The solution to our last Holiday Riddle is the Baroque painter Joseph Wenzel Reiner (born August 8, 1689 in Prague, † October 9, 1743 ibid). The baptismal record from St. Gallus Church in Prague, we have selected for the puzzle, is typical in many ways: underlines and cross-outs, marginal notes, inkblots, individual handwriting, Ecclesiastical Latin, cryptic abbreviations, different spellings of names, paper aging and -damage make it difficult to decipher and interpret.

Less typical, however, that the church record, from which this entry, is available online. The search for such records in church and state archives requires consideration of regional, historical and institutional peculiarities.
In our “Tips of the Month” we frequently present information sources for genealogical research like printed directories, databases, archives and research institutes, special conditions in different countries, Internet forums, etc..

 

Text also available in: German