Hi Laryssa!
In 1919 Silesia (Schlesien) has been divided into two provinces: Lower Silesia (Niederschlesien) with the districts (Regierungsbezirke) Breslau and Liegnitz and Upper Silesia (Oberschlesien) beeing the former province Oppeln. The terms "lower" and "upper" refer to the main river of Silesia, the Oder.
In 1938 the province Silesia was divided into the following districts:
Regierungsbezirk Liegnitz
Regierungsbezirk Breslau
Regierungsbezirk Oppeln
After 1941 Regierungsbezirk Kattowitz consisted of 11 counties.
Areas that belonged to Silesia during the time from 1941 to. 1945
http://www.genealogienetz.de/reg/SCI/gebiete1941-45-d.htmlOverview Map of the Counties (Kreise)
http://www.genealogienetz.de/reg/SCI/kreise-d.htmlNote: The listed societies are volunteer organizations working with volunteers, and inquiries should be accompagnied by return postage, and if they are likely to occasion work, by a small fee.
Arbeitsgemeinschaft ostdeutscher Familienforscher e.V. (AGoFF)
AGoFF Forschungsstelle Schlesien
Neithard von Stein
Talstr. 3,
D-31707 Bad Eilsen, Germany
No commisioned research is done, only advice is given (free of charge for AGoFF members, and non members depending upon exspenses).
Church Records
Some of the church records from the former Prussian provinces on the eastern side of the Oder-Neisse-border (East Prussia, West Prussia, eastern Pommerian, Posen, Silesia, and the eastern portion of the Brandenburg) can be found at the Evangelisches Zentralarchiv in Berlin, Jebensstrasse 3, D-10623 Berlin. The archive will only answer simple inquiries and does not conduct research itself.
Civil Registration Records
Civil registers of births, marriages, and deaths were introduced in October 1874. The Civil registry office is called the Standesamt. Before this time, the Lutheran and Catholic churches records (1815-1874) or special Dissidenten-Register (1847-1874) served as official registers, and a duplicate copy was deposited at the local court (Amtsgericht). Most Standesamt (Polish: Urzed Stanu Cywilnego) records remained in the old offices and were taken over by the Polish authorities in the areas annexed by Poland in 1945. They are listed in the Gazetteer of Polish People's Republic Localities. The full title is SPIS MIEJSCOWOSCI POLSKIEJ RZECZYPOSPOLITEJ LUDOWEJ, published in Warsaw 1968, and on LDS microfilm #844,922. Standesamt records over 100 years old are archived in Polish State Archives (see Polish Archives below).
These groups are very helpful:
Note: They are volunteers!
Niederschlesien-L @genealogy.net
Oberschlesien-L @genealogy.net