Because of the complexities of the border changes throughout history, this article is restricted to the time period 1807-1918 and to the area that would become the Congress Kingdom of Poland.  Because the Congress Kingdom of Poland was administered by Russia, it is commonly called Russian-Poland, although none of the territories it included were part of the Russian Partitions of Poland.  All the territories in the Congress Kingdom of Poland were part of the Prussian Partition and the Austrian Partition.

09 July 1807 – 13 Oct 1809:  Duchy of Warsaw

The Treaties of Tilsit signed between France and Russia on 07 July 1807 and between France and Prussia on 09 July 1807 established the Duchy of Warsaw from territories obtained by Prussia in the Partitions of Poland.  Included were the former Prussian Kammerdepartments of South Prussia, East Prussia (except for the area around Białystok which was awarded to Russia), New Silesia, and part of the Kammerdepartment of West Prussia (Kulmerland and part of Netzedistrikt).

The administrative structure of the Duchy of Warsaw can be expressed as follows:  name of city or village, powiat, department, nation.

For any given village, town, or city in the Duchy of Warsaw, the names of the powiat and department can usually be found in the civil registrations from that time period.  Initially, there were six departments:

• Bydgoszcz
• Kalisz
• Łomża
• Płock
• Poznań
• Warsaw

14 Oct 1809 - 09 June 1815:  Duchy of Warsaw

The administrative structure of the Duchy of Warsaw can be expressed as follows:  name of city or village, powiat, department, nation.

For any given village, town, or city in the Duchy of Warsaw, the names of the powiat and department can usually be found in the civil registrations from that time period.

On 14 Oct 1809, four additional departments in the southeast were added to the Duchy of Warsaw from territories obtained by Austria in the Partitions of Poland (West Galicia and the Zamość Powiat of Galicia), for a total of ten departments:

• Bydgoszcz
• Kalisz
• Kraków
• Łomża
• Lublin
• Płock
• Poznań
• Radom
• Siedlce
• Warsaw

09 June 1815 – 15 January 1816:  Congress Kingdom of Poland

The administrative structure during this time period can be expressed as follows:  name of city or village, powiat, department, nation

The powiats and departments remained the same as during the Duchy of Warsaw, except that the departments of Bydgoszcz and Poznań had been returned to Prussia, leaving a total of eight departments:

• Kalisz
• Kraków
• Łomża
• Lublin
• Płock
• Radom
• Siedlce
• Warsaw

16 January 1816 – 06 March 1837:  Congress Kingdom of Poland

The administrative structure during this time period can be expressed as follows:  name of city or village, obwód, voivodeship, nation.

Powiats and departments were now called obwóds and voivodeships, respectively.  I have assumed that the names and boundaries of the powiats did not change when they became obwóds.  At this point there were eight voivodeships:

• Augustów (formerly Łomża Department)
• Kalisz
• Kraków
• Lublin
• Mazowsze (formerly Warsaw Department, although some territory of the Warsaw Department was transferred to Płock)
• Płock
• Podlasie (formerly Siedlce Department)
• Sandomierz (formerly Radom Department).

07 March 1837 – 1841:  Congress Kingdom of Poland

The administrative structure during this time period can be expressed as follows:  name of city or village, obwód, gubernia, nation.

The structure remained the same as in 1816 – 1837, except that voivodeships were now called gubernias.  I have assumed the boundaries and names of the obwóds remained the same as before.

1841-1842:  Congress Kingdom of Poland

The administrative structure during this time period can be expressed as follows:  name of city or village, obwód, gubernia, nation.

In 1841, the Kraków Gubernia was renamed the Kielce Gubernia.  I have assumed the boundaries and names of the obwóds remained the same as before.  The gubernias were now:

• Augustów
• Kalisz
• Kielce (formerly Kraków Gubernia)
• Lublin
• Mazowsze
• Płock
• Podlasie
• Sandomierz

1842 – 1844:  Congress Kingdom of Poland

The administrative structure during this time period can be expressed as follows:  name of city or village, powiat, gubernia, nation.

The structure remained the same as before, but the obwóds were now called powiats.  I have assumed that the boundaries and names of the powiats remained the same.

1844 – 1867:  Congress Kingdom of Poland

The administrative structure during this time period can be expressed as follows:  name of city or village, powiat, gubernia, nation.

This was a major reorganization of the administrative structure.  I have assumed that both the gubernias and powiats were reorganized and that the powiats were the same as they are shown on the maps on the PGSA website at http://www.pgsa.org/PolishMap.php

After combining and renaming the gubernias, the five gubernias during this time period were:

• Augustów (the former Augustów Gubernia and the eastern part of the former Płock Gubernia were combined)
• Kalisz (the former Kalisz Gubernia, the southwestern part of the former Mazowsze Gubernia, and the western part of the former Kraków Gubernia were combined)
• Lublin (the former Lublin Gubernia and the former Siedlce Gubernia were combined)
• Radom (the former Sandomierz Gubernia and the eastern part of the former Kraków Gubernia were combined)
• Warsaw (the western part of the former Płock Gubernia and the northeastern part of the former Mazowsze Gubernia were combined)

1867 – 1893:  Vistula Land, Russian Empire

The administrative structure during this time period can be expressed as follows:  name of city or village, powiat, gubernia, land, nation.

The former Warsaw Gubernia was split into the Warsaw and Płock Gubernias, the former Augustów Gubernia was split into the Suwalki and Łomża Gubernias, the former Lublin Gubernia was split into the Lublin and Siedlce Gubernias, the former Kalisz Gubernia was split into the Kalisz and Piotrków Gubernias, the former Radom Gubernia was split into the Radom and Kielce Gubernias.  The ten gubernias in this time period were:

• Kalisz (split from the former Kalisz Gubernia)
• Kielce (split from the former Radom Gubernia)
• Lublin (split from the former Lublin Gubernia)
• Łomża (split from the former Augustów Gubernia)
• Piotrków (split from the former Kalisz Gubernia)
• Płock (split from the former Warsaw Gubernia)
• Radom (split from the former Radom Gubernia)
• Siedlce (split from the former Lublin Gubernia)
• Suwalki (split from the former Augustów Gubernia)
• Warsaw (split from the former Warsaw Gubernia)

For the most part, the structure of the gubernias and powiats matches the 1907 maps of the Kingdom of Poland on the website of the Polish Genealogical Society of America (PGSA), except that in this time period Płonsk Powiat was part of the Płock Gubernia instead of the Warsaw Gubernia and Pułtusk Powiat was part of the Łomża Gubernia instead of the Warsaw Gubernia.  The 1907 General Map of the Kingdom of Poland is on the PGSA website but is so small it’s not useful, but I have a better copy of the 1907 General Map of the Kingdom of Poland that one can click on to enlarge.

1893 – 1912:  Vistula Land, Russian Empire

The administrative structure during this time period can be expressed as follows:  name of city or village, powiat, gubernia, land, nation.

In 1893, Płonsk Powiat was transferred from the Płock Gubernia to the Warsaw Gubernia, and Pułtusk Powiat was transferred from the Łomża Gubernia to the Warsaw Gubernia.   The 1907 maps of the Kingdom of Poland on the website of the Polish Genealogical Society of America (PGSA) accurately represent the administrative divisions during this time period, although the maps do not acknowledge that the Kingdom of Poland had been entirely incorporated into the Russian Empire as the Vistula Land.

1912 – 04 November 1916:  Vistula Land, Russian Empire

The administrative structure during this time period can be expressed as follows:  name of city or village, powiat, gubernia, land, nation.

In 1912, some territory from the eastern parts of the Lublin and Siedlce Gubernias was transferred to a newly formed Chełm Gubernia and the newly formed Chełm Gubernia itself was moved from the Vistula Land to the Southwestern Land of the Russian Empire.  Except for this change, the names of the gubernias and powiats remained as before.

05 November 1916 -11 Nov 1918:  Regency Kingdom of Poland

The administrative structure during this time period can be expressed as follows:  name of city or village, powiat, gubernia, nation.

In 1916, Germany and Austria-Hungary proclaimed that the former Vistula Land would now be the Kingdom of Poland, free of Russian rule.  The land had been secured in 1915, but the name of the new country was not proclaimed until 05 November 1916.  I have referred to the Kingdom of Poland during this time period as the Regency Kingdom of Poland to distinguish it from the other governmental structures call Kingdom of Poland.  On 11 November 1918, the Kingdom of Poland was disestablished when the Second Polish Republic was formed.  During this time period, the actual borders of the Regency Kingdom of Poland were not specified.  Although the area was jointly administered by Germany and Austria-Hungary, I have assumed that the gubernias and powiats remained as before.

Copyright © 2011 by Stephen J. Danko

The Family History Library has microfilm copies of at least some of the records of sixteen parishes in the Pułtusk Powiat: Dzierżenin, Gąsiorowo, Gzy, Klukowo, Nasielsk, Obryte, Pniewo, Pokrzywnica, Przewodowo, Pułtusk, Smogarzewo, Szyszki, Winnica, Zambski, Zatory, and Żeromin.

While in Salt Lake City, I did not have time to examine the records of the Obryte, Pniewo, Pokrzywnica, Przewodowo, Pułtusk, Smogarzewo, Winnica, Zatory, or Żeromin parishes, but their positions on the map suggest that all of these parishes belonged to the Pułtusk Powiat (Obwód).

All sixteen parishes (and their associated villages) belonged to the following administrative divisions:

1807-1815:  Village, Pułtusk Powiat, Płock Department, Duchy of Warsaw
1815-1816:  Village, Pułtusk Powiat, Płock Department, Congress Kingdom of Poland
1816-1837:  Village, Pułtusk Obwód, Płock Voivodeship, Congress Kingdom of Poland
1837-1842:  Village, Pułtusk Obwód, Płock Gubernia, Congress Kingdom of Poland
1842-1844:  Village, Pułtusk Powiat, Płock Gubernia, Congress Kingdom of Poland
1844-1867:  Village, Pułtusk Powiat, Augustów Gubernia, Congress Kingdom of Poland
1867-1893:  Village, Pułtusk Powiat, Łomża Gubernia, Vistula Land, Russian Empire
1893-1915:  Village, Pułtusk Powiat, Warsaw Gubernia, Vistula Land, Russian Empire
1915-1918:  Village, Pułtusk Powiat, Warsaw Gubernia, Regency Kingdom of Poland

Copyright © 2010 by Stephen J. Danko

The Family History Library has microfilm copies of at least some of the records of ten parishes in the Maków Powiat: Czerwonka, Gąsewo, Karniewo, Krasnosielc, Maków Mazowiecki, Płoniawy, Póżan, Sieluń-Majorat, Szelków, and Szwelice.

The microfilmed records in the Family History Library do not indicate the administrative divisions to which the parishes of Czerwonka, Płoniawy, Sieluń-Majorat, and Różan belonged, but their positions on the map suggest that all of these parishes belonged to the Pułtusk Powiat (Obwód). The records of the parish of Płoniawy began in 1929. Prior to that, the parish was located in Podoś.

The parishes of Czerwonka, Gąsewo, Karniewo, Maków Mazowiecki, Płoniawy (Podoś), Póżan, Sieluń-Majorat, Szelków, and Szwelice (and their associated villages) belonged to the following administrative divisions:

1807-1815:  Village, Pułtusk Powiat, Płock Department, Duchy of Warsaw
1815-1816:  Village, Pułtusk Powiat, Płock Department, Congress Kingdom of Poland
1816-1837:  Village, Pułtusk Obwód, Płock Voivodeship, Congress Kingdom of Poland
1837-1842:  Village, Pułtusk Obwód, Płock Gubernia, Congress Kingdom of Poland
1842-1844:  Village, Pułtusk Powiat, Płock Gubernia, Congress Kingdom of Poland
1844-1867:  Village, Pułtusk Powiat, Augustów Gubernia, Congress Kingdom of Poland
1867-1915:  Village, Maków Powiat, Łomża Gubernia, Vistula Land, Russian Empire
1915-1918:  Village, Maków Powiat, Łomża Gubernia, Regency Kingdom of Poland

The parish of Krasnosielc (and its associated villages) belonged to the following administrative divisions:

1807-1815:  Village, Przasnysz Powiat, Płock Department, Duchy of Warsaw
1815-1816:  Village, Przasnysz Powiat, Płock Department, Congress Kingdom of Poland
1816-1837:  Village, Przasnysz Obwód, Płock Voivodeship, Congress Kingdom of Poland
1837-1842:  Village, Przasnysz Obwód, Płock Gubernia, Congress Kingdom of Poland
1842-1844:  Village, Przasnysz Powiat, Płock Gubernia, Congress Kingdom of Poland
1844-1867:  Village, Przasnysz Powiat, Augustów Gubernia, Congress Kingdom of Poland
1867-1915:  Village, Maków Powiat, Łomża Gubernia, Vistula Land, Russian Empire
1915-1918:  Village, Maków Powiat, Łomża Gubernia, Regency Kingdom of Poland

Copyright © 2010 by Stephen J. Danko

The Family History Library has microfilm copies of at least some of the records of nineteen parishes in the Ciechanów Powiat: Ciechanów, Ciemniewko, Glinojeck, Gołymin, Grudusk, Koziczynek, Krasne, Kraszewo, Lekowo, Łopacin, Łysakowo, Malużyn, Niedzbórz, Opinogóra, Pałuki, Sońsk, Sulerzyż, Zeńbok, and Zielona.

All these parishes (and thier associated villages) belonged to the following administrative divisions:

• 1807-1815:  Village, Przasnysz Powiat, Płock Department, Duchy of Warsaw
• 1815-1816:  Village, Przasnysz Powiat, Płock Department, Congress Kingdom of Poland
• 1816-1837:  Village, Przasnysz Obwód, Płock Voivodeship, Congress Kingdom of Poland
• 1837-1842:  Village, Przasnysz Obwód, Płock Gubernia, Congress Kingdom of Poland
• 1842-1844:  Village, Przasnysz Powiat, Płock Gubernia, Congress Kingdom of Poland
• 1844-1867:  Village, Ciechanów Powiat, Płock Gubernia, Congress Kingdom of Poland
• 1867-1916:  Village, Ciechanów Powiat, Płock Gubernia, Vistula Land, Russian Empire
• 1916-1918:  Village, Ciechanów Powiat, Płock Gubernia, Regency Kingdom of Poland

Copyright © 2010 by Stephen J. Danko

The Family History Library has microfilm copies of at least some of the records of thirteen parishes in the Przasnysz Powiat: Baranowo, Bogate, Brodow Łaki, Chorzele, Czernice, Duczymin, Dziergowo, Krzynowłoga Mała, Krzynowłoga Wielka, Pawłowo, Przasnysz, Węgra, and Zaręby.

All these parishes (and thier associated villages) belonged to the following administrative divisions:

• 1807-1815:  Village, Przasnysz Powiat, Płock Department, Duchy of Warsaw
• 1815-1816:  Village, Przasnysz Powiat, Płock Department, Congress Kingdom of Poland
• 1816-1837:  Village, Przasnysz Obwód, Płock Voivodeship, Congress Kingdom of Poland
• 1837-1842:  Village, Przasnysz Obwód, Płock Gubernia, Congress Kingdom of Poland
• 1842-1844:  Village, Przasnysz Powiat, Płock Gubernia, Congress Kingdom of Poland
• 1844-1866:  Village, Przasnysz Powiat, Warsaw Gubernia, Congress Kingdom of Poland
• 1867-1915:  Village, Przasnysz Powiat, Płock Gubernia, Vistula Land, Russian Empire
• 1815-1918:  Village, Przasnysz Powiat, Płock Gubernia, Regency Kingdom of Poland

For reasons I don’t understand, the records for Baranowo state that the parish was in the Pułtusk Powiat up through 1810, but changed to the Przasnysz Powiat in late 1810. According to the maps, however, Baranowo should have been in the Przasnysz Powiat all along.

Copyright © 2010 by Stephen J. Danko

The Family History Library catalog classifies places according to the administrative divisions at the beginning of the 20th century, a time when most of our Polish ancestors immigrated to the United States. One advantage of this classification system is that it corresponds to the time when the Słownik Geograficzy Królestwa Polskiego was written and when the 1907 Map of the Kingdom of Poland was drawn.

My goal in the Family History Library was to examine the civil registration records  in these parishes in order to identify the administrative divisions to which the parishes belonged in five time periods: 1807-1815, 1815-1816, 1816-1837, 1837-1844, and 1844-1867. To do this, I really only needed to look at the records for the year 1808, since the administrative divisions for this part of Poland in all these time periods can be deduced fairly easily from the administrative structure in 1808.

Typically, only the civil registration records from 1808-1825 included the names of the administrative divisions in the records themselves. During this time, the names of the administrative divisions changed from powiats and departments to obwóds and voivodeships, and so I checked the registers for a number of years throughout this time period just to verify that my conclusions about the names were correct.

While in Salt Lake City, I was able to examine at least some parishes in each of the following powiats:

• Ciechanów Powiat, Płock Gubernia, Vistula Land, Russian Empire
• Maków Powiat, Łomża Gubernia, Vistula Land, Russian Empire
• Mława Powiat, Płock Gubernia, Vistula Land, Russian Empire
• Płock Powiat, Płock Gubernia, Vistula Land, Russian Empire
• Przasnysz Powiat, Płock Gubernia, Vistula Land, Russian Empire
• Pułtusk Powiat, Warsaw Gubernia, Vistula Land, Russian Empire

Coming up: the results of my research.

Copyright © 2010 by Stephen J. Danko

Because the borders of Poland changed so often throughout history, genealogists may find that correctly identifying the name of the places where vital events in the lives of their ancestors occurred may be a difficult task if they attempt to enter the names of the places as they were known at the time of the events.

Many genealogists simplify the matter by entering the place names as they are known today, by entering the place names as they were known at the end of the 19th century / beginning of the 20th century (when their ancestors arrived in the United States), or simply by entering the name of the village with the nation identified as “Poland”.

Entering the place names as they are known today suffers from the disadvantage that, when the administrative divisions change again, all the place names previously entered will be incorrect. Entering the place names as they were known at the end of the 19th century / beginning of the 20th century fails to account for the fact that the place names changed during the lives of our ancestors. Entering the place names simply as Name of Village, Poland often does not provide enough information to clearly identify the place, especially when the name of the village is common, such as Nowa Wieś, Stare Miasto, or Grądi.

Many genealogists feel that the best way to identify a place in space and time is to list the place name as it was known at the time of the event. By doing so, the genealogist not only identifies the place unambiguously, but also adds valuable historic context to the event by describing the geopolitical landscape at the time of the event. And so, I have decided to take this approach in identifying the places where my own ancestors lived.

My 4th great grandfather, Tomasz Niedziałkowski, was born in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Several of his children were born in Prussia, but his youngest child, my 3rd great grandfather Antoni Niedziałkowski, was born in the Duchy of Warsaw. Wojciech Niedziałkowski, my 2nd great grandfather, was born in the Congress Kingdom of Poland as was my 1st great grandfather, Teofil Niedziałkowski. My grandfather, Kostanty (Konstanty) Niedziałkowski, was born in the Russian Empire. My Niedziałkowski ancestors were born in five different countries even though they were all born in the same general area of Poland. These border changes provide information about their lives that would be lost if I did not record the place names as they were at the times of the events.

For this reason, I wrote several posts on how the administrative structure of Poland affected the place names throughout history. This work is still incomplete, especially for those parts of Poland that were annexed by Austria and Prussia. Nonetheless, I have described this work-in-progress to identify the place names as they were throughout Polish history in the following articles:

• Describing Place Names in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth 1569-1795
• Describing Place Names in the Duchy of Warsaw 1807-1815
• Describing Place Names in the Kingdom of Poland 1815-1816
• Describing Place Names in the Kingdom of Poland 1816-1837
• Describing Place Names in the Kingdom of Poland 1837-1844
• Describing Place Names in the Kingdom of Poland 1844-1867
• Describing Place Names in the Vistula Land 1867-1915

This is just a start in my effort to correctly identify the names of the places where the vital events in my ancestors’ lives occurred, as they were known at the time of the events.

Copyright © 2010 by Stephen J. Danko

On 22 January 1863, a spontaneous protest against mandatory conscription into the Russian army broke out in Poland. The Russian government bitterly suppressed this January Uprising, as it had the November Uprising which began on 29 November 1830. The aftermath of the January Uprising included complete incorporation of the Kingdom of Poland into the Russian Empire, where it was officially called the Vistula Land (Kraj Nadwiślański in Polish).

In 1867, the Polish language was replaced by Russian in official state business and education. Thus, after 1867, civil registration records were maintained in Russian rather than Polish. In reality, the exact date the language of the civil registration records changed from Polish to Russian differed from parish to parish. In fact, some parishes maintained the civil registration records in both languages for several years. Nonetheless, Polish civil registration records after 1867 were generally recorded in Russian.

The administrative structure of the country also changed considerably. The former Kingdom of Poland was divided into ten gubernias. In addition, the substructure of the gubernias was reorganized, so that the names and the borders of the powiats themselves changed.

In 1893, some territory from the Płock and Łomża Gubernias was transferred to the Warsaw Gubernia.

In 1912, some territory from the Lublin and Siedlce Gubernias was transferred to a newly formed Chełm Gubernia, and the Chełm Gubernia itself was moved from the Vistula Land to the Southwestern Land of the Russian Empire.

As of 1907, the gubernias and powiats in the Vistula Land were:

gubernia kaliska (Kalisz Gubernia)
powiat kaliski
powiat kolski
powiat koniński
powiat łęczycki
powiat sieradzki
powiat słupecki
powiat turecki
powiat wieluński

gubernia kielecka (Kielce Gubernia)
powiat jędrzejowski
powiat kielecki
powiat miechowski
powiat olkuski
powiat pińczowski
powiat stopnicki
powiat włoszczowski

gubernia łomżyńska (Łomża Gubernia)
powiat kolneński
powiat łomżyński
powiat makowski
powiat mazowiecki
powiat ostrołęcki
powiat ostrowski
powiat szczuczyński

gubernia lubelska (Lublin Gubernia)
powiat biłgorajski
powiat chełmski
powiat hrubieszowski
powiat janowski
powiat krasnostawski
powiat lubartowski
powiat lubelski
powiat nowo–aleksandryjski
powiat tomaszowski
powiat zamojski

gubernia piotrkowska (Piotrków Gubernia)
powiat będziński
powiat brzeziński
powiat częstochowski
powiat łaski
powiat łódzki
powiat nowo–radomski
powiat piotrkowski
powiat rawski

gubernia płocka (Płock Gubernia)
powiat ciechanowski
powiat rypiński
powiat lipnowksi
powiat mławski
powiat płocki
powiat przasnyski
powiat sierpecki

gubernia radomska (Radom Gubernia)
powiat iłżecki
powiat koński
powiat kozienicki
powiat opatowski
powiat opoczyński
powiat radomski
powiat sandomierski

gubernia siedlecka (Siedlce Gubernia)
powiat bialski
powiat garwoliński
powiat konstantynowski
powiat łukowski
powiat radzyński
powiat siedlecki
powiat sokołowski
powiat węgrowski
powiat włodawski

gubernia suwalska (Suwalki Gubernia)
powiat augustowski
powiat kalwaryjski
powiat maryampolski
powiat sejneński
powiat suwalski
powiat władysławowski
powiat wylkowyski

gubernia warszawska (Warsaw Gubernia)
powiat błoński
powiat gostyński
powiat grójecki
powiat kutnowski
powiat łowicki
powiat nieszawski
powiat nowo–miński
powiat płoński
powiat pułtuski
powiat radzymiński
powiat skierniewicki
powiat sochaczewski
powiat warszawski
powiat włoclawski

Note that the above list includes the names of the gubernias in both Polish and English, but only the Polish names of the powiats are listed. The corresponding English name of the powiats may be generated by using the term “Powiat” followed by the name of place where the powiat seat is located. For example, powiat pułtuski is Pułtusk Powiat in English. Genealogists may specify a place name in the Vistula Land from 1867-1915 as follows:

name of city or village, powiat, gubernia, land, nation

for example:

Krasne, Ciechanów Powiat, Płock Gubernia, Vistula Land, Russian Empire

or, if one prefers to write the place name in Polish:

Krasne, powiat ciechanowski, gubernia płocka, kraj nadwiślański, imperium rosyjskiego

The names of most of the powiats and gubernias can be gleaned from the 1907 map of the Kingdom of Poland online at the website of the Polish Genealogical Society of America. Note that the pages of the website incorrectly call the major subdivisions województwa while the maps themselves correctly call the major subdivisions gubernii.

The 1907 General Map of the Kingdom of Poland is also available on this blog. The 1907 maps of several of the powiats are reproduced on this blog and are linked in the list above.

The advent of the Great War (World War I) would have great impact on Poland, as Austria and Germany attempted to create a puppet state, but eventually Poland reemerged as an independent nation.

Other articles in this series:

Copyright © 2010 by Stephen J. Danko

In 1844, the Russian Authority reorganized the administrative structure of the Kingdom of Poland, combining and renaming some of the gubernias.

At this time, the Lublin Gubernia increased in size when the existing Lublin Gubernia merged with the Podlasie Gubernia, the Radom Gubernia was created from the combination of the Kielce and Sandomierz Gubernias, and the Warsaw Gubernia was created from the combination of the Kalisz and Masovian Gubernias. In 1844, only five gubernias still existed:

gubernia augustowska (Augustów Gubernia)
gubernia lubelska (Lublin Gubernia) created from the combination of the Lublin and Podlasie Gubernias
gubernia płocka (Płock Gubernia)
gubernia radomska (Radom Gubernia) created from the combination of the Kielce and Sandomierz Gubernias
gubernia warszawska (Warsaw Gubernia) created from the combination of the Kalisz and Masovian Gubernias

Genealogists may specify a place name in the Kingdom of Poland from 1844-1867 as follows:

name of city or village, powiat, gubernia, nation

for example:

Krasne, Przasnysz Powiat, Płock Gubernia, Kingdom of Poland

or, if one prefers to write the place name in Polish:

Krasne, powiat przasnyski, gubernia płocka, Królestwo Polskie

The Kingdom of Poland was also known informally as Congress Poland (Kongresówka). In my own records, I call the nation established by the Congress of Vienna the “Congress Kingdom of Poland” in order to differentiate this nation from the Kingdom of Poland that existed from 1025-1569 and the Kingdom of Poland proposed as a puppet state by the German Empire and Austrian Empire from 1916-1918.

In 1867, after the failed January Uprising that broke out on 22 January 1863, the Kingdom of Poland was officially incorporated into the Russian Empire and became known as the Vistula Land (Kraj Nadwiślański in Polish) of the Russian Empire.

Other articles in this series:

Copyright © 2010 by Stephen J. Danko

As a result of the November Uprising of 29 November 1830 – 05 October 1831, the Russian authority of the Kingdom of Poland reorganized the administrative structure of the Kingdom of Poland to bring it more in line with that of the Russian Empire. On 07 March 1837, the Voivodeships were renamed Gubernias (singular gubernia, plural gubernii) and, in 1942, the Obwóds were renamed Powiats (singular powiat, plural powiaty).

The eight Gubernias from 1837 to 1841 were:

gubernia augustowska (Augustów Gubernia)
gubernia kaliska (Kalisz Gubernia)
gubernia krakowska (Kraków Gubernia)
gubernia lubelska (Lublin Gubernia)
gubernia mazowiecka (Masovian Gubernia)
gubernia płocka (Płock Gubernia)
gubernia podlaska (Podlasie Gubernia)
gubernia sandomierska (Sandomierz Gubernia)

In 1841, the Kraków Gubernia was renamed the Kielce Gubernia. This was a reasonable move since Kraków was never part of the Kraków Gubernia, but instead was a free city (until 1846).

The eight Gubernias from 1841 to 1844 were:

gubernia augustowska (Augustów Gubernia)
gubernia kaliska (Kalisz Gubernia)
gubernia kielecka (Kielce Gubernia)
gubernia lubelska (Lublin Gubernia)
gubernia mazowiecka (Masovian Gubernia)
gubernia płocka (Płock Gubernia)
gubernia podlaska (Podlasie Gubernia)
gubernia sandomierska (Sandomierz Gubernia)

Genealogists may specify a place name in the Kingdom of Poland from 07 March 1837 to 1842 as follows:

name of city or village, obwód, gubernia, nation

for example:

Krasne, Przasnysz Obwód, Płock Gubernia, Kingdom of Poland

or, if one prefers to write the place name in Polish:

Krasne, obwód przasnyski, gubernia płocka, Królestwo Polskie

Genealogists may specify a place name in the Kingdom of Poland from 1842 to 1844 as follows:

name of city or village, powiat, gubernia, nation

for example:

Krasne, Przasnysz Powiat, Płock Gubernia, Kingdom of Poland

or, if one prefers to write the place name in Polish:

Krasne, powiat przasnyski, gubernia płocka, Królestwo Polskie

The Kingdom of Poland was also known informally as Congress Poland (Kongresówka). In my own records, I call the nation established by the Congress of Vienna the “Congress Kingdom of Poland” in order to differentiate this nation from the Kingdom of Poland that existed from 1025-1569 and the Kingdom of Poland proposed as a puppet state by the German Empire and Austrian Empire from 1916-1918.

To directly learn the names of the Obwód (Powiat) and Voivodeship (Gubernia) to which a village belonged, the researcher should consult the civil registrations recorded in the corresponding parish during the 1817-1826 time period. Most civil registrars of the time included the names of the Obwód and Voivodeship directly in the records.

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Copyright © 2010 by Stephen J. Danko