Tips for Translating the European Records of Our Ancestors

By Stephen Szabados

Are you afraid to search for the records of your European ancestors because you do not speak their language? This guide will show you where to find resources that will help you overcome this problem. This quick reference will give you helpful hints to decipher the documents and allow you to find your ancestors. The material uses Polish and German examples, but they are also applicable to Hungarian, Czech, Swedish, Norwegian,  Russian, and Jewish records.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Stephen Szabados
• Release date: May 19, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224794003

Stephen Szabados

Steve Szabados grew up in Central Illinois and is a retired project manager living in the Chicago Suburbs. He received a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, and a Masters in Business Administration from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois. Steve Szabados is an author and lecturer on genealogy. He has been researching his ancestors since 2000 and has traced ancestors back to the 1600s in New England, Virgina, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and the 1730’s in Poland, Germany, Bohemia, Hungary, Slovakia, and Slovenia. He has given numerous presentations to genealogical groups and libraries in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. His mission is to share his passion for Family History with as many people as he can. He is a former board member of Polish Genealogical Society of America, and he is a genealogy volunteer at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library. Steve also is the genealogy columnist for the Polish American Journal.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

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My wonderful wife, Susan, deserves much love for her patience, consideration, and support while compiling this book.

I also need to acknowledge the members of the many genealogy societies in the Chicago area who share their knowledge at their monthly meetings with everyone in attendance. Northwest Suburban Genealogy Society, South Suburban Genealogical and Historical Society, Polish Genealogy of America, Czech and Slovak American Genealogy Society of Illinois, and Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois are a few of the many active groups. Additionally, many of the area’s libraries schedule regular genealogy programs. Tony Kierna’s genealogy programs at the Schaumburg Township District Library and Debra Dudek’s genealogy group at the Fountaindale Library were exceptional examples of the resources available to family historians.

I appreciate the thoughtful suggestions Jacquie Schatner gave me for the French genealogy material.

The following are the resources I used for the other exhibits in the book:

Ancestry.com

Familysearch.org

Family History Centers in Wilmette, Illinois, Buffalo Grove, Illinois, and Schaumburg, Illinois

Arlington Heights Memorial Library in Arlington Heights, Illinois

I also need to give special thanks to my brother-in-law, David Mayfield, who urged me to put my research efforts into writing. I miss his quiet voice telling me why I should.

CHAPTER ONE: Deciphering the Records

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Hooray! You may have found some European records of your ancestors; however, you now face a new set of challenges:

Most of the records are not in English. They are written in Polish, Czech, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Hungarian, German, Spanish, Latin, Hebrew, or French. Do not be afraid to tackle the records even if you only understand English. Tools are available to help partially translate the documents even if you have no foreign language skills.

The records are hard to read. They are handwritten using German Script, which differs from the cursive style you learned in school.

Name variations may be confusing, so you may not recognize your ancestors in the registers.

Some months seem missing because of how the months of September, October, November, and December are depicted in the records.

Another difficulty may be the format used to record the details. Some records use the narrative format, which is challenging to decipher. If you are lucky, you will find your records using the columnar format, which is easier to decipher. However, both handwriting and language remain a problem.

Don't be discouraged. Be patient! So, let's see how you can overcome these problems.

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