Where was your grandma born? in Poland or the U.S.?

 

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She was born in the US.

 

I see, it gets more complicated...

In your great-grandmother's passport does it say that she was married to a Polish citizen?

You could probably use that passport to show that your grandma's sister was Polish after her father and therefore so should be your grandma since they are both born from the same parents.

 

Not sure... I have a good scan of every page of the passport. My polish and old-time-handwriting are not that fluent. I could send them to you private if you'd be willing to see what you can figure out. I know for sure her profession is listed as something like houewife. Not sure if that carries any legal presumption, though.

Yeah, that's the best conclusion I could come to. I was just hoping for something more direct. I know that my great-grandpa tried to get US citizenship.. but even after my Grandma was born his case was still pending (i.e., he wasn't naturalized and.. as far as I know, died Polish national)

 

Does it mention her husband's name? ( your great-grandfather)

That would be the only way I can figure out, since you don't have any documents issued to your great-grandpa by The Republic of Poland.

 

Nothing that I can see... what would stop me from saying she is illegitimate, if I can't find any information proving they were married?

 

If she wasn't married, in Stan Cywilny it should say "panna" somewhere.
If she was married it should say "mezatka".

The situation is simple: If her daughter was illegitimate she would have her mother's surname and not her father's.

My father was annotated on his mother's passport (my grandmother), and it says that she was married to my grandfather.

it would be a good idea if you can find your great-granparents marriage certificate.

 

Ah yes, the surname.. how obvious. Thanks.

How was the annotation in the passport? The one I have was issued in 1920, and there is just a place for "Members of the Family" .. about 4 pages into it. It only has the first daughter listed. Was this how your Grandfather was listed?

 

I don't have it now with me but yes, I think he was annotated in the page of "members of the Family" and he was her first son.

If ypur great-grandmother wasn't married, in Stan Cywilny it should say "panna" somewhere. If she was married it should say "mezatka".

 

I don't have that section. I have the first page, Passport, with her picture on the inside of the front cover. Second page is Rysopis Wlasciciela which runs onto the third page.. the third page says Leaving from Zywiec to America. Fourth page is Czlonkowie Rodziny... third page is her stamp for passage to America from the US Consulate in Warsaw... fourth page are just some handwritten records on blank pages giving the name of the church for a baptism and the names of Godparents (I think). The rest is blank!

 

It doesn't seem to say whether she was married or single, but from what you told me before her daughter appears with your great-grandpa's surname (is that correct?), which indicates that she was a legitimate child.

 

Yes, that's correct. Okay, so that's my argument until I find something else or if I don't find something else. I think you are right, though, marriage records would be helpful. From what I understand, in this particular parish church, the records are not very good. Last time I was in Poland I tried to visit in person, but the roads were flooded!

I'm trying to obtain his immigrations records here in the United States to see if there is anything that would be indirect evidence of his citizenship.

 

If your great-grandfather emigrated before 1920 and never return to Poland, it probably won't be any evidence of his Polish citizenship,but you can use your great-grandmother's passport and her marriage certificate to indirectly suggest that your grandmother was also a Polish citizen. I hope this will work.

Let us know how you are getting on with this.

 

I will for sure. Probably going to do it through a lawyer. Thanks for all your suggestions.

 

Not at all...That's right, it would be good to do it through a lawyer as they might know other tricks which I don't. Good luck with this.

 

This is a case similar to yours of someone whose great-grandfather was listed on his great-great-grandmother's passport. The great-grandfather was born in the US in 1911. The posts are ordered in reverse, read through all of them, (MMassey)

http://www.easyexpat.com/forums/search. ... or=MMassey

 

The Wojewoda requested some translations I have been stamped/certified at the consulate. I had a public notary do them.

Can a POLISH notary (which is different than a US public notary) notarize these translations, or do I have to use the consulate? The consulate charges $48/page AND I believe I have to do it in person (I'm 1500km from my consulate).

 

When I presented all my documents at the Polish consulate in London what they requested me was to have my birth certificate, my parents marriage certificate including the translations all certified at the Polish consulate in Buenos Aires, but that was before Poland become a member of the Hague Convention I think in 2006. After that with the apostille should be enough. Normally the translations are certified at the consulates or at the Association of Public Translators in the U.S. I suppose you can also certify them by a qualified English-Polish Public Notary in Poland, but I'm not really sure if that would be accepted. Ask in the Citizenship Office if that would be enough. I think what they are asking for is the verification of the signature of the Public Translator, and that can only be done at the Polish consulate in the U.S.

 

If what they are asking for is the verification of the signature of the Public Translator, I think that can only be done at the Polish consulate in the U.S. You can probably do it by post.