Polish Genealogy Research can seem overwhelming at first, especially when records are spread across multiple countries, languages, and historical jurisdictions. Whether your ancestors came from present-day Poland, Galicia, Prussia, or the Russian Partition, understanding where to begin is often the biggest challenge.
This collection brings together essential guides covering records, archives, research strategies, and online databases used by family historians around the world. From tracing immigrant ancestors to locating parish records and civil registrations, these resources will help you build a clearer picture of your family’s history and heritage.
Use the categories below to find the resources most relevant to your research goals.
Here are 19 guides covering everything from getting started with Polish genealogy to working with archives in Poland, Russia, and Austria. Use the groups below to find what you need.
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Free Online Archives & Databases
How to Use Geneteka
Search Poland’s largest free index of vital records by name.
How to Use Metryki
Browse scanned parish and civil register images online.
Polish State Archives Online
What’s digitised in the national portal, and how to find it.
The Poznań Project
Prussian-partition marriage records, indexed and searchable.
Find Your Ancestor’s Village
Pin down the exact parish and town your family came from.
Reading Records & Documents
How to Read Old Polish Records
Work through entries written in Russian, Latin, and German.
Polish Genealogy Glossary
Key terms across four languages, defined in one place.
Polish Military Records
Trace ancestors through conscription and army records.
Genealogy for Descendants Abroad
A research framework if you’re starting from outside Poland.
Specialized Research Topics
Polish-Jewish Genealogy
Where to begin researching Polish-Jewish ancestry.
JRI-Poland & JewishGen
Using the two main databases for Polish-Jewish records.
Researching WWII Ancestors
Finding displaced persons and wartime refugees.
Records in Russian Archives
What survives in Russian archives, and how to request it.
Nobility & Szlachta Research
Tracing noble lineage and szlachta heraldry.
Ancestors from the Kresy
Researching the former eastern borderlands.
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