Metadata: Records of general and partial congregations 1722(1723-1786)1790
Collection
- Country:
- Hungary
- Holding institution:
- National Archives of Hungary, Csongrád County Archives, Szentes
- Holding institution (official language):
- Magyar Nemzeti Levéltár Csongrád Megyei Levéltára, Szentes
- Postal address:
- 6600 Szentes, Kossuth tér 1
- Phone number:
- +36 63 562 425
- Web address:
- https://mnl.gov.hu/mnl/csml/mnl_csml_szentes
- Email:
- szentes.csml@mnl.gov.hu
- Reference number:
- IV.A.1.a
- Title:
- Records of general and partial congregations 1722(1723-1786)1790
- Title (official language):
- Közgyűlési és kisgyűlési jegyzőkönyvek 1722(1723-1786)1790
- Creator/accumulator:
- Csongrád County
- Date(s):
- 1722/1790
- Date note:
- 1722/1723/1786/1790
- Language:
- Latin
- Hungarian
- Extent:
- 2.25 linear metres (28 volumes)
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Physical condition:
- good
- Scope and content:
-
The collection ‘Records of general and partial congregations 1722(1723-1786)1790’ comprises the records of general and partial congregations of nobilities in Csongrád county. The collection is part of the extensive collection of ‘Documents 1600(1723-1786)1848 of the congregation of nobilities in Csongrád county’. The collection can be divided into two units: 20 volumes of general and partial congregation records and about 8 volumes of handbooks.
The collection includes the materials of general and partial congregations. The congregation of Csongrád county nobilities held its first session on 6 October 1723. At that time the sessions had no constant location. The powers of the noble county and the administrative body of country nobility extended to the territory of the whole county. The general congregation fulfilled the functions of legislation, jurisdiction and administrative tasks. Therefore, the records include notes concerning both administrative issues and court cases. The collection is rich and covers a wide range of topics, including documents sent by government bodies, other municipalities, their county administrative bodies or private individuals: transcripts, transliterations, drafts, proposals or their modifications, referrals, commands from emissaries, lists of tax assessments, correspondence with other counties, orders or prohibitions. General congregations were held quarterly, and partial congregations once or twice a month. The subjects of the documents include: commercial issues, bankruptcy proceedings, farming leases, auctions, taverns, quarantine implemented by the judge, disrespect, emigration and immigration, runaways, their descriptions, meat sales, school, matters of horses, the military, recruits, felonies, beatings, manslaughter, swearing, tax arrears, thieves, factories, guilds, naturalisation, agriculture, invalidation of debts, wildfire, wood sales, military uniforms, travel documents, Jewish-related matters, re-acquisition of the right of ownership, nobility issues, obligations of feudal tenants, religious issues, cemetery, books and printings. The records were written mainly in Latin and Hungarian.
The collection does not exclusively comprise Jewish-related entries. The volumes maintained in the archives cover the original records, fair copies and their copies (prothocollum minus) and also the volumes including the copies of documents (prothocollum maius). About 47 entries discuss Jewish-related issues out of all the session records. It is essential to have a look at the content of collection IV.A.1.b providing access to copies of records attached before the documents. The number of Jewish-related entries is much higher here (106).
The records of collection ‘a’ offer the first Jewish-related entry (heading II. 17) about the search for Jacob Anscherle, absconder, dated 23 July 1727. These entries are similar to the other, general ones in the collection: they comprise petitions, reports, transcripts, transliterations, orders and prohibitions of national government bodies (Council of Governor-General, Chancellery, county administration) and private individuals. The remaining sources are very diverse: petitions for settlement, warrants of caption for escapees, search for foreign escapees, farming leases contracted with landlords and lawsuits related to them, contracts, debt certificates, business relationships with the members of the local community and also with the county, commercial activities (peddling, small and wholesale trading), handicraft trade, cowhide purchase, conflicts with guilds, schedules for debt payment or collection, crimes where victims could also be the perpetrators, horse theft, murders, use of fake money, taxes imposed on Jewish citizens, rate of tolerance tax, the volume and recovery of arrears, issues of inheritance, religious affairs, community cases, issues of conversion, conversion, press, the Jewish language and census. The various subject groups highlight that both the issues of public administration and jurisdiction are available in the collection. Geographically speaking, the period of this collection can be regarded as the initial phase of settlement by the Jewish population (formerly battles were fought here against Turkish troops). The records mostly concern Jews in Hódmezővásárhely and Szentes. At the national level, they also reflect their relationships with the Jewish population in Óbuda, Pécs and Makó. The entries from this period tend to highlight the activities of certain individuals. The documents were written mainly in Latin and Hungarian.
- Archival history:
- The historical archives of Csongrád county were destroyed during the siege of Fülek Castle (1682). In 1723 the county archives were reorganised. Subsequently, for half a century, the documents produced in the meantime were kept in the county house rented in Szeged. From there, the documents necessary for the administration were transferred to the officials and/or remained with them. In addition, documents were transported in boxes to congregation meetings and court trials. In 1767 Szegvár became the new seat of Csongrád county; therefore the archives moved here. In 1786 Szegvár also became the seat of Békés-Csanád-Csongrád counties. In 1790, following the restoration of autonomy in the three counties, the papers were sorted by the scope of jurisdiction. In 1794 the archivist in Csongrád county began the categorisation of documents. In 1858 the archives of Csongrád county were retransferred to Szeged. However, in April 1861, the material was returned to Szegvár. In 1878 Szentes became the seat of Csongrád county. In 1884, the location of the records was designated in the Szentes county hall. In 1950, after the nationalisation of the archives, two archives were established in Csongrád county, with headquarters in Szeged and Szentes. After 1968, county councils became responsible for supervising the archives. In 1973, the Szeged Archives of the Executive Committee of Csongrád County Council became the main archive in the county. Szentes became the place where the documents belonging to its collection circle were kept in the branch archive. To this day the feudal records of Csongrád county material are maintained by the Csongrád County Archives, Szentes in the county hall.
- Administrative/biographical history:
- The medieval archives in Csongrád county archives were destroyed in the siege of Fülek castle. Some documents were transferred from the chamber to the county in 1723, and then the number of documents increased steadily. Initially, the documents were managed by the notary. The first regestrum is dated in the years after 1743. The records and documents were arranged into fascisculi. In 1794 András Koleda arranged, listed and indexed the collection of documents.
- Access points: locations:
- Csongrád County
- Hódmezővásárhely
- Szentes
- Access points: persons/families:
- Anscherle, Jacob
- Österreicher
- System of arrangement:
-
From 1723 to 1786, general congregation records were collected in 23 volumes. The documents in question were attached to the original records drawn up in general and partial congregations. The records are often incomplete, several cases discussed were left out [this becomes clear after studying the remaining documents]. Copies and fair copies of the original records were prepared. Prothocollum minus is the copy of the original records, whereas prothocollum maius included the copies of documents.
Serial numbers were not assigned to subjects (nor to the documents) in the records until 1751. Following systematisation in 1790, the points of the original records and their attachments were marked with restarting serial numbers.
- Finding aids:
-
The records of sessions (place, name, subject) can be consulted based on 5 volumes of mixed indexes in alphabetical order, attached at the end of collection IV.A.1.a. Volumes 24-28: Elenchuses. They are written in Latin.
Volume 24.: Elenchus 1722-1790 A-B; Volume 25.: Elenchus 1722-1790 F-K; Volume 26.: Elenchus 1722-1790 L-O; Volume 27.: Elenchus 1722-1790 P-S; Volume 28.: Elenchus 1722-1790 T-Z.
- Yerusha Network member:
- University of Szeged
- Author of the description:
- Dr. Tibor Almási and Dr. Erzsébet Mislovics, University of Szeged, 2020