Poland, Roman Catholic Church Books - FamilySearch Historical Records

Foreign Language Title
Polska, Księgi metrykalne

Collection Time Period
The earliest Catholic Church records in Poland date from 1537 but very few records exist from the 1500s; many date from the 1600s and 1700s to the present. Starting dates vary depending upon the religion. This collection includes records from about 1600 to 1946.

Record History
In 1563, the Catholic Church issued the first mandate to keep a record of christenings and marriages. The Council of Piotrków in 1607 re-emphasized the need for record keeping in Poland. A general church directive in 1614 additionally required the keeping of death records, and this was emphasized in Poland by the 1631 Piotrków Ritual. Roman Catholic records are generally in the Latin language. Other churches also kept such records. In 1595 Orthodox Ukrainians were formally brought into union with the Roman Catholic Church, retaining their orthodox liturgy and doctrine. Their records are kept in Old Church Slavonic, Polish, Latin, and Ukrainian. Luther’s teachings (Augsburg Confession) had only a small following among the Polish people, but did become firmly established in Poland among the German population. Those Protestants who accepted the creed of the Swiss reformers (Zwingli and Calvin) were called Evangelical Reformed. Records for this collection are in Latin, Polish and Russian.

Why These Records Were Created
Parish registers were created by the local priest to record important Church ordinances and to report vital statistics to civil authorities.

Record Reliability
Keeping of registers was an important religious and civil obligation. The records are reliable.

Record Description
Parish register volumes come in various sizes but are normally large bound books. Information is given in a narrative format containing a mixture of standard phrasing and the names and dates of those involved.

Record Content
Records of births/baptisms, marriages, and deaths/burials the key genealogical facts found in most parish registers are: • Baptisms – name of individual, date of birth and baptism, names of parents (early records often omit the mother’s name); some records list the names of the child’s grandparents. • Marriages – names of bride and groom, date and place of marriage, ages, sometimes their birthplaces; sometimes names of their parents; other pertinent facts including banns and witnesses. • Deaths and Burials – name of the deceased, date and place of death and burial, age at time of death, sometimes birth date and birthplace, marital status, sometimes name of spouse, names of parents, and cause of death.

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 ordinance type. If not volume index exists, page through the entries chronologically.

Related Web Sites
http://www.poland.pl/archives/index.htm

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Related Wiki Articles
Poland_Church_Records

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Sources of This Collection
“Poland, Radom Diocese Church Books, 1654-1946,” database, FamilySearch Record Search (http://pilot.familysearch.org/recordsearch); from Archiwum Archidieczi Radom (Poland). “Poland, Radom Diocese Church Books, 1654-1946.” ARCHIDIECEZJA RADOM (POLAND). Digital capture 1071DGS Folders. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.

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