Rita C. commented that there was no Poland in 1883 so chances are researching your great-great-grandfather was in the Austro-Hungarian Hungarian Army. But depending on where he lived it could also be the Prussian or Russian army. If he was with the AH Army the info I have says that the 40th Infantry had it's Depot in Rzeszow. The original AH military records are still in Vienna but the LDS has microfilmed them. Search the catalogue at FamilySearch and go from there. Please note that these records are not indexed nor are they in alphabetical order (by surname or by recruitment base).The first step is to slow down and identify the jurisdiction. In 1873 there was no independent Polish state, so a Polish ancestor’s military service may have belonged to the Austrian or Austro-Hungarian, Prussian, or Russian system, depending on where he lived. The locality in the marriage record is therefore just as important as the unit number.
If the family locality points to Galicia or another Habsburg-administered area, the Austrian/Austro-Hungarian lead becomes the working hypothesis. In that case, “40th infantry legion” should be checked carefully against the original handwriting and language of the record. It may refer to an infantry regiment rather than a “legion,” but that should be confirmed from the actual record image before publishing it as fact.
For the Austrian/Austro-Hungarian path, begin with the Austrian War Archives/Kriegsarchiv and the FamilySearch catalogue or FamilySearch Library access points. The key search terms are not only the surname W.../W.., but also the unit, approximate service period, birthplace, legal residence, and the locality named in the marriage record.
Researchers should also expect slow browsing. These records are often not indexed, and they are not always arranged alphabetically by surname. A unit number, recruiting district, year of birth, or place of residence may be needed before a name search becomes realistic.
A Rzeszów connection is a useful clue to test for the 40th Infantry lead, but it should not replace record-based proof. Before asking an archive for a paid search, gather the marriage record image, the parish or civil registry location, Józef’s approximate birth year, religion, spouse’s name, and every place name associated with him.The Austrian State Archives’ archival information system lists a Kriegsarchiv personnel-record series for “Infanterieregiment Nr. 40”
covering 1740–1820, within Musterlisten und Standestabellen, and notes related regimental parish registers and FamilySearch links.
A 1913 official army list published for the k.u.k. Army identifies “(Galizisches) Infanterieregiment Ritter von Pino Nr. 40,” gives Rzeszów as the regimental staff location and recruiting-district command, and lists battalion staff locations including Rzeszów, Dębica, and Nisko.
The Austrian State Archives guide explains that personal military research normally needs a person’s family name, first name, year and place of birth or home town, and—if available—the military unit, because many personnel files are arranged by province, unit, or year of birth rather than alphabetically.
The same Austrian State Archives guide states that the Genealogical Society of Utah had most Kriegsarchiv personnel files for officers and other ranks on microfilm or hard disc, supporting the FamilySearch/LDS research path mentioned in the captured discussion.
The Austrian State Archives guide says personnel documents for many soldiers from regions outside today’s Austria were to be found in successor-state archives, and specifically notes that the majority of personnel records for soldiers from Galicia and parts of Silesia was destroyed, while the Central State Historical Archives of Ukraine in Lviv has some Austrian personnel records in fonds No. 780.
A FamilySearch catalogue result describes “Military records, 1865–1930” as registration cards, personnel files, and medical tests from various cities in Galizien, Austria, now in areas of Poland and Ukraine.
Things to know:
- The Rzeszów connection is corroborated for later official army-list material, but this research pass did not locate an official 1873 depot page for the 40th Infantry. Treat Rzeszów as a strong lead to test, not as proof for Józef Wi’s individual service.
- No name-level record for Józef Wiącek was found in the sources reviewed here. A name list or service record will require browsing or archival research using the original locality, birth year, and unit clue.
- Austro-Hungarian military personnel records for Galicia are complicated by transfers to successor states and record loss; do not promise that a full service file survives.