The Birth Record of Chester Pszczolkowski – 1917

SOURCE:  Worcester, Massachusetts, Births, vol. 642, page 398, no. 435, Chester Pszczolkowski, 1917; Massachusetts State Archives, Boston, Massachusetts, microfilm #141.

The image above is a composite image from the ledger, cropped to emphasize the information for Walter William Dymek.  Click on the link for a PDF copy of the birth record of Chester Pszczolkowski.  The ledger states:

• Chester Pszczolkowski’s birth is recorded in vol. 642, page 398, no. 435 in the ledger for the town of Gardner,
• His name is recorded as Chester Pszczolkowski, a male child born in Worcester,
• He was born on 5 December 1917 and date his birth was recorded is illegible,
• His father was Chester Pszczolkowski [Czesław Pszczółkowski] from Poland residing in Gardner, no occupation provided,
• His mother was Josephine Skowrouska [Józefa Skowrońska] from Poland, residing in Gardner.

The microfilm copy was poor, as evidenced by the images shown here.  Fortunately, the photocopy I have is readable, even though portions of the digital image are not.

Copyright © 2011 by Stephen J. Danko

The Birth Record of Kazmera Pszczolkowski – 1913

SOURCE:  “Massachusetts Vital Records, 1911-1915,” digital images, American Ancestors (http://www.americanancestors.org : accessed 13 June 2011), Birth of [Female] Pszczolkowski, vol. 616, page 326, no. 63, Gardner, Massachusetts, 03 March 1913; citing Vital Records: 1841-1915, Massachusetts State Archives, Boston, Massachusetts.

The image above is a composite image from the ledger, cropped to emphasize the information for this child.  Click on the link for a PDF copy of the birth record of Kazmera Pszczolkowski.  The ledger states:

• Kazmera Pszczolkowski’s birth is recorded as Vol. 616, Page 326, No. 63 in the ledger for the town of Gardner,
• Her name was recorded as Pszczolkowski, a female child born in Gardner,
• She was born on 03 March 1913, and her birth was recorded in January 1914,
• Her father was Cheslaw Pszczolkowski [Czesław Pszczółkowski], a chair maker from Poland residing in Gardner,
• Her mother was Josie Skowroski [Józefa Skowrońska] from Poland, residing in Gardner.

The names in this record are badly misspelled, but misspellings are typical in Massachusetts vital records from this time period.  The child’s first name is not provided in this record but the record was corrected on 20 November 1961.

Copyright © 2011 by Stephen J. Danko

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Stanisław Chodkowski – 1864

SOURCE: Parafia pw. św. Jana Chrzciciela (Krasne, Przasnysz Powiat, Płock Gubernia, Congress Kingdom of Poland), “Akta urodzeń, małżeństw, zgonów 1859, 1861-1865, [Records of Births, Marriages, and Deaths 1859, 1861-1865],” folio 25 verso, entry 99, Stanisław Chodkowski, 08 Sep 1864; filmed as Kopie księg metrykalnych, 1808-1892; FHL INTL microfilm 0,702,796.

Click on the image above to view a higher resolution image. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record of Stanisław Chodkowski. Translated from the Polish, the record reads:

No 99. The Village of Mosaki Rukle

This happened in the church-owned village of Krasne on the eighth day of September in the year one-thousand eight-hundred sixty-four at the hour of ten in the morning. There appeared Franciszek Chodkowski, owner of a part [of the village] thirty-one years of age and residing in Mosaki Rukle, accompanied by Wincenty Obidziński, thirty-three years of age, and Wojciech Rutkowski, thirty-eight years of age, both owners of parts [of the village]and residing in Mosaki Rukle, and he showed Us a child of the male sex, stating that he was born in the village of Mosaki Rukle on the fourth day of the same month and year at the hour of six in the morning of his wife Franciszka née Pszczółkowska, thirty-four years of age. To this child at Holy Baptism performed today by the Reverend Pastor Idzi Godlewski of the Parish of Krasne was given the name Stanisław, and his Godparents were the afore-mentioned Wincenty Obidziński and Wiktoria his wife. This document was read aloud to the declarants and witnesses, and next was signed by Us because the declarants and witnesses do not know how to write.
     [signed] The Reverend Idzi Godlewski, Pastor of the Parish of Krasne, maintaining the Civil Register

Stanisław Chodkowski was my 3rd cousin, 3X removed.

Copyright © 2010 by Stephen J. Danko

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Marianna Chodkowska – 1858

SOURCE: Parafia pw. św. Jana Chrzciciela (Krasne, Przasnysz Powiat, Płock Gubernia, Congress Kingdom of Poland), “Akta urodzeń, małżeństw, zgonów 1852-1858 [Records of Births, Marriages, and Deaths 1852-1858],” folio 14 recto, entry 78, Marianna Chodkowska, 14 Sep 1858; filmed as Kopie księg metrykalnych, 1808-1892; FHL INTL microfilm 0,702,795.

Click on the image above to view a higher resolution image. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record of Marianna Chodkowska. Translated from the Polish, the record reads:

No78 Mosaki Rukle

This happened in Krasne on the fourteenth day of September in the year one-thousand eight-hundred fifty-eight at the hour of nine in the morning. There appeared Franciszek Chodkowski, owner of a part [of the village], forty-five years of age and residing in [Mosaki] Rukle, accompanied by Faustyn Niedziałkowski, thirty-three years of age and Wojciech Niedziałkowski, thirty-two years of age, both owners of parts [of the village] and residing in [Mosaki] Rukle, and he showed us a child of the female sex, stating that she was born on the eleventh day of September in the same year at the hour of nine in the evening of his wife Franciszka née Pszczółkowska, thirty years of age. To this child at Holy Baptism performed today by the Reverend Idzi Godlewski, pastor, was given the name Marianna, and her Godparents were the afore-mentioned Faustyn Niedziałkowski and Ewa Chodkowska of Mosaki Stary Wieś. This document was read aloud to the declarants and witnesses, and then was signed by Us alone because the declarants stated that they do not know how to write.
   [signed] The Reverend Idzi Godlewski, Pastor of Krasne, maintaining the civil registers

Marianna Chodkowska was my 3rd cousin, 3X removed.

Copyright © 2010 by Stephen J. Danko

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Józef Chodkowski – 1856

SOURCE: Parafia pw. św. Jana Chrzciciela (Krasne, Przasnysz Powiat, Płock Gubernia, Congress Kingdom of Poland), “Akta urodzeń, małżeństw, zgonów 1852-1858 [Records of Births, Marriages, and Deaths 1852-1858],” folio 3 verso, entry 7, Józef Chodkowski, 27 Jan 1856; filmed as Kopie księg metrykalnych, 1808-1892; FHL INTL microfilm 0,702,795.

Click on the image above to view a higher resolution image. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record of Józef Chodkowski. Translated from the Polish, the record reads:

Nr7 Rukle

This happened in Krasne on the fifteenth / twenty-seventh day of January in the year one-thousand eight-hundred fifty-six at the hour of two in the afternoon. There appeared Franciszek Chodkowski, owner of a part of [Mosaki] Rukle, twenty four years of age, accompanied by Faustyn Niedziałkowski, seventy years of age, and Maciej Niedziałkowski, twenty-eight years of age, owners of parts of [Mosaki] Rukle and he showed Us a child of the male sex born in [Mosaki] Rukle today at the hour of eleven before noon of his wife Franciszka née Pszczółkowska, twenty-six years of age. To this child at Holy Baptism performed today was given the name Józef and his Godparents were Wojciech Gożdziewski and Zofia Rzewnicka, both from Ślasy Złotki. This document was read aloud to the declarants and witnesses of whom none knows how to write, and was signed by Us.
   [signed] The Reverend Igdi Godlewski, Pastor of the Parish of Krasne, maintaining the civil registers

Józef Chodkowski was my 3rd cousin, 3X removed.

Copyright © 2010 by Stephen J. Danko

The Marriage Record of Franciszek Chodkowski and Franciszka Pszczółkowska – 1852

SOURCE: Parafia pw. św. Jana Chrzciciela (Krasne, Przasnysz Powiat, Płock Gubernia, Congress Kingdom of Poland), “ Akta urodzeń, małżeństw, zgonów 1852-1858 [Records of Births, Marriages, Deaths 1852-1858],” folio 45 verso, entry 20, Franciszek Chodkowski and Franciszka Pszczółkowska 07 Nov 1852; filmed as Kopie księg metrykalnych, 1808-1892; FHL INTL microfilm 0,702,795.

Click on the image above to view a higher resolution image. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Marriage Record of Franciszek Chodkowski and Franciszka Pszczółkowska. Translated from the Polish, the record reads:

20. Ślasy Łozino. This happened in the village of Krasne on the twenty-sixth day of October / seventh day of November in the year one-thousand eight-hundred fifty-two at the hour of four in the afternoon. We make it known that in the presence of witnesses Wojciech Gożdziewski, owner of a part [of the village] and residing in the village of Ślasy Złotki, thirty-four years of age, and Felicjan Mierzkowski, owner of a part [of the village] and residing in the village of [Mosaki] Rukle, twenty-four years of age; on this day a religious marriage was contracted between Franciszek Chodkowski, a young man residing with his family in the village of Ślasy Złotki in the parish of Szwelice, born in the village of [Mosaki] Rukle of the married couple Błażej Chodkowski and the deceased Józefa née Gożdziewska, residing on his parts [of the village], nineteen years of age; and the young woman Franciszka, daughter of the deceased married couple Józef Pszczólkowski and Antonina née Grabowski, residing in the village of Ślasy Łozino on their parts [of the village], twenty-four years of age, born in the village of Ślasy Łozino and living in that village with her family. This wedding was preceded by three readings of the banns on the fifth / seventeenth, twelfth / twenty-fourth, and nineteenth / thirty-first days of October in the same year in the parishes of Krasne and Szwelice, as well as by the oral consent of the father of the groom who was present for the [recording of this] record of marriage. No impediment to the marriage arose. The newlyweds stated that they had made no prenuptial agreement between them. This document was read aloud to the declarants and witnesses, the first of whom is the uncle of the groom, and who do not know how to write.
[signed] The Reverend Józef Bońkowski, Pastor of the Parish of Krasne

Franciszek Chodkowski was my 2nd cousin, 4X removed.

Copyright © 2010 by Stephen J. Danko

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

The Monument for Chester Pszczolkowski, Josephine Skowronski, and James Paul Carlberg – Front

Photograph copyright 2007 by Louise Gagnon. Used with permission.

The Monument for Chester Pszczolkowski, Josephine Skowronski, and James Paul Carlberg – Back

Photograph copyright 2007 by Louise Gagnon. Used with permission.

SOURCE: Chester Pszczolkowski, Josephine Skowronski, and James Paul Carlberg grave marker, St. John’s Cemetery, Section Unknown (Gardner, Worcester County), Massachusetts, photographed by Louise Gagnon, 12 Mar 2007.

The front of the monument reads:

PSZCZOLSKOWSKI

The back of the monument reads:

CHESTER PSZCZOLKOWSKI
1887-1959

HIS WIFE
JOSEPHINE SKOWRONSKI
1891-1989

JAMES PAUL CARLBERG
AUG 7, 1971

With this monument, I’ve published photographs of the monuments of all the children of Małgorzata (Margaret) Podeszwa.

The Marriage Record for Józefa Skowrońska and Czesław Pszczółkowski

SOURCE: The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Marriages Registered in the Town of Gardner for the Year 1908. Volume 580, Page 311, No. 90. Czesław Pszczółkowski and Józefa Skowrońska. http://www.newenglandancestors.org.

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Marriage Record for Józefa Skowrońska and Czesław Pszczółkowski.  The record states that:

• The marriage was recorded in Volume 580, Page 311, Number 90 of the marriage registers for the town of Gardner, Massachusetts in 1908
• Azislaw Psczilkowski, age 21, residing in Gardner and working as a Sander, was born in Russia, the son of John Psczilkowski and Julija Korder
• Jozefa Skoweronska, age 17 residing in Gardner and working as a Weaver, was born in Russia, the daughter of Kazimierz Skoweronska and Adela Podeska
• The couple was married on 26 Oct 1908 by John F. McDermott, a Roman Catholic Clergyman in Gardner
• This was the first marriage for each of them
• The marriage was recorded on 27 Oct 1908

As I’ve often found in these hundred-year-old vital records from Massachusetts, this record includes a number of errors:

• Azislaw Psczilkowski should be spelled Czesław Pszczółkowski
• Jozefa Skoweronska should be spelled Józefa Skowrońska
• John Psczilkowski should be spelled Jan Pszczółkowski
• Julija Korder should be spelled Julianna [Kordek?]
• Kazmierz Skoweronska should be Franciszek Skowroński
• Adela Podeska should be [Małgorzata?] Podeszwa

All other records I have for the Skowroński family indicate that the given name of Józefa’s father should be Franciszek, not Kazmierz.  Józefa’s mother should probably be Małgorzata, not Adela, although most records show her name anglicized to Margrette.

Why would the names of Józefa’s parents be so far off?  Perhaps one reason is that both of her parents were deceased at the time of her marriage.  Her father died when she was very young and her mother died earlier in 1908.  In addition, Józefa was only 17 years old when she was married.  Perhaps Józefa simply didn’t know the correct names of her parents.