Poland
PolandGenWeb
PolandGenWeb is one of the largest sites devoted to Polish genealogy. There are numerous resources on over 150 web pages, including basic research pages that are quite useful to beginners. The Help pages include tutorials for research in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. They also cover the basics of beginning your research in Poland once you identify your immigrant's home town. There are several pages dealing with the history of Poland and its border changes, including identifying where towns are now after numerous changes to province boundaries.
PolandGenWeb also has pages with tips on translating the various languages that records were recorded in, including Latin, Polish, Russian, and German. There are also some pages with transcriptions of vital records that have been submitted by fellow researchers. The highlight of the project is that each of Poland's sixteen provinces has its own page that is accessible by a clickable map on the main PolandGenWeb page. Each province page offers additional information that is specific to the region, including links to town web pages, the region's history, links to other researchers' web pages, and message boards.
Overall, PolandGenWeb is an invaluable resource that is frequently updated. This is the place to begin your journey to Poland in search of your ancestors.
http://click.familytreecommunity.com/?qs=5f054ef4e7fea6ffda4cf5bf85e58118596f9be2367f9b6284df1a25110a1c8f1bfa2f3658bdd671
PolandGenWeb is one of the largest sites devoted to Polish genealogy. There are numerous resources on over 150 web pages, including basic research pages that are quite useful to beginners. The Help pages include tutorials for research in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. They also cover the basics of beginning your research in Poland once you identify your immigrant's home town. There are several pages dealing with the history of Poland and its border changes, including identifying where towns are now after numerous changes to province boundaries.
PolandGenWeb also has pages with tips on translating the various languages that records were recorded in, including Latin, Polish, Russian, and German. There are also some pages with transcriptions of vital records that have been submitted by fellow researchers. The highlight of the project is that each of Poland's sixteen provinces has its own page that is accessible by a clickable map on the main PolandGenWeb page. Each province page offers additional information that is specific to the region, including links to town web pages, the region's history, links to other researchers' web pages, and message boards.
Overall, PolandGenWeb is an invaluable resource that is frequently updated. This is the place to begin your journey to Poland in search of your ancestors.
http://click.familytreecommunity.com/?qs=5f054ef4e7fea6ffda4cf5bf85e58118596f9be2367f9b6284df1a25110a1c8f1bfa2f3658bdd671
PolishRoots
PolishRoots overlaps with PolandGenWeb with some information, but it is a very useful web site with its own unique features that should not be missed. Researchers should first visit the SurnameSearch, which allows users to register a particular surname of interest. You can quickly browse the registered surnames and discover others where are researching the same names, and perhaps even the same family.
One of the best features of PolishRoots is its listing of translated entries from the Slownik Geograficzny, a 19th Century Polish gazetteer that provides detailed information about the towns in the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. There are several other specialized databases on the site, including school registers or city directories. While the subjects are limited, it is always worthwhile to search.
http://click.familytreecommunity.com/?qs=5f054ef4e7fea6ff37d611c57121c4d0f477ff53b10d1e396a4eddd9a0fcc5c1b11c482abf5d4832
PolishRoots overlaps with PolandGenWeb with some information, but it is a very useful web site with its own unique features that should not be missed. Researchers should first visit the SurnameSearch, which allows users to register a particular surname of interest. You can quickly browse the registered surnames and discover others where are researching the same names, and perhaps even the same family.
One of the best features of PolishRoots is its listing of translated entries from the Slownik Geograficzny, a 19th Century Polish gazetteer that provides detailed information about the towns in the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. There are several other specialized databases on the site, including school registers or city directories. While the subjects are limited, it is always worthwhile to search.
http://click.familytreecommunity.com/?qs=5f054ef4e7fea6ff37d611c57121c4d0f477ff53b10d1e396a4eddd9a0fcc5c1b11c482abf5d4832
Polish Genealogical Society of America
As the name implies, the Polish Genealogical Society of America (PGSA) is a research society open to anyone researching in Poland or its former territories. Founded in 1978, the society has regular meetings, workshops, and conferences at its headquarters in Chicago, and offers members an excellent quarterly publication called Rodziny. Membership isn't required to access the web site, however, and it offers many good resources. PGSA's site, like PolishRoots, has translated entries from the Slownik Geograficzny. In addition, there are several searchable databases. Examples of these databases include indexes of death notices from Chicago and Baltimore Polish-language newspapers. There is also an index to Haller's Army records. Named after its commanding general, this Polish Army in France was comprised of nearly 20,000 Polish immigrants to America that were fighting for Poland's independence during World War I. Another interesting database contains insurance claim records for the Polish Roman Catholic Union of America (PRCUA), a benefit society with branches in major U.S. cities with Polish immigrant populations.
http://click.familytreecommunity.com/?qs=5f054ef4e7fea6ff47f49693e0f2b9858ae7b2179fbe756a93f57688ac4d8d1569f0fca7671a510a
As the name implies, the Polish Genealogical Society of America (PGSA) is a research society open to anyone researching in Poland or its former territories. Founded in 1978, the society has regular meetings, workshops, and conferences at its headquarters in Chicago, and offers members an excellent quarterly publication called Rodziny. Membership isn't required to access the web site, however, and it offers many good resources. PGSA's site, like PolishRoots, has translated entries from the Slownik Geograficzny. In addition, there are several searchable databases. Examples of these databases include indexes of death notices from Chicago and Baltimore Polish-language newspapers. There is also an index to Haller's Army records. Named after its commanding general, this Polish Army in France was comprised of nearly 20,000 Polish immigrants to America that were fighting for Poland's independence during World War I. Another interesting database contains insurance claim records for the Polish Roman Catholic Union of America (PRCUA), a benefit society with branches in major U.S. cities with Polish immigrant populations.
http://click.familytreecommunity.com/?qs=5f054ef4e7fea6ff47f49693e0f2b9858ae7b2179fbe756a93f57688ac4d8d1569f0fca7671a510a
