Where are birth records for Galicia?

Posted by admin | July 14th, 2011

I’m trying to find records for my great grandfather who was born in Galicia. I’m not even sure exactly where that is. I believe somewhere in Austria but I’ve read it’s also a part of Hungary and Poland. Anyway where can I find birth records for Galicia from 1888?

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3 Responses to “Where are birth records for Galicia?”

  1. Juanaquena says:
    July 14, 2011 at 11:03 am

    Good information from Remster & Shirley T. Be sure to read that cited Wikipedia.org article about the Eastern European area called Galicia. Look at the maps.

    To add . . .
    Since what was the Eastern European area called Galicia in the late 1800s was an autonomous province of Austria-Hungary (the Austro-Hungarian empire) & the languages most commonly used in that area at the time were German, Polish, Ukranian, or Ruthenian, it will help to start looking for a birth or church christening record (or synagogue naming record if your g-grandfather & his family were Jewish) if you can figure out just where in Galicia his family lived & where he was born.

    Once you can figure that out (if you can), the most likely source for a birth record would be through the church (synagogue?) to which his family belonged in his birth location. Such records may or may not exist – wars, fires & floods destroy written records. If his family was Jewish, synagogue records could definitely have been destroyed during World War II. Churches & their records were also destroyed during WWII.

    Also, if you can figure out the actual geographic location in Galicia where his family lived/he was born, & if you can figure out what church (synagogue?) might have had his birth (christening/naming) record, & if the religious entity still exists (or if the records exist & are kept in some other archives or repository, & if you can find out where that may be), & if a record can be found – how are your German or Polish or Ukrainian or Ruthenian language reading skills & what is your skill level in reading the old fashioned style script often used for documents in that part of the world in the late 1880s?

    On top of all this – the records, if they still exist, may only be in paper form & not transcribed or scanned electronically & available "on the web." Finding something will probably require one going to the actual location where a document might be archived & looking through paper records "the old fashioned way," by hand and eye.

    Yes, I realize all my "ifs" are discouraging. If the search for such a record is extremely important to you, you may have to hire a professional genealogist (who reads the relevant possible languages & who also speaks & can translate into English) in the area where your g-grandfather lived to conduct the research for you. The result may be that nothing can be found because the record was destroyed in the past.

    If you haven’t already tried them. . .
    There may be a surname/family name message board for his last name on one of the free genealogy message board sites:
    Rootsweb.com
    http://boards.rootsweb.com/?o_iid=33216&o_lid=33216&o_sch=Web+Property
    Genealogy.com
    http://genforum.genealogy.com/index.html
    Note – the surname may have taken on different spellings over time.

    Both Rootsweb.com and Genealogy.com have geographic location genealogy message boards too.
    * Rootsweb.com – Galicia:
    http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.ceeurope.histreg.galicia/mb.ashx
    * Genealogy.com – no message board just for Galicia – you would have to look in/post queries in all relevant message boards:
    http://genforum.genealogy.com/regional/countries/

    If you have not already looked at these message boards to see if anyone else is researching the same or a related family line & if you have not posted your own queries, you will need to register (free) for both sites to post a query or reply to a message. If you post queries, be patient. It can take years & years before someone else who has info may see your messages & reply.

    In case your g-grandfather & his family were Jewish, if you are not familiar with it, you may wish to register for & look at the resources of Jewish Gen:
    http://www.jewishgen.org

    Sorry to seem grim here. I’m being realistic.

    This is a link for some more direction regarding Galician genealogical research:
    http://www.feefhs.org/links/galicia.html

    If you have not already checked the main genealogy collection of your local public library system/network (probably at the main/headquarters branch), it may hold some books & periodical/journal articles that mayl help you. A reference librarian can help you find what the library holds. Also, ask about books (from the list in the web site given below) that the library does not hold & which the library staff may be able to find for you at another library (InterLibrary Loan.)

    This web site provides a bibliography that may prove useful to you:
    http://www.halgal.com/bibliography.html

    Librarians–Ask Us, We Answer!
    Find your local Public Library at:
    http://www.publiclibraries.com/
    Find your College/University Library at:
    http://lists.webjunction.org/libweb/Academic_main.html

    Best wishes

  2. Shirley T says:
    July 14, 2011 at 11:03 am

    You probably need to find church baptismal records. In times past the churches were the repository for vital records even for Jewish records. Jews had to record their vital information with the local priest or pastor..

    I know in the U. S. it was the first quarter of the 20th century before many states started recording and issuing certificates on births and deaths. You could be enrolled at school, get a job, join the military, apply for and receive a social security number etc without a birth certificate.

    Now if your great grandfather had social security then a copy of his application for a social security number would be filled out by him giving his name, his date and place of birth and the names of both of his parents including mother’s maiden name and their places of birth.

    http://genealogy.about.com/od/online_records/a/ss5_request.htm

    Also his death certificate probably has the same information but is not a reliable as an application for a social security number. The death certificate information usually comes from widow or widower in a very trying time and she might not remember all the information on her inlaws.

  3. Remster says:
    July 14, 2011 at 11:03 am

    Shirley’s hint on checking the parish records may indeed, be your only bet. Note however, that many churches were devastated during the many wars that went through the region between the late nineteen century and today. There is an unfortunate chance that the records don’t exist anymore.

    There are two regions called Galicia in Europe, that of Spain and that currently shared between Poland and Ukraine, north of the Carpathian mountains. It is not Hungary and it is not Austria, but when the name actually functioned (as it doesn’t quite function today) was, among other times, during the times of the Austro-Hungarian rule over Galicia. It seems then you are referring to this Galicia.

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