Computer Indexes

Obituaries from the Dziennik Chicagoski Newspaper
Index from 1890 – 1929 and 1930 – 1971 on computer, available on microfilm
Books: 1890-1899; 1900-1909; 1910-1919; 1920-1929
Translation guide provided

Haller’s Army Index
An estimated 20,000 Polish immigrants in America answered the call to fight for freedom and the opportunity to regain Poland’s independence in 1917 (WWI). The Polish Army in France (Armia Polska we Francyi) was called Haller’s Army after the general who was in command or the Blue Army for the blue uniforms worn by the soldiers. There are three groups of papers: Form A, C & L. Form B is the medical exam report.
Translation guide provided

Polish Roman Catholic Record Union of America (PRCUA) Insurance Records
Formed in Detroit in 1882 as a mutual benefit society, started selling fraternal insurance in 1887. Company headquarters were moved to Chicago. There is little information in claims before 1912, after that date, the insurance packet has a death certificate, an insurance certificate, a certificate of the attending physician and the pastor’s affidavit, and a list of beneficiaries. It may contain the insurance application and numerous other papers if there was litigation.

Polish Roman Catholic Marriage Index for Chicago
List of names of persons married up to 1915.
Corresponding LDS microfilm numbers on handout sheet

Parish Jubilee Book Index
Over 450 jubilee books have been indexed to date.

Town Locations – General

Spis miejscowosci Polskiej Rzeczypololitej- Place names in the Polish Peoples’ Republic – 910.3S759. Published by the Communists in 1967, list includes provinces, counties, civil record bureaus, post offices and railroad stations.

Słownik Geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego I Innych Krajów Słowianskich – Geographical Dictionary of the Kingdom of Poland and other Slavonic Countries R914.602S624
Edited by F. Sulimierski, B. Chlebowski and W. Walewski. It is a 15-volume work published in 1880-1902. Includes all cities, town and the smallest villages in the Kingdom of Poland, Prussia, Poznania, Galicia, Silesia, Bukovina and Moravia. The descriptions may include the number of inhabitants, number of homes, locations by province or county, etc., churches and synagogues in the area, history of the village (when founded and by whom), important events, local industries, the number of Catholics, Evangelical (Lutherans), Jewish and non-professed. It is written in Polish with many abbreviations. Abbreviation guide provided.
Also available at the Library of Congress, major city libraries, and university libraries. It is also available from the LDS on microfiche and microfilm: volumes one (#920957) to fifteen (#920972)

Słownik Nazw Geograficznych Polski Zachodniej i Polnocnej-Dictionary of Geographic Place Names of the Western and Northern Territories of Poland 914.603R822
By Stanislaw Rospond, published in 1952. A two volume set: Polish to German and German to Polish listing of town names

NIS Gazetteer of Poland-United States Board of Geographical Names, 914.603U58
Published by the CIA, February, 1955; in two volumes: A-L and M-Z

Skorowidz Miejscowsci Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej -Listing of Localities of the Polish Republic
1) By Tadeusz Bystrycki, 1934-1 microfilm. A gazetteer of the early Republic of Poland from 1918-1939 when it included Lithuania, Belorussia and the Ukraine. Arranged alphabetically in columns by locality and the township, district, post office, railway station, bus station, local and regional courts and the Christian parish for the locality are listed in successive columns to the right. The nearest synagogue is not listed. 2) By Glowny Urzad Statystyczny Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej-2 microfilms, Dr. Josef Buzek, Director, 1923. Consists of 15 volumes, however, Volumes for Lodz and Pomerania are missing. Gives very detailed information of the cities and villages by the number of buildings, inhabitants and the various religions and nationalities of the inhabitants.

Euro-Reiseatlas Polen, RV Verlag, an atlas of maps of Poland on a 1:300,000 scale, plus city maps on a 1:20,000 scale. Has an index to towns and villages-not available.

Polska-Atlas Drogowy. 1997. A spiral bound road atlas of Poland on a 1:200,000 scale and urban transit route maps on a 1:100,000 scale for the bigger cities in Poland. Has an alphabetical index of towns.

Where Once We Walked: A Guide to the Jewish Communities Destroyed in the Holocaust 292.3M716, by Gary Mokotoff and Sallyann Sack. Lists over 21,000 towns and villages in Central and Eastern Europe that had Jewish communities before WWII. The Daitch-Mokotoff Soundex system is used in this book and helps to locate hard to find villages.

Jewish Roots in Poland-Pages from the Past and Archive Inventories, 929.34W423J by Miriam Weiner, 1998. Jewish records are listed in a 204 page inventory from the National Archives and it’s regional branches, and over 2500 Civil Registry offices in Poland

Ksieegi metrykalne i Stanu Cywilnego w Archiwach Panstwowych w Polsce, Katalog-Metrical and Civil Registration books in the State Archives of Poland, 929.4K11 COIA, Warszawa, 1998. Lists names and addresses of towns found in the regional archives in Poland. Written in Polish, abbreviation guide provided.

Archiwa w Polsce-Informator Adresowy- the Archives in Poland-Directory of Addresses. Lists names and addresses of Polish Archives in Poland and the world. Written in Polish.

Archiwa Panstwowe w Polsce-Przewodnik po Zasobach-The Archives in Poland-Resource Guide, 929.76A668, 1998 A complete listing of all the regional archives that go beyond genealogical holdings. Written in Polish

Oficjalny SpissPosztowych Numerow Adresowyc, Wydanie IV, The Official Postal Code Guide. Lists the Post office codes for the cities and villages in Poland. Written in Polish

Nazwy Miast Polski – Names of the Cities of Poland, 914.66M6118R by Kazimierz Rymut. Written in Polish, has 300 pages. Provides analysis of the names of major towns and cities in Poland.

Prussian Partation

Gazetteer of Parish and Civil Jurisdictions in East and West Prussia, 910.3B285 By Steven S. Barthel. Based on Gemeindelexikon FŸr Das Konigreich Preussen, 1905. Lists the city/village, province, district, and the location of Protestant records, Catholic records and civil records. Does not include Pomerania

A Genealogical Guide and Atlas of Silesia, Compiled from Original Maps, by Otto K. Kowalis and Vera N. Kowalis; 1976. List towns and villages in German with a corresponding Polish name if available. Maps are in German. With the use of the Polish Road Atlas, Polska Atlas Drogowy, the Polish version of the town can be located. Also lists the church, Roman Catholic or Lutheran, and the type of records available (Christening, Marriage and Death).

The Atlantic Bridge to Germany, Volume VIII, Prussia: Brandenburg, East and West Prussia, Pommerania, Posen, by Charles M. Hall, 1993. Lists the cities, towns and villages in German and in Polish if there is a corresponding name. Also lists the district or kreiss where the town is located, map locations and the availability of LDS church records for the town.

Meyers Orts-und Verkehrs-Lexikon des Deutchen Reichs with Researcher’s Guide and Translations of the Introduction, Instruction for the Use of the Gazetteer and Abbreviations. By Raymond S. Wright III, 2000, three volumes. A reprint of the massive gazetteer that describes approximately 210,000 cities, towns, hamlets and dwelling places in the German Empire prior to WWI. Written in German, Gothic font. Use of this gazetteer will enable the researcher to determine the location of civil, religious, court and military records. Using the locality tools, the researcher can determine if the LDS Church holds the records on microfilm/microfiche. Illustration of the Gothic font provided.

Nazwy Geograficzne Pomorza Gdanskiego z Sufiksem – Geographical Names of Gdansk Maritime Provinces with Suffixes, 929.41.972, by J. Luszczynska. Written in Polish

Breslau Parish Jurisdictions, 274.653H687, by Sonia Hoeke-Nishimoto. Breslau is now Wroclaw. Written in English. Identifies the many parishes of Breslau-Wroclaw

Information Received from Catholic Archives, researched in the Mormon IGI Files from Gniezno, Jarzabkowo, Miescisko, Poznan, Wagrowiec, Witkowo.

Deuthschland-Auto Atlas, RV Verlag, 1995/1996. RV Verlag, A spiral bound road atlas of Germany

Russian Partition

Russia-Baltic States, CIS, Moscow & Vicinity 1:300,000, Euro-Travel Atlas 1:2M /1:4M. A spiral bound road map book.

Polish Localities in the Russian Partition and Their Parish Affiliations, Volume 1: Bialystok, Drohiczyn, Lomza, Plock Dioceses, compiled by Jonathan Shea and William F. Hoffman. A spiral bound book with maps of the dioceses and a listing of the parish church both in Polish and Russian.

Register of Vital Records of Roman Catholic Parishes from the Region Beyond the Bug River, 929.3P367, by E. Peckwas A list of 522 parishes extending into the far eastern sections of Poland, especially the provinces of Lwow, Tarnopol and Stanislawow. The type and year of parish records, birth, marriage and death, is given. The records are available from the National Workers Council in Warsaw. The address is listed in the book.

Nazwy Miejscowe Dawnego Wojewodztwa Lubelskiego, Names of Locations in the Ancient District of Lublin, 929.4K86 by Kosyl. Written in Polish

Lietuvos Topografiniai Zemelopiai-Lithuanian Topographic Maps -Vyduno Fondas, Lemont, IL., scale of 1-100,000. Contains 128 maps of Lithuania within its 1920-1923 border. Has no index or explanation of the symbols. Written in Lithuanian

Galicaia – Austrian-Hungarian Partition

Genealogical Gazetteer of Galicia, Expanded Data Edition, 929.4L566g, 1999 by Brian J. Lenius. An excellent guide to cities, towns, villages and estates. They are listed under the name column, followed by the administrative district, judicial/tax district, map reference, Roman Catholic, Greek Catholic, Evangelical, Jewish, Cadastral parishes, etc. Also included are Ukrainian and German communities located in Galicia.

Index to Marriages in Jastrząbka Stara, 9293C999 by J. Czuchra.

A Dictionary of Surnames of Galician Lemkos in the 18th Century, 929.2K89p, by Ivan Krasovsky, 1976. Lists surnames and number of people in Ukrainian and Polish, along with the corresponding Ukrainian town. Written in Ukrainian, copy of Cyrillic alphabet provided.

Ukrainian Road Map-fold-up map

Map of the Ukraine-very large map

Polish Parish Locations

The Latin Church in the Polish Commonwealth in 1772, 274.946L-775 by Stanislaw Litak. The maps and indexes of this book identify approximately 6,500 parishes and branch churches of the Latin rite in Poland before the first partition in 1772. It also encompasses Silesia, Moldavia and the Duchy of Courland.

Roman Catholic Parishes in the Polish People’s Republic in 1984, 274. By Lidia MŸllerowa. English version edited by Stanley R. Schmidt and William F. Hoffman. This book helps in locating parishes in modern Poland. It shows the diocese and deanery to which each parish belongs, there are maps and an index of towns and villages shown on the maps, and a guide to the names of Polish parishes.

Address List of Roman Catholic Churches in Lithuania: A Guide for the Family History Researcher, 929.3S539a by Jonathan Shea (Not available)

Cross-reference: Shea & Hoffman’s book under the Russian Partition. Breslau (Wroclaw) parish jurisdictions-German Partition Information Received from Catholic Archives -German Partition

St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, Chicago, IL Baptism and Marriage Indexes, 1869-1920, 929.3 photocopy of parish index , two volumes

First Names and Surnames

Polish Surnames: Origins and Meanings, Second Edition, 929.4H745, by William F. Hoffman. The first half consists of 12 chapters explaining the origins and meanings of Polish surnames. The second half is an index of some 30,000 common surnames, organized by the roots they came from, with indication of how many Polish citizens bore each name as of 1990.

Słownik nazwisk wspolczesnie w Polsce uzywanych-Directory of Surnames in Current Use in Poland by Kazimierz Rymut, ed. 1990. A10-volume set that lists Polish surnames alphabetically and the province and number of people sharing the name follow each name.

Nazwiska Polakow – The Surnames of Poles, by Kazimierz Rymut, 1991. 929.4R9951991 Written in Polish, the second half of the book can be deciphered with the use of a good dictionary and some basic knowledge of the Polish language. It explains the formation of surnames, followed by an index of surname roots and the names derived from them.

Polish Family Tree Surnames, by Thaddeus J.Obal, 929.4012. Contains thousands of listing of Polish surnames that researchers are tracing; each volume supplements and updates the earlier ones, but no information is repeated. Separate indices are provides for surnames being researched, names and addresses of those studying them and the ancestral regions in Poland from which those names came from.

First Names of the Polish Commonwealth: Origins and Meanings, 929.4H745f1998 by William Hoffman and George W. Helon. A very comprehensive list of first names and the meaning of the first names.

Passenger Arrivals

Morton Allen Directory of European Passenger Steamship Arrivals for the Years 1890-1930 at the Port of New York, and 1904-1926 at the Ports of New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and Baltimore. 387.103M889. NY -Immigration Information Bureau, Inc.1931. Lists the dates and names of the ships arriving at the above named ports.

Migration from the Russian Empire-Lists of Passengers Arriving at the Port of New York, by I.A.Glazier, Ed.; Six volumes. Covers the time period 1875 to 1910 for passengers immigrating from the Russian Empire to the United States. Poles, Byelorussians, Ukrainians, Jew, Finns, Lithuanians, Latvians, Estonians and Volga Germans are included in these books.

Passenger Arrivals – 1819 to 1820. A Transcript of the List of Passengers Who Arrived in the United States from October, 1819 to September 30, 1820, 387.5P287. By Genealogical Publishing Co. 1967.This book lists the names of passengers, age, sex, occupation, country which they are coming from, country to be inhabited and the name of the ship or vessel.

Passengers Who Arrived in the United States-September, 1821 to December, 1823, From Transcripts made by the State Department with an Index, 387.5S44.Has the same information as the above book.

Passengers Arrivals-Port of Baltimore 1829-1834, 387.5P287. Contains an alphabetical index of passenger names, age, sex, occupation, country of origin, country to be inhabited and the ships name and date of arrival.

Passengers to America – A Consolidation of Ship Passenger Lists from the New England Historical and Genealogical Register,by Michael Teppler, Ed., 387.5P287Covers the time period from the Mayflower arrival to 1830.

A Bibliography of Ship Passenger Lists from-1538 to 1825, Being a Guide to Published Lists of Early Immigrants to North America, compiled by Harold Lancour.387.L251.