Date/Time
Date(s) - 05/11/2023
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Categories No Categories

“Boots on the Ground: The Role of an Onsite Researcher”

Presented jointly by Lucjan Cichocki and Aleksandra Kacprzak, professional researchers from Poland

Summary: This lecture will present an overview of vital records history in each of the three partitions of Poland (Russian, Prussian, and Austrian), discussing the format and languages used in such records. Mr. Cichocki and Ms. Kacprzak will outline the various repositories in which vital records are stored, and explain how it affects their accessibility for research. They will describe how the research collaboration works: communication with the client to obtain relevant background information, identifying the repositories for relevant records and any significant gaps, developing a research plan, and communicating results to the client. The presentation will also enumerate some of the additional services that researchers provide, such as arranging ancestral village tours and family reunions, and providing translation and assistance at family events such as weddings or funerals.

Presenter Bios: Aleksandra Kacprzak is a genealogical researcher living in Poland and the owner of the genealogy research company “Genoroots.” Ms. Kacprzak graduated from Copernicus University in Toruń with a degree in archival science and completed the Eastern European Genealogy course in Salt Lake City. Ms. Kacprzak is a genealogical lecturer in both Poland and the United States. In the U.S., she has spoken in Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Jersey. Ms. Kacprzak is a founding member of the Polskie Towarzystwo Genealogiczne [Polish Genealogical Society] and a founding member of the Stowarzyszenie Polscy Profesjonalni Genealodzy [Association of Polish Professional Genealogists]. In addition to her genealogy work, Ms. Kacprzak also provides heir tracing services for both lawyers and the courts. She is a licensed tour guide, and organizes personal ancestral tours, as well as cultural-oriented tours for larger groups.

Lucjan Cichocki began his genealogy career accidentally. He was working as an English teacher in Poland, and was considering a career change. In 2013, he went to the diocesan archive in Przemyśl with a friend and Mr. Cichocki saw the 19th-century vital record books for the first time. He describes it as “love at first sight.” He is now a full-time professional genealogist. His areas of research include Poland, Slovakia, and Western Ukraine. In addition to genealogical research, Mr. Cichocki provides translation and transportation services to Americans visiting Poland in search of living relatives. He is a member of the Stowarzyszenie Polscy Profesjonalni Genealodzy [Association of Polish Professional Genealogists].

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