Yesterday, I showed how to find the parish church for a town in Poland by using a gazettee. Two other gazetteers that cover Galicia are the Skorowidz Miejscowości Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej (Index of Place Names of the Republic of Poland) and the Genealogical Gazetteer of Galicia by Brian J. Lenius. There are others.
To be honest, I didn’t need to consult a gazetteer to find out the parish for Nienadowa was in Dubiecko. My Uncle Joseph and his wife Helen had been there during Communist times and their son Joe sent me copies of some postcards on which the pastor of the Dubiecko parish had written some information. In the year 2000, I visited Dubiecko and Nienadowa with two friends of mine to see what I could find.
Upon arriving at the parish church (Parafia Rzymskokatolicka pw. Niepokalangeo Serca NMP w Dubiecko – Roman Catholic Parish of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Dubiecko) just before noon, we found the church all locked up except for the foyer in the back of the church. We looked through the windows into the church and saw a History of the Church hanging on one wall.
Translated into English, the history reads as follows:
History of the Church
Piotr Kmita, governor of Lubelski, founded the first church in Dubiecko. Construction was completed about 1407 and the church was located in the place currently known as Castle Park Kmita also funded and constructed the second church in Dubiecko named Holy Spirit. At the beginning of the 16th century Stanislaw Stadnicki of the Lutheran faith, took both Churches from the Catholic community. Andrzej Stadnicki, Stanislaw’s son, returned them 40 years later. Jerzy Krasicki demolished the churches and all buildings belonging to the church. Catholics practiced their religion in a small chapel located in the same place as the current church, which grew with time and served for 130 years until 1926. Father Marcin Karakulski started to collect funds to build a new church. In 1934, Father Gornicki began construction of the new church. After he died, construction was continued by Father Pawlikiewich and Father Jedziniak, and stopped when walls reached half the height of the windows. From 1939-1948 construction was halted due to World War II. Construction was resumed and was finished four years later in 1952 by Father Kazimierz Lisowicz. On August 24, 1952, his Excellency F. Barda consecrated the new church and assigned the name Sacred Heart of Holy Mary and Holy Apostles Simon and Judas Thaddeus. The church is 49 meters long and 41 meters wide in the shape of a cross. The architect Tadeusz Pisiewicz from Lwow designed the Church. The interior painting was designed and executed by Prof. Stanislaw Jakubczyk from Krakow. Father J. Mucha designed the site of the altar in the church. His Excellency Bishop Ignacy Tokarczuk consecrated the 38 pipe Organ made by the Theodor Bochme Company. His Excellency Bishop St. Jakiel consecrated the new altar made of murmur and placed there relics of Saint Mary Goretti. Barbara Borkowska from the Art Academy of Krakow designed the altar and presbytery. Dr. Tyhcik, originally from Dubiecko and now Adjunct Professor with the Art Academy in Krakow, decorated the interior in collaboration with the art committee of Kuri Metropolitan in Krakow.
At noon, just as we were leaving, a nun arrived to ring the church bells and say the Angelus. She graciously let us into the church so we could take pictures and she spent some time telling us about the church. Unfortunately, none of us could speak Polish well enough to understand what she said, but I did get her description on video tape!
We walked out back to the rectory, but nobody answered the bell. Since a mass was scheduled at 4 PM that day, we decided to return at that time to see if the parish still held the historical registers of baptisms, marriages, and deaths.
Returning at 4 PM, we found the pastor of the church at the rectory. He brought out several volumes of the church registers, but he told us that many Americans ask to find their ancestors in the registers, but no one ever finds anything. Moreover, he said, some of the registers were missing and he didn’t know where they were. Nonetheless, he spent several hours with us, going through the registers, looking for documentation of my ancestors. In the time we were there, we found the record of the marriage of my great-grandfather Jakób Dańko to his second wife, Zofia Głowacz. My great-grandmother, Agnieszka Sowa, had died after a fall when she was picking cherries, and my great-grandfather needed some help raising all the children. The record of the Dańko-Głowacz Marriage shows that:
- Jakub Dańko and Zofia Głowacz were married on 3 September 1896
- Jakub was a Catholic, was 53 years old, and was a farmer
- Jakub was born in Nienadowa and he resided in house number 207 in Nienadowa
- Jakub was the son of Pawel Dańko and Zofia Szymańska
- Jakub was a widow and his first wife was Agnieszka Sowa
- Zofia Głowacz was Catholic, was 26 1/2 years old, and this was her first marriage
- Zofia was born in and resided in Nienadowa
- Zofia was the daughter of Jan Głowacz (a farmer) and Marianna Szymańska
- The witnesses to the marriage were Jakub Sowa (a farmer) and Marcin Pilch (a farmer)
- Banns of marriage were read on August 15, August 16, and August 23, 1896
- Reverend Tomasz Rapmowski officiated
The document was written in Latin and in the columnar style typical of Galicia.
Copyright © 2006-2023 by Stephen J. Danko
Steve, Do you know that Nienadowa had its own parish church starting in 1957? (Did you see it when you were there? It may also have a cemetery starting then.) Before that time, the residents attended Mass in Dubiecko, which is considered the “mother parish”. If you hadn’t already known that your ancestors went to church in Dubiecko, you would probably have contacted the church in Nienadowa only to be told they didn’t have records from the time period you are interested in. They probably would have referred you to Dubiecko eventually.
I found this out in an article published by PGS-CTNE in Spring 1996. It is called “Finding the Mother Parish” and has a 3-1/2 page chart showing parishes in Przemysl Diocese that were formed since 1900 and what town/church each was spun off of. Even though you knew where to go in your case, this is good to know in case you find someone else who doesn’t know.
Christine,
Thanks for the information. I think I will use your comment as the basis for the May 6, 2006 blog entry!
Steve
Hello Steve – I am leaving for Europe tomorrow. I wish I had found your blog earlier – drats!! I live in Canada. I’m on a pilgrimage to find ancestors in Dubiecko/Sliwnica area.
My grandmother was Pilch and my grandfather Kolano. My Grandmother also had Sowa relatives.
We have a feeling Grandmother’s family was Jewish although she raised her children Catholic. We are told Pilch is a common Polish/Jewish name and there were lots of conversions by Jews to escape persecution.
Interesting blog. I’ll keep in touch – going through Berlin and Krakow. Renting a car in Krakow.
Kathy Smith
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Hi, Dubiecko is my town and I’m very proud to be living here 🙂 Greetings for everyone bye :*
witam,,, ja jestem z nienadowej pozdrawiam wszystkich…nazywam sie LESZEK SPóLNIK…
Hi Steve – I was thinking about the Dankos. Here is a video of Rick Danko who lived about one hour from me. He died several years ago – but he was a true Danko.
Kathy
Hi!
I go in Poland next week for the first time! My grand parents were married in Dubiecko and I hope find something about my ancestors: Franciska Pipec, Mateusz Dzimira, Agnes Kokaj and Franciszek Karnas.
I hope I will find something in the registers like you!!!!
Catherine Karnas
STEVE,… NEED HELP, MY CHROBAK FAMILY IS STUCK WITH STEPHEN CHROBAK,GOING TO 1750, BACK LASKOWKA, BUT I CANNOT GET IN FO ON HIS WHOLE FAMILY PARENTS, BROTHERS, SISTERS, AUNTS UNCLES COUSINS GRANDPARENTS.STEVE WAS A WIDOWER A SON LUCASZ,ALSO A WIDOWER, DAUGHTER KATHYRN ;THEIR HAD TO BE MORE CHILDREN PLUS THEIR ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH IS ST, HARTA BACHORZ AREA FAMILY SURNAMES KARNAS, WROBLE,GREGORZAK, KONPOKA,KOCIUBA, PASCIAK, PACZKOWSKI, SZPAK, GWIZDALA, WIERNIAK, WEIZNIAK PETRE, WE GO BACK TO 1600,POLANDBURBURY,PINKOWICZ,JAWORNIK POLSKI, S. ANDREWS APL. STUCK IN 1860 THEIR., DUBIECKO, DROHOBYCZ,HUTA, STUCK IN 1880’S BACK FAMILIES, FRANKO, STADNIK,TWORZYDLO, SZYBIAK,SZTUKA, SOWA, ZURAWSKI, ZIOLO,ZIOLA, GLOWACZ, BURY, PINKOWICZ, MITREGA, DARASZ, POLTORK,PLUTA,CHROBAK,SURA,GREGORZAK,FRANCZAKETC.ECT. YANCENTY TWORZYDLO,MARRIED INTO THE STADNIK,FRANKO FAMILIES ;THESE WERE VERY LARGE FAMILIES. THESE FAMILIES MARRIED INTO 2 SOWA; FAMILIES,2 BURY FAMILIES,PACZKOWSKI, FAMILIES PINKOWICZ FAMILIES, SZYBIAK FAMILIES PLUS BURY;S FAMILIES SZTUKA FAMILIES, ZURAWSKI FAMILIES, ZIOLO FAMIIES, TWANSKI FAMILIES, SUR FAMILIES, MITREGA FAMILIES POLTORAK AND FRANCZAK FAMILIES, ETC. ETC. THE INFORMATION I ALREADY CAME FRO THE ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHIVES OF PRZEMYSL, POLAND.
STEVE I’M 70.5 YEARS OLD 2ND GENERATION POLISH CZECH, SLOVAK,HUNGARY,AUSTRIA, BORN IN CHICAGO, IL. O6-16-1938, MY MOTHERS’SIDE FROM VELKE POLE, CZECH, NOW SLOVAKIA, HUNGARY, AUSTRIA,I’M BACK TO 1600 ON MOTHER, SIDE. I’VE HAD 3 MINIE STROKES, BLOOD IN RIGH LUNG. HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE,PLUS HIGH CHELESTROLE; IF AT ALL POSSIBLE MAYBE YOU MAY HAVE SOME OF MY SUR FAMILES FROM YOUR AREA OF POLAND; OR MAY BE ABLE TO GIVE ME SOME INPUT OF CEMETERIES HEADSTONE DATABASE RECORDS THAT I MAY BE ABLE TO OBTAIN; PLEASE IF AT ALL POSSIBLE,I SURE WOULD APPRECIATE ANY INFORMATION OR ADVICE YOU WOULD HAVE FOR ME.
GOD BLESS’
THANKYOU,
RENARD CHROBAK
rfchrobak@alltel.net
Steve,
I am searching for relatives that live in Drohobyczka that might still be living. I have very limited information and I was wondering if you know who I could write to (parish in Dubiecko) that might be able to help me
Zapraszam na strony poświęcone Dubiecku
Pozdrawiam Henry
Zapraszam na strony Posiadłości Ziemskiej Zamek Dubiecko w Dubiecku
Patrz >> http://www.zamek.dubiecko.com
Great blog! My great grandfather was from Bachorzec, Andrzej Krawiec born abt 1804. Has anyone come across records for Krawiec before 1800, or his wife Zophia Turek, born 1811, who likely were from near Dubiecko church? Also, Spolnik family name.
And, to anyone’s knowledge, are the Dubiecko parish records duplicated in Przemysl archives, or in the church alone?
Thank you! Claudia Krawiec Hansen
Steve
On your website i found th name of the village of Bachorzec.
I don’t know if your relatives are originally form that region.
I’m searching know for a year to find relatives of de family Skubisz/Kandelska form that region. So far i did not succeed.
Maybe you can help me any further. Maybe you have suggestions on usefull resources.
Greetings
Francois Borowy
Hi!
I’m from Dubiecko 🙂
I can read English but write (I thing) I can’t…
Thank you for this post :]
(google.pl)
Tom, Please I’m Renard Chrobak, and I’m looking for Cemetery Data Base Records. on My Surname Families…. Bury, Chrobak, Tworzydlo, Stadnik, Szybiak, Lichota, Pinkowicz, Ziolo, Zurawski, Their also in Drohobyczka, Poland. There may be Web Sites, that may have information I need; also looking for Polands’ Population Census Web Sites. I would appreciate any and all information available. I’m 75.5 Years old 2nd Generation American. Please help Me if at all possible. Thank You, Renard Chrobak I know that Tworzydlo,Bury, Szybiak, Stadnik, Zurawski, were born in Dubiecko, of Roman-Greek Catholic faith.
Steve, change of e-mail address………… is rfchrobak@cox.net I STILL NEED CEMETERY HEAD STONE DATA FROM DUBIECKO, HUTA, DROHOBYCZKA, ROMAN AND GREEK CATHOLIC SURNAME HEAD STONE INFORMATION ON CHROBAK,BURY,SOWA,PLUTA,METRIGA,GLOWACZ, SZYBIAK,SZTUKA,PINKOWICZ,PASCIAK,TWORZYDLO,FRANKO,STADNICK,FRANCZAK,PACZKOWSKI,PASZKOWSKI,ZIOLO,ZURAWSKI,GREGORZAK,GWIZDALA,TWANSKI,KARNAS,ETC.ETC. THANKYOU, RENARD CHROBAK