records were heavily damaged during WWII. and due to this fact some duplicate records were allowed to be used then as original records to fulfill at least partly the gaps. Interestingly, sometimes the Jewish records could be also found within regular catholic parish books between the records of catholic inhabitants - see an example in Zbyslaw parish book of the year 1840.

Besides the Book of Familiants, the Registers of Census Campaigns and Birth/Marriage/Death Records, family documentation can be enriched by the records of different taxation duties. Requests of marriage permission called "inkolate" were associated with a duty to pay "inkolate" taxation. Submitted requests, evidence of all taxation duties, and other several documents of Jewish communities were collected by Committee for Jewish Agenda (Commissio in rebus Judaeorum). The Committee was established by Czech Vice-Regency and Czech Chamber by Charles VI.´s rescript in January 1, 1714. Its original intention was to prepare drastic restriction of Jewish population, in Czech lands, primarily in Prague. The plan was elaborated in 1715, but it was not never practised due to the resistance of both Jewish and non-jewish circles. The activity of the Committee was reduced to gather several documents, requests etc. Commitee has ceased its activity due to the order of Josef II. in February 15, 1782. The documents which depict the life of Jewish communities in the period 1714-1782 were collected as Committee for Jewish Agenda documents.

In 1808, all old taxation duties were discharged, while three ones were re-established - family tax, property tax and food tax. The corporation, "K.K. Direktion des Judischen Steuerefalls", was in charge to collect these taxes. The documents of "Jewish Taxation Headquarters" were available as a separate collection.

Books of Jewish "Familianten". Records were collected in 1799 and in 1811. Each record comprised the name of county, registration number of the family in the whole land (based on "copulatio consensus"), the registration number of family in the county (set up in 1725), name of the father, his wife, his sons and few other family details. See examples of Löwy Wölfner from Praschno Aujezd, (Prasny Ujezd), Westhern Bohemia.

The Registers of Jews. The Jewish population was registered several times both for the measures of restrictive population policy and for tax measures. Former two campaigns were performed by Comittee for Jewish Agenda, the latter ones by Czech Gubernium. The registers comprised the list of the fathers, their wifes and all children including girls. See an example of register of 1793 campaign Straz nad Nezarkou (Platz a.d. Naser).

Let us mention very specific and painfully heart-felt piece of Jewish history which are : Mappach (wimples), a special type of Torah binder used from around 1600 in the German- speaking parts of Europe. The strips of cloth torn from newborns blankets were used to inscribe a child's name and date of birth and a standard blessing. Like birth certificates, it also depict the Jewish custom. In a sense, wimples are documents constituting genealogies for whole communities of German Jews. Almost all of them were destroyed by the nazis, but a few have miraculously survived.

Please, visit the Home Page of Emmer, Hönig & Müller Genealogy Service

As hundreds and hundreds of shtetls were located within the region, the remnants of the cemeteries can be found - see an examples of Jewish Cemetery in Prestice and Dolni Lukavice, western Bohemia, Straz nad Nezarkou and Olsany, southern Bohemia. Documentary work is performed along the professional research.

Few tips on places, their transcriptions and geography