Archives and Databases
- Archiwum Glowne Akt Dawnych (AGAD), The Central Archives of Historical Records, Warsaw
- Baza Systemu Indeksacji Archiwalnej (BaSIA), “The BaSIA project or ‘Database of the Archival Indexing System’ was created for a wide range of genealogists and researchers of the history of Greater Poland of the 18th-20th centuries (although it also contains older information).”
- Geneteka, “a database hosted by Polish Genealogical Society website. It is the biggest database concerning Polish genealogy, which contains over 30 milion indexes from many regions of Poland.”
- How to use Geneteka, by FamilySearch.org
- Category: Poland Online Research, Wiki by FamilySearch.org
- HalGal, “This website provides general information on Halychyna/Eastern Galicia, a region that is often misunderstood or ignored in North America. This site should be the starting point for anyone researching their ancestral roots in Western Ukraine / Eastern Galicia. Many of the pages will be useful for Polish researchers of Western Galicia, as well. “
- Metryki
- Step-by-Step Guide to Finding Vital Records in Metryki.Genealodzy.pl, by From Shepherds and Shoemakers blog
- PolandGenWeb, “Part of the WorldGenWeb Project, the website provides visitors with research tutorials, maps (historic and present day), town locators and town lists, translation aids, archives addresses, and much more.”
- Polish State Archives, translated as “a website whose purpose is to make available on the Internet descriptions of archival materials from state archives and other institutions. We present most of them together with scans. Thanks to this, it is possible to use the collected collections without leaving home. Access is completely open – no login required and is free.”
- Poznan Project, “Our goal is to transcribe the 19th century marriage records from the historic Greater Poland (then Prussian Province of Poznan) into a searchable online database.”
- JRI Poland Organization, “the largest fully searchable database of indexes to Jewish vital records accessible online.”
- Lublin Digital Archive Search Utility, from The Society for German Genealogy in Eastern Europe
- JewishGen All Poland Database, “enables researchers to find indices to vital and related records from the independent JRI-Poland database as well as entries from other databases. The combined databases have more than 7.7 million entries for individuals living in areas now or formerly in Poland. The database is a work in progress, and new entries are being added regularly.”
- Poland, Roman Catholic Church Books, 1587—1976, by FamilySearch.org
- Polish Telephone Yellow Pages (PanoramaFirm), says Lubelskie GenWeb: “Either enter a name in the search facility, or the catergory feature further down the page. Note the English option button in the top right corner of the first page does not help, so input the name of the place you are interested in in the box marked ‘miasta’ and then click ‘szukaj’. The next screen that comes up will have an English flag button on it that actually works!”
- The Programme for the Registration of Records from Parish and Public (civil) Registers PRADZIAD, of the State Archives of Poland
- Index of Polish Marriages Until 1899, OnGenealogy.com (volunteer-created)
- Genealogy Indexer: Historical City Directories, see Polish Genealogy Databases Online, by Kimberly Powell for an explanation of what a great resource this is.
Wikis and Help Pages
- Poland Genealogy Wiki, by FamilySearch.org
- Polish Genealogical Word List, by FamilySearch.org
- PolishRoots, “Our target launch date is May 2020!” You may provide your email for updates on the landing page. Says Lubelskie GenWeb: “A guide to searching for ancestors in Poland, with maps of changes to political borders and some good template letters.”
Vital Records, Aids and Explanations
- Vital Records – Extracts, Genealogy of Halychyna / Eastern Galicia
- Catholic Vital Records of Galicia/Halychyna, by Matthew R. Bielawa (FamilySearch.org, PDF file)
- Understanding Polish Birth and Baptismal Records from the Congress Kingdom of Poland (1826-1868), by Steve’s Genealogy Blog
- Polish Genealogy Databases Online, by Kimberly Powell
- Rzeszów Vital Records
The War Years
- Ancestry.com quietly adds incredible WWII database, by Find Lost Russian & Ukrainian Family blog
- Holocaust Survivors and Victims Database, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Borderlands
Sometimes the borders changed in the past, and what is now Poland was once Germany or what was once Poland (Galicia) might be in the current Ukraine. Here are a few links which may contain records of your relatives.
- Archion, German Protestant Evangelical church records
- German Evangelical Church Records Online: Archion.de, explanation by Legacy Tree
- Index of German-Polish and Polish-German names of the localities in Poland & Russia, by Anna Sluszkiewicz
- Ukrainian History and Education Center, “The Nashi Predky-Our Ancestors Family History Group brings together aspiring genealogists with a wide range of worldwide experts on the various ethnic groups in current day Ukraine and southeast Poland.”
- Regions, by FEEFHS (Foundation for East European Family History Studies)
- Poland Border Surnames, “Useful addresses for genealogists working in Poland and surrounding countries, also with a good emailing list” says Lubelskie GenWeb.
- 1793-1794 Land Records of South Prussia, see Polish Genealogy Databases Online, by Kimberly Powell for an explanation.
- Those Infamous Border Changes: A Crash Course in Polish History, by From Shepherds and Shoemakers blog.
Maps
- Territorial evolution of Poland, on Wikipedia
- Poland’s Territorial Changes 1635-Present – Life, Death & Rebirth, by Brilliant Maps
- Polish Gazetteers and Maps Online, by FamilySearch.org (a PDF file)
- Old maps of Poland, by Old Maps Online (You can view them as overlays!)
- Maps of Poland, Europe, and other geographic areas, by ATPC (Ancestry the Polish Connection, a RootsWeb site)
Graves and Funeral Customs
- How to look for the graves of your Polish ancestors online, by Your Roots in Poland blog
- Grobonet.com, a search engine to find graves in Poland, information about the deceased, and sometimes with a photo of the grave (see link above).
- Cmentarze olederskie—Ocalmy od zapomnienia, see
Facebook Groups
- Polish Customs, Food and Traditions
- Polish Food, Traditions, and Fun
- Polish Genius – polish genealogy group
- Your Roots in Poland
Genealogy Groups and Societies
- Polish Genealogical Society of Connecticut and the Northeast, “For over 35 years, our mission has been to actively promote the research of Polish-American families and unite all persons interested in genealogy. We are gathering parish and community histories, recording Polish cemetery inscriptions and amassing all sorts of data which will assist Polish-Americans in all of the Northeastern states to recapture their Polish past.”
- Polish Genealogical Society of America, “The Polish Genealogical Society of America, with headquarters in Chicago, was founded and incorporated in the state of Illinois on August 23, 1978. The Society exists as a national 501(c) 3 tax exempt organization to collect, disseminate and preserve information on Polish and Polish-American family history and to help its members use that information in their own research.”
- Pomeranian Genealogical Association, in Polish, the Pomorskie Towarzystwo Genealogiczne (PTG)
- The Society for German Genealogy in Eastern Europe, “SGGEE focuses on the genealogy of Germans from Russian Poland and Volhynia with some help for related regions.”
- Polish Origins—Polish Genealogy Database Search Tool
- ATPC (Ancestry the Polish Connection, a RootsWeb site)
Polish-Canadian Heritage
- Polish Kashub Heritage Museum (Wilno) Facebook page
- The Wilno Heritage Society, (Wilno, Ontario), “Wilno is the oldest Polish settlement in Canada and is also known as Canada’s Kashub Heartland.”
Webinars and Youtube Videos
- Daniel Bucko presentation for The Polish Genealogy Society of New York (2012):
- FamilySearch.org, Szukaj w Archiwach: Polish State Archives Website teaching videos:
Blogs and How-to’s
- The Polish Genealogy Tip of the Day (archived), by From Shepherds and Shoemakers blog
- Your Roots in Poland
- Beginner’s Guide to Polish Genealogy, by the Polish Genealogical Society of Connecticut and the Northeast
Polish Culture
- The Power of Polish Christmas Carols, by Culture.pl
Lublin
Thanks to the Lubelskie GenWeb (on Rootsweb):
- Lublin Official Home Page, “Not the most informative city site, but some nice pictures and they have a camera giving a picture of the main gate to the old town, updated every 30 seconds (click on the ‘Goat’ image at the top of the page, and then the ‘goat’ at the top right corner of the next page to come up).”
- The Lublin Catholic Archdiocese, “in Polish.”
- The Lutheran Church in Lublin, “Very helpful site for genealogists.”
- Greek-Catholic Church in Poland, “Not much in English, but hopefully that will change.”
- Hrubieszow, “from the JewishGen project.”
- 1929 Polish Business Directory, “Fascinating lists of businesses and who owned them . Remember that this is interwar Poland, so includes parts of former Poland now in countries on the eastern side and does not include former German regions in western Poland.”
Białystok
- Yahrzeit Cards, maintained by The Bialystoker Center in New York City from about 1880 through about 1994, and “some of these cards will show four generations of names and addresses.”
- Białystok Government Archive
- Bialystok Ghetto Underground Archive, EHRI
- Bialystok Ghetto Underground Archive, explanation by the Jewish Historical Institute blog