My great-great uncle Frank Niedzialkowski married Cecilia Bonislawski in 1904 .  Certified copies of Massachusetts vital records are available from three places: records after 1915 are kept at the Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statistics in Dorchester, records up through 1915 are kept at the Massachusetts Archives in Dorchester, and all records for a particular town are maintained at the town level . In Worcester, Massachusetts, the Worcester City Clerk has copies of the vital records from 1686 to the present.
In addition to these records, the Family History Library in Salt Lake City has various microfilmed copies of Massachusetts vital records up through 1910 . The New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS)Â in Boston has microfilmed copies of Massachusetts Vital Record in their library in Boston, and has an online index and some digital images of Massachusetts Vital Records up through 1910 on their website (access is restricted to members of the NEHGS).
I obtained a copy of the marriage record for Frank Niedzialkowski and Cecilia Bonislawski from the Massachusetts Archives . The cost for a Certified Copy of the Record of Marriage from the Massachusetts Archives was $3 . The City of Worcester charges $8 for the same record if ordered in person, $11 if ordered by mail . The Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statistics charges $18 for records ordered in person and $28 for records ordered by mail.
The Massachusetts Archives not only provided a Certified Copy of the Record of Marriage, but they also provided a photocopy of the relevant page from the original record book . Frank and Cecilia’s marriage is recorded as the last record at the bottom of page 483 in the original record book.
Marriage Records of Frank Niedzialkowski and Cecilia Bonislawski – 1904
Copy of the Original Record Book
Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Marriage Records of Frank Niedzialkowski and Cecilia Bonislawski – 1904 . The records show that:
-
Frank Niedzialkowski, age 28, and Cecilia Bonislawski, age 18, were married in the City of Worcester on August 17, 1904
-
Frank was a Weaver born in Russia Poland and his parents were Adalbert Niedzialkowski and Julia Gutowska
-
Cecilia was an Operative born in Russia Poland and her parents were Adam Bonislawski and Petronella Niedzialkowski
-
The couple was married by John Moneta, a priest in Worcester
-
The marriage was recorded on August 26, 1904 and was entered as record number 774 on page 483 of volume 548
In this marriage record, Frank Niedzialkowski was still using the “w” in his surname . Eventually he dropped the “w”, possibly because English-speaking people pronounced the name more correctly without the “w”.
Frank’s age in this record indicates that he was born in 1875-1876, which agrees with the date of 1876 on his Birth and Baptismal Record from Poland . Â The names of Frank’s parents also agree with those on his Birth and Baptismal Record.
Interestingly, Cecilia’s mother’s maiden name was Niedzialkowska . Although I don’t have any idea of where Cecilia was born, the fact that her mother’s maiden name was Niedzialkowska suggests that she may have been born in or near the same village where Frank was born . I’ll have to search the Birth and Baptismal Records for Szwelice Parish for a Cecylia Bonislawska born in about 1885-1886.
Copyright © 2006 by Stephen J. Danko
