Austria Emigration and Immigration

Online Records

 * 1686-1855 Ansiedlerakten, 1686-1855 To Hungary. Card file and documents relating to settlers from Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Böhmen, Moravia to the Banat (mostly) and other regions of Hungary during the 17th-19th century.
 * 1750-1943 Auswandererkartei mit Familienangehörigen, 1750-1943 Koblenz Archives. Index cards, arranged alphabetically by surname, for German emigrants and their family members. Provides information on nicknames, given names, and variant forms of surnames; ancestral home, earlier and later lands of allegiance, places and dates of birth and death, religious persuasion, date of emigration, earlier and later places of settlement, original occupation and later activity, name of spouse, places and dates of birth and death, place of marriage, occupation and later activity; names, places and dates of birth and death for children, places of residence, names of spouses. Places of settlement include the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Russia, Poland and Italy.
 * 1782-1805 Ansiedlerakten, 1782-1805 Card file and documents relating to settlers from Germany, Bohemia and Moravia to Galicia and Bukovina during the 18th-19th century.
 * 1904-1914 Germany, Bremen Passenger Departure Lists, 1904-1914 at MyHeritage; index & images ($); includes those with Destination of Austria
 * 1938-1945 Germans, Swiss and Austrians Deported from France,ca. 1938-1945. Index. Incomplete.
 * Georgia (United States) Salzburger and allied families

Background
Austrian emigration patterns have been difficult to determine. There was no official country known as Austria until 1918. Prior to that time the sprawling Habsburg Empire, an amalgam of a dozen nationalities, encompassed the idea of Austria. Thus Austrian immigration can rightly be seen as the immigration of Czech, Polish, Hungarian, Slovenian, Serbian, and Croatian peoples as well as a plethora of other national and ethnic groups.

Between 1860 and 1974 Austria provided 4.3 million emigrants to the United States. These included ethnic German, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Slovene, Romanian, Italian, Croatian and Serbian peoples. During many of these years Latin America also received many Austrian emigrants. Many North and South Americans need Austrian records.

Emigration records (Auswanderungsakten)
Research use: Very valuable for making proper connections to place of origin and residence in Austria and other countries formerly in the Austrian Empire. About 50% of the researchers do not know their ancestor's place of origin. Town of origin must be determined before research can continue.

Record type: Lists of emigrants and documentation permissions for those moving to other provinces within the Austrian Empire.

Time Period: 1710-present.

Content: Name of emigrant, date and place of birth, place of residence, occupation, usually country (and sometimes town) of destination; given names and ages of wife and children; reasons for emigration; amount of taxes paid; military service, etc.

Location: City and state archives.

Population coverage: 5%-10%.

For Further Reading

 * Austrian Americans provides a historical overview of emigration to America.