[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Odp: AGAD

[Sandy Burke]

I spent five days in Poland from July 24-July 29, 2010 with a combination 
guide, interpreter, professional researcher.  While very expensive for the 
average middle class U.S. citizen, it was the trip of a lifetime.  We 
traveled over 750 miles, visited at least 20 different villages, town, and 
cemeteries, and spent a few hours in an archive.  Prior to arriving in 
Poland, he had already done extensive research for me. My guide had his 
laptop, plugged it in, no problem.  There was a guy taking pictures of the 
archives illegally every time the attendant left to get more books for 
researchers.  One point of interest to me was that if the books were very 
old and in a fragile state, they asked you to view the records on microfilm. 
The microfilm records were the same records as what you can get from any 
Family History Center.  So, you don't have to go to Poland to see the 
records.  But, the problem is reading them.  Are there people in Salt Lake 
City who will research microfilm records for people and interpret what they 
say?

I went to Poland, Ukraine, Czech Republic, and Germany.  I found over 30 
German relatives who I did not know existed until May of 2010.  I am in the 
process of organizing all my research and pictures.  What I can say to 
anyone making a similar trip-the guides and interpreters were indispensable. 
With the help of a Baptist pastor in Rozyszcze who has lived there for 32 
years, we found what remained of the Lutheran church.  He spent the day with 
us while we visited several small villages and helped us find the  village 
of Emilin.  We were able to visit with an 85 year old woman who was born in 
the two room house in which she still lived.  My pictures are incredible.

Sandy Burke


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Anna Zglińska" <zglinka at wp.pl>
To: "ger-poland-volhynia" <ger-poland-volhynia at eclipse.sggee.org>
Sent: Friday, September 03, 2010 6:17 PM
Subject: [Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Odp: AGAD


If you want to visit AGAD (or any archive in Poland):

Don't take any laptop with you It's forbidden to use electricity in
reading room in AGAD- remember archives usually have small budgets.
Learn at least few words and sentences in Polish! Most people working in
AGAD speak English wery well :P you must do something wrong if they
didn't wont to. Find someone in Poland to help you, don't risk.

Every archive has its card catalog, but now internet databases are in
common use.
Younger church books from Wolhynia are in Urzad Stanu Cywilnego
Warszawa-Śródmieście- after 100 years this office send church books to
AGAD. It would be interesting to look trough complex "Centralne Władze
Wyznaniowe" especially "Zarząd Obcych Wyznań w Królestwie Polskim".
Those are connected especially to lutheran church in Poland in XIX
century.

AGAD records are not very useful for research on XIX- century,
nevertheless those records are the only that survived II World War.  The
XIX century records were in Archive of Treasure (Archiwum Skarbowe) and
in Archiwum Akt Dawnych. Most records burnt down in 1944.


If you going to Poland just remember: Poland is not wild area without
civilisation :P and we do not steal cars standing just in front of
archive!

Have a nice time in Poland
Anna Zglinska


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