UK, Ireland / Inheritance Law in Poland and debts - how does it affect a British child? [27]

Ok. Now I understand better as well. I have had some time as well to rethink what I was trying to get across in the previous posting. That was certain personal effects or mementos, such as photos dealing with the family and letters that the grandfather may have kept from friends and family that have emmigrated.

Genealogy / Military Archives are temporarily closed, is there some other way of getting information? [7]

Thanks. Seems I will be spending 2-3 days in Warsaw in order to get that part done and another issue that I have to get clarified.

Well, I finally got a response from the military archives. The only problem I have right now is that I am going to have to get their response translated before I can understand what it is they are saying and respond to it.

Well, I got the email translated. They claim they were unable to find the requested information. So I double checked the dates and locations of reactivation that was in the letter from my grandfather. The last location when double checked with what was available about the Soviet invasion and an unverified family story suggests that the 1 unit may have captured by the Soviets. So I sent the military archives another email to see if they have declassified documents pertaining to this issue. Hopefully they will respond with positive information.

Does anyone know if the Russians ever declassified their military records regarding Polish p.o.w.s'.? So far all I have heard is that the Russians have given the Polish government some records concerning the Katyn massacre. When I was going over the 1 letter that my grandfather had written up when he was applying for veterans benefits over 50 yrs ago he had listed all the points of operations where the 2nd unit worked. Apparently when I cross referenced the last point of location this unit was stationed at, Czortkow, Poland Sept. 17, 1939, it seems the Russians were in that area as well. This, also ties in with an unconfirmed story that an aunt told me that he may have been a prisoner and wanted to go with the officers of the unit but was prevented from doing so. One thing that may have set him apart and maybe be freed later was his ability to speak Russian, German, and Polish. The other issue is that I have not been able to find information on the web about either unit. Even if they had been assimilated or absorbed by another military unit in Poland there should have been something listed about the Signal Corps that was part of the Polish Armed Forces.

Still waiting for the archives to answer back in regards to declassified military records from Russia. So far, I have not been able to find a link to the declassified material and see what units were captured during the last 2 weeks of September 1939. Since the archives are trying to tell me that they are unable to locate the service records for my grandfather, I am trying to think outside the box to see if they may have duplicated his records and have them in a different location.

The military archives are claiming that they are unable to find my grandfather's military records and made an attempt to direct me to go through the Sikorski Museum in Great Britain. But that seems to be more of a red herring. Someone mentioned about needing identification in order to get married. If that is the case my grandfather turned 65 in 1964 and was living in Canada. I am wondering if he needed his identification to apply for his pension through the Canadian pension services or would he have applied directly through the Polish pension? How easy would it be to obtain pension records from Poland and what information would those records contain about military service and what would I need in documents to obtain those records.

Law / A general legal question about inheritance in Poland - debts [31]

That is what i was thinking of. While I am not in this position, the monthly payments, if made affordable, can be spread out over a decent time frame to make it easy enough to live with.

UK, Ireland / Inheritance Law in Poland and debts - how does it affect a British child? [27]

What is the approximate value of the assets to the debts? Since your partner is not interested in the inheritance, do not discount the child. Ask the court if you can be given time to pay off a portion of the debt until the child comes of age at 18. Then as parents you will have to work out how to pass on the remaining debt on to her. Your daughter may be a British citizen now, but when she becomes of age she may or may not want to apply for dual citizenship. Good luck on your decision.

Law / A general legal question about inheritance in Poland - debts [31]

Ok, let us say that a person (whether a minor or not) accepts whatever debts that are included with the inheritance, can arrangements be made to work off the debt? For example if the debt is more than 10-15 thousand zlotych and the person is unable to pay that off in 1 installment.

Travel / Visiting Warsaw In April - museums / galleries? [14]

There is a museum with some steam locomotives near the Warsaw central train station. I was there and it was not to bad. I noticed that some of the locomotives were missing parts for some reason or other that was obvious to me since I am familiar with them. The one with the military hardware on the property of another museum was interesting enough since there was some aircraft and other vehicles that I can't find here in North American musuems

Law / German/Polish Citizenship. Is my father German or Pole? [17]

Do you have any documents from that time frame where the grandparents and your father were in that refugee camp? Any documents that can verify the time frame and location will help. Then either send an email or go to the nearest German embassy or consulate and ask them that you need to clarify a matter of citizenship. But chances are without documents you will not be entitled to German citizenship. Even if the relatives are unwilling to talk about it, ask them for photos and other documents that they may have still in their possession because you want to do a bit of genealogy on the family. They may be telling the truth and don't remember, but letters sent or received by them may help to find the location and other relatives.

Life / Paintings of artists from Poland? [173]

Gask7

The original poster likes the painting so much that he wants to get a copy of that painting. Whether it is poster with the same measurements or if someone can paint a copy of it has been authenticated as a copy of the original.

Love / My Polish wife's mom is asking for money [11]

That is why i advised about going to a lawyer about this situation. If they think I am going to drain myself financially in order to support them, then I want power of attorney over their financial matters. That way any money the parents earned can be handled by someone who is responsible. That way the individual who made the posting will not be drained financially. That is why going to a lawyer about the situation before it goes to the courts makes sense. That way you know where you stand and if the power of attorney is a feasible solution and by talking it over with the inlaws about this, maybe the courts can be avoided. If the inlaws dont agree and it does the person can tell the courts that you tried to talk with the inlaws and avoid the courts but the inlaws refused to agree to the offer.

Love / My Polish wife's mom is asking for money [11]

There might be a way to scare them off. But to do so, talk to a lawyer and explain the situation and what you are thinking of and get the papers drawn up. My idea is this, if they want to mooch money off of you, then they will have to sign papers stating that you have power of attorney regarding all financial issues of theirs.Make sure you get additional papers made up for any and all places they may work to say that you have power of attorney and that any money earned by them is to be handled by you from that point on. As for any places that they got loans from, pay the loans off and tell these places that you have power of attorney and your inlaws are to be denied accessibility to such places from that point on. If your inlaws refuse to sign over all financial responsibility over to you in regards to the power of attorney, then tell them they will not get any assistance from you. Also, find out what would happen to them if they are financially destitute because of their incompetence in handling their finances, Since Britain had a poor house over a century ago.

USA, Canada / Applying for Polish Passport in Canada, appointing family member to act on your behalf [4]

I looked up to see if there was a consulate in Vancouver. Apparently, from their website, it sounds like they may have relocated to Edmonton. If that is so and if they handle passports, then you may not have to travel far. If they don't, at least you can ask for written confirmation that don't handle such paperwork and then give your relative power of attorney to act on your behalf in order to go to the consulate in Toronto or the embassy in Ottawa in case either do not want to mail the passport in Calgary or Edmonton. But I could be wrong either way. But look up the consulate info for Vancouver and see about the possible relocation to Edmonton. Then ask them if they handle passports there explaining that the office in Calgary told you they don't handle the paperwork for passports. Good luck.

Genealogy / Chmiel - My Polish Family memories, traditions, thoughts and hopes [11]

It cost me $23 US per hour and whatever the cost was in obtaining the 6 documents I obtained so far from the appropriate office in Podedworze. That came out close to $110 in Canadian funds. That was for 1 marriage, 3 birth and 2 death certificates and one hr so far. What it is going to cost beyond this will depend on how much time is spent in looking over the records to obtain the information I want. But I was specific to the dates I was looking for since I knew the person and where that individual was born. Now I am after residency info to determine how long a person stayed at a particular address. Particularly from 1940 to 1945 since there are 2 issues that I need to get resolved that happened during that time frame. I also have 2 letters dated during this time frame that may or may not be of some use to verify this individuals whereabouts for that time. It will also depend on the availability of the records as well. If the records dont exist, I may have to follow a different path in order to deal with the matter. Such as other records that will be considered legal that can be used to provide verification of a persons date and location of birth. These other records will be easy enough to locate provided that they weren't destroyed during the war or by some other incident. For example, the marriage certificate confirms my grandmothers' place of birth and how old she was at the time of marriage within 6 months either way of her birthday. That confirms another document I have as to her birthplace. So it will be easy enough not only to locate what I am after but to cut the cost per hour I would be charged. For someone who cant be that specific it may cost a lot more.

Genealogy / Chmiel - My Polish Family memories, traditions, thoughts and hopes [11]

Maggie

You can try sending an email to an Emil Krasnodebski. His email is polishgenealogy@rubikon.pl. He has assisted me in obtaining some documents already and of which I am still looking for other information. Maybe he might be able to help you. If there is any info you can provide him in order to know where to start looking will make his job easier and will help him to find whatever you want that much faster. Who knows, maybe you connect with relatives of your grandfather that stayed behind. That is what I did before I connected with Emil.

Gary

Australia / Mail problem- Poland to Australia, delivery time frame [40]

Here in Canada it takes about a week. Except for easter and Christmas it is recommended to send at least 1 month before. From Australia, I would assume it to take 2 weeks. But that figure could be wrong. Have you asked at the local post office about this? But your best bet would be to assume 2-3 weeks. This way, you will know that it will arrive in time. Part of it could be in the way the mail could be routed and that is what I can understand where your confusion comes in. Since there are 2 ways that the mail could be routed. One route would be through North America to Europe or through the mid east to Europe. Sorry this answer is not what you wanted or expected.

Genealogy / Motyl - Tracing My Polish Roots for the 1st time [28]

I forget the website that you can check through in regards to your grandfathers' military service since he was based in the U.K. during the war. Someone through here might know that and once you can obtain his records, it should provide a d.o.b. and next of kin and possible addresses of those as well.

Travel / Flights from Poland to North America [7]

As for Toronto, there are a number of places to visit while there. I can think of 4 that might be worth the look see. The 1st is the CN Tower, Casa Loma, Toronto Zoo and the Science Center. One hotel I stayed at when I was in Toronto is located on Roncesvalles Ave. That area has a lot of Polish people there, and it cots under $100 a night. Also, it is not that far away from the airport. Chances are they might meet someone there that can give them a bit of a tour around. I dont live in Toronto, but it is only a 2 hr drive east of me and I do know my way around some. I have a cousin in Warsaw and others in Wegrow and Pogreby.

Genealogy / My Grandfather was born in Poland and migrated abroad - Can I get a Polish Passport? [68]

Silam

Check into the website known as Poland Information. It will be found at 'information about Poland.' Once on the site click on 'forums', scroll down to where the list of countries are listed and click on Poland. Then when that comes up you will see where it talks about citizenship laws and that sort of thing. Click on that and then you will be taken into that part of the forum. In there you will find Polish citizenship pt3. There will be more informed people in there, since a lot of them have gone through what you are asking about in here. One lawyer I can recommend is Luckas Piotrowski. Chances are you may have to become a member before you can post, but it is free. While there, check the 1st 2 parts and read over the comments in there and see what you think and if it will be of any help.

History / For what the Germans owe Poland one trillion U.S. dollars? [299]

Poland could have resisted communism if its military did not suffer mass execution of its officers at Katyn in 1940. The British and the Americans were in on the conspiracy to cover up the truth for fear of offending a bunch of liars. If the military officers were not executed the morale for the army would have a lot higher and maybe the Polish would have accepted the Marshall plan.

As for communism, my grandparents got the h*** out since they knew what was coming in regards to communism. Meathead, you should do a little more research in regards to what the NKVD did prior to the 2nd world war and for almost 10 years after in regards to agriculture. There was a huge decline in production because the government didnt want the ordinary person being able to own property and replaced people that knew what they were doing when it came to farming with people who knew absolutely nothing. So, in fact when you compare figures like that from Germany and Russia, I think Russia owes the Polish people a lot more than just a monetary amount. It was the livelihood of a lot of people and the families communism destroyed and to top it off, the mistrust. One good thing was the prison system. Over here in the U.S. and Canada, the criminals hae it far to easy and know how to use the system to get ahead. Under communist rule as a criminal you didnt get very far and chances r u didnt live long.

Genealogy / Dziurdziński and Obiedzińska - Archives in Poland to find my origins or last name [8]

As for the old documents archives, how do they organize the documents? Is it by family name and date of death and type of document (ie. will or death certificate) or based on location (ie.town/city, province), date, and familial name? I would like to obtain copies of wills from my ancestors. The problem is I am only aware of 4 dates of deaths for family members that are buried in the same town. I do not know when the others died so am unable to provide those dates.

Also, would these archives include accessibility to land registry records and census information from 1800-1900? The reason I am asking is that I want to be able to get copies of wills from deceased individuals of the family, but I would like to know how to provide the information in the right order and all the information, that I can, in order to facilitate the research. While I may no know the exact date of death for most family members, all I can do is provide a best guess if that is necessary. Thanks.

Law / Dual citizenship (Mother forced to renounce Polish one) [6]

Actonkin

It is understandable that your mother wants nothing to do with Poland. Probably from the horror stories she has no doubt heard from her parents and others of that generation. Another website to look into is the Poland forum on Polish expat talk. In there, you will find section on Polish Citizenship pt 3. There have been a lot of others with similar problems as yours.

Even though your mother does not want to go back, you will have to convince her as to how it will benefit you. In that website, the others that have gone through the hoops and got their Polish citizenship, some were Jews and one or two had a parent that did not want to regain. How they got around it I do not know. But one thing to check into is getting a confirmation of citizenship done in regards to your mother first. If it comes back that she still has citizenship, then you will be able to proceed. In order for you to proceed would be to get a long form of your birth certificate and get it translated into Polish. And you can do that in the meantime while you wait for the letter that will tell you if your mother has citizenship or not.

Actonkin

Were you able to look up the information on the website I mentioned? You can reach me by pm to let me know if it was of some assistance or not. I did send you a pm on this site, but not sure if you have read it.

Gary

Travel / Is it safe to travel to Poland? [194]

Adam

It is relatively safe to travel in Poland. I have been there twice and had no problem. Even took a bus from Wegrow to Siemiatycze and had a memorable trip from it. Do you have a bank card from the bank you deal in order to withdraw money from an automated teller? Then go into the bank before you leave and let a staff member know that you are going over and for how long. They can make a notation in your account so there are no problems accessing your money while there. That way they don't get the idea into their heads that your card got stolen.

Now if you want to travel by plane into a smaller city such as Poznan, Lodz, Lublin, Cracow,Gdansk, Bialystok or even Rzeszow, your best bet would be to fly into Warsaw and get a connecting flight into one of those smaller cities. Or as someone mentioned, you may be able to fly into Cracow instead of Warsaw. But you will have to decide where you are starting your holiday and if you want to head back to your starting point or head to the closest available airport and make a connection. Good luck and enjoy.

Genealogy / Are recorded birth dates sometimes different from the actual? [16]

Ziemowit

Whether I had the 2 interchanged is irrelevant. The main point still stands. It does help to help having another view in order to figure out the difference in time between documents and that is the main point. Now it is up to the person asking to determine which version of the calendar applies to the different documents. Besides, even though I had the names of the 2 types of calendar reversed or not, the gist of my previous comment still stands and does help to make some sense of the discrepancy. The person that started this conversation is smart enough to figure it out.

Genealogy / Are recorded birth dates sometimes different from the actual? [16]

Please forgive me. I was not trying to or intending to open a can of worms with the calendar business. The Julian calendar came into use about 1752 in most western countries. I think Russia didn't start using it until the 20th century sometime. Not sure of the exact date. But yes it is roughly a 2wk discrepancy between the 2 calendars. If the date given for the grandparent as date of birth, you will have to determine if that is the gregorian or julian date. If it is the julian date, then you add approx. 14 days. If it is the gregorian date, then you subtract.

Here in Canada we celebrated Christmas on Tuesday, 25 December 2012. The Orthodox Church found mostly in Ukraine and the area would celebrate 2 wks later since they use the gregorian calendar. So their Christmas celebrations would have been about January 6th, 2013. Does that help somewhat. By having the different documents try and determine what calendar each system was using that wrote the date down. If for example the baptism, if the church was using the gregorian date and the military document was using the julian calendar then each document confirms the other.

But, like I said, you will have to determine when each made the switch to the current calendar we use now for most of the world. If the government, whether they be from 1 of the 3 partitions, started using the julian calendar before the grandfather was born like most of the other countries were using and the church held out until the turn of the century or after. It is a round about way, but will help to establish who used what, when and for how long. If that is not the case, did the church have its own full time clergy or someone who came by once or twice a month because there was not enough parishioners to warrant a full time clergy. That could also be the reason for the discrepancy. Check with the officials of the church where the grandfather was baptised. They may be able to check the records they may have for the time frame in question to find out if the clergy was full time or not.

Genealogy / Are recorded birth dates sometimes different from the actual? [16]

Yes, to the baptism. Sometimes, parents waited to baptise the child once the mother and child were well enough to travel depending on how close they were to the church. The other thing to remember and look into is the change from Gregorian to Julian calendar. This would throw off a lot of records by 2 weeks. Try to find out when the switch was made. Otherwise, the church date will be the best to go from for the time being since it was recorded and you can backtrack from there by 3 days to the 2 weeks time frame. Another thing to factor in, how populated was the area for where the church is at the time of the baptism. If some churches, have a circuit riding clergy, that could also explain the 2 week delay. I have read about some churches like that in Poland.

Law / All 4 of my grandparents were born in Poland - Canadian living in the UK, looking for Polish Citizenship [12]

DLR14
If the original papers may be lost, try and backtrack their steps from where they entered Canada. By obtaining papers from entry into Canada and entry/exit papers from other countries along with copies of supporting papers, you may have a slim chance. Also, check the citizenship acts of 1920 and 1951 since they will pertain to your ancestor. Another website to check into on this matter would be poland expat under forums for Poland. There have been a couple of listings for lawyers/advocates dealing with cases of people trying to obtain citizenship.

They can advise you if it will be worth the effort or not.

Law / Canadian born looking for help obtaining a Polish Passport [7]

To Ihr24

If your grandfather served in the Canadian Military it is unlikely that Polish citizenship will have passed on to your parent(s) and then you. Check the website 'happened in Poland' and click on the forums button and then go to the forum for Poland. Once there look the a posting that deals with the citizenship acts of 1920, 1951, 1962 and later. If your grandfather was born in 1920 and then emmigrated to Canada with his parents and then served in the military during the 2nd world war then under the 1920's act it says that if you served in a foreign military then you automatically lost your citizenship.

But double check into this and good luck.

Law / Polish Passport and Polish Citizenship (dual with American) [14]

Regardless of the fact of the posting being dated from 2007, it is just a guideline in order to put the appropriate paperwork together. That is why I made reference to it. The way he presents the list should make it a lot easier for Jennagee88 to follow through and to determine if she has all the paperwork and what she needs to look for to fill in the gaps. That way she will be better prepared when she deals with a lawyer in order to see if she will qualify for what she wants.

Besides, even if the laws have changed, she can still use the posting to figure things out with the paperwork prior to her application.

Law / Polish Passport and Polish Citizenship (dual with American) [14]

Jennagee88

check out a website by the name of 'easy citizenship in Poland' and go to through the forums and into the Poland one. Then into the Polish citizenship pt 3. Once there, ask for Curious Poland. Ask for a posting that he made since he details what kind of paperwork you would need in order to apply for citizenship. His posting details somewhat in order the paperwork should be presented in. His posting is dated January 2007. I have the printout and could scan it for you if you wish or unable to find the forum on the website mentioned above.

Another way to find the reference I am talking about is to google it and using 'Polish Citizenship/Polish Passport through Polish parents/ancestors' and it is by curious Poland. Let me know if you found it or not.