Conversion Register from Sür, Veszprém megye 1782-1796
Protestant to Roman Catholic.
Conversion Register from Nemeskér, Sopron megye 1873
Roman Catholic to Lutheran.
Baptism of a Jewish Convert in Sopron, Sopron megye 1779.
Background on Conversions.
- During most of the 18th century, there was considerable political pressure for Protestants to convert to the dominant Roman Catholic faith. Even so, such conversions were few and far between.
- The conversion of Protestants to Roman Catholicism consisted only of a public profession of faith. Protestants were not rebaptized. I have never seen evidence of a conversion from Roman Catholicism to either of the major Protestant confessions in the 18th or early 19th centuries. Apparently, during that period conversion was "a one-way street."
- In the 18th century, there were few Jews in Hungary. Their community was very separate from the mainstream of the population and conversion to Catholicism was extremely rare. But, in the case of a Jewish conversion, since they had never previously been baptized, a baptism was a necessary part of the profession of faith.
Recording of Conversions.
- There seems to be no standard for the recording of conversions. The two registers of conversions seen on this page are the only ones I've encountered. Notes concerning conversions, embedded among baptisms or marriages in Roman Catholic registers, will be found occasionally. I have never seen such a note in a Protestant register.
- The two forms of recording conversions illustrated here -- a separate register of conversions, and the baptism of a Jewish convert -- are most unusual. They are shown more as curiosities than as the type of materials one should expect to find in their family history research.
Register of Conversions to Catholicism.
A separate log of conversions, such as this one from Sür -- a small town in Veszprém county -- is unusual. Shown is the first of two pages at the end of a baptismal register which documents 25 years of conversions. This register is in Latin, and my translation skills are quite limited. But, see the following note for more information on the content of the register.
Conversion of a Catholic to Lutheranism.
This was an unheard-of act in the 18th and early 19th century. But, following the establishment of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1867 which allowed Hungary to promulgate its own much more liberal laws, conversion from Catholicism to Protestantism again became possible -- though very infrequent. This 1873 Register of Conversions (Áttérök) from Nemeskér and its single entry is the only example I've ever found.
for a list of the column headings.
The Baptism of a Jewish Convert.
This is the only 18th century conversion of a Jew that I've ever seen recorded. It is "in-place" in the Szent Mihály Roman Catholic Church baptismal register from the city of Sopron. This register again is in Latin, but is easier to interpret than the one above. See note for details on the entry.