Relacje świadków jako źródło do badań biografii duchowieństwa diecezji lubelskiej w XX wieku. Problem ich wartości informacyjnej i wiarygodności

Sources other than products of institutions and offices play a significant role in the study of the past, including memoirs, diaries and accounts written at various times by participants or witnesses of the events we are interested in. Despite their subjective perception of reality, when skilfully used and confronted with other records, such accounts become valuable sources of information and describe facts that might have been omitted in official documents. This article analyses different accounts related to late priest Jan Poddębniak, a priest of the Lublin diocese, awarded the Righteous Among the Nations Medal. All these accounts have been verified, showing that the same events were remem-bered differently by their individual participants. It proves that although such accounts are a living historical resource, using them without exploring the context and confronting with other records, can lead to erroneous conclusions.