Styria, Austria, Catholic Church Registers, 1614-1938

Steiermark, Österreich, katholische Kirchenbücher 1614-1938

Source Information

Ancestry.com. Styria, Austria, Catholic Church Registers, 1614-1938 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2019.
Original data: Archiv der Diözese Graz-Seckau. Katholische Kirchenbücher. Klagenfurt am Graz, Österreich.

About Styria, Austria, Catholic Church Registers, 1614-1938

About the Styria, Austria, Catholic Church Registers, 1614-1938

General collection information

This collection contains Roman Catholic Church records from the Austrian state of Styria between 1614 and 1938. Records included in this collection cover many types of church events, such as baptisms, confirmations, marriages, and burials. It also includes lists of families in the parish. Records in this collection may be written in Latin or German. Most of the records in this collection are handwritten in ledgers, but newer or transcribed records may be typed.

Using this collection

Records in the collection may include the following information:

  • Name
  • Event
  • Age at time of event
  • Date and place of birth
  • Baptism details
  • Confirmation details
  • Marriage or banns details
  • Date and place of death and burial
  • Marital status at time of event
  • Names of family members
  • Details about family members and next of kin
  • Details about spouse

    • Because there are many different types of records in this collection, you may find multiple records for your ancestor. For example, you could find a baptismal record, confirmation record, and a marriage record all for the same person. You may also find your ancestor mentioned in records concerning their spouse or parents.

    Most baptisms occur shortly after birth, however, some parishioners may have been baptized as adults if they converted to Catholicism.

    Knowing some common Latin phrases will help you to explore these records:

  • Nomen is Latin for "name."
  • Renatus est is Latin for "was baptized" or "reborn."
  • Natus est is Latin for "was born."
  • Conjuncti sunt is Latin for "were married." Copulati sunt or intronizati sunt may also be used.
  • Mortuus est is Latin for "died." Obitus est, defunctus est, or denatus est may also be used.
  • Filia is Latin for "daughter."
  • Filius is Latin for "son."
  • Mater is Latin for "mother."
  • Pater is Latin for "father."
  • Uxor is Latin for "wife."
  • Vir is Latin for "husband."

    • If you don't speak German, knowing a few common words can aid in your search:

  • Getauft is German for "baptized."
  • Geburt is German for "birth"
  • Ehe is German for "marriage."
  • Tod is German for "death."
  • Tochter von is German for "daughter of."
  • Sohn von is German for "son of."
  • Mutter is German for "mother."
  • Vater is German for "father."
  • Ehefrau is German for "wife."
  • Ehemann is German for "husband."
  • Familien u. Borname is German for "family and birth name."
  • Geb. am is German for "born on."
  • Alter is German for "age."
  • Wohnt is German for "resides."

    • Collection in context

    As the seat of the Habsburg Monarchy and part of the Holy Roman Empire, the Duchy of Austria was largely Catholic until the Protestant Reformation. During the Counter-Reformation, the Habsburg Monarchy instituted an aggressive regime to return the Empire to Catholicism. The Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II of Austria enacted the Patent of Toleration in 1781, which granted religious freedom to non-Catholic Christians.

    In 1806, the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved, but the Habsburgs continued to rule the Austrian Empire and Kingdom of Hungary. In 1867, the Austro-Hungarian Compromise (Ausgleich in German or Kiegyezés in Hungarian) granted sovereignty to the Kingdom of Hungary and led to the birth of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After being defeated in World War I, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was divided up, and the Republic of Austria was born.

    The Catholic church began recording marriages in 1564 by decree of the Council of Trent. Baptisms and deaths were recorded starting in 1614.

    Bibliography

    Ancestry.com. "Reading Catholic Records." Last modified October 16 2021. https://www.ancestry.com/cs/catholic.

    Austrian Embassy. "Religion- Austria." Last modified January 5th, 2022. https://www.austria.org/religion.

    Mutchlechner, Martin. "The Struggle for People's Souls - The Habsburgs and the Counter-Reformation." The World of the Habsburgs. Last modified March 20, 2021. https://www.habsburger.net/en/chapter/struggle-peoples-souls-habsburgs-and-counter-reformation.

    Visiting Vienna. "What is "Austria?"" Last modified April 16, 2021. https://www.visitingvienna.com/culture/austria/.