Poland Letter Writing Guide: Difference between revisions

This guide is for researchers who do not speak Polish but must write to Poland for genealogical records. It includes some useful information and a list of sentences you would use in requesting genealogical records and Polish translations of these sentences.  

The best sources of genealogical information in Poland are records of births, marriages, and deaths records kept by churches and civil registration offices. The Family History Library has microfilm copies of these records for many, but not all localities. Use the Family History Library Catalog to determine what records are available through the Library and the Family History Centers. If records are available from the Library, it is usually faster and more productive to search these records first. If the records you want are not available through the library, you can use this guide to help you write to Poland for information.  

Before You write to Poland for family history records, you should do three things:  

*'''Determine exactly where your ancestor was born, was married, lived, or died. <br>'''Because most genealogical sources were recorded locally, you will need to know the specific locality where your ancestor was born, married, lived or died.

*'''Determine your ancestor's religion.<br>'''Because most early records were kept by churches or synagogues rather than civil registraiton offices, you may need to write to the church your ancestor attended in his or her hometown. If you are not sure what your ancestor's religion was in Europe, determine what religion he or she practiced after immigrating. People usually did not change religions when they moved frm Europe to their new home.  

*'''Determine where records from your ancestor's home parish are stored today.''' <br>When you have a locality name, use a gazetteer to determine which parish or civil jurisdiction served your ancestor's locality.

| 2.&nbsp;Dear priest <br>(Catholic or Orthodox)  

| 3.&nbsp;Dear Pastor <br>(Protestant)