Forum | PolishOrigins :: View topic - BIRTH CERTIFICATE from Galicia

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Lisa

Joined: 20 Jun 2009
Replies: 88

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Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2016 9:29 pm Post subject: BIRTH CERTIFICATE from Galicia - Polish citizenship

My great uncle was born in Galicia, Poland in 1903. I have church records, but was wondering if birth certificates exist from that time. Also, is it possible for someone whose grandfather was born in Poland to obtain Polish citizenship?

Thanks in advance for your assistance.

dnowicki
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Joined: 28 Dec 2011
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Location: Michigan City, Indiana
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Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2016 12:43 pm Post subject:

Lisa,

I don't think that there is a simple answer to your question about obtaining Polish citizenship. Attached is a screenshot of the web page of the Polish Consulate in Chicago where you can begin to research the citizenship question. The other attachment is a list of Polish General Consulates with email addresses. I would suggest contacting a Consulate to get the real scoop.

Re: Birth Certificates----In Galicia aka Austrian Poland priests acted as civil registrars from 1772 until the end of WWI. The way the system worked was that in their capacity as civil registrars the priests made copies of the parish sacramental registers which were submitted to the Austrian government. With the exception of clerical errors in making handwritten copies of the parish registers both copies should be identical.
Birth Certificates were certainly issued in 1903 (as well as in earlier years). Those certificates usually consisted of information which had been extracted from the parish birth and baptism register and which was entered onto the certificate form. Certificates from Galicia were either in Latin or were bilingual (Latin & Polish) and would contain the Latin title "Testimomium Ortus et Baptismi" (Certificate of Birth & Baptism). Towards the end of the certificate a sentence would appear stating that the information contained in the certificate is an accurate rendering of what is found in the birth and baptism register. The priest would certify the accuracy of the contents of the certificate with his signature and the parish seal. Such a certificate served the dual purpose of being a civil record of birth as well as a religious record of baptism. If that is the type of church document you have, then you already possess a birth certificate. If the record you refer to is an image copy of an entry or entries in the actual sacramental register, then you have something even better than a "certificate". Such a record is the real deal. A certificate is actually one step removed from the actual record.

As a general statement about contemporary civil certificates in the USA...A birth or death certificate given to a person is nothing more that a copy (either a photo copy or a computer generated copy) of the medical certificate of birth or of death signed by the physician. The original copy is usually stored in a state or county office of vital stats. A civil marriage certificate is usually the same type of copy of the marriage license with the "certificate" section completed by the person who officiated at the wedding. The county seal on the certificate attests to the fact that this copy is genuine. Of course in 1903 civil registry offices throughout the world didn't have the ability to create photocopies and hence the certificates were written extracts of the info found in the original record.

Hope this helps to answer your questions,

Dave

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