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The library’s collection continues to grow. Do not give up if records are not available yet. The FamilySearch Catalog is updated annually. Check it again every year for the records you need. | The library’s collection continues to grow. Do not give up if records are not available yet. The FamilySearch Catalog is updated annually. Check it again every year for the records you need. | ||
== | ==Writing for Records== | ||
Birth, marriage, divorce, and death records may be found by contacting local civil registration offices or archives in Poland. To protect the rights of privacy of living persons, most modern records have restrictions on their use and access. | Birth, marriage, divorce, and death records may be found by contacting local civil registration offices or archives in Poland. To protect the rights of privacy of living persons, most modern records have restrictions on their use and access. | ||
The present location of records depends on the age of the record book. Records older than 100 years are generally in local civil registration offices, and older ones are in state archives. If you write to the Directorate of the Polish State archives, they will forward your request to the appropriate archive or civil registration office. When writing to the Polish state archives, do not send money. They will bill you for services. | The present location of records depends on the age of the record book. Records older than 100 years are generally in local civil registration offices, and older ones are in state archives. If you write to the Directorate of the Polish State archives, they will forward your request to the appropriate archive or civil registration office. When writing to the Polish state archives, do not send money. They will bill you for services. | ||
====How to Write the Letter==== | |||
Write your request in Polish whenever possible. Information about how to write to local parishes in Poland is given in [[Poland Letter Writing Guide|Poland Letter Writing Guide]]. In your letter include the following: | |||
*Full name and the sex of the person sought. | |||
*Names of the parents, if known. | |||
*Approximate date and place of the event. | |||
*Your relationship to the person. | |||
*Reason for the request (family history, medical, and so on). | |||
*Request for a photocopy of the complete original record. Please include money for the search fee (usually about U.S. $10.00 or equivalent in Polish currency). If your request is unsuccessful, write for duplicate records that may have been filed in other archives or in civil registration offices. | |||
== Search Strategies == | == Search Strategies == | ||