Description:
The origins of this register are not entirely clear. It appears to be a compilation of multiple register books, both from Alba Iulia and the surrounding area. The title page states that it is a copy of the registers of births in Alba Iulia and the surrounding area from 1850 to 1895; this statement is in Romanian and is signed and dated 1941. The following entries, however, made in German (with Hungarian in the "remarks" column, generally regarding marriage, name change or death), do not appear to date from 1941, rather earlier, possibly at the time of the event. The initial entries are chronological and generally not comprehensive - they generally include only date of birth, name of child and parents and, in the case of boys, date of circumcision. Beginning in the mid/late 1870s, the entries become more comprehensive and include midwife names, date of name giving (for girls), and names of witnesses. The vast majority of these births take place in Alba Iulia, though there are isolated cases of births in many of the surrounding villages and towns. This section concludes with an official signature by the rabbi in 1886. Following this (sheet 87) begins a "Nachtrag" section, birth entries made after the fact. It appears this is now a record of birth information for all community members who were not in the previous section. Many of these births did not take place in Alba Iulia, they are no longer chronological and sometimes by family. The earliest birth noted in 1836. Following this, chronological births begin again, for the year 1886. Note that the first page has a Hungarian overlay of the titles (which are printed in German) but it has been affixed to the wrong page (presumably by archivists at a later point in time) and the column headings do not correspond with the contents. The births now proceed chronologically; of interest is that the scribes added columns recording the birthplace of the mother and father and as such one can get an impression of regional movement trends. Many of the fathers came from other established communities such as Targu Mures, Lviv, Ploiesti, Arad, Bistrita, Aiud, Fagaras, Cluj and so forth. Next, comes once more entries for births taking place much earlier, the earliest being 1841. After several pages of this, another new section begins, this time arranged by village. The entries are in a mixture of German and Hungarian. Apparently in 1885, the Jewish residents of each village were recorded here by family. Villages included are (in order of entry): Vințul de Jos (Alvinc) with Borberek; Nagy Igen with some neighboring villages; Galtin, Coslarin, Cricau, Stimbru, Oiesda (Galto, Koslard, Krakko, Szt Imre, Vajasd) (this section has births recorded from 1804 on and includes births in Alba Iulia and other towns, probably individuals were members of the respective village at the time of recording); Oarda de Jos (includes notes on marriages and deaths as well). Following this is yet another section - a handwritten copy of item XXX Matrikel Kis Enyed, also in the Alba Iulia national archives. This records families in villages in the Kis Enyed district. Please see the entry for that item for more details.
Bibliographic Citation:
Colecția: Registre de stare civilă de la parohi, jud. Alba; fond nr. 17; inv. 328; cotă 246; Arhivele Naționale ale României, Direcția Județeana Alba