Historical Context
In order to fully understand the history of our families, it is beneficial to know the history of the country they came from and the historical context of the communities they formed. This very brief history is just a short outline to orient you to the historical background of your family and ultimately to help you locate international records.
- Study Polish history to understand records from the old country and learn more about your ancestors' lives.
- Determine what country or state your ancestor's hometown would have belonged to during a particular time period (did your ancestor come from the Russian, Prussian, or Austrian partition?).
- Seek out Polish local histories and resources in ethnic collections stateside to gain a better understanding of the community your ancestors lived in.
Partition Period
The Polish state was divided up by its three neighboring countries: Prussia; Russia; and Austria beginning in 1772. These land seizures are also known as partitions, and mark a period of upheaval and confusion as three foreign governments were imposed on the nation. This period of time is important for your genealogy research as it is important to understand how the changing borders resulted in changing town names and distinct record-keeping styles. Understanding this history also provides important historical context which influenced the migration of the Polish people.
1. The First Partition began in 1772. Austria received the southern portions of Krakow, Sandomierz, a portion of Polish Silesia, and part of Podolia. Russia received Inflanty, and the provinces of Polock, Witebsk, Mscislaw and Minsk. Prussia took parts of Pomerania, parto of Wielkopolska, and Kujawy.
2. The Second Partition consisted of a massive seizure of land by Russia and Prussia, who seized 250,000 and 57,000 square kilometers of land respectively.
3. The Third Partition took place in 1795, and all three occupying forces seized additional land, with Russia taking the most territory.
Retrieved from Brittanica.com
Further Reading
- An Outline History of Poland byCall Number: JFE 88-3472ISBN: 832232118XPublication Date: 1987-02-01
The History of Poland since 1863 by Call Number: JFE 94-12763ISBN: 0521275016Publication Date: 1983-05-19This is an account of the evolution of Poland from conditions of subjection to its reconstruction in 1918, development in the years between the two World Wars, and reorganisation after 1945.
The Lands of Partitioned Poland, 1795-1918 by Call Number: JFE 76-242ISBN: 0295953519Publication Date: 1975-01-01The Lands of Partitioned Poland, 1795-1918 comprehensively covers an important, complex, and controversial period in the history of Poland and East Central Europe, beginning in 1795 when the remnanst of the Polish Commonwealth were distributed among Prussia, Austria, and Russia, and culminating in 1918 with the re-establishment of an independent Polish state.
