Judith R. Frazin is the author of three editions of A Translation Guide to 19th-Century Polish-Language Civil-Registration Documents (including Birth, Marriage and Death Records).

In 2010, the IAJGS granted Frazin its award for “Outstanding Contribution to Jewish Genealogy via the Internet, Print or Electronic Product.”

The Polish Genealogical Society of America recognized her contribution to genealogy by giving her its Wiglia Award in 2000.

A genealogist for forty-five years, she is an experienced presenter and researcher, served as president of the JGS of Illinois for ten years and was a member-at-large on the IAJGS Board for three years.

“How to Bring Your Polish Ancestors to Life” (Tues-173), 1:30-2:45 P.M.

If your wandering relatives lived in Russian Poland and some nearby locations in the 19th century, this presentation may help you to bring your ancestors to life as individuals. Documents in this era were written in the Polish language in a narrative style, and most of them mention ages, occupations and family relationships. This information will help you to see your relatives as real people, not just as vital-record statistics.

This presentation talks about several important factors that will impact your Polish research, and uses examples from the speaker’s award-winning book to provide a step-by-step explanation for abstracting genealogical information from the documents. Unlocking the meaning of these documents requires patience and practice, but it can be done even if you do not know the Polish language.

Topic: Specific countries or geographic areas (Poland)