Complete Greek Catholic church records (1825-1910) spreadsheets [MS Excel 2000, 1.65 MB]

I have completed the first pass of indexing the records. Now I need to go through and weed out mistakes and fill in blanks.
Although church records can be an excellent primary source for geneology, the interpreting of the handwriting can make this challenging. Adding to this challenge is the potpourri of languages used in recording these events. For the most part, the records are documented in Latin. But one will also find slovak spelling and during the 1850s, with the reassurgence of Rusyn Nationalism, the records are in cursive cyrillics. [Cyrillics cheat sheet]

The following is an example of a page from these records. When I am finished updating the above spreadsheets, I will make available any high-res scanned pages of interest to you. The first column numbers the Christening entry for that year. The second column identifies the date of the christening. In later records it identifies the birth date and then the christening date. The next column records the given name. Often a cross is placed to indicate a death. I am not sure what a 'V' indicates. The fourth column identifies the parents, whether they were GC or RC. At times they will also identify the family lineage, their occupations, and villages they may be associated with. The fifth column identifies the godparents. The sixth is the priests name. The last column is reserved for the date of death, but this information can also be found in the field with the given name.

The church records confirm the events of the 1846 drought and the 1847 cholera epidemic that struck eastern Slovakia.

sample of church records from Bajerovce's Greek Catholic Church, ca 1832 (357 Kb)
[excerpt of Christening record for Stephanus Luczak from LDS FHC microfilm #1792052]

Anna Lucak (nee Las)'s confirming Christening record (121 Kb)

1966 transcription of birth certificate for Helena Kormosova [b. 1900] (84 Kb)
translation of the above record [provided by Rick Hulvalchick] (76 Kb)

COMMON SURNAMES:
Cziganko (Ciganko), Fedor, Gladis (Gladiš), Halyzsak (Haľžak), Jarina, Kaplyavka, Kascsak (Kaščak), Kordijak, Kormos (Kormoš), Kundrat, Kundraczik (Kundracik), Luczak (Lucak), Lyas (Laš), Maczko (Macko), Medzenyak (Medzeňak), Najmik, Palguth, Pjecha, Pulicza (Pulica), Szekerak (Sekerak), Tomcso (Tomčo), Tomko, Vasiga (Vašiga)

COMMON SURNAMES FROM FEKETEKUT (SAMBRON):
Bobuczky, Czaky, Hardony, Hriczko, Jarina, Jarincsik, Kaplyavka, Kopcsak, Korsnyak, Koscs, Lukacz, Malaszs, Michalko, Micsak, Mikuyak, Minkek, Miterko, Ridilla, Senyak, Szedlak, Szeglya, Szokal, Turek, Vancko, Varga, Xenyak

PRIESTS Serving Kostol Sv. Michala archaniela, Bajerovce
[1815] MANKOVIC, rev.Anton . . . . z. PETRASEVICOVA, Antonia
[8 Jul 1856] MOLCANYI, rev.Vladimir
[23 Feb 1866] MOLCANYI, rev.Mikulas . . . . z. KENDROVSKA, Anna
[15 Jan 1873] MOLCANYI, rev.Michal . . . . z. VOJTOVICOVA, ???
[17 Apr 1880] LUKAC, rev.Elemir
[28Aug 1911] LEUKANIC, rev.Augustin . . . . z. KAJFEROVA, Anna

COMMON FIRST NAMES:
The first names of persons listed in the Church records are given in a latinized form at first. Later when priests were required to keep their records in Hungarian the names appear in Hungarian. After liberation from the Hungarians, Slovak forms of the names appear.

Here are some examples one can encounter:

MALE NAMES
ENGLISH	LATIN	HUNGARIAN	RUSYN
Adam	Adammus	Adam
Andrew	Andreas	Andras/Endre	Andrij, Andrijko
Basil	Basilius	Vasul	Vasyl', Vasyl'ko
Elias	Elias	Elias	Ilija
George	Georgius	Gyorgy	Jurij, Jurko
John	Joannes	Janos/Jan	Ivan, Ivanko, Janko, Vanyo
Joseph	Josephus	Jozsef	Josyf, Osyf
Michael	Michael	Mihal, Miska	Mychajlo, Myn'ko, Mychal
Nicholas	Nicolaus	Miklos	Nykolaj, Mykolaj, Mykula
Paul	Paulus	Pal	Pavel, Pavlo, Pal'ko
Peter	Petrus	Peter	Petro
Steven	Stephanus	Istvan	Stefan, Štefan, Stefanko
FEMALE NAMES
ENGLISH	LATIN	HUNGARIAN	RUSYN
Ann	Anna	Anna	Anna, Hanna, Anička, Hanja
Eve	Eve	Eva	Eva, Jeva
Helen	Helena	Ilona	Helena, Ilja, Helenka, Ilyka
Catherine	Catharina	Katalin	Katarina
Mary	Maria	Maria	Marija, Marja, Mar'ka
Susan	Susanna	Zuzka	Zuzana, Zuzka, Zuza

Handwriting Quirks
(notes from: www.carpatho-rusyn.org/1869txt.htm)
"It took me a while to realize the written name was 'ILONNA', because the 'I' looked like a capital 'H' or 'G', and the 'L' did not have a loop on it. Only when it was spelled 'ILONA' with one 'N' did I know what the first letters were. This particular enumerator had always made a loop on the 'L' for other names."

Further quirks in the handwriting:

• Many "T"s were not crossed but had a tiny backward loop at the end.
• The "Z" was like a printed English Z, not a written one, and looked like a small normal written English "R"
• "SZ" in Hungarian is pronounced as English "S"; only after the Hungarian 'haztartas' (househelper, housewife) was translated did I know it was a Z, not an R
• Many "R"s were the Catholic school R, like a squashed together written "V"
• Capital "I" resembled a large lower case written English "G", with a big descender, seen in ILONNA and IVAN
• A beginning S might be either written or printed as an English S; a middle S often was a small backward"f", especially if part of the SZ diphthong.
• Capital B, D, P were similar. The name Peter was the clue to the P. I'm still not certain if the last name is really Dribnyak.
• Small letter K looked like a small English written R with a big ascender loop.

Occasionally an"i" is substituted for a "y" in both first names and surnames. Spelling was often at the discretion of the Priest writing the records.

UNITS OF TIME:

English      Hungarian       Latin            Rusyn

years        ev/eves         anno             rokiv
months       honap           mensis           misjaci
weeks        het/hetes       hebdomada        druhyj/tyzdni
days         napas           dies/diei        dni/dyn
hours        ora/ovatalt     hora             hodyny
minutes      perc                             doraz

latin terms

agricola - farmer
annus - year
colonus - tenant farmer, owns land, inhabitant
dies - day
ignotus - unknown
incola - resident
levante - witness
(LR) Liber Rusticus - free peasant
pater - father
plebius - commoner
servilis - domestic, servant
uxor - wife
vidua - widow
viduus - widower
virgo - unmarried
zingarus - gypsy

Although most of the dates are reasonably clear, a few variations on the notation does make it interesting. One variation involves the shortening of the last four months to: 7ber, 8ber, 9ber, 10ber. When pronouncing the latin names for the numbers you get: septem-ber, octo-ber, novem-ber, decem-ber. The other notation I have come across is using roman numerals for months when noting a death.

angina - suffocation due to throat swelling.
apoplexia - Paralysis due to stroke.
asthma - A disorder of breathing, characterized by spasm of the bronchial tubes of the lungs, wheezing, and difficulty in breathing air outward, often accompanied by coughing and a feeling of tightness in the chest.
calidus febris - burning fever.
carcinoma - a general term for cancer; can refer to carcinoma of the lung, carcinoma of the throat, etc.
catharsis - Purgation, usually of the emotions but may include the digestive system.
cholera - An acute, infectious disease characterized by profuse diarrhea, vomiting, and cramps. Cholera is spread by feces-contaminated water and food.
colicus - A term loosely applied to certain intestinal and malarial fevers. Typhoid. Hepatitis. Elevated temperature and bile emesis.
contusus/contusione - to injure without breaking the skin.
debilitate - Abnormal bodily weakness or feebleness; decay of strength.
defectus - deficency.
diphtheria - An acute infectious disease acquired by contact with an infected person or a carrier of the disease. It was usually confined to the upper respiratory tract (throat) and characterized by the formation of a tough membrane (false membrane) attached firmly to the underlying tissue that would bleed if forcibly removed.
dissenteria - A term given to a number of disorders marked by inflammation of the intestines (especially of the colon). There are two specific varieties: (1) amebic dysentery (2) bacillary dysentery. Synonyms: flux, bloody flux, contagious pyrexia (fever), frequent griping stools.
epilepsia - A disorder of the nervous system, characterized either by mild, episodic loss of attention or sleepiness (petittnal) or by severe convulsions with loss of consciousness (grand mal). Synonyms: falling sickness, fits.
excussionibus - ?
febribus - fever
fontanela obstructa - fontanela refers to a membranous interval between the bones of the head in an infant. The fontanel usually disappears as the infant grows and the bones in the head fuse together.
fulmine percusis - struck suddenly
gibbus - humped; a swelling creating a protrussion.
hecticus - A daily recurring fever with profound sweating, chills, and flushed appearance,- often associated with pulmonary tuberculosis or septic poisoning.
hydropisis - The presence of abnormally large amounts of fluid. Congestive heart failure.
immaturitas - premature birth
infirmitas - Weakness, feebleness.
Inflammatis - Redness, swelling, pain, tenderness, heat, and disturbed function of an area of the body. In the last century, cause of death often was listed as inflammation of a body organ, such as, (ceribrum) brain or (pulmonarius) lung, but this was purely a descriptive term and is not helpful in identifying the actual underlying disease.
influentia - influenza - an acute, infectious, febrile disorder, resembling a sever cold.
marasmus senilis - a wasting away in the elderly caused by an insufficient intake of calories or protein.
morbilli - measles?
naturale mortes - natural death.
pancreatitis - inflamation of the pancreas.
paralusis - uncontrolled movement of controlled muscles.
phthisis - Chronic wasting away or a name for tuberculosis.
puerperal - infection related to child birth causing an elevated temperature.
senectus - old age.
tuberculosis - communicable disease caused by a microorganism (tubercle bacillus) manifesting itself in legions of the lung, bone, and other parts of the body. Also called consumption.
tussis - iafternoon rise in temperature, accompanied by flushing of the cheeks. Seen in tuberculosis
typhus - An acute, infectious disease transmitted by lice and fleas.
variola - smallpox.