I'm doing some research on my Polish Jewish grandfather (born in 1907), trying to find out where he was born, and to find a birth certificate. The family originally came from Działoszyce, north-east of Krakow, but a genealogist I hired to look through records there found birth records for my great-grandfather, but not my grandfather.
More recently, I discovered some old family notes saying that my grandfather's immediate family had lived for a period in Będzin (just outside Katowice). I also discovered some old letters between my grandfather and a cousin living in Sosnowiec (next to Będzin). So I'm wondering if my grandfather might have actually been born in either Będzin or Sosnowiec.
Can anyone advise me where would be the best place to go to look for these birth records? Of course, I have checked every online resource I can think of (Ancestry, FaimlySearch, Jewishgen). But would the Polish state archives have these records? Does the fact that Katowice was part of Germany in 1907 complicate things?
I would say that you will find those records in the Polish archives in Katowice or Bedzin and Sosnowiec. You may also try to search churches' records and archives there to find baptism certificates (if there was Christian baptism in the family or marriage, etc.). Some records could have got lost or damaged due to wwi and wwii, but it's still very likely that birth records will still be there.
It's also possible to check Court records and archives in case if there were any legal or court cases involving your family members.
In some cases, it may be necessary to go to Katowice and other towns personally to verify this.
I am trying to find a birth certificate for my father who was born in 1906 in Sosnowiec, Poland. I am told it is very difficult to locate archives but would like to email the appropriate record office. is there any place I can search with limited Polish. Also how would I find education records for my father? I think he was at school at Łodz and then at the School of Fine Arts in Warsaw. I keep running into brick walls! Can anybody advise me please.
This will be very difficult, almost impossible to find. There were two World Wars in between, records would probably be destroyed. You could try the School of Fine Arts and work backwards.
Advice for finding anything on relatives from Sosnowiec?
My grandfather has given me documents that at least piece together up to my 4th great grandmother, who was born in 1827 in Sosowiec, Poland, then she had her daughter in Brzezinka, the next daughter was in Czeladz, and the rest of the family was from Kattowice until my great grandmother left with her children to Miltenburg, Germany. These documents were copies that my great grandmother acquired during her life and she lived in Germany. However, there isn't much information in the documents (I at least have a birth or death date and one location for each woman in that line up to her). But I cannot find any other documents on them. I ideally would love to go further down the line of women on this side past my 4th great grandmother, but I cannot find anything in Ancestry (even trying out different version of the last names in Ancestry). I also have husband names for each woman in this line thanks to those documents, but everything is from the documents my grandfather gave me and the written daily trees from my great grandmother, so I desperately want to find more.
Are there any other tips for finding relatives from the Sosnowiec and surrounding areas in specific? Will I not find anything in Ancestry? The polish websites are overwhelming and I don't know where to start, and also don't even know if I should look there vs. German websites as I know these cities changed hands many times during my relatives lives.
I am not sure how to edit the original post, but I wanted to point out that my family was Catholic. The women's surnames were Hachula (I know variant Chachula), Hala, Sitko, Czora. Marianna Hachula, born 1827 in Sosnowiec, married to Tomas Sitko, is the 4th great grandmother that I cannot find any further info one to continue the line.
Home / Genealogy / Records from pre-1914 Będzin and Sosnowiec
