Analyzing the parish register citations leads to an overwhelming conclusion:
Vaclav and Suzana are “the first family” of Teplys in Pustá Rybná.
Let’s make four arguments, based on Polička registers:
- Vaclav and Suzana moved to Pustá Rybná around 1650
- Vaclav and Suzana are the only Teplys up to 1652
- They and their children are the only Teplys up to 1676
- They, their children and grandchildren are the only Teplys up to 1701
Based on these arguments, Vaclav and Suzana are “the first family” of Teplys in Pustá Rybná. All later Teplys in the area descend from these two.
Let’s look at the background for making these arguments.
Polička registers began in 1642
The archives hold Polička Catholic parish registers beginning in 1642 (Baptism), 1648 (Marriage), and 1700 (Burial).
I don’t know if there were earlier registers. But these years coincide with the imposition of Catholic religion in the Habsburg lands during and after the Thirty Years’ War (1618 – 1648). So it’s possible there was no organized church in the highlands areas, or that any earlier records didn’t survive.
Our earliest Teply citation – 1652
The baptism register for Polička begins in 1642.
Our very earliest Teply citation is in 1652. Suzana Teply is godparent at baptism of Marie Zahradnik. Suzana must be an adult, probably over age 21.
There has been no Teply baptism since the register began in 1642. And no other citation of a godparent or witness.
Conclusion: This probably means no Teplys of child-bearing age lived in the Polička villages before around 1652.
Teply children baptisms from 1653 to 1676
Vaclav and Suzana have children, based on these citations:
- In 1653, Jan Teply is baptized, son of Vaclav.
- In 1661, Magdalena is baptized, daughter of Vaclav and Suzana.
- In 1664, Alzbeta is baptized, daughter of Vaclav and Suzana.
Vaclav Teply shows up in two more citations. In 1657, Vaclav is godparent at the baptism of Katerina Novotny, and in 1659 godparent of Suzana Dostal.
There are no other baptism records for a Teply, and no other godparent or witness citations for a Teply until 1679. That’s five citations in 26 years, all for Vaclav and Suzana’s family.
Conclusion: This probably means no Teplys of child-bearing age, other than Vaclav and Suzana’s family, lived in the Polička villages before 1679.
Teply marriages from 1676 to 1685
The marriage register begins in 1648.
There are no Teply marriages until 1676.
That means there hasn’t been a Teply marriage for 28 years; 1648 – 1676.
Beginning in 1676, children of Vaclav and Suzana marry:
- In 1676, son Jan married Katerina Javorsky (9G).
- In 1678, daughter Magdalena married Jiri Liski.
- In 1679, Vaclav, son of Vaclav Teply (deceased) married Magdalena Dostal. We didn’t find Vaclav Jr’s baptism record. Maybe he was born before they moved to Pustá Rybná around 1650. Or maybe there’s no record. And notice that Vaclav Sr. is deceased.
- In 1680, Anna, daughter of Vaclav Teply, married Vitus Zavodsky. We didn’t find Anna’s baptism. Same as Vaclav Jr. above.
- In 1685, daughter Alzbeta married Matej Dostal.
So this shows that from 1676 to 1685, the only marriages are those of the children of Vaclav and Suzana.
Conclusion: This probably means no Teplys of marriage age, other than Vaclav and Suzana’s children, lived in the Polička villages before around 1685.
Teply grandchildren baptisms 1678 to 1701
By now, Vaclav and Suzana’s children are starting to have children of their own.
- In 1679, Dorota is born to Vaclav Jr and Magdalena
- In 1682, Matej is born to Vaclav Jr and Magdalena
- In 1684, Anna is born to Vaclav Jr and Magdalena
- In 1684, Martin is born to Jan and Katerina
- In 1687, Vitus is born to Vaclav Jr and Magdalena
- In 1687, Magdalena is born to Jan and Katerina
- In 1690, Joseph is born to Vaclav Jr and Magdalena
- In 1692, Suzana is born to Vaclav Jr and Magdalena
- In 1692, Katerina is born to Jan and Katerina
- In 1696, Filip is born to Vaclav Jr and Magdalena
- In 1699, Matansse is born to Vaclav Jr and Magdalena
By 1700, there are more grandchildren to come, but by now the older grandchildren are beginning to have children of their own. These are Vaclav and Suzana’s great-grandchildren.
Conclusion: This probably means no Teplys of marriage age, other than Vaclav and Suzana’s children and grandchildren, lived in the Polička villages before around 1700.
Teply deaths from 1699 to 1720
The death register begins in 1699. And well into the 1720s, all Teply deaths are descendents of Vaclav and Suzana Teply. Several are infant children.
Conclusion: This probably means no other Teply families, other than those of Vaclav and Suzana, lived in the Polička villages before around 1720.
Where did they come from?
Vaclav and Suzana probably moved to Pustá Rybná around 1650.
They show up in the registers beginning in 1652, but they had no children baptized in the previous 10 years. And they aren’t in the marriage register from 1648.
Perhaps they moved from Březiny, which is not in the Polička royal domain. Or they moved from somewhere else.
Perhaps they already lived in Pustá Rybná, but their families were protestant Hussites before the Thirty Years’ War, and they were just beginning to go to the Catholic church for life events.
There’s more research to be done.
Conclusion
Vaclav and Suzana are the first Teply family in the Polička villages.
All later Teply families the area descend from Vaclav and Suzana!
Sources
- Sketch of man and woman – composite of two sketches by Antoš Frolka
- Register – Czech – Zamrsk – Svitavy(Policka) – Birth – 1642-1764 – Catholic – s. 1652
- Witness – Suzana Teply (baptism Marie Zahradnik) – Pusta Rybna Czechia – 1652 – Zamrsk s. 1652 – p. 33 – i. 20 – r. 9
- Register – Czech – Zamrsk – Svitavy(Policka) – Marriage – 1648-1712 – Catholic – s. 1662
- Register – Czech – Zamrsk – Svitavy(Policka) – Death – 1700-1767 – Catholic – s. 1673
- Traveling couple – altered – Vincent Van Gogh
Family Nibbles 