Austrian Poland (Galicia), Austro-Hungarian Empire Genealogy

Europe Poland  Austrian_Poland (Galicia)

Guide to Austrian Poland (Galicia) ancestry, family history, and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

History
The Austrian Crownland of Galizien (Galicia) is called Halychyna in Ukrainian and Halicz in Polish. The area of Galicia refers to the region that came to Poland during the first partition in 1772. Two years later, Empress Maria Theresa issued a settlement patent to encourage immigration to the sparsely settled region. Her successor Emperor Joseph II issued a second patent in 1781 and added a Toleranzpatent promising religious toleration for Protestants. Germans from the Palatinate (Pfalz), Wurttemberg, and Bohemia responded, as did Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, and others. Galicia was annexed to Poland in 1918. In 1939, it was divided between the Provisional Government of Warsaw and Ukraine, a division drawn with the modern geographical boundaries of Poland and Ukraine.

Galicia reaches north from the Carpathian Mountains across the Sarmatian Plain. It stretches from the Biala River, a tributary of the Weichsel, in the west to the Zbrucz, a tributary of the Dniester, in the east.

This area had a large Ukrainian population in the eastern section and a Polish population on the western side which was often refered to as Little Poland. Some of the localities in Austrian Poland are Tarnow, Rzezow and Nowy Sącz.

German Colonies in Galicia


 * Evangelical Pfälzer
 * Evangelicals from Wüttemberg
 * Mennonite Pfälzer
 * Bohemian Catholics

Subsequent Migrations


 * within Austro-Hungarian Empire
 * to Russia and Romania
 * to the Western Hemisphere
 * war dislocations



Geography
The territory of Galicia (within the borders of the Crown of 1914) now covers: In Poland: In the Ukraine: --Wikipedia, Galicia
 * Silesian Voivodeship (only Zywiec, Biala)
 * Little Poland Province (except Miechów, Olkusz)
 * Subcarpathian Voivodeship
 * Lviv Oblast (Lviv)
 * The Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast (Stanislau)
 * Tarnopil (Tarnopol)

Getting started with Austrian Poland research

 * Where can we find the records today: At the places where the records were originally kept;
 * at the appropriate Civil Registrar’s Offices (usually not older records than 100 years in Poland and usually 80 years in the former Soviet Republics)
 * then at the State Archives;
 * at the Church Archives;
 * at the "Beyond the Bug River Archives"–the Main Archive of Ancient Documents (Archiwum Glowne Akt Dawnych) i
 * Since 1784 the vital documents gained a legal status; each of the religions had a separate set of records for births, marriages, and deaths; records were written in Latin; the entries were separate for each of the villages included in a parish; copies of the records were given to the civil authorities at the end of each year. The Lutherans had their right to keep their own records, usually in German.
 * Since 1787 when there was a marriage of mixed religions, the entry had to be made in both of the involved parishes.
 * Since 1789 there were established Jewish communities, before that time the records would be maintained by the catholic priests.
 * In 1891 was the final division of the Jewish communities, entries were made in German and Polish, headings appeared in Hebrew or Yiddish.

Online Records: Poland

 * PRADZIAD Database'''
 * Szukaj w ArchiwachTutorial The Polish Archives
 * Geneteka Instructions

Microfilm Copies of Records at a Family History Center
If the locality and time period you need are not included in the online records, the next step is to check for them in the microfilm collection of the Family History Library. These microfilms may be ordered for viewing at Family History Centers around the world. To find a microfilm:
 * a. Click on "Places within Austria, Galizien".
 * b. Select your record type: Church records and civil registration are the most important.
 * b. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * c. Choose the correct record type and time period for your ancestor. For records in German: "Geburten" are births. "Getaufen" are baptisms. "Heiraten" are marriages. "Verstorbene" or "Toten" are deaths. For records in Polish: "Akta urodzeń" are birth records. "Akta małżeństw" are marriage records. "Akta zgonów" are death records.
 * d. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the microfilm listed for the record. FHL icons.png. The magnifying glass indicates that the microfilm is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the microfilm. Clicking on the microfilm reel will lead to information on how to rent the film. Family History Center staff will assist you in ordering the film.

Reading the Records

 * It's easier than you think! You do not have to be fluent in Polish and German to use these records, as there is only a limited vocabulary used in them. By learning a few key phrases, you will be able to read them adequately.

German

 * German Genealogical Word List
 * German Handwriting


 * These video webinars will teach you to read German handwriting:
 * Old German Script Part 1
 * Old German Script Part 2
 * Old German Script (German Church and Civil Records) Part 3


 * Also online interactive slideshow lessons are available to help you learn to read these records:
 * Reading German Handwritten Records Lesson 1: Kurrent Letters
 * Reading German Handwritten Records Lesson 2: Making Words in Kurrent
 * Reading German Handwritten Records Lesson 3: Reading Kurrent Documents. In this lesson, you will explore several types of German genealogical records, including birth, baptismal, marriage, and death records.
 * German Script Tutorial

This converter will show you how any phrase or name might look in German script:
 * Kurrentschrift Converter (enter German genealogical word, click on "convert", view your word in Kurrentschrift (Gothic handwriting)
 * Germany Letter Writing Guide

Polish

 * Poland Letter Writing Guide
 * Polish Word List
 * Poland Language and Languages
 * Reading Polish Birth Records - [[Media:1-Poland_Birth_Records_in_Paragraph_Format-Instruction.pdf|Instruction]], [[Media:2-Poland_Birth_Records_in_Paragraph_Format-Assignment.pdf|Activity]], [[Media:3-Poland_Birth_Records_in_Paragraph_Format-Answer_Key.pdf|Answer Key]]
 * Reading Polish Marriage Records - [[Media:1-Poland_Marriage_Records_in_Paragraph_Format-Instruction.pdf|Instruction]], [[Media:2-Poland_Marriage_Records_in_Paragraph_Format-Activity.pdf|Activity]], [[Media:3-Marriage_Records_in_Paragraph_Format-Answer_Key.pdf|Answer Key]]
 * Reading Polish Death Records - [[Media:1-Poland-Death_Records_in_Paragraph_Format-Instruction.pdf|Instruction]], [[Media:2-Poland-Death_Records_in_Paragraph_Format-Activity.pdf|Activity]], [[Media:3-Poland-Death_Records_in_Paragraph_Format-Answer_Key.pdf|Answer Key]]

Russian

 * Cyrillic Alphabet - [[Media:1-Russian_Alphabet_Instruction.pdf|Instruction]], [[Media:2-Russian_Alphabet_Assignment.pdf|Activity]], [[Media:3-Russian_Alphabet_Answer_Key.pdf|Answer Key]]
 * Cyrillic Script - [[Media:1-Russian_Script-Instruction.pdf|Instruction]], [[Media:2-Russian_Script-Assignment.pdf|Activity]], [[Media:3-Russian_Script-Answer_Key.pdf|Answer Key]]
 * Reading Russian Birth Records - [[Media:1-Russia_Birth_Records_in_Paragraph_Format-Instruction.pdf|Instruction]], [[Media:2-Birth_Records_in_Paragraph_Format-Activity.pdf|Activity]], [[Media:3-Birth_Records_in_Paragraph_Format-Answer_Key.pdf|Answer Key]]
 * Reading Russian Marriage Records - [[Media:1-Russia_Marriage_Records_in_Paragraph_Format-Instruction.pdf|Instruction]], [[Media:2-Russia_Marriage_Records_in_Paragraph_Format-Activity.pdf|Activity]], [[Media:3-Russia_Marriage_Records_in_Paragraph_Format-Answer_Key.pdf|Answer Key]]
 * Reading Russian Death Records - [[Media:1-Russia_Death_Records_in_Paragraph_Format-Instruction.pdf|Instruction]], [[Media:2-Russia_Death_Records_in_Paragraph_Format-Activity.pdf|Activity]], [[Media:3-Russia_Death_Records_in_Paragraph_Format-Answer_Key.pdf|Answer Key]]

Search Strategy

 * Search for the relative or ancestor you selected. When you find his birth record, search for the births of his brothers and sisters.
 * Next, search for the marriage of his parents. The marriage record will have information that will often help you find the birth records of the parents.
 * You can estimate the ages of the parents and determine a birth year to search for their birth records.
 * Search the death registers for all known family members.
 * Repeat this process for both the father and the mother, starting with their birth records, then their siblings' births, then their parents' marriages, and so on.
 * If earlier generations (parents, grandparents, etc.) do not appear in the records, search neighboring parishes.

Research Tools

 * Galicia Genealogy Resources by FEEFHS
 * Galizien German Descendants
 * Galizien-Online
 * Genealogy of Halychyna and Eastern Galicia
 * Austrian Poland Church Records
 * Austrian Poland Jewish Research
 * [[Media:Catholic_Vital_Records_of_Galicia-Halychyna_by_Matthew_R._Bielawa.pdf|Catholic Vital Records of Galicia/Halychyna]] - Galician Catholic records
 * Genealogy of Halychyna and Eastern Galicia
 * Galizien German Descendants website. Click Researching our Galizien Germans link on the left to learn about research. Then click Records and Archives dealing with Galizien Germans link for information about available records including Family History Library microfilm numbers.