General Information Site Index and Keywords Getting Started Finding a Place Finding a Surname Obtaining Copies of Records LDS Microfilms Census Data Tips and Advice

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Site Index

Keyword	Comment
Address	Use the Austria Phone Directory to find address and phone numbers of parishes and individuals
Castles
Census
Form Letters
Handwriting	Deciphering old handwriting & print
Helpers
Humor
Immigration	Ships, passenger lists, etc.
Jewish	Beginner's Guide to Austrian-Jewish Genealogy
Languages
Latin	Deciphering old handwriting & print
News	Latest updates on the AustriaGenWeb
Nobility	An index to the Starke Verlag's Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels.
Passenger Lists	Ships, passenger lists, etc.
Ports
Queries
Researchers
Scripts	Deciphering old handwriting & print
Ships	Ships, passenger lists, etc.
Translation	Free translation services

Getting started (in Austrian Genealogy)

• There are two important considerations before you start researching in "Austria":
  • Was it really Austria ?

    Remember that the Austro-Hungarian Empire of the late 19th century included many areas that are separate countries today. Most people who start researching an immigrant ancestor who is listed on a US census and being " born in Austria" discover that they should be researching in Poland, Ukraine, Romania, the Czech Republic, or Slovenia, etc. You have to start by tracing the Immigration & Naturalization records with the aim of establishing the town or village of origin.

  • If so, you will probably need to consult the church records.
    • Most of these (in today's Austria) have not been filmed by the LDS.
    • You need to know the religion before you start researching.
    • You need to know the parish.

    Keep in mind that there are other valuable local sources such as the provincial or city archives. However they will not do your research for you. Either you go to the archive or you commission a researcher to do it for you.

• If you are researching an immigrant ancestor, check these excellent summaries:
  • Tracing Immigrant Origins by the LDS FHC.
  • RootsWeb's Guide: Tracing Immigrant Ancestors
  • Genealogy Research Associates' Free Lessons: Tracing Immigrant Origins
  • Genealogy.com: All about immigration and migration
  • Cyndi's List: Immigration & Naturalization
  • USGenWeb: Immigration & Passenger Arrival Records

• Consider joining the Austria-L Mailing List

• Discerning Austrian Marriage Record Entries [ by Kent Stuetz, Southern Waldviertel Family History Project ]

• Read Tracing Your Ancestors in Vienna by the City Archives of Vienna. Very good guidelines especially if you are researching Vienna.

• Beginner's Guide to Austrian-Jewish Genealogy

• Review the German Genealogy's Tips for Researchers, the Frequently Asked Questions list and consider joining the soc.genealogy.german newsgroup. Much of this information applies to Austria too.

• Need a dictionary ? Problems reading old documents ? Click here.

• If you're new to genealogy, check the USGenWeb Project's Information for Researchers.

Finding a surname (person of Austrian origin)

• Check the search engine summary

• If you're looking for possible descendants that might still live in today's Austria, try the Austrian telephone directory (see also help) and maybe various e-mail directories:
  • http://www.henkel.at/sites/index.html
  • http://germ2.uibk.ac.at/email/email_e.html
  • http://www.bigfoot.com/
  • http://www.whowhere.lycos.com/

• Post a well formulated query (including background information):
  • Here and/or
  • Other WorldGenWeb sites for bordering countries
  • Austria Mail List and/or other mail list
  • The soc.genealogy.surnames.* newsgroup(s)

• Check and register in the RSL (Root Surname List) and in the FEEFHS Austrian Research List that you are working on this surname.

• Consider placing an ad in an Austrian publication.

• Check with Austrian societies & research companies.

Getting confirmation & documentation

• Recent records (post 1938) are maintained by the civil authorities. See: Personenstandsurkunden (in German).

• Establish the person's religion. All pre-1938 records are held by the respective churches.

• Detailed information about ealiest baptism, marriage and death records in the individual parishes can be found in reference books such as Handy Guide To Austrian Genealogical Records by Dagmar Senekovic (published 1979 by Everton Publishers, Inc. and available from Storbeck's for $ 5.50 plus shipping/handling).

• A number of useful publications are also available from IHFF

• Personal visits to the parishes or snail mail enquiries are the only solutions at present; see tips & advice.

• If the person served in the military, try the war archives.

LDS Microfilms

See the list of LDS Austria microfilm and publication holdings.

Austrian Census Data

The source documentation (the enumeration sheets) was largely destroyed in the Palace of Justice fire in 1927. Some documentation is still available at the Staatsarchiv in Vienna but most of it is badly damaged (by fire and water), is difficult to handle, nearly impossible to read and may not be photocopied.

However, there is some good news:

The FEEFHS - Federation of East European Family History Societies has published some interesting findings concerning the Austrian census in former Galicia:

• http://feefhs.org/ah/gal/1880-gal.html
• http://feefhs.org/ah/gal/update-1.html

Tips & Advice

See the LDS German Letter-Writing Guide.

Remember that research costs time and money. When making snail-mail inquiries, as a matter of courtesy, always enclose 2 international reply coupons and an addressed envelope.

Problems reading old documents ? Click here.

Genealogical research in Austria tends to be difficult for a number of reasons:

• Genealogy has a slightly negative "flavour" in Austria. It is often associated with the misuse of genealogical research during the Nazi era and many Austrians unfortunately consider it as old fashioned and as a pastime for nobility and would-be-aristocrats.

• Austrian data privacy laws are very strict; lookups are difficult and frequently require valid powers of attorney, proof of descent, etc.

• The boarders of Austria have changed over the centuries. Austria used to be a large empire; today Austria is a small country and a member of the European Union.

This and other considerations are well described in the introductory pages of IHFF (a commercial research company located in Vienna).

I will attempt to answer e-mail queries but keep in mind that I do this as a hobby. I, like many of you, am not a professional researcher. In any case your queries will be posted for the benefit of other users.

Important: researching can be difficult -- but never give up. If you're down, just click on the smile: