Hi all! I know this is a LONG shot but MAYBE you all can help me out.

My great grandfather and great great grandparents immigrated to the US when he was a child around 1915. I was reading that I MIGHT be able to get citizenship because of this. THEN I read that it requires two great grand parents or one grand parent to obtain it. So I have some questions:

Because my great great grandparents and great grand father immigrated so long ago (before 1955), I read that they might have had to give up their citizenship in Poland to become an American Citizen. Is this correct?

If my mom applied (because according to what I have read, she would be eligible having two great grandparents and a grand parent) and was granted citizenship would I then automatically qualify? How would that work?

Can you all help me out with this?! I'd be so grateful!

Thank you!

 

I don't want to disappoint you, but it is very debatable if you can obtain citizenship. Did you check the citizenship act information that was posted by Harjeet? Poland did not come into its own as a country until 1918. So if they immigrated before this, you may have a hard time.
Do you have any surviving documents from when the immigrated to the States? Any documents that you can get will help determine the viability of your claim. Also, look into the previous 2 parts of this thread and that will give you a clue as to your success. Good Luck

 

don't worry about disappointing me i just want straight answers as that would help the most!

there are documents and my great grandfathers sister is still alive and kickin so she would be a HUGE help in all of this because she came to the US too. so she would know every single bit of what went on, years, documents, etc.

i read most of the first part and skimmed the second. i couldn't find any exact answers about this time period, so thats why i posted.

thanks for your help!

 

Welcome to the thread mokaralvr.

First off you need to know the exact year of emigration from Poland. The Second Republic of Poland was created in 1918 and before 1918 there was no such thing as Polish citizens. The lands of Poland (pre-1918) were governed by Russia, Austria and Prussia. People born before 1918 became Polish citizens in 1918 if they were permanent residents in the boundary of Poland when it became a country. If your family left for America before 1918 they were not citizens and could not transfer citizenship.

If you find out your family left after 1918, then there is a possibility you can confirm citizenship and you should check out http://www.easyexpat.com/forums/ftopic_18234.htm.

 

Getting my Polish ducks in a row...

Hi Everyone-- it's my first post. Thanks to all of the helpful people here who have helped to guide my journey towards reconfirming my Polish citizenship.

My great grandparents came to America from Lodz, Poland. My great grandfather arrived first (1920) with my great aunt. The Ellis Island ship manifest records show them as registering under the family name (Szlankiewicz)

My great grandmother arrived later (1923) with my grandfather under her maiden name, Frogel. (Don't know why... she was married, and therefore she and all the kids were Szlankiewiczes)

I have been able to track down US immigration and naturalization documents, including my great grandmother's Petition for Naturalization. This has her new English name, Shane.

And this brings us to my main question....

I have not been able to find an easy, direct link which would show that the man listed on my mother's birth certificate is the same boy that arrived on a ship in 1923.

Once they came to America, they all settled under the family name "Shane". I have indirect evidence which points around and around, including handwritten "Shane" notes on the Ellis Island ship manifests. But none of the documents explicitly say that the Szlankiewicz/Frogels became Shanes.

Do the Polish authorities acknowledge these sorts of indirect links?

Thanks in advance for your help, everyone.

 

Re: Getting my Polish ducks in a row...

Yes you can use indirect links.
If your ship manifest is certified by the US government then the handwriting is official. I am not familiar with US manifests but in Canada you ask the archive to send official documents and they come with official stamps. If the name Shane is printed directly above the name Szlankiewicz then it might serve as good evidence of an unofficial name change. Is it written like number 9 here? http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~genealogyjen/Warzecha1/warzechaimanifest.gif. If it is, you can have your translator write a document explaining the Shane handwriting and why the name was changed. It is my guess they changed their name because Szlankiewicz is impossible for most English speakers to pronounce.


However, there are also some other options that will likely solve your problems, one, if successful, is extremely simple and the other slightly challenging.

1. You can try your great grandfather's Naturalization Record, which might have the connection of the Szlankiewicz -> Shane names because it contains current name and name used upon entry to the US (Example document: http://www.archives.gov/global-page.../genealogy/images/naturalization.caption.html).

Info for US nationalization records http://www.archives.gov/genealogy/naturalization/index.html.

With this method you might not have to prove the man on your Mum's birth certificate is the boy on the ship because you can work from your great grandfather. Great grandfather's nationalization document has his English name, his alternate name Szlankiewicz, and the names of his children (your grandfather included). Therefore your grandfathers name will match your mum's birth certificate.

2. If that does not work, you can draw a connection the long route by collecting documentation that "lines up", to prove two different names are in fact the same person.

If you collect Robert Szlankiewicz's and Marie Frogels' birth certificates and marriage certificate from Poland. Then, immigration documents with Robert Szlankiewicz and Marie Frogels with child Billy Szlankiewicz. Then perhaps you get the US 1930 Census. Therefore you might be able to show, Robert Szlankiewicz and Robert Shane have the same birth place, immigrated to the US the same year, both have wives named Marie and a boy Billy etc. Therefore proving they are in fact the same person.

Info for the US 1930 Census http://www.census.gov/pubinfo/www/1930facts.html

 

hi
i am from nepal living uk
i am going to marry a polish , can some one tell me please how can i get polish citizenship and how much time and money it will require ,

 

Re: Getting my Polish ducks in a row...

Hi Harjeet-- thank you very much for your detailed explanation.

Let me try and draw a simplified picture of what I have.

- I have the Ellis Island ship manifest, 1920 - great grandfather Szlankiewicz arrived. First name is terribly misspelled on manifest as "Sunche Lie" instead of "Simcha Lajb". Also, city is misspelled as "Lodr", nor "Lodz". Address in USA listed is correct-- handwritten note above address says "Brother: Shane". Backstory is that my great granddad's brother was already here in America, and had already taken the American name... therefore that's the name that my great granddad and the family took as well. Great Granddad works to pay his brother back for the boat ticket, and saves up money to bring over my great grandmother and the kids. Simcha Lajb Szlankiewicz takes on name "Simon Louis Shane", but I do not have a document which directly indicates this.

- I have the Ellis Island ship manifest, 1923 - great grandmother Malka Frogel (married to Szlankiewicz) arrived with my grandfather, age 12. Handwritten note indicates he is her son. His name is listed as "Zelman Frogel", though his name was actually Zelman Szlankiewicz. Correct address indicated, with handwritten note "Husb: Simcha Lajb Szlankiewicz". Below this, there is a barely legible handwritten note in Zelman's line that-- I think (it's very blurry)-- says "Father" (indicating that Simcha Lajb is his father, as well as husband of Malka Frogel). Malka Frogel takes name "Mary Shane" and my granddad Zelman takes on "Sol Shane"

- I have the Great granddad's (Simon Louis Shane) Certificate of Naturalization, which does not list the Szlankiewicz name, but lists my grandad Sol (now 17 years old) as his son.

- I have my Great grandad's Declaration of Intention, which does not list the Szlankiewicz name, but indicates his wife's name is Malka. and that he is from Lodz, Russia-Poland. The ship arrival date/name, etc. corroborates the Ellis Island manifest.

- I have my Great grandma's (Malka Frogel/Mary Shane) Petition for Naturalization. This has her correct street address and arrival data (date/ship) corroborates the Ellis Island manifest. It says she arrived from Lodz, Poland and that her husband's name is Simon, and that they were married in Lodz in 1908. It also lists their children, including my grandfather Sol. His birth year seems a little off (we were never sure if he was born in 1910 or 1911-- yet the Petition says 1909, which makes him appear 14 on arrival, when the Ellis Island manifest says he was 12. (Considering all the other evidence, how big a problem could this be?) The Petition does NOT indicate the previous name Malka Frogel/Szlankiewicz. However, attached to the last page of the petition is her "Certificate of Arrival" which says that she arrived at the right date and on the right ship, and that the alien that arrived was named "Malka Frogel".

OK, this is what I've got-- in your opinion, am I in a strong position to confirm my Polish citizenship?

I very much look forward to your analasys of how I should proceed. Will I need the census record as well? Do I need to dig deeper and try to find my great grandfather's Petition for Naturalization or my great grandmother's Declaration of Intention? And which of these documents will I need to get certified in some way, and which will require an apostille?

Thank you in advance for all your help.

 

Re: Getting my Polish ducks in a row...

On the Certificate of Naturalization does it say your GreatGrandfather arrived under the name Shane or is it blank?

"Brother: Shane" Certificate of Naturalization might be a round-about avenue. If brother's certificate has the Szlankiewicz to Shane listed then you might use it as supporting evidence. Makes sense if Brother changed why GGF changed.

In any case you should create a good, easy to read document explaining the name changes and similarities that prove they are the same people with different names (dates, vessels etc.). Also when you make your family history bio you should reference your documents in your bio.

Ignore Sol's incorrect birthday issue in your explanation because it is likely just a mistake.

As for documentation Poland likes Polish documentation first (Polish birth certificates,marriage certs, old passports etc.). If you submit just American documentation you will likely get a letter asking for Polish documents. If you are unable to get Polish documents they will judge your case on what you have.

I had my manifest documents sent certified as copies of National Records, really just "photocopies" of microfilm had a stamp on the back. Call your consulate, tell them what you have and ask them if they are considered official government documents or if they need to come from the US archives with a special certification.

The consulate will tell you to get all the US documents you can, at least that is what mine told me. However some documents were $$-$$$ and they just had the same info that was proved by other documents, therefore, I opted not to get them.

The apostille is used to verify all Polish, Latin documents are copies of the originals. Also they will translate English (US official documents) to Polish and verify the his translation is official.

 

Re: Getting my Polish ducks in a row...

To clarify, I have my great grandfather's Declaration of Intention, and my great grandmother's Petition for Naturalization. Neither document provides a line which specifically states the name was changed from Szlankiewicz/Frogel to Shane. Only Shane is used in both documents.

Good suggestion... I had not thought of looking up the naturalization record of my great grandfather's brother.

Currently I have a submitted a request to the Polish consulate for my grandfather's Polish birth record. However, I am told that Jewish marriages, births and deaths were very commonly not registered with the Polish government. I don't expect to receive a response on this.

Thank you very much for your help and suggestions

 

Hi Schleima

The more documents that you can get from the U.S. side will help to provide links that you need. Not only that, even with mistakes on birthdates, once put in order and translated will be beneficial. Who is the oldest direct link you have to these people? If they can remember why the name change and can get a documentized and notarized from a lawyer may also count towards your goal.
Don't quote me on that one. But it may help. Check the nearest Polish Consulate (Embassy) to find out if the last thing will help and if it is notarized to make it look more official. Especially if it can help tie the names together.

 

Hi, I'm a newbie. Great forum!

I'm a first generation New Zealander and my mother, myself and my children are eligible for Polish citizenship. The Polish Embassy will handle our applications. I have conflicting information on a couple of points and would love some clarification.

First: Can all three generations apply for confirmation of citizenship at once, or do we have to get confirmation of citizenship for my mother before applying for myself and so on?

Secondly: Do each of us need confirmation of citizenship before then applying for passports as a separate transaction, or, can myself and my children skip directly to applying for passports once we have confirmation of citizenship for my mother?

Would appreciate some light on this.

 

Siuniab answered both of your questions.

To repeat:

You will have to fill out three separate applications (mother, you, child) but the applications can be mailed together and will be processed together.

Each of you will need the confirmation paper to get passports.

 

www.polishcitizenship.pl

Hi, I have searched hi and low and I just can't find any further information. I hope someone can shed some light for me. I have chosen to go with a consultant to deal with my Polish Citizen application and eventually applying for a passport. I just want to know if anyone has used Roman from www.polishcitizenship.pl as I just want reassurance of his services. Just becomes a bit daunting when you can't find any information about his services. Although these forums seem to reference his website alot.

 

Why are you engaging someone if you have so little confidence in them?
What criteria did you use to engage this individual?
Experience? fees? some kind of reference?

Have you paid Roman any money yet?

There are a number of lawyers mentioned on this very long thread. Can't recall anyone discussing "Roman" directly. What exactly does consultant mean? Is this man a lawyer?

 

Re: www.polishcitizenship.pl

Honestly, I don't know any poster that has used Roman. If you do use his services, then please post about about the experience.

 

Thank you for your response. I have opted to use a third party to deal with my Citizenship Application purely to speed up the process. As I am Australian I have read that the standard time in receiving Polish Citizenship confirmation is 2 years.
As Roman is based in Warsaw, he advises the process should take upto 6months. I have since found out that Roman is a legal advisor and is not a Lawyer. He has been dealing with these cases for 7 years now.
Before taking on my case and transferring money. I had to answer a series of questions.
Just to give a bit of my history. I am Australian born to a Polish born Father and Australian born Mother. My father migrating to Australia with his parents. Roman advises I am able to apply for citizenship based on my fathers parents being born in Poland and I still had access to there Polish Passports.
I will keep you informed of my experience with polishcitizenship.pl.

 

6 months sounds like an unrealistically ambitious timeline.
I have engaged a Warsaw based lawyer with plenty of experience and he told me it will probably take about 13 months.

Just trying to manage expectations. Don't be surprised if it takes longer than 6 months.

Good luck.

 

If Roman's claim of 6 months turns out to be true, then he will soon be the most popular legal advisor in Warsaw.