- How to recreate my family history?
- Why does the Polish Nobility Association's website not state a list of names with attributed coats of arms?
- Does the Polish Nobility Association grant ennoblements, indygenats (recognitions of foreign status as a noble), or aristocratic titles?
1. How to recreate my family history?
To put it simple, we may single out two approaches to analysing one’s family history. The first is to order the research work to specialists. The second, to embark on research oneself. Both ways have advantages and disadvantages. A professional genealogist has the knowledge, experience and contacts that are essential in the searching process, of which an amateur beginning his adventure with genealogy, is devoid. The access to many sources is limited, or even closed for an amateur. Even if he manages to reach the archives, often he will not be able to read them or to put them in a logical, correct order. Recreating a family’s history is a detective’s work, that may turn costly for the person ordering the task, what should be taken into consideration. We also call attention to the fact that in addition to the reliable, trustworthy and honest genealogists, also fraudsters appear; or simply more experienced amateurs, who may offer only photocopies of generally available armorials, or casual entries in archives that are unrelated to, or loosely associated with our family, charging us with disproportionate costs. Our own self-performed genealogical research activities, apart from the aforementioned difficulties, offer much satisfaction and are often a true adventure with history, the more valuable, being directly associated with our family. Before the start of research, one should carefully consider which form to select. We recommend the lecture of a very useful book by Rafał Prinke "Manual of the Amateur Genealogist (“Poradnik genealoga amatora"), published in the 1990s, that should be included in every major library (public, university, or scientific).
2. Why does the Polish Nobility Association’s website not state a list of names with attributed coats of arms?
A full list of Polish noble families with attributed coats of arms, was never created (regrettably). Every list of this type is only partial, what apart from apparent advantages of easily finding a basic clue, also entails many negative aspects. New information keeps flowing on noble families hitherto not named in any publications, that are being discovered in archives. Firstly: the absence of family name for the amateur may mean its non-nobility, which is not necessarily correct. Secondly: the bearing of a name stated in the armorial or another list, does not have to be evidence of nobility. In the Polish Monarchy (Rzeczpospolita) the same name was often borne by noble and not noble families. Such an incomplete list of noble names with coats of arms, published on the website of an organisation of nobility – thus giving the impression of an official register – would be therefore, a dangerous simplification, eventually disinforming. Thirdly: it often happened that no information on the coats of arms of a given noble family was preserved, or the information was distorted, and the family was listed with differing coats of arms in various registers. Every such case requires assessment. A period especially "error-creating" was the time of partitions (when Poland was ruled by foreign powers from 1795 to 1918), when the genealogical documents delivered to partitioner heraldic authorities (especially Russian), stated intentionally or unawarely erroneous data. The approving of such false information by an official authority, by issuing a diploma of nobility or entry into the register, generates many misunderstandings to this day.
Consequently, as long as research on the history of Polish nobility is not concluded yet, such a list will not be published on the website of the Polish Nobility Association, as it would entail more damages, than benefits.
Various lists of noble families are available in major libraries. Due to the foregoing considerations, please approach those lists with caution.
3. Does the Polish Nobility Association grant ennoblements, indygenats (recognitions of foreign status as a noble), or aristocratic titles?
No. Polish Nobility Association does not have the right to ennoble, grant indygenats, or aristocratic titles. Currently nobody has the right to grant Polish nobility, or Polish aristocratic titles. We warn against the activities of various usurpers, preying on peoples’ unawareness.