If you are looking to trace back your Austrian ancestry then we have some excellent tips for you. Find out how you can use the Austrian parish records for conducting research on genealogy.
Ever wonder where we come from? This is not a religious discussion trying to uncover the purpose of life rather a discussion on family ancestry. If you have been looking for ways to trace down your ancestry then we have got some great tips for you.
One of the best ways to trace down your ancestors is to make use of churches. These institutes can provide you with excellent clues as to how you can go about tracing your ancestry. There are many different clues that you may be able to get through church records. You might be able to find something about the lives of your ancestors and other clues that will help you to find your genealogy.
Austrian churches have records dating back to the 1500’s. The movement to register pedigrees along with coat of arms of the nobility was initiated by the government in the 1500’s. All parishes were instructed to maintain records of all the baptisms, marriages and burials that take place each day.
The Austrian government even laid down the law that anyone wishing to get married should be baptized prior to conducting the marriage. This resulted in the fact that the catholic parishes would now be maintaining up to date records of all the births as well as the marriages and deaths. These requirements were imposed by government authority and other significant religious institutions. With time however the religion broke up into sects. After this each sect would maintain its own set of records about its members.
As time progressed the record keeping methodologies evolved so as to keep up to date with the New World. This was done so that they could meet the requirements of the new communities. Proper guidelines were defined and official bodies at the local, regional and national level were established for the purpose of keeping the records. Attempts were made to generate copies of the church records made in Austrian churches so that they could be collected in a central location.
Making use of parish records
So how do the Austrian parish records benefit Austrians today? Well, if you have some vital documentations of your ancestry missing then you can make use of these records to trace out your required information about your ancestry.
Church records are extremely detailed and can come in very handy for the purpose of genealogy even though many genealogists have overlooked the importance of parish records. It is true that in some cases you will find gaps in church records but nonetheless they can provide invaluable clues which can help you conduct your research.
It was not just the Catholics that maintained church records. Rather the protestant as well as the Jewish communities also maintained some sort of records for their congregations. Records about membership as well as a particular church member were maintained by most organizations. The record types may vary but they can be extremely useful even in today’s times of advanced technology.
