Steve's Genealogy Blog

The most distant Niedziałkowski relatives that I’ve discovered lived in Klonowo, a village belonging to the Pałuki parish in Poland.

In an effort to find other Niedziałkowski relatives, I searched the marriage index for the Pałuki parish from 1694-1808 and discovered quite a number of Niedziałkowskis listed.

• 02 Feb 1701 – Szymon Niedziałkowski & Agnieszka Kaumińska – #11
• 25 Feb 1710 – Mateusz Długołęki & Jadwiga Niedziałkowska – #21
• 18 Feb 1743 – Mikołaj Bartold & Franciszka Niedziałkowska – #87
• 20 Feb 1746 – Ignacy Niedziałkowski & Zofia Kamieńska – #90
• 22 Nov 1751 – Józef Obidzieński & Katarzyna Niedziałkowska – #12
• 24 Jan 1758 – Stefan Milewski & Teresa Niedziałkowska – #28
• 30 Jul 1759 – Stanisław Bartold & Agnieszka Niedziałkowska – #33
• 20 Feb 1764 – Jakób Niedziałkowski & Ewa Ostowska – #44
• 20 Jul 1766 – Jakób Niedziałkowski & Agnieszka Długołęcka – #51
• 02 Jan 1768 – Walenty Milewski & Maryanna Niedziałkowska – #58
• 14 Jan 1768 – Filip Małoszewski & Maryann Niedziałkowska – #58
• 12 Feb 1781 – Józef Niedziałkowski & Maryanna Kolakowska – #87
• 24 Jan 1785 – Wojciech Roman & Wiktorya Niedziałkowska – #10-11
• 19 Jan 1788 – Piotr Gozdzieński & Antonina Niedziałkowska – #14
• 30 Jun 1789 – Jan Niedziałkowski & Petronella Kuwacka – #17
• 05 Jul 1791 – Stanisław Gierwatowski & Mary Niedziałkowska – #20
• 09 Jul 1792 – Maciej Długołęki & Maryana Niedziałkowska – #22
• 11 Feb 1793 – Józef Morawski & Anna Niedziałkowska – #23
• 19 Jan 1800 – Wawrzeniec Kerzkowski & Julianna Niedziałkowska – #36

Over the course of 103 years, 19 Niedziałkowskis were married in Pałuki.

Of these, I know that Ignacy Niedziałkowski is my 5th great grandfather and Katarzyna Niedziałkowska is my 5th great grandaunt. As for the rest, I suspect they may all be related, but I don’t know how. Further research may help uncover these relationships.

These records were found in “Alfabetyczny Summaryusz Zaślubionych od roku 1694-1808 Parafii Pałukiej. [Alphabetical Summary of Marriages from the year 1694-1808 of the Pałuki Parish.]”, item 10; filmed as Księgi metrykalne, 1658-1836; FHL INTL microfilm 1,496,613.

Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko

On 24 Dec 1782, Agnieszka Obidzińska, my first cousin six times removed, was buried in the cemetery in Pałuki in Powiat ciechanowski, Województwo mazowieckie, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. She was the daughter of Józef Obidziński and Katarzyna Niedziałkowska.

The Burial Record of Agnieszka Obidzińska – Left Side

The Burial Record of Agnieszka Obidzińska - Right Side

SOURCE: Parafia pw. św. Gotarda (Pałuki, Powiat ciechanowski, Województwo mazowieckie, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, “Mortuorum ab Ao 1781 ad 1820. [Deaths from the year 1781 to 1820.],” item #, v folio 4, r folio 5, Agnieszka Obidzińska, 24 Dec 1782; filmed as Księgi metrykalne, 1658-1836; FHL INTL microfilm 1,296,613.

Click on the image above to enlarge it. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Burial Record of Agnieszka Obidzinska. Translated from the Latin the record states:

Name of Village: Obidzino
Name and Status of the Deceased: Noble Agnieszka Obidzińska
Year of Death: 1782
Month and Day of Burial: 24 Dec
Age and Place of Burial: Age 20, buried in the cemetery
Names of Parents: the Nobles Józef and Katarzyna Obidziński
Sacraments Received: All
Cause of Death: Unknown
Name of Parish Priest: Stanisław Ostrowicki

I could not read all the words in Latin, although I think I understand all the content of this record. I’ll have to look at other pages on the microfilm to see if any are more legible.

These records are the first I’ve seen from this part of Poland (north of Warsaw) that were maintained in a columnar format. Most were maintained in a paragraph form.

Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko

Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko

The village of Miłosna is the location in Poland in which some of my Niedziałkowski ancestors may have been born. In particular, my great granduncle Jan Niedziałkowski was born there (according to his marriage record), and my great grandfather Teofil Niedziałkowski may also have been born there. I suspect my grandfather Kostanty Niedziałkowski was also born there.

Austrian Military Map of Miłosna Area – 1910 

SOURCE: Third Military Mapping Survey of Austria-Hungary, Sheet 39-52, Varsó. Online http://lazarus.elte.hu/hun/digkonyv/topo/200e/39-52.jpg; downloaded 02 Oct 2008.

Słownik Geograficzny Entry for Miłosna

Source:  Source:  Sulimierski, Filip, Bronisław Chlebowski, and Władysław Walewski, eds., Słownik Geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i Innych Krajów Słowiańskich (Geographical Dictionary of the Kingdom of Poland and other Slavonic Countries) – Warsaw 1885, Volume VI, page 440.

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Słownik Geograficzny entry for Miłosna. Translated from the Polish, the entry reads:

Miłosna 1.) a village and settlement in Powiat [District] warszawski and gmina [township] Wawer; the parish is in Wiązowna. It lies in the middle of a sandy hill covered with forests, 14 versts [1 verst = 0.663 miles] distant from Warszawa. It possesses a railway station from Warszawa to Terespol, 17 versts from the Warszawa b. post office by a beaten track going from Warszawa to Brześć and from Warszawa to Lublin. In the year 1827 there were 15 homes and 123 residents here. The possessions of Miłosna consist of the folwarks [large manorial farmsteads]: Miłosna, Borków, Kaczydół, and Żurawka, nomenclature: Pochulanka, Janówek, and Zakręt, as well as the village of Zakręt, an open expanse of 6397 mórgs [in the Russian partition 1 mórg = 1.388 acres]; the Miłosna folwark includes 364 mórgs of arable land and gardens, 68 mórgs of meadows, 2 mórgs of water, 1689 mórgs of forests, 3482 mórgs of brush, 70 mórgs of unused land and squares; in the settlement there are 21 mórgs of clearcut and land lease, together there are 5793 mórgs; in the Borków folwark there are 89 mórgs of arable land and gardens, 109 mórgs of meadows,103 mórgs of pastures, 19 mórgs of forests, 10 mórgs of unused land and squares, together there are 330 mórgs; in the Kaczydół there are 168 mórgs of arable land and gardens, 23 mórgs of unused land and squares, together there are 191 mórgs; in the Żurawka folwark there are 80 mórgs of arable land, 3 mórgs of unused land and squares, together there are 83 mórgs; there are 13 brick buildings and 58 wooden buildings. The village of Zakręt has 19 settlers and 71 arable mórgs .  2.) M[iłosna] is a clearcut settlement in Powiat kutnoski and Gmina Krośniewice, the parish is in Miłonice. It is part of the property of Miłonice.
                                                   Br[onisław] Ch[lebowski]

The Family History Library has microfilmed the parish registers from Wiązowna, the parish to which the village of Miłosna belonged. I’ve ordered three of these films.

In the map, above, it is apparent how close Miłosna is to Warsaw. On one document, my grandfather claimed he was born in Warsaw. Given the close proximity of Miłosna to Warsaw, if my grandfather was actually born in Miłosna, it would be understandable why he would say he was born in Warsaw.

The maps of the Third Military Mapping Survey of Austria-Hungary and the entries in the Słownik Geograficzny were prepared at about the same time and make a good pair for studying places in and around the Congress Kingdom of Poland at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century, a time period when the Eastern European ancestors of present-day Americans left their homelands for the United States.

Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko

Newspaper articles and obituaries often provide information about our relatives lives beyond the mere facts of birth, marriage, and death.

Below, I’ve provided the names of ten of my Danko relatives and ten excerpts from their obituaries. Danko family members can try to match the names to the excerpts. The rest of you can just read the details to see the rich and varied lives my Danko relatives lived.

The names are:

• John J. Petri
• Michael J. Danko
• Joseph M. Iwaniec
• George L. McGinn
• Sophie (Danko) Gibson
• Jean B. (Skowronski, Sharron) Danko
• Joseph J. Danko
• Maryanna (Dziurzynski) Danko
• Bertha T. (Danko) McGinn
• Victoria T. Golinski

The excerpts from the obituaries to match with the names are:

1. He was an Army veteran of World War II, serving as a sergeant with Company A, 366th Military Police Service Battalion, in the European-African-Middle Eastern theater.
2. [She] was a laboratory assistant at St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester for 14 years, retiring in 1981.
3. He was a wire drawer at American Steel & Wire Co. for 38 years, retiring 10 years ago.
4. She was born in Slewnica, Poland, and came to this country in 1909 and lived in Worcester prior to moving to Albany in 1953.
5. [She was] a native of Austria who had been an Albany resident for 55 years.
6. He was employed by the NY Central Railroad and the East Buffalo Car Shops for many years. He was also a salesman for several years and a security guard at the Washington Park Lakehouse.
7. [She] was a laundry worker at Memorial Hospital in Worcester for 35 years, retiring in 1978. She was a member of Our Lady of Czestochowa Church in Worcester.
8. She worked at the former U.S. Envelope Co. for 12 years until 1970 .  She then worked as a dietary aide at The Memorial Hospital from 1972 to 1975.
9. He was a maintenance man at Rockwood Sprinkler Co. for 20 years before retiring in 1974.
10. [He] was born in Albany and lived in the Capital District most of his life. He was a security supervisor at Sterling Organics Company in Rensselaer.

The names, correctly matched with the excerpts are:

John J. Petri (husband of my aunt, Helen A. Danko) = 6
Michael Danko (my grandfather) = 3
Joseph M. Iwaniec (son of my aunt, Statia Danko) = 10
George L. McGinn (husband of my aunt, Bertha T. Danko) = 9
Sophie (Danko) Gibson (my aunt) = 5
Jean B. (Skowronski, Sharron) Danko (wife of my uncle, Michael J. Danko) = 2
Joseph J. Danko (my uncle) = 1
Maryanna (Dziurzynski) Danko (my grandmother) = 4
Bertha T. (Danko) McGinn (my aunt) = 8
Victoria T. Golinski (daughter of my grand aunt, Maryanna Danko) = 7

While not providing an entire biography, these obituaries provide a glimpse into the lives of ancestors and other relatives, information that, in just a single generation, might otherwise be lost or otherwise difficult to discover.

Written for the Carnival of Genealogy.

Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko