Francis' records

Literature from the Institute for Slavic Studies
commissioned by Francis Blahnik 2001

"Last September I commissioned Slavic Research Institute to find the homestead of Geog and Katharine Blahnik, our immigrant ancestors. I received the results of their efforts on the 8th of March. They did not live in Kdyne as I thought. Instead their home was a few kilometers west, the town of Starz or Starec in German. They owned #17. Georg's father Georg, his grandfather , Jacobus, was also born there. The records they sent go back to 1749 with parents listed before that time. . . "

On April 22, 2002 Francis writes that he sent, "Copies of what the Institute of Slavic Studies sent me. (There) are translations of the original church records that are written in Bohemian. I received them already translated. . At the time the entire area was of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (and) the official language of which was German. . .(The official papers) were hand-written in gothic script, which few people can read. I had them translated by a retired German teacher from our local high school. She first translated the Script into modern German then translated the German into English
I have since requested the researcher to take some pictures of the village of Starec when he gets into that area. I think there has been little change since the 1850's. . . Enjoy, Francis"

The ancestral project of the family BLAHNIK from the village Starec in western Bohemia. Compiled by David Kohout, Prague, Czech republic October 2001-Feb 2002:

For me was quite simple to identify the place of the origin of the family: it was the town in western Bohemia with the present name Kdyne, quite close to the border with Germany. Originally was also for this town used the German name Neugedein, which is possible to translate to Czech language like Nava Kdyne or Novy Gdyn/in English New Gdyn/.
I only did not understand, why was George Blahnik mentioned like the farmer - in the towns usually the farmers did not live...

On 23.October I came to the archive in Plzen to start the work on this project. I took the alphabet register/No.34/ of all church records of the parish Kdyne from the years 1836-1855.
I absolutely did not find the family of Georg Blahnik in the all parish!!!
I was also interesting, who lived at that time in the house No. 17 at Kdyne - in March 1853 was born there the baby of Josef Portenstein, the burgess and the house owner...

Because the surname Blahnik is around Kdyne quite usual, I tried to find out the family of Georg Blahnik in neigbour parishes. I searched the parishes Loucim, Mrakov, Uboc, Dlazov, Slavikovice and Pocinovice. It was quite a lot of work, but without any success. I did not know, how to continue with this project.
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When any family in 19.century wanted legally emigrated from Bohemia to US, the family had the duty to ask the passport on the local County office. If this request was difficult to decide, the County office sent this request to Vice government in Prague: to decide that.
In the years 1855-1868 existed more District office in Plzen, which the requests for emigration took from County office and sent to Vice government. Because the area around Kdyne is in western Bohemia, I had the chance to find the act of George Blahnik in the fund of District office in Plzen (Plzen is the capitol of western Bohemia). For me it was simple, because the fund of District office is in the same Archive like the church records. Already in 1996 I found out in this fund/for another client/ the act of one family, which emigrated in 1856 /in the same year like Blahnik!/ - so I hoped I shall have the success again.

It was a good idea - in the box No. 15 of this fund I really found out the emigration act of George Blahnik!!! (The copies of this act enclosed). The family was mentioned from the village Starz /today Starec?. But: the village Starec is the part of the parish Kdyne, so why I did not find the records of Blahnik family in the book No. 34 (see above)???

It is simple: it was the mistake of the Archive in Plzen - the book No. 34 was only for the town Kdyne. The original information of inventory /that the book No.34 is for all parish Kdyne/, was wrong!!!

If the client will be interesting, it is possible, that in the County archive of Domazlice will be maybe possible to find out the original request of Georg Blahnik for the passport.

In the first register of the family Blahnik /from client/ is mentioned the brother Georg, in the year 1856 cca 15 years old (born 1841). The same brother George is mentioned in the act from the fund of District office in Plzen/the request for passport/>

But: I absolutely did not find the birth record of this Georg between the children of Georg Blahnik and Katerina, nee Blahova. He was not born in Starec and also not in Hradiste, in the birthplace of Katerina, nee Blahnova. The chance, that the vicar forgot to write the birth record of Georg to church records, is quite small... I do not know, WHO was this Georg - maybe some relative. Maybe is the chance, to find out this information in the County archive of Domazlice.

The client says, that, if they /=his ancestors/ can be tied into the other Blahniks in Bohemia that would be good." I do not know, if the client is interesting in finding the living relatives in Bohemia - or not. Anyway - the Blahniks are living in the area around Kdyne till today - I searched the Blahniks in the register of the phone-numbers. As Follows:

If the client will be interesting in finding the living relatives between this Blahnik's, let me know. I was also interesting, who lived after the year 1856 on the Blahnik's farm No. 17 in Starec: beginning the year 1856 is many times mentioned on this farm the family of Georg Stary.

Anyway: between the years 1857-1888 is in Starec mentioned no birth, wedding or death record of any Blahnik.

If the client will be interesting, it seems to be possible to continue with the research back to cca 17.century. It is possible to search church records, land records, tax records etc... I can also obtain photos of the house No. 17 in Starec.

Enclosed I am sending like the COPY NO 1 the oldest cadastral map of the village Starec from the year 1838. In the lest part of the map we can see, "Blahnik Georg No.17."

Like the COPY NO 2 I am sending 4 pages of the act of George Blahnik from the fund of District Office in Plzen. See above.

In Czech grammar the surnames of ladies are finished with "-ova". In German grammar it is like in English: without any "-ova".
For that reason:
-the church records of family Blahnik, which were in czech language, -are in this report finishing with - ova.
-the records, which were in german, are without -ova."