Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria Project (Austro-Hungarian Empire) or Poland/Ukraine

Question

I'd like to introduce the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria Project!

How did this project begin?  Initially, I became deeply invested in transcribing records from the homeland of my great-grandparents.  With this project I wanted to create a space for others to collaborate, find resources and share an overall understanding of geographical boundaries from this region.  It's safe to say that many with Slavic roots have a great degree of confusion stemming from general lack of geographical knowledge, history and language barriers. 

Why is Galicia important?  The United States alone received over 1,000,000 immigrants from this area by the 1920 census.  This number only includes those who listed "Galicia" as their birth place (meaning the number is much higher since many may have listed Poland or Russia as the birth place.)  Many other countries, such as Canada and France, also received immigrants by the 100,000s.  There were several various ethnic groups from this area, but primarily they were Poles, Ruthenians/Ukrainians and Jews.

Anyone whose ancestors were from Galicia can be a member.  Please add the {{Member|Galicia}} sticker to your profile so you can be grouped into a category as a Wikitree member researching your Galician roots.  Please note that this project is a self-regulated project and a subproject of the Poland Project.  Directions on how you can help are given on the Project Pages. 

Take a look at the Galicia Project link listed (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Project:Kingdom_of_Galicia_and_Lodomeria) and see how you can better your own profile or help others.  Thank you!

As of 2024, about 95% of the villages in this region have been categorized.  Please use the village category on your ancestor's profiles in order to increase the visibility of your work and collaborate with others who are researching the same area.

Please note that the Poland side of Galicia is intertwined with the Poland Project.  You will see up to three categories for one village location: Polish present day category, English present day category and the historical Galicia category.  You only need to use ONE category for it to show across all three. The Poland Project creates present day village categories for a variety of reasons (ex.to connect cemetery categories.)  

You are free to use the Galicia categories set up for the region situated in Ukraine even if your ancestors fall outside of the 1772-1918 timeframe.  Some time in the future, a protocol for Ukraine may look similar to the Poland Project.  

Comments

Hello everyone who recently left messages!  I'll work in having admin award Galicia Badges to your profiles over the next couple days.  Thank you so much for your interest in helping out!!

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Hello Mike!  When I click on your name, it only takes me to your IP address.  Maybe you were not logged in when you left your message?  You are welcome to send me a message so I can locate you and categorize your ancestor's villages.  Thanks!!

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It's good to hear someone is taking this on.  My Mother-in-law's grandparents, Ewdocha Pyndus & Prokop Mahunik came from Galicia to Pennsylvania pre 1918.  (One from now Poland one from now Ukraine.)  So far I haven't been able to find any information about them prior to arriving in the US.

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I'd like to join this project. My wife and I both are, in part, descending from immigrants to Canada from Galicia. Areas include Michalow, Lazy and others.

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I am interested in helping with this. My great grandparents came from galicia.

Adrian

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I’d love to help as I’m able. My great-grandparents were ethnic Ukrainian, living south of Lviv, near the border with Poland. I’d love to learn how to better research this area and document the people who lived there… specifically in the villages my family was from.

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Hello Christine!  I just added the Galicia, Austria category to your two ancestor's profiles, this way it is a reminder for me to go back and add/or create a specific category for the village where they are from.  Please read through the Galicia Resource page as there is quite a bit of information posted there as to how and where to begin your research.  Thanks!!!!

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Love to help how I can! My family is from Galicia, we have some records although my grandmother recently passed away so it’s a bit harder for me to get some of the originals, but I have some info. My family is from what is now northwest Ukraine near the Polish border.

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Wonderful L. Williams!  I'll leave a comment for you on your profile page. :)

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my grandfather was born in michalowa

Answer 1

I'm bumping this post because the original post has been updated with more information.  Thank you!

Please check the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria Project Page for updates and ways you can help if you have time. This project is now very heavily intertwined with the Poland Project. It will subsequently become intertwined with Ukraine if a project/categorization becomes available in the future. 

Answer 2

Congratulations Skye on the unveiling.  I've been following along on this project for a few weeks now - you've made some amazing progress.  Great job all around!

Answer 3

Nice work, Skye, and a great addition to WT.

Answer 4

Interesting to see what can be done. I will go back to letters to see if I can find more detail. I was just thinking it would be interesting to have a DNA sticker where you could list what Ancestry or 23 and me found. Ancestry just has Eastern Europe but 23 and me shows Polish and Ukrainian. It would be super interesting if we could compare Gedmatch results!

Comments

Interesting Sue that you just show Eastern Europe on one but not the other. I have Poland on Ancestry with the sub-region attached to it. Been that way since I took the test. I uploaded results to 23 and me when they let us for a short time awhile back and it was not detailed at all. I haven't looked in a long time so could have changed. I do know that what I have with Ancestry for sub-regions is right on with the ones I do know where they are from. It was part of Galicia. With that I was glad to see this today in my email about the project. Still trying to find more on my ancestors from there but not much help when the records aren't online for where they are from.

Answer 5

I am interested.  I have ancestors from Binczarowa, Florynka, and Bogusa before 1918, plus a few other towns and villages.

Comments

Hi Daniel!  Would love to have your help!  I'll notify Eowyn, who will add you as a member.

Answer 6

Two of my grandparents where, I believe from Galicia.  Ny grandmother adored Emperor Franz Joseph.  I neither read nor speak Ukrainian or Russian but, I will help in any way possible.

Comments

Hello James!  I have notified Eowyn that you would like to help!  Thank you!

Answer 7

I have family from this region and am supremely geographically challenged, so some of my family who I think are from nearby other countries may turn out to also be from Galicia.  I will try to follow the work of this new project, but am too committed to working on the Holocaust project to be able to contribute to this one, but I'm looking forward to working with you on the significant overlap of these two projects.

By the way, the map above is the first time I have ever understood exactly where Galicia was - THANX a whole bunch!

Comments

Absolutely Gaile!  Please keep in touch as yes, there were many Jewish families from this region.  I will have to find the link, but in the Polish archives I have come across scans regarding Jewish people living in the area (my memory fades me, but I believe it was some kind of work registration and marriage registration.)

Answer 8

Hi Skye,

Great idea and I wish you the best of luck with your project. I'd be happy to help in any way I can.

Have you thought about how to deal with the various ethnic groups that lived in Galicia? I am particularly interested in the Lemkos as they are generally considered a subset of my own Carpatho-Rusyn ancestors. Ethnic/cultural groups and factions that have never had a nationalist identity are more prone than others to being marginalized, if not forgotten completely, by many factors most of which were beyond their control.

I have tried to start a Carpatho-Rusyn project...

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Carpatho-Rusyns_in_America

...but have not yet been able to get it recognized in the grouping of other Slavic peoples.

~Skip -  jmagyar2@comcast.net

Comments

I would love to collaborate with you to see how we can work on identifying specific ethnic groups within the region.  As of now, I have created stickers for the profiles I have worked with.  I know the others I have worked with under the Slavic Roots Umbrella are incredibly helpful.   I'll send you an email. Thank you!

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I am also interested in the Lemkos, and I have added two prominent Lemkos to the Galicia Project.

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Daniel, are you a member of the private FaceBook group,

Lemko Ancestry and DNA?" They are using GEDmatch to help locate cousins and have a special project on GEDmatch. I have found it a great help. There is also a Boyko group, with some of the same people joining both, since some of us aren't sure which group we belong to.

Alexandra (Kissinger) Florimonte

Kissinger-162

Answer 9

I am interested I have worked mainly with the agadd database.  With Roman Catholic records but have done some research on the other two databases.

Comments

Thanks Rae!

Answer 10

Just a thought. How about a sub project for comparing DNA? I don't know how many have taken a test but this is one area I have trouble because my tree isn't big enough to connect to my mother's side which only starts around 1910 in the US.

(We connect on the US side so that doesn't help?)

Answer 11

hello I would like to be art of this project, my ancestors were from Galicia and I would like to learn about thier families. thank you

Comments

Hi Wendy!  I'll let Eowyn know that you would like to be a part of this project. :)

Answer 12

My ancestors came to Canada from western Ukraine, variously known as Ukraine, Austria, Poland, Galacia, of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire.... all from the Ternopil region.  Paternal side immigrated in 1902.  Maternal side immigrated in 1938.   My Ukrainian has become minimal after years of disuse.  I visited Ukraine and my paternal ancestral villages in 1996.  I thought my maternal ancestral village was in Poland, as per their passport, but have recently learned their village is now in Ukraine.  There are multiple sites in different countries, with the same place names, which created more confusion.  I am willing to assist in this project, if there’s something that I can help with. Thanks for this opportunity.  One learns by doing!

Comments

Hi Angie!  You can always work on seeing if there are records available for the village where your ancestors are from and build extended family from your family tree.  As far as your ancestor's passport is concerned, the explanation could be that the western region of present day Ukraine was part of the Second Polish Republic from 1918 until about 1939.  The entire region of Ukraine was then swallowed by the USSR. Ukraine did not claim independence until 1991.  This map is perfect for trying to understand the border changes: Map of European border changes

I'll let Eowyn know you'd like to be a part of this project! :)

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Oh my goodness!  We read about the changes in territory over time but this video is worth watching (several times)  as it clearly illustrates the effects of who came into power and overtook regions.  Thank you for posting!

Answer 13

I don't really have the bandwidth to search, discover, and edit existing profiles.  But, Galicia is now on my radar of interest.  Skye's comment a few days ago blew my mind, and helped my brain make a connection I just couldn't see before.  hahaha

I have family (that i'm still trying to discover and find), but if and when I bust through that own brick wall, i'd love to ensure they get the correct location tags.  I knew they were from Poland, but due to enlightenment, I now know how the Jasliska connects to Austria, and so on.

I'd love to join the project, even just to learn more.  

Thanks again!

Answer 14

I would like to join this project and would like to understand how to add the project category to the profiles I have already entered.  I am in the process of systematically going through the Greek Orthodox metrical books and entering births (and sometimes deaths) into WikiTree profiles, from the villages surrounding the Usztryki Dolne region, from whence my grandparents came.  I would welcome collaboration in reading unfamiliar Latin words and in helping others figure out spellings to make the profiles more accurate.

Alexandra Florimonte

Kissinger-162

Comments

Hi Alexandra!  Would love to have you as a part of the group!  I've done quite a bit of explaining of how to add categories on the category page for Galicia in order to keep it consistent and also how it was approved by catagorists.  The project page has several stickers you can add to your profiles (ethnicity, religion, Galicia).  Since you are concentrating on one area, you may want to be part of the "One Place Study" project as well, as they will create a sticker for you for your region (the Galicia project arose out of my one place study project for Cieplice.  Great to connect with you and look forward in collaborating! :)

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Also, let me give you an example of a profile I manage so you can see what stickers I have used, categories, etc.  Wasyl Bochnak

I would highly recommend a "One Place Study" for your region.  One thing I can't suggest strongly enough is to figure out how you would like your profiles to appear.  Settling on this issue will save you headache after you have created over 1000 profiles and decide to change something. (Speaking from experience, and I have about 6000.) 

In that profile link, notice the subheading === Cieplice === and a description of the village.  Again, highly recommend this as you will get emails from people in and outside of Wikitree asking you the same question about the village.  Now that I have it as a One Place Study, I have a FB page for descendants from the village, there are 77 in there now; but potentially could be much more as there were about 600 emigrants alone.  I see these profiles as the bearer with as much information as possible for anyone who looks at them.

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Skye,

I enjoyed reading Wasyl's profile. My grandfather and grandmother are my best "Galician" profiles so far (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Humelycz-6 and https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Syroid-7)

I don't object to starting a "One Place Study" - and should do it soon, since I have already entered a lot of people from my grandparents' region of Ustrzyki Dolne!

I received your interesting advice about how to list the names, when the people are known by many different ones, including Cyrillic, Latinized, immigration documents, and "American" names. I have still to figure out how I want to do it.

WikiTree seems to indicate writing the birth name as it was given at the time, and then adding other names (especially the preferred one).

I cannot do what you have done with the names in Cyrillic, as I have no idea which Cyrillic alphabet to use; weren't they different in Russian and Ukrainian? Also, the records in Latin stump me. Sometimes it's "Joannis" sometimes "Joannes" and sometimes Iwan. Aren't they all John??

I will email you separately about the "One Place Study" - and Thanks!!

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The language and naming patterns can be tricky.  Let me give you my thoughts:

Location fields on profiles (place of birth, marriage and death): need to be in the language of the governing body.  For Galicia, that would be German since it was ruled by the Austro-Hungarian Empire.  (post 1918 is where it gets tricky.  For the western half obviously the language would be between Polish and German depending on time frame.  The eastern half was ruled by USSR, so technically the language would be in Russian; HOWEVER Wikitree does not have users fluent in this language, so you will use the most common English translation.

Category location fields:  This is in the Polish version, solely for the purpose of primarily English speaking researchers to be able to navigate the site.

Names:  Technically you honor the ethnicity of your ancestor.  Polish for Poles; Hebrew for Jews; Cyrillic for Ruthenians, etc.  Unfortunately, here we are again with not having the availablility of Wikitreers fluent in these other languages available to donate their time to make sure these profiles are accurate.  So for Polish, I use the Polish language because it uses Latin characters and a few others (same for German.)  For Ruthenians, I use closest English translation for first name (Ukrainian Vasyl vs. Polish Wasyl) and Polish for surname ... then I write the Cyrillic in the other version.  Cyrillic is not a language I speak, and I would never be able to locate profiles again should I use Cyrillic as the primary name.  In the Church records for Ruthenians: first name used is always the Latin name (Catholic tradition) and surname used is the Polish version; however I've seen many spelling variations of the same surname and just have to stick to one.

How do I choose which surname spelling to use?  I research the name.  I have resources from the village who are familiar with the surnames in the Polish variation and know them also in Cyrillic.

It's a bit confusing, but this is what works for me in the records I have been transcribing.  You have to keep in mind, I've been finding others who are connected to these records who are from Canada, USA and some still in Poland.

In a perfect world; I'd love for Wikitree to develop an "Alternative name and surname" box where the Cyrillic can be entered and used in the general search engine (this would work for any other language that has non Latin character alphabets.)

Answer 15

I would like to join because my paternal great-grandfather came from Zavalya (Zawale), Sniatyn, Ukraine to Canada in 1898.

Comments

Hello Sloan!  I have added the Galicia, Austria category to your ancestor's profile.  I also have answered you in another one of your G2G posts which direct you to resources that may help you. Thanks!

Answer 16

I have been alerted to a FANTASTIC map by a group page.  Anyone with Galician ancestors needs to check this out, of course it would help if you know the approximate location of your village first: 1779-1783 First Military Survey Map (lists villages and family cottages, etc): First Military Survey Map of Galicia

Answer 17

Interesting I have a brick wall ancestor from Galicia Andrew Seckla (1872 - 1957). I haven’t been able to find his parental lineage. 

Comments

The place where he was born was previously in Subcarpathian Voivodeship in Poland.  Check the Galicia Resource Page

for links to the Polish Archives site. 

I have instructions on how you locate records on the Galicia page.  (Locating the Greek Catholic records in all the nearby villages.  You will want to search those villages in the Polish Archives site.)

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Thank you I didn’t know about the resources available 

The hard part is the language barrier 

Answer 18

Thanks for doing this project! I'm already a member of a couple of other projects, but would love to contribute when I can, even if only be working on my own family's profiles.

Answer 19

I am interested. My ancestors (the Marianicz’s) were from the village of Zawale in the Sniatyn district (Now Zavallya, Kolomyia Raion, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, Ukraine.) In 1898 They took the SS Bulgaria to Canada to have a better life. Eventually they move to Alberta where they had a homestead and a farm too! I would be happy to join this awesome project.

Comments

Hi Sloan!  I've come across many of your profiles while categorizing and thank you for your contributions!  Take a look at the Project link for information on how you can help!

Answer 20

Great to see (find) this project! Galicia is mostly one big brickwall for me - 2 of my paternal Great-Grandparents, born late 1800's, immigrated from Galicia.  They came from Zakomar'ya/Zakomarzhe area then Poland (some records Austria) present day location in L'Viv Oblast, Ukraine first to Fall River, MA then to upstate NY.  Can go back 1-2 generations only.  One surname was changed more than once - very uncertain.  Any unknown DNA matches are minimal, quite distant and about impossible to trace so far.

Comments

Hello Denise!  Since your tree is private, add the "Galicia, Austria" category to those profiles.  When I have some free time I get to those profiles placed in that category to help you.  Thanks!

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Thank you Skye, appreciate it! My tree was blank until a few hours ago. I have my main tree with this line on another site, but have inputted the main profiles and added the category (best I could still learning my way around here).