Welcome! This page is for people exploring genealogy in historic Galicia – whether your ancestors were Ukrainian, Polish, Jewish, German, or from another background. Here you’ll find links to research queries from past years, as well as a hand-picked set of important online resources for Galician family history. You’ll discover everything from church registers and civil records to emigration databases and community forums.
If you’re new to Galicia or want more background, check out these helpful links:
Use the resources below to start (or advance) your search. And remember, if you get stuck, many of the forums and groups listed here are full of experienced researchers happy to help!
Free global genealogy platform with many Galician records. Use the FamilySearch catalog or records search (requires free login) to find civil registrations, church registers, and census lists from Galicia. FamilySearch has microfilmed Galician Roman Catholic, Greek Catholic, and Jewish metrical books (often from the Lviv archives) and indexed databases like “Poland, Roman Catholic Church Books” that include Galician parishes. It also provides a Wiki with research guides for Polish and Ukrainian archives. Helps all researchers – search by ancestor name or browse images by town/parish. Tip: Know your ancestral town and religious affiliation; records are organized by locality. Many digitized records are viewable from home or at Family History Centers.
Free Polish archival search site hosting scans of Galician records for areas now in Poland. This includes Roman Catholic and civil registers from west Galicia (e.g. Kraków, Tarnów, Przemyśl) and some duplicate registers from east Galicia (preserved in AGAD Warsaw). Use the search engine or the Pradziad catalog to find births, marriages, deaths (1784–civil era) by town. Helps Polish and Ukrainian descendant researchers – interface in Polish/English. Tip: Search by historic town name or use archive inventories; many records up to ~1900 are downloadable as images.
Free online index of millions of Polish and Galician birth, marriage, and death records. Select “Ukraina” region to search Galician towns now in Ukraine. Includes Roman Catholic, Greek Catholic, and some civil records indexed by volunteers (e.g. Lwów/Lviv, Stanisławów, Tarnopol areas). Returns name, year, parents/spouse, with links or film info. Helps Polish/Ukrainian researchers – especially useful if you don’t read old handwriting. Tip: If a record is indexed here, note the archive and fond number provided, then view the scan on the archive’s site or FamilySearch.
Free search engine of over 900,000 genealogical records from the former Galicia. Hosted by the Jewish genealogical group Gesher Galicia, it actually contains multi-ethnic records: Jewish vital records, cadastral landowner lists, school, voter, tax, and military records from across Galicia. Helps everyone (not just Jewish) with Galician roots – you can search by surname, given name, town, etc. Results show names with record type, year, and source archive. Tip: Use the “Record Inventories” section to see what record sets (by town) are included. The database is updated with new projects regularly. A free account is optional for advanced features.
Major subscription genealogy sites host Galicia-related data, useful if you have access. Ancestry’s notable collections: “Galicia, Poland and Ukraine, Jewish Vital Records 1789–1905” (index of Jewish births, marriages, deaths from AGAD Warsaw), Passenger Lists of Galician immigrants to US ports, WWI Austrian Army casualty lists, and more. MyHeritage offers Galicia Holocaust records and European databases. Helps all ethnicities – powerful search across user trees and historical records. Tip: You can often access Ancestry/MyHeritage for free at libraries or utilize free trials; export record images for your research.
For military ancestors, Galicia fell under the Austro-Hungarian Army. Austrian State Archives (Vienna) hold military personnel files, draft lists, and regiment records. While not fully online, you can use the Austrian archives’ lists of regiments to find which units recruited in Galicia (e.g. Infantry Regiment 30 in Lemberg). Some military conscription lists (1800s) for Galicia have been indexed by volunteers or microfilmed (check FamilySearch Catalog). Helps all ethnicities – many Galician men served in imperial regiments. Tip: Use the online database of WWI casualty lists (hosted by the Austrian National Library’s ANNO site) to search if an ancestor was wounded/killed – names are listed by home town and regiment.
The JewishGen platform offers several Galicia-specific tools. The JewishGen Communities Database lets you search a town and see all its name variants (Polish, Ukrainian, Yiddish), coordinates, and pre-WWII district info, plus links to that town’s Yizkor books and Jewish records. The All Galicia Database (mentioned above) is jointly accessible via JewishGen. Also check JewishGen’s Holocaust Database (for names of Galician victims and survivors) and the 1880 Galicia Business Directory database (over 20k names of merchants/farmers in 1891, with town names in Polish/Ukrainian). Helps Jewish descendants – focus on Jewish records, but many tools (gazetteers, maps) are broadly useful. Tip: Don’t miss the JewishGen Yizkor Book Project – there are memorial books for many Galician towns (often translated excerpts) which contain personal recollections, town histories, and necrologies of Holocaust victims.
A specialized index of Jewish vital records, including Galician towns now in Poland and many towns of eastern Galicia (indexes sourced from AGAD’s holdings). Search by surname and town to find indexed birth, marriage, death entries (usually 19th century). Helps Jewish genealogists – points you to the exact year and record number. Tip: If you find a Galician town record listed, note the microfilm or archival info; the actual record image may be viewable on FamilySearch or obtainable from the archive. JRI-Poland is free to search; registration (free) allows advanced options.
For those tracing Jewish family lost in WWII, Yad Vashem’s Central Database of Shoah Victims’ Names is vital. Search by name or town to find Pages of Testimony and lists (many Galician Jews’ names recorded). Yad Vashem also hosts some Galicia ghetto documents and transport lists. The USHMM (U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum) has an online catalog/database too – e.g., name lists from labor camps (Janowska in Lviv) or survivor lists. Helps Jewish and Polish/Ukrainian researchers of WWII victims – these databases cover primarily Jewish victims but also some information on non-Jewish victims of Nazi persecution. Tip: Use broad spelling variations for names (in English, Polish, or Cyrillic) when searching. Also try the Arolsen Archives e-Search – a vast collection of digitized WWII documents (forced labor, concentration camp prisoner cards, DP camp records) that may include Galicians of all backgrounds.
Eastern-rite (Greek Catholic) parish registers cover the majority of ethnic Ukrainian and many Lemko/Rusyn families in Galicia. These records (in Old Church Slavonic, Ukrainian, or Latin, depending on era) are preserved mainly at TsDIAL (Lviv) and DAIFO (Ivano-Frankivsk archive). The Central State Archive in Lviv has a published inventory of Greek Catholic registers (fond 201) – you can search a town name in their online directory. Some indexes are being done by volunteers (see Geneteka’s “Ukraińskie” section for Greek Catholic parishes too). Helps Ukrainian descendants – essential for tracing births, marriages, deaths when ancestors were Greek Catholic. Tip: If you don’t read Cyrillic, get familiar with Cyrillic alphabet for names or use transliteration guides. Many Greek Catholic records pre-1860 are in Latin alphabet (using Polish or Latin forms of names), later records often in Ukrainian cursive. Online, the FamilySearch digital images include a large collection of Greek Catholic parish books from Lviv archives (accessible with an account; some only at Family History Centers).
An organization and website for descendants of the German-speaking colonists who settled in Galicia (1780s onward). The GGD site provides databases of German villages, family book indexes, and links to resources like colony maps and surname lists. Notably, see their “Galician German Family Books” section (compiled genealogies of specific German colonies) and the Settlers Database (lists of pioneer families). Helps German ancestry researchers – focuses on Lutheran and Catholic German communities in Galician counties like Stanisławów, Lemberg, etc. Tip: Use the GGD Village List to find the German name of your ancestral colony and its current name. GGD also links to the wider Germans from Russia Settlement Locations project, which includes Galician villages with GPS coordinates and old maps. For Lutheran church records, remember they were kept centrally (e.g. in Lemberg or Czernowitz) – GGD can guide you to those records in archives.
Beyond Jewish-focused sources, there are resources for ethnic Polish and Ukrainian families affected by WWII. For example, the Polish Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) has databases of Polish victims (Sybiraks, Katyń victims, forced laborers). The Ukrainian National Memory archives in Kyiv and Lviv have records of OUN/UPA members and repression victims (some are being indexed online). If your Galician Polish ancestors were deported to Siberia or Central Asia by the Soviets, see the Indeks Represjonowanych database. Helps Polish/Ukrainian researchers – find wartime fate of family members. Tip: For post-war migrations, the Polish Światowe Zespoły lists or Ukrainian diaspora publications can also contain clues (e.g. list of Displaced Persons camps residents, Polish II Corps soldiers from Lwów, etc.). These are niche, but worth exploring if relevant to your family story.
Free database of over 65 million arrivals through Ellis Island, New York (1892–1924). Many Galicians are listed as nationals of "Austrian," "Polish," "Ruthenian," or "Galician." You can search by surname and use advanced search to filter by place of origin (village or "Galicia"). Manifests include village of origin and relatives. Helps all Galician emigrants to the US. Tip: Use the Steve Morse One-Step Ellis Island search for flexible searching by town or spelling variants. Original manifest images and ship photos are available.
Hamburg was a major departure port for Galicians heading overseas. Passenger lists (1850–1934) include town of origin and destination. Helps confirm family town and group travel. Tip: Ancestry has searchable index (1890–1914). The Hamburg State Archive can do free lookups with exact ship/date. Bremen departure lists (1920–1939) are also available for later emigrants.
Library and Archives Canada provides free access to: Passenger Lists 1865–1935 and the 1925–1935 Immigration Index, searchable by name and birthplace. Many Ukrainians, Poles, and Jews from Galicia arrived via Halifax or Quebec in spring. Helps Canadian descendants. Tip: Search by town or “Galicia” as a keyword. Naturalization files (1915–1951) list full birthplaces and arrival dates.
The Centro de Estudios Migratorios Latinoamericanos offers a free database of immigrant arrivals to Buenos Aires. Many Galicians, often listed as "Polacos" or "Austriacos," arrived from 1880s–1930s. Helps researchers with Argentine roots. Tip: Use name variants due to Hispanicized spellings. Argentina’s naturalization or DNI records may add hometown data.
Post-WWII Displaced Persons (DPs) from Galicia often resettled in Australia. National Archives of Australia has an online index (RecordSearch) of post-1947 immigrants. Earlier immigration also possible. Helps postwar immigrants and DP families. Tip: Search with broad nationality terms (e.g., "Polish," "Russian"). Some scanned personal files are available online. For DP arrivals, see also Arolsen Archives.
A vibrant Facebook group with over 8,000 members focused on Austro-Hungarian Galicia genealogy. Members of all backgrounds – Jewish, Polish, Ukrainian, German – collaborate by sharing archive tips, helping translate records, and posting family photos or town histories. Helps anyone researching Galicia. Tip: Answer the membership questions when joining, then use the group’s search bar to check if your surname or village has been discussed. Newbies are welcome!
Forum board for discussions on former East Galicia (now in Ukraine) and West Galicia. Topics include archive search experiences, surname queries, village identifications, and help translating old Polish or Cyrillic documents. Helps Polish and Ukrainian researchers. Tip: Browse older threads for step-by-step examples of successful searches, including navigating Lviv archives or identifying records on FamilySearch.
Beautifully written and researched blog exploring Galicia’s cultural, architectural, and social history, with a focus on Lviv. Posts feature topics such as ghost signs, urban history, ethnic communities, and lost traditions. Helps contextualize your family’s life in Galicia. Tip: Check the Watchlist section for curated historical film links and the Resources page for recommended archives, libraries, and databases.
Blog series from a professional genealogist with articles on Galician surnames, archival use, maps, and guides to record types and towns. Clear, engaging posts cover topics like parish identification, town boundaries, or ethnic makeup. Helps beginners and intermediates doing Galicia research. Tip: Even without booking a tour, you can use the site’s research tutorials to locate archives and understand the record-keeping system.
Galizien German Descendants | Ukraine Genealogy | Poland & Kresy Genealogy
Specialty groups for different ethnic backgrounds with Galician roots. Each group shares archive resources, translation help, and guidance specific to that community. Helps Polish, Ukrainian, Jewish, and German researchers. Tip: Include full context when posting (names, dates, location, what you’ve tried). Rules vary, but communities are usually welcoming and multilingual.