Central and Eastern European Jewish lineages.

My wife's family, Private User, on both maternal and paternal sides, are from Poland. They imigrated in the US in the late-1800s and early 1900s.

I can tell you we are having a devilish time trying to connect her family to the Big Tree. As it stands now, they are connected to the Big Tree but only through my wife's marriage to me.

I am sure we will keep finding more in time, but for now, after three months of research, we have been able to go back only to the early 1800s and the profiles we created have yet to be connected to the Big Tree (i.e. finding other connections other than through me).

Most families can only go to the early 1800s or best around 1780. There were no surnames until around 1800 in Eastern Europe with exceptions such as Krakow that was part of Austro-Hungary. Krakow families and rabbinical families and some others in Western Europe can go back further.

On one line I can go back hundreds of years because it's a well documented rabbinical family, but otherwise I stop at around 1800 in NE Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and not even that far back in Ukraine.

morel - She is connected thru her marriage to you, so she is connected. If more connections of her to the World Tree is a very high priority for you - you might be able to find some by building out horizontally at various places, and/or back from the spouse of an ancestor of hers (or, depending on age and family situation, from the spouse of a sibling or child) - and possibly then forward, sideways, and back again.

morel - If your wife's family is Polish Christian, there is a Polish curator and another Polish user fluent in English who does fine work, who I could introduce you to. I am good at Polish Jewish records, especially for certain areas of NE Poland.

From your wife's surname, It seems that she might not be Jewish, but let me know one way or another if you need help.

My family is Polish Christian. I would like to meet the Polish use and the curator as well. I will certainly need their help with translation of Polish sources.

You meet many users from Poland in this project: http://www.geni.com/projects/Geni-Polska/14318

Just post your requests in the project discussions.

Our curator from Poland is Andrzej Hennel

Thanks Private User.

I'll go look for the name of the Polish user who has been very active too.

Andrzej Hennel has been helpful.

Thank you for this information!

I believe it is Private User who actually started this portal. I have had a number of good conversations with him in the past.

Hello Private User and morel,

Of course I'm willing to help you with whatever I could. Posting a request in our Geni Polska project is a good idea. Provide us with the information especially about places in Poland you're certain about. There are a lot of Polish people with great knowledge about specific areas.

I hope we can find something interesting.

Best wishes,

KW

P.S.
And of course I can help you with the translations.

Thanks Private User and everyone for your help. We will most certainly need it, and of course, we will take any chance we have to return the favour. Thanks also for your invitation to join the Project Polska.

Thank you Karol! I am composing a list of family names and locations where they lived in Poland to submit to Project Polska.