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The Family History Library has church records on microfilm from many parishes throughout Poland, some to 1875, some to the 1880s, and some as late as the 1960s. The library does not have copies of records that were destroyed, have not been microfilmed, or are restricted from public access by the archivist or by law. The specific holdings are listed in the Place section of the Family History Library Catalog. Look in the catalog under the name of the town where the parish was, not necessarily the town where your ancestor lived: POLAND, (COUNTY), (TOWN) - CHURCH RECORDS New records are continually added to the library’s collection from several sources. Do not give up if records are not available yet. Check the Family History Library Catalog every two or three years for the records you need. | The Family History Library has church records on microfilm from many parishes throughout Poland, some to 1875, some to the 1880s, and some as late as the 1960s. The library does not have copies of records that were destroyed, have not been microfilmed, or are restricted from public access by the archivist or by law. The specific holdings are listed in the Place section of the Family History Library Catalog. Look in the catalog under the name of the town where the parish was, not necessarily the town where your ancestor lived: POLAND, (COUNTY), (TOWN) - CHURCH RECORDS New records are continually added to the library’s collection from several sources. Do not give up if records are not available yet. Check the Family History Library Catalog every two or three years for the records you need. | ||
== | ==Records Not at the Family History Library== | ||
Although the Family History Library is a convenient way to access records, sometimes the records you need are not available. You can often obtain needed information in other ways. Poland has no single repository of church records. The present location of records depends on nationality, religion, and local history.<br>Church records are available at:<br>*Local parishes. Most Catholic church records are still maintained by the parish, which will generally answer correspondence in Polish. You can write directly to the parish with a nonspecific address (Catholic parish, Town name with postal code, Poland), but using the specific parish address is better. For specific addresses, consult a church directory (see the "[[Poland Church Directories|Church Directories]]" section in this outline). If the records you need have been moved to a diocese or state archive, your request may be forwarded to that archive.<br>*Diocese archives.<br>Some parish registers are collected in diocesan archives. Generally the very old records (before 1800) are in diocesan archives. Some dioceses have parishes archive their records after 100 years. Protestants also maintain church archives, although their records are likely to be in a state archive. Church archives are often unable to handle genealogical requests, but they can tell you if specific records are available. | Although the Family History Library is a convenient way to access records, sometimes the records you need are not available. You can often obtain needed information in other ways. Poland has no single repository of church records. The present location of records depends on nationality, religion, and local history.<br>Church records are available at:<br>*Local parishes. Most Catholic church records are still maintained by the parish, which will generally answer correspondence in Polish. You can write directly to the parish with a nonspecific address (Catholic parish, Town name with postal code, Poland), but using the specific parish address is better. For specific addresses, consult a church directory (see the "[[Poland Church Directories|Church Directories]]" section in this outline). If the records you need have been moved to a diocese or state archive, your request may be forwarded to that archive.<br>*Diocese archives.<br>Some parish registers are collected in diocesan archives. Generally the very old records (before 1800) are in diocesan archives. Some dioceses have parishes archive their records after 100 years. Protestants also maintain church archives, although their records are likely to be in a state archive. Church archives are often unable to handle genealogical requests, but they can tell you if specific records are available. | ||