Hi Carol, the two countries - prior to the 1876 agreement - could be used interchangeably since in practical terms they were the same. Even long years after there were folks who named either/or as their place of origin. To search for their true place of birth - you have to start at 'home'! :-) If you don't have any documents, certificates, or others stuff: old letters, pictures, etc., 'dig up' as much as you can about their way of life: what language was spoken at home; they way they dressed, which church they attended, what kind of family lore was left over via their progeny? Every little bit will help (no matter how insignificant if might seem) to narrow down the field. From what you told us they arrived separately and got to know each other here, got married and had children. Do you know exactly when they arrived? What port? From where? How many children were born, stayed alive and had children on their own? Are you in touch with any or all of them? Who 'inherited' the old homestead? Who might possess left over personal effects, papers, etc.? They might have had birth certificates (for their marriage), passports, letters from folks left behind in the old country, maybe even pictures? Since just about anybody arriving here joined a church here, going after those church records should be also rewarding; since you found them on the census, that can help locate their church. Local papers of the times will have to be consulted to find birth announcements, marriage notices, other local news which might shed light on them. Also keep in mind: after the 1920 census people were asked their country of origin in the 'present' countries of the time, which - in Trianon - changed a lot of borders. So if they say in the 1930 census records they were born in Hungary, then that excludes Austria, Czechoslovakia, Romania and Serbia. Going for their 'ancestral' home - 'across the pond' - is worth your while only if you have places of birth for them. Without those places it will be an almost futile effort, I'm afraid. Joe Equinunk, PA - USA jjarfas@verizon.net charris721@aol.com wrote: >Hello, >My great-grandparents, Frank Ulbrich and Maria Progner, came to Pittsburgh, PA in the 1890s. On their marriage application they list their place of birth as Austria, but on census info they list their place of birth as Hungary. Can anyone tell me why they would have done this and where should I be searching for their place of origin? > >Thank you. >Carol >