Metadata: Kalisz Province Commission and the Warsaw Gubernial Government
Collection
- Country:
- Poland
- Holding institution:
- Central Archives of Historical Records in Warsaw
- Holding institution (official language):
- Archiwum Główne Akt Dawnych w Warszawie
- Postal address:
- ul. Długa 7, 00-263 Warszawa
- Phone number:
- (22) 831-54-91
- Email:
- sekretariat@agad.gov.pl
- Reference number:
- 1/228
- Title:
- Kalisz Province Commission and the Warsaw Gubernial Government
- Title (official language):
- Komisja Województwa Kaliskiego Rząd Gubernialny Warszawski
- Creator/accumulator:
- Offices of authorities of the Kalisz and Mazovian Provinces in the Polish Kingdom
- Date(s):
- 1815/1866
- Language:
- Polish
- German
- Russian
- Extent:
- 140 linear metres (about 3,800 files)
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Physical condition:
- good
- Scope and content:
-
The records of the Kalisz Province Commission [KWK], as a local authority body, mainly reflect local matters concerning its inhabitants. Each series of records contains a wealth of information about Jews, including:
1. Prefecture of Kalisz Department - records on propination in Opatówek and Baranów (ref. nos. 49, 95), records on the acquisition and ownership of houses and land in Odolanów and Warta (ref. nos. 127, 164)
2. Kalisz Province Commission [KWK] - records concerning the purchase of land lots and houses by Jews in Kalisz and Konin (contracts, auctions for the purchase of land lots and houses) and construction loans granted to them (ref. nos. 390, 419, 396, 398, 400, 302); records on the propination and lease of income (propination privileges, terms of income lease, lease contracts) in Kalisz, Koło and Zagórów (ref. nos. 388, 409, 460); records on residential districts for Jews (permits to live outside the district, refusal to lease corner houses on separate streets, lists of families living outside the district) in Sieradz, Zduńska Wola and Koło (ref. nos. 431,464, 467); records of bequests for hospitals (ref. nos. 909, 1685, 1687); records of the qualifications of Jewish merchants and stallholders Zbrudzewo, Bolesławiec, Chocz, Dobra, Iwanowice, Golina, Lądek, Szadka, Ślesin, Tuszyn, Władysławowo, Warta, Widawa and Złoczew (ref. nos. 1708-1713, 1718, 1823, 1822, 1724 d, 1725, 1727, 1727).
In the KWK series (ref. nos. 698-731) there is a group of records concerning the organisation of Jewish communities (including letters on the need to prepare lists of persons paying contributions to the community, and lists from several towns) (No. 698, 703); appointing rabbis and checking their qualifications (including personal declarations of candidates, name lists of rabbis and educators from the Kalisz province, permissions for rabbis to take up a position) (No. 700, 710); the organisation of Jewish schools (including a list of schools in the province with the name of the teacher and textbooks used, lists of teachers, letters from the Government Commission for Religious Denominations and Public Enlightenment recommending the purchase by the synagogue supervisory authorities of the indicated books (Buchner’s catechism, Tugendhold's prayer book).
The collection also covers the matter of establishing schools by Jonasz Czarnoski (ref. no. 699); correspondence in tax matters, the developing "Hasidim" sect, secret meetings of funeral fraternities, tender for the erection of poles for Sabbath chains with an explanation of the meaning of this custom (ref. no. 702); abolition of kahals and calculation of kahal debts, management of former Jewish community property, lists of capitals deposited with the kahal by various institutions (ref. nos. 701, 705, 709, 711); records of synagogue supervisory councils in Burzenin, Częstochowa, Dobra, Kalisz, Kleczew, Koło, Konin, Pyzdry, Stawiszyn, Uniejów, Wieruszów, Warta, and Złoczewo (ref. nos. 712-719, 721-722, 724-725, 727-729, 731); records of the construction of synagogues in Konin, Sieradz, Wieluń (ref. nos. 723, 726, 730).
- Archival history:
- After the system was reformed in 1866, three separate provinces were established on the territory of Warsaw province: Warsaw, Kalisz, and Piotrków. As a result, the records of the unfinished affairs of the former Warsaw province were divided between the new provinces of Kalisz and Piotrków, respectively (the records of the Kalisz Province Commission established in 1866 are kept in the State Archives in Łódź). The records currently stored in AGAD were, after the end of World War I, transferred to the State Archives in Kalisz, and after its liquidation in 1926 to the State Archives in Poznań, where they survived World War II almost without losses. The records were transferred to AGAD in 1949.
- Administrative/biographical history:
-
The 1815 Constitution divided the Kingdom of Poland into 8 provinces. Their administration was carried out by provincial commissions headed by presidents. The responsibilities of the commission included carrying out the orders of governmental commissions, overseeing the order and safety of citizens, securing public and private property, supervising the development of public education, supervising officials and presenting the requests and needs of residents to the government. The commission cooperated with the national courts and the commander of the armed forces in the province. The Kalisz Province Commission consisted of three departments: Administration (with Administrative, Industry and Education sections), Military (with Military and Police sections), Treasury (with Treasury, Property and Forests, and Commerce sections).
In 1837 Kalisz province was renamed a gubernia, and the Commission was renamed the Kalisz Gubernial Government headed by a governor. In 1844 the Masovian and Kalisz Gubernias were merged under the name of the Warsaw Gubernia and the Warsaw Gubernial Government took over the powers and duties of the Kalisz governorate authorities. As a result of the system reform in 1866, three gubernias were created on the territory of the former Warsaw gubernia: Warsaw, Kalisz and Piotrków. Established in 1866, the Kalisz Gubernia took over the files of unfinished business by its predecessors. This government was not the successor of the previous office under that same name.
- System of arrangement:
- The collection of records of the Kalisz Province Commission Warsaw Gubernial Government is in the process of being re-inventoried. It consists of six series of records: Prefecture of Kalisz Department 1806-1866, Kalisz Province Commission 1798-1875, Kalisz Gubernial Government 1819-1885, Mazowsze Province Committee 1796-1896, Mazowsze Province Government 1820-885, Warsaw Gubernial Government 1796 -1910. The upcoming inventory is organised along these series.
- Finding aids:
-
The old inventory is available online at Archives Portal Europe.
D. Lewandowska, Komisja Województwa Kaliskiego (Rząd Gubernialny Warszawski) [Kalisz Province Commission (Warsaw Gubernial Government] [in:] Archiwum Główne Akt Dawnych w Warszawie, Przewodnik po zasobie, vol. 2: Epoka porozbiorowa, ed. F. Ramotowska, Warszawa 1998, p. 290-294.
- Yerusha Network member:
- The Taube Department of Jewish Studies of the University of Wrocław
- Author of the description:
- Małgorzata Kośka, Central Archives of Historical Records in Warsaw, 2019
