For those of us with ancestors from Hungary, the task of genealogical research might seem daunting. There are a few obstacles that don’t exist with genealogical research for English-language countries. Online sources for Hungarian research are somewhat scant. The major genealogical websites have very limited records online and indexed. To further complicate things, Hungarian is a rather unique language, unrelated to most other language in Europe and North America. It is actually related most closely to Siberian languages. This makes translating the records more difficult for many people.
There is hope, however. As it turns out, Hungary has some very well-kept records of births, deaths, and marriages. Starting in the late 1600’s or early 1700’s most churches in Hungary kept these records rather consistently up until 1895, after which point, the records were kept by each town, though the churches still kept records in most cases. In most cases, however, the records are in Hungarian or Latin.
The parish records can be obtained by visiting a Family History Center and requesting that they be sent from the Family History Library. You can save yourself some time at the Family History Center by looking up the relevant microfilm rolls in the Family History Library Catalog.
Birth and Baptismal Records
Early baptism records generally will contain less information that later records. These records generally include the date of birth, date of baptism, name of the person being baptized, gender, whether legitimate or illegitimate, names and professions of the parents, location and house number, names and professions of Godparents/sponsors, name of the minister of the baptism, and finally notes. Here are the translations of the Hungarian phrases that appear in the register:
| English | Entry Number | Date of Birth | Baptism Date | Name | Son | Daughter | Legitimate | Illegitimate | Parents’ Names, Occupation, Religion | Location & House Number | Godparents’ names, Occupation, Religion | Name of Baptizer | Comments |
| Hungarian | Folyószám | a szülésnek | a keresztség felvételének | neve | fiu | léany | törvényes | törvénytelen | A szülok neve, állása és vallása | Lakhelyük, házszám | A keresztszülok neve, állása és vallása | A keresztelönek neve | Észrevétel |
| Latin | Numerus Currens | Nativitatis | Collati S. Baptismi | Nomen | masculin. | foeminin. | legitim. | illegitim. | Nomen Parentum, eorum Conditio et Religio | Locus Domicilii cum Numero Domus | Nomen Patrinorum, eorum Conditio et Religio | Nomen Baptisantis | Observationes |
Marriage Records
Hungarian Church marriage records include the date of the marriage, the names and occupations of the couple, birthplaces, religion, age, previous marriage status (single or widowed), names and occupations of witnesses, and name of clergy, dispensations, and notes. Here are the translations of the Hungarian and Latin phrases that appear in the register:
| English | Entry Number | Date of Marriage | Name and occupation of groom and bride | Birhplace, Residence with House Number | Religion | Age | Single | Widowed | Name and occupation of Witness | Name of clergy | Number of announcements or dispensation. or other impediments | Comments |
| Hungarian | Folyószám | Az esketés éve és napja | neve és állása ugy szintén a szülöke | születés és lakhelyük, házszám | vallásuk | koruk | nötlen vagy hajadon | özvegy | A tanúk neve és állása | Az esketönek neve és tisztje | Vajjon voltak-e hirdetve? vagy a hirdetésektõl s más valami akadálytól felmentetiek? | Észrevétel |
| Latin | Numerus Currens | Annus et dies copulationis | Nomen et conditio sponsi et sponsae | Locus originis et domicilii, Nrus domus eorundem | Religio | Aetas | coelebs | viduus | Nomen et Conditio testium | Nomen et Officium Copulantis | Num promulgati vel dispensati, in bannis vel aliquo impedimento? | Observationes |
Death and Burial Records
Death and burial records will be limited in the information listed, but they can be useful. Obviously, the deceased’s name will be included, but the records will also frequently have the age, and residence prior to death.
| English | Entry Number | Date of Death | Deceased’s name, occupation, spouse / parents | Place of Birth and Number | Male | Female | Age | Illness or Other Cause of Death | Were the Last Rites Administered? | Funeral Location and Date | Name of Clergy Officiating | Comments |
| Hungarian | Folyószám | A halálozás éve és napja | Neve és allása, ugyszintén a megholt hitvestársáé vagy szülei-é | Születése és lakhelye, házszám | fl | nö | Kora | A betegség vagy más halálnemnek megnevezése | El volt-e látva a halotti szentségekkel | A temetés helye és napja | A temtést végzö pap neve | Észrevétel |
| Latin | Numerus Currens | Annus et dies obitus | Nomen, et Conditio defuncti item ejus Conjugis et parentis | Locus Originis et habitationis NumerusDomus | masculin. | foeminin. | Aetas | Morbus sive aliud genus mortis | Fuitne provisus Sacramentis Moribundorum | Locus et dies Supulturae | Nomen Sepelientis | Observationes |
With the translation tables above, a little elbow grease, and a lot of time browsing microfilm, you can find your Hungarian ancestors.
