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Click here > Polish Cities, Shtetls and Villages Click here > 1929 Business Directory of Ustrzyki Dolne (Note: You may find additional information and sources in my
The Jewish presence in Poland goes back a very long time - back to the 10th century when Ibrahim Ibn Jakub, a Jewish merchant from Moorish Spain, arrive in the Polish kingdom. Even before the Union with Lithuania in 1386, there was promulgated a Statue of Jewish Liberties at Kalisz in 1264. Polish Jews once constituted three-quarters of the Jewish world. Prior to WW II, there were an estimated 3.25 million Jews in Poland making it the second largest Jewish community in the world and it was some 10% of the Polish population. Eight-five percent of Polish Jewry was murdered in the Holocaust. Today there are about 10,000 Jews living in Poland, mostly in Warsaw. Poland, Polonia, Polska has two Hebrew names, which read like a Midrash 1. Po lan jah = "Here is God living (lodging)" or: Before World War II, Poland had a vibrant Jewish community of 3.5 million - 10% of the country's population -- but most were killed in the Holocaust. It was the second largest Jewish community in the world. Today, it is estimated that there are between 5,000 to 20,000 Jews living in Poland. From the following web page links, specifically linked to Polish Jewish genealogical informational sites, you can unleash your passion for discovering your past. The uprising of Ukrainian Kazaks, and the peasantry, in the 17th century, meant trouble for the over 300 Jewish communities. Thousand of Jews were murdered and communities destroyed in Poland, Volhynia, Moldavia and adjacent areas. The 17th century, by the way was called "Golden Age" in Poland. During this time, many foreigners found a new homeland in Poland including some Scots (in Polish Szkot) and Dutch known as Holendry. You can find some villages in Poland named Olendy and many people with the name Olendzki. It is the heritage of Dutch settling in Poland. In the Kingdom of Poland (aka Congress Poland or Russian Poland) Jews were listed in separate registers from 1826. Beginning around 1808 vital records for Jews were included in Roman Catholic Civil Registers. Jews were not included in church parish registers. Poland ceased to exist as the political entity at the end of the 18th century, and reestablished again in 1918. Lands of The Poland-Lithuania Commonwealth has been divided (in three sequences) by the three Empires: Austria, Prussia and Russia. Usually when Poland is used before 1919, it refers to Russian Poland. Actually, Poland did not exist from 1795 until 1918. Poland, before 1939, had Europe's largest Jewish community numbering about 3.3 million, or 10 percent of the total population. In 2007, there are about 30,000 Jews living in Poland. The problem with finding records in Poland is that the country has had many turmoils and not a lot of documents have survived. Those records that did survive, generally cover the years 1808 to 1865, and have been microfilmed by the Mormons. A set of LDS microfilms, covering Poland, is at the Douglas Goldman Genealogy Center (formerly DOROT) at the Diaspora Museum in Tel-Aviv. During the 1930s, keep in mind in your research, that all of western Ukraine was either located in Poland and/or Czechoslovakia. After Poland-Lithuania no longer existed as an independent state, its inhabitants (Lithuanians, Poles, Jews, gypsies, etc.) automatically became subjects of whatever ruler whose government controlled the area where they lived. No naturalization was necessary.
In 1939, at the start of WW II, there were 3,300,000 Jews existing in Poland, (roughly 10% of the population) but after the war, most survivors refused to return to or remain in Poland for various reasons, but mostly because of anti-Semitic outrages. Jews made up about one-third of the population of cities in central Poland. They made up about 50%, and in some cases even 70% of the population of smaller towns, especially in Eastern Poland. Today there are about 8,000 out of a total population of over 38,600,000. Poland was the first country to oppose Hitler's demands and the first to stand against his aggression. Poland never had a Quisling. No Polish regiment fought on behalf of Germany. Betrayed by the Ribbentrop-Molotov pact, Poles fought alongside the anti-Nazi forces from the first day until the last. And inside Poland, armed resistance to the German occupation was widespread. While under occupation, Polish nationalists An inventory of the surviving Jewish Vital Records of Poland records has been created at JewishGen There are two main sources for the available records, the microfilm archives of the Family History Center of the Church of Latter Day Saints (LDS or Mormons) and the non-microfilmed records of the Poland State Archives (PSA). Records from 1810 to 1865 - and in some cases beyond - have been microfilmed by The church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS or Mormons) and you can view them in LDS Family History centers worldwide. JRI-Poland is indexing these records for 280 out of 500 towns in the Kingdom of Poland, Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova. The records exist from 1808 to 1942 and were in Polish or Russian-Cyrillic, depending on the year. The only records that are available to be indexed are over 100 years old, due to Polish privacy laws. The LDS records include 2,200 microfilms containing over 3 million Jewish vital records of more than 400 Polish cities and towns. These are almost all indexed, and the microfilms can be ordered from Salt Lake City for viewing at your local Family History Center. In addition, there are about 5 million records in the Polish State Archives. These records are being indexed as the money to pay for the indexing is raised. As new people become engaged in the pursuit of Jewish genealogy, there will always be a learning curve as people struggle with unanswered questions. After WW II, the Soviet Union made an agreement to transfer to Warsaw, the vital records for individuals who had formerly lived in what been Galicia before the end of WW I and was thereafter, Poland. These records were placed in two repositories in Warsaw. The records older than 100 years were to be maintained in the state archives and the records less than 100 years old were to be housed in the Warsaw City Archives. As records age, they are transferred from the latter to the former repository. This is called the Zabuzanski Collection. The older records comprise what we call the AGAD collection which stands for the Archivum Glowne Akt Dawnych. JRI-Poland has ensured that these records became part of their indexing project. If you are unfamiliar with JRI-Poland, it is a hosted organization on the JewishGen website. From a posting by Suzan Wynne There are important Jewish records still in Ukraine. Most of them could be characterized as community records, though there are some copies of vital as well.
"Polish Jewish Records on microfilm from the Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah" at:
In order to locate the name of your ancestral town, you first need to go to the "Routes to Routes" website On the JRI web site at Altogether, the JRI-Poland reports that they have indexed more than 1.8 million records. The goal is to create a searchable on-line database of the indices of all 19th century Jewish records from current and former territories of Poland. When all of these indices are on-line, researchers will then be able to quickly find the records for their families and - using an on-line order form -- send for copies of records from branches of the Polish State Archives. The State Archive of Krakow e-mail sekretariat@archiwum.krakow.pl Further information about the project can be found at Another interesting site is Ada Holtzman' s site To obtain genealogical information about your family, you need to contact, at the minimum, three locations. 1. Check the Mormon Family History Library (FHL) to see if they have microfilmed the vital (birth and death) and marriage records. 2. If the FHL has nothing, then you need to contact the archives in Ordering Records from Polish State Archives - All Archives and branches where Jewish vital records have been indexed and are included in the "Shopping Basket" order processing system. Records available through the Shopping basket System are only those indexed as part of the JRI-Poland/PSA Project. Records indexed from LDS Microfilms or other sources are NOT included in the Shopping Basket System. For questions about the Order Processing System: orderqueries@jri-poland.org PSA Archive Branches Using the System
Each record ordered will cost the researcher $10. However, there is a minimum charge per branch of $15.00. Therefore, if you order one record from Lodz and one from Pultusk, the total charge will be $30.00 "However, some inquires commissioned by private persons (and pertaining to genealogical and property records) are subject to payment according to a price list The Bialystok Archive charges 55 Zloty per hour (about $18 per hour) for genealogical and property research. the Polish State Archive lists all the State Archive branches. Many have links to websites and many of them have English language web pages. One last point to remember is that many of these Archives also require payment by bank (wire) transfer, which could increase the cost of services. The AGAD Archive only accepts payment by direct transfer to their bank account. The Bialystok Archive accepts payment in Euro or US$ with bank transfer to the State Archive's bank account." From a posting by Mark Halpern JRI-Poland AGAD & Bialystok Archive Coordinator mark@halpern.com Links of value: Ordering Records from the Polish State Archives Order FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions PSA Branches on the Order System Step-by-Step Guide to Order System Express Service Pilot Project Additional links and information may be found at my Galicia web page.
"A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames From the Kingdom of Poland" - authored by Alexander Beider offers a compilation of more than 32,000 Jewish surnames with origins Buy from Amazon.com "A Guide to Jewish Lodz. Warsaw:" authored by Jerzy Malenczyk and published by the Jewish Information and Travel bureau 1994. Describes the history of the Jews of Lodz and offers brief biographical sketches of famous Jews from the community. Also offers four different self-guided walking tours with maps and illustrations. "A Jewish Boyhood in Poland' - authored by Norman Salitz describes his life in Kolbuszowa "American Jewish Yearbook, 5667, 1906-07" - A list of 254 pogroms is included with the name of the town and the Guberniya where the pogrom took place, date of pogrom, general and Jewish population for the town, damage incurred by the Jews of the town, general remarks on the pogrom. The American Jewish Yearbook is published by the Jewish Publication Society. This is a good source for genealogical information. A copy of this Yearbook is located at Asher Library in Chicago, Illinois. "A Brief History of Poland" in the last 200 years http://www.man.poznan.pl/~bielecki/polhistory.htm "A Thousand Years of Jewish Life in Poland - authored by Michal M. Borwicz published in Paris in 1955 "And I Still See Their Faces" - a book, like a family album of Jewish life in pre-war published by the Shalom Foundation. "A Peek Into The Polish Past" - author Judith Samson and printed in the December, 2000 issue of SHEMOT and published by the Jewish Genealogy Society of Great Britain. "A Tale of Two Survivors" - authored by Norman Salitz "A Translation Guide to 19th Century Polish Language Civil Registration Documents" - authored by Judith Franzin. There is a sample document translation from this book on the JRI-Poland site. "A Vanished World" - authored by Roman Vishniak offers a wonderful collection of old photographs. "The Black Book of Polish Jewry: An Account of the Martyrdom of Polish Jewry Under the Nazi Occupation," edited by Jacob Apenszlak "The Chronicles of the Lodz Ghetto 1941 to 1944" "Death in the Forest; The Story of the Katyn Forest Massacre" - authored by J. K. Zawodny in 1962 - the story of the Katyn Forest killings by the Soviets - not the Nazis as originally thought. "Do Not Go Gentle" - A Memoir of Jewish Resistance in Poland, 1941-1945 by Charles Gelman and published in 1989 by Archon Book. ISBN 0-208-02230-9 "Emblem of Good Will, A Polish Declaration of Admiration and Friendship for the United States of America" - a remarkable series of volumes in the Library of Congress collection where you will find a description of a 111 volume book presented to the US on July 4th, 1926 to celebrate our independence. It includes the signatures of about 5,500,000 Poles, about 1/6th the population. It took eight months to collect all the signatures, which include government leaders, notable people, university teachers and students and elementary students. There's a list of the towns which are represented. There are also drawings, including some of students. From a posting by Debbie Raff " Evreiskaya Entsiklopedia" - "Encyklopedia.PL" - printed in Polish, contains a lot of information, if you can read the language though some words are translated into English "Fear: Anti-Semitism in Poland After Auschwitz" details the notorious Kielce pogrom. Authored by Jan T. Gross and published by Random House. "Finding Your Roots In Galicia" indicates that some 85% of rural Polish Jews were engaged in the liquor trade, according to author Suzan Wynne's book. And confirmed "In Economic Origins of Anti-Semitism" by Hillel Levine, Yale University Press. But in 1910, Jews were forbidden to sell alcoholic beverages, so 15,000 suddenly lost their source of income and probably triggered the subsequent emigrations to the United Kingdom and the US. "From a Ruined Garden" - Translations of 6 Yizkor book chapters from this book: The Memorial Books of Polish Jewry "Gen Dobry" - an e-zine of PolishRoots™. The Polish Genealogy Source this site is in English. "Genealogy and Poland" - an on-line guide authored by Lukasz Bielecki "Geographic Dictionary of the Polish Kingdom and other Slavic Countries" ("Slownik Geograficzny Krolestwa Polskiego Innych Krajow Slowianskich") edited by Bronislaw Chlebowski in Warsaw in 1892. A historical source on shtetls in Galicia. "Ghetto Fighters' House" The story in photos and biographies of about 1,000 fighters and Jewish heroes during WWII including biographies and photos. Holocaust and Jewish Resistance Heritage Museum (Beit Lochamei Hagetaot) available on line "The Gleiwitz Case" - a true story of how Germany provoked war with Poland by East German filmmaker Gerhard Klein "Hidden Treasures in Polish Vital Records" authored by Lauren B. Eisenberg Davis offers hints on various tidbits of information that can be found in the vital records of the Kingdom of Poland. "Hippocrene Insider's Guide to Poland's Jewish Heritage" - authored by Joram Kagan and published in New York by Hippocrene Books, Inc. in 1992. "History of the Jewish People of Stanislawow (Ivano Frankivsk) Yizkor Book" - authored by N. M. Gelber "House of the World" - a film that presents a portrait of Jewish Poland before and after WWII. The author and director is Esther Podemski. Contact the Discovery Channel for further information "I am Drenched in the Dew Of My Childhood, A Memoir" - authored by Henry Lawrence Gitelman and published in Montreal, Canada in October 1997. Mr. Gitelman was born in Slawatycze and one of his sources for his book was the "Folks-Sztyme", a Polish-Yiddish publication from Warsaw. "Image Before My Eyes" - a photographic history of Jewish life in Poland from 1864 to 1939, authored by Lucjan Dobroszycki and Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett. Published by Schocken Books in 1977 "In Their Words - A Genealogist's Translation Guide to Polish, German, Latin and Documents" - authored by William Hoffman and Jonathan Shea, is an excellent resource. Ordering information at "Jewish Bialystok" - authored by Tomasz Wisniewski "Jewish Military Casualties in the Polish Armies in World War II" - history, names and burial places of the Jewish soldiers in the Polish armies, including those who fought in France. Authored by Benjamin Mertchak - a 5 volume set. Published by the association of Jewish War Veterans of the Polish Armies in Israel, 158 Dizengoff, 63461 Tel Aviv - Phone 03 522 5078. For more information check out "Jewish Roots in Poland: Pages from the Past and Archival Inventories" - authored by Miriam Weiner. Published by the Miriam Weiner Roots to Roots Foundation, Inc. Buy from Amazon.com The book lists the records on a town by town basis in the various branches of the Polish State Archives and town Civil Records Offices (Urzad Stanu Cywilnego). For information on available records of various types, on a town-by-town basis, check the Polish State Archives "SEZAM" database "Jewish Trade in Krakow at the end of the XVI Century and in the XVII, 1593 to 1683" Selected records from Krakow customs registers and published in Krakow in 1995. "Jews-Officers and Enlisted Men in the Polish Army, Prisoners of War in German captivity 1939-1945" - authored by Eng. Benjamin Meirtchak and published in Israel by the Association of Jewish War veterans of Polish Armies In Israel. More details at "Konin - A Quest" - authored by Theo Richmond, published by Jonathan Cape Ltd in England in 1996. Later published by Vintage, Random House, in paperback in 1996 and also in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. ISBN 0-09-940981-X. The book contains fairly detailed local history including history of the town from its founding. "The Lords' Jews, Magnate-Jewish Relations in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth during the 18th Century" - authored by M. J. Rosman. It an an informative work of research on the "Arrendator" or lessee system. "Modern History Sourcebook: Jan Slomka: The Life of a Polish Peasant, c. 1900" "My Dear Daughter: Rabbi Benajmin Slonik and the Education of Jewish Women in Sixteenth-Century Poland" - authored by Edward Fram and published by Hebrew Union College Press, distributed by Wayne State University Press - 1 800 978 7323 "My Early Years" - authored by Artur Rubinstein offers a picture of Poland (the big cities, including L'wow, Krakow) at the turn of the 19th century. "The Naturalized Jews of the Grand Duchy of Posen in 1834 and 1835" Photos of Jewish Life In Eastern Europe - the collection can be viewed at http://www.avotaynu.com/postcards Another source that offers a list of business owners (mostly Jewish) from circa 60 shtetls - cities in Eastern Poland (1919 - 1939 ) from years 1923, 1925, 1928 and 1933. In this collection there are also views pre-1939 (on old postcards, photographs, or negatives) of many places especially from Eastern Poland including some with synagogue postcards. Contact: Tomek Wisniewski 15-001 Bialystok, Poland Email tomekwisniewski@telbank.pl "Pinkas ha-Kehillot" of Poland" - Volume 6 describes the regions of Posen, Pomerania (Pommern) and Danzig (Gdansk). It was published in Jerusalem in 1999 by Abraham Wein of the Yad Vashem Institution and describes thoroughly the main 66 communities of both north western provinces of Poland and a short summary about the 25 smaller communities. "Poland" - authored by James A Michener and published in 1983 by Fawcett Books in New York ISBN 0-449-20587-8 "Polyn: Jewish life in the old country" - authored by Alter Kacyzne - many Warsaw photos along with photos of scenes in Makev; Lublin; Rayshe; Vashe; Vilna and more.. "Preserved Evidence: Ghetto Lodz" - Volume 1 authored by Eilenberg-Eibeshitz of Haifa in 1998 indicates in 368 pages, evidences, events, notes and those surviving and dying in the Ghetto of Lodz. "Slownik Geograficzny" - originally published in 1880 and reprinted in Warsaw in the 20th century. It is a dictionary of Greater Poland (includes modern Poland, Ukraine, Galicia, etc.) covers every farm or group of houses that had a name "The Jewish Tavern-Keeper and His Tavern in Nineteenth Century Polish Literature", authored by Magdalena Opalski and published by The Zalman Shazar Center for the Furtherance of the Study of Jewish History in Jerusalem in 1986. See also the Encyclopedia Judaica. Those in the alcohol trade were known as Propinacjz (small production, transport, inns often all together). Usually when vital records use the term "leaseholder" (arendar) this involves inn keeping in the alcohol trade. It is a common (and often not necessarily flattering image) of the rural Jew in Polish literature and art. "The Political History of Poland" - authored by E. H. Lewinski-Corwin and published in 1917. A preface in available at http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~koby/political/poland.html "Saul Wahl: Polish King For a Night Or Lithuanian Knight For A Lifetime" - authored by Dr. Neil Rosenstein and published by The Computer Center For Jewish Genealogy "Studies in Polish Jewry - Volume 8: Jews in Independent Poland 1918-1939" authored by Antony Polonsky and published in Washington, DC by The Littman library of Jewish Civilization in 1994. "Translation Guide to Nineteenth Century Polish Language Civil Registration Documents" (Birth, Marriage & Death Records) - a book by the Jewish Genealogical Society - Buy from Amazon.com http://www.jewishgen.org/InfoFiles/poland/sld050.html "The Vatican and the Jews" - authored by Arieh Doobov and published by the Jerusalem/World Jewish Congress in 1998. ISBN 0793-2596 (Policy Forum, 15). Memory or reincarnated responsibility? "Warszawa Business Directory - 1870" "Words to Outlive Us" ; Eye Witness accounts from the Warsaw Ghetto". Of great interest in particular is a register of about 200 names of prisoners in Pawiak Prison together with their places of residence prewar throughout Poland. "Yiddishland" - contains hundreds of postcard reproductions and many show names of shops. The book is available on-line at major on-line book stores. "Yizkor Books for our Region" - authored by Warren Blatt. A complete bibliography of all Yizkor Books published for towns located in Kielce or Radom Guberniya. There are many more publications available relating to specific Polish subjects, Archive holdings and cities. A list of these publications can be found at Poland Genealogy The 1784 Polish Census is located at the Historical Archive in Vilnius, Lithuania according to Galina Baranova, Head Archivist. From a posting by Howard Margol on JewishGen 3/25/2002 List of towns whose 1790s census data in the at Warsaw's AGAD (Archiwum Glowne Akt Dawnych; Central Archives of Historical Records) include lists of Jewish names: In reviewing the Oswiecim (Oshpitzin) Yizkor book, there is a reference made of these censuses. The Oswiecim Jewish Center indicates that in the State Archive in Oswiecim, there are documents (forms with the information about the people) regarding the 1900 and 1910 Austro-Hungarian Census. I would suggest to the researcher of the following sites, to also check the other two Baltic Country sites, including Estonia and Lithuania, as well as Belarus and Russia as there may very well be some cross references as the country borders changed many times between wars. A valuable site to help find a person, maps, etc. is and type in the name of any country you wish to research. This service is free. www.polishroots.org/geo_maps.htm Global Gazetteer is a great web site. It is a directory of 2,880,532 of the world's cities and towns, sorted by country and linked to a map for each town. A tab separated list is available for each country. World-Wide Gazetteer 1890-1891 Index of New York Immigrants from Austria, Poland and Galicia. 1923 Polish Directory 1929 Business Directory of Ustrzyki Dolne - Click Here Abbreviations - Polish when searching towns in Poland: Powiat = district and is usually followed by the gmina (township)
Archives Before writing to the Polish Archives, Irene Newhouse newhoir@mail.auburn.edu suggest that one should be aware that the easy sources of vital records for individuals have already been microfilmed by the Mormons. There is only one class of vital records for individuals not microfilmed, according to Irene, and that's the duplicate church registers that were filed in lieu of civil records pre-1874 in those parts of Poland under Prussian/German rule. Some of these have survived when the originals, which have been filmed, have not. Also, Irene notes that Jewish vital records in Poland were often not in Polish. Note that to write to the Archives, you can write in English. To a registry office, local official, etc., write in Polish. Writing in the language of the person that you are writing to is always best ... it exhibits respect and courtesy. Make it as easy as possible if you want the quickest response. Six to eight months for a reply, is not uncommon. Addresses For Archives in Western Ukraine and South-Eastern Poland http://www.lemko.org/genealogy/addresses.html A description of the holdings of the Polish State Archives in available on-line in their new searchable SEZAM database. To view the fond descriptions of interest to you, follow these steps:
(You are at the SEZAM database whose purpose is to gather information on the national archival holdings preserved by various institutions. It includes all elements of a traditional list of Fonds to be found at State Archives as well as additional data, which have been, up until now, included into a fond card or neglected in current finding and registration aids.) Additional information about SEZAM can be found at http://www.archiwa.gov.pl/sezam/index.eng.html 4. Under 'Fond Name' enter the town name you are interested in Note that the results will be in Polish To have the Archives do the research for you, click on 'Intro' from the menu on the left side of the web page, then Click on the "How to Get Access to Archive Collections?' Note that inquiries commissioned by private persons (and pertaining to genealogical and property records) are subject to payment according to a standard price list binding in all state archives. Further information on how to order research can be found at Poland Vital Records InfoFiles on JewishGen at Also, note that before you commission research at the Polish State Archives, be aware that there are more than 2,000 microfilms of Jewish vital records of Poland in the LDS collection -- mostly from 1825 to 1865/1875. These can be ordered and viewed at the LDS Family History Centers around the world. About half of these films, mostly from pre-1865, are available at the Douglas Goldman Genealogy Center at Beth Ha'tefutsorth, Museum of the Diaspora in Tel Aviv. Should you contact the Polish State Archives, the following information should be of value. Len Markowitz priluki@voicenet.com offered the following in a posting at Gesher Galicia SIG: 'I guess that it is time to repeat the method that I have used successfully to send money to Poland. Admittedly, it has been about five years since I have last done this, but it was done on at least 4 occasions. To pay for information from the Polish State Archives, purchase a Postal Money Order at your local post office for about $1 - not an International Postal Money Order, which costs about $8.50 (five years ago). Address the Postal Money Order to the bank, including the bank account number, suggested previously by the Polish State Archives. Also make a copy of the Postal Money Order and send it with your next letter to the Polish State Archives' Another method of handling payment to the Polish archives is to check out a personal PayPal account AGAD Archives - Archiwum Glowne Akt Dawnych (The Central Archives of Historical Records in Warsaw) (see also below "Jewish Record Indexing) - this site will provide you with the ability to order records from their archives. This is a repository of 2,010 Jewish metrical books for the area of the former L'viv, Stanislawow, and Tarnopol Voyevodship (now L'viv, Ivano Frankivsk, and Ternopil oblasts in Ukraine. These registers are mainly for the period from 1877 to 1899 when these areas were a part of the Austro-Hungarian province of Galicia. Other Jewish metrical books for this area will be found in the L'viv branch of the Ukraine State Archives. While the number of records in each volume varies widely, the overall total is estimated to be close to two million. The web site is AGAD/PSA Archives page - scroll down a bit for a map where you can click to view a list of towns with records JRI-Poland database has added more indices from these records - over 20,000 - which include Tarnopol birth and marriage indices and Trembowla birth indices. Also included are Kozowa births from 1877 to 1892; Tarnopol births from 1866 to 1897, Marriages from 1878 to 1897 and Trembowla births from 1877 to 1891. Archiwum Glowne Akt Dawnych
Archiwum Akt Nowych
The Archives is the repository of 2,010 Jewish metrical books for the area of the former Lwów, Stanislawow and Tarnopol Voyevodship (now known as L'viv, Ivano Frankivsk and Ternopol Oblasts in Ukraine). These registers are mainly for the period from 1877-1899 when these areas were a part of the Austro-Hungarian province of Galicia. Other Jewish metrical books for this area will be found in the L'viv branch of the Ukraine state Archives. The overall total of records is estimated to be close to two million and are generally written in Polish. There are separate books for births, marriages and deaths. Information about the JRI-Poland AGAD Archives Project can be viewed at There is an Excel spreadsheet that includes a good deal of information about the records of these 90 district and sub-district towns and a status report for each town is constantly being updated. Each year, the Warsaw Srodmiescie USC Archives transfers vital records registers to AGAD. These are registers that only include vital records that have now become more than 100 years old. This transfer occurs in compliance with Polish privacy laws that permit public access to vital records only after 100 years. Recently, AGAD had received many registers that contain records mainly for 1898 and 1899. These registers will be available for indexing about September 2001. Polish Archives CD - the CD will not only contain data on basic facts such as births, marriages and deaths, but also on remaining series of documents preserved in Polish State Archives and will include Jewish records - http://www.archiwa.gov.pl/books/km_i_sc.html The CD will be searchable by town name, religious group and other methods. There will be two language modes: Polish and English. Check this web site for further information at also look at this link CCW Collection is a collection of the 'schedule of payments to maintain the synagogue in many Jewish cities and these rosters exist in the Main Archive of Old Acts (AGAD) in Warsaw as well as in regional archives. The Polish Archives web site is in Polish, although there is a link shown to convert it to English, however, it does not work at the present time. At this site, though, you can discern Names and phone numbers for various personnel at the Head Office of the State Archives including email address Archives of Poland - a list and a map of Poland with all the regional state archive locations including address, telephone numbers, opening hours, etc. Central State Historical Archives L'viv - address is Director is Orest Laroslavoych Matsiuk; Deputy Director (Directress) is Diana Peltc who, it has been noted, forwards personal researcher requests to a "freelancer" who then increases the price, but the cost is still relatively reasonable Hours are Monday through Friday 9 to 3 pm.
Director of the Central State Historical Archives of Ukraine - 110 Solomianska Street, 24, 252601 Kiev, Ukraine It is recommended that both addresses be also written in Ukrainian. A sample of how to address the Archive can be found at Polish Archives website State Archives - in Warsaw Archives - List of archives in former German or German occupied territories. The list includes: Phone (0042-2) 57 32 03 38
See also JRI-Poland Polish State Archives Project below ... Aliyah Passport of the 1930s - Surname List and Town List http://www.jewishgen.org/jri-pl/jhi/aliyah-passport_town.htm The American Jewish Historical Society has some records of the Federation of Polish America Andres Forces - Jewish soldiers who were in Iraq during 1942-43. Information about and between members of this group and the Jews of Iraq who befriended them is at Anti Semitism in Poland - check these web sites: Arenda - information about an Arenda Contract can be found at http://www.heritagefilms.com/POLAND.html The Arenda/Dzierzawa is a contract to lease land or other assets. It was used by Polish noble families starting from around mid 12th Century to around 18th century. The lessor would lease land for agriculture, mills, forests, breweries, taverns and similar assets as well as right to collect taxes to an Arendar (Lessee) for a fixed sum of money. The Arendar would then control any serfs that lived on the land and would manage the assets to derive a profit for himself. Birth Records Information - contact the Registry Office (Urzad Stanu Cywilnego, USC) in Poland directly, rather than a Consulate. The USC will perform the search for records and will send it to the Polish Consulate nearest to your residence. You will be billed for their efforts, Upon payment by money order or certified check, the Consulate will then send any material that the Registry Office has. Request from the manager of the USC a complete extract of the entry, rather than a brief certificate. Books of Residents - "Why are Books of Residents for Raciaz important? Where these volumes have survived, Akta Miasta or Ksiegi Mieszkancow or Breweries - Tarnobrzeg had a brewery. I have a postcard of it. There is a very small book, in Polish at the FHL in Salt Lake about the Breweries in Poland, only part two. I do not remember the name of the book from a posting on JewishGen 1-6-03 by Gayle Schlissel Riley key2pst@pacbell.net Cemeteries in Poland - Polish shtetl's burial ground. "I thought I would update you once again on what is new within my Cemetery
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The marriage of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania with the Kingdom of Poland stretched almost to the Black Sea in the 16th and 17th centuries. From the early 1800s to 1815, France owned Poland as a result of Napoleon's army. Jews were in Poland for more than 1,000 years after they were encouraged to settle there by Polish kings, who offered protection from persecution in Western and Central Europe.
Books and Documentaries
