“The Study of Obituaries as a Source for Polish Genealogical Research”
by Thomas E. Golembiewski

Published 2009, 81 typeset pp., perfect bound soft cover, 6x 9

This small but exceedingly informative handbook is invaluable for discovering family data from obituaries in Polish-language newspapers.  Filled with more than 50 reproductions of actual obituaries from the Dziennik Chicagoski, it details and translates the categories, texts and terminologies commonly employed in these announcements.  Some of the points that are explored include…

• Difference between the obituary, announcement and resolution and what each provides the researcher.
• The formulaic structure of obituaries with the meaning of each section.
• Special case obituaries for double deaths, children, etc.
• Terms describing illness, cause of death and general age if an actual age is not stated.
• Glossary of religious titles and abbreviations used in obituaries.
• Glossary of common church names translated from Polish to English.
• Glossary of first names translated from Polish to English.