Austro-Hungarian Empire Gazetteers

When Austria and Hungary merged together in 1867 to create the Austro-Hungarian Empire, each side retained much of its autonomy. They shared some powers, but most of the administration of the two countries was separate. For this reason, it is necessary to know which side of the empire your ancestors came from—the record types, languages encountered, and the jurisdictions will vary depending on which half they lived in.

GenTeam for Austria, Czech Republic, Slovak Republic and Slovenia
GenTeam is an online gazetteer that covers the current countries of Austria, Czech Republic, Slovak Republic and Slovenia. It gives former (German) and current names of locations, the name of the parish, the beginning year of the records, and the archive that holds the records. It will also give details on earlier parishes the locality belonged to. It then links to the website of that archive. "How to" Guide: [[Media:1-Genteam_Gazetteer-Instruction.pdf|Instruction]], [[Media:2-Genteam_Gazetteer-Activity.pdf|Activity]], [[Media:3-Genteam_Gazetteer-Answer_Key.pdf|Answer Key]]

Crown Lands
Prior to 1918, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was divided into Crown Lands. This designation is important when using the GenTeam gazetteer. The Crown Land designation is also used in the organization of the Family History Library catalog.

(1877 Dvorzsák) Magyarország helységnévtára tekintettel a közigazgatási, népességi és hitfelekezeti viszonyokra
Magyarország helységnévtára tekintettel a közigazgatási, népességi és hitfelekezeti viszonyokra. (Gazetteer of Hungary with Administrative, Populational, and Ecclesiastical Circumstances). János Dvorzsák, Budapest: Havi Füzetek Kiadóhivatala, 1877. (FHL INTL book 943.9 E5d vol.1-2)

1''' is an index that lists all place names in alphabetical order, followed by the name of the historical county and a set of numbers. These numbers refer to the gazetteer entry in Volume 2. The first number is the sequential number of the county (hung. megye, ger. comitat), the second is the consecutive number of the district (hung. járás, ger. bezirk), the last is the number of the locality. The numbers are followed by the location of the post office or by the various symbols. Many place names listed in the index are followed by "=" or "v". These are "see" references and refer you to another version of the place name. Other place names are followed by " ". This indicates a farmstead (p. or puszta), settlement (t. or telep), mill (m. or malom), or other small settlement and refers you to the larger locality it belongs to.

Volume 2 gives specific information about the locality. It is arranged by county and districts. Use the numbers from the index in Volume 1 to find the entry for your town. Counties are numbered at the heads of the pages. Additional names the locality was known by are listed in parentheses. The names of farmsteads, settlements and mills that belong to the locality are sometimes listed within the brackets. Population figures follow according to religion. The following abbreviations are used:

If the village had its own parish church or synagogue, the abbreviation for the religion will be in BOLDFACE capital letters followed by the diocese, also in Boldface type. If the people attended church elsewhere, the abbreviation of the religion will be in lowercase. The location of the parish or synagogue follows the population figure. If "-" follows the population figure, it means that the specific parish was not known.

Both volumes are available online via FamilySearch Books: Volume 1, Volume 2 Also available on-line at http://www.iabsi.com/gen/public/dvorzsak_gazetteer.htm.

(1913) A Magyar Szent Korona Országainak Helységnévtára


Volume 1 - Volume 2 - Volume 3 Volumes 1 and 2 cover the Kingdom of Hungary (dark green area #16). Volume 3 covers the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia (maroon area #17) which now includes parts of modern Croatia and Slovenia. Advantages: Available online; provides religious jurisdictions as of 1910 and location of civil registration offices (volumes 1 and 2 only). Disadvantages: Browsable images only.