Education Library

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Videos – Members Click Here to View 31 Videos        Non-Members CLICK HERE to view the video library index
Getting Started in Genealogy – Sites and notes to guide your steps in developing and organizing your genealogical research
    House History for Genealogy – The history of family homes might add depth to your research
    Locating the Ancestral Village – Tips and sources to help locate the unknown ancestral village
    Researching Passenger Ship Data – Tips and links to find and use the documents
    Polish Census Data – From Pre-Partition to Today – An outline of what was taken about whom and when
    When Hiring a Researcher – A collection of questions to help you find the right researcher
    Why You Might Not Be Finding That Record – Some reasons your searches have hit a brick wall, and a few new directions to take
Instructional Videos
    Galician Ancestor Resources – 20 min, RootsTech 2021, Kinga Urbańska, Your Roots in Poland (see Researchers & Tour Guides in Poland under Research Sources)
    Preserving Your Precious Documents & Photos – 24 minute video on the basic best practices to storing and protecting original documents
    Where to Search for Polish Data – 20 min, RootsTech 2021, Kinga Urbańska, Your Roots in Poland (see Researchers & Tour Guides in Poland under Research Sources)
Language
    Alphabets       Latin      Polish      Polish-Pronunciation      German      Cyrillic      Cyrillic-Pronunciation
    Online Translation – Type, copy & paste, or drag entire files for translation         Google Translate        DeepL Translator
    Vocabulary – Word list translations you will find very useful
        Church & Cemetery Names – Names of churches and cemeteries translated: Polish > English
        Family Relationships – Translation of words describing family relationships: Polish > English
        Illness – Illnesses and diseases that afflicted our ancestors: Polish > English & English > Polish
        Marriage Documents – Common words and phrases found in marriage records: Polish > English
        Occupations – Common, and some not so common, means of support you will find in vital and other records (with word etymologies): Polish > English
        US Polish Societies – Translation of society names and acronyms commonly found in US Polish obituaries: Polish > English
        Village Life – Words and phrases (with word etymologies) about people, occupations, things, etc. you might find in letters and documents: Polish > English
        Village Society – Terminology (with word etymologies) describing people and their socio-economic rank from serf to noble: Polish > English
        Vital Records – Additional terms you will find helpful for navigating vital records: Polish > English
        ** Surname Mutilation – To break some brick walls, learn how surnames were formed, changed and mutilated here and in Poland
How To…
    Find Living Relatives in Poland – Avenues by which to possibly locate living Polish relatives
    Navigate Map Search Engines – Step-by-step instructions for: Geonames, Google Maps, Kartenmeister, Mapa Szukacz, Wikipedia
    Search for Missing Deaths – Deaths do not always occur in the family village; here are additional search options
    Use Cadastral Maps – Learn from examples how they apply to your genealogical research
    Use Geneteka – Maximize your use of the Geneteka database and its various options
    Write to Poland for Records – Guide to writing requests in Polish for birth, marriage and death records
What Are…
    Sources beyond vital records in Polish genealogical research:     Acts of Respect Records       Alegata Records       Family Council Records       Family Estate Archives
                  Gubernia Journals       Liquidation Tables       Monographs       Notary Records       Prenuptial Contracts       Property Inventories       Wills & Testaments
    Cadastral Maps
    Gazetteers
    Polish Central Military Archives
    Wolas
Polish Culture
    Dutch in Greater Poland – A short essay about Dutch and northwestern German immigration to Poland
    German/Prussian Colonization in Galicia – The strange case of Prussian colonists recruited by Austro-Hungary for Galicia
    Kaszubian Surnames – Information about, and a list of, Kaszubian surnames in Canada and the US
    Podhale…Rural Life (Video) – A personal encounter with the old ways that are fading into memory
    Polish Citizenship Application – An outline of what is needed to consider to apply for Polish citizenship based on ancestry
    Polish Heraldry & Noble Databases – Learn about the unique nature of Polish nobility, heraldry and search szlachta databases
    Polish Skansen – Links to 32 Polish open-air ethnographic and folk museums
    Polish Traditions – Explore common and uncommon legends, traditions and holidays
World War 1 Research Guide to researching US World War 1 records
World War 2 Research Guide to researching US World War 2 records