How To Explore Your Polish Background: a Short Guide

STEP ONE: COLLECT INFORMATION AND DOCUMENTS

1. Basic information

To begin with, identify at least one family member that was born in Poland. Write down everything you know about this person:

• their name
• their place of birth (at least the region/area)
• their date of birth (at least estimated)
• their faith

2. Documents

Collect and make copies of all documents with information about your family member's Polish background that you have, such as:

• birth, marriage and death certificates
• petition for citizenship
• ship manifest

3. Additional information

Collect and make copies of other things that you consider helpful, especially:

• old family photos taken in Poland
• handwritten notes in Polish
• letters
• addressed envelopes

STEP TWO: LET'S GET STARTED!

You can try to do the research on your own, but for many reasons genealogical research in Poland is complicated and it is best to get some help from an experienced researcher. Our team of researchers can help you get started by doing some preliminary research for you.

Your preliminary research is only USD 69 and the genealogical review will be sent to you in a printable PDF file. To conclude with, you'll learn all about the costs and methods of further investigation, in case you would like to proceed with your research.

The fee for the research is set and is due to the time and actions that the researcher needs to undertake to prepare the review, such as analyzing the documents you provide, going through the sources from the time your ancestors lived and comparing them with the present ones and contacting different institutions (such as Archives or Catholic parishes).

So, how do we get started?

1. Contact us

Fill in the form below to let us know that you are interested in preliminary research.

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2. Share the documents with your researcher

Your researcher will contact you and ask you to share all the documents and information you've managed to collect. All the information you provide your researcher with will remain confidential and will only be used for the purpose of your family history research.

3. Get your genealogical review

Within seven days, the researcher will come back to you with your genealogical review, which will include:

• information about all the available sources and how they can be accessed
• correct spelling (if necessary) and information on the popularity of your ancestors' last name
• places in Poland related to your family history

STEP THREE: FURTHER INVESTIGATION

You can either end your research at this point or continue it. If you decide to proceed with your research with us, the fee for the genealogical review is credited towards further research.