Austrian military archive

Mak93

I'm interested in how to get information from the military archive in order to get information about where my ancestor was born?

His name is Friedrich Mack and I only know that he got married in Petrovaradin (Peterwardein) in 1808 at the age of 33. I have no previous information about him.

What is the probability of getting that data?

Attached is a picture from the church register of marriages where Friedrich appears for the first time.

Julia Szent-Györgyi

Why do you believe he was in the military? The marriage record makes no mention of that.

Mense Januario 808.

11ma. Post trinas Promulgationes inter Missarum Solemnia ego Casparus Babich Parochus ad S. Crucem Solemniter copulavi honestum Juvenem Fridericum Mack, cum vidua Rosalia defuncti Antonii Geisler. Praesentibus testibus Joanne Biller et Joanne Valler Civibus hujatibus.

Month of January (1)808.

11th. After three announcements between Solemn Masses, I, Casparus Babich, parish priest of [the church of the] Holy Cross, did solemnly join the honorable youth [i.e. unmarried man] Fridericus Mack with Rosalia, the widow of the late Antonius Geisler. In the presence of witnesses Joannes Biller and Joannes Valler, citizens here.

The Hungarian Military History Institute and Museum's website (https://militaria.hu/adatb/leveltariuj/content/bemutatkoz%C3%A1s) says that the originals of pre-WWI Hungarian military records are in Vienna at the Kriegsarchiv, but they have microfilm copies of a lot of it. They also have a delegation at the Kriegsarchiv (https://militaria.hu/adatb/leveltariuj/node/270) which I can attest from personal experience to be very knowledgable and kind to militarily-clueless researchers (like me). Their email address is ukadelwien@gmail.com. The Institute has a research service, but it's focused on 20th century records (military personnel in the two world wars). But perhaps an email inquiry couldn't hurt to them as well (hadtortenelmi.leveltar@mail.militaria.hu).

Mak93

Greetings Julia

Maybe I'm wrong, but a serious country like Austria should have a list of conscript soldiers. And as for the ancestor, it is very likely that he had to serve his military service somewhere. Maybe he stayed in Petrovaradin, or he came to Petrovaradin after his service.

Maybe there is a list of settlers somewhere. In the Archives of Vojvodina, I had in my hands a list of residents of the Petrovaradin community from 1800 and 1801, but unfortunately a few pages were missing, and that was exactly the part where my ancestor's house was.

That's why I'm trying in every possible way to find some data that would reveal to me where it came from.

Julia Szent-Györgyi

Keep in mind, though, that Petrovaradin wasn't in Austria. It was just across the river from Bács-Bodrog county, Hungary, in Croatia-and-Slavonia -- which was under the Hungarian (royal) crown, not the Austrian (imperial) one. (Yeah, it was the same guy wearing it, but it was different headgear, different country. We Hungarians have always been a bit weird about our crown.)

It's true that military service would explain his age at marriage, if he really was 33 -- what are you basing that on? But it's not clear to me that there was any sort of universal military obligation in Hungary before the mid-1800s (when a three-year obligation was instituted). My impression is that the parliament decided how many recruits they needed, and then told the counties to supply their share; the counties in turn told their municipalities how many men to send, and it was up to the local officials what method they used for choosing. These could vary greatly: anything from forced conscriptions (with ropes) for an indeterminate period, to orderly recruitment-lists with excusals for family support obligations or health concerns.

Croatia-Slavonia was a border region, so its military structure was probably somewhat different, but I don't know the details.

Mak93

I apologize, but as far as I know, Petrovaradin and its surroundings were under military administration, and I think that it was directly subordinated to Vienna. That is why it has the name Petrovaradin Community, with a separate administration and statute.

Yes, I did not say that Friedrich died in 1833 and that in the church register of the dead it was recorded that he died at the age of 58. Knowing from other examples that the age was not so precisely known - especially those of people who came from other areas, I can only guess that he was born somewhere around 1775.

Well, I'm a bit Hungarian too (or a bit more). My mother is Hungarian, as is her mother, who was born in Budapest in 1902. Although my mother's grandmother was of German origin.

As far as recruitment is concerned, we have an expression in my area: Serbs are happy to join the army. Two beat him, and three drag him.

I'm going through the document you sent me and I'll see how far it takes me.

And as for the census - the address of my ancestors in Petrovaradin was Valles Ludovici 93. And that very page was lost in the archive. Question: Is there a copy of the census in Vienna?

Mak93

I apologize . I got the document from Christina.

I got a little confused about who I'm talking to and who's sending me data.