Form to Research Assistance Please click on the link above to download (works best in Google browsers) Please fill in the form, save it to your computer, and attach it to an email to pgsma1989@yahoo.com. Library Docents
Patricia Pooler Joan Mendrick Boutin Linda Golash |
The PGSMA Genealogical Research Library
Polish Center of Discovery and Learning, 2nd Floor 33 South Street, Chicopee, MA (Library is closed due to COVID until further notice. Please check back later in 2022.) We Can Help - Plan a Visit / Make an appointmentYour PGSMA has a hidden gem located on the second floor of the Polish Center of Discovery and Learning at 33 South Street in Chicopee. Our staff of experienced volunteer docents is available for one-on-one assistance with family research. Please complete our “Request for Research Assistance” form found to the left of this page and send to pgsma1989@yahoo.com.
We can provide you with guidance on how to get started doing genealogical research into your family history. We also can help direct you to data sources through our collection of proven genealogy websites as well as our library of instructional books, family histories, church anniversary booklets, maps and gazetteers. Also included in our collection are the Research Bulletins of the Polish Genealogy Societies of America, California, Connecticut, New York, Michigan, Texas and Winnipeg, Canada (and of course, our own Biuletyn Korzenie). These contain nearly every bulletin ever issued by these groups since their inceptions and hold a treasure trove of information about the history and culture of Poland. We are a lending library for members of the Polish Genealogy Society of Massachusetts and we invite you to join us on a fine Friday afternoon to look through our collection to find a book or paper of interest, have a seat and enjoy learning about your ancestral lands. Or, if you’d like, you can check out a book and enjoy it in the comfort of your own home. Our members have been successfully using the materials in the library to help with their family history research for years and we invite you to join us soon to begin your journey of discovery. |
Highlights From Our CollectionGenealogical Gazetteer of Galicia, by Brian Lenius. Anola, Manitoba: The Author, 1993.
Lenius’ Gazetteer contains a list of Galician villages and towns and a key to locating them on the included maps, along with the parish and administrative districts where each location’s vital records are housed. How can this help the genealogical researcher? Say I am researching my grandfather who came from the village of Wola Szczucinska in Galicia. I need to know what parish houses the birth, marriage, and death certificates of his family in order to access them and the goldmine of information they contain, like names / maiden names of parents, professions, etc. Using the Lenius Gazetteer, I learn that the parish where my grandfather’s records can be found is Szczucin, and the administrative district is Dabrowa. This information is valuable because now I can check to see if the vital records from Szczucin parish are available in microfilmed or digitized format on the LDS website Family Search or in the Polish online database Geneteka. Alternately, if none of the parish books have been microfilmed or digitized, I now know from which archives in Poland to request information. “Anyone performing historical or genealogical research in Galicia knows that locating records can sometimes prove very difficult, since boundaries and jurisdictions shifted many times. …[U]sing this reference tool will enable researchers to determine where they should begin their search: which parish to contact, which map to use, etc. Prior to its publication, a genealogist would have had to consult a dozen different sources, most of which are not readily accessible and also are not in English.” (Excerpt from Drobnicki, John A., "Book review of Genealogical Gazetteer of Galicia" (1994). CUNY Academic Works. https://academicworks.cuny.edu/yc_pubs/127) Going Home: A Guide to Polish-American Family History Research, by Jonathan Shea, is a valuable reference tool for the Polish genealogical researcher. It contains a condensed history of Poland and Polonia, including the partitions, emigration waves to America, and evolution of the Polish-American community. The bulk of the book, however, is an exploration of how to find and make sense of Polish ancestors’ records, both in the US and abroad. Digital and paper sources are examined. Shea, a language expert as well as an archivist, provides pointers for English speakers encountering not only Polish but Latin, Russian, and German records. Lastly, the book includes glossaries of terms commonly found in vital records; lists of first names, surnames, their origins and alternates; and appendices of parishes, archives, and additional web resources.
Shea, Jonathan D. Going Home: A Guide to Polish-American Family History Research. Language and Lineage Press, 2008. PAST LIBRARY EVENTS
The Genealogical Research Library Information Sessions This spring (2019), the Genealogical Research Library of the PGSMA will be hosting several informal information sessions for members on topics of interest to the genealogical researcher. Come join the discussion with our research docents! The first session, Exploring FamilySearch, will be held on Thursday, April 25, 2019 from 2-4 pm at the Polish Center of Discovery and Learning in Chicopee. We will give an overview of this free website, which will include a demonstration of how to search its records and archives, including vital records from Polish church books. We will also discuss setting up a family tree on the site, as well as how to access the rich collection of learning resources that FamilySearch maintains. The second session will cover DNA Testing, and it will run on Thursday, May 30, 2019 from 2-4 pm, also at the Polish Center. We will compare the major DNA testing services and focus on strategies for using DNA test results to grow your family tree. This will be a practical rather than a scientific discussion. This session should be valuable for folks who have already taken a DNA test (and think, “What do I do with all these cousins?”), as well as for those who are undecided about testing or which testing service to choose. Light refreshments will be served at these informal talks. |