For about 3 years, my Polish family tree had exactly 762 people in it. I had one branch that had cousins from Poland but they were all born after 1930, so there was no access to any vital records. The others remaining were cousins in the US that I had been able to trace.

In 2017, that all changed. A connection on Geneanet (French genealogy website) with a cousin-in-law in France allowed me to finally move past 762. DNA testing was just coming into its heyday, so DNA tests were useful for matches only, not region/area like it is in 2025. Much like DNA, my initial family tree of 762 has increased to the tens of thousands; I’ve found that putting together a family tree was very much like solving a puzzle and so I started adding in family lines that while not related to me, were part of my ancestors’ FAN club (friends, associates and neighbors).

But why keep this to myself? It can be daunting to share your work with the public, with others not agreeing or having the same methodology as you. Some may even reject my work. However, I go back to that time when I had 762 people in my tree and all I needed was a nugget to break through my brick wall. So, it is now time to share my work, in the hope that it too will help someone’s brick wall.

At the time of this posting, there are 60,209 individuals in this tree and it has been a work in progress for over 10 years. As family trees go, it will always be a work in progress; my belief is that they are never finished. My vision is that one day I can document every Roman Catholic Pole in Western Galicia in this tree but for now, I’ll just take it step by step.

Nevertheless, I do want to share my methodologies and reasons for why and how things are listed in the Galician Poles tree.

Genealogical Methodologies

• Cite, cite, cite! As mentioned, this tree was started over 10 years ago and at that time, my citing sources skills were not standard. All new additions added are cited, but some of the earlier entries were not. I am going back and adding the source, but it takes time. Thank you for your patience.
• Cite this website as a source. If you use this in your own research, please list it as a source. The same goes for the indexes at www.galicia-gen.com; please cite it so others know where you received your information from.
• Birth, Baptism, Death and Burial Dates: Many early records up to about 1820 or so will only list one date in birth and death records. My methodology has been to use that date as the date of birth or death. For baptism dates, I use the same date as the birth. For burial dates, it is two days after the death date.
• First Names: For simplicity, I use the standard full names in Polish – no nicknames. If there is a nickname, I enter it as a nickname. For example, many times Maria and Marianna are used interchangeably. I choose to use Marianna, not Maria. Additionally, I use the Polish name, not Latin like the record is written in.
• Surnames: There are so many different ways to spell surnames, and many times it changes from village to village. I choose to take the most popular way a surname was spelled and use that. If someone is listed with an alternate spelling, I will add it as an alternate surname. Examples: Micek & Mycek, Rachfał & Rachwał, Wołosz & Wołos, Czachor and Czachur
• Pronunciation and Spelling: My native language is American English. I make no claim to be an expert in Polish and over the last 10 years, have learned basic pronunciation and spelling. I have done my best to make sure the diacritics are accurate but I am only human, and mistakes occur.
• Record Availability: Galician records are most widely available between the years 1784-1918. 1784 was when the Austrian empire required a columnar form; most records before were in paragraph form. However, some records before 1784 do still exist but most were lost during WWII.
  Records before 1890 are generally kept at the Parish Church, with records 1890 and later are at the Civil Registry Office (USC). This is a general rule and there are always exceptions. It is best to do your own research on the parish you are looking for.
• Location names: This subject needs its own post, as there is a lot to discuss. The village name may be the same over the last 500 years, but the county, country and/or empire has changed many times over that timeframe.
• Photos & Media: This was not the primary function of this tree, but media will be added. I’ll provide contact information if you would like to share your photos to the tree if your ancestors are in here as well.
• Updates: You can visit the What’s New page to see the most recent additions.

I fervently hope that the Galician Poles tree can help you in your own research. If it has helped and you feel generous enough to make a monetary donation to keep this website running, you can do so at this link. Thank you in advance!