Polish Roots (2nd edition)

摘要

I shall admit - I am not Polish. And as far as I know, I have absolutely no Polish descendants in my family line. The closest I have ever come to Polish genealogy is my sister-in-law who hails from a lovely Polish town named Dabrowa-Tarnowska on the Bren river in the Carpathian foothills. But you do not need to be Polish to appreciate what this book has to offer. It shows you how to be a good genealogical researcher in general, including a substantial number of resources for tracking your family's roots regardless of your ethnicity. Part Ⅰ of the book is dedicated to references and suggestions for carrying out Polish genealogical research in America; author Rosemary Chorzempa considers all possibilities and all levels of experience with genealogical investigation. She outlines common types of records that may be easily overlooked by families, but that hold important information about birth and death dates, vital information and citizenship status. Part Ⅱ includes a considerable history lesson about Poland and each of its regions, including information about life in Poland, social classes and ethnic groups living within particular regions - complete with territorial and regional maps. Of particular interest is the section within Chapter 4 regarding social classes in Poland, their originations and how these classes have changed through time. This is particularly helpful when doing research, as in the case of nobility, when many peasants adopted the last names of the lords from whose land they worked.