Czech Immigration Paperwork
By MUDr. Josef Šimíček
The following information was excerpted from the book: The Hope has its Name--Texas, The Emigration to America from the Villages Bordovice and Lichnov from 1856 to 1914, written by MUDr. Josef Šimíček and published by the CHS of Texas.
“Individuals who asked for permission to emigrate had to show the needed amount of money for his/her travel expenses and for every member of the family as sell as a valid travel or emigration passport. The time for processing the application was very short--two to three days.
The Application for Emigration
The application for emigration was addressed to the District Authority (Hejtmanstvi), in our case, Mistek. The applications were written mostly in the German language and by an official writer due to the education level of country people in those days. Therefore, all the documents are quite similar. Only a small part of the applications was written by the applicant himself or in the Czech language because the official language was German at that time.
Example:
The Emperor-King District Authority in Mistek
I was born, according to the attached Birth Certificate, in 1838 and intend together with my wife, Veronika, born in 1844, and my children: Veronika; born in 1863, Johana; born in 1868, Mariana; born, in 1874, Rozalie; born in 1876,and, Rozina; born in 1879, move to American and therefore I ask the famous Emperor-King District Authority for permission to emigrate to America and make the emigration passport for that purpose I enclose a 15 krejcars fo the duty stamp.
In Lichnov on August 31, 1881
Jan Kubena
Jan Kub
ěna‘s application was written in Czech and the application had a different handwriting than the signature. Their daughter, Agežka, born on August 22, 1881, was not mentioned in this application. The reason for emigration was often declared to be to stay with a relative in America.Example:
The Famous Emperor-King District Authority
I was born in Lichnov in 1862, according to the enclosed Birth Certificate, I lived there and intend to move to move to America where my brother lives.
According to the enclosed Municipal Authority document, there are no obstacles to my moving abroad and therefore I ask: the famous Emperor-King District to let me leave the Austrian Union and make me a passport for this purpose.
In Mistek on December 24, 1880
František Tichanský
The Birth and Christening Certificate
The Birth and Christening documents of all the family members and the parent’s Marriage Certificate had to be enclosed with the Application for Emigration. In the 1850’s and 1860’s, the Birth Certificates were written or pre-printed in the German language. The pre-print version was later in the Czech language.
The Local Authority Certificate
This document was enclosed with the application for the issue of the travel or emigration passport by the District Authority. The certificate confirmed the home right of the applicant in the village, his/her reputation and that he/she had no obligations or incumbencies to the fellow citizens or the state.
Example:
The signatured members of the Local Authority certify that Josef Dobe
čka, a single day laborer, 30 years old, living in No. 67 in the village of Lichnov, has always behaved honorably and there are no obstacles for his intended immigration from Austria to Texas.Sealed by the Village seal and the Chief Magistrate’s signature
Lichnov on September 19, 1873.
The Chief Magistrate
Dobe
čka (pages 17, 19)”The District Court Permission
This was needed in questionable cases, e.g. when the father of under-age children, who wanted to emigrate, died. It happened to the Prašivka family from Bordovice.
Example:
The protocol written in behalf of under-age children, Kerel, Jan, Mariana, and Veronika Prašivka on February 7, 1876. I was made on application of Petronila Prašivka to make an agreement with Josef Mina
ř, who was a guardian of the children, concerning the children’s immigration.The protocol No. 451 confirms granting the permission for emigration to the state of Texas in America to the children of the late Tomáš Prašivka, under-aged”
Karel, Jan, Mariana and Veronika Prašivka, on the basis of the declaration of the Chief Magistrate of Bordovice--Jan Ba
ča from January 28, 1876. The protocol further charges Josef Minař, who was a guardian to let the Court know, within eight days, about rentiery the House No. 6 in Bordovice, and manage all the propositions of his guarded in and outside of the Court, and save the installments for them into the Court Orphan Savings Bank.Emperor and King’s Court in Frenštát on February 7, 1876
Emperor-king’s District Court Judge
Signature Illegible
The Travel and Emigrations Passport
After a person received all the necessary documents, the District Authority made the travel or emigration passport. It was printed in German and provided a duty stamp of the prescribed value (15 krejcars). The surnames could be written in Czech because of precision (mainly the more difficult Czech family names). There were written names and data on the members of the family, who asked for emigration, on the back side of the passport. It means that one family was granted one passport.
The emigration passport owner lost. Due to the granting of an emigration passport, his/her Austrian State Citizenship and the home right in his/her native village. In the case of his/her return back home, he/she was treated as a foreign state citizen and could be taken to court.
The travel passport was issued for 6 months up to three years. During this time the owner could return back with impunity.
The Letter of Safe Conduct
This letter was asked for from the Czech and Moravian emigrants in spite of the fact they had a valid travel passport. This letter had to be shown to the border and port officials before boarding a ship. The main reason for this provision was to prevent young men from leaving before their compulsory military service.
In spite of this many young emigrants managed to get past that provision and embarked on ships in different manners, …
It can be understood that Austrian Authorities prevented working power and financial means from setting out and tried to persuade or threaten the emigrants from their intentions. It can be proved from the František Marak from Tichá’s application dated on January 4, 1855.
Example:
Bad crops in the last few years have forced us to leave our country and find a country where we could earn our livings and for the old years of ours and our children to earn some money.
We hope that in American, which is not so densely populated as theses countries, we will get more possibilities to earn our livings. We are rustics, we know all the rustics works, and because land in America is cheaper and more fertile, we believe that we can live easier there.
We were informed about the dangers of this step and we want to leave our present, though meager, craft and want to seek an uncertain job in the new world. We were further advised that this step means abandonment of the possibility of return to Austria, rights of Austrian citizenship. And the right to regain the passport. It will be only a fault of our own if in the future we wish to return. The return would be refused even for a short family visit. And, if we would try to enter Austria, we would be banished.
We were again asked whether we insist on our wish after this note. We replied: “We have understood the given conditions and in spite of these, and with pain, we do insist on our resolution to emigrate to America if the authorities allow it.
Franz and Rosalie Marak (pages 19,21)”