Dragoș Olaru (01.09.2012): “Nearly all primary data to the censuses effected for the CITY OF CZERNOWITZ during the Austrian period for the years 1869/70, 1880/81, 1890/91 and some of them for the year 1900 are deposited in our [Czernowitz Regional] Archives. I knew before about their existence, but thanks to Eli [Eliezer Schaffer] I examined several files and realized that these primary data are hiding a real treasure: the names of all persons registered house by house including the dates of birth, the localities where they came from coming to Czernowitz, their professions, the degree of relationship among themselves, etc. The first censuses were effected by house numbers, the last ones by streets [and house numbers…].”

Just a short seemingly trivial notice, but in fact A GENEALOGICAL BREAKTHROUGH, made possible by the priceless persistence of Eliezer Schaffer from Haifa and by the thoughtful cooperativeness of Dragoș Olaru. Just imagine, at the end of the day you will be able

• to track the migration movement for your family,
• to interchange house numbers with streets [+ house numbers], etc.

As a matter of fact, the census sheets provide even more information than the civil records, i. e.:
 
– names (surnames, forenames, titles [of nobility])
– relationship (degree of relationship to the occupant)
– sex
– dates of birth
– places of birth
– rights of residence (places of origin)
– religion
– civil status
– common language
– regular occupation (description, position)
– secondary occupation (description, position)
– houseowning, landowning
– literacy level (reading and writing, just reading, none)
– disabilities (blind, deaf-dumb, idiotic, cretin [!?])
– residence
– remarks