Polish genealogy research guide

To begin your search you should first begin with acquainting yourself with local, national, and regional genealogy research centers.The largest, for Polish history, is the Polish Genealogy Society of America.This organization holds monthly meetings, publishes a newsletter, and has an extensive library to help you in your research.Another benefit of connecting yourself with the PGSA is that you will make contacts with others doing the same research, and sometimes you might even find a distant family member.Another excellent resource is the Polish Genealogy Bridge, which will give you ample info on Poland, its immigration history to the United States, and other pertinent information about the immigration of Poles.Additionally, local genealogy societies (which are frequently located in large metropolises), local libraries, and local and regional genealogical research centers provide excellent resources for the family tree researcher.These centers and organizations should ideally be Polish based, but you can also utilize resources from groups associated with many Eastern European countries.This peculiarity is because Poland's borders have shifted numerous times, and at some points in history Poland has been eradicated from the map.So, justly, many Polish families ethnicity's changed because of shifting national borders.Furthermore, the connections that you will make with these organizations (and others) can often lead you to finding someone who can read and speak the Polish language""since some of your documents may be in Polish or a neighboring country's language.

Some of the easiest cities to find centers and numerous avenues of Polish history are New York, Chicago, and Detroit.History shows that a large amount of Poles populated the areas.But, most importantly, do not forget to use the records at Ellis Island.Millions of immigrants traveled through these doors to the United States, and approximately one-third of the country can connect a family member to the immigration center.Using a plethora of research centers will aide your search, and learning the logistics of each center's policies and finding aides will allow you to locate information easily and without too many roadblocks.Additionally, church records prove to be ample sources for family research""particularly Polish history.Church records often contain family notes and witnesses to the events.These witnesses were frequently family members, and church records (in the United States) are predominantly in English.

In an effort to aptly utilize the information obtained through genealogical associations, libraries, churches, or other avenues you might consider beginning your search with family memories and stories.These accounts will enable you to cross reference relatives, to ensure the validity of your results.I would suggest beginning your query with the earliest family member that you have a complete vital and marriage record for.Preferably use a relative that is one or two generations older than you are, and then continually find family members in that generation and before.This method will enable you to continually find concrete references to cross connect your findings""as to not cross family trees""which is especially pertinent because names were frequently changed upon entry to the country with employment, beginning of school, marriage, etc.Name changes derived from "Americanization" purposes, misunderstandings, and language barriers.

Lastly, if you are not a direct relative and are seeking birth records or other vital statistics on someone, you may have to have signed consent from an immediate relative to the individual (if he or she is deceased).And do try to leave a small donation with your research centers.Many are privately funded, or run through the support of donors like you.