Your recommendation for a Polish / German professional genealogist?

[lesleyemanuel]

Hullo all, a friend gave me a personal recommendation for a professional genealogist when I needed help with my father's family's side - it worked out wonderfully.
I'm now looking for a professional genealogist - who specialises in Germany / Poland - to help me with my mother's side. (I've been working on my mother's genealogy for years, and I've really hit a wall.)
I have looked at various professional genealogists websites... it's hard to know who would be best to work with!
If you have worked with a professional genealogist (Germany / Poland only) please would you share your experience / recommendation? 

[davecapps]

Hi

Just for the books, I am not a professional genealogist

I did all my German, Polish research myself.
If you let me know what region, names and dates you are looking for I'll see if i can find any Info for you

[pb_devon]

Welcome to Rootschat.
To echo davecapps, post your queries on here (reading the posting guidance first) to see what others can provide before using a professional researcher.

[lesleyemanuel]

Dear Dave,
Thank you so much - that is very generous of you.
I am trying to uncover information about my Polish and German (maternal) GREAT grandparents.
GERMAN maternal grandfather: Herbert Artur Pietzarka - Born 05.05.1909, Berlin - Reinickendorf - last contact was in 1960 - after that no-one knows when / where he died. He had 2 siblings: Hermann Friedrich Pietzarka (1911-1965) and Herdha (sp?) Pietzarka. A possibility (not at all sure) that their mother (my maternal gt grandmother) may have been Emma MITTAG.
Herbert married my grandmother in Berlin, 1.8.1935; divorced 1.6.1960
POLISH maternal grandmother Hildegard Gertrud Pietzarka ( born Kott) - Born 8.10.1909 in Zawodzie, Valerian Str. 5 (Province: Silesia, Poland);  2 siblings: Walter and Gertrude.

[davecapps]

Right, Germany first:

so this is the initial stituation in Berlin:

Herbert Artur Pietzarka - born 1909
Hermann Friedrich Pietzarka - born 1911

Marriage Herbert / Emma in Berlin, 1935
--------------------------------------------------------

According to German privacy law, records are protected for the following periods:

Births 110 years
Marriages 80 years
Deaths 30 years

Within this period all records are kept by the responsible registry office (Standesamt)

Births 1910– 2020
Marriages 1940 – 2020
Deaths 1990 – 2020

To obtain docs from the Standesamt you must provide evidence that you are eligible for application. i.e.direct descendent or relative

Thereafter the records are sent to the archives.
------------------------
Registry offices were first initiated in about 1874
Therefore the archives hold records approx. from

Births 1874 – 1910
marriages 1874 – 1940
deaths 1874 – 1990
----------------------
Records before 1874 are in the church archives

The birth records for Herbert and Hermann are in a grey zone. I would suspect that they are still kept in the registry office. The marriage record could be available.

the next step would be to contact the registry office in Reinickendorf to find out where the records are kept.

Dave

[davecapps]

There are several places called Zawodzie
https://s.meyersgaz.org/search?search=zawodzie

The only Zawodzie I could find with a street called Valerian Strasse was
Zawodzie, Kreis Kattowitz. number 3

http://www.christoph-www.de/kbsilesia4.html#Z

Zawodzie, Kreis (county) Kattowitz:
Evg. KB. (Protestant church records): see Kattowitz.
Kath. KB. (catholic church records): own church records since 1930. Earlier records see Bogutschütz.

The Standesamt (registry office) was in Bogutschütz.

Bogutschütz (Bogucice) Kreis Kattowitz: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bogucice
Zawodzie ist mentioned at the bottom of the page "eastern district"

Evg. KB: siehe Stadt Kattowitz.
***
Kath. KB.: Taufen (baptisms) 1628-1630, 1660-1718, 1738-1900; Heiraten (marriages) 1628-1629, 1738-1937; Tote (deaths) 1738-1901 im Diözesanarchiv (diocese archive) in Kattowitz.
Kath. KB.: Taufen 1800-1808, 1830-1852, 1860-1864; Heiraten - ; Tote 1800-1859 im Staatsarchiv (state archive) in Kattowitz.

Kath. KB.-Duplikate Taufen 1800-1808, 1830-1852, 1860-1874; Tote 1800-1859.
Kath. KB: Index Taufen 1830-1834, 1836-1852.
***

Standesamt: Geburten (births), Heiraten u. Tote 1874-1909 im Staatsarchiv (state archive) Kattowitz.

Standesamt: Geburten (births)1910-1922, 1939-1943; Heiraten 1910-1922, 1939-1943; Tote 1910-1922, 1939-1943. im polish Standesamt (registry office) in Katowice (Kattowitz):

Hildegard Gertrud Pietzarka was born in 1909 so the records you are looking for would be in the State archive in Kattowitz or in the Registry office in Kattowitz.

digest that lot first.

Dave

[lesleyemanuel]

Hello Dave,

Thanks for your explanation re the German records. This is now all Super Clear.

Another very big ‘thank you’ for the Polish info, Dave.

This much I know: in the 19th century, Zawodzie was a separate village located in the Prussian/German province of Silesia. Zawodzie belonged to Roman Catholic parish and Civil Registry Office in Bogucice (German: Bogutschütz) and Lutheran parish of Katowice.

I actually did write to the The State Archives in Katowice in 2015. They replied that information on marital and record files in state archives (including the State Archives in Katowice) can be found in the PRADZIAD database, which can be viewed at www.archiwa.gov.pl.

This is an incredible resource, I’m sure you know it well. When I scout around there, I have the sense I’m missing info because I don’t have any German / Polish language skills. Of course I can use Babel etc, but I feel that’s too clumsy for understanding this.

I’m persevering though! Your input has given me extra impetus.

[garstonite]

this is a tree in Berlin 1860's
at the bottom of the page it gives the "sources" it was taken from - it might be of use to you - good luck

https://gw.geneanet.org/mhayda?n=pietzarka&oc=&p=ludowike

[davecapps]

Hi

just found this link to the roman Cath. Doc´s for Bogucice

https://siliusradicum.pl/en/ksiegi-metrykalne/asc-parafii-rzymskokatolickiej-w-bogucicach-bogutschutz/

Haven´t had time to look at it yet, might be of some help

Dave