Not Many People Talking About it

 

Research on Polish family history doesn't seem to be as popular as, say, pursuing Irish or Italian roots. It's certainly not as widespread as interest in German genealogy, with an international society devoted to such a purpose. When it comes to looking for help in seeking those Polish forebears, it seems there are not that many people who are talking about it. But that doesn't mean there isn't any help out there for those who claim that ancestry.

Considering that, at least in the United States, there are 2.6 million direct descendants of Polish immigrants—not to mention another 8.6 million who claim partial Polish ancestry—you'd think there'd be a sizable group of potential researchers clamoring for more information on how to start their search. After all, that adds up to three percent of the American population, according to results from the 2020 census.

Perhaps the silence is deafening for someone like me, living out on the west coast, considering that most Polish immigrants to the United States settled around the Great Lakes area, or simply remained in the tri-state area surrounding the port of entry in New York City, as can be seen in one color-coded map based on data from the U. S. census bureau in 2019.

There are, after all, some resources for researching Polish ancestry, including the yearly RootsTech conference, which compiles recorded past sessions and still shares them on their website. There are a few sessions focused on Polish research, including An Introduction to Polish Genealogy by blogger Julie Roberts Szczepankiewicz to help people get started pursuing their Polish roots. And there are some organizations dedicated to helping others research their Polish ancestry, such as the Polish Genealogical Society of America, which offers a free subscription to their monthly e-newsletter.

For the most part, though, when I peruse the offerings of various local genealogical societies, it would be a rare moment, indeed, if I found an upcoming presentation promoted for Polish research. It is far easier, at least from my west coast vantage point, to find meetings discussing Irish or Italian or German research. When it comes to Polish research, there are just not that many people talking about it.

So what does one do in that situation? Thankfully, now we have internet connections to meetings across the country—and even around the world. Perhaps someone in those Great Lakes regions is teaching about researching Polish records.

Better yet, I've discovered websites created by and powered by volunteers in Poland who are working to bring their historical documents to light for an international audience, linking them to their distant cousins in the Polish diaspora. For this, I am most thankful—and hope to spread the word so others can access these missing links to connect their brick wall Polish forebears to their proper place in their homeland.

The advent of the most helpful connection, at least in my case, comes from the now-widespread usage of DNA testing. What I couldn't find in past years from online documents, I can at least discover through a hint from the distant cousins I'm connected with, thanks to DNA. In anticipation of some DNA updates due out later this month, we'll take some time this week to review what DNA has shared about my family's once-secret connection to their Polish ancestry.