History & Heritage

How Surnames Came Into Being in Poland

(...)An interesting group of newly created surnames, which you will not encounter anywhere else in the world, are the so-called “war surnames”. Many underground soldiers had nicknames. After independence had been regained, the Polish parliament (in 1921) consented to add the sobriquet from the war times to the soldier’s existing surname. That is how such surnames as Orlicz-Dreszer, Rydz-ÅšmigÅ‚y, Scewola-Wieczorkiewicz, Norwid-Neugebauer and many others came into being. It was also an opportunity to exchange plain names for fancier ones, e.g., MaÅ›lanka (literally meaning “buttermilk”) became GrudziÅ„ski (from gruda – “clod of earth, frozen ground”, but with the -ski ending) and LeÅ„ (an idler) became ZiemiaÅ„ski (a land owner). More...

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Our Gen Stories

I am Australian, of Polish Descent.

Part VIII: FAMILY UNCOVERED!  After 62 years...

(...) In 1957, the long and frustrating search for my family began.  I became an Australian citizen around that time and decided to make an effort to find my lost family.
I approached the National Tracing Bureau of the Australian Red Cross Society.  I completed an application form, returned it and about two years later finally received a reply.  But it wasn’t the answer I was seeking.
The letter from the Red Cross provided contact details for my mother who was still living in Pakoslaw, but I already knew this…….  Disappointingly, there was nothing mentioned in the letter about my father and the rest of my family.  The letter simply told me what I already knew.
So I abandoned the search and thought that my efforts to find my family in Communist Poland would be futile.  It was a feeling of hopelessness.(...) More...

Tips & Resources

"Remote" research in Polish State Archives - practical hints

(...) The initial reply from the archive will be a standard letter, stating that they can begin a search for you, as soon as you deposit a stated amount of money (Polish zloty) into a bank account. They will give the account number. I have found that they do not accept personal checks or certified checks, and that they were not willing to give any indication as to how to make your deposit. I visited Poland and developed a friendship with a man there who has been a great help in both of these areas, translating and paying the search fee after I send it to him. The second part of the initial reply will state the hourly rate (again zloty) and the cost for photo copies. (...) More...

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