Lodz Area Research Group: Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I begin my research?

Study these resources first for good background information:

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How do I find general information about my town?

Click here to find links to information, KehilaLinks sites or online Yizkor books translations for over 80 towns in LARG; connect with other researchers familiar with researching your town.
International Jewish Cemetery Project includes a description of your town's location, pre-war Jewish population, and location and condition of your town's Jewish cemetery. Click on the above link, scroll down the page to "Poland," then click on the link with the first letter of your town name.

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How do I find the location of my town or nearby towns?

Find your town's location with Shtetlseeker.
See List of Towns in LARG, for latitude and longitude coordinates for your town.
For a list of all towns within a specified radius of your town, go to Shtetlseeker Radius Search and enter your town's latitude and longitude coordinates.
See this section in the LARG home page: Area of Inclusion

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How do I locate Jewish vital records from my town or nearby towns?

First, see Vital Records in Poland for an excellent in-depth discussion of Jewish vital records in Poland by Warren Blatt.
Find out what LDS Jewish microfilms exist for your town and nearby towns, based on geographic coordinates.
Family History Library Catalog Place Search: use a Place Search to find catalog entries about a place or records from a place; results include microfilmed Jewish records, microfilmed Evangelical and Roman Catholic records (useful for searching pre-1826 Christian records that may include Jewish records among them), and books.
See the Jewish Records Indexing-Poland home page, and
Search the JRI-Poland Database for online indices to 19th century Jewish vital records contained in Mormon (LDS) microfilms plus indices to late 19th century records not microfilmed by the LDS.
- See Contents of the JRI-Poland Database for a list of the LDS microfilms indexed in this database.
- See the JRI-Poland /Polish State Archives Project for information about ongoing initiatives to obtain indices to late 19th century records not microfilmed by the LDS.
For aids in reading Polish vital records, see A Translation Guide to 19th-Century Polish-Language Civil-Registration Documents and an English translation of Polish Occupations Definitions.
See A Guide to Researching Jewish Vital Records in the Lodz Archives for helpful general research tips and specific information about the Lodz archives.

How do I find information about my surnames?

For links to lists of Jewish surnames from your town, see Contents of the JRI-Poland Database.
Search the JRI-Poland Database for online indices to 19th century Jewish vital records contained in LDS microfilms and other resources.
Search the JewishGen Family Finder and the Family Tree of the Jewish People to make contact with others researching your surnames or town.
Search Family Links for web site other researchers have created about their family trees, searchable by surname or town name. There you have an opportunity to create your own family web page or, if you already have a family web page, link it to JewishGen Family Links.

How do I find information about Holocaust victims or survivors?

See this page: Tracing Holocaust Victims and Survivors.
Read online selections from How to Document Victims and Locate Survivors of the Holocaust, by Gary Mokotoff.
For information about the Lodz ghetto, see Lodz Names: A Record of the 200,000 Inhabitants of the Lodz Ghetto.
See the Yizkor Book Project for locations of Yizkor books, online excerpts and necrologies from various towns.
See Landsmanschaft Organizations, with contact information for immigrant benevolent societies in Israel. If you are seeking information about Lodz, see Lodzer Landsmanschaften for contact information.
Search the Holocaust Global Registry.
Search Holocaust related JewishGen Databases, linked from the JewishGen Home Page

For questions or comments, please contact the LARG Mailing List.