Polish Genealogy Databases tool - About

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About Polish Genealogy Databases tool.


“I wanted to start researching Polish records, but I was really at a loss and didn’t really know where to start…”

"Finding family when the ancestral languages are unknown is a challenge!"

"I've been trying to research my grandfather's family for years without success.(...) I did wonder about the ' ach ' at the end of the place names & just thought he was writing in an old fashioned way or something. (...) I don't speak Polish."


These quotations from our Forum and Surnames & Places Databases tell a lot about the problems that many non-Polish-speaking researchers encounter during their search for Polish ancestors. New interesting and valuable resources for Polish genealogy research become available online almost every week ... but only in Polish. Many of you not only find it difficult to fully understand the content but may be also not aware that such sources exist!

Those of you who have learned or have tried to learn Polish know that it is a real challenge. Our ancestors' language is considered to be one of the most difficult in the world. But is it really necessary for you to learn Polish to be able to trace your roots in Poland?

We have developed the Polish Genealogy Databases tool to allow you to access the increasingly rich Polish genealogy resources available online and understand (or at least "get the gist of") the content, all by entering a keyword (surname, place) and clicking on "search."

Our tool is based on the free Google search and translation services. If the website where your search results are available is in Polish, it is automatically translated into English by Google. All the results, as well as content, are then displayed in English in a new tab (or window) in the original source website. We will gradually add the most useful and valuable databases and websites related to the broad subject of Polish genealogy. If you know about or are the owner of a website that could enrich our tool, please let us know: (click here for list of indexed sites).

Our tool will only be as good, and the translations relevant, as the original sources. That is why we will be selective in adding databases and websites for inclusion in the search results. Of course, automatic translations will never be as good as those made by humans. However, many of you have already used the Google translation tool and have praised it for the quality of its results compared to those made with other available software (see discussion in our Forum).

This is the beta version of our tool. We start with four websites:

* a privately owned, very rich in data and information: stankiewicze.com.
* a large project of digital library of old Polish historical documents: fbc.pionier.net.pl/owoc/
* Polish history forum: historycy.org.pl
* our own website: PolishOrigins.com

(click here to see list of indexed websites and to suggest one).


We will select resources for inclusion in our PGD tool with the best of intentions. However, please remember that our Privacy Policy does not apply to websites and services that are not owned and operated by us under the domain name http://PolishOrigins.com. We do not exercise control over the external sites displayed and reached through the PGD tool. For more information, please see PolishOrigins' Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Please send any remarks and suggestions that could help us to develop this tool and assist others to make the best use of it.

See also Practical hints topic in our Forum for using the tool even more effectively in your searches.

Now, start searching Polish genealogy resources in Polish Genealogy Databases!