Steve's Genealogy Blog » Carnival of Eastern European Genealogy

Acronymns, Abbreviations, and Contractions in Genealogical Documents Written in Latin

Steve — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 04:28:53 +0000

If a genealogist is lucky enough to be able to trace his/her ancestors back far enough in time, he/she is likely to encounter documents written in the Latin language – the language of the Roman Catholic Church. In the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth before the partitions in the last decades of the 18th century, church and court documents were frequently recorded in Latin and, in the Austrian Partition, the records were usually written in Latin even after the partitions.

There are several factors that make these records difficult to read, including the facts that:

the priests or scribes who wrote the documents used Medieval Latin, not the Classical Latin usually taught in schools,
the scribes who recorded the documents were not always fluent in Latin, and they sometimes misspelled words and made grammatical errors,
the scribes sometimes used words and grammatical forms from their own native language, mixed in with Latin,
the scribes frequently used abbreviations and contractions in the documents they wrote, and
the scribes often included titles and postnomials while describing the people named in the documents and often abbreviated those titles and postnomials.

In my own research, the contractions, abbreviations, titles, and postnomials have often confounded my ability to transcribe and translate the documents I encounter.

The postnomial “C.R.L.” had me confused until I saw a document that wrote the term out in full as “Canonicus Regularis Lateranensis”, which I could translate as “Canon Regular of the Lateran” (an order of priests).

The abbreviations “N.” and “Nblius” seemed to me to be an abbreviation for “Nobilis”, meaning “Noble”, but the abbreviations “G.” and “Gnosis” had me stumped until I learned that these abbreviations stood for “Generosis”, again meaning “Noble”, albiet a Noble of higher status than one with only the title “Nobilis”.

Among the most difficult words to understand in Latin manuscripts are those that elide or suspend entire groups of letters within a word, such as the examples of Nblius and Gnosis shown above. Commonly, such contractions appear at the end of a word and they sometimes include a stroke to indicate that letters are missing.

When encountering the abbreviation “c” with what appeared to be an apostrophe above the letter, one might suspect it to be a contraction of “cum” meaning “with”, and indeed that is the case. The abbreviation “conjug- legitt-” can also easily be transcribed as “conjugum legitimorum”, meaning “lawfully married”, if one has previously seen this term written out in full.

But, many other documents, court records in particular, include an abundance of abbreviations that may be a mystery to the casual reader of Latin documents, especially when one’s Latin vocabulary is limited.

Fortunately, a growing number of online books and websites address these issues of Latin contractions and abbreviations.

In particular, Lindsay’s book on Latin contractions (Lindsay, W. M. 1908. Contractions in early Latin miniscule mss. Oxford: J. Parker.) provides a wealth of information about Latin contractions and abbreviations. This book is out of copyright and available for download for free as a PDF file from the Internet Archive.

Wikipedia has a list of Latin abbreviations, with links to other Wikipedia pages on abbreviations, including a list of classical abbreviations and a list of ecclesiatical abbreviations. The Catholic Encyclopedia also has a list of ecclesiastical abbreviations and All-Acronymns.com includes a list of Latin Acronyms and Abbreviations.

Moving beyond acronyms, abbreviations, and contractions, the Polish Roots website has tips for translating Latin documents, and includes the Latin words to describe various classes of nobles and peasants, along with their Polish equivalents. Also included are lists of the months of the year, days of the week, and abbreviations.

Finally, the FamilySearch website includes a list of Latin Genealogical Word List, providing a concise online source of the most frequently encountered Latin terms in genealogical documents.

Latin documents may be difficult to read and interpret at the best of times, but with an increasing number of online resources, the translation of documents in Latin need not be an impossible task.

Written for the Carnival of Eastern European Genealogy.

Finding the Village of Trelkowo, Poland (Gross Schöndamerau, Germany)

Steve — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 06:44:47 +0000

Józef Niedziałkowski, the brother of my grandfather Kostanty Niedziałkowski, was married twice. Both times, he married a woman from the village of Trelkowo. He first married Józefa Kolarowira on 28 Jan 1928 in Trelkowo and, after her death, he married Anastasia Cheschowska on 12 Jul 1934 in Trelkowo.

For some time, I was unable to locate the village of Trelkowo, since I assumed the village was located in Poland. As it turns out, Trelkowo was located in East Prussia, Germany and was officially known as Gross Schöndamerau.

The Słownik Geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i Innych Krajów Słowiańskich (Geographical Dictionary of the Kingdom of Poland and other Slavonic Countries) provides some information about this village.

Słownik Geograficzny Entry for Trelkowo

Source: Chlebowski, Bronisław, Filip Sulimierski, and Władysław Walewski, eds., Słownik Geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i Innych Krajów Słowiańskich [Geographical Dictionary of the Kingdom of Poland and other Slavonic Countries] (Warsaw, 1892), Volume XII, page 459.

Click on the image above to enlarge it. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Słownik Geograficzny Entry for Trelkowo. Translated from the Polish, the entry reads:

Trelkowo and Trelkówko, called Gross Schöndamerau and Klein Schöndamerau in German, a village in Szczecin Powiat. There is a post office in Ortelsburg. Zygfried Walot, [komtur elbąski?], granted to the brothers Stanisław and Maciej in Pasłęk in the year 1391 64 włóki [1 włóka = 16.8 hectares] in Trelkowo for the foundation of a village, 4 włóki allocated for a church and 4 for the sołtys [chair of the village council]. In the year 1602, almost all who lived here were Poles.

The location is shown on the map below. Gross Schöndamerau is highlighted in a box near the top of the map and the area where Józef Niedziałkowski and his ancestors were born is highlighted in the box near the bottom of the map.

Map of the Area around Gross Schöndamerau, East Prussia, Germany

SOURCE: Bartholomew, J. G, “Baltic States & East Prussia,” The Times Atlas. (London: The Times, 1922); digital images, David Rumsey Map Collection (http://www.davidrumsey.com/maps5326.html : accessed 05 August 2008).

Click on the map to enlarge the image. The red line on the map is the border between Poland and East Prussia, Germany. After World War II, Gross Schöndamerau was incorporated into the territory of Poland and officially became known by its Polish name of Trelkowo.

Written for the Carnival of Eastern European Genealogy.

New Discoveries About Damian Niedzialkowski / Damian Cosky

Steve — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 21:27:39 +0000

After finding Damian Niedzialkowski’s Naturalization Records, I discovered that, during the Naturalization Process, Damian changed his name to Damian Cosky.

This surname change was not unusual. My Chmielewski relatives changed their surname to Meleski, and my Dziura relatives changed their surname to Dziurzynski. Other Niedzialkowski relatives changed their surnames to Niedzialkoski, Niedzial, and Newman. I’ve also learned that other Niedzialkowskis changed their surname to Sunday (a translation of the name).

The surname change from Niedzialkowski to Cosky revealed why Damian seemed to disappear from the Worcester, Massachusetts records after his naturalization, leading me to speculate that he and his family moved away from Worcester. Knowing that he changed his name, I’ve been able to determine that he and his wife remained in Worcester, appearing with the surname Coski in City Directories and other records.

The Social Security Death Index includes the following entries for Damian and his wife Caroline:

Name: Damian Cosky
Birth Date: 15 May 1895
Death Date: May 1967
Social Security Number: 017-09-0781
State or Territory Where Number Was Issued: Massachusetts
Death Residence ZIP Code: 01606

Name: Caroline Cosky
Birth Date: 16 Dec 1897
Death Date: Dec 1981
Social Security Number: 030-12-8047
State or Territory Where Number Was Issued: Massachusetts
Death Residence ZIP Code: 01606

Further, the Massachusetts Death Index, 1970-2003 includes the following entry:

Name: Caroline A Cosky
Certificate: 055881
Death Place: Worcester
Death Date: 22 Dec 1981
Birth Date: 16 Dec 1897

Information from Damian’s naturalization records provides clues for additional research, including clues to immigration records, Polish church records, Massachusetts vital records, Massachusetts land records, and Massachusetts court records. I still don’t know if or how Damian Niedzialkowski is related to me, but this additional information gives me hope that I’ll be able to discover the answer to these questions.

Written for the Carnival of Eastern European Genealogy.

The Petition for Naturalization of Damian Niedzialkowski – 1938

Steve — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 07:01:44 +0000

In 1938, Damian Niedzialkowski completed the requirements to become a citizen of the United States.

The Petition for Naturalization of Damian Niedzialkowski – 1938 (obverse)

The Petition for Naturalization of Damian Niedzialkowski – 1938 (reverse)

SOURCE: Worcester County, Massachusetts, Naturalizations, v. 102 (1937-1938): Petition for Naturalization of Damian Niedzialkowsky, 1938, Filed under Petition for Naturalization No. 27505; Superior Court of Massachusetts at Worcester. FHL microfilm 2,131,567. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Click on the images above to enlarge them. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Petition for Naturalization of Damian Niedzialkowski – 1938. The petition states that:

Damian Niedzialkowski completed Petition for Naturalization No. 27505 in 1938;
His name is spelled Damian Niedzialkowsky on the document;
He filed his petition in the Superior Court of Massachusetts at Worcester, Mass;
His residence was 19 Endicott St., Worcester, Mass.;
His occupation was trimmer;
He was born in Pomocki, Lomza, Poland on 15 May 1895 and his race was Polish;
He filed his intention to become a citizen on 22 Apr 1935 in the Superior Court of Massachusetts at Worcester, Mass.;
His wife was Caroline Gucwa, whom he married on 25 Nov 1926 at Worcester, Mass.;
She was born in ?obowa, Krakow, Poland on 16 Dec 1898 and entered the United States at New York, N.Y. on 30 Dec 1910;
The couple had one child named Teresa who was born 26 Dec 1927 in Worcester;
All three were residing in Worcester, Massachusetts;
His last foreign residence was Czapelowo, Lomza, Poland;
He emigrated from the Free City of Danzig and arrived in New York, N.Y. under the name Dom. Niedzialkowski on 23 May 1920 on the SS Princess Matoika;
He resided in Worcester continuously since 23 May 1920;
He had not previously filed a Petition for Naturalization;
He requested that his name be changed to Damian Cosky;
His application was signed by two witnesses: Milton Barnes Freeman, 14 Greendale Ave., Worcester, Mass. (retired) and Whitner Roland Parker, 3 Glenwood St., Holden, Mass. (trimmer) who stated that they knew Damian since 1925 and that he had continuously resided in Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts since 1925; the witnesses signed the petition in January 1938;
Damian’s Certificate of Arrival was No. 1 150638 and his Declaration of Intention was No. 44271;
The petition was signed by Damian Niedzialkowsky and Carl Greenslit, Deputy Clerk, for William D. Bowen, Clerk;
He renounced allegiance to the Republic of Poland on 30 Dec 1938;
His petition was granted on Line No. 9 of List No. 399 and Certificate of Citizenship No. 4539624 was issued.

Some of the information on the Petition for Naturalization is different than the information on the Declaration of Intention. Damian’s wife’s name was Caroline Gwega and her place of birth was Borowa, Swenciany, Poland on the declaration but her name was Caroline Gucwa and her place of birth was ?obowa, Krakow, Poland on the petition.

Of greatest interest is the fact that Damian Niedzialkowski legally changed his name to Damian Cosky as part of the naturalization process. The change of name explains why he seemed to suddenly disappear from Worcester, Massachusetts without a trace. In fact, he was still in Worcester, living under a new name.

Written for the Carnival of Eastern European Genealogy.