Genealogical research cannot be divorced from a geographical and historical study of the area under investigation. Not only will a knowledge of the local history provide enriched backgrounds and outline the factors impacting our ancestors' lives and fortunes, but such knowledge is a necessity in order to understand the research material relating to our genealogical investigations.
(Polishroots.com/galician_research.htm)
Carpathian Mountains
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The Carpathian Mountains (called Karpaty in the Czech Republic, Poland and Ukraine and Carpatii in Romania) are a major Central European mountain system which form a 930 mile semi-circle linking the Balkans and the Alps. They begin in southwest Slovakia and range along the Czech-Slovak border to Poland. They then range from the Tatras through the Beskids (our ancestral villages are in the Beskid Niski) through West Ukaine to the Transylvanian Alps in Romania.
A geologically young system, the Carpathians form the northern and eastern sides of the Danubian plain. Elevations range from 3000 to 8000 feet with the highest point at 8738: Mount Gerlach, (Gerlachova or Gerlachovsky) in Slovakia's Tatra range. Their width ranges from 20 feet at the Dukla Pass (in our Lemkovyna region) to 160 feet wide in places along the Polish-Slovak border.
The Carpathians are sparsely populated, rich in minerals and timber and cut by numerous low passes. Wolves, brown bears, lynx, owls and eagles are found in the forested areas.
Galicia
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Historic Galicia existed from 1772 to 1918. It resulted from the first partition of Poland in 1772 when the area was annexed to the Austrian empire and given the name of Galicia. (There were two later partitions in 1792 and 1795.) The 32,332 square mile area was located on the slopes of the Northern Carpathians and their northern plains and bordered on Slovakia in the south. Galicia was also called Halicz (Halych), Malopolksa and Little Poland. The area that was formerly Galicia is now located in southern Poland and western Ukraine. The Polish section is an area of 13, 226 square miles.
In the 19th century, the Galician population was composed of 50% Catholic Poles, 40% Byzantine Catholics with an Eastern language, 10% Jews and a small German minority. In 1900, at the time of great emigration, Galicia had seven million inhabitants.
In World War I, the eastern front crossed through Galicia several times. At the end of the war in 1918, Galicia no longer existed and the area became part of Poland again, In the Second World War, almost all of the Jewish population was killed. After the war, borders were again redrawn and the former Galicia was divided between Poland and the Soviet Ukraine. The Rusyns from the Polish Lemkovyna area were forcibly deported in 1947 and sent to land "recovered" from Germany.
Carpatho-Rus
Carpatho-Rus was the homeland of the Rusyn people. It was located in the center of Europe. At one time, there were over 1440 villages in which at least 50% of the inhabitants were Rusyn. The land is now divided among Poland, Ukraine and Slovakia with small settlements of Carpatho-Rusyns in Romania and Yugolslavia. Specifically, the Lemko region is in Poland, the Presov region in Slovakia and Subcarpathian Rus in Ukraine.
Carpatho-Rus before WWI
This map is found in the books,The Carpatho-Rusyns and Our People, both by Dr. Paul Robert Magosci. Both of these works are excellent starting points for a study of the Carpatho-Rusyn people, history and culture. They are referenced in ourResources section.
CURRENT POLITICAL DIVISIONS
This map is found in the books,The Carpatho-Rusyns and Our People, both by Dr. Paul Robert Magosci. Both of these works are excellent starting points for a study of the Carpatho-Rusyn people, history and culture. They are referenced in ourResources section.
Carpatho-Rusyn settlement map, 1900
This is a greatly reduced image of a large scale map illustrating Carpatho-Rusyn settlement in the Capathian Mountains between 1900-1921. It depicts the villages of a people "who never had their own state nor even an administrative entity that encompassed all the territory where they lived." This is a highly recommended resource for an overview of the geography of the Rusyn people. It is available from the Carpatho-Rusyn Resource Center (see home page of carpatho-rusyn.org ebsite). (Map/quotation fromMapping Stateless Peoples: The East Slavs of the Carpathians,Paul Robert Magocsi, 1997)
Lemkovyna
Lemkovyna Region of Carpatho-Rus (Austian Galicia) before 1918
Our People: Carpatho Rusyns and their Descendants in North America
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Lemkovyna (Lemkowszczyzna in Polish and Lemkivshchyna in Ukrainian) is the Lemko region of Carpatho-Rus located on the northern slopes of the Carpathan Mountains. There were approximately 300 Lemko villages in this area before the population transfers and Operation Vistula. This number represented 31% of the total numbers of villages in Carpatho-Rus. This areas is roughly 140 km long and 25 to 50 km wide (approximately 87 miles long by 15 to 30 miles wide) in the upper and lower Beskids. It ranges from the Poprad River in the west to the San River in the east. It was divided into eight administrative units (povitas) and most root-seekers still mention these districts although they have been redrawn under Polish administation. These disticts were Nowy Targ, Nowy Sacz, Grybow, Gorlice, Jaslo, Krosno, Sanok and Lesko. Our villages were in the Jaslo distict.