u/Traditional_Aerie912

Just wondering if anyone has recently ordered a historical naturalisation file through an ATIP request in Canada. I know they are supposed to reply within 30 days, even if that reply is just to tell you they need an extension.
I gave them the exact information from the gazette, so no research or guesswork involved.
Anybody else do this recently, and what was your experience with wait times?

Hello,

My grandfather was born in 1908 in Volhynia and immigrated to Canada in 1927. He naturalised in 1937 and was married in 1942. My father was born in 1944.
In the immigration papers in 1927 it stated he was a citizen of Poland and he had a Polish passport with the number and Polish city where it was issued recorded in the file. However, where it says "race or people" and "language", it has Ukrainian. In the 1931 census he identifed as Polish and speaking Polish and in his naturalization papers in 1937 it says he was a Polish citizen (I don't have the whole file yet so it may also say Ukrainian race).

The Ukrainian bit has been causing me a lot of stress since any declaration of being Ukrainian and not Polish and I know I'm sunk. I received his marriage certificate today from 1942 and I was shocked to see it says he was born in Russia. Now that is technically true historically and geographically but doesn't match anything else that he previuosly declared. As well, he never claimed to be Russian while he was alive and he didn't much care for the Soviets from what I recall.

I'm thinking this was an over-zealous provincial clerk's error. I note on the same document my grandmother's father was listed as being born in "Austria". He was Ukrainian from Galica and had been noted as such in previous documents.

I'm worried though how this will be interpreted by Polish officials. I've heard that I can appeal to the provincial governement to have this document amended using his immigration and naturalization files as evidence of the error. In 1942 and 1944 Canada still recognized Volhynia as Poland regardless of who was occupying it.

I'm worried that my Dad's birth certificate will say the same.

Anyone have any advice on this? Am I done?

(The ironic thing is my mother is 100% Polish but her family is pre-1920 and I don't have any records.)

Great-Grandparents: 

* Date married: ~1907

* Date divorced: -

Grandparent: 

* Sex: M

* Date, place of birth: 1908 Volhynia region

* Date married: 1942

* Citizenship of spouse: Canadian

* Date divorced: -

* Occupation: Farmer

* Allegiance and dates of military service: none

(If applicable)

• Date, destination for emigration: June 1927 - Canada
• Date naturalized: 1937
• Date, place of death: 1995 Canada

Parent: 

* Sex: M

* Date, place of birth: 1944 Canada

* Date married: 1966

* Date divorced: -

You: 

* Date, place of birth: 1971 Canada

My grandfather emigrated to Canada in 1927. He lived in the Volhynia region around Luboml. My family history says that he reported for duty in the Polish army in 1926 or 27 and was too sick at the time. He was told to get better and report back, but never did and emigrated with his family shortly afterwards.
I’m just wondering if any records of this would exist and where I would look.

I believe he would have reported to PKU Kowal. These places are all now in Western Ukraine.
I’m wondering where I’d look for these records. I was going to write an email to Wojskowe Biuro Historyczne – Centralne Archiwum Wojskowe - Military Historical Bureau – Central Military Archives in Poland to see if they are housed there and, if not, if they know if they survived and where they might be located.

Has anyone else done something like this and been successful?

Hello,

My grandfather was born in 1908 in Volhynia and immigrated to Canada in 1927. He naturalised in the late 30s and was married in 1942. My father was born in 1944. From what I understand, the naturalisation is not a dealbreaker because of the military paradox.
In the immigration papers in 1927 it stated he was a citizen of Poland and he had a polish passport with the number and city where it was issued. However, where it says race and language, it has Ukrainian.

My grandfather always identified as both Ukrainian and Polish. In the 1935 Canadian census, it shows his nationality as Polish, place of birth Poland and religion as Roman Catholic. He was not a religious man and he and my grandmother were married in a Protestant church, my father was baptised in a protestant church and his funeral was in a protestant church.
I’m still waiting for his naturalisation papers, but on every Canadian document I have, it has his nationality as being Polish. I’m hunting for Polish documents right now, but haven’t found any yet.

I’m wondering about article 4 of the 1951 Polish citizenship act and whether that would strip him of his citizenship. When he was born in 1908 the region was part of the Russian empire but he was Polish in the 1920s when he left.

I’m wondering if I’m still eligible or if the 1951 legislation wipes that out. I’ve talked with a few companies and they’ve told me “it’s complicated“. However, this was before I found the 1931 census, which I think works in my favour.

Any thoughts?