Austria Evangelical-Lutheran Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

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Foreign Language Title
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Collection Time Period
This collection of church records for the Evangelical churches in Vienna covers the years 1848 to 1900.

How to Use the Records
Use these Austrian church records to identify ancestors and make family connections in pedigrees.

Record Description
These church book are duplicates from the Protestant Church of Vienna, Austria. The collection includes records such as: Taufen (baptism), Trauungen (marriage), Sterben (death or burial), Toten (death or burial), Taufregister (baptismal index), Trauungsregister (marriage index), and Sterberegister (death or burial index). The text of the records is in German. In the “Description,” a two-letter abbreviation is listed (either AB or HB). AB refers Evangelisch (Evangelical). HB refers to Evangelisch Reformiert. In the records, the abbreviation AB follows the city name.

Record Content
The key genealogical facts found on most birth or baptism records include the following:

• Names of the child, parents, and witnesses or godparents • Date and place of birth • Date of baptism • Sometimes the time of birth and baptism • House number where the event occurred • Residence and religion of the parents • Occupations of the father and other males listed in the record • Whether the child was legitimate or illegitimate

Record History
There are two different Evangelical churches in Austria. One belongs to the Lutheran tradition and is called the Evangelical Church A.B. (Augsburg Confession); the other one is part of the Reformed Tradition and is marked by the label, H.B. (Helvetic, meaning the Swiss Confession). The combined membership of the Evangelical churches in Austria make up close to 5% of the total Austrian population. The Lutheran Church has approximately 356.500 members; the Reformed Church has approximately 19.500 members.

The church books stored at the archive in Vienna are duplicates of the originals. The originals are still in parishes around the country. Often the originals include records for earlier years than the duplicates because the order to duplicate the church books was not given until 1848.

Why This Collection Was Created?
Church records were created to record church sacraments associated with the life events of the parishioners, such as baptism, marriage, and burial.

Record Reliability
This collection of church books is a reliable and accurate source for genealogical research. Accuracy in the records for such information as dates, ages, and places is dependent upon the accuracy of the person giving the information and the accuracy of the recording by the ecclesiastical officer.

Related Web Sites
Evangelical Church in Austria

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Related Wiki Articles
Austrian Church Records Online

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the Wiki Article: How to Cite FamilySearch Collections

Please add sample citations to this article following the format guidelines in the wiki article listed above. Examples of citations:


 * United States. Bureau of the Census. 12th census, 1900, digital images, From FamilySearch Internet (www.familysearch.org: September 29, 2006), Arizona Territory, Maricopa, Township 1, East Gila, Salt River Base and Meridian; sheet 9B, line 71
 * Mexico, Distrito Federal, Catholic Church Records, 1886-1933, digital images, from FamilySearch Internet (www.familysearch.org: April 22, 2010), Baptism of Adolfo Fernandez Jimenez, 1 Feb. 1910, San Pedro Apóstol, Cuahimalpa, Distrito Federal, Mexico, film number 0227023

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Style Guide
For guidelines to use in creating wiki articles that describe collections of images and indexes produced by FamilySearch, see: FamilySearch Wiki: Guidelines for FamilySearch Collections pages

Sources of Information for This Collection:
• Digital copies of original duplicates found at the Evangelisches Kirchenamt AB, Severin Schrieber Gasse 3, A-1180 Wien.

• “Austria, Vienna Church Records”, database, FamilySearch, 2010; Austria, Protestant Church records, 1848-1900. Evangelisches Kirchenamt AB, Austria. FHL 284 digital folders. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.

The format for citing FamilySearch Historical Collections, including how to cite individual archives is found in the following link: How to Create Source Citations for FamilySearch Historical Records Collections