Hi, I'm researching in the online parish records of Belcice and have hit on a new family name. I've seen it in many handwriting styles, in index lists (under M), and of course in the records themselves. It looks like Mstich. Is that even possible in Czech?? I find the family spread across the villages of Zahrobi and Leleticz. When I go back to the earliest church book, I find no Mstich family in Zahrobi. But there are numerous people by the name of Stich. Zahrobi is tiny; I can only assume they are the same family. But has anyone else seen this kind of name change? I'm good with spelling variations, but this one just seems like a jump.

Can you post some links to those "Mstich"? Mstich indeed does not sound like Czech family name. Stich (or variations like Štich, Štícha, Sticha...) is common Czech family name.

Yes. If you go here: http://digi.ceskearchivy.cz/index_main.php?lang=en&menu=... you'll find an index with quite a lot of them listed. The page is in flash, so you'll have to select image 419 (I can't link directly to the image). The third name down, Mstich, Anna, daughter of Wogtech, is one--and there are numerous examples after that. This is the M section of the index.

There are plenty of Stichs in the generation before that, in the same tiny village of Zahrobi, but no Mstichs.

Hi. My Havlenas came from Zahrobi -- Have never seenMstich!
Any chance you could e-mail me some records containing thy name? I am pretty good at deciphering old Czech/Latin handwriting. Visited there once - my people still live there! Best wishes.
Dennis Havlena dhavlena@gmail.com

Oh, yes, I "know" the Havlenas from the parish records. :) I even go back to Wenceslaus Hawlena (married Zophie, died 1741 in Zahrobi), through their daughter Dorota.

I've pretty much read every single Stich/Mstich entry in the church books and given the tiny area and the fact that the ages and names match up for Stichs who become Mstich, I'm convinced it's the same family. But...still a very strange mutation!

A really clear instance of Mstich is here: http://digi.ceskearchivy.cz/DA?lang=en&menu=3&id=209... image 147. April 22, 1772, the death of Joannes Mstich.

My own direct ancestor's first marriage shows up here: http://digi.ceskearchivy.cz/DA?lang=en&menu=3&id=208... image 137, on Nov 25, 1732 when she marries Jirik Lehecka.

When I go back to the earliest church book in Belcice, (http://digi.ceskearchivy.cz/DA?lang=en&menu=3&id=208..., starting in image 32), nearly all of them show up as Stich, not Mstich:

Vit Mstich and wife Ewa have child Thomas (1682)

Jan Stich and Rosyna have child Mandelena and several others, starting in 1684--Jan is named as a svobodnik, or freeman

Freeman Jirzik Stich (my direct ancestor) starts having children with wife Katerzina Machova on Feb 13, 1698 with child Dorota (image 34). Looks like he and his wife are godparents more than once for Waczlaw Hawlena's children, too.

And they go on from there...

And how interesting that you were able to visit! My grandfather was born in Hvozdany and came to the US when he was five. My husband and I had a chance to visit once, too. At the time I figured we were the first Americans ever to go back there--but maybe all of us sprinkled throughout the world feel this pull to go back there and make the connection. :)

Rose Green hvozdany at hotmail.com

On second glance, that Vit Mstich and Eva I think are really Vit VITICH and Eva...