Austria, Carinthia, Military Personnel Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Record
Österreich Armee. Kärnten, Grundbuchblätter

Record Description
The collection consists of Austrian personnel records giving details on the soldier's birth, enlistment, and military service. The records will include the provinces of Austria as well as areas formerly part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, primarily Hungary, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and the Czech Republic. Any additional records will be added as they are completed. The original records are housed in the Österreichisches Staatsarchiv, Vienna.

The text was handwritten in German. See the section title For Help Reading These Records in this article for translation tools. This collection of records is listed in alphabetical order by year and surname, which makes it easier to research. The records cover the years 1846-1897.

For a list of records by date or locality currently published in this collection, select the Browse link from the collection landing page.

In 1820, the regimental muster rolls (musterlisten), which contained basic information for each soldier, were replaced by formatted sheets (grundbuchsblatt) bound into books as a register (grundbuecher), then handled as loose sheets (grundbuchsblaetter). The documented registers were kept by the regiments and periodically sent to the central authority, the War Council Ministry of War, in Vienna for preservation.

The Austrian military system requires that all military personnel be registered with all personal and related information, which is kept in a personal file when the person is enlisted. Men exempt from military service included clergy, nobility, certain government officials, and workers employed in mining, iron production, and necessary agricultural occupations.

Record Content
The records may include the following information:


 * Name of soldier or officer
 * Date of birth
 * Place of birth
 * Religion
 * Occupation
 * Name of regiment
 * Date of service

How to Use the Record
This section provides information on how to search the collection, what to do with information once found, some tips on how to find records, and what to do if no record is found.

When searching: As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor's given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence, age, estimated [event] year, and family relationships.

Search the Collection
To browse by image: To search the collection: ⇒ Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒ Select "Record Type and Year Range" ⇒ Select the "Name Range" which takes you to the images.

Search the collection by image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

For Help Reading These Records
These records are in German. For help with reading the records, see the following wiki article:


 * German Word List
 * Germany Resources
 * Germany Handwriting

Using the Information

 * Use the estimated age to calculate a birth date.
 * Use the soldier's age and location of the military unit to find his family in census, church, and land records.
 * Use the county code and the certificate number to obtain a copy of the original death certificate from the county.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Use the soldier's age and location of the military unit to find his family in census, church, and land records.
 * Continue to search the index and records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have served in the same unit or a nearby unit.
 * Check for variant spellings of the names.
 * Search the records of nearby military units.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * Check for variant spellings of the names.
 * Look for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume. In addition local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records.
 * Search the records of nearby localities (or military units, counties, parishes, etc.).

Related Websites

 * FEEFHS – An Introduction to Austrian military records
 * OESTA – Sources for genealogical research at the Austrian War Archives in Vienna
 * Österreichisches Staatsarchiv
 * Austria Websites
 * Austria Map 1855

Related Wiki Articles

 * Austria
 * Austria Military Records
 * Austria Civil Registration
 * Austrian Personnel Records by Regiments

Citations for This Collection
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information (often called citing your sources). This will help people find the record again and evaluate the reliability of the source. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records. Citations are available for the collection as a whole and each record or image individually.

Collection Citation:

Image Citation: