The Austrian Census for Galicia

© copyright 1997-2004 by Gayle Schlissel Riley and FEEFHS, all rights reserved.

An International Statistical Convention was held in 1853 in Brussels. This was the impetus for the Austrian Empire to develop its first census in 1857. This article deals only with the Austrian census taken in the "Crownland of Galicia and Lodomeria" (Official name) of Austria that became part of Poland after World War I (between 1918 and 1921).

Census Years for Galicia: A census of Austria was actually taken in the years of 1869, 1880, 1890, 1900, 1910, etc. At first glance, one might say they look just like the United States census and they do. In my opinion the first census was held on 1857.

1880 Austrian Census of Galicia: My interpretation of this Austrian census is based on the copies of the 1880 Austrian census of Galicia, which I am fortunate to have found for the town of Tarnobrzeg, Galicia where my ancestors lived. The image on this page is from that census.

The printed text on the sample form is in Polish and Cyrillic. The handwriting text is in Polish [not in German]. All the card is filled in Polish - family relationship, language, civil status, first names are in Polish too. Only the family name is in German).

Austrian Census Column Headings

> Column I - Translated as "Current number" on my records. It is the only number identifying each enumerated member of the family.

Column II - Family name, Christian names, nobility, armour, maiden name

Column III - Sex, female or male

Column IV - Year of birth, day and month, if available.

Column V - Place of Birth.

Column VI - Name of district or right of domesticities

Column VII - Religion

Column VIII - Social standing, whether married, single, widowed or divorced.

Column IX - Language (Yiddish was not counted as a language so Polish was listed on the example page). There were eight acceptable languages: German, Ukrainian, Polish, Slovenian, Serbo-Croatian, Italian, Romanian, Tschekish-Moravian-Slovakian (I am not sure of this translation of Czesko-Morawsko-Slowacki). Ukrainien was called Ruthenian (Ruski in Polish) and this is not the same language as that of Russian. All these languages were used in the State Council of Habsburg Monarchy.

Column X - Profession, employment or earning livelihood.

Column XI - Type of job which provides assets

Column XII - Outside earnings

Column XIII - Literacy, able to read or write

Column XIV - Physical or mental defective, blind in both eyes, deaf, dumb or insane

Column XV - Not shown. Living at home at time of enumeration, present, temporary temporary, or long term. Present or not; temporary or all the time (longer than one month)

Column XVI - Not shown. Place of residence of the absent person

Column XVII - Not shown. Country or other crownland, where the absent person is living.

Column XVIII - Not shown. Farm Animals