Steve's Genealogy Blog

The death of Aleksander Grabowski was reported in the metrical records for Zielona parish in 1899. He died in the Peterhof Hospital while serving as a private in the 147^th Samara Infantry Regiment of the Imperial Russian Army.

Aleksander was born on March 28, 1877 in Grabowo, Przasnysz Obwód, Płock Gubernia, Congress Kingdom of Poland, the seventh child of Seweryn Jan Grabowski and Eleonora née Grabowska. He was also my 3^rd cousin, 3× removed.

Death Record for Aleksander Grabowski – 1899

In Russian, this record states:

40
Состояпось въ деревни Зелена семьнадцатаго (двадцать девятаго) Ноября тысяча восемьсотъ девяносто девятаго года. Наосиовании Мироваго Судьи города Цеханова съ девятаго Ноября текущаго года за Номеромъ триета пятьдесятъ шестомъ основаинаго на отиошении Комаидира 147 пехотиого Самарскаи полка оть тридцать перваго Октябр сего года за Номероме пять тысяча двесте семьдесять третьимъ Октября двадцатъ девятаго (Ноябя десятаго) дня тысяча восемьсоть девятосто девятаго года, рядовой выше сказаинаго полка Александерь Грабовскии летъ двадцати двохъ отъ роду въ Петргофском лазарете умеръ; родившийся въ деревие Грабове сынъ Северина Грабовскего и Елеонори урождеииой Грабовской, сей актъ о смерти Александра Грабовскаго местнымъ. Администраторомъ подписанъ.
Кс. Янъ [Гохловски ?]

Translated into English, the document states:

40
This took place in the village of Zielona on November 17^th [Julian date] November 29^th [Gregorian date] 1899. By order number 3-56 of the Justice of the Peace of the city of Ciechanów on November 9^th of the current year, based on request number 5273 of the Commander of the 147^th Samara Infantry Regiment dated October 31^st of this year: on October 29^th [Julian date] November 10^th [Gregorian date] 1899, Alexander Grabovsky, a private in the above-mentioned regiment, 22 years old, died in the Peterhof hospital. He was born in the village of Grabowo, son of Severin Grabowski and Eleonora née Grabowska. This death record for Alexander Grabowski was signed by the local administrator.
Reverend Jan [Gocłowski ?]

Copyright © 2025 by Stephen J. Danko

The following parishes are currently part of the Siemiatycze Powiat in the Third Polish Republic: Dołubowo, Drohiczyn, Dziadkowice, Mielnik, Milejczyce, Narojki, Ostrożany, Perlejewo, Siemiatycze, Śledzianów

Sotzmann, Daniel Friedrich, and Johann Christoph Textor. 1808. “Topographisch Militarische Karte Vom Vormaligen Neu Ostpreussen Oder Dem Jetzigen Nördlichen Theil Des Herzogthums Warschau Nebst Dem Russischen District …” Berlin: D.F. Sotzman. (https://lithuanianmaps.com/TopoMapsNewEastPrussia1808.html : accessed 14 Dec 2024)

The above map shows Kreiskommissariat Bielsk, Kammerdepartement Białystok, Province of New East Prussia, Kingdom of Prussia (in existence from 1796-1807). This map is shown here because current maps are under copyright. This map shows the location of all the parishes except for Milejczyce which was, at that time, located in the section of this map labelled “Russland”.

Note: After the third partition of Poland, the city of Drohiczyn was divided in two. The area on the right bank of the Bug River became part of Prussia and the area on the left bank became part of Galicia and later, when it became part of Russia, the left bank was renamed Ruska Strona.

The administrative structure of the parishes of Dołubowo, Drohiczyn, Narojki (Orthodox/Uniate), Ostrożany, Perlejewo, Siemiatycze, and Śledzianów can be described as follows:

• 01 Jul 1569-25 Jan 1796: Village, Drohiczyn Ziemia, Podlaskie Voivodeship, Province of Lesser Poland, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
• 26 Jan 1796-06 Jul 1807: Village, Kreis Drohiczyn, Kammerdepartement Białystok, Province of New East Prussia, Kingdom of Prussia
• 07 Jul 1807-1842: Village, Drohiczyn Uyezd, Białystok Obwód, Russian Empire
• 1843-Oct 1914: Village, Bielsk Uyezd, Grodno Gubernija, Russian Empire
• Nov 1914-10 Nov 1918: Village, Kreis Bielsk, Verwaltungsgebiete Bialystok-Grodno, Ober-Ost, German Empire
• 11 Nov 1918-16 Sep 1939: Village, Bielsk Powiat, Białystok Voivodeship, Second Polish Republic
• 17 Sep 1939-21 Jul 1941: Village, Belarusian SSR, USSR
• 22 Jul 1941-27 Jun 1945: Village, Kreiskommissariat Bielsk, Bezirk Białystok, German Reich
• 28 Jun 1945-30 Jun 1951: Village, Bielsk Powiat, Białystok Voivodeship, Republic of Poland
• 01 Jul 1952-31 May 1975: Village, Siemiatycze Powiat, Białystok Voivodeship, Polish People’s Republic
• 01 Jun 1975-30 Dec 1989: Village, Białystok Voivodeship, Polish People’s Republic
• 31 Dec 1989-30 Dec 1998: Village, Białystok Voivodeship, Third Polish Republic
• 31 Dec 1998-Present: Village, Siemiatycze Powiat, Podlaskie Voivodeship, Third Polish Republic

The administrative structure of the parishes of Dziadkowice and Mielnik can be described as follows:

• 01 Jul 1569-25 Jan 1796: Village, Mielnik Ziemia, Podlaskie Voivodeship, Province of Lesser Poland, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
• 26 Jan 1796-06 Jul 1807: Village, Kreiskommissariat Bielsk, Kammerdepartement Białystok, Province of New East Prussia, Kingdom of Prussia
• 07 Jul 1807-1842: Village, Drohiczyn Uyezd, Białystok Obwód, Russian Empire
• 1843-Oct 1914: Village, Bielsk Uyezd, Grodno Gubernija, Russian Empire
• Nov 1914-10 Nov 1918: Village, Kreis Bielsk, Verwaltungsgebiete Bialystok-Grodno, Ober-Ost, German Empire
• 11 Nov 1918-16 Sep 1939: Village, Bielsk Powiat, Białystok Voivodeship, Second Polish Republic
• 17 Sep 1939-21 Jul 1941: Village, Belarusian SSR, USSR
• 22 Jul 1941-27 Jun 1945: Village, Kreiskommissariat Bielsk, Bezirk Białystok, German Reich
• 28 Jun 1945-30 Jun 1951: Village, Bielsk Powiat, Białystok Voivodeship, Republic of Poland
• 01 Jul 1952-31 May 1975: Village, Siemiatycze Powiat, Białystok Voivodeship, Polish People’s Republic
• 01 Jun 1975-30 Dec 1989: Village, Białystok Voivodeship, Polish People’s Republic
• 31 Dec 1989-30 Dec 1998: Village, Białystok Voivodeship, Third Polish Republic
• 31 Dec 1998-Present: Village, Siemiatycze Powiat, Podlaskie Voivodeship, Third Polish Republic

The administrative structure of the parish of Milejczyce can be described as follows:

• 01 Jul 1569-25 Jan 1796: Village, Brest Litovsk Powiat, Brest-Litovsk Voivodeship, Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
• 26 Jan 1796-Oct 1914: Village, Brest Uyezd, Grodno Gubernija, Russian Empire
• Nov 1914-10 Nov 1918: Village, Kreis Swislocz, Verwaltungsgebiete Bialystok-Grodno, Ober-Ost, German Empire
• 11 Nov 1918-01 Jan 1919: Village, Brest Uyezd, Grodno Gubernija, Belarusian People’s Republic
• 01 Jan 1919-1919: Village, Brest Uyezd, Grodno Gubernija, Socialist Soviet Republic of Byelorussia, USSR
• 1919-17 Mar 1921: Village, Brest Uyezd, Grodno Gubernija, Socialist Soviet Republic of Lithuania and Belorussia, USSR
• 18 Mar 1921-16 Sep 1939: Village, Bielsk Powiat, Białystok Voivodeship, Second Polish Republic
• 17 Sep 1939-15 Aug 1945: Village, Belarusian SSR, USSR
• 16 Aug 1945-30 Jun 1951: Village, Bielsk Powiat, Białystok Voivodeship, Republic of Poland
• 01 Jul 1952-31 May 1975: Village, Siemiatycze Powiat, Białystok Voivodeship, Polish People’s Republic
• 01 Jun 1975-30 Dec 1989: Village, Białystok Voivodeship, Polish People’s Republic
• 31 Dec 1989-30 Dec 1998: Village, Białystok Voivodeship, Third Polish Republic
• 31 Dec 1998-Present: Village, Siemiatycze Powiat, Podlaskie Voivodeship, Third Polish Republic

Copyright © 2024 by Stephen J. Danko

The death of Wincenty Aleksandrowicz was reported in the metrical records for Szwelice parish in 1865. His birth was recorded in the metrical records for Chotomów in 1835, and his marriage to Julianna Ślubowska was recorded in the metrical records for Dzierżenin in 1858. He was, therefore, not from the Szwelice parish. His death record, although recorded on 14 Jan 1865, states that Wincenty died in battle in the fields of Czarnostów on 18 September 1863, the same day that Antoni Myszkiewicz died in battle in the same place.

Like Antoni Myszkiewicz, Wincenty Aleksandrowicz apparently died during the January Uprising which began on 22 January 1863 and continued into 1864. Most death records in the Congress Kingdom of Poland from this time period do not mention the place of burial, but this one states that Wincenty was buried in the cemetery in Szwelice. This is the first Polish death record I’ve seen that actually mentions a funeral.

Death and Burial Record for Wincenty Aleksandrowicz – 1863/1865

In Polish, the record states:

Szwelice 3
Działo się we wsi koscielny Szwelicach dnia czternastego stycznia tysiąc osmset szesćdziesiątego piątego roku o godzinie dziesiąteg z rana. Stawił się Wiktor Wyrzykowski wyrobnik lat dwadzieścia a dziwiąt maiący w Ładach zamieszkały, i Mateusza Kędzierski wyrobnik lat piędziesiąt liczący w Przewodowie osiadły, i oświadczyli nam już było na ocznemi świadkowi smierci, i pogrzebu Wincentego Alexandrowicza lat mającego dwadziescia pięc poległego wboiu na polah czarnostowskich dnia 18 wrzesnia 1863 ktory pozostawil zoną Julią z Ślubowskich. Po przekonaniu się na ocznie o zajsciu Wincentego Alexandrowicz pochowane na cmentarza Szwelickim. Akt ten stawaiącym przeczytany i przez nas tylko podpisany został.
Ksiądz Kołakowski Proboszcz Szwelicach, Utrzymujący Akta stanu Cywilnego

Translated into English, the document reads:

Szwelice 3
This happened in the church-owned village of Szwelice on the January 14, 1865 at 10 o’clock in the morning. Wiktor Wyrzykowski, a 29-year-old worker living in Łady, and Mateusz Kędzierski, a 50-year-old worker living in Przewodowo, appeared and told us that they had already witnessed the death and funeral of Wincenty Alexandrowicz, 25 years old, who died in battle on the fields of Czarnostów on September 18, 1863, leaving behind his wife Julia née Ślubowska. After being convinced of the incident, Wincenty Alexandrowicz was buried in the Szwelice cemetery. This document was read to the declarants and signed only by us.
Father Kołakowski, Pastor of Szwelice, Maintaining the Civil Status Records

Copyright © 2024 by Stephen J. Danko

Most death records recorded in the metrical records of Polish parishes report the deaths of members of the parish. Occasionally, a death is reported for someone who was not a member of the parish, but who died within the reaches of the parish – for example, the death of a soldier who died in battle.

The death of Antoni Myszkiewicz was reported in the metrical records for Szwelice parish in 1864. I have not found records for anyone else with the surname Myszkiewicz in the Szwelice metrical records, and therefore assume that Antoni was born elsewhere. The death record, although recorded on 18 November 1864, states that Antoni died in battle in the fields of Czarnostów on 18 September 1863. Most death records in the Congress Kingdom of Poland from this time period do not mention the place of burial, but this states that Antoni was buried in the cemetery in Szwelice.

The date of Antoni’s death is significant. The January Uprising in the Kingdom of Poland began on 22 January 1863 and continued into 1864. The January Uprising was an effort to end Russian occupation of Poland and regain independence. As a consequence of this uprising, hundreds of Poles were executed and tens of thousands were exiled to Siberia. Serfdom in Poland was abolished in an effort to ruin the nobility for their role in the uprising. The voivodeships were eliminated and replace with Russian-style gubernias. One of the most significant consequences of the uprising was the increased effort to “Russify” the Polish people. Shortly after the uprising, the government required that metrical records be written in Russian instead of Polish.

Death and Burial Record for Antoni Myszkiewicz – 1863/1864

In Polish, the record states:

Szwelice 35.
Działo się we wsi koscielny Szwelicach dnia osmnastego listopada tysiąc osmset szesćdziesiątego czwarteo roku o godzinie trzeciej a południe. Stawił się Franciszek Zebrowski gospodarz rolny lat dwadziescia osm, i Łukasz Biel stangreł latczterdziesci maiący w Slubowie Zamieszkali i oswiadczyli nam że byli naocznani świadkami poległego na polach czarnostowskich Antoniiego Myszkiewicza zołnierz a około lat dwadziescia cztery maiącego i w boju w dniu osmnastem wrzesnia tysiąc osmset sześcdzieiątego treciego roku ktory pozostawił zoną Anną z Orleńskich – pochowany został na cmentarzy Swelicach po przekonaniu iz prawdzie świadków iednozgodnie zekoracących. Akt ten stawaiącym przeczytany, przez nas i tychże przypuę impiera podpisany został.
Ksiądz Kołakowski Proboszcz Szwelicach, Utrzymujący Akta stanu Cywilnego
XXX Franciszek Zebrowski
XXX Łucasz Biel

Translated into English, the document reads:

Szwelice 35.
This happened in the church-owned village of Szwelice on November 18, 1864, at 3 o’clock in the afternoon. Franciszek Zebrowski, a farmer of 28 years, and Łukasz Biel, a stableman of 40 years, who live in Slubowo, appeared and declared to us that they were eyewitnesses to the death of Antoni Myszkiewicz, a soldier of about 24 years, who was killed in battle in the fields of Czarnostów on the September 18, 1863, leaving behind a wife, Anna née Orleńska. He was buried in the Szwelice cemetery after I was convinced that the witnesses were unanimously testifying to the truth. This document was read to the declarants, and signed by us and by the imperial authority.
[signed] Father Kołakowski, Pastor of Szwelice, Maintaining the Civil Status Records
[signed with his mark] XXX Franciszek Zebrowski
[signed with his mark] XXX Łukasz Biel

Copyright © 2024 by Stephen J. Danko

Genowefa Sielawa was born on 11 Mar 1916 in Motowidłówka, Wasylków Uezd, Kiev Gubérniya, Russian Empire, and baptized on 12 Mar 1916 in the Motowidłówka Church. In 1920, information about her birth and baptism was entered into the records of the parish church in Borkowo, Kolno Powiat, Białystok Voivodeship, Second Polish Republic.

Birth and Baptismal Record for Genowefa Sielawa – 1916/1920

In Polish, the record states:

Na zasadzie metryki wydanej przez Urząd Parafialny Motowidłowskiego Rz. Kat. Kościoła za No. 71 z dnia 8 marca 1916 roku metrycznej książki no. 127. Niniejszym zaświadczam, że córka Feliksa i Aleksandry z Wyrwasów małż. Sialowów, urodzona została w Wasylkowie powiatu i gub. Kijowskiej dniu dwudziestym siodmym m-ca lutego tysiąc dziewięcset szesnastego roku starego stylu. Dzięciu temu na chrzcie Świętym w dniu dwudziestym ósmym m-ca lutego tegoś roku w Motowidłowskim Rz Kat. parafialnym kościele przez księdza prob. Bolesława Gietkiewicza odbytem nadane zostało imię Genowefa, a rodzicami jego chrzestnym byli Aleksander Kajko i Aleksandra Kajko, co stwierdzam własnoręcznym podpisem i pieczęcią kościelną.
[podpisano] Ks. [Z. Butkiewicz ?]
Utrzymujący Akta Stanu Cywilnego

Translated into English, the document reads:

On the basis of the record sent by the Parish Office of the Motowidłówka Roman Catholic Church for No. 71 on 8 March 1916, metric book no. 127, I hereby certify that the daughter of the married couple Feliks and Aleksandra née Wyrwas Sielawa, was born in Wasylków uezd and Kiev gubérniya, on the twenty-seventh day of February, one-thousand nine-hundred sixteen in the old style. This child was baptized on the twenty-eighth day of February of the same year in the Motowidłóka Roman Catholic parish church by parish priest Bolesław Gietkiewicz and was given the name Genowefa, and her godparents were Aleksander Kajko and Aleksandra Kajko. I hereby sign this document with my own hand and the church seal.
[signed] Rev. [Z. Butkiewicz ?]
Maintainer of Civil Status Records

Before 1915, residents of Borkowo worshipped at the church in Mały Płock. However, during World War I, the church in Mały Plock was nearly totally destroyed, and with it many of the metrical records for the parish. Worship services in Mały Płock were conducted in the rectory until the church could be rebuilt.

In 1918, the parish of the Holy Trinity was established in Borkowo, separate from the parish in Mały Plock. The church of the Holy Trinity in Borkowo was built in the years 1923-1932. Most of the baptisms recorded in the Borkowo metrical books in 1920 were baptisms that were performed in Borkowo. Records No. 21-26, however, are all records performed in other locations during World War I and then recorded in the Borkowo books after the end of the war.

Akt 22 recorded the birth of Antoni Kajko in Wasylków and baptism in the Motowidłówka Roman Catholic Church, and whose parents were Stanisław and Bronisława Kajko. Akt 23 (the record described here) recorded the birth of Genowefa Sielawa, whose godparents were Aleksander Kajko and Aleksandra Kajko. It appears that more than one family from Borkowo lived in in Wasylków (Ukrainian = Васильків), near Kiev (English = Kiev or Kyiv; Polish = Kijów; Ukrainian = Київ), during World War I.

Copyright © 2024 by Stephen J. Danko

Deciphering the names of villages and parishes in Polish records, especially when the records are written in Cyrillic, can be difficult. While researching Marianna Czaplicka (daughter of Józef Czaplicki and Domicela Roman) I found two marriage records for her:

Using Geneteka, finding Marianna’s two marriage records was easy. Finding her birth/baptismal record, however, proved to be more difficult, because it was not indexed on Geneteka. According to her marriage records, Marianna was born in about 1852. The indexes on Geneteka show that nine of Marianna’s siblings were born in the parish of Krzynowłoga Wielka between 1838 and 1860, but no children of Józef Czaplicki and Domicela Roman born anywhere in Masovia between 1849 and 1857 appeared in the indexes.

The marriage record for Aleksander Telesfor Dziliński and Marianna Czaplicka provides the following information about Marianna’s birth:

I had a difficult time figuring out the names of the village and parish. I could see that the phrase in Marianna’s marriage record was: въ деревни [?] прихода [?], translated as “in the village of [?], parish of [?]” which explains why I couldn’t find Marianna’s birth and baptismal record in the parish of Krzynowłoga Wielka. However, I could see that the name of the parish looked like “Weczfnia” and, indeed, there is a Roman Catholic parish in Wieczfnia Kościelna. This is where I looked next.

Unfortunately, the birth/baptismal records for Wieczfnia Kościelna from 1838 to 1854 are missing. I won’t be able to find Marianna’s birth and baptismal record, but I can at least try to figure out what the name of the village was.

The name of the village definitely starts with a “P”. I searched maps of Poland at https://mapa.szukacz.pl/, but couldn’t identify a village in the vicinity of Wieczfnia Kościelna that I thought matched the village listed in Marianna’s marriage record.

Fortunately, the Roman Catholic Parish of St. Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr in Wieczfnia Kościelna has a website at https://www.parafiawieczfnia.pl/, and there is a page entitled “About Us” where the names of the villages served by the parish are listed:

Bąki, Bonisław, Chmielewko, Grzybowo, Jabłonowo Adamy, Jabłonowo Dyby, Jabłonowo Maćkowięta, Kapuśnik, Kuklin, Kulany, Michalinowo, Pepłowo, Pepłówek, Pogorzel, Turowo, Turówek, Uniszki Gumowskie, Uniszki Zawadzkie, Wąsosze, Wieczfnia Kościelna, Wieczfnia Kolonia, Windyki, Zakrzewo, Załęże

With this information, I can now see that the village where Marianna was born was Pepłówek.

I don’t have the exact dates of Marianna’s birth and baptism, but at least I know that Marianna was born in about 1852 in Pepłówek and was baptized in Wieczfnia Kościelna.

Copyright © 2024 by Stephen J. Danko

It’s not unusual to learn that your ancestors (maybe 200 years ago) lived in a village that you can’t find on a current map. Sometimes, you can find the village on an old map or in an old gazetteer. However, the parish of Koprzywnica (now in Sandomierz Powiat, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship) made the problem of finding a missing village a little bit easier, at least for one village.

Some parish registers include marginal notes on some of birth/baptismal records and marriage records in their parish registers. Most of these marginal notes mention the marriage or death of a person mentioned in the record.

Recently, I found an unusual marginal note on several records from the metrical books of Koprzywnica parish.

In Polish, the note states:

Zgodnie z Rozporządzeniem Rady Ministrów
z dnia 20 grudnia 2000 r.
(Dz. U. Nr 117, poz. 1231)
z dniem 1 stycznia 2001r.
miejscowość ZARCZECZE weszła w sklad
miasta KOPRZYWNICA

Translated to English, the note reads:

In accordance with the Regulation of the Council of Ministers
of 20 December 2000
(Journal of Laws No. 117, item 1231)
as of 1 January 2001
the town of ZARCZECZE became part of
the city of KORZYWNICA

If you look for the city of Koprzywnica on a current map of Poland, you’ll find streets named Zarzecze or even a section of the city tagged as Zarzecze, but you won’t find a separate village called Zarzecze in Sandomierz Powiat.

It seems that the village of Zarzecze didn’t mysteriously disappear after all. It simply became part of a larger city.

Copyright © 2024 by Stephen J. Danko

Yesterday, I found a word in a Polish birth record from 1814 that I didn’t understand. The entire phrase was “… i okazał nam dziecie płci niewieśący …” and the word in question was “niewieśący”. I had no idea what “niewieśący” meant. The word was not in my Polish/English dictionary, and Google Translate didn’t know what to do with it. Google Translate, did, however, define “niewieści” as “feminine”.

The Słownik języka polskiego (Dictionary of the Polish language) describes the word niewieści in this way:

women 1. outdated. today in books (in colloquial speech sometimes as a joke) «concerning a woman, relating to, belonging to her; being a characteristic of a woman; feminine, unmanly»: the dark background of women’s caftans and shawls was interwoven with haphazard embroidery by flaxen hair and grey, coarse shirts of farmhands. KRZYWOSZ. Rusał. 79. Someone’s helping hand, someone’s good – most probably a woman’s – heart surrounded him with everything that was necessary and pleasant to the sick person. GOMUL. Ciury I, 132. Of medium height, proportionate corpulence, charming face, with dark hair (…) with, by the way, a somewhat soft, feminine expression on his face – he easily won women’s hearts. PRZYB. Idealy 70. To make love in complaints is a womanly thing; it befits husbands to arm themselves in silence. ASNYK Poesje I, 250. Time, the persecutor of female beauty, dared to inflict barely any damage on her charms. MICK. Aniela 241. The most early hours of human life are entrusted to women’s efforts. CZART. Exp. II, 13. <> phrases. State, world, female race etc.; female sex “all women, women”: In distinction (…) from the backward concepts of the Middle Ages, which humiliated the state of women, scholars of the era of humanism became defenders of the fair sex and propagators of progressive feminist ideas. Pam. Lit. 1952, p. 1009. Everywhere the uhlans led the way and the entire female race was drawn to them like flies. SZTYRM. Pow. I, 77. Avenging (…) the wrongs of the entire female sex, the beautiful Clara swore to herself not to make any of her worshippers happy. FREDRO A. Vows 40. Poetry (…) and the fine arts have always attracted the female world more than philosophy and the exact sciences. Weekly Illus. 127, 1870.
2. formerly “referring to a married woman (to a wife)»: Women’s and girls’ rooms were on the sidelines, often dark, with small, high-placed windows. BYSTR. History II, 393.
in a womanly way «like a woman”: Curling in a womanly way, I ask: – And what did the master want from me? Warsz. młod. 158. Are we to suffer like this and in a womanly way, like women wailing with tears, wringing our hands? KRASZ. Fable 85. // L

All of this leads to a very simple translation of “… i okazał nam dziecie płci niewieśący …”; as “… and he showed us a female child …”.

Copyright © 2024 by Stephen J. Danko

Let’s say that you’ve found a record for one of your ancestors in the Polish parish registers, but can’t interpret the name of the village where the event occurred. Take a look at the village names below, all taken from the same page of death records from the parish of Koprzywnica.

These place names are all from the same page of death records from Koprzywnica parish in 1858. Four of these places start with the word “Wieś”, translated as “village”. One starts with “Miasto”, translated as “city”. The entry that starts with “Miasto” looks like “Koprzywnica” and, indeed, that’s what it is. But what are the others?

One way to find the correct name of the villages is to consult a map of the area around Koprzywnica and try to find a village that looks like it might be the correct village. Sometimes, however, there’s an easier way to find the names of villages that belong to a particular parish.

A Google search for “Koprzywnica parafia” (Koprzywnica parish) generates two promising links, both on the website of Diecezja Sandomierska (Sandomierz diocese): Koprzywnica – Św. Floriana and Koprzywnica – Matki Bożej Różańcowej. These are pages for the Parish of St. Florian and the Parish of Our Lady of the Rosary, respectively, both located in present-day Koprzywnica. When I click on the links to these pages using Chrome, I immediately see a drop-down that lets me choose whether I want to read the page in Polish or English.

These pages provide a lot of information about the parishes, including parish histories and the names of the villages that the parish serves!

The Parish of St. Florian serves part of Koprywnica and the villages of Błonie (part), Beszyce (part), Ciszyca (part), Gnieszowice, Koprzywnica (part), Krzcin (part), Łukowiec (part), Niedźwice, Postronna, Skrzypaczowice, Sośniczany, Świężyce (part), Trzykosy, Zbigniewice Kolonia, and Zbigniewice Wieś.

The Parish of Our Lady of the Rosary serve part of Koprzywnica and the villages of Błonie (part), Ciszyca (part), Koprzywnica (part), Krzcin (part), Łukowiec (part), Świężyce (part).

Looking back at the village names in the parish death register, it’s now easy to identify the places where the deaths occurred. From top to bottom, the names of the places are Gnieszowice, Koprywnica, Niedźwice, Skrzypaczowice, and Świężyce.

Problem solved!

Copyright © 2024 by Stephen J. Danko

The followng parishes were part of the Sandomierz Powiat at the beginning of the 20th Century: Bogoria, Chobrzany, Jankowice, Kleczanów, Klimontów, Koprzywnica, Łoniów, Łukawa, Niekrasów, Obrazów, Olbierzowice, Osiek, Połaniec, Samborzec, Sandomierz, Skotniki, Staszów, Strzegom, Sulisławice, Szczeglice, Wiązownica, Wiśniowa, Włostów, and Zawichost.

The administrative structure of the parishes of Chobrzany, Jankowice, Kleczanów, Klimontów, Koprzywnica, Łoniów, Łukawa, Obrazów, Olbierzowice, Samborzec, Sandomierz, Skotniki, Sulisławice, and Zawichost can be described as follows:

The administrative structure of the parishes of Bogoria, Niekrasów, Osiek, Połaniec, Staszów, Strzegom, Szczeglice, Wiązownica, and Wiśniowa can be described as follows:

• 01 Jul 1569-03 Oct 1795: Village, Sandomierz Powiat, Sandomierz Voivodeship, Province of Lesser Poland, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
• 04 Oct 1795-1797: Village, Kreis Sandomierz, Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, Habsburg Monarchy
• 1798-11 Aug 1804: Village, Kreis Opatów, Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, Habsburg Monarchy
• 12 Aug 1804-23 Feb 1810: Village, Kreis Opatów, Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, Austrian Empire
• 24 Feb 1810-09 Jun 1815: Village, Sandomierz Powiat, Radom Department, Duchy of Warsaw
• 09 Jun 1815-15 Jan 1816: Village, Sandomierz Powiat, Radom Department, Congress Kingdom of Poland
• 16 Jan 1816-10 Oct 1842: Village, Sandomierz Obwód, Sandomierz Voivodeship, Congress Kingdom of Poland
• 11 Oct 1842-31 Dec 1844: Village, Sandomierz Powiat, Sandomierz Gubernia, Congress Kingdom of Poland
• 01 Jan 1845-17 Oct 1915: Village, Sandomierz Powiat, Radom Gubernia, Congress Kingdom of Poland
• 18 Oct 1915-10 Nov 1918: Village, Sandomierz Powiat, General Government of Lublin, German Empire
• 11 Nov 1918-31 Aug 1939: Village, Sandomierz Powiat, Kielce Voivodeship, Second Polish Republic
• 01 Sep 1939-27 Jun 1945: Village, Kreishauptmannschaft Opatau, Distrikt Radom, General Government, German Reich
• 28 Jun 1945-21 Jul 1952: Village, Sandomierz Powiat, Kielce Voivodeship, Republic of Poland
• 22 Jul 1952-31 May 1975: Village, Sandomierz Powiat, Kielce Voivodeship, Polish People’s Republic
• 01 Jun 1975-30 Dec 1989: Village, Tarnobrzeg Voivodeship, Polish People’s Republic
• 31 Dec 1989-30 Dec 1998: Village, Tarnobrzeg Voivodeship, Third Polish Republic
• 31 Dec 1998-Present: Village, Staszów Powiat, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, Third Polish Republic

The administrative structure of the parishes of Włostów can be described as follows:

• 01 Jul 1569-03 Oct 1795: Village, Sandomierz Powiat, Sandomierz Voivodeship, Province of Lesser Poland, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
• 04 Oct 1795-1797: Village, Kreis Sandomierz, Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, Habsburg Monarchy
• 1798-11 Aug 1804: Village, Kreis Opatów, Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, Habsburg Monarchy
• 12 Aug 1804-23 Feb 1810: Village, Kreis Opatów, Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, Austrian Empire
• 24 Feb 1810-09 Jun 1815: Village, Sandomierz Powiat, Radom Department, Duchy of Warsaw
• 09 Jun 1815-15 Jan 1816: Village, Sandomierz Powiat, Radom Department, Congress Kingdom of Poland
• 16 Jan 1816-10 Oct 1842: Village, Sandomierz Obwód, Sandomierz Voivodeship, Congress Kingdom of Poland
• 11 Oct 1842-31 Dec 1844: Village, Sandomierz Powiat, Sandomierz Gubernia, Congress Kingdom of Poland
• 01 Jan 1845-17 Oct 1915: Village, Sandomierz Powiat, Radom Gubernia, Congress Kingdom of Poland
• 18 Oct 1915-10 Nov 1918: Village, Sandomierz Powiat, General Government of Lublin, German Empire
• 11 Nov 1918-31 Aug 1939: Village, Sandomierz Powiat, Kielce Voivodeship, Second Polish Republic
• 01 Sep 1939-27 Jun 1945: Village, Kreishauptmannschaft Opatau, Distrikt Radom, General Government, German Reich
• 28 Jun 1945-21 Jul 1952: Village, Sandomierz Powiat, Kielce Voivodeship, Republic of Poland
• 22 Jul 1952-31 May 1975: Village, Sandomierz Powiat, Kielce Voivodeship, Polish People’s Republic
• 01 Jun 1975-30 Dec 1989: Village, Tarnobrzeg Voivodeship, Polish People’s Republic
• 31 Dec 1989-30 Dec 1998: Village, Tarnobrzeg Voivodeship, Third Polish Republic
• 31 Dec 1998-Present: Village, Opatów Powiat, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, Third Polish Republic

Copyright © 2024 by Stephen J. Danko