My grandfather, Michael Danko, was the first of my ancestors to immigrate to the United States . After arriving in America, he lived in Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts the rest of his life . He and his family are enumerated in the 1910, 1920, and 1930 US Federal Census records and his sister, my Great Aunt Mary, is enumerated in the 1920 and 1930 Census records.
The 1910 US Federal Census for Michael Danko shows my grandfather living at 3 Moran Court in Worcester . Of special interest is that not only are he, his wife Mary, and his children John and Sophie (Zofia) listed, but no fewer than seven boarders are living with them!
1910 Census Record for the Michael Danko Family
The 1920 US Federal Census for Michael Danko shows that my grandfather is living at 19 Prescott Place . This time, the family has grown, and no boarders are living with them . Living near them and enumerated on the same page of the Census, at 11 Prescott Place Court, is Paul Golinski and his family . Paul’s wife Mary is my grandfather’s sister, Mary.
1920 Census Record for the Michael Danko Family and the Paul Golinski Family
The 1930 US Federal Census for Michael Danko shows that, except for my Aunt Sophie, my grandfather and his family are living at 19 Prescott Street, and the 1930 US Federal Census for Paul Golinski, shows that Golinskis are living nearby at 11 Prescott Place Court.
1930 Census Record for the Michael Danko Family
1930 Census Record for the Paul Golinski Family
Towards my goal of learning my Great Aunt Mary’s date of birth, I started to examine the paperwork that documents her birth date . Yesterday, I presented four documents:
- Mary’s Birth and Baptismal Record, a Church Record from Poland, showing that her birth date was January 12, 1884
- Information from Mary’s daughter Fran, who told me Mary was born on March 12, 1887
- A Cemetery Burial Record, showing that Mary was born in about 1886-1887
- Mary’s Gravestone Epitaph, showing that Mary was born in 1887
With two conflicting birth dates, I need to search other records to determine which date is correct . It’s possible that the Birth and Baptismal record is not for Mary, but for a sister named Marianna . My family knows that my grandfather had a sister named Mary and is unaware of another sister Marianna, so it’s likely that Mary and Marianna are the same person.
The census records provide more information about Mary’s birth date . In the 1920 Census, Mary (Danko) Golinski is 32 years old, indicating that she was born in about 1887-1888 . In the 1930 Census, Mary is 42 years old, again indicating that she was born in about 1887-1888 . This appears to be evidence that the Birth and Baptismal Record I have is not for my Great Aunt Mary.
The 1920 and 1930 Census Records also show that Mary immigrated to the United States, but the two records show different years of immigration! The 1920 Census shows that she immigrated in 1909, and the 1930 Census shows that she immigrated in 1910 . So, here is another possibility . Mary’s emigration and immigration records should show her age.
If Mary immigrated before April 15, 1910, she should be enumerated in the 1910 Census . I have not yet found Mary in the 1910 Census, but since she was single in 1910, I may have to wait until the every-name index for 1910 is available.
Finally, the Census Records show that Mary had filed her First Papers for Naturalization . This is yet another source that will show her birth date.
So, there are more records to find to solve this mystery . Tomorrow, Great Aunt Mary’s emigration and immigration records.
Copyright © 2006 by Stephen J. Danko
