The Birth and Baptism of Marguerite Fortin – 1677

On 28 May 1677, Marguerite Fortin, daughter of Julien Fortin-Bellefontaine and Genevií¨ve Gamache, was born. On 05 Jun 1677, she was baptized in the chapel at Cap Tourmente, Canada, New France.

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Marguerite Fortin - 1677

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Marguerite Fortin – 1677

SOURCE: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Drouin Collection. Montréal, Québec, Canada : Institut Généalogique Drouin. Ste. Anne de Beaupré, Canada, New France, 1677. Birth and Baptismal Record of Marguerite Fortin, page 35.

Click on the image above to enlarge it. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record of Marguerite Fortin. The record reads:

Baptism of Marguerite Fortin

In the year of O[ur] Lord, [one thousand six hundred]
seventy seven on the fifth of June, I baptized in the chapel
of Cap Tourmente, Marguerite Fortin, born on the twenty-
eighth of last May, daughter of Julian Fortin
and Genevií¨ve Gamache, his wife. The Godfather
was M. Pierre Gagnon, father, and the Godmother
was Marguerite Martin, wife of í‰tienne Racin.
Signed F[raní§ois]Fillon, missionary priest.
                                     [signed] Morin, priest

This record can be found as image 25/877 in the Quebec Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967 on Ancestry.com in the records for Ste. Anne du Beaupré 1668-1808. The record appears on page 35.

This image is apparently from a transcript of the original record book since it states that the record was signed by Franí§ois Fillon, but was actually signed by Morin.

The first part of the year (one thousand six hundred) is apparently abbreviated in a manner I don’t understand (it appears to be something like “gbj C”).

The Godfather is M. Pierre Gagnon pí¨re. I am uncertain what the “M” stands for or why the word pí¨re appears after his name. Pierre Gagnon is not the father of Marguerite Fortin, nor is he one of her grandfathers.

UPDATE: Gilles Cayouette of The Nomadic Researcher wrote to tell me that he thinks there may have been two Pierre Gagnon’s in this locality: a father and son with the same name. To differentiate between the two, clerks may have simply referred to the father as “Pierre Gagnon pí¨re” and the son as “Pierre Gagnon fils”. Thanks again for your help, Gilles!

Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko

Posted in Daily Journal, Fortin, Gamache | 1 Comment

Born at the Right Time

My fourth great grandfather, Tomasz Niedziałkowksi, lived a relatively unusual life. He was born on 20 Dec 1750, he married for the first time at age 34, he lived in four different countries although he never lived more than 10 miles from the place he was born, he fathered children when he was 60, and he died just short of his 76th birthday.

Both Tomasz and his wife Cecylia Chotkowska were members of the nobility, and one might expect that the marriage between the two was arranged. If the marriage was arranged at the time of Cecylia’s birth in 1767 (when Tomasz was 16 years old), Tomasz would have had to wait 18 more years until Cecylia was old enough to marry.

The earliest known birth of a child to the couple was in about 1793, eight years after their marriage. Tomasz and Cecylia continued to have children until he was 60 years old and she was 44.

If any of my direct ancestors was born at the right time to see dramatic changes in his homeland, it was Tomasz. During his life, Tomasz saw his homeland ruled by four distinct governments: the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Kingdom of Prussia, the Duchy of Warsaw (with allegiance to France), and the Congress Kingdom of Poland (with allegiance to the Russian Empire).

Tomasz died on 17 Dec 1826 and, although he was just a few days short of his 76th birthday, his death record stated that he was 72 years old.

A timeline of Tomasz’ life shows the tumultuous political and military conditions of his homeland interspersed with events in his personal life:

  • Age 0 – 20 Dec 1750 – Born in Klonowo, Powiat Ciechanowski, Wojewódstwo Mazowieckie, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
  • Age 21 – 05 August 1772 – First Partition of Poland
  • Age 34 – 15 Nov 1785 – Married Cecylia Chotkowska in Krasne, Powiat Ciechanowski, Wojewódstwo Mazowieckie, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
  • Age 42 – 23 Jan 1793 – Second Partition of Poland
  • Age 42 – About 1793 – Birth of daughter Maryanna in Powiat Ciechanowski, Wojewódstwo Mazowieckie, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
  • Age  44 – 24 Oct 1795 – Third Partition of Poland
  • Age 45 – 17 Feb 1796 – Birth of son Walenty in Mosaki Godacze, Kreise Przasnysz, Departement Plozk, New East Prussia, Kingdom of Prussia
  • Age 46 – 12 Jul 1797 – Birth of son Jan in Godacze, Kreise Przasnysz, Departement Plozk, New East Prussia, Kingdom of Prussia
  • Age 47 – 23 Jul 1798 – Birth of daughter Anna in Mosaki Godacze, Kreise Przasnysz, Departement Plozk, New East Prussia, Kingdom of Prussia
  • Age 50 – 05 Jul 1801 – Birth of son Józef in Mosaki Godacze, Kreise Przasnysz, Departement Plozk, New East Prussia, Kingdom of Prussia
  • Age 56 – 09 Jul 1807 – Formation of the Duchy of Warsaw (with allegiance to France)
  • Age 57 – 24 Jun 1808 – Birth of daughter Ludwika in Mosaki Godacze, Powiat Przasnysz, Departament Płock, Duchy of Warsaw
  • Age 60 – 14 Sep 1811 – Birth of son Antoni in Godacze, Krasne Gmina, Powiat Przasnysz, Departament Płock, Duchy of Warsaw
  • Age 62 – Jan 1813 – Collapse of the Duchy of Warsaw
  • Age 64 – 09 Jun 1815 – Congress of Vienna and formation of the Congress Kingdom of Poland (with allegiance to the Russian Empire)
  • Age 75 – 17 Dec 1826 – Died in Mosaki Godacze, Powiat Ciechanowski, Gubernia Płockiej, Congress Kingdom of Poland

Written for the 52nd Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy.

Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko

Posted in Daily Journal, Niedziałkowski | Tagged | 4 Comments

The Birth and Baptism of Jean Fortin – 1674

Between 10 Jun 1674 and 25 Jul 1674, Jean Fortin, son of Julien Fortin-Bellefontaine and Genevií¨ve Gamache, was baptized in Ste. Anne de Beaupré, Canada, New France.

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Jean Fortin - 1674

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Jean Fortin – 1674

SOURCE: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Drouin Collection. Montréal, Québec, Canada : Institut Généalogique Drouin. Ste. Anne de Beaupré, Canada, New France, 1674. Birth and Baptismal Record of Jean Fortin, pages 22-23.

Click on the image above to enlarge it. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record of Jean Fortin. The record reads:

Baptism of Jean Fortin 1674

In the year of O[ur] Lord, [one thousand six hundred]
seventy four, Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  I baptized in the Church of
Saint Anne, an infant born
of Julian Fortin and Genevií¨ve Gamache, his wife.
His Godfather was Jean Gagnon and his Godmother was
Marguerite Gagnon, wife of Jean Caron. The infant was
named Louis. Signed F[raní§ois]Fillon, missionary priest.
                                     [signed] Morin, priest

This record can be found as image 19/877 in the Quebec Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967 on Ancestry.com in the records for Ste. Anne du Beaupré 1668-1808. The record appears on pages 22-23.

This image is apparently from a transcript of the original record book since it states that the record was signed by Franí§ois Fillon, but was actually signed by Morin.

The actual dates of birth and baptism are missing – there are blank spaces in the record. The best conclusion that can be drawn about the date of baptism is that it occurred between the baptisms recorded immediately before and after Jean Fortin’s baptism. Thus, the date of baptism is most likely between 10 Jun 1674 and 25 Jul 1674.

Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko

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Breaking Down Brick Walls at CGS

San Francisco Bay Area genealogists who attended Saturday’s meeting at the California Genealogical Society and Library were treated to a lively and informative presentation on Breaking Down Brick Walls. The Sherman Room at the Society’s facility in Oakland was filled to capacity for the event.

Lavinia Schwarz, Nancy Peterson, and Jane Hufft

Lavinia Schwarz, Nancy Peterson, and Jane Hufft

SOURCE: Lavinia Schwarz, Nancy Peterson, and Jane Hufft (Oakland, Alameda Co., California). Photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 12 Jul 2008.

Although billed as a panel discussion, Jane Hufft, Lavinia Schwarz, and Nancy Peterson presented a well-integrated series of three lectures that provided a new way to look at brick walls.

The session opened with a discussion of three big problems in genealogy: finding parents, spouse, and location . The approach to breaking through brick walls that Jane, Lavinia, and Nancy discussed is to Review, Reach Out, and Reframe.

REVIEW

What source types are essential to your problem and what sources have you failed to examine? Have you cited all sources so you know where you are? Keep a search record and construct a bibliography.

What needs a second look? Review census records (including neighbors). Reexamine surnames, including possible variations and misspellings. Read about the history for the region and the era. Evaluate family stories.

Are there sources and methods you haven’t yet examined? Think about maps, tax records, land records, scholarly journals, bibliographies in the backs of sources, military records, passport records, church records, and newspapers.

Is it time to start researching every relative and hanger-on? Research collateral lines: siblings with different surnames, all children descending from the relative in question, all brothers and sisters of the ancestor and the ancestor’s spouse.

Look for sources in other libraries (regional, university, local, historical, state). Ask the librarian for help. Are any applicable vertical files or manuscripts available?

How can you expand your search? Search newspapers in city, local library, and university archives. Visit the locale, set up contacts, find out whom else is buried at the local cemetery. Remember to search county-level records, land, probate, chancery court, and poorhouse records.

Consider hiring a professional researcher. A local person may be able to uncover information you can’t. Locate other researchers working on this line. consult with others, including friends and other genealogists, about your brick wall.

Evaluate your time. Is this problem keeping you from completing other research? Sometimes you need to accept the fact that certain information may simply not be there.

Use the Internet efficiently. Try multiple search engines including Google, Dogpile, Yahoo, Ask, Metacrawler, AltaVista, and LiveSearch. Review popular websites and databases such as Ancestry, NewspaperArchives, Footnote, etc.

REACH OUT

Network with others. Who knows more than you? Question family members, including extended family.

Search and post on RootsWeb message boards. Join a mailing list. Search and post on Genforum. Be prepared to wait a long time before someone posts a reply to your message.

Learn more as the brick wall tumbles. Build upon what you have learned.

Visit the area of your search. Visit the courthouse, libraries, genealogical societies, and historical societies. If you can’t go in person, join online groups, join a genealogical society in the location, or hire a local researcher.

REFRAME

State the problem in simple terms, gather all your notes that apply to the problem, and arrange the facts chronologically.

Prepare a timeline. Is the timeline continuous or are there gaps in it? What can you do to fill in these gaps?

Analyze the reliability, timeliness, and credibility of each source. Was the conclusion you reached about this source justified, or do you need to reconsider?

Is the source an original source or a derivative source? How close in time to the event was the source created? Was the preparer of the source in a position to know about the event?

Do the ages make sense? Could you be looking at two different people with the same name? Do the occupations make sense? Are you basing conclusions on unfounded assumptions?

Is there information missing when you expected to find it?

REST!

New sources and new contacts may come along. Working on another problem may give you fresh insights into this one.

Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko

Posted in Daily Journal | Tagged | 5 Comments

The Birth and Baptism of Louis Fortin – 1671

On 07 Mar 1671, Louis Fortin, son of Julien Fortin-Bellefontaine and Genevií¨ve Gamache, was born. On 19 Mar 1671, he was baptized in Ste. Anne de Beaupré, Canada, New France.

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Louis Fortin - 1671

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Louis Fortin – 1671

SOURCE: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Drouin Collection. Montréal, Québec, Canada : Institut Généalogique Drouin. Ste. Anne de Beaupré, Canada, New France, 1671. Birth and Baptismal Record of Louis Fortin, page 8.

Click on the image above to enlarge it. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record of Louis Fortin. The record reads:

Louis Fortin

In the year of O[ur] Lord, [one thousand six hundred]
seventy one, on the nineteenth of March: I baptized in the
Church of Saint Anne, an infant born on the seventh of the
same month of Julian Fortin and Genevií¨ve Gamache, his
wife, residing in the same parish. His Godfather was Joseph
Gagnon and his Godmother was Louise Picard, daughter of
Jean Picard. The infant was named Louis. Signed F[raní§ois]
Fillon, missionary priest . [signed] Morin, priest

This record can be found as image 12/877 in the Quebec Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967 on Ancestry.com in the records for Ste. Anne du Beaupré 1668-1808. The record appears on page 8.

This image is apparently from a transcript of the original record book since it states that the record was signed by Franí§ois Fillon, but was actually signed by Morin.

Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko

Posted in Daily Journal, Fortin, Gamache | 1 Comment

The Birth and Baptism of Pierre Fortin – 1669

On 21 May 1669, Pierre Fortin, son of Julien Fortin-Bellefontaine and Genevií¨ve Gamache, was born. On 24 May 1669, he was baptized at home in Cap Tourmente, Canada, New France.

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Pierre Fortin - 1669

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Pierre Fortin – 1669

SOURCE: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Drouin Collection. Montréal, Québec, Canada : Institut Généalogique Drouin. Nôtre Dame de la Visitation, Chí¢teau Richer, Canada, New France, 1669. Birth and Baptismal Record of Pierre Fortin, page 72.

Click on the image above to enlarge it. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record of Pierre Fortin. The record reads:

Pierre Fortin

In the year of O[ur] L[ord] 1669, on the 24th of the
month of May, I baptized in Cap Tourmente with the
ceremonies of the holy church in the home
of the father, an infant, born on the 21st of the same
month, [son] of Julien Fortin and Genevií¨ve Gamache,
residing in the parish of Saint Anne. His
Godfather was Pierre Gagnon and his Godmother
was Barbe Fortin. He was named Pierre.

                    F. Fillon, Miss[ionary] Priest

This record can be found as image 50/727 in the Quebec Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967 on Ancestry.com in the records for Chí¢teau Richer 1661-1702. The record appears on page 72.

Although this baptism was included in the records of Chí¢teau Richer, the baptism was actually performed in the home of Julien Fortin and Genevií¨ve Gamache in Cap Tourmente. Julien Fortin and Genevií¨ve Gamache were members of the Parish of Saint Anne.

Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko

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Home on Park Avenue

The first house in which I lived is located at 783 Park Avenue in Albany, New York.

Frank Danko and Jane Niedzialkowski on Park Avenue in Albany, New York

Jane Niedzialkowski and Frank Danko on Park Avenue

SOURCE: Jane Niedzialkowski and Frank Danko on Park Avenue (Albany, Albany Co., New York). Photographed by an unknown photographer on 29 Nov 1946.

Park Avenue in Albany bears little resemblance to the street of the same name in New York City, but there is a park – Ridgefield Park - just a few hundred yards from the house.

My uncle, John (Jack) Danko, owned the building at the time my family lived there. The structure is two stories high, one flat on each level, with a full basement and attic. For the first few years of my life my family lived in the second story flat, and then we moved downstairs to the first story flat.

Each flat included a living room, dining room, three bedrooms, a kitchen, a pantry, and a bath. Behind the house are a garage and a small yard partly planted in grass and partly paved. Uncle John, who owned a gasoline station, used the garage to store automobile tires and my parents usually parked their car on the street. The snowplow blade for Uncle John’s truck was stored on the side of the house.

The photo above shows my parents in front of the house on Friday, 29 Nov 1946. My parents were not yet married when this photo was taken and still lived in Worcester, Massachusetts . Because this photo was taken on the day after Thanksgiving, my parents were apparently in Albany to spend the holiday with some of my father’s siblings who had already moved there.

My cousins still own and live in this house, and I usually stop by to visit them when I’m in Albany. The house and neighborhood are still very much as I remember them when my family lived there in the 1950s.

Written for Smile for the Camera – A Carnival of Images.

Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko

Posted in Daily Journal | Tagged | 2 Comments

The Birth and Baptism of Julien Fortin – 1667

On 17 Apr 1667, Julien Fortin, son of Julien Fortin-Bellefontaine and Genevií¨ve Gamache, was born. On 22 Apr 1667, he was baptized provisionally in the Church of Nôtre Dame de la Visitation in Chí¢teau Richer, Canada, New France.

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Julien Fortin - 1667

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Julien Fortin – 1667

SOURCE: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Drouin Collection. Montréal, Québec, Canada : Institut Généalogique Drouin. Nôtre Dame de la Visitation, Chí¢teau Richer, Canada, New France, 1667. Birth and Baptismal Record of Julien Fortin, page 56.

Click on the image above to enlarge it. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record of Julien Fortin. The record reads:

Julien Fortin

Julien Fortin, son of Julien Fortin and
Genevií¨ve Gamache, his father and mother, born
on the 17th of April 1667 and received the holy
ceremonies of baptism on the 22nd (after) having been
provisionally baptized. The Godfather was Nicolas Gamache,
uncle, and the Godmother was Vin[cente] Burel

Th[omas] Morel, Missionary Priest

This record can be found as image 42/727 in the Quebec Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967 on Ancestry.com in the records for Chí¢teau Richer 1661-1702. The record appears on page 56.

Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko

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The Birth and Baptism of Marie Anne Fortin – 1666

On 01 Mar 1666, Marie Anne Fortin, daughter of Julien Fortin-Bellefontaine and Genevií¨ve Gamache, was born. She was baptized the same day in the Church of Nôtre Dame de la Visitation in Chí¢teau Richer, Canada, New France.

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Marie Anne Fortin - 1666

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Marie Anne Fortin – 1666

SOURCE: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Drouin Collection. Montréal, Québec, Canada : Institut Généalogique Drouin. Nôtre Dame de la Visitation, Chí¢teau Richer, Canada, New France, 1666. Birth and Baptismal Record of Marie Anne Fortin, page 48.

Click on the image above to enlarge it. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record of Marie Anne Fortin. The record reads:

M. Anne Fortin

In the year of grace one thousand six hundred sixty
six, on the first day of March, by me,
Louis Ango, priest, was baptized Marie
Anne Fortin, born on the same day, daughter
of Julien Fortin-Bellefontaine and
Genevií¨ve Gamache, his wife. The Godfather
was Denis Roberge and Marie Crevet, the
widow Caron.
                    Louis Ango, priest.

This record can be found as image 38/727 in the Quebec Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967 on Ancestry.com in the records for Chí¢teau Richer 1661-1702. The record appears on page 48.

Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko

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Recombinational Loss of Heterozygosity (recLOH) in the Niedzialkowski DNA Project

INTRODUCTION 

A Y-DNA study of three men was conducted in order to either support or disprove the proposed relationship between two Worcester County, Massachusetts families, one with the surname Niedzialkowski and the other with the surname Niedzialkoski.

The families of Franciszek Niedzialkoski and Kostanty Niedzialkowski have both lived in Worcester County, Massachusetts since the beginning of the 20th Century when both men immigrated from the Łomza Gubernia of the Congress Kingdom of Poland. Kostanty Niedzialkowski stated on his Immigrant Passenger Manifest that Franciszek Niedzialkoski was his uncle. However, the Polish baptismal, marriage, and death records necessary to confirm this relationship have not been located.

METHODS

Direct male descendants of both family lines agreed to participate in a Y-DNA study in order to test the proposed relationships. Two descendants of Franciszek (Participants A and B) and one descendant of Kostanty (Participant C) submitted DNA samples to Family Tree DNA for analysis of 67 Y-DNA markers.

Participants A and B are known to be first cousins. Participant C is thought to be a second cousin once removed of the other two. If the proposed relationships between the families are correct, the Y-DNA among the three should match very closely.

RESULTS

The results of the analysis of 67 markers on the Y chromosome show that Participants A and B each have a unique result at one marker . Participant A carries a one-step mutation at DYS 390, and Participant B carries a one-step mutation at DYS 444. Two differences out of sixty-seven for first cousins is a bit higher than usual, but not unexpected.

Participant C, however, shows four unique mutations: a one-step mutation at DYS 459b, a two-step mutation at DYS 464a, a one-step mutation at DYS 464c, and a three-step mutation at DYS CDYb . Considering all the differences between Particpant C and either Participant A or B, Family Tree DNA calculates the genetic difference between the two families as seven!

Kostanty’s family is clearly related to Franciszek’s family, but the relationship appears to be much more distant than previously thought. Based on these results, the probability that the two families share a common ancestor within 4 generations is only 3.3%.

Discussion of these results with representatives of Family Tree DNA at the recent Southern California Genealogy Jamboree revealed that all the mutations in the DNA of Participant C were at palindromic markers and that the mutations seemed to duplicate the number of repeats in homologous markers.

Palindromic Markers in the Niedzialkowski DNA Project

Analysis of the palindromic markers on the Y chromosome of the three participants is shown in Table 1. The variant results of Participant C are highlighted in red. The eight markers shown actually represent duplications of only three distinguishable markers, DYS 459, DYS 464, and DYS CDY . DYS 459 appears twice (DYS 459a and DYS 459b), DYS 464 appears four times (DYS 464a, DYS 464b, DYS 464c, and DYS 464d), and DYS CDY appears twice on the Y chromosome (DYS CDYa and DYS CDYb) in these participants.

All these markers appear on a Y chromosome palindromic region. Just as the bases A and T and the bases C and G form pairs in double-stranded DNA, the same bases form pairs in the palindromic regions of single-stranded DNA and consequently form structures that resemble hairpins.

An event called recombinational loss of heterozygosity (recLOH) can occur in these hairpin regions . If, during DNA replication, a section of DNA is accidentally deleted on one side of the hairpin, the cell will attempt to repair the deletion by copying the remaining side of the hairpin. Thus, half of the existing markers will be deleted and replaced with an exact duplicate of the remaining markers.

And that’s just what happened in the Y-DNA of Participant C. What appear at first glance to be mutations at four markers, for a total genetic distance of seven, is actually a single mutation with a genetic distance of one.

DISCUSSION

Because of the recLOH event in the Y chromosome of Participant C, it is now clear that all three participants are very closely related. Each participant demonstrates a single unique mutation that, in the future, can accurately identify which of these three branches of the Niedzialkowski/Niedzialkoski families a descendant belongs.

These results provide evidence that the proposed relationships between the families of Franciszek Niedzialkoski and Kostanty Niedzialkowski are correct, even in the absence of traditional genealogical evidence.

REFERENCES

Rosen, S., Skaletsky, H., Marszalek, J. D., Minx, P. J., Cordum, H. S., Waterstron, R. H., Wilson, R. K. & Page, D. C. Abundant gene conversion between arms of palindromes in human and ape Y chromosomes. Nature 423, 873-876 (2003).

Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko

Posted in Daily Journal, Niedziałkowski | Tagged | 1 Comment