CZECH-L Archives
Archiver > CZECH > 2000-12 > 0978287064
From:
Subject: [CZ] Re: CZECH-D Digest V00 #299
Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2000 13:24:24 EST
<< Some people seem to think
that they have to be related to be god parent. Would that have been common
practice.Maybe more so in the old country.?? >>
Many Bohemians selected Godparents for their children based on their wealth
more than anything. For a long time a Godparent had the duty to actually
support a child if the parents were unable to do so and picking someone who
was wealthy meant that the child could look forward to gifts of money on his
baptism anniversary and on other occasions. Sometimes wealthy godparents
would help pay for a child's education beyond basic learning in elementary
grades -- in a country where peasants were still about 50% illiterate in
1880. Godparents might take in a child who became orphaned and they might
also provide some funds for a dowry for a girl. A godparent who was a
master craftsman might apprentice a godson if he had no son of his own who
wanted to learn his trade.
Being a godparent was somewhat of an honor as well as a responsibility and
sometimes people became concerned that someone would be upset if not chosen.
So they would have more than one couple as godparents. I have seen
baptismal records in the Austrian (imperial army) military church books
filmed by the LDS that have as many as six people named as godparents at a
child's baptism. Several godparents named is quite common in the 1860s.
Karen
This thread: