Hi Debbie,Thank you for your reply. Heading into new territory again, would you mind terribly to confirm I've understood what you explained and have the correct websites for addresses to use?Stepping up to the diocese level to search for church records, is this the correct diocese for the Sniadowo parish?http://www.kuria.lomza.pl/ And, when you mentioned the USC, I didn't know what that referred to. But after looking things up, I am now realizing that the person making the calls for me skipped the lowest level of civil archives and that's what the USC is, the gmina level. The sequence should have been to contact the Sniadowo civil archives first INSTEAD of the Lomza civil archives in case records didn't get turned over to the powiat level. The website with the address to use is http://www.sniadowo.powiatlomzynski.pl/ correct? Simple now but it felt as if I was studying for an exam!Thank you,mick > Date: Mon, 28 Mar 2011 14:28:54 -0500 > From: [email protected] > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [POLAND] Koziki Poland/Sniadowo parish/census records > > Mick, > > Poland Roots, once again is refusing my emails. Conspiracy? LOL > > > Mick, > > The church's "census" or "Spis Parafialny" in Polish, is not to be > considered a census and it is not a civil census. I do have experience > with the Spis from Bukowsko in southeastern Poland. In fact, along > with two volunteers we've indexed it by surname (about 1,000 pages). > > The Spis Parafialny (Status Animarum in Latin) is the Roman Catholic > church's record of parishioners in a given parish. The priest visits > each home annually and records the people living in each home, > updating information (births, deaths, marriages). This visit takes > place to make sure parishioners have satisfied their religious > requirements, for the priest to bless the house and to accept > donations. The Spis is not seen as a bona fide legal document as the > information is based on memory and it is never verified against church > or civil records. However, in the absence of church or civil records > the Spis can certainly be used to glean information such as other > family members, spouses, births, deaths, marriages, emigration, and so on. > > The Spis, _if_ it is archived, would be found at the diocesan > archives. However, your first letter should be to the parish priest to > see if he has the book(s). The Spis was not intended to be an > archived record, however, I am sure most priests would find it > difficult to toss; needing space, they might send it to the diocese. > > It wouldn't hurt to check with the diocesan archives just to make sure > they don't have the records you want or have copies of them. I've > found that priests don't always know what happened to church records > before they arrived on the scene. Don't assume that the priest is > correct about a fire destroying the records. Check out all the > possibilities yourself. > > Also, don't ignore the Urza~d Stanu Cywilnego (USC) for civil records > which may not have been turned over to the wojewo~dztwo (province's) > archives. > > Debbie > > > Mrs. MICK wrote: > > Hi all - back to looking for info on my grandfather Joseph Jastrzembski again. > > After determining that "my" Koziki is a village of the Sniadowo gmina and Sniadowo parish, I was extremely fortunate to have a Polish speaking person contact the Sniadowo parish. Unfortunately the parish doesn't have any 19th century records due to the church's fire during the war (my search years were 1884-1888). Then he called the Lomza civil archives which have some records from Śniadowo or Koziki but unluckily they're dated after 1890 (after my grandfather's birth range). > > First question, would there be another place to look for his birth record other than the local parish or the local civil archives? > > Then, I thought I could try to confirm that the family did live there in hopes to eventually find out what happened to them. I was told the Lomza archives website (http://www.bialystok.ap.gov.pl/lomza/index.html) indicates it has the census files Sniadowo 1901 - 37. (I had help as this website is only in Polish). I was told they will answer letters in English so I took a try at an email in English. (The only info I have is the parents names, the sisters' possible names and the village name - I don't know what is required.) > > In the meantime, I was trying to understand more about Polish census records. First I read that the only general census records for that region were:(Russian Partition) 1897 General census of population in the Congress Kingdom of Poland (only one carried in that area until WW I)(Poland) 1921 First General Census of Population post WW I Poland; then in 1931Then I read a 2005 post by Debbie Greenlee about an annual census by the parish which I'm assuming might be what the Lomza archives has (based on the dates it gives).http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/POLAND-ROOTS/2005-08/1125501292 > > > > Does anyone have experience with census records in this area of Poland from either the parish or one of the general census mentioned? > > Thanks so much!!!mick > > > > > >