Przemysl State Archive

Przemyśl State Archive is known in Poland and abroad because of the resources as follows:

1. Fond 142 – Vital records of Greek Catholic church of Przemysl Diocese. Przemysl Greek Catholic Diocese was delegalized after WW2 and all vital records were moved to Przemysl State Archive.

Link to the fond:

https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/en/zespol/-/zespol/125912

If you look for particular town e.g. Stubno you click on List of files andyou type Stubno and you have results:

https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/en/zespol?p_p_id=Zespol&p_p_lifecycle=0&_Zespol_id_zespolu=125912&_Zespol_nameofjsp=jednostki&_Zespol_sygnatura=&_Zespol_tytul=Stubno&_Zespol_data_od=&_Zespol_data_do=

We can see that Greek Catholic records of Stubno are available from 1784 to 1871

Fond 142 does not have only vital records but also other precious documents like parchment and paper documents of Royal and papal office from 1291 – 1923 (privileges for the church, for clergy and faithful of Eastern rite, act of nomination for the bishop, documents regarding creation of GC churches, property matters, buy sell contracts of rectories and church land) There are also dean’s visitations and statistical data about diocese (lists of parishioners and parishes of each deanery, descriptions of churches, inventories of churches and parish buildings, diocesan schematisms. There are also church authorities documents (encyclics and apostolic letters of the church, diocesan synods records, directives and pastoral letters of bishops, central authorities of Diocese records). There are state authorities records regarding Przemyśl GC bishop (extracts from land and city records, Austrian authorities documents) We have here also documents regarding diocesan clergy and records regarding monasteries and religious organizations. There are diocesan institutions records and financial documents regarding estates belonging to Przemysl GC bishop. There are also school records in diocese.

• Fond 126 – Geodetic Archive.

This fond consists of hundreds of towns and villages with their maps from 1850’s and documents called operats. Operats have documents that allows to locate on the map ancestral house and fields that each farmer owned. I attach separate document with list of maps of towns that are in Przemysl. Majority of these towns has also operats.

Link to find 126:

https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/zespol/-/zespol/125896

The towns from letters A to L are available online.

You click on Series and you have list of towns:

https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/en/zespol?p_p_id=Zespol&p_p_lifecycle=1&p_p_state=normal&p_p_mode=view&_Zespol_javax.portlet.action=zmienWidok&_Zespol_nameofjsp=serie&_Zespol_id_zespolu=125896

If you want to check what maps is available from e.g. Stubno you click on list of files:

https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/en/zespol?p_p_id=Zespol&p_p_lifecycle=1&p_p_state=normal&p_p_mode=view&_Zespol_javax.portlet.action=zmienWidok&_Zespol_nameofjsp=jednostki&_Zespol_id_zespolu=125896

and in the field name of fonds you type Stubno

We can see that there is Stubno map from 1849:

https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/en/zespol?p_p_id=Zespol&p_p_lifecycle=0&_Zespol_id_zespolu=125896&_Zespol_nameofjsp=jednostki&_Zespol_sygnatura=&_Zespol_tytul=Stubno&_Zespol_data_od=&_Zespol_data_do=

The information on how to locate ancestral house is on my facebook page here:

https://www.facebook.com/polishrecords

List of house and land owners from Galicia from 1780’s and 1820 so called Metryka Józefinska and Franciszkańska are located in Lviv State Archive. I attach the inventory of all towns that can be found there. I attach also list of maps in Rzeszow State Archive.

• Roman Catholic vital records from Przemysl Diocese.

Majority of them start around 1890 and the older ones are in in Przemysl Catholic Archive. These vital records were kept in Civil Registry Offices and when they became older than 100 years in case of births and 80 years in case of marriage/deaths they were moved to Przemysl State Archive. Part of Civil Registry Office books from south eastern Poland are also in Sanok and Rzeszow State Archive. We do not have all records that are more than 100 or 80 years old because very often they were in one book. It means that these books will be moved to the Archive when they are 80 or 100 years old. In case of marriages and deaths it can be in 2025.

How to check your ancestral town? You click on link:

https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/en/strona_glowna

The you type ancestral town e.g. Kaszyce:

https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/en/wyszukiwarka

And then you click on Pradziad

Here we can see that Kaszyce records are available from 1890 to 1916.

The easiest way to view the scans is as follows:

1. Click on Kaszyce Commune Orły:

https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/en/zespol?p_p_id=Zespol&_Zespol_javax.portlet.action=zmienWidok&_Zespol_nameofjsp=pradziad&_Zespol_id_zespolu=90008239&_Zespol_rowId=9000037710&_Zespol_cur=1 Click on Reference code

https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/en/zespol/-/zespol/158556\

1. Click on list of files:

https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/en/zespol?p_p_id=Zespol&p_p_lifecycle=1&p_p_state=normal&p_p_mode=view&_Zespol_javax.portlet.action=zmienWidok&_Zespol_nameofjsp=jednostki&_Zespol_id_zespolu=158556

• Click on Księga urodzeń, małżeństw i zgonów (birth, marriages and deaths)

https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/en/jednostka/-/jednostka/34093555

• Click on select all and then download. Thus you will have all scans of Kaszyce town

1. Notary records

How to quickly find what Notary records that are available in Przemysl. Click on this link:

https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/en/web/archiwum-panstwowe-w-przemyslu/zespoly

Type in the film name of the fonds Notariusza:

https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/en/web/archiwum-panstwowe-w-przemyslu/zespoly?p_p_id=ZespolyWeb_INSTANCE_zEpUTaJhvA5o&p_p_lifecycle=0&_ZespolyWeb_INSTANCE_zEpUTaJhvA5o_mvcPath=%2Fzespoly.jsp

Then you will have all notaries available in Przemysl State Archive from the towns as follows:

1. Biecz
2. Bircza
3. Bóbrka
4. Bukowsko
5. Brzozów
6. Cieszanów
7. Dębica
8. Dobromil
9. Dubiecko
10. Dukla
11. Dynów
12. Frysztak
13. Głogów Małopolski
14. Gorlice
15. Jarosław
16. Jaworów
17. Kolbuszowa
18. Komarno
19. Krakowiec
20. Krosno
21. Lubaczów
22. Leżajsk
23. Lutowiska
24. Łańcut
25. Mielec
26. Mościska
27. Nisko
28. Niżankowice
29. Pilzno
30. Pruchnik
31. Przemyśl
32. Przeworsk
33. Radomyśl
34. Radymno
35. Ropczyce
36. Rozwadów
37. Rymanów
38. Rzeszów
39. Sanok
40. Sądowa Wisznia
41. Sieniawa
42. Sokołów
43. Strzyżów
44. Tarnobrzeg
45. Tyczyn
46. Ulanów
47. Ustrzyki Dolne
48. Zassów

Notary records have buy-sell contracts, pre-marital contracts, donations, testaments, legalization protocols, indexes, promissory notes, statements, security deposits, abolition of co-ownership agreements.  Documents of special interests are so called Repertorium – it consists of list of all cases with surnames of parties. Thanks to this document we can quickly check who is in the notary records. Alphabetical indexes are also very helpful with finding the person we look for.

• School Records

You need to enter this link of advanced search:

https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/en/wyszukiwarka-zaawansowana

In the fileds It contains all of the words you type e.g. Szkoła (or Gimnazjum – old name for secondary school) and then e.g. Przemyśl

and then search

 If we look for records from 1800’s we can narrow down the research to 19^th century:

School records have information of parents of student, date of birth and nationality.

School records consists of classification catalogues and school attendance, school reports, protocols of meetings of pedagogical council, chronicles of school, grade sheets, class schedules, lists of students, school activities reports, youth organizations activities reports,

1. Judiciary records

The situation with judiciary records is as follows; you can photograph the records that are more than 100 years old only and you can view the records that are more 70 years old. Many records and the information who they concern are not available on https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/en/strona_glowna because of privacy law. The cover of records has the name of the person they concern.

In order to check what court is in Przemysl you enter this link:

https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/en/web/archiwum-panstwowe-w-przemyslu/zespoly

Then in the field name of fonds you type Sąd (court)

We can see that we have courts as follows:

1. Biecz
2. Bircza
3. Błażowa
4. Brzozów
5. Bukowsko
6. Cieszanów
7. Dębica
8. Dubiecko
9. Dukla
10. Dynów
11. Frysztak
12. Głogów
13. Gorlice
14. Jasło
15. Kolbuszowa
16. Krakowiec
17. Krosno
18. Lubaczów
19. Łańcut
20. Mielec
21. Mościska
22. Nisko
23. Niżankowice
24. Pruchnik
25. Przemyśl
26. Przeworsk
27. Radomyśl Wielki
28. Radymno
29. Ropczyce
30. Rzeszów
31. Sambor
32. Sanok
33. Sądowa WIsznia
34. Sieniawa
35. Sokołów
36. Strzyżów
37. Tarnobrzeg
38. Tyczyn
39. Ulanów
40. Żmigród

In the judiciary records we will find heirship cases, testaments, guardianship matters, criminal records, civil cases, mortgage records, registers of civil trials, land records, maps.

• Commune records in the Archive:

In order to check what commune (Gmina) records are in the Archive you type Gminy here:

https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/en/web/archiwum-panstwowe-w-przemyslu/zespoly?p_p_id=ZespolyWeb_INSTANCE_zEpUTaJhvA5o&p_p_lifecycle=0&_ZespolyWeb_INSTANCE_zEpUTaJhvA5o_mvcPath=%2Fzespoly.jsp

Then you will have the names of all commune records that can be found in Przemysl. Majority of them are quite new starting in 1930’s or 1940’s

In commune records we have plans of work and report of commune commissions, protocols of inspection, books of resolutions, protocols of council meetings, complaints, religious matters, registers of inhabitants, books of control of movement of people, lists of voters, commune budget, registers of farms and amount of land tax, cultural and art matters, Civil Registry Office records, geodetic documents.

There are also documents in specific commune that will not be found in different offices. For example Jarosław commune has index of volksdeutches[1], Americans and Jews or register of bicycles.

• City records. In you are interested in cities you type miasta here:

https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/en/web/archiwum-panstwowe-w-przemyslu/zespoly?p_p_id=ZespolyWeb_INSTANCE_zEpUTaJhvA5o&p_p_lifecycle=0&_ZespolyWeb_INSTANCE_zEpUTaJhvA5o_mvcPath=%2Fzespoly.jsp

And you have all cities that can be found in Przemyśl Archive.

There are cities as follows:

1. Brzozów
2. Jarosław
3. Jaśliska
4. Kańczuga
5. Leżajsk
6. Narol
7. Nowe Miasto
8. Płazów
9. Przemyśl
10. Przeworsk
11. Radymno
12. Rudnik
13. Stanisławów
14. Trembowla
15. Ulanów

City records have a big variety of different kind of documents. Let me provide you what records can be found there on example of city of Jarosław:

Till 1772 (date of first partition of Poland) we have parchments documents (approval of guild statutes, approval of privileges), protocols of court of lay judges, books of testaments, documents of city council, guild books, paper documents (granting and confirmation of privileges, tax matters, reconstruction of the city after disasters.

In the records from 1772 – 1918 (Austrian rules) we will find books of resolutions of city council, books of meetings of municipal council, the books of protocol of magistrate, statutes and regulations, rules and directives of supreme authority, proclamations, personal matters of members and workers of municipal bodies, properties of the commune, internal control, income of commune, loans, taxes, economic matters, matters regarding farming, commerce and industry, cultural and educational matters (construction of schools, lists of students in classes, creation of book stores). Health service matters, local housing economy, religious matters, population register and control of movement of people, matters regarding security and public order. There are renovation and construction records, criminal-administration cases, war losses, Roman and Greek Catholic parish committee.

Records from 1918-1939 have documents as follows: protocols of magistrate meetings, directives of supreme authorities, internal control, personal matters, properties of commune, city companies, budget matters, commune income, culture and schools (register of children according to year of birth, statutes of societies) public health, social care, commerce, industry and craftsmanship, parliament elections, register and control of movement of people, construction matters (register of buildings, building permit, judiciary records.

Records from 1939-1944 have documents as follows:

Directives and regulations of German general government in Krakow and of supreme authorities, directives of local authorities, confidential information for Polish local authorities, the mood of the population, situation in the West front and security of eastern border, register of properties, book of income and spendings, books of land tax and property tax, budges, book of debtors and creditors, social care, city companies, register of industry-tax cards, information from Auschwitz Birkenau camp about arrival of Jarosław city prisoners, register of people deported to Germany for forced labor from Jarosław and surroundings, proclamations of occupation authorities. 

•  The fond that is of particular interest especially among Jewish people is fond 154 of Jewish records. The inventory is not available on the internet because it is still being analyzed.

In order to check what Jewish vital records we have in Przemysl State Archive after typing here name of town:

https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/en/wyszukiwarka

you can select the religion:

---

In case of Jewish records you click on mojżeszowe

1.  Kasa Stefczyka (Stefczyk bank)

Stefczyk bank was very popular among ordinary people from the beginning of 20^th century. These documents might be helpful to people who look for documents confirming Polish nationality of ancestors. The general rule in such proceedings is the more documents the better. In the picture below there is photo from the book of loans. We have here Stanisław Majkowski from Pawłosiów who borrowed 300 krones for 4 years. We have also names of two gurantors: Józef Tomaszowski and Jóżef Frożyński. He took this loan in 1909.

There are Stefczyk bank offices from districts of:

1. Brzozów
2. Gorlice
3. Jarosław
4. Krosno
5. Lesko
6. Lubaczów
7. Mielec
8. Nisko
9. Przemyśl
10. Przeworsk
11. Ropczyce
12. Strzyżow
13. Tarnobrzeg

While looking for documents in case of Polish citizenship proceedings many people are especially interested in census, electoral records and military records. In case of census records there were census in Poland in 1921 and 1931 and these records should be in Lviv State Archive. Przemysl and the area belonged before WW2 to Lviv province. The same thing is in case of electoral records. They also should be in State Archive of Lviv.

The census during Austrian rules of Galicia was carried out 1785-1788 – Metryka Józefińska and then in 1820 – Metryka Franciszkańska and 3^rd Galician cadaster was in 1850’s. However it is important to know that these three census included the farmer who owned the land or house. If they did not own anything we will not find them.

            Military records can be found in Centralne Archiwum Wojskowe in Warsaw. They have military records of Polish soldiers in Great Britain, Haller Army https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Army_(Poland), records of Polish Soviet War of 1920 and soldiers in Polish Army from the time between WW1 and WW2.

            Military records from the time o WW1 can be found in Vienna State Archive. List of soldiers who died, were wounded or who were prisoners of war can be found on Czech Digital library:

https://kramerius5.nkp.cz/search?field=all&value=1915

You type on advanced search the year you are interested in e.g. 1914

Then you type the last name of your ancestor (my relative was Lawrence Lorenowicz so I typed him):

And I found him here:https://kramerius5.nkp.cz/view/uuid:bd76e940-2055-11df-91eb-0013d398622b?page=uuid:67ec3f80-0445-11e7-97b4-5ef3fc9ae867&fulltext=Lorenowicz