Steve’s Genealogy Blog

Yesterday I posted the Marriage Certificate for Leo Izbicki and Anna L. Baronisky.  Anna’s parents were listed as John Baronisky and Louise Zadeckas.  The marriage record for Anna’s parents reveals some more information about the family surname and origins.

The Marriage Record for John Baranauckas and Louisa Zideckas

SOURCE:  The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Marriages Registered in the City of Worcester for the Year 1905. Volume 556, Page 479, No. 619. John Baranauckas and Louisa Zideckas. http://www.newenglandancestors.org.

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Marriage Record for John Baranauckas and Louisa Zideckas.  The record shows that:

• The marriage was recorded in Volume 556, Page 479, Number 619 of the marriage registers for the city of Worcester, Massachusetts in 1905
• John Baranauckas, age 24, residing in Worcester and working as an operative, was born in Russia-Lithuania, the son of George Baranauckas and Catharine [Denulevicz?]
• Louisa Zideckas, age 20, residing in Worcester and working as an operative, was born in Russia-Lithuania, the daughter of Joseph Zideckas and Eva Dambrauckas
• The couple was married on 19 Jun 1905 by Joseph Jaksztys, a Clergyman from Worcester
• This was the first marriage for each of them
• The marriage was recorded on 19 Jun 1905

This record helps to confirm the hypothesis that Anna L. Baronisky’s surname was changed at some time and that her parents were from Lithuania.

In the 1905 Worcester City Directory, Joseph Jaksztys is listed as the pastor of St. Casimir Church, residing at 22 Waverly St., Worcester, so it is likely that John Baranauckas and Louisa Zideckas were married in St. Casimir’s.  St. Casimir’s Church was a Roman Catholic Church serving a predominantly Lithuanian congregation.  The church itself is located at 41 Providence Street at the intersection of Waverly Street.

I previously wrote about the marriage of Bernard Izbicki to my second cousin Anastasia Rita Meleski.  Bernard’s brother Leo married Anna L. Baronisky:

The Marriage Certificate of Leo Izbicki and Anna L. Baronisky

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Marriage Certificate of Leo Izbicki and Anna L. Baronisky.  The record states that:

• Leo Izbicki was a 27 year old white man born and residing in Worcester, Massachusetts
• He was a baker, and his parents were William Izbicki and Victoria Kruczynski
• Anna L. Baronisky was a 25 year old white woman born and residing in Worcester, Massachusetts
• She was an operator, and her parents were John Baronisky and Louise Zadeckas
• They were both single, and this was the first marriage for each of them
• The intention of marriage was entered at Worcester on 12 Nov 1931, and the certificate was issued on 12 Nov 1931 by Malcolm C. Midgley
• The wedding was solemnized on 16 Nov 1931 in Our Lady of Vilna Church in Worcester by Constantine A. Vasys, a priest residing at 15 Highfield Rd., Worcester, Massachusetts
  The certificate was received by the city or town clerk, Malcolm C. Midgley on 16 Nov 1931
• The Registered No. was 1129 and the Intention No. was 1054
• The certificate also notes the page number 400 in the Volume of the Marriage Records for Worcester in 1931

Leo is sometimes listed as Leon in other records, including his Birth Record.  The name Leon was probably his given name, since his father had a brother named Leon.

The bride’s surname, Baronisky, is a little odd.  Other records spell this surname in a variety of ways, including Baron.  Since the couple was married in a Lithuanian Church (Our Lady of Vilna) and Leo Izbicki was Polish, one might suspect that Anna L. Baronisky might be Lithuanian.  The spelling of the surname, however, suggests she was Russian.  It’s highly unlikely, however, that a Pole and a Russian would marry in a Lithuanian Church!

Without going into a lot more detail here, it turns out that the historical surname of Anna’s family was Baranauckas, a fine Lithuanian surname, indeed.  Anna’s Lithuanian heritage is also revealed by her mother’s maiden name: Zadeckas, another fine Lithuanian surname.

Note that the given name of Leo’s father’s is listed as William, not Bolesław.  Bolesław Izbicki apparently used the name William after he arrived in the United States.  Some of his records list his name as Bolesław W. Izbicki, to reflect his use of the alias “William”.

Kajetan Izbicki, the brother of Bolesław Izbicki, was enumerated with Bolesław’s family in the 1910 U.S. Federal Census on 15 Apr 1910.  On 09 May 1910, Kajetan was married.

The Marriage Record for Kajetan Izbicki and Aniela Iaczswic

SOURCE:  The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Marriages Registered in the City of Worcester for the Year 1910. Volume 596, Page 502, No. 465. Kajetan Izbicki and Aniela Iaczswic. http://www.newenglandancestors.org 

Click on the link for a PDF Copy of the Marriage Record for Kajetan Izbicki and Aniela Iaczswic.  The record shows that:

• Kajetan Izbicki, age 23, and Anielia Iaczswic, age 18, were married on 09 May 1910 in Worcester, Massachusetts
• Their marriage was recorded in Volume 596 on Page 502, Line 465 in the Marriage Register for Worcester in 1910
• This was the first marriage for both Kajetan and Anielia
• Kajetan’s parents were Dominick Izbicki and Jozefa Biziewski
• Kajetan was born in RussiaPoland and lived in Worcester
• Anielia’s parents were Antoni Iaczswic and Anna Iankowska
• Anielia was born in RussiaPoland and lived in Worcester
• The couple was married by P. C. Reding, a priest residing in Worcester
• The marriage was recorded on 24 May 1910

The bride’s name is apparently misspelled in this record as Anielia Iaczswic.  Her given name should be spelled Aniela.  Her surname is most likely Jacewicz, Jachowicz, Jakiewicz, or Jackowiec.

I have not found any records for Kajetan Izbicki that were recorded after the date of this Marriage Record.  The couple may have changed their names or moved from Worcester.

I previously published the death record and burial permit for Arnold Gibson and the burial permit for Hattie Fadden Gibson.  Arnold and Hattie were married in Sheldon, Vermont in 1885.

The Marriage Record for Arnold Gibson

SOURCE: The State of Vermont. Department of Health. Marriage Record. 1916. Arnold Gibson and Hattie Fadden. FHL US/CAN Film 2022665, Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah. 

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Marriage Record for Arnold Gibson.  The record states:

• Arnold Gibson and Hattie Fadden were married on 1 Jul 1885 in Sheldon, Vermont
• Arnold was born in Alburgh
• Arnold was 23 years old at the time of marriage and this marriage was his first marriage
• Arnold’s parents were Clark Gibson and Mariette [no surname given]; the birthplaces of Clark and Mariette are not provided
• W. N. Roberts, a minister, officiated at the marriage
• The document includes the number P599 and is documented by E. M. Brown, Town Clerk in Sheldon

In Vermont, the marriage records for this period are recorded on separate cards.  This card is for the groom.

The birthplace for Arnold Gibson, as stated on this record, is Alburgh in Grand Isle County, Vermont.  This conflicts with the information on Arnold’s Death Certificate, which stated he was born in Island Pond, Essex County, Vermont.

My half first cousin once removed, Anastasia Rita Meleski, was married twice.  Her first marriage was to Albert Francis Blackman, who predeceased her.  In the record of her marriage to Bernard J. Izbicki, her name is listed as Rita (Meleski) Blackman.

The Marriage Record for Bernard J. Izbicki and Rita (Meleski) Blackman

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Marriage Record for Bernard J. Izbicki and Rita (Meleski) Blackman.  This record states that:

• Bernard J. Izbicki was a 58 year old white man born in Worcester, Massachusetts and residing at 10 Ripley Street, Worcester, Massachusetts
• He was a postal worker, and his parents were Boleslaus Izbicki and Victoria Kruczynska
• Rita (Meleski) Blackman was a 57 year old white woman born in Worcester, Massachusetts and residing at 147 Cullinane Drive, Marlborough, Massachusetts
• She was a social worker, and her parents were Joseph Meleski and Katherine Warchol
• Bernard was divorced, Rita was widowed, and this was the second marriage for both of them
• The intention of marriage was entered at Marlborough on 17 May 1968 and the certificate was issued on 24 May 1968 by Rita T. Lapine
• The wedding was solemnized on 04 Jun 1968 in Our Lady of Czestochowa Church in Worcester by the Right Reverend Charles J. Chwalek, a priest residing at 34 Ward Street, Worcester, Massachusetts
• The certificate was received by the city or town clerk, Rita T. Lapine on 06 Jun 1968
• The Registered No. was 90 and the Intention No. was 86
• There is a notation that “Meds on file” (probably the medical certificate of death for Rita’s first husband) and that Divorce papers on file” (Bernard’s divorce)
• The certificate also notes the page number 311 in Volume 49 of the Marriage Records for Marlborough in 1968, and further there is a hand written notation 14-61

The record shows that Rita was still living in the home that she and Albert Blackman shared before his death two years earlier.

The most interesting part of this marriage record, however, is that even though Bernard Izbicki was divorced, this marriage took place in a Roman Catholic Church.  The only way that I think this could have happened is if Bernard’s first marriage was not solemnized in the Catholic Church.  Very unusual.  I’ll have to look for the record of Bernard’s first marriage and the record of his divorce.  Very unusual, indeed.

After finding the Marriage Record for Albert Francis Blackman and Anastasia Rita Meleski, I looked for the Birth Record for Albert.  Apparently Albert was born in 1915, so his birth record was not available at the Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statistics or on the website of the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS).  The only repository that holds the Massachusetts Vital Records for 1911-1915 is the Massachusetts State Archives, so I’ll have to wait for a chance to visit the archives for this record.

I then looked for the Marriage Record of Albert Blackman’s parents, Clifford A Blackman and Jane A Goodrich, since their names were on the Marriage Record of Albert and Anastasia Rita.  This record was on the website of the NEHGS, and as I mentioned in a previous article, the records on the NEHGS website are much superior to the microfilm images available through the Massachusetts State Archives.

Marriage Register for Clifford A Blackman and Jane A Goodrich

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Marriage Register for Clifford A Blackman and Jane A Goodrich.  The record states that:

• Clifford A Blackman and Jane A Goodrich were married on 17 Sep 1907 in Boston, Massachusetts
• Clifford was 25 years old, this was his first marriage, he lived at 56 Francis Street in Boston, and his occupation was as an Editor
• Clifford was born in Boston and his parents were Allen Blackman and Abbie F Peterson
• Jane was 23 years old, this was her first marriage, she lived at 18 Sunset Street in Boston, and her occupation was listed as “At Home”
• Jane was born in Everett and her parents were Charles I Goodrich and Helen C Sherlock
• The couple was married by Sinon J Grogran, a priest whose residence was at 1545 Tremont Street in Boston
• The marriage was recorded on 18 Sep 1907 as entry number 5259

Tomorrow: A girl named James

Last week, while I was on the east coast, I stopped in at the Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statistics and searched for the marriage records for my half-first-cousin-once-removed, Anastasia Rita Meleski.  Anastasia Rita’s father, Joseph, was my grandmother’s half brother.

Anastasia Rita was married twice, once to Albert Blackman and once to Bernard Izbicki.  However, I didn’t know when either of these marriages occurred or whether the first marriage ended in death or divorce.

Anastasia Rita’s first marriage turned out to be to Albert Francis Blackman, someone about whom I previously knew precious little.

The Marriage Certificate for Albert Francis Blackman and Anastasia Rita Meleski

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Marriage Certificate for Albert Francis Blackman and Anastasia Rita Meleski.  The Marriage Certificate states that:

• Albert Francis Blackman was a 31 year old white man born and living in Boston
• He was a journalist, and his parents were Clifford A. Blackman and Jane Goodrich
• Anastasia Rita Meleski was a 35 year old white woman born and living in Worcester
• She was a social worker, and her parents were Joseph Meleski and Katherine Warchol
• Both Albert and Anastasia Rita were single at the time of marriage and this was the first marriage for both of them
• The intention of marriage was entered at Worcester on 03 May 1946 and the certificate was issued on 04 May 1946 by Malcolm C Midgley
• The wedding was solemnized on 08 May 1946 in St. Mary’s Church in Worcester by Ladislaus J. Radzik, a priest residing at 15 Richland Street, Worcester
• The certificate was received by the city or town clerk, Malcolm C Midgley on 09 May 1946
• The Registered No. was 843 and the Intention No. was 816

This marriage was recorded in the records in two places because the bride and groom lived in different places in Massachusetts.  The marriage was recorded in the Worcester records for 1946, Volume 153, Page 158 (the record above) and also in the Boston records for 1946 (APR. 28-MAY 10), Volume 17, Page 493.  I did not request the Boston record, since that record was a copy of the Worcester record.

Well, this record answers a lot of questions and provides me with quite a bit of information I didn’t have before.  As far as I know, Albert Francis Blackman and Anastasia Rita Meleski had no children.

My great-great-great-great grandparents, Tomasz Niedziałkowski and Cecylia Chotkowsa were married in 1785 in the Church in Krasne, Poland.  Theirs was the 20th marriage in Krasne that year.

The Marriage Record for Tomasz Niedziałkowski and Cecylia Chotkowska

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Marriage Record for Tomasz Niedziałkowski and Cecylia Chotkowska.  Translated from the Latin, the record shows that:

20. Mosaki Rukle, the 15th day of November 1785

I, Jan Napierkowski CRL pastor of Krasne: a Marriage Contract between the Nobles Tomasz Niedziałkowski, an unmarried man from the village of Kłonowo of the Pałuki Parish, and Cecylia Chotkowska, an unmarried girl from the village of Mosaki Rukle of the Krasne Parish, immediately following the presentation of three banns before the people to the divine audience of the congregation made in the Krasne Parish Church as well as in the Pałuki Parish Church in order that no testimony shown on either part stands as an impediment being free in appearance the Church confirms and blesses.  The witnesses present were the noble Adam Łyczkowski, the noble Stanisław Milewski, and the noble Wiktor Chrzanowski, and a number of others.

Of particular interest is the fact that Tomasz Niedziałkowski was from a different parish, explaining why I could not find earlier records for the Niedziałkowskis in the Krasne Parish.  Unfortunately, I can not find either his Village of Kłonowe Klonowo or Parish of Pałucene Pałuki on any map or in any gazetteer.  Perhaps the names are spelled incorrectly, I’ve misread the original record, or the place names have changed since 1785.  It’s also possible that the villages were not within the borders of Poland at the time.  It’s hard to say.

UPDATE (24 June 2007): Thanks to an email from Agnieszka, the correct spelling of Tomasz Niedziałkowski’s parish is Pałuki. The Family History Library has microfilmed records from this parish from 1658-1904, opening up a whole new set of records for me to search! I have now found both the village of Klonowo and the parish of Pałuki on a map.

The name of the month is shown as 9bris, an abbreviation referring to November.  While one might expect that the 9th month should be September, the number nine refers to the Latin word for nine - novem, and the fact that November was once the ninth month of the year.  In fact, the last four months of the year take their names from the Latin numbers seven through ten:

September - septem - seven
October - octo - eight
November - novem - nine
December - decem - ten

I had a bit of trouble translating this document.  I suspect this is because my high school Latin is rusty, but it doesn’t help that I don’t have a proper Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin (in case anyone is wondering what they should get me for Christmas).

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 for 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.

My grandfather’s half-brother, Piotr Dańko, was married to Katarzyna Chruścicka in 1933.

        Piotr Dańko                        Katarzyna Chruścicka

Thanks to my cousin, Piotr Dańko, for the photographs of his grandparents.  The Marriage Record for Piotr and Katarzyna is Number 7, the second from the top of this page in the Duciecko Parish records.

The Marriage Record for Piotr Dańko and Katarzyna Chruścicka

SOURCE:  Roman Catholic Parish of the Immaculate Heart of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, Dubiecko, Poland. Liber Copulatorum (Book of Marriages). 1933, Entry Number 7. Text in Latin, translated by Stephen J. Danko. 

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Marriage Record for Piotr Dańko and Katarzyna Chruścicka.  The record, translated from the Latin, states:

Number: 7
Date: June 1, 1933
House Number: Not provided
Groom: Piotr Dańko, son of Jakub Dańko and Zofia Głowacz, born June 28, 1898
Religion: Catholic
Age: 35
Marital Status: Unmarried
Name of Bride: Katarzyna Chruścicka, daughter of Marcin Chruścicki and Anna Slimak, born March 20, 1905
Religion: Catholic
Age: 28
Marital Status: Unmarried
Witnesses: Antoni Chruścicki and Tomasz Gerek
Banns Read: May 14, May 21, and May 25, 1933
Priest: [Ceued Młynarski]

After examining the Birth and Baptismal Record and the Marriage Record for Piotr Dańko, some interesting facts are apparent.

1. Piotr was born one year before his father died
2. My grandfather, Michał, married my grandmother just a few months after Piotr was born
3. Piotr was only about seven years old when my grandfather left for America
4. World War I was waged all around Poland in the years when Piotr was growing up
5. Piotr and Katarzyna were married in the Second Polish Republic, a country formed after over a hundred years of the Polish Partitions
6. Six years after Piotr married Katarzyna, Poland was invaded by both Nazi Germany and Russia

My cousin told me that Piotr and Katarzyna died in England.  The emigration to England is a story about which I’ll have to ask more questions.