Steve’s Genealogy Blog

In grade school I always enjoyed the day that came every year when our teachers would ask what our mothers’ maiden names were. My mother’s maiden surname - Niedziałkowski - always got everyone’s attention because it was so unusual. My own surname - Dańko - hardly raised an eyebrow.

Not until I began studying my family history in the late 1990s did I begin to realize that those names might have some meaning behind them. After all, a name is a name right? Fairly soon after I started researching my ancestry seriously, the second edition of Fred Hoffman’s book on Polish surnames was published, and boy, was this a godsend!

Categories of Polish Surnames

In his book on Polish surnames, Fred Hoffman divides and discusses the surnames according to five general categories:

1. Personal Names and Coats of Arms
2. Toponyms (Place Names)
3. Occupations
4. Features or Objects (including verbs, animals, trees, plants, food, drink)
5. Foreign Names

Polish Surnames in My Family Tree 

The surnames in my family tree span all of these five groups. Here is a list of some of them with their origins and meanings:

Bal: bal- “to tell tales”, first name Baltazar, Hungarian personal name Bal
Bonislawski: village Bonisław, altered name Będzisław
Chmielewski: chmiel “hops”
Chotkowski: place names Chotków, Chotkowo
Chruścicki: chrust “dry twigs”
Dańko: dan- “given” or name element from Daniel
Dymek: dym “smoke” or name element from Dymitr
Dziura / Dziurzyński: dziura “hole”
Głowacz: głowa “head”
Goliński: goły “bare, naked”, golić “to shave”, or place name Golina
Grabowski: grab “hornbeam”, grabić “to rob”, grabie “rake”, old first name Grab, or toponym
Iwaniec: Ukrainian name Ivan = Polish name Jan (John)
Izbicki: izba “hut, chamber”
Jach: name element from Jan, Jakub, Jachym, etc.
Jara: jar- “sharp, strict”, jary “of the spring, robust, young”
Jedliński: jodła “fir tree”
Kolarowira: kolarz “wheelwright”
Malon: mały “small”, or a name root as in Małomir, also popular in toponyms
Marcinkiewicz: first name Marcin from the Latin Martinus (of or relating to Mars)
Markiewicz: first name Marek from the Latin Marcus (Mark)
Milewski: ancient names Miłobor, Miłosław with the root miły “dear, beloved”
Mossakowski: name Mojsław or Mojżesz (Moses)
Muszynski: mucha “housefly”
Niedziałkowski: nie działać “to do nothing”, niedziela “Sunday” (day of doing nothing)
Nosarzewski: nos “nose”
Panowski: pan “master, bridegroom”, names Pankracy, Pantelejmon, Opanas
Pomaski: village of Pomaski
Pszczółkowski: pszczoła “bee”
Ranow: rana “wound”, rano “early”, or name Ranimir
Skowroński: skowronek “lark’ (a kind of bird)
Ślimak: ślimak “snail, slug” or “slow fellow”
Sowa: sowa “owl”
Szymański: name Szymon (Simon) (Hebrew), meaning “Hear my affliction”
Tropiło / Trupiło: trop “trace, trail, scent”, tropić “to track”
Wojnowski: wojna “war, struggle”
Zygmuntowicz: name Zygmunt, Germanic *sigis “victory” + *mundo “protect, guard”

SOURCE: Hoffman, William F. 1998. Polish surnames: origins and meanings. Chicago: Polish Genealogical Society of America.

Evolution of Polish Surnames 

I am often amazed at the number of different surnames used in Poland. Because fixed surnames are a rather recent phenomenon in Poland (and elsewhere), most not being fixed until the 18th century, many surnames have developed through something of a divergent evolution, where a surname such as Markowicz might diverge into Markowicz and Markiewicz over time.

In fact, in addition to Markowicz and Markiewicz, a large number of names derive from the given name Marek and the numbers of individuals with these surnames in Poland in 1990 varied greatly, with only 1 person using the surname Marec, but with 16,202 people using the surname Marek. And, of course, not all the people in Poland with the same or similar surnames are related to each other. Many surnames arose independently all over Poland, resulting in a convergent evolution of surnames.

Many of these Polish surnames present some difficulty for native speakers of English. I’m often asked “How is that name pronounced?” The short answer a native speaker of Polish would give is “Just the way it’s spelled”, but that’s little comfort to most people. My mother’s maiden name, Niedziałkowski, is mispronounced by nearly all native speakers of English.

These difficulties of pronouncing the surname Niedziałkowski has led to a divergent evolution of the surname among my relatives in the United States, resulting in the surnames Niedzialkowski, Niedzialkoski, Niedzial, and even Newman, all in one family line.

My own mother, while in her teens, briefly changed her surname to Nigel.

But that’s another story.

Copyright © 2007 Stephen J. Danko

I posted a number of images of Vital Records, Cemetery Monuments, Immigration Records, and Naturalization Records for the Skowroński Family.  I decided it’s time to show a genealogy report for the Skowroński’s so I can keep track of what I’ve posted and to provide links back to the original documents.  The summary below does not include references to living individuals.

Descendants of Franciszek Skowronski

Generation No. 1

1.  FRANCISZEK SKOWRONSKI  He married MALGORZATA PODESWA, daughter of MICHAL PODESWA and ANNA RAJENKA. 
 
Children of FRANCISZEK SKOWRONSKI and MALGORZATA PODESWA are:
2. i. ALEXANDER FRANK SKOWRONSKI, born 02 Feb 1886, Gradi, Lomza, Russia-Poland; died 04 Jan 1970, Hahnemann Hospital /Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.
3. ii. PAWEL F. SKOWRONSKI, born 28 Oct 1890, Grondy, Lomza, Russia-Poland; died 05 Dec 1959, Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.
4. iii. JOSEFA SKOWRONSKI, born 13 Dec 1891, Grondi, Lomza Gubernia, Congress Poland; died 28 Aug 1989, Gardner Manor Nursing Home /Gardner, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.

Generation No. 2

2.  ALEXANDER FRANK SKOWRONSKI (FRANCISZEK) was born 02 Feb 1886 in Gradi, Lomza, Russia-Poland, and died 04 Jan 1970 in Hahnemann Hospital /Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.  He married FRANCES DYMEK 19 Feb 1906 in Woonsocket, Providence Co., Rhode Island, daughter of JOSEPH DYMEK and BRONISLAWA GOLASH.  She was born 03 May 1888 in Poland, and died 22 Jun 1963 in Massachusetts.
 
Children of ALEXANDER SKOWRONSKI and FRANCES DYMEK are:
 i. ADAM SKOWRONSKI, born 24 Dec 1906, Gardner, Worcester Co., Massachusetts; died 28 Dec 1906, Gardner, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.
 ii. ALEXANDER SKOWRONSKI, born 24 Aug 1908, Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts.
5. iii. BENJAMIN STANLEY SKOWRONSKI, SR., born May 1910, Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts; died 06 Nov 1998, Memorial Hospital /Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.
6. iv. EDWARD ALEXANDER SKOWRONSKI, born 20 Aug 1912, Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts; died 29 Aug 1995, Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.
7. v. CHESTER STANLEY SKOWRONSKI, born 17 Dec 1914, Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts; died 22 Jan 2005, St. Camillus Nursing Center /Whitinsville, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.
8. vi. JEAN BARBARA SKOWRONSKI, born 31 Mar 1917, Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts; died 18 Oct 1996, Memorial Health Care /Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.
 vii. FRANCIS SKOWRONSKI, born 26 Oct 1919, 16 Dorchester St. /Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts; died Bef. Apr 1930.
 viii. SOFIE SKOWRONSKI, born 1926; died 1926.

3.  PAWEL F. SKOWRONSKI (FRANCISZEK) was born 28 Oct 1890 in Grondy, Lomza, Russia-Poland, and died 05 Dec 1959 in Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.  He married MARJANNA H. ZABORCZYK 09 Oct 1909 in St. Joseph Church /Gardner, Worcester Co., Massachusetts, daughter of FRANK ZABORCZYK and MARY LADA.  She was born 14 Oct 1888 in Poland, and died 24 Nov 1971 in Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.
 
Children of PAWEL SKOWRONSKI and MARJANNA ZABORCZYK are:
9. i. AGNES H. SKOWRONSKI, b. 22 Dec 1910, Gardner, Worcester Co., Massachusetts; d. 04 Nov 2002, Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.
 ii. EDMOND SKOWRONSKI, b. 31 Dec 1913, Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts; d. May 1986, Tucson, Pima Co., Arizona.
10. iii. MARY A. SKOWRONSKI, b. 20 Jun 1917, Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts; d. 17 Jan 2005, Webster, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.
11. iv. CHARLOTTE M. SKOWRONSKI, b. 07 Mar 1919, Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts; d. 30 Nov 1996, St. Vincent Hospital /Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.
12. v. THEODORE P. SKOWRONSKI, b. 22 Mar 1922, Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts; d. 30 May 1993, St. Vincent Hospital /Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.
13. vi. IRENE P. SKOWRONSKI, b. 22 Jul 1926, Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts; d. 12 Oct 2003, UMASS Memorial Medical Center /Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.

4.  JOSEFA SKOWRONSKI (FRANCISZEK) was born 13 Dec 1891 in Grondi, Lomza Gubernia, Congress Poland, and died 28 Aug 1989 in Gardner Manor Nursing Home /Gardner, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.  She married CZESLAW PSZCZOLKOWSKI on 26 Oct 1908 in Gardner, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.  He was born 16 May 1887 in Ostroleka, Lomza Gubernia, Congress Poland, and died 1959.
 
Children of JOSEFA SKOWRONSKI and CZESLAW PSZCZOLKOWSKI are:
 i. ZIGMUND PSZCZOLKOWSKI, b. 27 Apr 1915, Massachusetts; d. 26 Dec 1992, Shirley, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts; m. RACHEL YVONNE SEGUIN; b. 27 Sep 1922; d. Nov 1963.
14. ii. KAZMERA S. PSZCZOLKOWSKI, b. 03 Mar 1913, Massachusetts; d. 06 Sep 2000, Gardner, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.
 
Generation No. 3

5.  BENJAMIN STANLEY SKOWRONSKI, SR. (ALEXANDER FRANK, FRANCISZEK) was born May 1910 in Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts, and died 06 Nov 1998 in Memorial Hospital /Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.  He married (1) MARY B. RADZIK.  She was born 1918, and died Feb 1959.  He married (2) RUTH E. GRILLO Abt. 1964, daughter of ANTHONY GRILLO and GERTRUDE VON ROSSELER.  She was born 15 Jun 1926 in Jersey City, Hudson Co., New Jersey, and died 17 Dec 2000 in Fletcher Allen Health Care /Burlington, Chittenden Co., Vermont.
 
6.  EDWARD ALEXANDER SKOWRONSKI (ALEXANDER FRANK, FRANCISZEK) was born 20 Aug 1912 in Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts, and died 29 Aug 1995 in Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.  He married BERNICE CELIA MARKIEWICZ 21 Nov 1936 in St. Mary’s Church /Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts, daughter of STANISLAW MARKIEWICZ and ANTONINA LEJWODA.  She was born 07 Oct 1915 in Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts, and died 14 Oct 1974 in Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.
 
7.  CHESTER STANLEY SKOWRONSKI (ALEXANDER FRANK, FRANCISZEK) was born 17 Dec 1914 in Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts, and died 22 Jan 2005 in St. Camillus Nursing Center /Whitinsville, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.  He married MARY A. PIANOWSKI 12 Jun 1937 in St. Mary’s Church /Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts, daughter of FRANK PIANOWSKI and GERTRUDE CHORNZY.  She was born 25 Dec 1919 in Princeton, Mercer Co., New Jersey, and died 19 Jan 1997 in St. Vincent Hospital /Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.
 
Child of CHESTER SKOWRONSKI and MARY PIANOWSKI is:
 i. CHESTER R. SKOWRONSKI, SR., b. 1938, Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts; d. 22 May 2005, Awendaw, Charleston Co., South Carolina.

8.  JEAN BARBARA SKOWRONSKI (ALEXANDER FRANK, FRANCISZEK) was born 31 Mar 1917 in Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts, and died 18 Oct 1996 in Memorial Health Care /Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.  She married (1) ROBERT H. SHARRON, SR. 18 Feb 1939 in St. Mary’s Church /Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts, son of GEORGE SHARRON and ADORINE TATRO.  He was born 15 Apr 1917 in Millbury, Worcester Co., Massachusetts, and died 1946 in Millbury, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.  She married (2) MICHAEL JOHN DANKO 12 Jul 1952 in St. Mary’s Church /Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts, son of MICHAEL DANKO and MARIANNA DZIURZYNSKA.  He was born 13 Sep 1913 in Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts, and died 19 Nov 1981 in 15 Marion Avenue /Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.
 
Child of JEAN SKOWRONSKI and ROBERT SHARRON is:
 i. BARBARA J. SHARRON, b. 22 Aug 1942, Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts; d. 24 Dec 2003, Worcester Medical Center, St. Vincent Hospital / Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts; m. GEORGE T. HAFFTY; b. Abt. 1923, Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts; d. 23 May 2005, Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.

9.  AGNES H. SKOWRONSKI (PAWEL F., FRANCISZEK) was born 22 Dec 1910 in Gardner, Worcester Co., Massachusetts, and died 04 Nov 2002 in Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.  She married (1) JOHN KUPSTAS, son of JACOB KUPSTAS and VERONICA SEMAUKOWSKAS.  He was born 1908 in Massachusetts, and died 28 Sep 1936 in Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.  She married (2) PETER O’PACKI, son of RAYMOND O’PACKI and DOMENICA OLENDER.  He was born 22 Feb 1919 in West Sutton, Worcester Co., Massachusetts, and died 31 Jul 2004 in Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.

Child of AGNES SKOWRONSKI and JOHN KUPSTAS is:
 v. LORRAINE KUPSTAS, d. 27 Feb 1959, Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.

10.  MARY A. SKOWRONSKI (PAWEL F., FRANCISZEK) was born 20 Jun 1917 in Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts, and died 17 Jan 2005 in Webster, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.  She married RAYMOND ARTHUR GAGNON, SR., son of GEORGE GAGNON and REGINA DUBE.  He was born 02 Jun 1913 in Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts, and died 09 May 1984 in Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.
 
11.  CHARLOTTE M. SKOWRONSKI (PAWEL F., FRANCISZEK) was born 07 Mar 1919 in Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts, and died 30 Nov 1996 in St. Vincent Hospital /Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.  She married PAUL S. OJERHOLM Bet. 1941 - 1942, son of JULIUS OJERHOLM and EMMA HULT.  He was born 26 Oct 1921 in Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts, and died 28 Aug 2002 in St. Vincent Hospital at Worcester Medical Center /Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.
 
12.  THEODORE P. SKOWRONSKI (PAWEL F., FRANCISZEK) was born 22 Mar 1922 in Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts, and died 30 May 1993 in St. Vincent Hospital /Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.  He married JOSEPHINE A. MYEFSKI Bet. 1940 - 1941, daughter of JOSEPH MYEFSKI and BENEDICTA TOMKUS.  She was born 24 Jun 1921 in Massachusetts, and died 15 Oct 2001 in 15 Granite Street /Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.
 
Children of THEODORE SKOWRONSKI and JOSEPHINE MYEFSKI are:
 i. THADDEUS P. SKOWRONSKI, JR., b. 14 Nov 1954, Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts; d. 07 Jun 1989, Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.

13.  IRENE P. SKOWRONSKI (PAWEL F., FRANCISZEK) was born 22 Jul 1926 in Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts, and died 12 Oct 2003 in UMASS Memorial Medical Center /Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.  She married ANTHONY P. KIRVILAITIS.  He was born 12 Jul 1917 in Ohio, and died 18 May 1999 in Oxford, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.

 Child of IRENE SKOWRONSKI and ANTHONY KIRVILAITIS is:
 i. ANTHONY KIRVILAITIS, b. 07 Aug 1956, Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts; d. 14 Jan 2002, Boston, Suffolk Co., Massachussetts.

14.  KAZMERA S. PSZCZOLKOWSKI (JOSEFA SKOWRONSKI, FRANCISZEK) was born 03 Mar 1913 in Massachusetts, and died 06 Sep 2000 in Gardner, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.  She married (1) STANLEY DYMEK Bef. 1968.  He was born 21 Jul 1912, and died Mar 1968.  She married (2) JAMES SUTHERBY Aft. 1968, son of JAMES SUTHERBY and BRIDGET COLE.  He was born Abt. 1912 in New York City, New York Co., New York, and died 16 Dec 1995 in Heywood Hospital /Massachusetts.

I’m getting ready for my annual fall research trip to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.  I’ll spend two full days at the library with nothing to distract me.

I have two major goals this trip:

1.  Niedziałkowski Family Records:  review the microfilms for the Krasne and Szwelice parish records that document the church records for my Niedziałkowski ancestors.  I intend to better document the records I already have so that I can properly cite my sources.  I also intend to look for additional records for the siblings of my ancestors.

2.  Skowroński Family Records:  look for the ancestral village of my Skowroński relatives.  I previously reported that I found 12 villages named Grądy in the Łomża Gubernia.  I intend to examine as many records as I can find to try to find the ancestral village of Aleksander Skowroński, the immigrant ancestor of several of my first cousins.

I found that the Family History Library holds microfilm records for the following relevant parishes:  Długosiodło, Jelonki, Wąsewo, Krasnosiek, Lubiel, Rajgród, Nowogród, Wąsosz, Wiskitki, Wizna, and Wyszków.  The Family History Library does not have microfilmed records for Rzekuń or Nowa wieś.

Because some of these films are in the vault, I called the Family History Library to order the vault films so that they will have them available while I’m in Salt Lake City.

I also have several minor goals:

1.  Examine the marriage indexes and the Marriage Records for the Graig and Hillis families of Otsego County, New York.  Dick Eastman recently reported that the Family History Library has microfilm copies of many New York State Marriage Records from 1908 to 1935.  I didn’t know that!

The Graigs and the Hillis’ are the ancestors of my sister’s husband, and I have been working on these family lines for the past few years.  The Family History Library holds the Otsego County Index to Marriages from 1908 to 1935, Marriage Licenses, Consents, and Affidavits from 1908 to 1915, and Marriage Records from 1908 to 1926.  I think I should be able to find marriage documents for anywhere from six to twelve of the Graig and Hillis marriages.

2.  Examine the typescript death records (index?) for Schoharie and Otsego Counties 1918-1953 for Graig and Hillis names.

3.  Review the information I have for the Markiewicz family from Braciejowice to verify the source citations in the documents I previously discovered.

4.  Examine the records of the Orthodox Church in Troki (Trakai), Lithuania to see if this might be the parish in which my mother’s mother lived.  I had to order vault films for this parish.

That’s a lot of ground to cover in two days!

Yesterday, I finished the translations of all the Markiewicz family documents I found recently at the Family History Center.  Today, I’ll summarize what I found about the family, through the first generation born in the United States.  This summary only includes information on deceased individuals.

Descendants of Mikolaj Markiewicz

Generation No. 1

1.  MIKOLAJ MARKIEWICZ was born in Kingdom of Poland.
 
Child of MIKOLAJ MARKIEWICZ is:
2. i. TOMASZ MARKIEWICZ, b. Bet. 1857 - 1859, Kingdom of Poland.

Generation No. 2

2.  TOMASZ MARKIEWICZ (MIKOLAJ) was born Bet. 1857 - 1859 in Kingdom of Poland.  He married FRANCISZKA PIATKOWA Bef. 1889 in Kingdom of Poland.  She was born Bet. 1862 - 1868 in Kingdom of Poland.
 
Children of TOMASZ MARKIEWICZ and FRANCISZKA PIATKOWA are:
 i. JAN MARKIEWICZ, b. 27 Feb 1889, Braciejowice, Powiat Nowo Aleksandryja, Lublin Gubernia, Kingdom of Poland; d. 24 Mar 1892, Braciejowice, Powiat Nowo Aleksandryja, Lublin Gubernia, Kingdom of Poland.
 ii. MICHAL MARKIEWICZ, b. 03 Aug 1890, Braciejowice, Powiat Nowo Aleksandryja, Lublin Gubernia, Kingdom of Poland; d. 18 Aug 1890, Braciejowice, Powiat Nowo Aleksandryja, Lublin Gubernia, Kingdom of Poland.
 iii. WAWRZYNIEC MARKIEWICZ, b. 07 Aug 1891, Braciejowice, Powiat Nowo Aleksandryja, Lublin Gubernia, Kingdom of Poland; d. 19 Apr 1892, Braciejowice, Powiat Nowo Aleksandryja, Lublin Gubernia, Kingdom of Poland.
3. iv. STANISLAW J. MARKIEWICZ, b. 18 Apr 1893, Braciejowice, Powiat Nowo Aleksandryja, Lublin Gubernia, Kingdom of Poland; d. 06 Oct 1971, Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.
 v. ANTONI MARKIEWICZ, b. 06 Jan 1895, Braciejowice, Powiat Nowo Aleksandryja, Lublin Gubernia, Kingdom of Poland.

Generation No. 3

3.  STANISLAW J. MARKIEWICZ (TOMASZ, MIKOLAJ) was born 18 Apr 1893 in Braciejowice, Powiat Nowo Aleksandryja, Lublin Gubernia, Kingdom of Poland, and died 06 Oct 1971 in Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.  He married ANTONINA LEJWODA 02 Feb 1913 in South Framingham, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts.  She was born 27 Apr 1891 in Poland, and died 17 Nov 1976 in Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.
 
Children of STANISLAW MARKIEWICZ and ANTONINA LEJWODA are:
 i. STEPHEN J. MARKIEWICZ, b. 22 Jan 1914, Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts; d. 20 Jun 1996, Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts; m. MARY E. BOHACIK; b. 10 Jun 1922, Houtzdale, Clearfield Co., Pennsylvania; d. 18 Nov 2002, Hingham, Plymouth Co., Massachusetts.
 ii. BERNICE CELIA MARKIEWICZ, b. 07 Oct 1915, Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts; d. 14 Oct 1974, Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts; m. EDWARD ALEXANDER SKOWRONSKI, 21 Nov 1936, St. Mary’s Church /Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts; b. 20 Aug 1912, Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts; d. 29 Aug 1995, Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.
 iii. WALTER P. MARKIEWICZ, b. 15 Aug 1917, Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts; d. 11 Feb 1999, Olympus Health Care /Webster, Worcester Co., Massachusetts; m. JEANNE F. HAJEC, Abt. 1941; b. 23 Aug 1917, Dudley, Worcester Co., Massachusetts; d. 07 Mar 1993, The Medical Center of Central Massachusetts - Memorial /Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.
 iv. EDWARD S. MARKIEWICZ, b. 17 Dec 1919, Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts; d. 20 Jan 2004, UMass Memorial Healthcare /Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts
 v. HELEN E. MARKIEWICZ, b. 14 Mar 1922, Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts; d. 25 May 2000, UMass Memorial Medical Center /Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts; m. JOHN E. DYLEWICZ, SR., Abt. 1948; b. 20 Jan 1925, Clinton, Worcester Co., Massachusetts; d. 10 Jan 2000, Memorial Hospital /Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.

I also wanted to make note of the fact that my original post on the Death of Michał Markiewicz included the wrong image from the parish records.  I inadvertently included the image for the death of Wawrzyniec Markiewicz instead.  I have corrected the error, and I have posted the correct image with the article and on the PDF file associated with the article.  I’ve also made some edits to that post and to the posts on the Death of Jan Markiewicz and the Death of Wawrzyniec Markiewicz.

The last of the records for the Markiewicz family that I found in the Piotrawin Parish Records at the Family History Center was for the death of Wawrzyniec (Lawrence) Markiewicz, the infant son of Tomasz Markiewicz and Franciszka Piątkowa.  With this death, all three children of Tomasz and Franciszka had died, and the last two died within a month of each other.

Death Record for Wawrzyniec Markiewicz 

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Death Record for Wawrzyniec Markiewicz.  The record, translated from the Russian, reads as follows:

42.  Braciejowice – Markiewicz Wawrzyniec

This happened in the village of Piotrawin on the 9th / 21st day of April 1892 at eleven o’clock in the morning.  Tomasz Markiewicz, age 33, the father of the child, and Stanisław Jakubczyk, age 26, house owners in the village of Braciejowice, appeared and stated that on the 7th / 19th day of April of this year at twelve o’clock in the afternoon, Wawrzyniec Markiewicz died in the same Braciejowice at the age of 9 months old, having been born and lived there, son of the aforementioned married couple Tomasz and Franciszka Piątkowa – after eyewitness testimony on the death of Wawrzyniec Markiewicz.

This document was read to the declarants who are illiterate, and signed by us.

Rev. C. Trembiński, pastor of the Piotrawin Parish - Keeper of the documents of the civil state

An interesting point in this record is that the age of Tomasz Markiewicz is 33.  In the Death Record for Jan Markiewicz, recorded the previous month, Tomasz was 32.  This observation allows the hypothesis that Tomasz was born in March or April 1859.  How does this date agree with all the other information on the birthdate of Tomasz Markiewicz?

Feb 27, 1889 - Birth of Jan - Tomasz age 30 - (born 1858-1859)
July 22, 1890 - Birth of Michał - Tomasz age 31 (born 1858-1859)
Aug 20, 1890 - Death of Michał - Tomasz age 31 (born 1858-1859)
Jul 28, 1891 - Birth of Wawrzyniec - Tomasz age 32 (born 1859-1860)
Mar 26, 1892 - Death of Jan - Tomasz age 32 (born 1859-1860)
Apr 21, 1892 - Death of Wawrzyniec - Tomasz age 33 (born 1858-1859)
Apr 19, 1893 - Birth of Stanisław - Tomasz age 35 (born 1857-1858)
Dec 25, 1894 - Birth of Antoni - Tomasz age 37 (born 1856-1857)

The first six events are all consistent with the hypothesis that Tomasz was born in 1859.  The last two events suggest Tomasz was born in 1857-1858 and 1856-1859.  Tomasz seems to have aged two years between 1892 and 1893, and another two years between 1893 and 1894!  The Birth Records for Jan and Wawrzyniec are not consistent with a birthdate in March or April 1859, although they are consistent with a birthdate in 1859.

A conservative estimate is that Tomasz was born between December 26, 1856 and July 28, 1860.  Ignoring the two outlying dates, a more liberal estimate is that Tomasz was born between February 28, 1858 and July 28, 1860.  So, even though the Death Records for Michał, Jan, and Wawrzyniec suggest a birth in March or April 1859, the Birth Records for all five sons indicate that a wider range should be considered.

The second Markiewicz death record I found at the Family History Center was that for Jan (John) Markiewicz, the infant son of Tomasz Markiewicz and Franciszka Piątkowa.

The Death Record of Jan Markiewicz

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Death Record of Jan Markiewicz.  Translated from the Russian, the record reads:

32.  Braciejowice – Markiewicz Jan

This happened in the village of Piotrawin on the 14th / 26th day of March 1892 at seven o’clock after midnight.  Tomasz Markiewicz, age 32, the father of the child, and Franciszek Turski, age 51, house owners in the village of Braciejowice, appeared and stated that on the 12th / 24th day of March of this year at 7 o’clock after midnight, Jan Markiewicz died in Braciejowice at the age of 3 years old, having been born and lived there, son of the aforementioned married couple Tomasz and Franciszka Piątkowa – after eyewitness testimony on the death of Jan Markiewicz.

This document was read to the declarants who are illiterate, and signed by us.

Rev. C. Trembiński, pastor of the Piotrawin Parish - Keeper of the documents of the civil state

Jan was born on February 27, 1889.  Jan’s death record correctly shows that he was three years old when he died on March 24, 1892.

Comparing this record with the Death Record of Michał Markiewicz who died on August 18, 1890, some additional information about the birth date of Tomasz Markiewicz can be deduced.  Tomasz was 31 years old on August 20, 1890 and 32 years old on March 26, 1892.  Since Tomasz only recorded one birthday between these two dates, Tomasz must have been born between March 1859 and August 1859.

Unfortunately, the ages recorded in these Church Records are not always accurate.  A case in point is the fact that Franciszek Turski was 52 years old in Michaeł’s Death Record 1890, but only 51 years old in Jan’s Death Record in 1892.

I had previously found the 1890 Birth and Baptismal Record for Michał (Michael) Markiewicz, the son of Tomasz Markiewicz and Franciszka Piątkowa while searching Polish Parish Records at my local Family History Center.  I had also found an entry in the Death Index for the same parish that showed that a Michał Markiewicz died in 1890.  The question is, are these two records for the same person?  Did Michał Markiewicz die the same year in which he was born?

Death Record for Michał Markiewicz

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Death Record for Michał Markiewicz.  Translated from the Russian, the record reads:

111.  Braciejowice – Markiewicz Michał

This happened in the village of Piotrawin on the 8th / 20th day of August 1890 at eleven o’clock in the morning.  Tomasz Markiewicz, age 31, the  father of the child, and Franciszek Turski, age 52, house owners in the village of Braciejowice, appeared and stated that on the 6th / 18th day of August of this year at 6 o’clock in the evening Michał Markiewicz died in Braciejowice, having been born and lived there for two weeks, son of the aforementioned married couple Tomasz and Franciszka Piątkowa – after eyewitness testimony on the death of Michał Markiewicz.

This document was read to the declarants who are illiterate, and signed by us.

Rev. C. Trembiński, pastor of the Piotrawin Parish - Keeper of the documents of the civil state

The death record does, indeed, record the death of the infant recently born to Tomasz Markiewicz and Franciszka Piątkowa.

As with other documents from the Kingdom of Poland (the Russian Partition of Poland), the dates are recorded according to both the Julian Calendar and the Gregorian Calendar.  In 1890, when this document was written, the two calendars differed by 12 days.  Since we use the Gregorian Calendar (the more accurate calendar), the correct date of death is the later date: August 18, 1890.

Franciszek Turski appears in many records for the Markiewicz family, including the Births and Baptisms of Jan, Michał, and Stanisław Markiewicz.  It’s possible that Franciszek Turski was a neighbor or relative of the Markiewicz family.

One final note about the surname Markiewicz.  In many of these records, the name appears to be written as Markowicz, rather than Markiewicz.  At this point, it’s not clear if this was just an issue with transliteration of the name into Russian, or if the correct spelling is actually Markowicz.

Stanisław Markiewicz and his siblings were born in Braciejowice and baptized in Piotrawin in the Kingdom of Poland.  I’ve never been to either of these villages.  However, in the year 2000, I visited Kazimierz Dolny, a village just a short distance to the north.  I posted photos from Kazimierz Dolny on June 18, 2006 and July 30, 2006.

Today, I found some great photographs of both Braciejowice and Piotrawin on the internet.

Because these aren’t my own pictures and I don’t have permission to reproduce them here, I’m providing thumbnails for each of the four internet webpages where I found these photos.  Just click on the thumbnails to go to the webpages themselves where you can view all the pictures.

Urząd Gminy Łaziska (Office of the District of Łaziska) - Photos of Braciejowice

Urząd Gminy Łaziska (Office of the District of Łaziska) - Photos of Piotrawin

The Urząd Gmina Łaziska (Office of the District of Łaziska) site includes lots of information about the district (in Polish), and the Info o Gminie (Information about the District) link provides access to a map of the district.  By clicking on the name of a village on the map, you can access pictures of many of the villages in the district.

Zdjęcia z Polski (Photographs from Poland) - Photos of Piotrawin 1

Zdjęcia z Polski (Photographs from Poland) - Photos of Piotrawin 2

The Zdjęcia z Polski (Photographs from Poland) site provides photographs from all over Poland.  Click on Rejony Geograficne to see photos from different Geographical Regions of Poland.  Click on Miasta i Miejscowocści to see photos from Towns and Localities.  Click on Pory Roku to see photos from Seasons of the Year (wiosna = spring, lato = summer, jesień = autumn, and zima = winter).

The last Birth and Baptismal Record that I found for the children of Tomasz Markiewicz and Franciszka Piątkowa was for a son Jan.

Birth and Baptismal Record for Jan Markiewicz

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the original record, a transcription of the record, and a translation into English.  The record states:

42.  Braciejowice - Markiewicz Jan

This happened in the village of Piotrawin on the 15th / 27th day of February 1889 at 6 o’clock in the afternoon.  Tomasz Markiewicz appeared in person, age 30, a house owner in the village of Braciejowice, in the presence of Stanisław Piątek from the village of Brzeliow, age 21, and Franciszek Turski from the village of Braciejowice, age 48, house owners - and he presented to us a child of the male sex, stating that it was born in the village of Braciejowice on this date, the 15th / 27th day of February of this year, at twelve o’clock in the day - of his lawful wife Franciszka nee Piontkowa, age 25.  To this child at Holy Baptism performed on this date was given the name of Jan, and his godparents were the above-mentioned Stanisław Piątek and Agnieszka Turska.  This document was read to the declarant father and to the witnesses, all of whom are illiterate, and signed by us.

Rev. C. Trembiński, pastor of the Piotrawin Parish - Keeper of the documents of the civil state

The Birth and Baptismal Record shows that Jan (John) was born at 12 Noon on February 27, 1889 in Braciejowice, baptized at 6 PM on the same day in Piotrawin, his father was Tomasz (Thomas) Markiewicz, his mother was Franciszka (Frances) Piontkowa, his godparents were Stanisław (Stanley) Piątek and Agnieszka (Agnes) Turska, and he was baptized by the Rev. C. Trembiński.

Of particular interest is the fact that Stanisław Piątek was the godfather.  He may be related to Franciszka, the mother.  I’m not sure about the spelling of Stanisław Piątek’s village - I couldn’t find it on a map.  Also of interest is the fact that Franciszek Turski also appears as a witness in the Birth and Baptismal Records for Michał and Stanisław Markiewicz.  The godmother, Agnieszka Turska, may be related to Franciszek Turski, who appeared as a witness at Stanisław Markiewicz’ baptism.

According to this record, Tomasz Markiewicz was 30 years old, indicating that he was born between 1858-1859, and Franciszka Piątkowa was 25 years old, meaning that she was born between 1863-1864.  Combined with the ages in other baptismal documents, Tomasz was born between 1857-1859, and Franciszka was born between 1862-1868.

There is one unusual notation on the original document - located in the left margin, just below the name of the village and the name of the child.  It says:

= February of this
CT k

This notation indicates that the priest left the words “February of this” out of the written document and these words should be inserted in the document where he has indicated two strokes (looks like and equal sign) and a vertical slash between two words on the 8th line, towards the left hand side.  The letters ”CT” are the priest’s initials and I think the “k” stands for ksiądz - the Polish word for priest.  I’m not absolutely sure that the letter “k” follows the priest’s initials, but I’m not sure what the marks after the “CT” would be otherwise.

A year before the birth of Wawrzyniec Markiewicz, another son was born to Tomasz Markiewicz and Franciszka Piątkowa - Michał (Michael).

Birth and Baptismal Record for Michał Markiewicz

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the original record, a transcription of the record, and a translation into English.  The record states:

117.  Braciejowice - Markiewicz Michał

This happened in the village of Piotrawin on the 22nd day of July / 3rd day of August 1890 at one in the afternoon.  Tomasz Markiewicz appeared in person, age 31, a house owner in the village of Braciejowice, in the presence of Piotr Fatz, age 29, and Franciszek Turski, age 52, house owners in the village of Braciejowice - and he presented to us a child of the male sex, stating that it was born in the village of Braciejowice on this date, the 22nd of July / 3rd of August of this year, at six o’clock after midnight - of his lawful wife Franciszka nee Piontkowa, age 25.  To this child at Holy Baptism performed on this date was given the name of Michał, and his godparents were the above-mentioned Piotr Fata and Agnieszka Makosiowa.  This document was read to the declarant father and to the witnesses, all of whom are illiterate, and signed by us.

Rev. C. Trembiński, pastor of the Piotrawin Parish - Keeper of the documents of the civil state

The Birth and Baptismal Record shows that Michał (Michael) was born at 6 AM on August 3, 1890 in Braciejowice, baptized at 1 PM on the same day in Piotrawin, his father was Tomasz (Thomas) Markiewicz, his mother was Franciszka (Frances) Piontkowa, his godparents were Piotr (Peter) Fatz and Agnieszka (Agnes) Makosiowa, and he was baptized by the Rev. C. Trembiński.

The surnames of the two women are feminized.  The masculine form of the surname Makosiowa is probably Makosz, and that of the surname Piontkowa (or Piątkowa) is probably Piątek.  One of the named witnesses was Franciszek Turski, who was also a witness for the baptism of Stanisław Markiewicz.

At the very top of the document, the page number in the record book is noted - page 355.  Also, there is a stamp.  I’m not sure what the first word is, but the second line says “Nowo Aleksandryski”.  The villages of Braciejowice and Piotrawin were in the Nowo Aleksandryja Powiat, Lublin Gubernia, Kingdom of Poland, Russia.

According to this document, Tomasz was born in 1858-1859 and Franciszka was born in 1865-1866.  When considering their ages in the three previous baptismal records, Tomasz was born between 1857 and 1859, and Franciszka was born between 1862 and 1868.