By far, the most easily accessable and useful records for Eastern European genealogy are the records of Birth/Baptism, Marriage, and Death. After the Council of Trent, Roman Catholic parishes were expected to maintain records of the sacraments, and it is these records that are the earliest extant records for most Eastern Europeans.

When researching Polish genealogy, researchers will find a study of Polish history helpful in understanding the changes in the borders and administrative structure of the country over time, the changes in the languages in which genealogically relevant records are written, and the formats of the records themselves.

Genealogical research in Eastern European countries is frequently approached with uncertainty, if not outright dread. The prospects of trying to find and understand records written in a foreign language coupled with the relative inaccessibility of many of the records in Eastern Europe is certainly reason to give many people misapprehensions of starting to research ancestors from Eastern Europe.

It’s time, once again, to make some genealogical resolutions for the New Year. I was able to complete two of my resolutions for 2009: complete the requirements for a Professional Learning Certificate in Genealogical Studies (PLCGS) and travel to Poland. Both were rewarding experiences.

Well, maybe the Carnival of Genealogy (COG) doesn’t make the whole world a better place in which to live, but I’d like to think it does. It certainly makes my world better. Let me give you a little history and tell you why.

I once had a horse. OK, it was only a hobby horse, but it was still a horse. SOURCE: Hobby Horses 1 (Albany, Albany County, New York). Photographed by Jane A. Danko in 1958 or 1959. My sister had an identical horse and our neighbor had a similar one. SOURCE: Hobby Horses 2 (Albany, Albany County, [...]