Those of us researching Galicia are quite fortunate when it comes to Galician Military Records; many still survive and have now been made available online. Read below for an overview for records between 1781 and 1865.
The original records are kept at the Kriegsarchiv Wien (Austrian War Archives) in Vienna and have now been made accessible by FamilySearch, who microfilmed them. To view online, you must have a free FamilySearch account. Some you can search while you research at home but others are available on microfilm only.
Want to see if your ancestor was in the military?
Step one is to determine the Regiment by finding the recruiting location. If your ancestor was from the area of Kolbuszowa, Mielec, Nisko and Tarnobrzeg, they were most likely part of the Rzeszówer recruiting location. Your best bet is to search the 40th Regiment first, as that was the primary location for the majority of the 19th century. However, don’t be fooled – they may have joined in another district. Make sure you do an exhaustive look.
Infantry Regiments by Recruiting Location (1)
| District / Year | 1781 | 1807 | 1817 | 1830 | 1853 | 1857 | 1860 | 1867 | 1883 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jasloer | 13 & 26 | 40 & 20 | 10 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 |
| Przemysler | 24 & 59 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Rzeszówer | 26 & 45 | 29 & 8 | 10 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 |
| Tarnówer | 17 & 35 | 12 & 10 | 40 | 57 | 57 | 57 | 57 | 57 | 57 |
Regiment Record Types
Musterlisten und Standestabellen
Muster Rolls and Monthly Reports, these records are mostly for the years of 1740 to 1820. Records are written in German and links to the Rzeszówer regiments are below.
Regiment 010
Regiment 026
Regiment 029
Regiment 040
Grundbuchblätter Records
Translated as personnel military sheets, these are records include a treasure trove of genealogical information. Links to the Rzeszówer regiments are below.
Kirchenbuch Records
Military church records are available for soldiers and includes births, marriages and deaths. Records are in Latin and links are below for the Rzeszówer regiments.
Men were eligible to be drafted starting at the age of 20. If they failed the physical, they could be called back the following two years and retested. But after failing three times, they were declared unfit and dismissed… Also note that young men could volunteer for the Army as early as age 17.
Carl Kotlarchik
Additional Resources and Information
- Sources for Genealogical Research at the Austrian War Archives in Vienna: article by Christoph Tepperberg, Director of the Kriegsarchiv
- Family Research at the Kriegsarchiv
- Austro-Hungarian Army Records: Carl Kotlarchik’s website
- Austrian Regiments and Where They Recruited: article by Karen Hobbs
- Austria Military Records FamilySearch Wiki
Sources:
- Table taken from http://ahmilitary.blogspot.com
- Main image showing Western Galicia with its military recruiting districts in 1909: taken from Militärterritorial und Ergänzungbezirkseinteilung, https://www.oldmapsonline.org/map/cuni/1166226
