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Měcholupy is a small village near the larger village of Předslav in the Klatovy region of Bohemia. (There are other towns with the same name, particularly one near Louny.)
At the time of the 1783 Klatovy Census, there was one Jewish family living in Měcholupy, then called “Gut Miecholup” The head of the household was “Jacub Mayer,” who was married with 3 children. (The names of his wife and children were not recorded.)
At the time of the 1793 Klatovy Census, Jakob Mayer was still the head of the only Jewish family, but his household included a large number of people. The 1793 census also provided information about the people surveyed:
Jakob Mayer, 4th,born son; 42 years old, under the protection of the Micholup (Měcholupy) estate, worked in distilling brandy and commerce.
Jakob’s wife Magdalena Mayer was 40 years old. Jakob and Magdalena had 7 children: 1. First-born son Aron, was 17 2. Daughter Katel was 12 3. Second-born son Israel was 10 4. Third-born son David was 7 5. Daughter Mariandl was 7 6. Fourth-born son Joseph was 2 7. Fifth-born son Moises was 6 months old
Other members of the household included
Isak Abeles, 22, from Stiekna, servant Anna Mayer, 65, from Scherau, Jakob’s widowed mother-in-law (probably should be his mother) Paul Mayer, 48, from Měcholupy, Jakob’s older brother Moises Schlinder, 30, a third-born son from Putzlitz (Puclice), who worked in the brandy distillery Abraham Bloss, 26, a third-born son from Pisek, school teacher Esterle Wiederin, 22, from Hradischtl, a maid Sala, age 15, from Bistritz, who was a nursemaid
The main features of the village were a chateau and behind it, a Chapel dedicated to St. Apollonia, a 3rd-century martyr.