Beginner's Guide to Austrian-Hungarian Genetic Genealogy • Jane's Genes Find your central European Ancestors.

May 29, 2023

This series of guides uses real-life examples to explain how to use DNA and public records to research your own central European roots. While my focus is on Austria-Hungary, many of the methods described can be applied to other parts of Europe.

Introduction

Congratulations! You’ve decided to take your genealogical research to the next level with DNA testing. You spit in the tube, shipped off your sample, and after 4-8 weeks of waiting, […]

Austria-Hungary, Galicia, Prussia? Understanding Europe’s Changing Borders

The geographic location of your forefather’s birth may not be in the same country as it was known a century ago. Maybe he spoke German, but his birth record was […]

Nobody Likes Cousin Anonymous : Making a Family Tree to Share Online

One of the most important, but often overlooked steps in identifying your DNA matches is creating an online family tree. You may be looking at a list of potential 3rd […]

Visit Hungary to Find Cousins in New Jersey

I’m going to assume you’ve already spent some time researching your ancestors in America. Hopefully, you know the name and place of residence of your target ancestor. If you do […]

Identifying Your Ancestor’s Birthplace

Figuring out how great-grandpa ended up in Pennsylvania may be as easy as asking some older family members. But if you have little knowledge of your family history, or are […]

Locating Old Parish and Civil Records

To build your family tree “across the ocean,” not only do you need to know exactly where your target ancestor was born, but you’ll need to figure out where his […]

Translating Civil Records – Births (1895-Present)

In most parts of the former Austro-Hungarian empire, vital records were documented by local church parishes until about October,1895. At that time, laws were passed, requiring all citizens to report […]

Translating Civil Records – Marriages (1895-Present)

From October 1895 through December 1906, civil registration offices used a 2-page form to document all marriages. These records contain a wealth of information, but you first need to know […]

Translating Civil Records – Deaths (1895-Present)

Hungarian death records from October 1895 through December 1906 have a nearly identical format, regardless of the megye(county) or district(járás). Recorded by the state, and later photographed by missionaries from […]

Translating Parish Records – Births

Most Hungarian birth/baptismal records prior to October 1895 will be found in Catholic Church parish registers. At the time, Hungary was predominantly Catholic, accounting for over 60% of the country’s […]

Translating Parish Records – Marriages

Prior to October 1895, records of marriages, as well as births and deaths, were held by local church parishes. In the 1960s, the LDS Church, better known as the The […]

Translating Parish Records – Deaths

Paging through a book of death records from the 1800s can be a pretty dismal task. With tuberculosis, diphtheria, pertussis, and a slew of other nasty ailments decimating the population, […]