eppstein@garfield.columbia.edu (David Eppstein) (12/13/85)
A week or so I wrote a message here asking if anyone knew how to research ancestors from what is now Poland. I thought I'd share with you the advice and results I got. First, try the Genealogical Society of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (you know, the Mormons). The have managed to get permission from the eastern European governments (and west Europe, and other parts of the world) to film various old records. In particular, I found that they seem to have records for the community of Bydgoszcz, Poland, also known as Bromberg, from which one of my ancestors came. After Christmas I will try sending away to see if this helps. Second, not for eastern Europe but for other countries, I have had good luck asking the appropriate government offices for birth, marriage, and death certificates. These typically only go back to the mid nineteenth century, but that's still often further than people alive today remember, and also it will nail down dates and places that otherwise might only be hearsay. Third, a good book on Jewish genealogy that was recommended to me is From Generation to Generation, by Arthur Kurzweil. It seems to be mostly aimed at genealogists who are themselves Jewish, but it is also helpful for people like me who are not but who have some Jewish ancestors. In it are the above and many other suggestions. -- David Eppstein, eppstein@cs.columbia.edu, seismo!columbia!cs!eppstein (note that the garfield in my headers is *not* the one in the UUCP map)