Hungary Military Records

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Military Records [Katonasági Atatok]
Military Records refer to records of military service. Hungarian soldiers served in the military of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Early records were only of officers. Later, the Austrian army kept personal files on all soldiers called muster rolls or foundation books. Up to 1869 most records are arranged by regiment or unit and time period; thus they are unusable unless the researcher can determine the military unit to which an individual belonged, personal files on officers were called officers qualification lists. These lists are arranged alphabetically for the whole empire for the years 1828 to 1918. Several other military record types also exist.

Time period: 1686 to present. The first records of the common soldier have been kept only since the mid 1700s.

Contents: Names and residences of soldiers and mercenaries; age, religion, rank, date and place of muster. Birth registers and lists of 17 to 21 year old males, their parents, places of residence, physical descriptions. Some records include personal description, date and place of birth, and service record including units served in, commands, decorations, etc.

Location: Most Hungarian military records are at the War Archives [Kriegsarchiv] in Vienna. Some may also be found in the county archives. Recent records after about 1870 are likely in Hungarian archives under direction of the National Archives of Hungary [Országos Leveltár] in Budapest. Most of the records in Vienna have been filmed. No military records have been filmed in Hungary. Although some of the earliest records have been lost, most of the existing records are stored at the War Archives in Vienna.

Research use: Military records are useful when there are gaps in parish and other registers. Often military records are the only source in an area where church registers have been lost or destroyed.

Accessibility: Through correspondence, a local agent or by personal search.