| Tracing Your Polish Ancestors |
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| 1. THE FAMILY |
| Telephone or write to relatives, especially the older generation of the family. Collect information and data from them. |
| Information to collect: |
| Who |
| Full names, nicknames, maiden names, surname spelling variations |
| What |
| Life events: birth, marriage, and death dates, education, occupations, immigration information, religion, nationality |
| Where |
| Addresses where the relatives lived, county and sate in which they lived, country of origin |
| When |
| When did they arrive in this country? What port? Ship's name? |
| Search the attic, the basement, and the garage to gather information needed to begin your research. |
| You may not find all the information that is suggested below, but even the smallest item can lead to other clues in tracing your ancestors. |
| Why |
| To collect family traditions, heritage, rumors, and stories |
| vital records (birth, death, marriage) religious records military records probate records (wills) land records school records letters & diaries newspaper accounts bible entries photographs county, state, and federal government records |
| Secondary Sources: |
| County histories religious memorial/anniversary books historical society compilations genealogy society records ethnic histories obituaries tombstones |
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| Primary Sources: |
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| Begin charting your ancestors |
| Do not use abbreviations: spell out all names and dates in full |
| Check spelling variations |