Presented by Dorian Olszewski.

When conducting genealogical research, we often encounter areas where primary sources, such as parish registers, have been destroyed. However, this should not discourage us. Hidden within archival resources are other valuable documents that can help expand your family tree. Examples include land ownership records, military censuses, registers of war exiles, or press announcements. We utilize such sources to enrich the indexes in the ProjektKurpie search engine, enabling everyone to continue their genealogical journey.

Presented by Iwona Dąbrowska.

This presentation will introduce the researcher to the valuable materials in the IPN Archive (Institute of National Remembrance), focusing on two databases, the Indeks Represjonowanych and Straty.pl. The Indeks Represjonowanych (index of the Repressed) is a valuable tool for conducting research on the fate of people repressed by the Soviet Union. The Straty.pl database contains materials concerning the victims and people repressed under German occupation from 1939-1945. The presentation will include what is available in the databases, how to effectively conduct searches, and how to interpret the entries.

Presented by Monika Florek-Mostowska

Tengeru, Tanzania, at the foot of the picturesque Mount Meru, was a place of refuge for Poles from Soviet repression in 1942 - 1950. They relocated to Tengeru from the areas of Ternopil, Polesie, Volhynia, Lviv, Vilna, Novogrudok, Bialystok, as well as from Lodz and Warsaw. Despite the inconvenience of the climate and the threat of malaria, the deportees created a town that had a very well-developed network of schools, hospitals, established an orphanage, an old people's home, as well as numerous service establishments. Cultural and religious life flourished there. For researchers, a digital copy of the 1946 parish population register, held in the archives of the Institute of National Remembrance is available. The register contains a vast amount of information concerning the 4,000 plus Polish people, most of whom were women and children. The register contains detailed personal data of the resident population, including education level, address in Poland, occupation, and annotations about the immediate family (e.g., who among the relatives died in the Soviet Union or whether they are serving in the army). Of interest are the entries under the “Notes” section. There appears information about the skills of parishioners, the work done in the settlement, or personality traits, e.g. “sews well”, “works in a butcher shop”, “gossips”, “the family is in the USA”. The census separately included children in the orphanage and in the boarding school who came to the camp from other centers to continue their education.

Presented by Ewa Mayd.

Large cities, small towns, villages, organizations and individual people all have photos, documents, music, etc. to share and the Community Collections Portal make them all accessible, online, for your genealogical research.  Learn how to use the portal to discover these resources.

Presented by Maria Rągowska.

The SRA was created during WWII due to the necessity to relocate huge masses of people, both within the borders of Poland and from abroad. With time, the scope of their work broadened significantly: apart from dealing with the repatriates and registering their transports, the SRA took care of the settlement action till the very end, and the whole procedure was completed with a deed of grant.

Between 1945 and 1951 the SRA was responsible for the repatriation of Germans. In 1951, the Silesian branch of the SRA closed. The documentation was sent to the State Archive in Wrocław, except for the special part of the documents, which was handed over to the State Tour Agency “Orbis”. From then on, the repatriation action of the Germans was coordinated by “Orbis”. The documents that did not become a part of the archival collection, including the deeds granting land to settlers, were taken over by the Bureaus of the National Council. These documents have been gradually sent back to state archives. The collection at the State Archive in Wrocław is 345: The State Repatriation Authority in Wrocław and its County Branches.

Presented by Mateusz Runjer.

Learn about the faith of the Native Slavs: the gods, demons and other creatures that have existed in the Slavic Native Faith. We will explore the Slavic Native Faith (Rodnover) holidays and traditions associated with them.

We will also shed some light on the topic of the Slavs in general, show some aspects of the culture of the Polish countryside as well as the variety of folk beliefs that appear in everyday life.

Presented by Andrzej Nowik

The Heraldry of the Kingdom of Poland, operating in the years 1837-1861, was an institution dealing with “proving the nobility”. After its liquidation, its functions were taken over by the Council of State of the Kingdom of Poland, and from 1870 by the Department of Heraldry of the Governing Senate in Saint Petersburg. The records of the Heraldry were almost completely destroyed in 1944, but their content can be reconstructed to a large extent on the basis of preserved records of institutions cooperating with the Heraldry and approving its decisions. This included the central authorities of the Kingdom of Poland, and on the basis of records of institutions implementing its decisions, primarily the provincial noble deputations. Private archives play a very important role in research on “proving the nobility” records, especially the collection of Józef Kaczanowski, whose office prepared queries for Heraldry petitioners, and the Pusłowski Archive.

Presented by Tadeusz H. Pilat.

Overview of the system of archive administration and the organization of records into archives in Ukraine and partly in Poland. Lessons learned from visiting and corresponding with archives and civil record offices in Ukraine. Travel tips (and woes) of getting there.