US Records · Polish-American newspapers
For eighty years Polish Americans read their own newspapers, in Polish, in every major city. Their death notices often give what English-language obituaries never did: the village or parish in Poland.
The main papers
| Newspaper | City | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dziennik Chicagoski | Chicago | Catholic daily, 1890 to 1971 |
| Dziennik Związkowy | Chicago | Daily of the Polish National Alliance, from 1908, still published |
| Zgoda | Chicago | Weekly organ of the Polish National Alliance, sent to members across the country |
| Narod Polski | Chicago | Organ of the Polish Roman Catholic Union |
| Kuryer Polski | Milwaukee | Daily from 1888 |
| Dziennik Polski | Detroit | Daily for most of the twentieth century |
| Nowy Dziennik | New York | Daily of the post-war and Solidarity-era community |
Buffalo, Cleveland, Toledo, Pittsburgh, Scranton and many smaller towns had Polish papers of their own, and the fraternal organizations published national weeklies.
What to look for
- Death notices placed by the family, often naming the village, parish or district of birth
- Society notices announcing the death of a lodge member and the funeral
- Letters and appeals from Poland asking for news of relatives who had emigrated
- Parish news of weddings, jubilees and anniversaries
Where to find them
Some Polish-American titles are digitized in the Library of Congress Chronicling America collection and in state digital newspaper programs. The Polish Museum of America in Chicago and the major state historical societies hold runs on microfilm, and the Polish Genealogical Society of America has indexed death notices from the Chicago press. Many papers are not indexed at all and must be read issue by issue, around the date of death.
Search the Polish papers under the Polish form of the name and the Polish date format: day, month, year, with the month often in Polish.
How we can help
We read Polish-language newspapers as part of Immigration & Passenger Records when a death notice is likely to name the village.