For other Prussian territories, refer to the Kingdom of Prussia in section 2. Historical German Kingdoms.
This page focuses on the central and eastern portions of Poland, historically known as
CONGRESS POLAND. Other names for this region include:
- Mittelpolen
- Russian Poland
- Kingdom of Poland
- Duchy of Warsaw
Congress Poland consisted of the Duchy of Warsaw except for some portions of the Torun (german Torn), Poznan (g. Posen), and Bydgoszcz (g. Bromberg) districts which were given to Prussia. The balance of the territory was given some measure of independence though it was ruled strongly by Russia. Several rebellions occurred with the last ending in 1863 with defeat by the Russians. At this time Russia clamped down hard on the Poles, insisting on Russian as the official language and effectively removing Polish nobility from any power they may have had.
Poland regained independence after World War I. In doing so, it regained vast portions of land from Russia (roughly half of what it had held prior to the partitions) and Austria (all of the pre partitioned lands plus a little more). It also took back large portions of the former Prussian lands, regaining access to the Baltic Sea through what was known as the Polish Corridor. After World War II, much of the land Poland had regained to the east was returned to Russia and Ukraine. It took over additional land from Germany as compensation. This included former Prussian territories to the north and Silesia to the west and south.
Throughout these changes, hundreds of thousands of Germans lived in various parts of these Polish territories, often maintaining farms for their Polish landlords (nobility).
[Primary historical source: A Panorama of Polish History; Hanna Cierlinska - Editor; Interpress Publishers, Warsaw - Publisher; also available in French, German, Polish, and Spanish]
A downloadable alphabetical topical index for Wandering Volhynians is available at the Odessa Digital Library.
Important Note: The religion of your ancestor will not always match the religion of the parish with the record. For example, if a Lutheran lived in an area where there was no Lutheran Church, he would have to register b/m/d at the local Catholic Church. A Mennonite might chose to register at the protestant Lutheran Church rather than the Catholic Church. In the early 19th century, Jews were not allowed to do their own civil registration so they were forced to register at the Catholic Church. If you cannot find your ancestor where you think he should be, then try checking the records of other churches in the area.
WANDERING VOLHYNIANS offers listings of LDS microfilm numbers specific to Congress Poland and assistance in locating parishes.
- Evangelische Kirchen und Schulen in Kongresspolen 1865 [Evangelical (Lutheran)
Churches and Schools in Congress Poland 1865]
- Kolonien in Kongresspolen 1835 [Colonies in Congress Poland 1835]
From the book: Die Deutschen in Polen seit der Reformation - Oskar Kossmann
- Karte der Deutschen Siedlungen in Mittelpolen [Map of German Settlements in Central
Poland]
From the book: Deutsche Gaue in Mittelpolen - Albert Breyer
In North America, there is at least one commercial resource for European historical and
genealogical maps including the following. Details can be found at Genealogy Unlimited.
1:200,000 As far east as Kiew / Odessa
1:300,000 East Prussia, Pomerania, Silesia, Upper Silesia
1:25,000 & 1:100,000 German Empire of 1871
1:300,000 Euro-Reiseatlas Polen 1993 (modern road map of Poland)
A variety of East European maps are available on line from the FEEFHS MAP ROOM
All books covering the history and genealogy of Germans in Poland are in either the German or Polish languages. This is why the English language Wandering Volhynians magazine is so important to North American researchers. It contains translated exerpts from many of these sources. In spite of the language barrier, lists and maps in these books are relatively easy to read so they should not be ignored. This list is far from complete but represents a good start for research.
- Die Deutschen in Polen seit der Reformation
Oskar Kossmann / J.G Herder-Institut - Marburg 1978
- Deutsche Gaue in Mittelpolen
Albert Breyer / Verlag Gunther Wolff - Plauen im Vogtland 1935
- Kolonizacja Niemiecka w Poludniowo-Wschodniej Czesci Krolestwa Polskiego
w Latach 1815-1915
Wieslaw Sladkowski / Wydawnictwo Lubelskie