BMD Records: What Years Are Available?

The recording of BMD (birth, marriage, and death) records began in 1808 for most towns, but 1810 for some. Until 1825, records for Catholics and Jews (and others members of other religions) were kept together in civil registers. Beginning in 1826, records were kept in separate books for each religious group.

Images of BMD are moved to Polish state archive branches (and thus are available to the public) 100 years of registration of births and 80 years after registration of marriage and death records:

Google Translation
Art. 128. 1. The head of the registry office shall forward to the competent state archives civil status registers kept before the date of entry into force this Act enters into force together with collective civil status registration akts and alphabetical indexes after 100 years from the closing of the birth register, and after 80 years after the closing of the marriage register and the death register. If in the register more than one civil status register was kept, the deadline for its storage is counted from the date of closing of the last civil status book kept in a given book.

ChatGPT (AI)
Art. 128. 1. The head of the civil registry office shall transfer civil registry books kept before the entry into force of this Act, together with collective civil registration files and alphabetical indexes, to the appropriate state archives after 100 years have passed since the closing of the birth register, and after 80 years from the closing of the marriage and death registers. If more than one civil registry book was maintained within a single civil registry book, the retention period shall be counted from the date of closure of the last civil registry book maintained within the given register.

Original Polish
Art. 128. 1. Kierownik urzędu stanu cywilnego przekazuje do właściwych archiwów państwowych księgi stanu cywilnego prowadzone przed dniem wejścia w życie niniejszej ustawy wraz z aktami zbiorowymi rejestracji stanu cywilnego oraz skorowidzami alfabetycznymi po upływie 100 lat od zamknięcia księgi urodzeń, a po upływie 80 lat od zamknięcia księgi małżeństw i księgi zgonów. Jeżeli w księdze stanu cywilnego była prowadzona więcej niż jedna księga stanu cywilnego, termin jej przechowywania jest liczony od daty zamknięcia ostatniej księgi stanu cywilnego prowadzonej w danej księdze.

1. If you are unable to find a marriage record that you expect to find, consider the possibility that the marriage might not have been registered or that the marriage might have occurred in the town of a bride or groom who might have lived in a different town than you were expecting.

2. If you are unable to find a birth record that you expect to find, consider the possibility that the birth might not have been registered or that the birth record might have been registered years, or even many years, later.

3. If you are unable to find many birth and marriage and death records that you expect to find in a town where you know your family lived, consider the possibility that such records no longer exist for the years in which are searching. Often, the reason is that the records burned in a fire or were destroyed in a flood. Here are towns in the CRARG area for which many BMD are missing:

Działoszyn

Only 1828 and 1837 BMD records still exist. Most of the BMD records of Działoszyn were destroyed due to flooding.

Janów

No BMD records still exist before 1863, due to a fire. This is explained in the Janów 1884 (akt 23) re-registration of the 1863 birth of Aba Abraham Englender, in a statement by his father, Fiszel Englender:

This year (1884), my son Aba Abraham has become a part of the list of draftees of Tchernogorod’s Administrative District. On the basis of Article 45 of the Code of Laws of the Military Service he is subject to be drafted on the basis of the general law. He may be eligible for an exemption which was not recognized since he was unable to present a birth certificate—this because of the fire in the hamlet of Janów in June 1863 which destroyed the birth and death certificates of the non-Christian population and because the duplicates of these certificates were destroyed at the former Zarec District Court in 1870. Therefore, my son was unable to present his birth certificate. In order to determine his age, therefore, the present document (birth certificate) was made.”

Kielce

BMD records were not created before 1868. Jews were not permitted to settle in Kielce until 1863. Births, marriages, and deaths were not recorded in Kielce until 1868.

The Tsar’s decree of May 24 (June 5, on the Gregorian calendar), 1862 and the National Government's declaration of January 22,1863 finally created conditions enabling Jews to freely settle within the city limits of Kielce.... By the decree of February 1, 1868, the Government Commission for the Interior [Komisja Rządowa Spraw Wewnętrznych] established the Kielce Synagogue District [Kielecki Okręg Bózniczy], and on August 22, the provincial authorities ratified the protocol of the elections to the Synagogue Board (Dozór Bózniczy).... Routine actions followed, that is the books of births, marriages and deaths were established.
(Source: Krzysztof Urbański, “The Time of Pioneers - The Jewish Community in Kielce, 1863–1904,” in Kielce-Radom SIG Journal, Volume 6, Number 3, Summer 2002, pages 3–10)

Koniecpol

BMD records are missing for 1856–1889, 1891–1899, and 1902.

Lelów

No BMD records still exist before 1872.

Pławno

Many BMD records are missing in the 1900s:

Year	Type	Number for this year
1900	B	54
1900	M	20
1900	D	12
1901	B	67
1901	M	38
1901	D	missing
1902	B	70
1902	M	22
1902	D	16
1903	B	85
1903	M	18
1903	D	19
1904	B	65
1904	M	20
1904	D	20
1905	B	73
1905	M	14
1905	D	19
1906	B	52
1906	M	22
1906	D	8
1907	B	83
1907	M	22
1907	D	18
1908	B	69
1908	M	28
1908	D	18
1909	B	66
1909	M	28
1909	D	15
1910	B	53
1910	M	28
1910	D	16
1911	B	75
1911	M	30
1911	D	15
1912	B	57
1912	M	missing
1912	D	12
1913	B	missing
1913	M	missing
1913	D	missing
1914	B	missing
1914	M	missing
1914	D	missing
1915	B	missing
1915	M	missing
1915	D	missing
1916	B	missing
1916	M	missing
1916	D	missing
1917	B	missing
1917	M	missing
1917	D	missing
1918	B	missing
1918	M	missing
1918	D	missing
1919	B	34
1919	M	22
1919	D	6
1920	B	15
1920	M	16
1920	D	20
1921	B	19
1921	M	8
1921	D	8
1922	B	40
1922	M	20
1922	D	16
1923	B	37
1923	M	50
1923	D	6
1924	B	missing
1924	M	48
1924	D	7
1925	B	38
1925	D	9
1925	M	64
1926	B	43
1926	M	missing
1926	D	missing
1927	B	36
1927	M	26
1927	D	8
1928	B	missing
1928	M	missing
1928	D	missing
1929	B	97
1929	M	28
1929	D	missing
1930	B	26
1930	M	22
1930	D	6
1931	B	24
1931	M	10
1931	D	9
1932	B	22
1932	M	16
1932	D	5
1933	B	18
1933	M	14
1933	D	10
1934	B	31
1934	M	12
1934	D	8
1935	B	17
1935	D	9
1935	M	14
1936	B	19
1936	D	8
1936	M	missing
1937	B	8
1937	D	8
1937	M	4
1938	B	17
1938	D	7
1938	M	6
1939	B	7
1939	D	17
1939	M	4
1940	B	3
1940	D	9
1940	M	missing

Przedbórz

BMD records are missing for 1889 and 1896. In addition, BMD records are missing for 1914–1915. They are not at the Piotrków Trybunalski Archive (where other Przedbórz BMD records are stored) nor at the Przedbórz U.S.C. (Urząd Stanu Cywilnego; Civil Registry Office).

Szczekociny

BMD records are missing for 1853–1856. For 1857, only birth and death records are available. Also missing: 1890–1892, 1902, 1911.

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