Steve's Genealogy Blog

The Birth and Baptism of Agata Chodkowska – 1756

Posted on October 18, 2009 by Steve

Agata Chodkowska, daughter of Andrzej Chodkowski and Marianna Mossakowska, was born on about 08 March 1756 in Mosaki-Rukle, Ciechanów Land, Mazovian Voivodeship, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. She was baptized in the parish church in Krasne, Ciechanów Land, Mazovian Voivodeship, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth on 08 March 1756 .

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Agata Chodkowska - 1756

Parafia pw. św. Jana Chrzciciela (Krasne, Ciechanów Land, Mazovian Voivodeship, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth), â€œLiber Baptisatorum Ecclesia Krasnensis ab Anno 1755 do Anu 1781. [Book of Baptisms of the Church in Krasne from the year 1755 to the year 1781.],” page 3, entry 14, Agata Chodkowska, 08 Mar 1756; filmed as Księgi metrykalne, 1657-1809; FHL INTL microfilm 1,496,578, Item 9.

Click on the image above to view a higher resolution image. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record of Agata Chodkowska. Translated from the Latin, the record reads:

14 Mosaki-Rukle

On the year and day above [08 March 1756], I Łukasz Ogrodziński, Canon Regular of the Laterans, baptized a female with the name Agata, daughter of the legally married couple, the Nobles Andrzej and Marianna Chotkowski. The godparents were the Noble Paweł Ostrowski and the Noble Katarzyna Grochowska.

Julianna was my fourth great grand aunt, the sister of my fourth great grandmother, Cecylia Chodkowska.

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A Fine Day in Santa Barbara

Posted on October 17, 2009 by Steve

I just returned from a trip to Santa Barbara, California where I presented two lectures to the Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society: “Genealogy and the Changing Map of Eastern Europe” and “A New Look at Immigrant Passenger Manifests”.

After the program, I was treated to a quick tour of Santa Barbara and, in particular, a personal tour of the library of the Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society, the Sahyun Library, locatedÂ at 316 Castillo Street, Santa Barbara.

The Sahyun Library

The library houses an impressive collection of books and microforms, a computer lab, and rooms for meetings and presentations. The fireside room in particular is a warm and inviting space for personal research and meetings.

Fireside Room

The facility is the gift of the family of Dr. Melville Sahyun, an immigrant from Lebanon whose distinguished career in biochemistry and pharmaceutics led to the development of a number of commercial products, the best known of which is Visine.

Fifty years ago, Dr. Sahyun planted a seed of a Cherry Tree of the Rio Grande (of Brazil) which grew into a beautiful tree on the property. The tree has great sentimental value to the Sahyun family and, so, when the Santa Barbara Genealogical Society decided to expand the library by building an addition, the Society relocated the tree to another location on the property in order to allow room for the expansion and save the tree.

Cherry Tree of the Rio Grande

The library includes over 14,000 items, the books being the most obvious to visitors to the library.

Stacks at the Sahyun Library

In all, a fine day in Santa Barbara.

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The Birth and Baptism of Julianna Chodkowska – 1758

Posted on October 15, 2009 by Steve

Julianna Chodkowska, daughter of Andrzej Chodkowski and Marianna Mossakowska, was born on about 21 September 1758 in Mosaki-Rukle, Ciechanów Land, Mazovian Voivodeship, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. She was baptized in the parish church in Krasne, Ciechanów Land, Mazovian Voivodeship, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth on 21 September 1758.

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Julianna Chodkowksa - 1758

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Julianna Chodkowska - 1758

SOURCE: Parafia pw. św. Jana Chrzciciela (Krasne, Ciechanów Land, Mazovian Voivodeship, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth), â€œLiber Baptisatorum Ecclesia Krasnensis ab Anno 1755 do Anu 1781. [Book of Baptisms of the Church in Krasne from the year 1755 to the year 1781.],” page 30, entry 36, Julianna Chodkowska, 21 Sep 1758; filmed as Księgi metrykalne, 1657-1809; FHL INTL microfilm 1,496,578, Item 9.

Click on the image above to enlarge it. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record of Julianna Chodkowska. Translated from the Latin, the record reads:

36 Mosaki Rukle

On the 21st of September [1758]I, Jakub Pilchowski, Canon Regular of the Laterans, baptized an infant with the name Julianna, daughter of the Nobles Andrzej Chotkowski and his legally married wife Marianna née Mossakowska. The Godparents in the Sacred Font were the Nobles Julianna Chotkowska and Slaski of the village of Slasy.

Julianna was my fourth great grand aunt, the sister of my fourth great grandmother, Cecylia Chodkowska.

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The Birth and Baptism of Jan Chodkowski – 1761

Posted on October 14, 2009 by Steve

Jan Chodkowski, son of Andrzej Chodkowski and Marianna Mossakowska, was born on about 08 March 1761 in Mosaki-Rukle, Ciechanów Land, Mazovian Voivodeship, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. He was baptized in the parish church in Krasne, Ciechanów Land, Mazovian Voivodeship, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth on 08 March 1761.

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Jan Chodkowski - 1761

SOURCE: Parafia pw. św. Jana Chrzciciela (Krasne, Ciechanów Land, Mazovian Voivodeship, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth), â€œLiber Baptisatorum Ecclesia Krasnensis ab Anno 1755 do Anu 1781. [Book of Baptisms of the Church in Krasne from the year 1755 to the year 1781.],” pages 64-65, entry 10, Jan Chodkowski, 08 Mar 1761; filmed as Księgi metrykalne, 1657-1809; FHL INTL microfilm 1,496,578, Item 9.

Click on the image above to enlarge it. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record of Jan Chodkowski. Translated from the Latin, the record reads:

10 Mosaki Rukle:

In the same year as above [the year of the Lord 1761], on the 8th of March I, Jan Gawlenski, Canon Regular of the Laterans, baptized an infant with the name Jan, son of the Nobles Andrzej Chotkowski and his legal wife Marianna. The Godparents in the Sacred Font were the Noble Maciej Milewski and the Noble Katarzyna Grochowska.

Jan Chodkowski was the brother of my fourth great grandmother, Cecylia Chodkowska, making him my fourth great granduncle. Most of the records I have seen for the family spells the surname Chotkowski. However, Polish genealogist Adam Pszczółkowski who wrote the seminal work on the family, spells the name Chodkowski. This spelling is probably a reflection of the fact that, today, most descendants of the family spell their surname with a “d” rather than with the traditional “t”.

From a practical point of view, the “d” and “t” are somewhat interchangeable. The pronunciations of Chotkowski and Chodkowski are very similar.

For those reasons, I have chosen to spell the surname as Chodkowski in my own database.

REFERENCE: Pszczółkowski, Adam A. 2005. Gniazdo i Krze: rodowody Chodkowskich. Chłodkowo Wielkie: Stowarzyszenie Rodów Chodkowskich.

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Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society October Program

Posted on October 13, 2009 by Steve

I’m pleased toÂ announce that I will be presenting two lectures at the Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society this coming Saturday, October 17, 2009. The event will be held at the First Presbyterian Church, Constance and State, Santa Barbara, California.

The program begins at 9:30 AM with a lecture on “Genealogy and the Changing Map of Eastern Europe”. This presentation will help attendees understand how the changes in borders, nationalities, and languages affect genealogical research in Central and Eastern Europe.

Finding the place of origin of an immigrant is crucial to finding historic records for that immigrant’s ancestors . Complicating matters are the changing borders in Europe during the past two centuries as the territorial acquisitions obliterated some nations from the map . Border changes in Europe affected not only the map of Europe, but also the records on which genealogists depend to document their ancestors’ lives.

The second lecture begins at 11:00 AM and is entitled “A New Look at Immigrant Passenger Manifests”. This presentation will survey the available US passenger manifests focusing on annotations and markings on the manifests that lead to additional information.

Immigrant passenger manifests provide family historians with important information about the origin, immigration, and destination of their immigrant ancestors . Passenger manifests after 1892 frequently include marks and annotations that can provide additional information about the experiences and activities of the immigrant. Some of these notations were made at the time of immigration; others were made years or decades later . Some describe corrections to the manifest, but other annotations can lead to other records that document the lives of the immigrant.

I’m looking forward to this trip. I haven’t been to beautiful Santa Barbara in many years, and the visit is sure to bring back pleasant memories of my previous two visits there.

If you are in the Santa Barbara area, please plan to attend!

Posted in Daily Journal | Tagged Genealogy Conferences | 1 Comment

The Sculptures of Saxon Garden, Warsaw (Part 6)

Posted on October 12, 2009 by Steve

Of the 21 surviving sandstone sculptures in the Saxon Garden in Warsaw, I have now shown all but one. The remaining sculpture is probably the first that many visitors will see when entering the garden from Pilsudski Square, and it is one of my favorites: Intelekt (Intellect). Like many of the sculptures in Saxon Garden, the inscription on this sculpture is incorrect. As a result of renovations in the 19th century, the inscription on this sculpture reads Jowisz (Jupiter).

**Intelekt**
Intelekt – IntellectÂ (Saxon Garden, Warsaw, Poland). Photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 28 Sep 2009. Copyright © 2009 by Stephen J. Danko.

The correct identifications of all the sculptures in Saxon Garden are described in Cesare Ripa’s Iconologia, first published in the 16th century. Based on Ripa’s Iconologia, the symbology of Intellect is:

A fiery youth dressed in gold with a gold crown on his head. His hair will be blond and twisted in beautiful curls. Plumes of fire will rise from the top of his head. In his right hand he will hold a scepter, and his left hand will point to an eagle located close by.

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The Sculptures of Saxon Garden, Warsaw (Part 5)

Posted on October 11, 2009 by Steve

The four sandstone sculptures from the Saxon Garden in Warsaw that are shown today include one with no inscription and three with incorrect inscriptions, the result of renovations in the 19th century.

The sculptures are Architektura Wojskowa (Military Architecture) which bears no inscription, Inwencja (Creativity) which bears the incorrect inscription Twórczość (Creation), Poezja (Poetry) which bears the incorrect inscription Muzyka (Music), and Sprawiedliwość (Justice) which bears the incorrect inscription Geografia (Geography).

Architektura Wojskowa - Military Architecture

SOURCE: Architektura Wojskowa – Military Architecture (Saxon Garden, Warsaw, Poland). Photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 28 Sep 2009.

Inwencja - Invention

SOURCE: Inwencja -Â Invention (Saxon Garden, Warsaw, Poland). Photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 28 Sep 2009.

Poezja - Poetry

SOURCE: Poezja – PoetryÂ (Saxon Garden, Warsaw, Poland). Photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 28 Sep 2009.

Sprawiedliwość - Justice

SOURCE: Sprawiedliwość – Justice (Saxon Garden, Warsaw, Poland). Photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 28 Sep 2009.

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The Sculptures of Saxon Garden, Warsaw (Part 4)

Posted on October 10, 2009 by Steve

Of the 21 surviving sandstone sculptures in Saxon Garden, many of the inscriptions are incorrect, the result of renovations in the 19th century. Several of he sculptures have no inscription at all, but the personifications have been deduced based on analysis of the subjects and the objects they hold.

The four sculptures shown here are all missing inscriptions. They are: Arytmetyka (Arithmetic), Geografia (Geography), Inteligencja (Intelligence), and Nauka (Science). TheÂ first two, Arytmetyka and Geografia, are 20th century reconstructions of the originals that were completely destroyed by the Nazis in World War II.

Arytmetyka

Geografia

Inteligencja

Nauka

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The Sculptures of Saxon Garden, Warsaw (Part 3)

Posted on October 9, 2009 by Steve

The sandstone sculptures in the Saxon Garden in Warsaw were, for the most part, created before 1745 by anonymous sculptors. Over the centuries, most of the sculptures were lost or destroyed. The remaining sculptures suffered the ravages of time and the elements. The surviving sculptures wereÂ restored during the 19th century and, at that time, many of the inscriptions were changed and are now incorrect.

The sculptures Flora (a personification of Spring), Jesień (Fall, personified by Baccus, the god of wine), Zima (Winter), and Wenus (Venus) are shown here. The sculpture of Wenus was created in the 19th century, much later than most.

Flora

SOURCE: Flora (Saxon Garden, Warsaw, Poland). Photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 28 Sep 2009.

Jesień

SOURCE: Jesień (Saxon Garden, Warsaw, Poland). Photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 28 Sep 2009.

Zima

SOURCE: Zima (Saxon Garden, Warsaw, Poland). Photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 28 Sep 2009.

Wenus

SOURCE: Wenus (Saxon Garden, Warsaw, Poland). Photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 28 Sep 2009.

Posted in Daily Journal | Tagged Warsaw | 2 Comments

The Sculptures of Saxon Garden, Warsaw (Part 2)

Posted on October 8, 2009 by Steve

The Saxon Garden was originally built behind the Saxon Palace, an imposing structure built in 1661-1664 for Jan Andrzej Morsztyn. In front of Saxon Palace lay Saxon Square, known today as Pilsudski Square.

In 1925, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was housed in the arcade that connected the two wings of the palace.

In 1944, after the Warsaw Uprising, the occupying Nazi Army blew up Saxon Palace. The only part that survives today is the section of the arcade that housed the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Of the four sculptures shown below, two are called Chwała (Glory), one is Prawda (Truth), and one is Rzeżbiarstwo (Sculpture). Since these sculptures were repaired many times since constructed in the 17th century, it is likely that the sculpture I have called ChwałaÂ II is misnamed. In addition, the sculpture named PrawdaÂ should be calledÂ Pouczenie (Instruction).