Western Pomeranian (Zachodniopomorskie) Voivodeship, Poland Genealogy

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Western Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland Genealogy

Guide to Western Pomeranian (Zachodniopomorskie) Voivodeship ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, parish registers, and military records.

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Historical Geography[edit | edit source]

  • Western Pomeranian Voivodeship is a voivodeship (province) in northwestern Poland.
  • Prior to World War II, it was part of Pomerania (Pommern), Prussia (Preussen), German Empire.
  • Szczecin Voivodeship was an administrative unit of Poland in 1945-1950, created after World War II from the Prussian-German province of Pomerania, which was granted to Poland.
  • In 1950, it was divided into the Szczecin Voivodeship and Koszalin Voivodeship.
  • It was established on January 1, 1999, out of the former Szczecin and Koszalin Voivodeships and parts of other neighboring voivodeships.

Source: Wikipedia, Szczecin Voivodeship and Wikipedia, Western sPomeranian Voivodeship

Name Changes and Locating Records[edit | edit source]

Information icon.pngBecause of this history of changing nationality, records for Western Pomerania voivodeship are found in the FamilySearch system under "Pommern (Pomerania), Prussia (Preussen), Germany", "Szczecin, Poland," and "Koszalin, Poland."

Maps[edit | edit source]

Western Pomeranian (Zachodniopomorskie) Voivodeship Within Poland

Zachodniopomorskie (EE,E NN,N).png

In 1967, most of the province belonged to Szczecin and Koszalin Voivodeships. Use Szczecin and Koszalin when looking for records in the FamilySearch Catalog.
SzczecinKoszalinGdańskBydgoszczPoznańZielona GóraWrocławOpoleKatowiceKrakówRzeszówKielceLublinWarszawaLódźBiałystokOlsztynPoland 1967 map.png


Counties (Powiat) of Western Pomeranian (Zachodniopomorskie) Voivodeship

ZP Powiaty.png

Civil Registration and Church Records[edit | edit source]

Almost all of the research you do will be in civil registration (government birth, marriage, and death records) and church records (baptism, confirmation, marriage, and burial records). To understand these records better study the articles: Poland Church Records and Poland Civil Registration.

1. You will find birth, marriage, and death records:
  • in online databases
  • in microfilmed records of the FamilySearch collections
  • by writing to request searches
  • from State archives where records have been deposited
  • from church archives where records have been deposited
  • from local civil registration offices
  • from local parish churches
2. To find information on town of origin for U.S. immigrants from Poland, use the Wiki article Poland Locating Town of Origin.
3. You will need to determine the both the Polish and German name of the town your Polish ancestors lived in.
  • If the town was in the area of Poland once controlled by Prussia, use Kartenmeister.
  • To see a map of the town, use mapa.szukacz. Enter the town name in the "place" field in the right sidebar and click "Show". Province, area, commune, and postal code will appear at the bottom of the right sidebar.

Finding Aids[edit | edit source]

Poland finding aids have been created by a variety of state, church, society, and private organizations. Their goal is to inform what records exist and the repositories that hold them. Each finding aid has a different focus--a particular religion or geographical area or archive or collection. Be sure to search all that apply to your ancestors. Remember that churches often produced civil registration records. The church records might have been destroyed, but copies had been sent to the government and still exist. So we search for both church records and civil registration records.

Pommerscher Greif[edit | edit source]

This is the most important and comprehensive website for information about and links to existing records.

Other Finding Aids[edit | edit source]

  • The PRADZIAD Database A database that comprises information on parish and civil registration registers preserved in all branches of the Polish State Archives and some Roman Catholic diocesan and archdiocesan archives. Gives location of specific records and address of archives.
  • Szukaj w Archiwach Search page for church records and civil registration at the National Archives. Links directly to scans.
  • FamilySearch Catalog for Poland Microfilms (all will eventually be digitized, many are now) of the FamilySearch records.
  • AGOFF, an organization dedicated to finding missing records of Prussia.
  • PTG (Pomorskie Towarzystwo Genealogiczne) Online indexes to birth, marriage and death records for the Pomeranian area.
  • Geneteka

1. Online Databases[edit | edit source]

Ancestry.com[edit | edit source]

FamilySearch Historical Records[edit | edit source]

Jewish Records[edit | edit source]

Some areas of Poland were predominantly Jewish settlements.

Because churches were frequently expected to act as civil registrars, Jewish births, marriages, and deaths can appear in Catholic records.

2. FamilySearch Records[edit | edit source]

FamilySearch Historical Records[edit | edit source]

Microfilms and Digitized Records: The FamilySearch Catalog[edit | edit source]

  • Many church records have been microfilmed and can be viewed at the main Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. Eventually, microfilmed records will all be digitized and available online. The records you need might have been digitized now. Check back from time to time to see if they have become available.
  • The FamilySearch Catalog is organized by the voivodeships as they existed in 1967. There are maps on the Poland Genealogy main page comparing those jurisdictions with the modern jurisdictions. In 1967, Western Pomeranian voivodeship was made up mostly of Szczecin and Koszalin Voivodeships. Prior to World War II, it was part of Pommern, Preussen, Germany.
  • Use the gazetteer, Kartenmeister - German/Polish Place Name Conversion to find the name of your town in both languages.

To search the catalog:

a. Click on the records of Poland, Szczecin or records of Poland, Koszalin or records of Germany, Preussen, Pommern.
b. Click on Places within Poland, Szczecin or Places within Poland, Koszalin or Places within Germany, Preussen, Pommern,and a list of towns will appear.
c. Click on your town.
d. Click on the "Civil registration" or "church records" topic, if available. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
c. Choose the correct record type and time period for your ancestor.
For records in German: "Geburten" are births. Heiraten are marriages. "Verstorbene" or Toten are deaths.
For records in Polish: Akta urodzeń are births. Akta chrzest are christenings/baptisms. Akta małżeństw are marriages. Akta zgonów are deaths.
f. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the microfilm listed for the record. FHL icons.png. The magnifying glass indicates that the microfilm is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the microfilm.

3. Writing for Records[edit | edit source]

Poland Letter Writing Guide[edit | edit source]

This letter writing guide will enable you to write in the Polish language to parish churches and church and government archives: Poland Letter Writing Guide. Generally, the people you write to will appreciate your effort to use Polish and cooperate more readily.

Civil Registration Office Address[edit | edit source]

Write to the local civil registration office for records after 1900. Records prior to 1900 will probably be in the state archives. Records in the last 100 years will have some privacy restrictions where you will have to prove your relationship and/or the death of the person the certificate reports.

1. Use mapa.szukacz.
Enter the town name in the "place" field
in the right sidebar and click "Show".

Dynow1.png

2. Find the commune

at the bottom of the right sidebar.

Dynow2.png

3. Google: urzad stanu cywilnego
with the name of the commune.

Dynow3.png

4. From the list of hits,
find the official page of the
URC (urzad stanu cywilnego).
Click on the link.

Dynow4.png

5. Find the e-mail address.

Dynow6.png

6. Use the Poland Letter Writing Guide
to write an email
requesting the record.

State Archives Addresses[edit | edit source]

  • PRADZIAD This website can be searched by location (town or parish). It will then tell you which archives hold what records for the location. On the entry for the records you want, click on "More" at the far right, and it will give you the contact information for the archive.

Church: Parish Addresses[edit | edit source]



Church Diocese Archives Addresses[edit | edit source]

See the Catholic Diocese map on the Poland Church Records page. Use The Catholic Directory, Poland to find the diocese for your town. Click on "View Full Listing" for your parish.

Szczecin-Kamień Archdiocese[edit | edit source]

Archdiocesan Archives in Szczecin
ul. Pope Paul VI No. 2
71-459 Szczecin
Poland

tel./fax +48.91.45.41.609
tel. +48.91.4542.292 ext. 132
e-mail: archiwum@kuria.pl

Koszalin-Kołobrzeg Diocese[edit | edit source]

Archives of the Koszalin-Kołobrzeg Diocese
ul. Seminaryjna 2
75-817 Koszalin
Poland

tel. (94) 345 90 27
e-mail: archiwum@koszalin.opoka.org.pl


Reading the Records[edit | edit source]

Word Lists[edit | edit source]

The language of the records depends on the controlling government. The parts of Poland which belonged to Prussia (Germany) used German until they were ceded back to Poland (after World War I or II). After that, the records are in Polish.

Word-by-Word Reading Aids[edit | edit source]

How-to Guides[edit | edit source]

Lessons[edit | edit source]

Handwriting Lessons on FamilySearch Learning Center:

Search Strategy[edit | edit source]

For records before 1874, you will use just church records. For records from 1 October 1874 on, civil registration records will be your main source, supplemented by church records, if possible.

  • Search for the relative or ancestor you selected. When you find his birth record, search for the births of his brothers and sisters.
  • Next, search for the marriage of his parents. The marriage record will have information that will often help you find the birth records of the parents.
  • You can estimate the ages of the parents and determine a birth year to search for their birth records.
  • Search the death registers for all known family members.
  • Repeat this process for both the father and the mother, starting with their birth records, then their siblings' births, then their parents' marriages, and so on.
  • If earlier generations (parents, grandparents, etc.) do not appear in the records, search neighboring parishes.

This website requires a paid subscription for full access.

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