Eastern European archives have historically been difficult to access. Searching these archives were often met with frustration because these collections could only be accessed onsite or not at all. While many have utilized the collections from the FamilySearch catalog to find key records, a large group of researchers were left with little to no records access because filming didn’t capture records from their ancestral village/town. Today, genealogists around the world enjoy the efforts of … [Read more...]
Finding Your Eastern European Ancestral Village
Tracing ancestors can be complex when your family emigrates from another country. Research is especially complicated for Eastern Europe, where many countries experienced border and name changes over the years. Legacy Tree Genealogists' Michelle Chubenko provides tools and tips for identifying and researching ancestral villages in Europe. In the past 150 years, Central and Eastern Europe have seen numerous border changes. While researchers may be familiar with the modern successor states, … [Read more...]
Legacy Tree Onsite: Belarus Archives and Records Collections
Legacy Tree Genealogists’ Dennis Baranov has conducted research in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine for more than 15 years. His wife Mariya is his research helper and translator. In this article, they provide detailed information about Belarus archives and records to research family histories, especially in an area where many documents have been destroyed. Belarus is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, surrounded by Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia. Minsk is the capital and … [Read more...]
Finding Your Soldier of the Great Patriotic War of 1941–45 (Eastern Front of WWII): Part II
Did your ancestor serve during the Great Patriotic War of 1941–45? Learn more about their Soviet military service using this free resource! Last week in Part I of our two part series, we introduced Pamyat Naroda (Память народа), a website hosted by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation (Министерство обороны Российской Федерации) to honor the participants of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45, commonly referred to as the Eastern Front of World War II in English-speaking countries. … [Read more...]
Finding Your Soldier of the Great Patriotic War of 1941–45 (Eastern Front of WWII): Part I
Did your ancestor serve during the Great Patriotic War of 1941–45? Learn more about their Soviet military service using this free resource! Many descendants of Eastern European immigrants who landed on North American shores in the first wave of immigration soon found that their relatives who stayed behind were no longer citizens of the historical empires who had ruled over them. With the changing borders through the Interwar period to the beginning of World War II, the citizens of the new … [Read more...]
Legacy Tree Onsite: Genealogy Research at the Pest County Archives in Budapest, Hungary
Legacy Tree Genealogists works with researchers from across the globe to access records for our clients. We asked one of our onsite researchers in Hungary to share an inside look at the resources available for family history research at the Pest County Archives located in Budapest, Hungary. The Pest County Archives | Pest Megyei Levéltár Pest county (Hungarian: Pest megye) was formed after World War II, incorporating a part of the former Pest-Pilis-Solt-Kiskun county, as well as smaller … [Read more...]
Legacy Tree Onsite: The National Archives in Iaşi, Romania
Legacy Tree works with researchers all over the world to access records for our clients. We asked one of our onsite researchers, located in Iaşi, Romania, to share his experiences with genealogy research in Romania at the National Archives in Iaşi, and the records available to help with your family history. The city of Iaşi and its archives – an overview The city of Iaşi is the largest locality in the northeast of Romania, a region called Moldavia. Not to be mistaken with the Republic of … [Read more...]
Finding Vital Records for Galicia, Austria-Hungary
Historical name and border changes can affect what records were created and where they are held today. In this article, we look at how to find vital records in Galicia, Austria-Hungary. Before historical records can be searched for any location, it is necessary to understand the historical names and border changes associated with that place, since this can impact what kinds of records were created and where they are held today. If you have ancestors that reported they were from Galicia, … [Read more...]
Legacy Tree Onsite: The Archdiocesan Archives of Białystok, Poland
Legacy Tree Genealogists works with researchers from across the globe to access records for our clients. We asked Adam, onsite in Poland, to share his experiences researching at the Archdiocesan Archives of Białystok, Poland. The city of Białystok became a temporary seat of the Vilnius Roman Catholic Archdiocese in 1945 when the Archbishop Romuald Jałbrzykowski was forced to leave the city of Vilnius once it was incorporated into the Soviet Union. After World War II, Białystok became the … [Read more...]
Legacy Tree Onsite: Inside the Polish National Archives in Kraków
Legacy Tree Genealogists works with researchers from across the globe to access records for our clients. We asked Ireneusz, onsite in Poland, to share his experiences researching at the Polish archives. Using the Polish Archives for Genealogy Research The State Archives in Kraków was founded in 1878 and is one of the largest in Poland, containing nearly 1.5 million items in its collections. Due to its size and overall value to Poland’s heritage, its name was changed in 2012 to the … [Read more...]