Austro-Hungarian Empire Language and Handwriting

Austro-Hungarian Empire Genealogy

Austro-Hungarian Empire Language and Handwriting

Austro-Hungarian Empire
Record Types
Census Jewish Records Military Records	Town Genealogies
Austro-Hungarian Empire Background
Gazetteers Given Names History	Language and Handwriting Maps

Records of the Empire might be written in German, Hungarian, Polish, Czech, or Russian.

Reading the Records

• It's easier than you think! You do not have to be fluent a language to use these records, as there is only a limited vocabulary used in them. By learning a few key phrases, you will be able to read them adequately. Here are some resources for learning to read records.

German

German Genealogical Word List

German Handwriting

• These video webinars will teach you to read German handwriting:

• Old German Script Part 1
• Old German Script Part 2
• Old German Script (German Church and Civil Records) Part 3

• Also online interactive slideshow lessons are available to help you learn to read these records:

• Reading German Handwritten Records Lesson 1: Kurrent Letters
• Reading German Handwritten Records Lesson 2: Making Words in Kurrent
• Reading German Handwritten Records Lesson 3: Reading Kurrent Documents. In this lesson, you will explore several types of German genealogical records, including birth, baptismal, marriage, and death records.
• German Script Tutorial

This converter will show you how any phrase or name might look in German script:

• Kurrentschrift Converter (enter German genealogical word, click on "convert", view your word in Kurrentschrift (Gothic handwriting)

Polish

Because Silesia is now in Poland, these articles will help:

• Poland Letter Writing Guide
• Polish Word List
• Poland Language and Languages

Czech

Czech Republic Genealogical Word List Czech Republic Handwriting Czech Republic Language and Languages Czech Republic Letter Writing Guide