Steve’s Genealogy Blog

The second record I found at my local Family History Center yesterday was the birth record of Eleonora Milewska, daughter of Jakób Milewski and Eleonora Mórawska. Eleonora was born on 11 Mar 1839 in Mosaki Starawieś, Powiat ciechanowski, Gubernia plockiej, Congress Kingdom of Poland. She was baptized on 12 Mar 1839 in the parish of Saint John the Baptist in Krasne.

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Eleonora - 1839

REFERENCE: Parafia pw. św. Jana Chrzciciela (Krasne, Powiat ciechanowski, Gubernia płockiej, Congress Kingdom of Poland), “Akta stanu cywilnego parafii rzym-kat w Krasnem pow. ciechanowski. Akta urodzeń, małżeństw, zgonów. 1839. [Civil registrations of the Roman Catholic parish in Krasne, Ciechanów Powiat. Records of births, marriages, and deaths. 1839.],” entry 14, Eleonora Milewska, 12 Mar 1839; filmed as Kopie księg metrykalnych, 1808-1892; FHL INTL microfilm 0,702,793, item 9.

SOURCE: Parafia pw. św. Jana Chrzciciela (Krasne, Powiat ciechanowski, Gubernia płockiej, Congress Kingdom of Poland). Akta urodzin małż zgonów. 1839, Rzym-Kat Krasne, Pow. ciechanowski. Powiatowe Archiwum Państwowe w Mława. FHL INTL microfilm 0,702,793, item 9. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Click on the image above to enlarge it. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record of Eleonora Milewska. The record reads:

14.

Mosaki Starawieś It happened in the village of Krasne on the twenty-eighth day of February / twelfth day of March in the year one-thousand eight-hundred thirty-nine at the hour of five in the afternoon. Jakób Milewski presented himself, owner of parts [of the village], fifty years of age, residing in the village of Mosaki Starawieś, in the presence of Adam Mossakowski thirty-seven years of age, as well as Piotr Bartołd forty years of age, both owners of parts [of the village], residing in Mosaki Starawieś, and he showed us a child of the female sex born in Mosaki Starawieś yesterday at the hour of eight in the evening of his wife Eleonora née Murawska thirty years of age. At Holy Baptism performed this day, this child was given the name Eleonora, and her Godparents were: the above-mentioned Adam Mossakowski and Józefa his wife. This document was read to the declarants and witnesses who do not know how to write.-
R[everend] Józef Bońkowski, pastor of Krasne

Eleonora Milewska is the older sister of Julian Milewski, the man who would later marry Małgorzata Niedziałkowska, my second great grand aunt.

Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko

I stopped by my local Family History Center this evening and found the birth record of Julian Milewski, son of Jakób Milewsi and Eleonora Mórawska. Julian was born on 08 Feb 1842 in Mosaki Stara Wieś, Okręg ciechanowski, Gubernia plockiej, Congress Kingdom of Poland. He was baptized on 09 Feb 1842 in the parish of Saint John the Baptist in Krasne.

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Julian Milewski - 1842

REFERENCE: Parafia pw. św. Jana Chrzciciela (Krasne, Okręg ciechanowski, Gubernia płockiej, Congress Kingdom of Poland), “Akta stanu cywilnego parafii rzym-kat w Krasnem pow. ciechanowski. Akta urodzeń, małżeństw, zgonów. 1842. Civil registrations of the Roman Catholic parish in Krasne, Ciechanów District. Records of births, marriages, and deaths. 1842.],” entry 17, verso folio 3, Julian Milewski, 09 Feb 1842; filmed as Kopie księg metrykalnych, 1808-1892; FHL INTL microfilm 0,702,794, item 2.

SOURCE: Parafia pw. św. Jana Chrzciciela (Krasne, Okręg ciechanowski, Gubernia płockiej, Congress Kingdom of Poland). Akta urodzin małż zgonów. 1842, Rzym-Kat Krasne, Pow. ciechanowski. Powiatowe Archiwum Państwowe w Mława. FHL INTL microfilm 0,702,794, item 2. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Click on the image above to enlarge it. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record of Julian Milewski. The record reads:

17. Mosaki.

It happened in the village of Krasne on the twenty-eighth day of January / ninth day of February in the year one-thousand eight-hundred forty-two at the hour of twelve noon. Jakób Milewski presented himself, owner of the noble parts [of the village], fifty-one years of age, residing in the village of Mosaki Stara Wieś, in the presence of Kazimierz Milewski thirty-seven years of age, and Józef Milewski, thirty two years of age, both owners of the noble parts [of the village], residing in Mosaki Stara Wieś, and he showed us a child of the male sex born in Mosaki Stara Wieś yesterday at the hour of four in the morning of his wife Eleonora née Mórawska forty years of age. At Holy Baptism performed this day, this child was given the name Julian, and his Godparents were Julian Szalla and Salomea his wife. This document was read to the declarants and witnesses, and signed below by Us, because the father and witnesses do not know how to write.-
     R[everend] Józef Bońkowski, pastor of Krasne

Julian Milewski would later marry Małgorzata Niedziałkowska, my second great grand aunt.

Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko

The third and final record I found in the microfilms at my local Family History Center on Saturday was the birth record of Maryanna Milewska, daughter of Julian Milewski and my second great grand aunt Małgorzata Niedziałkowska. Maryanna was born on 16 May 1863 in Mosaki Stara Wieś, Powiat ciechanowski, Gubernia plockiej, Congress Kingdom of Poland. She was baptized on 17 May 1863 in the parish of Saint John the Baptist in Krasne.

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Maryanna Milewska - 1863

REFERENCE: Parafia pw. św. Jana Chrzciciela (Krasne, Powiat Ciechanowski, Gubernia Płockiej, Congress Kingdom of Poland), “Akta stanu cywilnego parafii rzym-kat w Krasnem pow. ciechanowski. Akta urodzeń, małżeństw, zgonów. 1863. [Civil registrations of the Roman Catholic parish in Krasne, Powiat Ciechanów. Records of births, marriages, and deaths. 1863.],” entry 46, Małgorzata Milewska, 17 May 1863; filmed as Kopie księg metrykalnych, 1808-1892; FHL INTL microfilm 0,702,796, item 4.

SOURCE: Parafia pw. św. Jana Chrzciciela (Krasne, Powiat Ciechanowski, Gubernia Płockiej, Congress Kingdom of Poland). Akta urodzin małż zgonów. Vol. 37, 1863, Rzym-Kat Krasne, Pow. ciechanowski. Powiatowe Archiwum Państwowe w Mława. FHL INTL microfilm 0,702,796, item 4. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Click on the image above to enlarge it. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record of Maryanna Milewska. The record reads:

Nr 46. Mosaki Stara Wieś

It happened in the church-owned village of Krasne on the seventeenth day of May in the year one thousand eight hundred sixty-three at the hour of four in the afternoon Julian Milewski presented himself, owner of a part [of the village], twenty-two years of age, residing in Mosaki Stara Wieś, in the presence of Antoni Niedziałkowski fifty-four years of age and Piotr Młodzianowski forty-three years of age, both owners of a part [of the village], the first residing in Godacze and the second residing in Mosaki Stara Wieś, and he showed us a child of the female sex, stating that she was born in Mosaki Stara Wieś yesterday at the hour of eight in the evening of his wife Małgorzata Niedziałkowska twenty-four years of age, and at Holy Baptism performed this day by the Reverend Józef Pakowski, Vicar of the parish of Krasne, the child was given the name Maryanna, and the Godparents were Karol Grzyński from Slas Łarina and Karolina Niedziałkowska from Mosaki Godacze. This document was read to the declarants and witnesses and then signed below by Us. The declarants and witnesses do not know how to write.-
     Reverend Jdzi Godlewski, Pastor of the parish of Krasne, maintaining the civil register-

Maryanna Milewska was my first cousin, three times removed. Her mother, Małgorzata Niedziałkowska, was my second great grand aunt; and her grandparents, Antoni Niedzialkowski, and Karolina Milewska were my third great grandparents.

I had trouble with several names of people and places in this record, including the surnames Młodzianowski, Pakowski, and Grzyński.

I also had trouble with the first name of the priest who signed the record. The first letter is “J”. By comparing the penmanship in the preceding word, “Xiądz”, the next two letters appear to be “dz”. The last letter is “i”. Altogether this spells “Jdzi”. The name appears to be abbreviated, but I don’t know what the original name might be.

Finally, I could not positively identify the village in which the Godfather lived. It looks like Slas Łarina, but I can’t find a village with that name (or a similar name) either in the gazetteers or on the maps.

Perhaps, with time, these will become clear.

Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko

Among the records I found in the microfilms at my local Family History Center on Saturday was the marriage record of Julian Milewski and Małgorzata Niedziałkowska. Małgorzata Niedziałkowska was the daughter of my third great grandparents, Antoni Niedziałkowski and Karolina Milewska. The marriage took place in the Roman Catholic parish in Krasne on 18 Feb 1862.

The Marriage Record of Julian Milewski and Małgorzata Niedziałkowska - 1862

REFERENCE: Parafia pw. św. Jana Chrzciciela (Krasne, Powiat Ciechanowski, Gubernia Płockiej, Congress Kingdom of Poland), “Akta stanu cywilnego parafii rzym-kat w Krasnem pow. ciechanowski. Akta urodzeń, małżeństw, zgonów. 1862. [Civil registrations of the Roman Catholic parish in Krasne, Powiat Ciechanów. Records of births, marriages, and deaths. 1862.],” front of folio 29, entry 3, Julian Milewski & Małgorzata Niedziałkowska, 18 Feb 1862; filmed as Kopie księg metrykalnych, 1808-1892; FHL INTL microfilm 0,702,796, item 3.

SOURCE: Parafia pw. św. Jana Chrzciciela (Krasne, Powiat Ciechanowski, Gubernia Płockiej, Congress Kingdom of Poland). Akta urodzin małż zgonów. Vol. 36, 1862, Rzym-Kat Krasne, Pow. ciechanowski. Powiatowe Archiwum Państwowe w Mława. FHL INTL microfilm 0,702,796, item 3. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Click on the image above to enlarge it. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Marriage Record of Julian Milewski and Małgorzata Niedziałkowska. The record reads:

No 3. Mosaki Stara Wieś and Godacze

It happened in the church-owned village of Krasne on the eighteenth day of February in the year one thousand eight hundred sixty-two, at the hour of three in the afternoon. We make it known that in the presence of witnesses Wojciech Niedziałkowski, thirty-five years of age, and Ferdynand Ruszczyński, thirty-eight years of age, owners of a part [of the village], the first residing in Mosaki Rukle, the second residing in Godacze, on this day a religious marriage was contracted between Julian Milewski, the bridegroom, residing with his family in Mosaki Stara Wieś,  having been born there of the deceased Jakób Milewski and his surviving wife Eleonora née Mosawska residing in Mosaki as a day laborer, twenty years of age; and Małgorzata Niedziałkowska, an unmarried woman, living in Godacze with her family, having been born there of Antoni Niedziałkowski and Karolina née Milewska his wife, owners of a part [of the village], settled in Godacze, twenty-one years of age. This wedding was preceded by three readings of the banns, on the twenty-sixth of January, the second and the ninth of February of the present year mainly in the parish of Krasne, as well as by the oral consent of the mother of the groom and the family of the newly married young woman. No impediment arose. The newlyweds stated that they had made no prenuptial agreement between them. This [marriage?] ceremony was performed by the Reverend Ludwik Zawalski, Vicar of the parish of Krasne. This document, after having been read to the declarants and witnesses who stated that they do not know how to write, was signed below by Us.
     Reverend Jan Godlewski, pastor of the parish of Krasne
     Maintaining the public register

Marriage records of the siblings of my ancestors, such as this one, provide me with the opportunity to trace these families forward in time and, possibly, connect with living relatives.

Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko

Among the records I found in the microfilms at my local Family History Center on Saturday was the birth record of Teofil Niedziałkowski, son of my third great grandparents, Antoni Niedziałkowski and Karolina Milewska. Teofil was born on 26 Feb 1852 in Godacze, Maków Powiat, Łomża Gubernia, Congress Kingdom of Poland. He was baptized on 29 Feb 1852 in the parish of Saint John the Baptist in Krasne.

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Teofil Niedziałkowska - 1852

REFERENCE: Parafia pw. św. Jana Chrzciciela (Krasne, Powiat Ciechanowski, Gubernia Płockiej, Congress Kingdom of Poland), “Akta stanu cywilnego parafii rzym-kat w Krasnem pow. ciechanowski. Akta urodzeń, małżeństw, zgonów. 1852. [Civil registrations of the Roman Catholic parish in Krasne, Powiat Ciechanów. Records of births, marriages, and deaths. 1852.],” front of folio 5, entry 13, Teofil Niedziałkowski, 29 Feb 1852; filmed as Kopie księg metrykalnych, 1808-1892; FHL INTL microfilm 0,702,795, item 1.

SOURCE: Parafia pw. św. Jana Chrzciciela (Krasne, Powiat Ciechanowski, Gubernia Płockiej, Congress Kingdom of Poland). Akta urodzin małż zgonów. Vol. 27, 1852, Rzym-Kat Krasne, Pow. ciechanowski. Powiatowe Archiwum Państwowe w Mława. FHL INTL microfilm 0,702,795, item 1. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Click on the image above to enlarge it. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record of Teofil Niedziałkowski. The record reads:

13.

Godacze. It happened in the village of Krasne on the seventeenth / twenty-ninth day of February, one thousand eight-hundred fifty-two at the hour of four in the afternoon. Antoni Niedziałkowski presented himself, owner of a part [of the village], residing in the village of Godacze, forty years of age, in the presence of Ignacy Wilkowski, forty-two years of age owner of a part [of the village], residing in the village of Godacze, and Antoni Chetchowski, owner of a part [of the village], residing in Stara Wies, thirty-six years of age, and he showed us a child of the male sex, born in the village of Godacze on the fourteenth / twenty-sixth day of February of the current year at the hour of eleven before noon, by his wife Karolina née Milewska, forty-two years of age. At Holy Baptism performed this day, this child was given the name Teofil, and his Godparents were Maciej Szwejkowski and Józefa his wife. This document was read aloud to the declarants and witnesses who are unable to write.          Reverend Józef Bońkowski, pastor of the parish of Krasne

Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko

I stopped by my local Family History Center this evening and further examined the microfilms for the parish of Krasne. I found the birth and baptismal record of Teodor Niedziałkowski who was apparently another son of my third great grandparents, Antoni Niedziałkowski and Karolina Milewska. Teodor was born on 15 Dec 1844 in Mosaki Godacze, Maków Powiat, Łomża Gubernia, Congress Kingdom of Poland. He was baptized the same day in the parish of Saint John the Baptist in Krasne.

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Teodor Niedziałkowski - 1844

REFERENCE: Parafia pw. św. Jana Chrzciciela (Krasne, Powiat Ciechanowski, Gubernia Płockiej, Congress Kingdom of Poland), “Akta stanu cywilnego parafii rzym-kat w Krasnem pow. ciechanowski. Akta urodzin, małżeństw, zgonów. Daty końcowe 1844 [Civil registrations of the Roman Catholic parish in Krasne, Powiat Ciechanów],” page 70, entry 87, Teodor Niedziałkowski, 15 Dec 1844; filmed as Kopie księg metrykalnych, 1808-1892; FHL INTL microfilm 0,702,794, item 4.

SOURCE: Parafia pw. św. Jana Chrzciciela (Krasne, Powiat Ciechanowski, Gubernia Płockiej, Congress Kingdom of Poland). Par. Krasne, pow. ciechanów 1844, urodzen, małżenstw, zejscia. Powiatowe Archiwum Państwowe w Mława. FHL INTL microfilm 0,702,794, item 4. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Click on the image above to enlarge it. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal record of Teodor Niedziałkowski. The record reads:

87.

Mosaki Godacze. It happened in the village of Krasne on the third / fifteenth day of December, one thousand eight-hundred forty-four at the hour of three in the afternoon. Antoni Niedziałkowski presented himself, owner of a part [of the village] thirty-three years of age, residing in the village of Godacze, forty years of age, along with Józef Łyszkowski, fifty years of age, both owners of a part [of the village] residing in the village of Mosaki Godacze, and he showed us a child of the male sex, born in Godacze today at the hour of four in the morning by his wife Karolina née Wrobilewska thirty years of age. At Holy Baptism performed this day, this child was given the name Teodor, and his Godparents were Antoni Chełchowski and Łucja, his wife. This document was read aloud to the declarants and witnesses who are unable to write.

Reverend Piotr Baczkowski [?] the parish of Krasne

There is one discrepancy in this record. Antoni Niedziałkowski’s wife was Karolina Milewska, not Karolina Wroblewska as stated in this record. Indications that this is the correct couple include the fact that I have found no other record of an Antoni Niedziałkowski married to a Karolina Wrobilewska, the location is correct, the ages of the parents are correct, and the occupation of the father is correct.

Furthermore, children were born to Antoni Niedziałkowski and Karolina Milewska approximately every two years after their marriage in 1831 until the last child was born in 1849 with one exception. There is a gap of four and a half years between 1942 and 1947. The birth of Teodor in December 1944 fills this gap nicely.

Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko

The third record I found in the microfilms at my local Family History Center Saturday was birth and baptismal record of Rozalia Niedziałkowska, another daughter of my third great grandparents, Antoni Niedziałkowski and Karolina Milewska. Rozalia was born on 24 Jun 1849 in Godacze, Maków Powiat, Łomża Gubernia, Congress Kingdom of Poland. She was baptized on 25 Jun 1849 in the parish of Saint John the Baptist in Krasne.

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Rozalia Niedziałkowska - 1849

REFERENCE: Parafia pw. św. Jana Chrzciciela (Krasne, Powiat Ciechanowski, Gubernia Płockiej, Congress Kingdom of Poland), “Akta stanu cywilnego parafii rzym-kat w Krasnem pow. ciechanowski. Akta urodzin, małżeństw, zgonów. Daty końcowe 1849 [Civil registrations of the Roman Catholic parish in Krasne, Powiat Ciechanów],” page 15, entry 60, Marianna Niedziałkowska, 25 Jun 1849; filmed as Kopie księg metrykalnych, 1808-1892; FHL INTL microfilm 0,702,794, item 9.

SOURCE: Parafia pw. św. Jana Chrzciciela (Krasne, Powiat Ciechanowski, Gubernia Płockiej, Congress Kingdom of Poland). Par. Krasne, pow. ciechanów 1849, urodzen, małżenstw, zejscia. Powiatowe Archiwum Państwowe w Mława. FHL INTL microfilm 0,702,794, item 9. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Click on the image above to enlarge it. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record of Rozalia Niedziałkowska. The record reads:

60.

Godacze. It happened in the village of Krasne on the thirteenth / twenty-fifth day of June, one thousand eight-hundred forty-nine at the hour of three in the afternoon. Antoni Niedziałkowski presented himself, a farmer residing in the village of Godacze, forty years of age, in the presence of Ignace Wilkowski forty years of age, and Ferdynand Szuszczyński twenty-four years of age, both farmers residing in the village of Godacze, and he showed us a child of the female sex, born in the village of Godacze yesterday at the hour of eight in the evening by his wife Karolina née Milewska forty years of age. At Holy Baptism performed this day, this child was given the name Rozalia, and her Godparents were Fortunat Łyczkowski and Wiktoria Łyczkowska. This document was read aloud to the declarants and witnesses who are unable to write.
                          Reverend Józef Bońkowski, Pastor of the parish in Krasne

Two given names that appear in this document are names I haven’t seen before in Polish parish records: Ferdynand and Fortunat. Both of these names appear in the Big Book of Names - a listing of Polish given names - however, the frequency of these names is not provided.

Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko

Another record I found in the microfilms at my local Family History Center Saturday was the counterpoint to the one I showed yesterday - the death record of Marianna Niedziałkowska, daughter of my third great grandparents, Antoni Niedziałkowski and Karolina Milewska. Marianna died on 17 Aug 1848 in Godacze, Maków Powiat, Łomża Gubernia, Congress Kingdom of Poland. She was buried on 18 Aug 1848 in the parish of Saint John the Baptist in Krasne.

The Death and Burial Record of Marianna Niedziałkowska - 1848

REFERENCE: Parafia pw. św. Jana Chrzciciela (Krasne, Powiat Ciechanowski, Gubernia Płockiej, Congress Kingdom of Poland), “Akta stanu cywilnego parafii rzym-kat w Krasnem pow. ciechanowski. Akta urodzin, małżeństw, zgonów. Daty końcowe 1848 [Civil registrations of the Roman Catholic parish in Krasne, Powiat Ciechanów],” page 117, entry 23, Marianna Niedziałkowska, 17 Aug 1848; filmed as Kopie księg metrykalnych, 1808-1892; FHL INTL microfilm 0,702,794, item 8.

SOURCE: Parafia pw. św. Jana Chrzciciela (Krasne, Powiat Ciechanowski, Gubernia Płockiej, Congress Kingdom of Poland). Par. Krasne, pow. ciechanów 1848, urodzen, małżenstw, zejscia. Powiatowe Archiwum Państwowe w Mława. FHL INTL microfilm 0,702,794, item 8. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Click on the image above to enlarge it. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Death and Burial Record of Marianna Niedziałkowska. The record reads:

117.

Godacze. It happened in the village of Krasne on the sixth / eighteenth day of August, one thousand eight-hundred forty-eight at the hour of six in the morning. Antoni Niedziałkowski presented himself, thirty-
seven years of age, and Ignace Wilkowski forty years of age, both farmers residing in the village of Godacze, and stated that yesterday at the hour of twelve noon, Marianna Niedziałkowska, the daughter of the married couple Antoni and Karolina Niedziałkowski from Godacze, died at the age of one and one-half. After visual confirmation of the death of Niedziałkowska- This document was read aloud to the declarants, the first of the father to have died, and who are unable to write.
                          Reverend Józef Bońkowski, Pastor of the parish in Krasne

Tucked away in the last sentence is a phrase I’ve never seen before - a reference to the fact that Marianna was the first child of Antoni Niedziałkowski to have died.

Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko

Among the records I found in the microfilms at my local Family History Center today was the birth record of Marianna Niedziałkowska, daughter of my third great grandparents, Antoni Niedziałkowski and Karolina Milewska. Marianna was born on 25 Apr 1847 in Godacze, Maków Powiat, Łomża Gubernia, Congress Kingdom of Poland. She was baptized on 27 Apr 1847 in the parish of Saint John the Baptist in Krasne.

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Marianna Niedziałkowska - 1847

REFERENCE: Parafia pw. św. Jana Chrzciciela (Krasne, Powiat Ciechanowski, Gubernia Płockiej, Congress Kingdom of Poland), “Akta stanu cywilnego parafii rzym-kat w Krasnem pow. ciechanowski. Akta urodzin, małżeństw, zgonów. Daty końcowe 1847 [Civil registrations of the Roman Catholic parish in Krasne, Powiat Ciechanów],” page 5, entry 23, Marianna Niedziałkowska, 27 Apr 1847; filmed as Kopie księg metrykalnych, 1808-1892; FHL INTL microfilm 0,702,794, item 7.

SOURCE: Parafia pw. św. Jana Chrzciciela (Krasne, Powiat Ciechanowski, Gubernia Płockiej, Congress Kingdom of Poland). Par. Krasne, pow. ciechanów 1847, urodzen, małżenstw, zejscia. Powiatowe Archiwum Państwowe w Mława. FHL INTL microfilm 0,702,794, item 7. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Click on the image above to enlarge it. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record of Marianna Niedziałkowska. The record reads:

23.

Godacze. It happened in the village of Krasne on the fifteenth / twenty-seventh day of April, one thousand eight-hundred forty-seven at the hour of four in the afternoon. Antoni Niedziałkowski presented himself, owner of a part [of the village] residing in the village of Godacze, thirty-five years of age, in the presence of Piotr Mosakowski forty years of age, and Ignace Wilkowski forty years of age, both owners of a part [of the village] residing in the village of Godacze, and he showed us a child of the female sex, born in the village of Godacze on the day before yesterday at the hour of eight in the evening by his wife Karolina née Milewski thirty-one years of age. At Holy Baptism performed this day, this child was given the name Marianna, and her Godparents were Ferdynand Szuszczyński and Anna, his wife. This document was read aloud to the declarants and witnesses who are unable to write.
                    Reverend Józef Bońkowski, Pastor of Krasne

Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko

On Wednesday evening I spent a couple of hours at my local Family History Center to browse through the microfilmed parish records of Szwelice, Poland. I had been waiting about two months for these films to arrive and was happy to learn that they are now available.

The Family History Library catalog includes seven films with records from Szwelice, Poland. On Wednesday, I examined two of these films: FHL INTL Film 1958806 and FHL INTL Film 1958807.

I acquainted myself with the records included in these microfilms. Each film was divided into several Items, each Item being a single book of birth/baptism, marriage, or death records.

FHL INTL Film 1958806

• Item 1: Births/Baptisms continued from FHL INTL Film 1958805 - October 1867-December 1869
• Item 2: Birth/Baptisms from 1870-1879
• Item 3: Births/Baptisms from 1880-1884
• Item 4: Births/Baptisms from 1885-1889
• Item 5: Marriages from 1826-1853
• Item 6: Marriages from 1853-1881 (film ends in the middle of the records from 1880; it includes 1880 marriages #1-26)

FHL INTL Film 1958807

• Item 1: Marriages 1853-1881 (film begins in the middle of the records from 1880; it includes 1880 marriages #25-28)
• Item 2: Marriages 1882-1889
• Item 3: Deaths 1826-1846
• Item 4: Deaths 1847-1877
• Item 5: Deaths 1878-1885
• Item 6: Deaths 1886-1889
• Item 7: Records from Święcieniec Parish
• Item 8: Records from Święcieniec Parish

When examining these films, I recorded the exact name of the book microfilmed in each item so that I could include these names in my source citations.

Each book included a label on the front cover, describing its contents. These labels appear to have been added at some relatively recent time, since the labels on all the books are written in the same hand.

The books of births/baptisms were titled:

Księga Ochrzczonych
parafii Szwelice
Od #### do #### r

The books of marriages were titled:

Księga Małżenstw
parafii Szwelice
Od #### do #### r

The books of deaths were titled:

Księga Zaślubionych
parafii Szwelice
Od #### do #### r

To cite my sources, I want to use the guidelines described in Evidence Explained (Mills, Elizabeth Shown. 2007. Evidence explained: citing history sources from artifacts to cyberspace. Baltimore, Md: Genealogical Pub. Co.). Although Mills does not provide examples for Polish church records, she does provide a format for German church records (section 7.40). Adapting Mills’ recommendations for German church records to Polish church records, the format for a source list entry should include:

Name of parish (location of parish). Polish-language label created by the filmer. Current location of original register. FHL microfilm number and item number. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.

The format for the first reference note should include:

Name of parish (location of parish), “Title of book in Polish [Title of book translated into English],” page on which the entry appears, name of individual to whom the entry refers, date of entry; filmed as FHL catalog title; FHL microfilm number and item number.

The format for subsequent reference notes should include:

Name of parish (location of parish), “Title of book in Polish,” page on which the entry appears, name of person to whom the entry refers.

I know the present name and location of the parish: Parafia pw. św. Jana Chrzciciela (Szwelice, gm. Karniewo, pow. makowski, woj. mazowieckie, Republic of Poland). Although the name of the parish changed over the years, I assume I should use the present name and location of the parish in the source citations.

On Wednesday evening, I had recorded the title of the books in Polish and English. By referring to the Family History Library catalog, I learned that the microfilms were made from manuscripts in Warsaw and in the Archdiocesan Archives in Płock.

I still need the Polish-language label created by the filmer, something I’ll have to record on my next visit to the Family History Center. I’ll also need to record the page number and entry number for each record I plan to cite.

With the current trend of genealogy software manufacturers to accommodate source citations that comply with the guidelines in Evidence Explained, I’m looking forward to getting my citations in order!

Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko