The Radautz Jewish Vital Records Database 1857-1929

During the summer of 2016, I traveled to Rădăuţi, Romania, and visited the Archives in the Town Hall. After some negotiations and with a little bit of luck, I was given permission to photograph Jewish vital records for the Rădăuţi, Solca, and Vicov communities of Bukovina; see my blog posting "Books of Seven Seals in Rădăuți and Suceava".

Every society enlarges itself through marriages. When you are tracing your family history, this information can offer one of the most common missing links – a maiden name. All marriage records include the full names of the bride and groom as well as  the marriage date and other additional information, such as the names and birthplaces of each individual's parents. As part ONE of an ongoing project, The Radautz Marriage Index Database contains over 3,000 properly indexed marriage records for the period 1870-1929.

Even if final, but not trivial at all, death records are among the most important of all vital records. Death Indices typically contain the birth date of a person, date of death, cause of death and other details that are helpful in genealogical and historical research. As part TWO of our ongoing project, The Radautz Death Index Database contains over 7,500 properly indexed death records for the period 1857-1929; some data refer back to births as early as the middle of the 18th century.

NEW: Birth records represent one of the key primary sources for family information and thus they form the centerpiece of any vital records database. They usually show the name of the child, gender, date and place born as well as additional parental details including places of birth, ages, etc. As part THREE of our now completed project, The Radautz Birth Index Database contains over 12,000 properly indexed birth records for the period 1857-1929.

Copies of family vital records are freely available upon request. Whether you are looking for an ancestor or trying to find a lost classmate, these records can provide a link to vital information and point you toward important clues. The free search provided by The Radautz Vital Records Index Database 1857-1929 can jumpstart your research project. Please check it out and let us have your comments…!

bukovina.records@gmail.com

Acknowledgements: We thank Martina and Edgar Hauster for data acquisition and transcription. Bruce Reisch developed the one-step search site and searchable database using the One-Step Search Tool Generator on the Stephen P. Morse website, and with advice from Lucas Reisch. The inspiration for this project came from our late friend, Dorin Fränkel of Rădăuţi, who began to digitally photograph the town's Jewish vital records as early as 2008. We dedicate our efforts to his memory.