Austrian Poland Civil Registration

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Austrian Poland Civil Registration

Definition

• Civil registration is the vital records (records of births, marriages, and deaths) made by the government. Civil registration records (zapisy cywilne) are an excellent source for information on names, dates, and places of births, marriages, and deaths.
  
• Legally, civil records were to be kept by state officials. Because there were not enough state officials, the clergy were frequently appointed as civil registrars. The clergy were required to make civil copies of birth, marriage, and death records. These are known as "civil transcripts of church records" (see Poland Church Records).
• Because the church was involved in early civil registration, it is difficult to clearly distinguish between civil registration and church records.

In 1795, the old Kingdom of Poland was conquered and divided among Russia, Austria, and Prussia. Civil registration coverage varied for each part of Poland controlled by Russia, Prussia, or Austria. This article covers information on civil registration for Austrian-controlled Poland. For the other parts of Poland, see: Russian Poland Civil Registration Prussian Poland Civil Registration

Time Coverage

• Austria took possession of the southern part of Poland in 1772. In 1784 the Emperor Joseph, recognizing the need for valid vital records for public use, designated Catholic parish registers as state records and standardized Latin columnar forms were issued. Roman Catholic and Greek Catholic clergy were made responsible for the registration of all vital records for all religions and recorded these in their parish registers.
• Civil transcripts of these registers were prepared for state use. So essentially, the church records functioned as civil registration until 1918. Most of these are now in State Archives where many have been microfilmed.
• In the former Austrian territories, conventional civil registration did not begin until after the establishment of the Republic of Poland in 1918.
• Two areas from Russian Poland are exceptions: some areas of the Duchy of Warsaw that were annexed in 1815, and the independent city of Kraków, annexed in 1846.

Language of the Records

Because the records were technically Catholic church records, they were written in Latin until 1918. After that, they are in Polish.

Information Recorded in Austrian Civil Registers (1784-1918)

• See Catholic Vital Records of Galicia/Halychyna
  

The column headings and translations below should simplify the reading of these records. Several modifications were made in the forms, but the basic format remained the same. Earlier forms simply required less information; thus, many forms will not be exactly the same as those presented here nor will all the information be given in all cases. In reading the records, remember that Latin grammatical forms may change the endings on given names.

Poland Record Information (Napoleonic Format): 1918-the Present

Polish Civil Registration Reading Aids

The following reading aids are designed to help you read a typical birth, marriage, or death entry in Polish civil registration. Since the wording of these records was standardized, it is possible to learn the format, and with careful effort, to read Polish records.
When using the reading aids, please note the following:

• Be flexible. Terms and spellings may vary. Information may not always be presented in the exact order shown in the examples. For example, the year may be given before the day of the month or the age may follow the occupation, etc. You must thoroughly familiarize yourself with the format, not just the words.
• It is not uncommon to find double dates given in the entries. When this occurs, the first is the Julian date according to the old Julian calendar. The second is the Gregorian date according to the modern Gregorian calendar used in the world today.

Napoleonic Birth Records in Polish

Birth records contain data on:

• the parents' age
• profession
• social standing
• full place of residence
• full date of birth and registration (down to the hour)

A. Place and date of registration of birth. (Place is given with grammatical ending and the date and time of day are written out in Polish.) Use the Polish Genealogical Word List to read the date. Following are translations of the Polish entries:

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Dzialo się          w wsi              Oporowie      dnia trzeciego
It came to pass in village (of) Oporów (on) day third         (of)

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lutego     tyziąc      ośmset             pięćdziesiątego drugiego roku
February thousand eight-hundred fiftieth –            second    year (1852),

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o godzinie dziewiątego z rana. . . .
at hour       ninth            in the morning. . . .

---

---

►(Prior to the mid-1810s records will start with Roku. This earlier format gives year first, date, time of day, and then the title and often the name of the registrar.)

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       Roku tysiąc      osemsetnego   czternastego             dnia trzeciego
(of) Year thousand eight-hundred fourteen (1814) (on) day third         (of)

---

• lutego      o godzinie dziewiątego z rana               przed Nami Augustynem
  February at hour       ninth            in the morning before us     Augustyn
  

---

Walęckiem proboszcz       parafii       Oporowskiej sprawuającym obowiązki
Walęcki      priest      (of) parish (of) Oporów         discharging      duties    (of)

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urzędnika stanu cywilnego       gminy             Oporowskiej powiatu
civil registrar                      (of) township (of) Oporów district        (of)

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Orlowskiej w Departmencie        Warszawskim.
Orlów         in Department    (of) Warsaw

---

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B. The father of the child presents himself (or the midwife if the child is illegitimate) to report the birth.

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Stawil       się        Marcin Gorecki okupnik rolnik,  lat      cztyrdziesciści
Presented himself Marcin Gorecki tenant    farmer, years forty

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mający / liczący    w Czyzeminie zamieszkaly.
having / counting  in Czyzemiń   residing.

---

---

C. Two witnesses are named with genitive grammatical inflection. Their occupations, ages, and residences are given. (This is sometimes omitted in earlier records.)

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w obecności       Macieja Nowaka lat     trzydzieści pięć mający i
in presence  (of) Maciej   Nowak  years thirty-        five having and (of)

---

Jana Grabowskiego lat     pięćdziesiąt liczący,   obydwóch rolników w
Jan    Grabowski      years fifty             counting, both         farmers    in

---

Czyzeminie zamieszkałych.
Czyzemiń   residing.

---

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D. The child is presented and the sex is indicated.

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i      okazał   Nam dziecię,       płci męskiej /źeńskiej. . . .
and showed us     child,   (of) sex  male     /  female. . . .

---

---

E. Place of birth is given with date and time of day. Use the Polish Genealogical Word List to read the date.

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urodzone w  Czyzemienie w domu   pod     numerem trzynastym, . . . .
born         in Czyzemiń     in house (under) number    thirteen, . . . .

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na dniu dzisiejszym / wczorajszym / onegdajszym              /
on day   today          / yesterday       / day before yesterday /

---

trzydziestym      grudnia    /  miesiąca bieźącego. . . .
thirtieth      (of) December /  month    current. . . .

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       roku bieźącego/ przeszłego o godzinie szóstej wieczorem.
(of) year  current    / preceding  at hour       sixth    in the evening.

---

---

F. The mother of the child is given in genitive grammatical inflection with her age. The record will state if she is the wife of the one presenting himself. If not, the record will state whether she is unmarried. When the mother is married but the father is merely not present, then his name is usually given between the birth date and the name of the mother.

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(Urodzone) z   jego małźonki Maryanny z Grabowskich /  Nowaków
(Born)         of his    wife        Maryanna    Grabowska    / Nowak

---

lat     trzydzieści trzy   mającej.
years thirty-        three having.

---

---

►(Earlier records, prior to the mid-1820s will usually read differently.)

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cświadczając, iź          jest spłodzone z   niego i            Maryanny
testifying        that (it) is    begotten   of him    and (of) Maryanna

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z / z domu        Mazurków lat     trzydzieści trzy   mającej jego małźonki.
(maiden name) Mazurek    years thirty-        three having, his    wife.

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G. Some records will indicate that on this day the christening was performed.

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       Dziecieciu temu na Chrzcie       Świętym w  dniu dzisiejszym odbytym.
(for) child          this        Christening Holy      on day  today          performed.

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H. The child is given a name.

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nadane jest Imię  Jan Marcin / zyczeniem jego jest nadać mu Imię Ewa
given    is    name Jan Marcin / desire        his   is   give    it    name Ewa

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I. The Godparents are named.

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jego Rodzicami Chrzestnymi byli   Alojzy Kowalski   i     Elźbieta Adamska.
his   Godparents                 were Alojzy Kowalski and Elźbieta Adamska.

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J. The entry was read and signed by the witnesses or by the priest/rabbi if the witnesses could not write.

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Akt     ten                     stawającemu i     świadkom przeczytany został,
Entry this (to the one) present        and witnesses  read         was,

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Ojciec   i      świadkowie       pisać nie  umieją.
Father and witnesses (to) write  not know how.

---

Napoleonic Marriage Records in Polish

Marriage entries are the most informative. Marrying was subject to specific conditions.

• A male below the age of 18 or a female below the age of 15 could not contract marriage. (The emperor could give dispensations in exceptional, important situations).
• A son under 25 and a daughter under 21 had to have their parents' consent; in case of parental disagreement, the father's consent sufficed.
• If the parents were no longer alive or could not be present, then consent was given by grandfathers or, if applicable, brothers or uncles.
• It was impossible to marry a second time without dissolution of the first marriage.
• The wedding had to take place publicly before the civil registrar in the place of residence of one of the newlyweds.

The Code also set forth the obligations proceeding from marriage:

• Newlyweds were obligated to, among other things, live together and support themselves together and to raise children jointly.
• The husband was to protect his wife, his wife was to obey her husband, the wife could not appear in court without her husband's consent (criminal cases were exceptions) except with support of the court.
• The wife could not enter into a second marriage until after 10 months had passed since the previous marriage was dissolved.
• Children did not have the right to demand any estate from their parents, and in accases of parental poverty, were obligated give them support.

The majority of records from the period of the Napoleonic Code gave exact birth dates for the couple according to entries from the registers of their home parishes.

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A. Place and date of registration of marriage. (Place is given with grammatical ending and the date and time of day are written out in Polish.) Use the Polish Word List to read the date.

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Dzialo się            w mieście Olbierzowicach         dnia dwódzięstego
It came to pass in place    Olbierzowice    (on) day  twentieth-

---

siódmego     listopadu    roku  tysiąc        osiemset         sześcdziesiątego
seventh (of) November year  thousand eight-hundred sixtieth-

---

czwartego,      o  godzinie dziewiątej        rano. . . .
fourth (1864) at hour      ninth        (in) morning. . . .

---

---

►(Prior to the mid-1820s, records will start with Roku. This earlier format gives year first, date, time of day, and then the title and often name of the registrar. See birth format for an example.)

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B. In most records after the mid-1820s two witnesses are named, usually with genitive grammatical inflection. Their occupations, ages, and residences are given. (Caution: In some cases the groom and bride present themselves at this point in the entry. In such cases the witnesses will be noted in the Summation.)

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Wiadomo            czyniemy źe    w przytomności       świadków  Tomasza
Knowingly (we) affirm       that in presence     (of) witnesses  Tomasz

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Kolczaka mularz       lat     trzydzieści i      Piotra Studzińskiego
Kolczak   bricklayer years thirty        and Piotr  Studzińki

---

szewca       lat       trzydzieści sześć mających, obydwóch w Olbierzowicach
shoemaker years thirty-        six     having,     both        in Olbierzowice

---

zamięskałych. . . .
residing. . . .

---

---

►Sometimes:

---

Stawiłi się. . .(Names of witnesses as above, without grammatical endings.)
They appeared. . .

---

C. In most records prior to the mid-1820s and sometimes later, the groom and bride will present themselves. Information will be given as in D below, usually without the instrumental grammatical inflection. If the couple appear together with a witness or official, then the instrument inflection may be required because of the preposition z".

---

           Stawiłi      się              Ludwik Jan Kowalski,  lat. . . . etc., a
(They) presented themselves Ludwik Jan Kowalski, age. . . .etc., and

---

Panna   Tekla Tokarska,  lat. . . . etc.
Maiden Tekla Tokarska, age. . . . etc.

---

►Sometimes:
        Stawil        się       Rabin Hersz Sztajn wraz        z      Starozakonami
(He) presented himself Rabbi Hersz Sztajn together with Jews

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Szmulem Litmanem, lat. . . . ,   a     Panna Ruchlą Dawidowiczowną,  lat. . . .
Szmul      Litman,      age. . . . , and maiden Ruchla Dawidowiczowna, age. . . .

---

D. Statement of marriage. If marriage took place on a day different than the day of registration, it will be stated here.

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Na dniu dzisiejszym / wczorajszym zawarte          zostało Religijne
On day   today       / yesterday     accomplished was     Religious

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Małźenstwo między. . . .
Marriage      between. . . .

---

E. Names of bridegroom and bride are given. Because the preposition międzyrequires instrumental grammatical inflection, their names and all words describing them will have grammatical endings. For the groom, everything will end with –m. For the bride, everything will end with –ą.Information given will vary. Age, previous marital status and residence are almost always given. Very often the entry will also give place of birth. (In early records prior to the mid-1820s this is often accompanied by a statement that the age and birthplace are confirmed by an extract from the parish register of the birthplace.) Most records give the names and residence of parents of the bride and groom. Other information that may be given would be exact birth date, names of previous marriage partners, etc. The order in which information is given can vary, but the groom is always first with information pertaining to him, followed by the bride and all information pertaining to her.

---

między   Ludwikiem Janem Orlikiem / Kowalskim młodzianem / kawalerem /
between Ludwik      Jan      Orlik       / Kowalski    bachelor      / bachelor    /

---

wdowcem kowalem / profeszyi   kowalskiej w Kaczkowiznie zamieszkałym. . .
widower   smith      / profession smith         in Kaczkowizna residing. . .

---

urodzonym w Gostynie z  / synem      niegdyś / zmarłego Tomasza i
born            in Gostyn of /  son    (of) the late / deceased Tomasz   and (of)

---

Justyny z Pinkowskich    małźonków                             Orlików podług
Justyna    Pinkowska     a married couple (named) the Orliks    according to

---

złoźonej     przed  Nami metryko    wyjęty      z      Ksiąg        kościoła
submitted before us    certificate extracted from book  (of) church at

---

Gostyńskiego lat. . . . etc.  a      Panna   Tekla Tokarska  / wdowa po Józefie
Gostyn          age . . . etc. and maiden Tekla Tokarska / widow of  Józef

---

Gadzińskim zmarłym           dnia. .  / przy matce   zostającą, Córka. . .
Gadziński   deceased (on) day. . ./ with mother staying,    Daughter (of). . .

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►(Information is given for the bride similar to that given for the groom.)

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F. As marriages must be preceded by three banns (announcements in the church) the dates of the banns are given, written out in Polish. Some records also state who gave permission for the marriage.

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Małźenstwo to    poprzedzily         trzy   zapowiedzie         w  dniach
Marriage     this preceded   (by) three announcements on days

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dziesiątym, siedmnastym, i      dwódziestym czwartym       listopadu  roku
tenth,         seventeenth, and twenty-         fourth     (of) November year

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bieźącego w parafia. Zezwolenie         małźenstwa       Ojca
current     in parish. Permission (for) marriage   (by) father (of)

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nowozaślubionego  i     rodziców      nowozaślubionej.
groom (newlywed) and parents  (of) bride (newlywed).

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G. Summation: This includes a statement that there were no objections to the marriage. Sometimes it includes a renaming of the witnesses with an occasional mention of relationship to the bride or groom. Finally, it concludes with a statement, as in birth and death records, that the entry was read to witnesses and that they signed or did not sign, depending on their ability to write.

Napoleonic Death Records in Polish

Death records contain description of the family relationships of the witnesses appearing, exact time and place of death, place of birth and parent's names. If the deceased was married, then the names of his or her spouse and of all living children were given. The cause of death was usually omitted if the person died of natural causes; it was given if the person died as a result of an accident, e.g., drowning, a fall, or fire. Information given in the death record depended on the knowledge of the witnesses who came to report the death.

---

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A. Place and date of registration of death. (Place is given with grammatical ending and the date and time of day are written out in Polish.) Use the Polish Genealogical Word List to read the date.

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Działo się            w parafii Źychlińskiej w roku tysiąc        osemset
It came to pass in parish Źychlin        in year thousand eight-hundred

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czterdziestiego      dnia trzeciego     marca  o  godzinie. . . . etc.
forty (1840)  (on) day  third    (of) March at hour. . . . etc.

---

►(Prior to the mid-1820s records will start with Roku. This earlier format gives year first, date, time of day, and then the title and often name of the registrar. See birth format for an example.)

---

B. Two witnesses present themselves to report the death. Their occupations, ages, and residences are given.

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           Stawiłi        się              Marcin Cieślak,  parobek    lat. . . .    i
(They) presented themselves Marcin Cieślak, farmhand age. . . . and

---

Mateusz Czerwiński,   formal                     lat. . . .
Mateusz Czerwiński, farm-wagon driver age. . . .

---

C. The witnesses testify concerning the death, including the place (given with grammatical ending) and the date and time of day when the death occurred. Use the Polish Genealogical Word List to read the date.

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i                oświadczyłi iz             dnia pierwszego      marca / wczorajszego
and (they) testified    that (on) day  first          (of) March / yesterday

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       roku bieźącego, o  godzinie  ósmej w wieczor,   w wśi      Dębicach. . . .
(of) year  current,   at hour       eight  in evening, in village Dębice. . . .

---

D. Name of deceased is given with varying amounts of information. Age and occupation are almost always given. Other information often given would be parents, birthplace, survivors, etc.

---

        Umarł /          Umarła Józef Cieślak  lat . . . .      licząc[y/a], syn /
(He) died    / (she) died    Józef Cieślak years . . . . counting,   son /

---

córka              niegdyś     / wspomianego  Marcina i     Wiktoriyi z
daughter (of) deceased / forementioned Marcin and Wiktorya

---

Czerwińskich   małonków                               Cieślaków; urodzony w
Czerwińska   a married couple (named) the Cieślaks;   born        in

---

Prusach / w  tej  wśi             roku . . . . gdziei  i      z   kogo urodzony
Prussia  / in this village (in) year. . . .  when and of whom born

---

niewiadomo.      Zostawił / zostawiwszy po    sobie    owdowiałą źonę
unknown.  (He) has left / leaving        after himself widowed  wife

---

Agatę / owdowiałego meźa      Mikołajo / etc.
Agata / widowed     husband Mikołaj  / etc.

---

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Indexes

The use of the Polish civil registers is further simplified by the indexes that usually accompany them. Indexes were prepared on a yearly basis. The birth, marriage, and death records were each indexed separately. The index is usually found immediately after the records indexed. In some cases the separate birth, marriage, and death indexes are grouped together at the end of the year’s records.

The indexes vary in quality. In some cases they are incomplete or missing entirely. Usually they are alphabetical by surname, but in some cases, they are alphabetized by first name or they may be chronological rather than alphabetical. Spellings in the indexes may differ from those in the actual entries. The indexes usually refer the reader to an entry number – sometimes to a page number. Researchers should realize that, although these indexes are a great help, one should not rely on them completely because some entries may be inaccurately indexed or not indexed at all.

Locating Civil Registration Records

Civil registration records are kept at the local civil registration office (Urzd stanu Cywilnego) in each town or city. You must therefore determine the town where your ancestor lived before you can find the records. Your ancestor may have lived in a village that was part of the civil district of a nearby larger town. In large cities there may be many civil districts.

To find the town for the civil registration office:

• Use mapa.szukacz to find the province, area, commune, and postal code of the town. Enter the town name in the "place" field in the right sidebar and click "Show". All information will appear at the bottom of the right sidebar.
  
• If the town was in the area of Poland once controlled by Russia or Austria, look it up in Skorowidz Gazetteer Online to find the parishes of various religions. Here are the instructions. Use the second option, "Viewing anywhere via the Digital Library of Wielkopolska".
  

Online Indexes to Civil Registration Records

Jewish Record Indexes

If searching for a Jewish ancestor, select the database "Jewish Records Indexing - Poland" which is a good starting point.  The database has approximately four million records and can be searched in several ways, such as entering a surname and a town name.  Due to spelling errors, a "Sounds Like" search is usually more productive than an "is Exactly" search.  The results are sorted by the location of the event and by the source of the data.  "LDS" indicates that the records have been microfilmed and are available at the Family History Library.  For these records, the database frequently contains the record number and film number, so the records can be found easily.  "PSA" indicates that the records are available from a branch of the Polish State Archives. 

Online Records

• Szukaj w ArchiwachTutorial The Polish Archives
• Geneteka Instructions

Records at the Family History Library

The Family History Library has microfilmed the civil registration records of many towns in the former Prussian areas of Poland. They are rarely available more recently than about 1890 because the  microfilming of records less than 110 years old is restricted. The specific holdings of the Family History Library are listed in the FamilySearch Catalog. To find civil registration records in the Family History Library, search in the Place section under:

POLAND - CIVIL REGISTRATION

POLAND, (COUNTY) - CIVIL REGISTRATION

POLAND, (COUNTY), (CITY) - CIVIL REGISTRATION

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. You may have to prove you relationship to the person in the record, and that they are deceased.

The present location of records depends on the age of the record book. Records more recent than 100 years are generally in local civil registration offices, and older ones are in state archives.

To find the address of the civil registration office:

1. Google: urzad stanu cywilnego with the name of the commune.
2. From the list of hits, find the official page of the URC (urzad stanu cywilnego). Click on the link.
3. Find the e-mail address.

How to Write the E-mail

Write your request in Polish whenever possible. Information about how to write to local civil registration offices in Poland is given in Poland Letter Writing Guide.

Writing to Archives

• Use PRADZIAD to see which archive might have copies of the civil registers or parish registers. Archive addresses are given by clicking on "More" under AKCJA.

Reading the Language of the Records

Word Lists

The language of the records depends on the controlling government. Most of Poland was part of Austria until 1918, and church records are in Latin. The parts of Poland which belonged to Prussia (Germany) used German until they were ceded back to Poland (after World War I or II). Records in parts of Poland controlled by Russia can be in either Russian or Polish.

• Polish Genealogical Word List
• Latin Genealogical Word List

How-to Guides

For areas of Poland that were once part of Russia:

• Reading Polish Birth Records - Instruction, Activity, Answer Key
• Reading Polish Marriage Records - Instruction, Activity, Answer Key
• Reading Polish Death Records - Instruction, Activity, Answer Key
  

Lessons

• Reading Polish Handwritten Records
  • Lesson 1: Polish Letters
  • Lesson 2: Polish Words and Dates
  • Lesson 3: Reading Polish Records
• Latin for Genealogists

Other Translation Resources

Translating Napoleonic style Polish records (typically in Polish before 1867 but also Russian Cyrillic between 1867 and WW I) can be daunting for the average person. A number of resources are available to help with this, both on line and in books.

• In Their Words: A Genealogist's Translation Guide to Polish, German, Latin and Russian Documents. Volumes I & II by Jonathan D. Shea and William F. Hoffman. See LangLine for ordering information. (Volume I is Polish -> English; Volume II is Russian -> English; both contain a lot more translation resources than just the church records.)

• A Translation Guide to 19th Century Polish Language Civil Registration Documents by Judith R. Frazin.

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