Austria/Poland

[nutkin]

I too have an ancestor who says he is Austrian, Polish, Ukrainain, and Galacian.  The boundaries of Austria, Poland and Ukrain changed quite a bit which makes it hard to determine place of birth.  My ancestor, Ilko Sosnicki, was born in Austria in 1879.  The palce is called Galacia or No Man's Land.

Today, after corresponding with some of the archival offices in eastern europe, i was told that the place is now the Ukraine.  I am working to see if I can get a record there. My advice is to try to find out what the location is today.  Not in the past. 

Halgen has a good website on Galacian and Ukrainian genealogy.  Just type halgen into google.
- Kristin

PS I was able to find a naturalization record in the US and it gave me loads of information.  I think it is the best place to start.

[kaja]

hi,

Re: Poland.     Some of the problems regarding Poland can be solved by checking in history books. Poland has been partitioned and even disappeared of the map.

In 1830 Poland was under Austrian, Prussian and Russian
rule [there was no Poland ] This might explain a person being born in Austria.

I do know that a jewish organization has been trying to reclaim old [jewish] cemeteries so they must have records of some use.

There are archive sources here but it is my understanding that they are difficult to access. As I understand it there are records relating to former Germans etc

I think that  church records are your best hope as even today Polish families make sure that their children are baptised and the church will also have records of First Communion

Although I live in Poland my area of interest is England but I'll make some enquires.

                 Kaja  [Steve]

[JSFinn]

I too am looking at my maternal grandmother's family, the Kellerts, who are variously mentioned as Polish or Russian, from the time around 1893 when they must have arrived here. I haven't begun yet to look at their history before they pitch up in Whitechapel, and the first questions I'll have to sort out will be where they actually came from, their religion, etc etc before I can begin. I'm only just getting to grips with the Londoners in the family, so I'm putting it to one side, and reading up the advice on the postings here for when I can get my teeth into it.

By the way, the Family Records Centre also hold indexes of names of those applying for naturalisation, who are successful in their application. They are on the shelves in the library on the first floor. Unsuccessful applications are somewhere in the Home Office records at Kew. I couldn't find my family at the FRC, so either they didn't apply or were turned down. I wonder what proportion of Eastern European immigrants applied for naturalisation. A likely cause of having your application refused was, apparently, that the Home Office thought you would be a bomb-totin' anarchist or the like!

John

[GreySquirrel]

LittleC

Nutkin is right. If you ever see a place of birth given variously as "Austria" or "Poland" it will almost always mean the pre-WW1 former Austro-Hungarian province of Galicia. After WW1, Galicia became Polish. After WW2, it was split between Poland (its west half, based around Krakow) and the Ukrainian SSR (its eastern half, based around L'viv; now  independent Ukraine). This was one of the most-cultural regions of Europe -- Polish, Slovak, German, Jewish, Hutsul, Boyko, Ruthernian/Ukrainian, etc). 

Firstly, though, you will have to determine the exact place of origin, the nationality and/or the religion (which will be a guide to nationality). Try to find immigration and naturalisation records.

If you tell me the name, I should be able to tell you the nationality / religion even if you do not know it already.

I have several excellent books on Galician research and records but these won't help you till you have the specific place.

[kaja]

hi,

If it helps anyone on this thread I live in the centre of Wroclaw [Breslau] I'm willing to make a few phone calls
if you need it. When you know what you want don't be
afraid to ask me.
                              Kaja [Steve]

[Clincher]

I know the spelling is different from the homonym mentioned earlier by Claire (and the name may not be unusual) but these names appear in 1861 census for St George in the East, Middlesex RG9/277 folio 65:
Herman KRISTE age 35 sugar baker born in Hanover
Adelaide KRISTE       30)
Frederick KRISTE        7) all born in Whitechapel. Middx
Amelia KRISTE            3)
Amelia KRISTE            1)
and I thought I'd mention it just in case it's useful

[GillSmith]

I am trying to help a friend do similar. we did find his family on the 1901 census for London

If you search Google for Polish family History a number of sites appear. I need to check but I do have note of a couple and will get back to you. Do you know the approximate dates?


Regards
Gill

[Janealogy]

I am also searching the once German area of Galizen. I have been fortunate enough to find the village where Grandma and her family lived since 1780 before migration. Its now the case of finding other family members who remained in this region. Some moved to the what was then Cz-Slovak, others married and moved to the larger cities now in Ukraine. Tough job!!

This may be of some help to other's. Its on the Jewishgen web site.  Work in progress as in the future they hope to have every named indexed. Only help to those at present who know the town or village, what is rather strange is is also written in French?? it is the Polish trade Directory 1929

http://www.jewishgen.org/jri-pl/bizdir/start.htm

There are also some excellent maps available and would recommend this map, 1939 Galizien Deutsche Settlement Map

http://www.semanchuk.com/gen/maps/unterschutz.html


Jane