Poland, Tarnow Roman Catholic Diocese Church Books - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Records
Polonia, Tarnow Catholico Romanum Diocese Ecclesiae Books

Record Description
This collection is a name index of Roman Catholic Church baptisms from the Tarnow Diocese in Poland, formerly in Galicia, Austria. This collection covers the years 1612-1900. The records are in columnar format after 1784 and are normally in Latin. Images of these records are not currently available.

Coverage Table
For a list of localities, event types, years covered, and the number of records in this collection, refer to Poland Tarnow Roman Catholic Diocese Church Books (FamilySearch Historical Records) Coverage Table.

Record Content
Baptismal indexes generally contain the following information:


 * Date and place
 * Name
 * Religion
 * Sex
 * Legitimacy
 * Parents’ names
 * Godparents’ names

How to Use the Record
Entries are normally made separately for baptisms, marriages and burials, in chronological order. In later years, separate volumes were created for each sacrament type. If there isn't a separate index volume, page through the entries chronologically.

Begin your search by finding your ancestors in the index. Name indexes to baptisms, marriages, and death or burials make it possible to access a specific record quickly. Remember that these indexes may contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.

When searching the index it is helpful to know the following:


 * The place where the event occurred
 * The name and surname of the person
 * The approximate date of the event
 * The name of the parents or spouse

Search the Collection
Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor’s given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence and age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.

Use the locator information found in the index (such as page, entry, or certificate number) to locate your ancestors in the records. Compare the information in the record to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct person. You may need to compare the information of more than one person to make this determination.

When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. Add this new information to your records of each family.

For example:


 * Use the marriage date and place as the basis for compiling a new family group or for verifying existing information.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth of each partner to find a couple's birth records and parents' names.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth to find the family in census records.
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate church and land records.
 * Occupations listed can lead you to other types of records such as employment or military records.
 * Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.
 * The name of the celebrant is a clue to their religion or area of residence in the county. However, ministers may have reported marriages performed in other counties.
 * Compile the marriage entries for every person who has the same surname as the bride or groom; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual.
 * Continue to search the marriage records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives of the bride and groom who may have married in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify.
 * Use the marriage number to identify previous marriages.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.

Keep in mind: The information in church records is usually reliable, but depends upon the reliability of the informant and the diligence of the recorder.


 * Earlier records may not contain as much information as the records created after the late 1800.
 * There is also some variation in the information given from one record to another.

If you are unable to find the ancestors you are looking for, try the following:


 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames, particularly phonetic variants.
 * Check for a different index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby locality.

For Help Reading These Records
These records are in Latin. For help reading the records, see the following wiki articles:

Latin Genealogical Word List

Related Websites

 * The Old Parishes of Tarnow
 * Poland’s Roman Catholic Dioceses

Related Wiki Articles

 * Poland
 * Poland Church Records

Citation for This Collection
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information; that is, cite your sources. This will help people find the record again and evaluate the reliability of the source. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records. Citations are available for the collection as a whole and each record or image individually.

Collection Citation:

Image Citation: