Steve’s Genealogy Blog

On Wednesday, 24 October 2007, our cousin Vitas drove Liliana and me to the farm where our grandmothers were born. The farm is located in the small village of Likiškės, just to the northeast of Alytus, Lithuania.

The buildings on the farm have fallen into disrepair, although the land around the buildings is still cultivated. In the middle of the row of trees in the background of the first photo below is a pear tree from which one of the neighbors claimed he stole pears when he was young.

Chmielewski Farm in Likiškės

SOURCE: Chmielewski Farm in Likiškės. Photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 24 October 2007.

Chmielewski Farm Buildings

SOURCE: Chmielewski Farm Buildings. Photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 24 October 2007.

Barn on Chmielewski Farm

SOURCE: Barn on Chmielewski Farm. Photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 24 October 2007.

Interior of Barn of Chmielewski Farm

SOURCE: Interior of Barn on Chmielewski Farm. Photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 24 October 2007.

Copyright © 2007 by Stephen J. Danko

While in Lithuania, I visited the graves of my grandmother’s sister Ona Chmielewska, Ona’s husband Jonas Samsanavicius, Ona and Jonas’ daughter Elena Samsanaviciute, and Elena’s husband Jonas Sarakauskas.

The cemetery is located in Alytus, Alytaus County, Lithuania. All were buried from St. Ludwig’s Roman Catholic Church (Šv. Liudviko bažnyčia) built in 1818.

It was appropriate that I visited the grave with my cousins Liliana and Vitaus at this time of the year. In both Lithuania and Poland, great care is taken in the days before All Saints’ Day on November 1st to tidy the graves in preparation for the Day of the Dead. Jasia of Creative Gene wrote about this holiday last year and this year.

St. Ludwig’s Church in Alytus, Lithuania

SOURCE: St. Ludwig’s Church in Alytus, Lithuania. Photographed by Stephen J. Danko, 24 October 2007.

Grave of Jonas Samsanavicius and Ona Chmielewska

SOURCE: Grave of Jonas Samsanavicius and Ona Chmielewska. Photographed by Stephen J. Danko, 24 October 2007.

Grave of Jonas Sarakauskas and Elena Samsanavicius

SOURCE: Grave of Jonas Sarakauskas and Elena Samsanavicius. Photographed by Stephen J. Danko, 24 October 2007.

Overall View of Cemetery in Alytus, Lithuania

SOURCE: Overall View of Cemetery in Alytus, Lithuania. Photographed by Stephen J. Danko, 24 October 2007.

Copyright © 2007 by Stephen J. Danko

I’ve traced the ancestry of my maternal grandfather, Kostanty Niedziałkowski, back to the late 17th century in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

The Wedding of Kostanty Niedziałkowski and Helena Chmielewska

SOURCE: The Wedding of Kostanty Niedziałkowski and Helena Chmielewska. Photographed 10 July 1918 in Worcester, Massachusetts. Photographer Unknown.

But there’s a problem with my proposed Niedziałkowski pedigree.

I’m missing some key documents to prove some of the relationships. In particular, I’m missing the birth record of my grandfather, the marriage record of my great grandparents, and the birth record of my great grandfather.

My proposed pedigree is as follows:

• Grandparents: Kostanty Niedziałkowski and Helena Chmielewska
• Great Grandparents: Teofil Niedziałkowski and Ksawera (Zygmuntowicz or Napierkowska)
• 2nd Great Grandparents: Wojciech Niedziałkowski and Julianna Gutowska
• 3rd Great Grandparents: Antoni Niedziałkowski and Karolina Milewska
• 4th Great Grandparents: Tomasz Niedziałkowski and Cecylia Chotkowska
• 5th Great Grandparents: Ignace Niedzialkowski and Zofia Szamińska
• 6th Great Grandparents: Krzysztof Niedziałkowski and Konstantja Żaboklicka

Kostanty’s Parents 

Now, even though I haven’t found my grandfather’s birth record, I was able to obtain the names of Kostanty’s parents from several documents:

• My grandfather’s Immigrant Passenger Manifest prepared in 1910 states that my grandfather’s father was Teofil Niedzialkowski. His mother is not named on the manifest.
• My grandparents’ Certificate of Marriage from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts received by the Worcester City Clerk on 10 August 1918 states that my grandfather’s parents were Theophil Niedzialkowski and Xaveria Zygmuntowicz.
• My grandfather’s SS-5 Application for a Social Security Account Number prepared in 1936 states that my grandfather’s parents were Teofil Niedzialkowski and Ksavera Napierkowski. 
• A copy of my grandparent’s marriage record prepared by the Assistant City Clerk of Worcester, Massachusetts on 03 January 1941 states that my grandfather’s parents were Theophil Niedzialkowska and Zaveria Zygmuntowicz.

Ignoring minor spelling differences, these documents all agree that Kostanty’s father was Teofil Niedziałkowski and that his mother’s first name was Ksawera, but they disagree on his mother’s maiden name, listing it as either Zygmuntowicz or Napierkowska.

The problem now was that I couldn’t find Kostanty’s birth/baptismal record to verify the names of his parents (especially his mother). But let me just concentrate on the Niedziałkowski line.

I have not been able to find either a birth record or marriage record for Teofil Niedziałkowski, meaning that I didn’t have any information on the names of Teofil’s parents.

Collateral Lines and Indirect Evidence

And so, I used indirect evidence to establish the names of Teofil’s parents:

• The Birth and Baptismal Record of Franciszek Niedziałkowski recorded in 1876 states that his parents were Wojciech Niedziałkowski and Julianna Gutowska.
• The Marriage Record of Frank Niedzialkowski recorded in 1904 states that his parents were Adalbert Niedzialkowski and Julia Gutowska. Adalbert is the English equivalent of the Polish name Wojciech.
• My grandfather’s Immigrant Passenger Manifest prepared in 1910 states that he was going to stay with his uncle, Franciszek Niedzialkowsky at 18 Huntington Avenue in Worcester, Massachusetts.
• The Death Certificate of Frank (Franciszek) Niedzialkosky (Niedziałkowski) from 1955 states that Franciszek’s parents were Wojciech Niedzialkosky and Julia Gutowska.

Since the parents of Kostanty’s uncle are Kostanty’s grandparents, I conclude that Kostanty’s father is Teofil Niedziałkowski and Teofil’s parents are Wojciech Niedziałkowski and Julianna Gutowska.

There’s one more piece of evidence that Teofil’s father is Wojciech Niedziałkowski:

• The Death Record of Wojciech Niedziałkowski recorded in 1901 states that at the time of his death he was living with his son Teofil.

I have all the rest of the documents that provide direct evidence to support the proposed lineage. The indirect evidence provided by Franciszek Niedziałkowski’s parentage bridges the gap in the direct evidence.

However, given the lack of a few key documents, particularly the birth records of Kostanty and Teofil, I cannot rule out the possibility that Kostanty or Teofil may not be Niedziałkowskis by birth. They very well may have been the sons of a previous marriage of their mothers before their mothers married into the Niedziałkowski family. That is, there is the possibility that one or both of them may have been adopted.

A Case for DNA Analysis?

To prove that my grandfather is, indeed, related to Franciszek Niedzialkoski and Wojciech Niedziałkowski, I may need to rely on DNA analysis.

Since the Y chromosome is passed on virtually unchanged from father to son, I may be able to use Y-DNA analysis to prove a connection to Franciszek and Wojciech Niedziałkowski. However, I cannot use my own DNA for this purpose. I inherited my Y-DNA from my father and I need a sample of Y-DNA from my mother’s family to conduct this test.

Fortunately, two uncles and one cousin carry that DNA.

But that’s only half of the solution. I also need a sample of the Y-DNA from a male descendant of Franciszek Niedzialkoski. Luckily, Franciszek has many living male descendants, including one son and nine grandsons.

By comparing the Y-DNA from my own Niedziałkowski line with that of Francizsek’s line, I should be able to tell if the two lines are related. If the DNA samples from the two lines match, I would have confirmation that the proposed lineage could be correct. If the DNA samples from the two lines don’t match, I would have confirmation that the proposed lineage is most likely incorrect.

Unfortunately, the test will not tell who the common ancestor is, but conventional genealogy has already provided evidence that the common ancestor is Wojciech.

Given the lack of a few critical documents and the fact that my Niedziałkowski pedigree is based on indirect evidence, the proposed Y-DNA test could be a key piece of evidence to prove my Niedziałkowski ancestry.

Now I just have to find someone from each of the two family lines to contribute their DNA for the test. Any volunteers?

Copyright © 2007 by Stephen J. Danko

While examining the parish records in Lithuania, my cousin and I found the birth and baptismal record for Władysław Chmielewski, born on 25 November 1883 and baptized on 27 November 1883.

Birth and Baptismal Record of Władysław Chmielewski - 1883 (Left)

Birth and Baptismal Record of Władysław Chmielewski - 1883 (Right)

SOURCE: Roman Catholic Parish of Butrymonys, Gubernia Wileńska, Russian Empire. Diocesan Copy of Parish Records, Merkinė Diocese. F. 1436, Ap. 1, B. 2, L. 48v-49, Nr. 111. Władysław Chmielewski baptism (1883); Lithuanian State Historical Archives, Vilnius, Lithuania.

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record of Władysław Chmielewski - 1883. Translated from the Russian, the record states:

Surname of the one baptized: Chmielewski
No.: 111
Birth Number (Males): 53
Date of Birth: 25
Date of Baptism: 27

When, where, who, by whom, baptized with water alone or with all the rites of the sacrament.
In the year one thousand eight hundred eighty three on November 27th in the Butrymance Roman Catholic [one word?]
church a child was baptized by the name Władysław by the Reverend [B. Karpaw?] of this church, with all the rites of the sacrament.–

To what class and society, of what parents, when and where, i. e. in which parish was the baptized person born?

Of the farmers of the Butrymance district, Wincenty and Scholastyka nèe Wojtczuneka Chmielewski, lawful spouses,
the son, born the same year and month of the twenty-fifth day in the village of Likiszki of the local parish–

Who were the godparents, by first name and any other name, and who was present at Holy Baptism?
The godparents were the nobles [Thomy ?] Chmielewski and [one word Jauriska ?], an unmarried girl–

Władysław Chmielewski was the half brother of my grandmother, Helena Chmielewska. The two shared the same father but different mothers.

Oddly enough, this birth and baptismal record lists the parents as farmers or peasants even though the record for their son Józef states that they are nobles. Also interesting is the fact that the godparents listed in the present record were nobles, including the godfather whose surname was Chmielewski.

Before finding this record, neither my cousin Liliana nor I were aware of this child.

Copyright © 2007 by Stephen J. Danko

According to documents in the United States, Józef Chmielewski was born on 03 April 1874, but his birth and baptismal record on file with the Lithuanian State Historical Archives states that he was born on 19 March 1874.

Birth and Baptismal Record of Józef Chmielewski - 1874 (Left)

Birth and Baptismal Record of Józef Chmielewski - 1874 (Right)

SOURCE: Roman Catholic Parish of Butrymonys, Gubernia Wileńska, Russian Empire. Diocesan Copy of Parish Records, Merkinė Diocese. F. 604, Ap. 28, B. 41, L. 52v-53, Nr. 37. Józef Chmielewski baptism (1874); Lithuanian State Historical Archives, Vilnius, Lithuania.

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record of Józef Chmielewski - 1874. Translated from the Russian, the record states:

Surname of the one baptized: Chmielewski
No.: 37
Birth Number (Males): 14
Date of Birth: 19
Date of Baptism: 22

When, where, who, by whom, baptized with water alone or with all the rites of the sacrament.
In the year one thousand eight hundred seventy four on March the twenty-second in the Butrymance [one word?] Roman Catholic parish church a child was baptized by the name Józef by the Reverend [one word?], with all the rites of the sacrament

Of what parents, when and where, i. e. in which parish was the baptized person born?
Of the nobles Wincenty and Scholastyka [one word?] Wojtczuka Chmielewski, lawful spouses, the son, born the nineteenth of March of this year in Stakliškės parish [one word?]

Who were the godparents, by first name and any other name, and who was present at Holy Baptism?
The godparents were the nobles Justyn Żarnowski and [M?] Bandarewiczewka, an unmarried woman

Józef Chmielewski was the half brother of my grandmother, Helena Chmielewska. The two shared the same father but different mothers.

When my cousin and I found this record in the Lithuanian state archives, we were surprised to see the family listed as nobles. This almost certainly meant that they were lesser nobles who owned land at a time when most people were landless peasants.

Although Józef was born in what was Russia and is now Lithuania, he was of Polish ancestry.

This document is the first record I obtained from Lithuania.

Copyright © 2007 by Stephen J. Danko

One of the goals of my trip to Lithuania was to visit the Lithuanian State Historical Archives at Gerosios Vilties g. 10, LT 03134 Vilnius, Lithuania. I had learned from the Archives’ website that the reading rooms were open Monday-Thursday 9:00 AM-5:00 PM, Friday 9:00 AM-3:30 PM, and Saturday  8:30 AM-13:30 PM, although this information did not match the hours posted on the front door of the Archives.

The Lithuanian State Historical Archives Building

SOURCE: The Lithuanian State Historical Archives Building. Photographed by Stephen J. Danko, 25 October 2007.

Front Door of the Lithuanian State Historical Archives

SOURCE: Front Door of the Lithuanian State Historical Archives. Photographed by Stephen J. Danko, 25 October 2007.

My cousin Liliana and I took one of the Vilnius trolleybuses to the archives on the morning of Monday, 22 October 2007. All visitors to the archives are required to register annually and are provided with a registration card that must be presented when entering the archives.

When we explained that we were looking for church records of birth, marriage, and death, we were directed to Room 6. I was very disappointed to discover that we had to fill out a form for each record requested, pay a fee, and wait. An attestation of the vital event would be sent to us. We filled out the proper forms for the birth records for both of our grandmothers.

Corridor in the Lithuanian State Historical Archives

SOURCE: Corridor in the Lithuanian State Historical Archives. Photographed by Stephen J. Danko, 25 October 2007.

Further inquiry revealed that the Archives housed reading rooms where the original records might be examined. We entered the microfilm room but were told that the records we wanted to view had not been microfilmed. We entered a second reading room where we saw approximately 30 desks where quite a number of researchers were examining bound volumes of records.

The archivist in the reading room helped us determine what parish records were available. We explained that our ancestors were from Likiškiai and the parish of Butrimonys. The archivist consulted several indexes and told us that several of the parish record books for the parish of Butrimonys were being repaired and would not be available during our visit. She also explained that, while baptisms and deaths were recorded in the parish, marriages did not take place in Butrimonys. We would have to search the records of surrounding parishes if we wanted to find marriage records. To make matters even more complicated, we would have to order the record books and return later to view them.

We also learned that the Archives held both the Parish copies of the records and the Diocesan copies of the records. We requested one book from the Butrimonys Parish and three books from the Merkinė Diocese. We left the archives and returned the next morning.

On Tuesday, we were delighted to find the record books waiting for us. The records were inscribed in Russian in a columnar format. Surnames were written to the left of each record, enabling us to quickly scan the pages for the correct surname - Chmielewski. In addition to the surnames written next to each record, the surnames were also indexed annually at the end of the records for a given year.

We could not locate the birth/baptismal records for either of our grandmothers. We did, however, find the birth/baptismal records for Józef Chmielewski (born in Stakliškės on 19 March 1874 and baptized in Butrimonys on 22 March 1874), Władysław Chmielewski (born in Likiškiai on 25 November 1883 and baptized in Butrimonys on 27 November 1874), and Stanisław Chmielewski (born in Likiškiai on 09 January 1897 and baptized in Butrimonys on 12 January 1897).

Józef and Władysław were half brothers to our grandmothers Helena and Anna. Stanisław was a full brother to our grandmothers.

Liliana and I made note of these three records and requested photocopies.

Copyright © 2007 by Stephen J. Danko

I only just returned home from Lithuania. The trip home took about 18 hours but, before calling it a night, I wanted to briefly recap my week there.

Statue of King Mindaugas
Lithuanian National Museum, Vilnius, Lithuania

SOURCE: Statue of King Mindaugas at the Lithuanian National Museum, Vilnius, Lithuania. Photographed by Stephen J. Danko, 25 October 2007.

My itinerary in Lithuania included:

• Sunday, 21 October 2007: Arrive in Vilnius, meet cousins Liliana and Aidas, take a brief tour of the Old Town, have dinner at Užupio Café in Vilnius
• Monday, 22 October 2007: Visit the Lithuanian State Archives, take a longer tour of the Old Town, see Zmones:) (Lithuanian Music and Dance) at the National Drama Theatre
• Tuesday, 23 October 2007: Visit the Lithuanian State Archives, visit the Trakai Historical National Park, meet cousin Vitaus for dinner
• Wednesday, 24 October 2007: Visit ancestral villages of Likiškiai, Butrimonys, and Alytaus, see A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the National Drama Theatre
• Thursday, 25 October 2007: Visit the Lithuanian State Archives, tour the Polish part of Vilnius, have dinner at Restoranas Senasis Lokys in Vilnius, see Un Ballo in Maschera (A Masked Ball) at the Lithuanian Opera and Ballet Theatre
• Friday, 26 October 2007: Visit Panevėžys to meet cousin Romualda, see Gulbių ežeras (Swan Lake) at the Lithuanian Opera and Ballet Theatre
• Saturday, 27 October 2007: Return home

It was a busy week!

Copyright © 2007 by Stephen J. Danko

As I write this, I’m making last minute preparations for a trip to Lithuania.

My maternal grandmother, Helena Chmielewska, was born on 15 February 1897 in Trakai, Wilno Gubernia, Russia. The area is now part of the Republic of Lithuania. Historically, Lithuania controlled a large region of central Europe and the present republic is located very close to the geographic center of Europe.

My grandmother was one of two children born to Wincenty Chmielewski and Anastasia Wojnowska (or Wolnowska). My grandmother had one sister, Ona, born on 18 June 1899 in Likiskiai, County Butrimonys, Alytus Region, Wilno Gubernia, Russia.

The location I have for my grandmother is relatively uncertain. On various documents she listed her place of birth as either Trakai or Vilnius and she may have been referring to the general region where she was born, not the actual village. The information about her sister is also a bit uncertain, since no one alive remembers exactly where she was born.

Descendants of my great aunt Ona still live in Lithuania, and I’ll be visiting several of my cousins while I’m there. My cousin Liliana (Ona’s granddaughter) now lives in the United States with her husband and daughter, but Liliana’s other close family members still live in Lithuania.

Liliana is in Lithuania for the entire month of October and she thought this would be a great time for me to visit and meet the rest of her family. I agreed.

Liliana plans to show me the villages where her parents lived. We’ll also visit other villages mentioned in various family documents. She also plans to bring me to the Lithuanian State Archives in Vilnius where all the historical Lithuanian church registers are kept. We may be able to find the baptismal records for our grandmothers if we can find the right parish registers.

Suffice to say, I don’t expect to be writing again until I return on October 27. With luck, I’ll bring back lots of pictures and copies of lots of new documents.

Until then, Viso gero!

Copyright © 2007 by Stephen J. Danko

A large number of my relatives are buried in Notre Dame Cemetery in Worcester, Massachusetts.  Among those are Joseph Chmielewski (alias Meleski), my half great uncle.  Joseph is buried with his wife, Catherine Warchol, and his daughter, Rita M. B. Izbicki.

Meleski - Warchol - Izbicki Grave (Front)

Meleski - Warchol - Izbicki Grave (Back)

SOURCE: Joseph Meleski, Catherine Warchol, Rita M. B. Izbicki grave marker, Section 25A, Notre Dame Cemetery, Worcester (Worcester County), Massachusetts, photographed by Stephen J. Danko, 09 Sep 2005.

The front of the marker reads:

+ 

MELESKI

JOSEPH MELESKI
1872-1933

CATHERINE WARCHOL
HIS WIFE
1873-1928

RITA M. B. IZBICKI
1911-2000

Rita’s initials stand for her maiden name, Meleski, and the surname of her first husband, Blackman.  I’m not sure why Rita is buried here with her parents rather than with one of her husbands.  Finding the graves of her two husbands may help explain this unusual arrangement.

I have not seen a marker like this before.  The back of the monument is rough cut and stands out in the cemetery.  This portion of Notre Dame Cemetery is graced by mature trees and is quite peaceful.  I don’t have a cemetery record or exact lot and grave location for this grave, but I recall that it is at the northwest corner of Section 25A.  Click on the link for a PDF map of Notre Dame Cemetery.

My second cousin Liliana is in town!  She and her husband Valery are in San Francisco for a wedding and I surprised them by meeting them at San Francisco International Airport and bringing them to their hotel.  We spent a couple of hours together before I left them to rest up before the wedding tomorrow.

Liliana and I share great grandparents Wincenty Chmielewski and Anastasia Wojnowska.  Our grandmothers Helena and Ona were sisters, and, while many of the cousins I’ve mentioned on this blog are half-cousins, Liliana and I are full second cousins.

To give some background, our great grandfather Wincenty was married twice.  His first marriage to Scholastyka Woytczuka resulted in the birth of my half great uncle Joseph Meleski and my half great aunt Stefania Meleski.  My grandmother and Ona, however, were full sisters and were very close growing up in Lithuania.

I learned tonight from my cousin Liliana that Ona never spoke Lithuania until she was married, and that both of our grandmothers, although they lived in Lithuania, were Polish - not Lithuanian.

Liliana and I made tentative plans to travel to Lithuania in October to visit her relatives and see the villages where our Chmielewski ancestors lived.  Since Liliana was born and raised in Lithuania, this is a chance I can’t afford to let pass by!

So, in honor of Liliana’s visit, here’s a photo of my grandparents and their children:

The Niedzialkowski Family

From the left: Fred, Jane, Helena (Chmielewski / Meleski), Henry, Kostanty, Nat, and Ray.

This is one of my favorite photographs.  Just look at those knickers!