Category Archives: Index Collection

Mukacheve Marriage Records

Index Collection, Marriage Records

This is a collection of all the Mukacheve marriage records we have gained access to so far. This includes all of the marriages in 15 books from the Uzhhorod archive.

In This Collection

These books come from Fond 1606. From Opis 16, we have Spr 54-58, 76-77, and 83. Books 76-83 are books from towns rather than the city of Mukacheve. From Opis 15, we have Spr 138-143.

Opis 16 is Jewish marriages only. 1859-1880, 1891-1894. Opis 15 is all marriages, 1895-1920, and all of them have been indexed.

Our search engine can search one given name and one surname, but it will look for bride, groom, and their parents (when included in the record). You can further narrow your search using the search box at the top right of the results.

Indexing Notes

Names were usually in Hungarian, so that is how they were spelled. Searching by Soundex may reveal the variations.

We have one field for surname and one for given name for each person, so if there were multiple names given, they were all entered into the same field. Some names were abbreviated and they were indexed as such.

We sometimes didn’t learn the regional names until after indexing them many times, until something was written more clearly. We did not correct earlier mistakes such as those. We’re also not familiar with the non-Jewish names, so expect a lot more variation in the spellings of those names vs. what they should be.

Several marriages were recorded in these books that took place in New York, Wien (Vienna), and other cities.

There is an extra field of “other” names. This usually includes the current husband’s name for one of the mothers, or even a previous husband for the bride. You will need to check the record for the specifics.

Statistics

Size of database: 3794 entries
The first Baptist was noted in 1918.
We counted seven mixed marriages of Jewish and non-Jewish persons.

Images

You can order a copy of the images through our web site for $10 per record. Use the order button and fill out the form. This money will be used to obtain more records from this archive in the future. There are many more books for Mukacheve and the surrounding area.

Samples

Marriage of Rabbi Lazar Spira (center), Civil Registration sample
Jewish Registration sample


Mukacheve Birth Records

Birth Records, Index Collection

This is a collection of Mukacheve Jewish birth records. It is far from complete, but the records are usually unobtainable by researchers. Some of the Jewish records were in the civil registration books, so some records indexed are not Jewish.

Why This Collection

In the summer of 2012, Banai Feldstein took her first heritage trip to Eastern Europe. While visiting Uzhhorod, Ukraine, she gained access to the Archive and photographed pages from the Mukacheve Jewish birth records to help with her research. For the most part, she photographed entire pages, thus having access to many additional records.

Indexing Notes

  • These records were generally easy to index.
  • The surname search uses the father’s surname. The child’s surname was not specified separately.
  • One page in one book (of those photographed) was bound out of order. Mother’s names are not listed for those records.
  • Difficulties in indexing may have come from the handwriting and the tight binding of the pages.
  • The records are in two languages. The switch from Hungarian to Czech was not even noticed at the time of digitizing. This, among other things, provides for multiple spellings of names in the database.

Statistics

  • Size of database: 1168 entries
  • Digitized: 2012, by hand-held camera

Samples

Abraham Rozenthal (penultimate record), Banai's grandfather, Civil Registration sample
Abraham Rozenthal (penultimate record), Banai’s grandfather, Civil Registration sample

David Alter Rosenthal (fourth from top), Jewish Registration sample
David Alter Rosenthal (fourth from top), Jewish Registration sample

Uzhhorod 1938 Voter Lists

Index Collection, Voter Lists

The Uzhhorod 1938 Voter Lists were microfilmed by FamilySearch and are available across three microfilm reels. These are records for all voting citizens, not just those who were Jewish.

Why This Collection

These microfilms were still cataloged by FamilySearch as both Uzhhorod and Mukacheve. Banai Feldstein’s family comes from Mukacheve. Though no section appeared to be Mukacheve, nobody else seemed to be working on them, especially given they were civil records, so a religious indexing project likely would not have covered them.

Indexing Notes

  • The lists are in Czech but are typed, so they were not difficult to read most of the time.
  • Sometimes the microfilm suggested that this may have been a carbon copy version, with the columns being quite a bit off. When a mistake was made in the typing, it was simply typed over. Most of the errors that are in the index are likely caused by two numbers or letters typed in the same space where it was impossible to tell which was the correction.
  • Sometimes a name was spelled different ways for different family members. Unless it was an obvious mistake, the spellings given are indexed as seen.
  • Corrections to the data are sometimes made in the index. Typos in numbering, names, years (ex. 1900s when they meant 1800s), and genders may be corrected.
  • Months are indexed as written, except that Roman numerals are typed simply as numerals.
  • Surnames for females are often altered, but not always. The ending of -y can be changed to -a: Pensky/Penska. Or the ending -ova appended, sometimes with slight alterations to the base name: Friedman/Friedmanova. We highly recommend using “Begins With” to search surnames.

Statistics

  • Size of database: 15193 entries
  • Digitized: 2014
  • Rabbis indexed: nine (Mor Brodi, Izak Teitelbaum, Aron Feldman, Mayer Oesterreicher, Mayer Blei, Josef Kohn, Bernat Lipsitz, Reihen Leifer, Jakub Valdman)

Samples

Governor Konstantin Hrabar (top right)
Governor Konstantin Hrabar (top right)

Rabbi Aron Feldman (top left)
Rabbi Aron Feldman (top left)

Translation Assistance

Months in Czech:

January ledna May kvetna September zari
February unora June cervna October rijna
March brezna July cervence November listopadu
April dubna August srpna December prosince

Beth David Cemetery, United Bessarabier Verein

Gravestones, Index Collection

The New York City cemeteries are large. Some are indexed online, but others, like Beth David, are not as of this writing.

Why This Collection

In 2006, Banai Feldstein was visiting the Beth David Cemetery in Elmont, New York. This was her second visit to see the same gravestone, which was previously overtaken by a plant. Banai photographed the entire section.

Indexing Notes

  • Gravestones are pretty straight-forward. On occasion, the Hebrew letters weren’t clear in the pictures.
  • Photographs were taken quickly. Many photos contain multiple stones. Some stones have multiple photos where the plants were blocking the writing and awkward angles were needed to see the data.

Statistics

  • Size of database: 117 entries
  • Digitized: 2006

Sample

Gravestone of Mary Gordy
Gravestone of Mary Gordy