Subject

Surname: Special

Posted In
Posted to Message board on January 17, 2021 by Hellen.
Description

My great grandfather does not have any birth records on file in the US.  The oldest info I can find is his draft card which lists a birth place of Moravia.  But on my Grandmother's birth certficate it's listed as Vienna, Austria.  I do have a birth and death date.  How can I go about trying to find him?  His surname is Special but I'm guessing that was potentially changed at his port of entry.

Contact
Contact:
Hellen - 113 South Main Street P.O. Box 51, Greens Fork, IN, IN 47345
Comments

Comments

Comment by S. Paider on January 29, 2021 at 4:47pm

Check if there’s a church marriage record in U.S.  They tend to give more information.  Be very flexible with spellings.  Try searching for "Spacil" on Ancestry.com if you have access. Only put minimal information in search form.  Build family from the census, etc. to verify correct person.  Check for passenger lists especially if arrived after 1906—they contain a lot of information—don’t forget to check the 2nd page.) Check for a Naturalization records.

I did a little searching.  If I have the right Spacil it says he's from Kroměříž (from passenger list).  You could search in the Gazetteer at  https://genteam.at/  for  Kroměříž , but I think you need to register.

Otherwise, try Trebon Digital Archives  https://digi.ceskearchivy.cz/   > Folder Tree > Access Points  > K > then type in “Kroměříž”  >  click on the pink link.  (Nice map link.)  The Parish Registers didn’t go back far enough, so I noticed Kroměříž is in Zlinský Kral (County). 

The Czech Genealogy for Beginners Blog is very helpful.  Go to http://czechgenealogy.nase-koreny.cz/2011/09/czech-archives-on-internet.html and click on Moravian Land Archive www.Actapublic.eu , then plug in Kroměříž, click on Vyhledat.  The site is a bit slow right now.  They have changed things lately.  (You can switch to English using the Čeština down arrow.)  Select “7902 Kroměříž – St. Mořic 1888-1911”.   (Births/Bapt., and index at end.)  Put in image 413 and click enter.

Link to image provided here:  https://www.mza.cz/actapublica/matrika/detail/10042?image=216000010-000253-003374-000000-007902-000000-00-B00848-04130.jp2 .  This lists for 1898:  Spáčil, Eliška  171     Spáčil, Bedřich  183 (img182)

Link to 183 (image 182) https://www.mza.cz/actapublica/matrika/detail/10042?image=216000010-000253-003374-000000-007902-000000-00-B00848-01820.jp2 .  Bedrich in Czech for Frederick. 

Hope with is helpful to you.

S.P.