Poland Compiled Genealogies

The term genealogy is used in this outline and in the Family History Library Catalog to describe a variety of records containing family information gathered by individuals, other researchers, societies, or archives.

These records may include pedigree charts, compiled information on families, correspondence, ancestor lists, research exchange files, record abstracts, and collections of original or copied documents. These can be excellent sources of information that can save you valuable time. Because they are compiled from other sources of information, they must be carefully evaluated for accuracy.

Additional genealogical sources for Polish nobility are described in the “Nobility” section in this outline.

Major Collections and Databases
The Family History Library has several sources that contain previous research or can lead you to other people who are interested in sharing family information. These sources include:

International Genealogical Index (IGI). The index has names and vital information for thousands of people (deceased) who lived in Poland. It lists birth, christening, or marriage dates as well as Latter-day Saint temple ordinance information. The index for Poland has names extracted from parish registers by volunteers (mostly from places formerly under Germany) and names submitted by other researchers.

IGI is available on microfiche, on compact disc as part of FamilySearch at http://www.familysearch.org, and on the Internet. If you are using microfiche, you need to know which county to search. If you are using the compact disc edition, the computer will search the entire country for any name.

Ancestral File. Part of FamilySearch, this file contains family history information, linked in family groups and pedigrees, that has been contributed since 1979. You can print pedigree charts, family group records, and individual summary sheets for any person in Ancestral File.

Family Group Records Collection. More than 8 million family group record forms have been microfilmed in the Family Group Records Collection, including many Polish families. There are two major sections: the Archive Section and the Patrons Section. The film numbers for both sections are listed in the Author/Title section of the Family History Library Catalog under:

FAMILY GROUP RECORDS COLLECTION

Family Histories
A few Polish families have produced histories or newsletters that may include genealogical information, biographies, photographs, and other information. These usually include several generations of the family.

The Family History Library has only a limited number of published Polish family histories and newsletters. Copies are listed in the surname section of the catalog, but not every name found in a family history will be listed. Only the major surnames discussed in the family history are included in the catalog.

Unpublished family histories, usually of Polish nobility and their descendants, are sometimes in the possession of private individuals in Poland. These individuals may have collected a variety of unpublished records pertaining to their own families.

Such materials are generally inaccessible for research unless you can establish contact with the appropriate individuals.

Genealogical Collections
The Family History Library has some collections of genealogical material for Polish families. These may include published and unpublished collections of family histories and lineages. Some of the major genealogical collections are:

Borchert, Reinhard, Die Kartei Quassowski (The Quassowski index). Hamburg: Verein für Familienforschung in Ost- und Westpreußen e.v., 1992. (FHL book 943.8 D22k.) This work is arranged alphabetically by the main surname of the family. Incidental names are indexed in a separate index.

Schlesische Ahnenlisten (Silesia ancestor lists). Breslau: Der Schlesische Familienforscher, 1938–. (FHL book 943.82 B2sf.) This lists ancestors from the former Prussian territory of Silesia, now in Poland.

Genealogical collections are listed in the Family History Library Catalog under:

POLAND - GENEALOGY

POLAND, (COUNTY) - GENEALOGY

POLAND, (COUNTY), (TOWN) - GENEALOGY

If you find your surname in any of the sources described in this section, determine whether the entry actually pertains to your family. People with the same surname are not necessarily related. You might have to do some original research before you can connect your ancestry to families listed in these sources.

The catalog also lists books about how to do genealogical research in Poland. Examples are:

Gnacinski, Jan and Len,Polish and Proud, Tracing Your Polish Ancestry.Revised Ed. Indianapolis, Indiana: Ye Olde Genealogie Shoppe, 1995. (FHL book 943.8 D27g.)

Chorzempa, Rosemary.Korzenie polskie: Polish Roots.Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1993. (FHL book 943.8 D27gr.)

Genealogical instructional books are listed in the Family History Library Catalog under:

POLAND - GENEALOGY - HANDBOOKS, MANUALS, ETC.

POLAND, (COUNTY) - GENEALOGY HANDBOOKS, MANUALS, ETC.

Handbooks and Resources
Polish Roots, Rosemary Chorzempa. 1993. Basic guide to Polish Research sources. (FHL book 943.8 D27c.)

Polish and Proud, Gnacinski, Longley. 1979. Guide to Tracing your Polish ancestry. (FHL book 943.8 D27g.)

Polish family research. Konrad. 1992 (FHL book 943.8 D27k.)

Major genealogical record sources in Poland. Series C #31. 1978. (FHL book 943.8 D27gs.)

Essentials in Polish genealogical research. Daniel Schlyter. 1993. (FHL book 943.8 D27sd.)

Polish Genealogical Outline. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Item 36386. www.familysearch.org. Check under the following tabs: "Library," "Education," "Family History Library Publications," "Research Outlines."

Genealogical Word List Polish. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Item 34098. www.familysearch.org. Check under "Library," "Education," "Family History Library Publications," "Word Lists."

Dictionary of Surnames. Kazimierz Rymut. Sold by the Polish Genealogy Society of America (PGSA).

Informator Teleadresowy. Addresses of all current Polish Civil Registraiton Offices on CD and two printed volumes. Available through "Technika," 44-100 Gliwice, ul. Floriańska 51a, Pland. Now available through the same firm, a CD that includes all the parish addresses.

Po mieczu i po kądzieli. Translates to On the Spear (male) side and the distaff side (female). This is a CD produced by Naczelna Dyrekcja, Archiwów Państwowych, 2001, ul. Dluga 6, skr.poczt. 1005, 00-950 Warszawa. The CD consists of five databases: The Registers of population in Archival Material, the inventory of parish and civil records in the archives, German civil registraiton in Poland, nobility informatin and The Lutherans of Warsaw. Some of this information can be found on their website.

In Their Words: a genealogist's translation guide to Polish, German, Latin, and Russian Documents. Jonathan D. Shea and William F. Hoffmann. 2 Volumes. (FHL book 940 D27sj.)

A translation guide to 19th century Polish-language civil registration documents. Judith R. Frazin. (FHL book 943.8 V27f.)

Posen Place Name Indexes: Identifying place names using alphabetical and reverse alphabetical indexes. Roger P. Minert. (FHL book 943.84 E5m.)

First Names of the Polish Commonwealth: Origins and Meanings. William F. Hoffman and George W. Helon

Finding Your Polish Ancestors. Kathleen Ann LaBudie-Szkall and Jan Steven Zaleski

Following the Paper Trail:A Multilingual Translation Guide. Jonathan D. Shea and William F. Hoffman

Polish Surnames: Origins and Meanings. William F. Hoffman

Sto Lat: A Modern Approach to Polish Genealogy. Ceil Wendt Jensen

Websites

 * http://donhoward.net/genpoland/
 * http://www.polishroots.org/
 * http://genealogy.about.com/od/poland/
 * http://www.pgsnys.org/Links/polwwwlinks.html
 * http://www.sggee.org Society for German Genealogy in Eastern Europe