Mogę mówić po Polsku!

Posted on September 29, 2009 by Steve

I can speak Polish!

Today I held my first conversations completely in Polish. The converations weren’t much at all, but still I did not resort to English.

The first conversation was in a taxi from the archives to the hotel. Neither the driver nor I said much. I just told him “Hotel Marriott”. He repeated the destination and drove me there. Upon arrival he told me the price of the fare. I paid and left the taxi, offering him a “Dziekuję” (Thank-you) as I left.

I then stopped by a flower stand to pick up some roses for my cousin Kasia. The salesperson showed me her wares, picking one bunch of flowers, then another, extolling the virtues of each. I just kept saying, “Nie” (No). To be honest, I didn’t understand most of what she was saying, but I got the general idea.

Finally she showed me a bunch of roses, the outer petals white, the heart of each rose glowing with a delicate pink color. I asked, “Ile kostuje?” (“How much does it cost?”) and the vendor clearly stated the price. If there’s one thing I’m good at in Polish, it’s numbers. I deal with numbers in every Polish document I translate: dates, ages, house numbers, numbers of banns of marriage, etc. I agreed to the price simply by saying “Dobrze” (OK). I gave the salesperson the correct amount of money and told her “Dziękuję” (Thank you).

I learned one hint about flowers last night at dinner with my cousin Christa and her cousin Adam. An odd number of flowers is suitable for the living and an even number is appropriate for the deceased. I’m glad I learned this tip, because Adam looked truly horrified when I told him it was common in the United States to give a spouse or lover a dozen or half-dozen roses! Fortunately, the vendors in the flower stalls had conveniently packaged many of the bunches of flowers in groups of five.

I also met several cousins today for the first time: Wojciech (related to my Niedziałkowski ancestors) and Kasia and family (related to my Danko ancestors).

I still have other relatives to meet later this week but, unfortunately, my time in Poland seems to be passing by too quickly!

One thing that I kind of got a kick out of while writing this post was that I noticed that, here in Warsaw, Google automatically connects me to Google.pl, the Polish version of the Google home page!

Copyright © 2009 by Stephen J. Danko

Posted in Dańko, Niedziałkowski | Tagged | 4 Comments

A Blanket, a Cat, and a Form

Posted on September 28, 2009 by Steve

I spent most of the day today at the Polish State Archives (AGAD) in Warsaw with my cousin Christa. For the most part, we searched through books of Polish Court Records and did, indeed, find records of our families. I did sneak out to take some photos, though.

We also met up with Christa’s friend Adam for supper and, during dessert, we got into a discussion that started to sound like an Abbott and Costello routine.

Steve: “Once I made the mistake of asking for ‘jeszcze jeden kot’ (another cat) instead of ‘jeszcze jeden koc’ (another blanket).”

Adam: “Why would you say ‘blankiet’? Blankiet is a blank piece of paper, a blank form.”

Christa: “No a blanket is something you pull over you to keep warm.”

Steve: “My grand aunt Stefania’s will was written in Polish, but used the word ‘blenkiet’ rather than ‘koc’.”

Christa: “So, what is ‘blanket’ in Polish?”

Adam: “‘Blankiet’ is Polish for a blank form.”

Steve: “No, the word you want is ‘blanket’, not ‘blankiet’.

Christa: “We just always called blankets, blankets.”

OK, the conversation didn’t proceed exactly like that, but you get the idea. And, would you believe we got into this discussion after Christa brought us to a stationery store to buy a pillow?

Copyright © 2009 by Stephen J. Danko

Posted in Daily Journal | Tagged | 2 Comments

Z Kalifornii do Nowego Jorku

Posted on September 26, 2009 by Steve

Today, I travelled from California to New York.

The title of this post “Z Kalifornii do Nowego Jorku” is a bit of a play on the title of a lecture “Z Nowego Jorku do Kalifornii” that Henryk Sienkiewicz gave in Lviv in 1879. Sienkiewicz is one of my favorite Polish authors and is probably the best known Polish author in America. He wrote the novel Quo Vadis (Where Are You Going) which was the basis for the 1951 film of the same name starring Robert Taylor, Deborah Kerr, Leo Genn, and Peter Ustinov.

My favorite Sienkiewicz work, however is Ogniem i Mieczem (With Fire and Sword) which, in 1999 was made into the most expensive film ever produced in Poland. The 2001 Polish production of Quo Vadis, however, has since snatched that honor from Ogniem i Mieszem.

So, what does all this have to do with my trip from California to New York? Not much really. However, my stay in New York is brief – only a few hours. Soon, I’ll be on a plane to Warsaw to spend a week with my cousin Christa, conducting research in the archives. And therein lies the Polish connection.

I also have plans to get together with a few of my cousins who live in Poland, cousins with whom I’ve corresponded but never before met in person. Like most of my trips, I’m not quite ready for this journey to Warsaw. I couldn’t find some of the papers I wanted to bring and my ability at the Polish language, while admittedly never very good, is rather rusty.

But that’s all OK. The weather in Warsaw is predicted to be spectacular this week. I just hope I can drag myself away from the archives long enough to enjoy some of it!

Copyright © 2009 by Stephen J. Danko

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The Family of Adam Obiedziński and Katarzyna Jazwieńska

Posted on September 24, 2009 by Steve

Yesterday, I listed the children of Maciej Obiedziński and Marianna Milewska. Today, I searched for Maciej’s siblings, but only found two sisters.

The children of Adam Obiedziński and Katarzyna Jazwieńska were:

  1. Agnieszka, born in Obiedzino and baptized on 27 Jan 1715 in Pałuki.
  2. Elzbieta, born in Obiedzino and baptized on 21 Nov 1717 in Pałuki.
  3. Maciej, born in Obiedzino and baptized on 15 Sep 1727 in Pałuki.

There is quite a gap between the first two children’s births and Maciej’s birth. There may have been other children born during this ten year period whose baptisms were not recorded in the Pałuki baptismal registers. The maiden name of the mother of Agnieszka and Elzbieta was listed as Jazwieńska, but the maiden name of Maciej’s mother was not provided. However, Polish court records describe Elzbieta and Maciej as brother and sister.

There is one other birth of a child to an Adam Obiedziński and wife Katarzyna:

  1. Franciszka, born in [Dobki?] and baptized on 06 Apr 1727 in Pałuki.

The maiden name of this child’s mother was not provided. However, I did find the marriage record of Adam Obiedziński and Katarzyna Piniewska recorded on 24 Nov 1722 in Pałuki. These are most likely the parents of the child Franciszka.

Copyright © 2009 by Stephen J. Danko

Posted in Obidziński | Tagged , | 1 Comment

The Family of Maciej Obiedziński and Marianna Milewska

Posted on September 23, 2009 by Steve

After posting about my research on the family of Adam Obiedziński and Faustyna Apolonia Obiedzińska, my cousin Christa wrote to me with a wealth of information she has from her own research on the Obiedziński family. She told me about another daughter of Adam and Faustyna Apolonia Obiedziński, born on 28 Dec 1802 and named Elzbieta, and she told me that the death record of an unnamed child of Adam and Faustyna Apolonia was that of their son Maciej.

Christa also told me that, in addition to being husband and wife, Adam Obiedziński and Faustyna Apolonia Obiedzińska were third cousins, once removed. Christa has the ancesty of the Obiedziński family going way further back in time than I do . Using the information provided by Christa, I found the birth and baptismal records for Adam Obiedziński and his siblings:

  1. Adam, born in Obiedzino and baptized on 25 Dec 1759 in Pałuki.
  2. Michał, born in Obiedzino and baptized on 24 Sep 1763 in Pałuki.
  3. Franciszek, born in Obiedzino and baptized on 07 Apr 1766 in Pałuki.
  4. Franciszek, born in Obiedzino and baptized on 09 Oct 1768 in Pałuki.
  5. Benedykt, born in Obiedzino and baptized on 25 Mar 1770 in Pałuki.

I discovered that I was also mistaken about the given name of Adam’s father. From the marriage record of Adam and Faustyna Apolonia, I read Adam’s father’s name as Mateusz. However, on the birth and baptismal records of Adam and his siblings their father’s name appears to be Maciej.

Further confusion comes from the fact that these records are written in Latin and the given names are all translated into that language. The Latin form of Mateusz is Matthaeus and the Latin form of Maciej is Mathias. If the names had been written in Polish, there would have been no confusion.

The fact that two of the children of Maciej Obiedziński and Marianna Milewska were named Franciszek suggests that the first child with that name may have died before the second was born.

Copyright © 2009 by Stephen J. Danko

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The Family of Adam Obiedziński and Apolonia Obiedziński

Posted on September 22, 2009 by Steve

One of my favorite names is that of my first cousin six-times removed, Faustina Apolonia Obiedzińska.

Today, I discovered that Apolonia, as she was commonly called, married Adam Obiedziński on 25 Oct 1785 in Pałuki, Ciechanów Land, Mazovian Voivodeship, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Apolonia was the daughter of Mateusz Krzysztof Niedziałkowski and Konstancja Żaboklicka. Adam was the son of Mateusz and Marianna Obiedziński. Both families were members of the Polish Nobility.

After discovering Apolonia’s marriage, I quickly found the birth and baptismal records of seven children of the couple:

  1. Marianna, born on 18 Sep 1786 in Obiedzino and baptized on 19 Sep 1786 in Pałuki.
  2. Józef, born in Obiedzino and baptized on 08 Mar 1789 in Pałuki.
  3. Anna, born in Obiedzino and baptized on 06 Feb 1791 in Pałuki.
  4. Katarzyna, born in Obiedzino and baptized on 26 jan 1793 in Pałuki.
  5. Maciej, born in Obiedzino and baptized on 27 Mar 1795 in Pałuki.
  6. Aleksander, born in Obiedzino and baptized on 20 Feb 1797 in Pałuki.
  7. Grzegorz Stanisław, born on 23 May 1799 in Obiedzino and baptized on 24 May 1799 in Pałuki.

I also found the death and burial record for an unnamed male child of the couple who died on 04 Mar 1796 in Obiedzino.

With this information I can look for Adam Obiedziński’s ancestors and perhaps learn if Apolonia and Adam were distant cousins. I can also look for the marriages and deaths of the couple’s seven children.

The Obiedziński family takes their surname from the village of Obiedzino in which this couple settled.

Copyright © 2009 by Stephen J. Danko

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The Wici Dancers

Posted on September 21, 2009 by Steve

At last weekend’s conference of the Polish Genealogical Society of America, the Wici Dancers entertained attendees at the Saturday luncheon.

Wici Dancers 1

Wici Dancers 1

SOURCE: Wici Dancers 1 (Schaumburg, Cook County, Illinois). Photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 19 September 2009.

Wici Dancers 2

Wici Dancers 2

SOURCE: Wici Dancers 2 (Schaumburg, Cook County, Illinois). Photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 19 September 2009.

Wici Dancers 3

Wici Dancers 3

SOURCE: Wici Dancers 3 (Schaumburg, Cook County, Illinois). Photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 19 September 2009.

Wici Dancers 4

Wici Dancers 4

SOURCE: Wici Dancers 4 (Schaumburg, Cook County, Illinois). Photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 19 September 2009.

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The 2009 Conference of the Polish Genealogical Society of America – Day 2

Posted on September 20, 2009 by Steve

The 2009 Conference of the Polish Genealogical Society of America (PGSA) ended on Saturday. I attended four lectures out of the thirteen offered:

  • Kahlile Mehr – “Online Databases of the Polish State Archives”
  • Loretto Dennis Szucs and Julianna Szucs Smith – “A Dozen Ways to Jumpstart a Family History Project”
  • Loretto Dennis Szucs – “They Became Americans – Finding Naturalizations and Ethnic Origins”
  • Loretto Dennis Szucs – “Hidden Sources for finding Family Stories”

I attended all three lectures that Loretto (Lou) Szuczs presented in the afternoon. It was sort of my “afternoon with Lou Szucs”.

Loretto (Lou) Dennis Szucs

Loretto (Lou) Dennis Szucs

SOURCE: Loretto (Lou) Dennis Szucs (Schaumburg, Cook County, Illinois. Photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 19 September 2009.

I skipped one lecture I had planned to attend by Michael Mikoś on “The Partitions of Poland and What They Meant to Our Ancestors” because I was meeting with a Polish translator, getting help with an 18th century mortgage document from Poland and, by the time I made it over to the lecture hall, all seats were taken.

In addition to the lectures, the conference attendees were treated to a lunchtime banquet where the PGSA presented several awards and the attendees watched a performance of traditional Polish dances by the Wici Dancers.

Copyright © 2009 by Stephen J. Danko

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The 2009 Conference of the Polish Genealogical Society of America – Day 1

Posted on September 18, 2009 by Steve

Today was the first day of the 2009 Conference of the Polish Genealogical Society of America .  The lectures presented today were:

  • Stan Schmidt – Case Study “Finding Family the Easy Way – Let Them Find You”
  • Karen Stanuch, Joan Fenili, and Janet Halfar – Case Study “Anna and Her Sisters”
  • Ken Nowakowski – Case Study “The Four Sisters”
  • Jadwiga Cyparska, PhD – “You Are Able to Understand Polish, Too!”
  • Dr. Michael Mikos – “Visiting Poland: The Glory of the Past and the Promise of the Future”
  • Cynthia Piech – “Folk Costumes of Various Regions of Poland: Influences, Styles, Fabric, and Details”

I was able to speak with Michael Mikos and Cynthis Piech briefly at the end of the day’s events and get a photo of each of them.

Michael Mikoś

Michael Mikoś

SOURCE: Michael Mikoś (Schaumburg, Cook County, Illinois). Photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 18 Sep 2009.

Cynthia Piech

Cynthia Piech

SOURCE: Cynthia Piech (Schaumburg, Cook County, Illinois). Photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 18 Sep 2009.

Today’s lectures were easy to listen to: entertaining, interesting, and informative. Tomorrow’s lectures delve into some pretty heavy stuff: archives, history, gazetteers, sources, cemeteries, and more.

Copyright © 2009 by Stephen J. Danko

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The Birth and Baptism of Kunegunda Niedziałkowska – 1762

Posted on September 17, 2009 by Steve

On about 07 Mar 1762, Kunegunda Niedziałkowska, daughter of Kazimierz Niedziałkowski and Brygida Milewska, was born in Mosaki Rukle, Ciechanów Land, Mazovian Voivodeship, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. On 07 Mar 1762, she was baptized in the parish church in Krasne, Ciechanów Land, Mazovian Voivodeship, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Kunegunda Niedziałkowska - 1762

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Kunegunda Niedziałkowska - 1762

SOURCE: Parish of St. John the Baptist (Krasne, Ciechanów Land, Mazovian Voivodeship, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth), “Liber 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 20, entry 28, Marianna Niedziałkowska, 16 Jun 1757; 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 Kunegunda Niedziałkowska. Translated from the Latin, the record reads:

Mosaki Rukle 18

I, Jakub Pilchowski, Canon Regular of the Laterans, [Prd?] and pastor, on the 7th day of March [1762], baptized a female child by the name of Kunegunda, daughter of the noble Kazimierz Niedziałkowski and Brigida, his legally married wife. The Godparents in the Sacred Font were the noble Julianna Chotkowska and Błazej Mossakowski.

Copyright © 2009 by Stephen J. Danko

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