Steve’s Genealogy Blog

My paternal grandfather, Michał Dańko, died in 1953. I never met him because he died before I was born. His wife, Marianna Dziurzyńska, died in 1969. We called her “Nanny”.
My maternal grandfather, Konstanty Niedziałkowski, died in 1978. We called him “Pa”. His wife, Helena Chmielewska, died in 1980. We called her “Ma”.
All were gone before I […]

Inspired by John D. Reid of Anglo-Celtic Connections (as mentioned by Blaine Bettinger of the Genetic Genealogist), I’ve used Google Maps to plot the earliest known locations of the contributors to my DNA.

My parents, my Aunt Helen, my Uncle John and his wife Alice, and my grandmother Mary Danko were listed in the 1957 City Directory for Albany, New York.

Albany, New York Directory 1957 Entry for the Danko Families
SOURCE: New York, City Directories, Worcester 1957, page 383, Danko; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 17 January 2008); […]

Lisa at 100 Years in America wrote about where her ancestors were in 1908 - 100 years ago. She then challenged others to do the same. In 1908, only one of my ancestors was in America. The rest were still in Europe.
My paternal grandfather, Michał Dańko, was in America, exactly where I’m not certain. He immigrated […]

My grandfather, Michael Danko, registered for the World War II draft in the fourth registration conducted in 1942.
The fourth registration, also known as the old man’s registration, was officially conducted on 27 April 1942. All men born on or between 28 April 1877 and 16 February 1897 (between 45 and 64 years old) were required to register.

WWII Draft Registration […]

My mother, Jane A. Niedzialkowski Danko, was buried on 19 April 1980 in St. Francis Shrine - A, Row D, Grave 8 at Our Lady of Angels Cemetery in Albany, New York.

As my sisters and I grew older and more independent, my mother began to consider working outside the home. She attended classes to become a keypunch operator and was the first person in our family to work with computers.

As a bookkeeper, my mother excelled. She had an extraordinary sense of detail and precision, a sense that extended to her housekeeping.

When the United States entered World War II, all three of my maternal uncles joined the war effort: my mother’s older brother Ray entered the US Coast Guard, her younger brother Fred entered the US Naval Armed Guard, and her youngest brother Henry entered the US Army. All three survived the war.
My grandfather obtained a position as a mechanic […]

Today is my mother’s birthday. She was born on 06 October 1922 at home at 194 Prescott Street in Worcester, Massachusetts. She died on 16 April 1980 in St. Peter’s Hospital, Albany, New York at age 57. She would have been 85 years old today.

Jane Niedzialkowski at Sky Farm
Back row on the far left: Henry […]