A group of volunteers started a project aimed at indexing vital records form a historical region in the eastern part of Poland called Podlasie or Podlachia. The name of the website www.indeksy.projektpodlasie.pl may be misleading as the project also covers a neighbouiring region of Mazowsze (Mazovia).
Once you register at www.indeksy.projektpodlasie.pl/index.php/rejestracja you will get access to indexes of vital records, mortgage registers and selected court records.
Here you can check what parishes have been indexed so far, along with the information on the number of indexed acts within each parish.
You will also find a detailed map showing parishes located in the area covered by the project.
How to use the database?
- set up a free account
- log in to your account
- go to www.indeksy.projektpodlasie.pl/index.php/wyszukiwarka and type in the surname you seach for in the box labeled NAZWISKO
- you may wish to narrow your search to a selected type of records (births, marriages, deaths) and a location. In that situation use the drop – down menu.
- click the search button (SZUKAJ)
Tips:
- when looking up a parish or searching a surname ,use a Polish version of the website – when you switch to English it will automatically translate every „translatable” word i.e. the surname Biały gets changed to White and the parish of Jednorożec – to Unicorn. The best way to aviod confusion is to use both Polish and English versions simultanously in two sepatate browser windows and compare their contents.
- check www.szukajwarchiwach.pl and www.familysearch.org for scanned images of the records. If they are available you will easily find corresponding image using information from the indexes.