In today's genealogy world, perhaps those of us seeking ancestral secrets have become spoiled. We can tap into an online subscription service like Ancestry.com or MyHeritage.com—or, for the "free is me" among us, FamilySearch.org—and, with a few taps on the keyboard, conjure up a document verifying the birth, marriage, or death of grandparents, great-grandparents, or beyond.
That "plug and play" mindset, while simplifying searches for those of us fortunate enough to have multiple generations in North America, may perhaps coax us into a research laziness which doesn't benefit us when we must strike out into the unexplored regions of the genealogical world.
Take my current research struggles with my paternal grandparents' roots in Poland. FamilySearch.org has some records for the parishes that are of interest to me—but not all. So I jump between that website and BaSIA—and keep looking for other new-to-me resources, just in case those sites fail me.
Keeping track of where I found everything in this manner can be challenging. Any record found on FamilySearch can easily be plugged into my entries on the tree there. But then I need to also remember to keep my research log at Ancestry and MyHeritage up to date as well. Thus, lacking any document at those websites, I end up editing notes by adding links from other websites to my timeline on the paid subscription site.
While tree building in this manner might not add up to the speed of a plug-and-play interface, it does achieve my purposes. I want to verify names, dates, and events where each tree is kept, even if that is not where the digitized copy of the document is stored.
Someday, perhaps, research for those descended from the Polish diaspora will become more streamlined. Until then, I'll need to be satisfied with mounting my own learning curve, from understanding diacritical marks and learning Polish phonics to acquiring a rudimentary knowledge of the Polish terms likely to be found on documents of genealogical interest. At the very least, I'll become facile at leaping from website to website as I reconstruct the picture of my Polish family's history.
Oh this speaks to my heart. Thank you for introducing me to the Polish sites. Every time I use them I have to start from square one. And my head hurts. I am getting no where. I do plan (someday) to make an appointment with someone from a Polish genealogy group in a city almost 2 hours away. I have a feeling they might be able to at least help me figure out what I have found . . . What I would give to "plug and play"
ReplyDeleteI am glad you are finding my wanderings to be helpful, Miss Merry. I am really experimenting, reaching out, and exploring. But it may seem like you are starting from square one each time because some of those regional Polish websites are changing their own site design. I just went on another region's website (PTG) and discover that it now has a totally new look!
DeleteBut exploration is just fine. If it weren't for that intrepid sense of adventure, we wouldn't have found half the stuff we've discovered, would we?
I so feel your pain...my dad was Polish and researching his side of the tree has been very challenging... At this point I'm thrilled to have made it back as far as the early 1800s with a pretty high degree of certainty.
ReplyDeleteDo you read Polish and Russian? The latter is the biggest stumbling block for many of us (including me). I assume you've also searched on Geneteka? And sukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/?
Teresa, I've seen your mentions of your dad's Polish side on your blog in the past. Yes...very challenging! Early 1800s is wonderful!
DeleteI do not speak or read Polish or Russian, though I have learned a bit of Polish phonics, simply to be able to pronounce names that otherwise appear to be consonant soup. I have learned to read the Greek alphabet, which obviously doesn't apply to our Polish research but gives me the confidence to tackle Russian if needed. However, since both branches of my father's Polish roots came from the western side of Poland, I may never need to delve into that Russian challenge.
Bit by bit, those Polish websites are coming through for us. Besides BaSIA, I have used Geneteka, but I've found some regional websites which are helpful, like PTG for my Pomeranian roots, for instance. The sukajwarchiwach.gov.pl site is the source for the links showing for transcriptions at BaSIA, for which I am thankful. I've learned to navigate a bit more smoothly on that site this month.
It's all incremental learning, combined with the gradually increasing resources from Poland, for which I am thankful. Bit by bit, we'll uncover these family stories!