Poland Societies

Many societies and organizations have information that would help you in your genealogical research. There are only a few such societies in Poland, but there are numerous societies dedicated to Polish genealogy in the countries Poles immigrated to, especially the United States. You may find it helpful to join one of these societies and support its efforts.

Most of these societies have web sites on the Internet. Most are also members of the Federation of East European Family History Societies (FEEFHS). Individuals may also join FEEFHS and receive its journal. This organization has a web site, with links to its member societies, at:

http://www.FEEFHS.org

Genealogical Societies

Several genealogical societies emphasize Polish research. Most of these societies publish helpful periodicals, transcripts, and compiled genealogies and may have special indexes, collections, and projects. Many publish queries about Polish ancestors or maintain a list of members’ research interests. Some specialize in the immigrants to a specific area.

The following societies may be of interest:

Polish Genealogical Society of America 
984 North Milwaukee Ave. 
Chicago, IL 60622
Internet: http://www.pgsa.org/

Polish Genealogical Society of Michigan 
Burton Historical Collection 
Detroit Public Library 
5201 Woodward Ave. 
Detroit, MI 48202
Internet: http://www.pgsm.org/

Polish Genealogical Society of Texas 
Route 1, Box 475-S 
Navasota, TX 77068
Internet: http://www.pgst.org/

Polish Genealogical Society of California 
P.O. Box 713
Midway City, CA 92655-0713
Internet: http://feefhs.org/pol/pgsca/frgpgsca.html

Historical Societies

Historical societies can be valuable sources of information on Poland. Similar societies exist in countries where Polish emigrants settled. These societies often collect information about Polish immigrants. Some may have information about specific Polish individuals. Many societies have special collections of books and manuscript material for Poland that may be difficult to find in libraries and archives. You may be interested in the services, activities, and collections of the following historical societies:

Immigration History Research Center 
University of Minnesota 
826 Berry Street 
St. Paul, MN 55114-1076
Internet: http://www.ihrc.umn.edu/

Polish American Archives 
Alumni Memorial Library 
St. Mary’s College
The Orchard Lake School 
Orchard Lake, MI 48033
Internet: http://www.stanford.edu/~rondest/PolAm96.html

Fraternal Societies

Your ancestor or relative may have belonged to an association, lodge, or fraternal society whose membership is based on common interests, religion, or ethnicity. These societies were involved in political, social, and financial activities, including life and burial insurance.

Several sources, such as local histories, biographies, obituaries, tombstones, family records, and artifacts, may give you clues that an ancestor belonged to a fraternal society. Examples of these societies include:

Alliance of Poles of America (1895)
6966 Broadway Ave.
Cleveland, OH 44105
Telephone: 216-883-3131
Internet: http://www.ihrc.umn.edu/research/vitrage/all/aa/ihrc135.html

Association of Polish Women of the United States
7526 Broadway Ave.
Cleveland, OH 44105
Telephone: 216-441-1544

Association of Sons of Poland
333 Hackensack
Carlstadt, NJ 07072
Telephone: 201-935-2807
Internet: http://www.sonsofpoland.org/

Polish National Alliance of the United States of North America
6100 North Cicero Ave.
Chicago, IL 60646-4385
Internet: http://www.pna-znp.org/content/historyofpna/historybrief.htm

Polish Roman Catholic Union
984 North Milwaukee Avenue
Chicago, IL 60622-4101
Telephone: 800-772-8632
Internet: http://www.prcua.org/

For more information about fraternal societies in North America, see:

Chorzempa, Rosemary A. Polish Roots.Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1993. (FHL book 943.8 D27c.)

You may be able to get genealogical information from fraternal organizations by writing to them.

Locating Records at the Family History Library

Records of these societies are usually described in the Author/Title section of the Family History Library Catalog under the name of the society. They are also listed in the Place Search of the catalog under:

POLAND - SOCIETIES

POLAND, (COUNTY) - SOCIETIES

POLAND - GENEALOGY

POLAND, (COUNTY) - GENEALOGY

Some records gathered by societies are listed in the locality section of the Family History Library Catalog under the type of record. For example, cemetery transcripts gathered by a genealogical society are listed in the catalog under:

POLAND, (COUNTY) - CEMETERIES

Lists and guides that describe the collections of societies are listed in the Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:

POLAND - ARCHIVES AND LIBRARIES INVENTORIES, REGISTERS, CATALOGS

POLAND, (COUNTY) - ARCHIVES AND LIBRARIES - INVENTORIES, REGISTERS, CATALOGS

POLAND, (COUNTY), (TOWN) - ARCHIVES AND LIBRARIES - INVENTORIES, REGISTERS, CATALOGS

Web Sites

http://www.rootsweb.com/~polwgw/societies.html

http://feefhs.org/pol/indexpol.html

http://www.pgsa.org/

Family History Library (FHL); now called, FamilySearch Library (FSL)