Learn More About Polish Jewish Genealogy

Accuracy of information	What types of documents have the most accurate information?
Ages	Why are ages inconsistent in Polish records?
Alegata marriage records	What are alegata marriage records?
BMD records: available years	What years are available for birth, marriage, and death records?
BMD images online at Polish State Archives	How to find a particular BMD image online at the Polish State Archives
Commonly confused letters	How to improve your searching
Częstochowa: nearby towns	Very small towns in the “Częstochowa religious community,” 1932
Geography	Geographical terms in Poland
Language of BMD records	What languages are used in Polish birth, marriage, and death records?
Late registration of births	Consider the possibility that a birth was registered late
Maiden names	The meaning of a maiden name that includes a suffix
Map	Map showing CRARG’s core towns
Maps of Częstochowa	Częstochowa: 1930s & 1940s maps
Notary records	Marriage records that indicate “a contract was made”
Patronymic names	What is a patronymic name?
Polish citizenship	How can I obtain Polish citizenship?
Pronunciation	How to pronounce names and towns
Raptularz records	BMD records in “table” format, created before the actual, official akt (record in paragraph form) was created
Scanned images	Scanned images of birth, marriage, and death records for towns in CRARG’s core area
Search advice	How-to advice for CRARG search engines
Surnames	When were surnames first required in Poland?
Surname with an appended suffix	What do surname suffixes mean?
Two copies of BMD records	Why two copies of a birth, marriage, or death record?
Two dates	Why many records list two dates
Unavailable birth record	Wording used in books of residents and alegata marriage records when a birth record is not available
*vel*	What does “vel” mean between two given names or surnames?

Thinking of joining CRARG? Feel free to write to me (danielkazez@crarg.org) to ask if we have records for your family! —Daniel Kazez, CRARG President (a volunteer/unpaid position)

If you are ready to join CRARG, visit our Pre-Holocaust Database page.