Monday at UPGS 2008

Today’s UPGS 2008 program was largely devoted to research in the Family History Library.

The International Floor was buzzing with activity as Polish researchers swarmed the microfilm readers. Unused readers were hard to find.

I heard several people speak of successes. I had an unexpected success today as I reviewed the microfilms for my Niedziałkowski ancestors from the Szwelice parish in Poland. I had decided to carefully review the films for this parish to try to catch anything I’ve missed before and to try to find a connection between my Niedziałkowski ancestors and the other Niedziałkowskis in the Szwelice records.

In doing so, I found a marriage record for Adam Bonislawski and Petronella Niedziałkowska. Seeing this marriage record rang a bell in my head: where had I seen those names before?

Then it struck me – those were the parents of Czeslawa Bonislawska, the wife of my Great Grand Uncle, Franciszek Niedzialkoski! I have a record of them in the 1900 US Federal Census with their three children who were born in Poland: Czeslawa, Jan, and Władysław. I also have the marriage record of Franciszek Niedzialkoski and Czeslawa Bonislawska who were married in Massachusetts in 1904.

And, there’s more! Petronella’s parents were Ludwik Niedziałkowski and Józefa Pomaska, who were already in my database. Even if Franciszek and Czeslawa had not married, I’d be related to them both!

The UPGS 2008 conference held its closing banquet this evening after the Family History Library closed. The keynote speaker was Steve Morse who spoke on his “One-Step” WebPages. It seems that my path keeps crossing that of Steve Morse, but that’s really not surprising. Steve is a very popular speaker. His keynote address at UPGS 2008 was his 100th speaking engagement, an occasion he celebrated by showing a picture of a 100 złoty Polish banknote!

I have one more day of research at the Family History Library before I return to San Francisco. Wish me luck for my last day in Salt Lake City!

Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko

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One Response to Monday at UPGS 2008

  1. Best wishes to you, Steve, on you last day in Salt Lake City.

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