Russian Poland refers to parts of Poland that were in the Pale of Settlement controlled by the Russians in the 19th century. The Times Atlas of European History is an excellent reference for this. There were three partitions of Poland in the 18th century when Poland was carved up between Russia, Austria and Prussia (1772 to 1795). Then Napoleon appeared on the scene and created the Grand Duchy of Warsaw, which sought to recreate Poland again, from out of some of the dismembered parts (though it was much smaller then before). After Napoleon's defeat in 1815 at the Battle of Waterloo, the Congress Kingdom of Poland was created which came under the loose influence of Russia (constitutionally it was in union with Russia rather than run by it). Gradually Russia increased its grip resulting in a Polish rebellion in 1831. There was still a Polish parliament of sorts and Polish was still the official language. However, this all changed with an even stronger grip by the Tsar, resulting in the 1863 Polish uprising in which Jews were involved. This combined with a severe famine in the Baltic area in late 1860's and early 1870's, led to a total takeover by the Russians and removal of past freedoms. In c 1866-7 Russian eclipsed Polish as the new official language, the Parliament was dissolved (and new administrative areas agreed - the Gubernias) and Jewish boys were conscripted into the army as young as 12 years old, for a 25 year period. All four sets of my great grandparents left between 1865 and 1875 to escape the famine, conscription and post-uprising clamp down. Jill Whitehead, Surrey

Thanks for the information, Jill. I think we all now understand the possibilities and the historical perspective so consider the Russia/Poland thread closed. We can continue to help David with the UK portion of his problem. Jackye Sullins In her new place in Westchester, CA > Russian Poland refers to parts of Poland that were in the Pale of Settlement > controlled by the Russians in the 19th century. The Times Atlas of European > History is an excellent reference for this. > > > Jill Whitehead, Surrey