PolishOrigins(TM) Forum

Re: Was Brest-Litovsk in Poland? Question about records help!

Cheri Vanden Berg — Fri Apr 27, 2012 1:57 pm

Author: Cheri Vanden Berg

Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2012 1:57 pm

I'm kind of a beginner with Polish records, so if anyone else wants to add something, please do.
The Brest you found, might be the only one, I am not positive. Look it up here: http://www.jewishgen.org/Communities/Search.asp
Looks like it was called Brześć nad Bugiem [Pol, 1918-39] when it was capital of Polesie Poland during that time period. Of course this was AFTER your grandfather and his brother emigrated, so it wasn't called that then, or now.
Are you familiar with the LDS church filming records all over the world that you can rent on microfilm if you have a Family History Center near you? It looks like they have filmed Brest records - Roman Catholic and others:
https://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlc/ Search for Brest there.
If you would need/like help looking for the specific microfilm you would want to start with, someone on this list could help you. I have rented microfilm before, but not for my Polish ancestors. They have not filmed where my ancestors lived, so you could be very lucky if they have filmed your ancestors.

Was Brest-Litovsk in Poland? Question about records help!

kcs719 — Fri Apr 27, 2012 12:35 pm

Author: kcs719

Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2012 12:35 pm

Hi all,

Found my grandfather's family hometown through his brother's WWI draft. The draft card is attached below.

It states that his hometown was Brest, Poland. From what I can gather, Brest-Litovsk was the name of the town prior to 1917? It became part of the Soviet Union at this point and then transitioned into Belarus, the country where Brest is located today.

1.) Is this the only Brest in Poland? Looked on google maps and couldn't find any other options

2.) Any ideas on how to search for records for the Catholic community? Through Poland or Belarus?

Almost everything I have found related to Brest deals with the large Jewish population in the are/region. My grandmother (this is her father) was raised Catholic, so I am assuming that Frank and John were Catholics as well. Would certainly be an interesting twist if they were not!

Any insights on how to proceed next would be greatly appreciated. Just as I was beginning to understand the ins and outs of Polish research, I'm thrown for a loop!

Thanks again, you all have been so wonderful with your time and advice.