The United Polish Genealogical Societies Biennial Conference will be held in Salt Lake City April 18-21, 2008.
Family History Library, Salt Lake City
Photo copyright © 2006 by Stephen J. Danko
The 2008 Conference will include some exciting new features:
- Video conferencing with genealogists in Poland
- Online with a famous writer of Polish research materials
- BYU Roundtable on Publishing Your Family History
Topics discussed will include information about German Poland, Russian Poland and Austrian Poland. In addition to the scheduled lectures, the conference will feature:
- Experts on hand to help translate documents in Russian, Polish and German.
- Time to conduct your own research at the Family History Library.
Speakers will include the following, appearing in person:
- Tomasz Nitsch, administrator of Poland’s GenPol
- Sonja Hoeke-Nishimoto, Family History Library
- Kahile B. Mehr, Family History Library
- Daniel Schlyter, Family History Library
- Ceil Wendt Jensen of Michigan Polonia
Speakers also include the following who will participate on-line:
- Katarzyna Grycza of Discovering Roots
- Łukasz Bielecki of the Poznan Project
The United Polish Genealogical Societies Conference will be held Friday, April 18 through Monday, April 21, 2008 at the Best Western Salt Lake Plaza Hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah. The tentative schedule has been posted. The final schedule will be posted when available. Registration is now open online and by mail.
Is it possible to obtain a copy of the death register from SW. Lukaz Catholic Church in Lipnica Wielka, Malopolska, Polska for the death of Andrzej Guziak (Guzialek) died 16 October 1914 in Lipnica Wielka and born Jablonka, Malopolska, Poland 14 October 1842. Need a copy of Death Register.
A very beautiful and informative web-site. Thank you for putting it up so early. It will help conferees. It is very much appreciated.
Betty J. Arnold Guziak
Thanks for your kind words, Betty. We hope to add some content to this site that will help people prepare for the conference and for research at the Family History Library.
As for the 1914 death register from Lipnica Wielka, the Family History Library has microfilmed those records. The film is available as FHL INTL Film 2084980 Item 8, and includes the deaths recorded in Lipnica Wielka from 1855-1921.
If you join us for the conference in Salt Lake City, you will be able to view the microfilm and make photocopies or digital copies of the records while you’re there.
If you really can’t wait until the conference, you can rent the film through your local Family History Center.
Dear Steve:
I, too, am wondering about a marriage from Biala Podlaska, Bialystok in particular, St. Anne’s Parish in the city centre ca. 1885-88. I have been chasing my great grandfather’s (Teofil Kosinski) birthplace for 15 years now and every time I get close it’s a dead end. I found the civil records (LDS film#0767829 had my great grandmother’s Anna Tarkowski’s birth record) for this area microfilmed but with many gaps or discontiued too early. Of course, the years I need are not available. This is my last hope to finding his birthplace written upon his marriage to my great grandmother. Can any of the teleconferencing that’s going to happen at this event possibly give me a break?
I confer with Betty’s compliment of the marvelous website, and I will be at the conference. Much good luck.
Margie Kosinski LaCerra
Hi Margie,
When searching for church records in Poland, there are three places to look:
1. The Civil Archives
2. The Parish
3. The Diocesan Archives
Since you’ve already examined the FHL microfilms from the civil archives, you might try contacting the parish or the diocesan archives directly.
The Archives of the Białystok Archdiocese holds parish record books from 1865 to the present. You can see their website at
http://www.bialystok.opoka.org.pl/archiwum.php for street address, phone number, and email address.
If you’re unconfortable contacting the parish or diocesan archives yourself, keep in mind that you can always hire a professional genealogist to write letters or examine the records on-site for you.
Some of the speakers connecting by teleconference are professional genealogists in Poland who may be able to direct you further in hiring a professional in Poland or in contacting the parish or diocesan archives.
Kind regards,
Steve
Dear Steve:
Thanks for more tips….Hope to see you at PGSA Conference this upcoming weekend.
Margie