While at the Family History Center in San Bruno on Wednesday, I discovered the 1889 marriage record for Jan Niedziałkowski and Ludwika Pomaska.
The Marriage Record of Jan Niedziałkowski and Ludwika Pomaska – 1889
SOURCE: Parafia pw. św. Jana Chrzciciela (Szwelice, Okręg makowski, Guberniya Lomzhinskaya, Vistulan Country, Russian Empire, “Księga zaślubionych parafii Szwelice od 1882 do 1889. [Book of marriages of the Szwelice parish from 1882 to 1889.],” item 2, entry 7, Jan Niedziałkowski & Ludwika Pomaska, 13 Feb 1889; filmed as Kopie księg metrykalnych, 1693-1904; FHL INTL microfilm 1,958,807.
Because this record is in Russian and because it is so long, transcription and translation of this record has required more time than I usually need to transcribe and translate a record written in a foreign language.
For now, I know that Jan Niedziałkowski is the son of my great-great grandparents, Wojciech Niedziałkowski and Julianna Gutowska, that Julianna Pomoska is the daughter of Józef Pomaski and Marianna Chodkowska, and that the marriage took place in the parish in Szwelice on 13 February 1889.
Completion of the full transcription and translation will have to wait until tomorrow, but I think this record may supply some critical information to help me break down a brickwall concerning my great grandfather, Teofil Niedziałkowski.
UPDATE 28 Sep 2008: The transcription and translation of this record are reported in Part 2 of this article.
Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko
Steve, I have a couple of questions for you:
1) How did you discover this record? Is there an index you used? Was it in a book or microfilm? Were you actively looking for it?
2) How do you transcribe and translate these records? Do you speak the language or use a service?
I am about to embark on the long road of finding my ancestors’ records in Poland and I am not sure that without speaking the language I will be able to get anywhere. Could you post a “beginner’s step-by-step guide” to help us newbies out?
Thanks,
Amir
Hi Abba-Dad,
I found this record by searching the index on the microfilm itself. In the part of Poland controlled by Russia the priests often indexed the birth/baptismal, marriage, and death/burial records annually and also every ten years. I was actively looking for any records for the Niedziałkowski surname.
I transcribe and translate the records myself, using Jonathan Shea and Fred Hoffman’s “In Their Words” books (see the link below for complete citations).
Some time ago, I wrote up a description of the procedure to find parish church records in Poland. I should probably write a more general procedure sometime! See the link at: Questions and Answers: How Do I Find Ancestral Records in Poland?
Steve