Austria Gazetteers

Once you have found out the name of the place where your ancestor came from, you are ready to look for records that may have been kept for that town. All towns didn't keep their own records. The residents of each town were assigned to a particular Catholic or Protestant parish in the area. Depending on the religion of your ancestor, the events of baptism, marriage or burial for his family members should have been recorded in the town where the appropriate parish was located.

The Gemeindelexikon gazetteer of Austria will show the Catholic church jurisdictions for every place in the Austrian portion of the Austro-Hungarian Empire as of 1900. The volume for each Austrian state includes an index and an appendix showing the Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, or Greek Catholic parish, and/or Jewish congregation to which each town was assigned. It also shows where Protestant parishes were located, but does not show all Protestant jurisdictions.

Church jurisdictions are shown in the following:

''Gemeindelexikon der im Reichsrate vertretenen Konigreiche und Lander, bearbeitet auf Grund der Ergebnisse der Volkszahlung vom 31. Dezember 1900''. 14 volumes. (Gazetteer of the states of the Austrian Empire. Each state has its own volume with index and appendix showing Catholic parish jurisdictions for each town). Film numbers: 1187925 items 2-4 (Niederosterreich, Oberosterreich, Salzburg), 1187926 (Steiermark, Karnten, Krain, Kustenland, Tirol und Vorarlberg), 1187927 (Bohmen, Schlesien), 924736 item 1 (Mahren), 1187928 items 1-3 (Galizien, Bukowina, Dalmatien). Book number 943.6 E5g v. 1-14.

Jews, Protestants and Catholics are included in the following:

Hans Mayerhofer, ''Oesterreich-ungarisches Orts-Lexikon enthaltend die Pfarrorte, Cultusgemeinden und Filialen aller Confessionen Oesterreich-Ungarns, Bosniens, und der Herzegowina.'' Wien: Carl Fromme, 1896. 906 p. (Gazetteer of Autria-Hungary with jurisdictions of all confessions). Film number 1256324 item 4.

The following gazetteers are also useful for the time periods in which they were published:

Franz Raffelsperger, ''Allgemeines geographisch-statistisches Lexikon aller osterreichischen Staaten.'' Wien: KK Typo-geographischen Kunstanstalt, 1845-1853. 9 volumes. (Alphabetical gazetteer of the Austrian Empire showing which towns had parishes and other data. Includes Hungary). Film number 1187928 item 4 - 1187933. Book number 943.6 E5r.

''Ortsverzeichnis von Osterreich, bearbeitet auf Grund der Ergebnisse der Volkszahlung vom 21. Marz 1961.'' Wien: Osterreichisches Statistisches Zentralamt, 1965. 565 p. (Standard gazetteer of modern Austria). Film number 1181555 item 7. Book number 943.6 E50 1965.

For a description of the available parish registers for modem Austria see:

Austria sacra. II Bd. Quellen und Literaturkunde zur osterreichischen Kirchengeschichte. 1960- 12 volumes. (Includes the following volumes: 1. General; 2. Erzdiozese Wien; 3. Diozese St. Polten; 4. Diozese Linz; 5. Diozese Eisenstadt/Burgenland; 6. Erzdiozese Salzburg; 7. Diozese Gurk; 8. Diozese Graz-Seckau; 9. Diozese Brixen/Innsbruck-Feldkirch; 10. Orden, Kloster; und Spitaler; 11.1. Ev. Kirche A. und H.B.; 11.2. Die Andere staatlich anerkannten christlichen Gemeinschaften; 12. Register. Book number 943.6 B4a.