Well the parades are over and it's time to get back to work. I have these three films of Hungarian records from 1800-1895. I might as well use them while the Family History Library will let me have them.
So I know Cecilia Kurta married Janos Jost and lived in Inzenhof, Austria. Sometimes this place was also called Borosgodor, Hungary depending on which way the wind blew. The border changed a bit, the names changed a bit, but Inzenhof and Borosgodor are the same place as far as I can tell. Oh, and I know my ancestors spoke German, but these records are in Hungarian so I've got that going for me.
Did Cecilia and Janos have siblings? I know the names of their parents, but not their grandparents. To extend this part of my family tree further, I'm going to have to study this whole dang village. Luckily, it's a small place.
I went to the Family History Center on Tuesday, and I'm going again today.
On Tuesday, I took film 0601494 and cranked it all the way to the end, which was 1895. Then I slowly went backwards, page by page, making note of any mention of the surnames Kurta, Jost, or Sommer/Szommer.
Each record has at least one name and a house number. I write all of these own as I go from page to page.
These particular records that I'm reviewing today don't look like birth or marriage records. I don't know what they are. Later on, I should encounter records that include parents' names and that will help me group people better.
After I go page-by-page on these three films, I will sort out all the house numbers and names. Then I will group people by house number and type up some notes. Then I will take those notes and go back to the films to try and establish family relationships.
That's my plan for now. It may change in the future. Probably somewhere there's a book that says I'm going about this all wrong, but in my gut this approach feels right.
.
.
