Steve's Genealogy Blog » Sowa

Summary of the Nienadowa Field Sketches – 1854

Steve — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 06:27:36 +0000

The 1854 field sketch maps of Nienadowa, Galicia (now Poland) consist of 19 individual maps, 10 of which were copied as part of the Gesher Galicia Cadastral Map and Landowner Records Inventory.

I received copies of these maps in August and have spent the past couple of weeks digitizing and reassembling the maps. The original maps were copied onto A3 paper, and most of the maps were copied in two or three sections. Unfortunately, some of the maps were copied at 90% scale and others were copied at 100% scale. I attempted to digitize these maps so that the original tiff images are all at the same scale, recombined the multiple sections when necessary, and then made an effort to clean up the maps.

The ten maps that were copied fit together as shown below:

Nienadowa Field Sketch Maps - 1854

Digital images of the individual maps can be found as the following blog entries:

I was told that the remaining maps (Maps 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 15) had no houses on them and, therefore, were not copied. I am certain that at least some of the remaining maps do, indeed, have houses on them.

In fact, the house of my third great grandfather, Wojciech Dańko, is probably on Map 15. His land extends from Map 10, through Map 15, and into Map 17.

The land held by another third great grandfather, Wojciech Sowa, appears on Map 18.

My next task will be to index these maps in order to begin a one-village study of Nienadowa.

Nienadowa Field Sketches – Map 12

Steve — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 06:35:07 +0000

The twelfth of the Nienadowa, Galicia Field Sketch Maps from the Ukrainian Archives shows more names from my family history, although this section of Nienadowa includes a significant area devoted to forests.

Nienadowa, Galicia - 1854 (Map 12)

SOURCE: “Map of the Village of Nienadowa, Galicia – 1854 (Map 12).” Published 1854. Feldskizzen (Field Sketches), Fond 186, Opys 9, Sprava 611. State Historical Archives of Ukraine in Lviv, Lviv, Ukraine.

Click on the map above to view an enlarged image. This map fits in just above Map 17.

The surnames on this map which are also in my family tree include:

Jędrzej Gergont in house number 77 (members of the Gergont family were Godparents of the Dańkos).
Szymon Gergont in house number 77 (members of the Gergont family were Godparents of the Dańkos).
Jan Głowacz in house number 234 (my step great grandmother was Zofia Głowacz).
Pawel Głowacz in house number 63 (my step great grandmother was Zofia Głowacz).
Józef Pilch in house number 68 (the midwife who delivered my grandfather and several other relatives was Agnieszka
Pilch).
Marcin Pilch in house number 69 (the midwife who delivered my grandfather and several other relatives was Agnieszka Pilch).
Wawrzeniec Pilch in house number 59 (the midwife who delivered my grandfather and several other relatives was Agnieszka Pilch).
Wojciech Pilch in an unknown house number (the midwife who delivered my grandfather and several other relatives was Agnieszka Pilch).
Jan Sowa house number 77 (my third great grandfather was Wojciech Sowa).

Nienadowa Field Sketches – Map 17

Steve — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 06:30:43 +0000

As I continue to examine the Nienadowa, Galicia Field Sketch Maps from the Ukrainian Archives, I’m amazed at how surnames from my research keep appearing on all these maps.

Nienadowa, Galicia - 1854 (Map 17)

SOURCE: “Map of the Village of Nienadowa, Galicia – 1854 (Map 17).” Published 1854. Feldskizzen (Field Sketches), Fond 186, Opys 9, Sprava 611. State Historical Archives of Ukraine in Lviv, Lviv, Ukraine.

Click on the map above to view an enlarged image. This map fits in just above Map 18.

The surnames on this map which are also in my family tree include:

Kazimierz Chruścicki in an unknown house number (my step third great grandmother was Katarzyna Chruścicka).
Wojciech Dańko in house number 140 (Wojciech Dańko was my third great grandfather).
Maciej Gergont in house number 62 (members of the Gergont family were Godparents of the Dańkos).
Jan Głowacz in house number 234 (my step great grandmother was Zofia Głowacz).
Jędrzej Głowacz in house number 63 (my step great grandmother was Zofia Głowacz).
Maciej Głowacz in house number 62 (my step great grandmother was Zofia Głowacz).
Pawel Głowacz in house number 63 (my step great grandmother was Zofia Głowacz).
Szymon Głowacz in house number 63 (my step great grandmother was Zofia Głowacz).
Maciej Kazieńko in an unknown house number (members of the Kazieńko family were Godparents of the Dańkos).
Jan Kijonka in house number 134 (members of the Kijonka family were Godparents of the Dańkos).
Jędrzej Kijonka in an unknown house number (members of the Kijonka family were Godparents of the Dańkos).
Tomasz Kijonka in house number 134 (members of the Kijonka family were Godparents of the Dańkos).
Jan Pilch in an unknown house number (the midwife who delivered my grandfather and several other relatives was Agnieszka Pilch).
Józef Pilch in house number 68 (the midwife who delivered my grandfather and several other relatives was Agnieszka Pilch).
Marcin Pilch in an unknown house number (the midwife who delivered my grandfather and several other relatives was Agnieszka Pilch).
Pawel Pilch in house number 59 (the midwife who delivered my grandfather and several other relatives was Agnieszka Pilch).
Anna Sowa house number 201 (my third great grandfather was Wojciech Sowa).
Jakób Sowa house number 233 (my third great grandfather was Wojciech Sowa).
Jan Sowa house number 60 (my third great grandfather was Wojciech Sowa).
Piotr Sowa house number 23 (my third great grandfather was Wojciech Sowa).
Franciszek? Szymański in an unknown house number (my second great grandmother was Zofia Szymańska).
Maciej Szymański in house number 65 (my second great grandmother was named Szymańska).

Nienadowa Field Sketches – Map 18

Steve — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 06:30:45 +0000

Even though I’m about halfway through the Nienadowa, Galicia Field Sketch Maps from the Ukrainian Archives, I’m still finding names familiar to me from my own family history research.

Nienadowa, Galicia - 1854 (Map 18)

SOURCE: “Map of the Village of Nienadowa, Galicia – 1854 (Map 18).” Published 1854. Feldskizzen (Field Sketches), Fond 186, Opys 9, Sprava 611. State Historical Archives of Ukraine in Lviv, Lviv, Ukraine.

Click on the map above to view an enlarged image. This map fits in just to the right of Map 16.

The surnames on this map which are also in my family tree include:

Anna Bębenek in house number 43 (my first cousin, three times removed, Zofia Dańko, married Antoni Bębenek).
Jan Bębenek in house number 53 (my first cousin, three times removed, Zofia Dańko, married Antoni Bębenek).
Maciej Bębenek in house number 53 (my first cousin, three times removed, Zofia Dańko, married Antoni Bębenek).
Zofia Bębenek in house number 44 (my first cousin, three times removed, Zofia Dańko, married Antoni Bębenek).
Jędrzej Gergont in house number 50 (members of the Gergont family were Godparents of the Dańkos).
Marcin Janowski in house number 56 (members of the Janowski family were Godparents of the Dańkos).
Pawel Kazieńko in house number 49 (members of the Kazieńko family were Godparents of the Dańkos).
Anna Kijonka in house number 45 (members of the Kijonka family were Godparents of the Dańkos).
Pawel Klimczyk in house number 81 (members of the Klimczyk family were Godparents of the Dańkos).
Józef Pilch in house number 68 (the midwife who delivered my grandfather and several other relatives was Agnieszka Pilch).
Michał Pilch in an unknown house number (the midwife who delivered my grandfather and several other relatives was Agnieszka Pilch).
Wojciech Sowa house number 81 (my third great grandfather was Wojciech Sowa – in fact, this could be he).
Anna Szymańska in house number 48 (my second great grandmother was named Zofia Szymańska).
Jacób Szymański in house number 237 (my second great grandmother was named Zofia Szymańska).
Jacób Szymański in house number 48 (my second great grandmother was named Zofia Szymańska).
Katarzyna Szymańska in house number 48 (my second great grandmother was named Zofia Szymańska).
Kazimierz Szymański in house number 48 (my second great grandmother was named Zofia Szymańska).
Jan Wajda in house number 34 (Marcin Wajda travelled to America with my great aunt Marianna Dańko).
Jędrzej Wajda in house number 159 (members of the Wajda family were Godparents of the Dańkos).
Józef Wajda in house number 34 (members of the Wajda family were Godparents of the Dańkos).

Nienadowa Field Sketches – Map 16

Steve — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 06:30:56 +0000

I found more family surnames as I examined the Nienadowa, Galicia Field Sketch Map 16 from the Ukrainian Archives.

Nienadowa, Galicia - 1854 (Map 16)

SOURCE: “Map of the Village of Nienadowa, Galicia – 1854 (Map 16).” Published 1854. Feldskizzen (Field Sketches), Fond 186, Opys 9, Sprava 611. State Historical Archives of Ukraine in Lviv, Lviv, Ukraine.

Click on the map above to view an enlarged image. This map fits in just above Map 19.

The surnames on this map which are also in my family tree include:

Wawrzyniec Bębenek in house number 177 (my first cousin, three times removed, Zofia Dańko, married Antoni Bębenek).
Antoni Chruścicki in house number 154 (Rozalia Chruścicka was my step third great grandmother).
Maryanna Chruścicki in house number 154 (Katarzyna Chruścicka was the wife of my great grandfather).
Jan Gergont in house number 36 (members of the Gergont family were Godparents of the Dańkos).
Jędrzej Głowacz in house number 180 (my step-great grandmother was Zofia Głowacz).
Szymon Głowacz in an unknown house number (my step-great grandmother was Zofia Głowacz).
Anna Jach in an unknown house number (Katarzyna Jachowa was my second great grandmother).
Pawel Jach in house number 29 (Katarzyna Jachowa was my second great grandmother).
Jan Kijanka in house number 160 (members of the Kijonka family were Godparents of the Dańkos).
Wojciech Kijanka in house number 32 (members of the Kijonka family were Godparents of the Dańkos).
Jan Pilch in house number 125 (the midwife who delivered my grandfather and several other relatives was Agnieszka Pilch).
Józef Sowa in an unknown house number (my great grandmother was Agnieszka Sowa).
Zofia Szymańska in an unknown house number (my second great grandmother was named Zofia Szymańska – in fact, this could be she).
Michał Wajda in an unknown house number (Marcin Wajda travelled to America with my great aunt Marianna Dańko).
Szymon Wajda in an unknown house number (members of the Wajda family were Godparents of the Dańkos).

Nienadowa Field Sketches – Map 9

Steve — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 06:22:00 +0000

As I continue to examine the Field Sketch Maps from the Ukrainian Archives, I find more and more familiar surnames. While I don’t know how all these people are related to my own relatives withthe same surname, I expect that, with the same surname, these residents of Nienadowa are probably family.

Nienadowa, Galicia - 1854 (Map 9)

SOURCE: “Map of the Village of Nienadowa, Galicia – 1854 (Map 9).” Published 1854. Feldskizzen (Field Sketches), Fond 186, Opys 9, Sprava 611. State Historical Archives of Ukraine in Lviv, Lviv, Ukraine.

Click on the map above to view an enlarged image. This map fits in just above Map 10.

The surnames on this map which are also in my family tree include:

Maciej Bal in house number 110 (Teresa Bal married my great uncle Marcin Dańko).
Piotr Bal in house number 104 (Several members of the Bal family were Godparents to the Dańkos).
Jan Dańko in house number 207 (I’m not sure how this Dańko is related to me).
Jakób Dańko in house number 226? (I’m not sure how this Dańko is related to me).
Szymon Dańko in house number 122 (I’m not sure how this Dańko is related to me).
Jędrzej Głowacz in house number 244 (my step-great grandmother was Zofia Głowacz).
Wojciech Pilch in house number 123 (the midwife who delivered my grandfather and several other relatives was Agnieszka Pilch).
Jędrzej Pilch in house number 117a (the midwife who delivered my grandfather and several other relatives was Agnieszka Pilch).
Jędrzej Sowa in house number 120 (my great grandmother was Agnieszka Sowa).
Kazimierz Sowa in house number 220 (my great grandmother was Agnieszka Sowa).
Maciej Sowa in house number 105 (my great grandmother was Agnieszka Sowa).
Tomasz Sowa in house number 220? (my great grandmother was Agnieszka Sowa).
Maciej Wajda in house number113 (Marcin Wajda travelled to America with my great aunt Marianna Dańko).

The Polish Surnames in My Family Tree

Steve — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 02:00:57 +0000

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:

Personal Names and Coats of Arms
Toponyms (Place Names)
Occupations
Features or Objects (including verbs, animals, trees, plants, food, drink)
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.

The Marriage of Maciej Sowa and Katarzyna Jachowa

Steve — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 06:30:27 +0000

Yesterday, I posted the Birth and Baptismal Record for Agnieszka Sowa, my great grandmother. Today, we’ll look at the Marriage Record for Agnieszka’s parents, my great great grandparents, Maciej Sowa and Katarzyna Jachowa. Their marriage record is the middle record on this image. If you look carefully, though, you’ll notice that someone with the surname Sowa is mentioned in all three marriage records on this image.

The Marriage Record of Maciej Sowa and Katarzyna Jachowa

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Marriage Record for Maciej Sowa and Katarzyna Jachowa. The record shows that:

Page: 47
Number: Not stated
Date: 28 May 1844
House Number: Bride 35 to Groom 105
Groom: Maciej Sowa, farmer, widower left behind after the death of Anna
Religion: Catholic
Age: 34
Marital Status: Widower
Name of Bride: Katarzyna Jachowa, daughter of Wojciech Jach and Jadwiga Markowa, farmer
Religion: Catholic
Age: 24
Marital Status: Unmarried
Witnesses: Wawrzyniec Klepacki and Szymon Zaleski, farmers in Nienadowa
Banns Read: 11 May 1844
Priest: Father Karol Poprawski

This record demonstrates an interesting confounding factor for translating Polish records from the Latin into English. The given names in this record are written in Latin (Mathias, Catharina, Laurentius, Simon). I’ve chosen to translate these names into Polish, rather than English, but I easily could have done either:

Latin = Polish = English
Mathias = Maciej = Matthew
Catharina = Katarzyna = Katherine or Catherine
Laurentius = Wawrzyniec = Lawrence
Simon = Szymon = Simon
Hedwig = Jadwiga = Hedwig

The surnames are actually written in Polish, since there really is no Latin or English equivalent for surnames. Another difficulty, however, is that the surnames of women are usually feminized in Polish. In this record, two feminized surnames are Jachowa and Markowa. The male equivalents of these surnames, and the form most often used in English-speaking countries, are Jach and Marek.

When translating these records, I’ve decided to translate the given names and surnames from Latin into Polish, rather than into English.

Notice that this record provides the names of Katarzyna Jachowa’s parents, my great great great grandparents: Wojciech Jach and Jadwiga Marek. Unfortunately, the record does not provide the names of the parents of my great great grandfather, Maciej Sowa.

For more details on Polish first names, refer to the Big Book of Names.

The Birth and Baptism of Agnieszka Sowa

Steve — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 06:30:31 +0000

My great grandmother, Agnieszka Sowa, was the first wife of my great grandfather, Jakub Dańko. Agnieszka was born in Nienadowa, Galicia (Austria-Poland) in 1855. Agnieszka was the first child born in Nienadowa in 1855.

The Birth and Baptismal Record for Agnieszka Sowa

Click on the link for a PDF copy of Agnieszka Sowa’s Birth and Baptismal Record. Translated from the Latin, the record states:

Page: not stated
Number: 1
Birth: January 6, 1855
Baptism: January 7, 1855
House Number: 105
Name: Agnieszka Sowa
Religion: Catholic
Sex: Girl
Legitimacy: Legitimate
Father: Maciej Sowa, farmer
Mother: Katarzyna Jach, daughter of Wojciech Jach and Hedwig Markowa daughter of Pawel Marek
Godparents and their occupations: Piotr Sowa, farmer and Rozalia [Dryska], widow
Priest: Father Józef Karpiński
Midwife: Zofia Grabowa

The Marriage of Jakub Dańko & Agnieszka Sowa

Steve — Sat, 02 Sep 2006 06:22:59 +0000

A while back, I published the Birth and Baptismal Records for my Uncle Jan Dańko, my Aunt Zofia Dańko, and my Grandfather Michał Dańko, all born in Nienadowa, and baptised in Dubiecko, Galicia (Austria-Poland). The information on the Birth and Baptismal Records for Uncle Jan and Aunt Zofia showed that they were the children of Grandfather Michał (no surprise there).

The next document in the family line is the Marriage Record for Michał’s parents, Jakub Dańko and Agnieszka Sowa, married in the church in Dubiecko, Galicia.

Marriage Record for Jakub Dańko and Agnieszka Sowa

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Marriage Record. The record, like other records from this part of Poland, is written in columnar form and in Latin. The record is a bit more complex than others because it includes some writing in Polish.

The record states that:

The couple was married in Dubiecko on October (8ber) 18, 1870; their marriage was the 6th marriage for a couple from Nienadowa in 1870
Jakub Dańko was a farmer, the legitimate son of the legally married couple Pawel Dańko and Zofia Szymańska, farmers
Jakub was from house number 122, and was a 27 year old Catholic, never before married
Agnieszka Sowa was the daughter of the legally married couple Maciej Sowa and Katarzyna Jach, farmers
Agnieszka was from house number 105, and was a 16 year old Catholic, never before married
The witnesses were Antoni Sowa and Michał Zaleski, farmers
The officiant was Reverend Niedzialski
Because Agnieszka was only 16 years old at the time of her marriage, her father had to give his permission for the marriage and the witnesses attested to not only the marriage, but the fact that Agnieszka’s father gave his permission

The Latin headers mean:

Sponsus = Groom
Sponsa = Bride
Testes = Witnesses
Dies et Mensis = Day and Month
Nrus Domus = House Number
Nomen = Name
Nomina = Names
Religio = Religion
Catholica = Catholic
Aut alia = Anything else (any religion other than Catholic)
Aetas = Age
Coelebs = Unmarried
Viduus = Widower
Vidua = Widow
Conditio = Occupation

With the information on this record, I have traced the family back one more generation to four of my great-great-grandparents, Pawel Dańko, Zofia Szymańska, Maciej Sowa, and Katarzyna Jach.