Steve’s Genealogy Blog

On 24 Dec 1782, Agnieszka Obidzińska, my first cousin six times removed, was buried in the cemetery in Pałuki in Powiat ciechanowski, Województwo mazowieckie, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. She was the daughter of Józef Obidziński and Katarzyna Niedziałkowska.

The Burial Record of Agnieszka Obidzińska - Left Side

The Burial Record of Agnieszka Obidzińska - Right Side

SOURCE: Parafia pw. św. Gotarda (Pałuki, Powiat ciechanowski, Województwo mazowieckie, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, “Mortuorum ab Ao 1781 ad 1820. [Deaths from the year 1781 to 1820.],” item #, v folio 4, r folio 5, Agnieszka Obidzińska, 24 Dec 1782; filmed as Księgi metrykalne, 1658-1836; FHL INTL microfilm 1,296,613.

Click on the image above to enlarge it. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Burial Record of Agnieszka Obidzinska. Translated from the Latin the record states:

Name of Village: Obidzino
Name and Status of the Deceased: Noble Agnieszka Obidzińska
Year of Death: 1782
Month and Day of Burial: 24 Dec
Age and Place of Burial: Age 20, buried in the cemetery
Names of Parents: the Nobles Józef and Katarzyna Obidziński
Sacraments Received: All
Cause of Death: Unknown
Name of Parish Priest: Stanisław Ostrowicki

I could not read all the words in Latin, although I think I understand all the content of this record. I’ll have to look at other pages on the microfilm to see if any are more legible.

These records are the first I’ve seen from this part of Poland (north of Warsaw) that were maintained in a columnar format. Most were maintained in a paragraph form.

Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko

In some Polish families, given names are reused, with children being named for other relatives. Not so in mine. In fact, the only times that names were deliberately reused was when a child died at a young age and the same name was used for another child born to the same parents.

With my earliest known Niedziałkowski ancestors, children were given the names of saints whose feast days were celebrated at about the time of the children’s births. The feast day of the saint for whom a child was named became his or her Name Day, or Imieniny.

My 6th great grandparents, Krzysztof Niedziałkowski and Kostancja Żaboklicka, named their children as follows:

• Barbara, baptized 31 Dec 1713, name day 04 Dec
• Ignace, baptized 13 Feb 1718, name day 01 Feb
• Kazimierz, born 27 Feb 1722, name day 04 Mar
• Marianna, baptized 14 Aug 1725, name day 15 Aug
• Klara, baptized 15 Aug 1727, name day 12 Aug
• Katarzyna, baptized 08 May 1729, name day 30 Apr
• Szymon, baptized 14 Oct 1731, name day 28 Oct
• Katarzyna, baptized 21 Mar 1734, name day 22 Mar

The name days usually were not the same as the date of birth or baptism, but were fairly close to those dates. Later generations did not seem to hold so closely to choosing a given name based on a name day that was close to the date of birth.

In general, my ancestors gave their children only one name, a common practice in Poland. Some children, however, received two names:

• Martina Anna Niedziałkowska (daughter of Ignace Niedziałkowski and Zofia Szamińska) 
• Faustina Apolonia Obidzieńska (daughter of Józef Obidzieński and Katarzyna Niedziałkowska)
• Jan Wojciech Niedziałkowski (son of Tomasz Niedziałkowski and Cecylia Chotkowska)

Faustina Apolonia Obidzieńska, my first cousin six times removed, was given a name that I find particularly interesting. She was baptized on 28 Feb 1762, and her name days are 15 Feb (Faustina) and 09 Feb (Apolonia). I don’t know anything about the Saint Faustina for whom she was named, but it was surely not the well-known Saint Faustina who lived in the 20th century. Saint Apolonia was a martyr for the faith whose teeth were knocked out by anti-Christian persecutors. She died in the year 249 and is the patron saint of dentists.

Written for the Carnival of Eastern European Genealogy.

Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko

Józef Obidziński, husband of Katarzyna Niedziałkowska, died on 09 Feb 1803.

The Death and Burial Record of Józef Obidziński - 1803

SOURCE: Parafia Św. Gotarda (Pałuki, Kreise Przasnysz, Departement Plozk, New East Prussia, Kingdom of Prussia). Liber Mortuorum, ab Anno 1781 ad 1820, Księga III, p. 49,
Józef Obidziński death and burial (1803); FHL microfilm 1,496,613.

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Death and Burial Record of Józef Obidziński - 1803. Translated from the Latin, the record states:

Obidzino. On the 9th day of February, the Nobleman Józef Obidziński died, husband of Katarzyna née Niedziałkowska, at rest at about 90 years of age, provided with the Sacrament and buried in the cemetery.

In this record, the spelling of the last name has changed to Obidziński from Obidzienski, the spelling in the Baptismal Records of Józef’s children. The spelling Obidziński is the spelling in use today.

The fact that Józef is described as the husband of Katarzyna née Niedziałkowska implies that he did not marry anyone else after he married Katarzyna. The Marriage Record for Józef and Katarzyna stated that Józef was a widower at the time of that marriage. I have not yet found the record for Józef’s first marriage.

Copyright © 2007 by Stephen J. Danko

A child named Józefata Obidzienska, daughter of Józef Obidzienski and Katarzyna Niedziałkowska, was baptized on 21 February 1768.

The Baptismal Record of Józefata Obidzienska - 1768

SOURCE: Parafia Św. Gotarda (Pałuki, Ciechanów County, Mazovian Voivodeship,
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth). Liber Baptisatorum, ab Anno 1754 ad 1775, Księga IV, p. 82, Józefata Obidzienska baptism (1768); FHL microfilm 1,496,612.

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Baptismal Record of Marianna Obidzienska - 1759. Translated from the Latin, the record states:

The Year 1768        82.

Obidzino

On the 21st of February I, the one above, baptized a female child by the name of Józefata, daughter of the Noble Józef Obidzienski and Katarzyna, legally married. The Godparents in the Sacred Font were Andrzej Bienkowski and Katarzyna Obidzienska.

This record includes all the necessary information except the name of the priest which was recorded in a previous record:

Maciej Pianka

The fact that this is the second daughter of Józef Obidzienski and Katarzyna Niedziałkowska who was named Józefata indicates that the first daughter with that name had died.

Copyright © 2007 by Stephen J. Danko

A child named Józef Obidzienski, son of Józef Obidzienski and Katarzyna Niedziałkowska, was baptized on 19 March 1764.

The Baptismal Record of Józef Obidzienski - 1764

SOURCE: Parafia Św. Gotarda (Pałuki, Ciechanów County, Mazovian Voivodeship,
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth). Liber Baptisatorum, ab Anno 1754 ad 1775, Księga IV, p. 63, Józef Obidzienski baptism (1764); FHL microfilm 1,496,612.

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Baptismal Record of Józef Obidzienski - 1764. Translated from the Latin, the record states:

Obidzino

On the 19th day, the one above baptized an infant by the name of Józef, son of Joseph Obidzienski and Katarzyna Niedziałkowska, legally married. The Godparents in the Sacred Font were the Nobles Maciej Bonisławski and Teresa Bonisławska.

As with other records from this location and time period, one must refer to a previous record to learn the month and year of the baptism and the name of the priest who performed the ceremony.

March 1764
G. Biełkowski

The Godparents in this record, Maciej Bonisławski and Teresa Bonisławska, are listed as Nobles.

Copyright © 2007 by Stephen J. Danko

A child named Faustina Apolonia Obidzienska, daughter of Józef Obidzienski and Katarzyna Niedziałkowska, was baptized on 28 February 1762.

The Baptismal Record of Faustina Apolonia Obidzienska - 1762

SOURCE: Parafia Św. Gotarda (Pałuki, Ciechanów County, Mazovian Voivodeship,
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth). Liber Baptisatorum, ab Anno 1754 ad 1775, Księga IV, p. 48, Faustina Obidzienska baptism (1762); FHL microfilm 1,496,612.

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Baptismal Record of Faustina Obidzienska - 1762. Translated from the Latin, the record states:

Obidzino

On the 28th of February, the one above baptized a female child by the name of Faustina Apolonia, daughter of Joseph Obidzienski and Katarzyna, legally married. The Godparents in the Sacred Font were Barbara Obidzienski and Szymon Kurowski.

This record includes all the necessary information except the name of the priest and the year of the baptism, which were recorded in previous records:

The Year 1762
A[dam] Chmielewski

This child was given two names: Faustina Apolonia. For a child in Poland to be given two names at baptism is quite unusual.

Copyright © 2007 by Stephen J. Danko

A child named Marianna Obidzienska, daughter of Józef Obidzienski and Katarzyna Niedziałkowska, was baptized on 08 December 1759.

The Baptismal Record of Marianna Obidzienska - 1759

SOURCE: Parafia Św. Gotarda (Pałuki, Ciechanów County, Mazovian Voivodeship,
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth). Liber Baptisatorum, ab Anno 1754 ad 1775, Księga IV, p. 32, Marianna Obidzienska baptism (1759); FHL microfilm 1,496,612.

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Baptismal Record of Marianna Obidzienska - 1759. Translated from the Latin, the record states:

Obidzino

On the 8th of December I, Grzegorz Kruszewski, baptized a female child by the name of Marianna of the Noble Józef Obidzienski and Katarzyna, legally married. The Godparents in the Sacred Font were Walenty Obidzienski and Agnieszka Kosicka.

This record includes all the necessary information except the year of the baptism, which was recorded once at the top of the page:

1759

In this record, Józef Obidzienski is referred to as “Noble”.

Copyright © 2007 by Stephen J. Danko

A child named Józefata Obidzienska, daughter of Józef Obidzienski and Katarzyna Niedziałkowska, was baptized on 21 March 1758.

The Baptismal Record of Józefata Obidzienska - 1758

SOURCE: Parafia Św. Gotarda (Pałuki, Ciechanów County, Mazovian Voivodeship,
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth). Liber Baptisatorum, ab Anno 1754 ad 1775, Księga IV, p. 21, Józefata Obidzienska baptism (1758); FHL microfilm 1,496,612.

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Baptismal Record of Józefata Obidzienska - 1758. Translated from the Latin, the record states:

Obidzino

On the 21st I, Grzegorz Kruszewski, baptized a female child by the name of Józefata, daughter of Józef Obidzienski and Katarzyna, legally married. The Godparents in the Sacred Font were Walenty Kołakowski and Marianna Jarzeńska.

As with most other records from this location and time period, one must refer to a previous record to learn the month and year of the baptism.

March 1758

One interesting point to note about the village where the Obidzienski family lived - the village is called Obidzino. I suspect that, since the Obidzienskis were from the lesser nobility, the village was named after the family.

Copyright © 2007 by Stephen J. Danko

A child named Agnieszka Obidzienska, daughter of Józef Obidzienski and Katarzyna Niedziałkowska, was baptized on 04 January 1756.

The Baptismal Record of Agnieszka Obidzienska - 1756

SOURCE: Parafia Św. Gotarda (Pałuki, Ciechanów County, Mazovian Voivodeship,
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth). Liber Baptisatorum, ab Anno 1754 ad 1775, Księga IV, p. 9, Agnieszka Obidzienska baptism (1756); FHL microfilm 1,496,612.

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Baptismal Record of Agnieszka Obidzienska - 1756. Translated from the Latin, the record states:

Obidzino

On the fourth of January, the one listed above baptized a female by the name of Agnieszka, daughter of Józef Obidzienski and Katarzina, legally married. The Godparents in the Sacred Font were Jan Zaplacki and Marianna Kulakowska.

As with most other records from this location and time period, one must refer to a previous record to learn the year and the name of the priest who performed the baptism.

The Year 1756
Pałuki
Adam Chmielewski

Copyright © 2007 by Stephen J. Danko

Katarzyna Niedziałkowska, the sister of my 5th great grandfather Ignace Niedziałkowski, married Józef Obidzienski on 22 Nov 1751.

The Marriage Record of Józef Obidzienski and Katarzyna Niedziałkowska - 1751

SOURCE: Parafia Św. Gotarda (Pałuki, Ciechanów County, Mazovian Voivodeship, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth). Liber Copulatorum, ab Anno 1747 ad 1781, Księga II, p. 12, Józef Obidzienski and Katarzyna Niedziałkowska marriage (1751); FHL microfilm 1,496,612.

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Marriage Record of Józef Obidzienski and Katarzyna Niedziałkowska - 1751. Translated from the Latin, the record states:

1751 day 22 November

Klonowo

I, Szymon Antoni Lawinkowski, V. Promotor the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the church in Pałuki, after publication of three banns nearby [several words?] by the names of Józef Obidzienski, widower, & Katarzyna Niedziałkowska, an unmarried woman, both [?] Catholic, by the words of those present at the marriage interrogation [?] mutual consent [?] without detecting any Canonical impediment blessed in the name of the Lord witnesses present were the nobles Tomasz Choinowski, Ignace Niedziałkowski, & many others.

This entry is one of the Niedziałkowski family records that I found recently by examining microfilms at my local Family History Center.

I have some difficulty translating these Latin records because the handwriting is difficult to interpret, the priest often didn’t use the correct spelling or grammar, and there are no good guides to the Latin church records in Poland. Thus, I’ve included several question marks in the transcription (see the PDF file for the transcription) and translation to indicate I couldn’t understand those words in the record.

Copyright © 2007 by Stephen J. Danko