A rare and wonderful record from Poland is the parish census. I have only ever seen a parish census from one parish in Poland – Gzy, and I’ve only seen four years of that census – 1782, 1783, 1784, and 1785.
My fifth great-grandparents, Bonawentura (Bonifacy) Burski and Helena Krzyczkowska, and my fifth great-granduncle, Wojciech Burski, are listed in the 1782 Gzy Parish Census with their families.
The census is arranged into columns:
Column Headers of the Gzy Parish Census for 1782
SOURCE: Parafia pw. św . Walentego (Gzy, ziemia ciechanowska, województwo mazowieckie, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth). “Ks. Metrykalne par. Gzy; K. Urodzonych oraz Sumariusz 1781-1804. [Metrical Books of the Parish of Gzy; Book of Births with Summary 1781-1804.],” Gzy Parish Census (1782); Archiwum Diecezjalne w Płocku.
I can’t read the column headers very well, but they refer to the following groups:
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Children up to 7 years of age
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Children from 8 to 17 years of age
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Household members 18 years of age and older
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Octogenarians
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[?]
-
[?]
-
[?]
In the 1782 census, the families of Bonifacy Burski and Wojciech Burski were enumerated immediately after each other.
1782 Gzy Parish Census for Bonifacy Burski and Wojciech Burski
SOURCE: SOURCE: Parafia pw. św . Walentego (Gzy, ziemia ciechanowska, województwo mazowieckie, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth). “Ks. Metrykalne par. Gzy; K. Urodzonych oraz Sumariusz 1781-1804. [Metrical Books of the Parish of Gzy; Book of Births with Summary 1781-1804.],” Gzy Parish Census (1782); Archiwum Diecezjalne w Płocku.
The records show the following information:
Household of Bonifacy Burski
Age 18 and older:
GGDD Bonifacy Burski
Helena, wife
Stefan, son
Magdalena, sister, [farmer ?]
Maryanna KaligowskaAge 8-17:
Baltazar, son
Paweł, grandson
Household of Wojciech Burski
Age 18 and older:
GGDD Wojciech Burski
Elzbieta, wife
Antoni, son
Piotr, son
Barbara Burska
These census records provide information included no other records of the time period: family groups.
Still, questions remain. Pawel is Bonifacy’s grandson, but whose son is he? Who is Maryanna Kaligowska and why is she living with Bonifacy? Who is Barbara Burska and why is she living with Wojciech? Are Bonifacy and Wojciech related, and how?
Copyright © 2009 by Stephen J. Danko
Hi, Steve,
Good resource! Where did you find it? I realize from the archdiocesan archive, but…microfilmed by FHL? On site in Poland? Researcher? Just curious. YOu don’t hear too much about foreign census records (though England’s 1911 is making news now).
Donna