Steve's Genealogy Blog

In 1920, Emil Niedzialkowski was living in Waterbury, Connecticut at 10 Division Street. He was enumerated in the 1920 US Federal Census.

1920 US Federal Census Record for Emil Niedzialkowski (Left)

1920 US Federal Census Record for Emil Niedzialkowski (Right)

SOURCE: 1920 U.S. Census, New Haven County, Connecticut, population schedule, Waterbury City, Ward 1,
enumeration district (ED) 435, sheet 2-B, dwelling 21, family 40, Emil Niedzialkowski; digital image, Ancestry.com
(http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 19 May 2008); citing National Archives microfilm publication T625A, roll 194.

The source citation above complies with the recommendations in Mills, Elizabeth Shown. 2007. Evidence explained citing history sources from artifacts to cyberspace. Baltimore, Md: Genealogical Pub. Co.

Click on the images above to enlarge them. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the 1920 US Federal Census Record for Emil Niedzialkowski .  The record provides information that:

In 1920, Emil was a married, white male, 37 years old.
He rented his residence at 10 Division Street in Waterbury, New Haven County, Connecticut.
His residence was in the 1st Ward.
He and his parents were born in Poland, and his mother tongue was Polish.
He immigrated in 1905, and was an alien.
He was able to read and write, and was able to speak English; he did not attend school.
He worked as a machinist in a factory at the time of the census.

Although Emil was married at this time and had two or three children, his wife and children are not listed with him on this page.

UPDATE 22 May 2008: Emil’s wife and children are listed on page 5-B of the same enumeration district and are cross-referenced back to Emil’s name on page 2-B.

From the information on the 1920 US Federal Census, I can conclude that Emil was born in about 1882-1883. His World War I Draft Registration Card stated that he was born 22 Jun 1883 and his World War II Draft Registration Card stated that he was born 16 Jul 1883.

I don’t yet know if or how Emil is related to me, but his surname and place of birth suggest that he and I are distant cousins.

Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko

I could not find a listing for Emil Niedzialkowski and his wife Josephine in the city Directory for Waterbury, Naugatuck, and Watertown, Connecticut in 1955. I believe he was listed in the 1955 directory as Carl Niedzialkowksi and his wife was listed as Jozeta. To further confirm that Emil was listed as Carl, Emil’s son Carl (listed as Carl, Jr.) and Emil’s daughter Helen were listed at the same address.

Watertown, Naugatuck, and Watertown, Connecticut Directory 1955 Entry for Carl Niedzialkowski

SOURCE: Connecticut City Directories, Waterbury and Watertown 1955, page 590, Carl Niedzialkowski; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 17 May 2008); citing Waterbury Naugatuck Watertown Directory 1955. 1955. New Haven, CT: The Price and Lee Co.

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Watertown, Naugatuck, and Watertown, Connecticut Directory 1955 Entry for Carl Niedzialkowski. The brief record states the following:

Carl Niedzialkowski and his wife Jozeta resided at 21 Marion av.
Carl Niedzialkowski, Jr. was employed as a state policeman and also resided at 21 Marion av.
Helen Niedzialkowski was employed as a clerk for SMfgCo and also resided at 21 Marion av.

Because both Carl, Jr. and Helen were living with their parents and no spouse was listed for either of them, I assume they were both single in the year 1955.

Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko

Emil Niedzialkowski was listed in the city Directory for Waterbury, Naugatuck, and Watertown, Connecticut in 1939. Three of his daughters, Agnes F, Marie J., and Theresa C., were also listed.

Watertown, Naugatuck, and Watertown, Connecticut Directory 1939 Entry for Emil Niedzialkowski

SOURCE: Connecticut City Directories, Waterbury and Watertown 1939, page 457, Emil Niedzialkowski; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 May 2008); citing Waterbury Naugatuck Watertown Directory 1939. 1939. New Haven, CT: The Price and Lee Co.

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Watertown, Naugatuck, and Watertown, Connecticut Directory 1939 Entry for Emil Niedzialkowski. The brief record states the following:

Agnes F. Niedzialkowski was employed by WCCo and resided at 1105 N Main.
Emil Niedzialkowski was a toolmaker for WMfgCo and resided at 1105 N Main with his wife Josephine.
Marie J. Niedzialkowski resided at 1105 N Main.
Theresa C. Niedzialkowski was employed by WCCo and resided at 1105 N Main.

The only two known children of Emil and Josephine Niedzialkowski who are not listed are Helen (who would have been 15 years old) and Carl (who would have been about 13 years old). Both of these children would have been too young to be listed in the City Directory.

Perhaps by tracing this family forward in time, I’ll find some living family member with whom I can make contact.

Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko

In 1930, Emil Niedzialkowski was living in Waterbury, Connecticut with his family at 309 Walnut Street. He and his family are enumerated in the 1930 US Federal Census.

1930 US Federal Census Record for Emil Niedzialkowski (Left)

1930 US Federal Census Record for Emil Niedzialkowski (Right)

SOURCE: 1930 U.S. Census, New Haven County, Connecticut, population schedule, Waterbury City, Ward 1, enumeration district (ED) 5-213, sheet 10-B, dwelling 90, family 225, Emil Niedzialkowski; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 15 May 2008); citing National Archives microfilm publication T626B, roll 279.

The source citation above complies with the recommendations in Mills, Elizabeth Shown. 2007. Evidence explained citing history sources from artifacts to cyberspace. Baltimore, Md: Genealogical Pub. Co.

Click on the images above to enlarge them. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the 1930 US Federal Census Record for Emil Niedzialkowski .  The record provides information that:

In 1930, Emil was a married, white male, 46 years old.
He rented his residence at 309 Walnut Street in Waterbury, New Haven County, Connecticut, for $30 per month.
His residence was in the 1st Ward.
He and his parents were born in Poland, and his mother tongue was Polish.
He immigrated in 1905, and was an alien.
He was not able to read and write, but was able to speak English; he did not attend school.
He worked as a toolmaker in a clock factory, but was unemployed at the time of the census.
He was married when he was 29 years old.

His wife was Josephine, a married, White female, 37 years old.
She and her parents were born in Poland and her mother tongue was Polish.
She immigrated in 1915, and was an alien.
She was not able to read and write, but was able to speak English; she did not attend school.
She was employed as a foot-press operator in a shoe factory.
She was married when she was 20 years old.

Their daughter Agnes was a single white female, 15 years old, born in Connecticut.
She was able to read and write and did not attend school.
She worked at bench work in a clock factory.

Their daughter Teresa was a single white female, 13 years old, born in Connecticut.
She was able to read and write and attended school.

Their daughter Mamie was a single white female, 10 years old, born in Connecticut.
She was able to read and write and attended school.

Their daughter Helen was a single white female, 6 years old, born in Connecticut.
She was not able to read and write and attended school.

Their son Carl was a single white male, 3 11/12 years old, born in Connecticut.
He was not able to read and write, and did not attend school.

From this information, I can conclude that Emil was born in about 1883-1884, Josephine was born in about 1892-1893, Agnes was born in about 1914-1915, Teresa was born in about 1916-1917, Mamie was born in about 1919-1920, Helen was born in about 1923-1924, and Carl was born in about May 1926. Emil and Josephine were married in about 1912-1913. Now, I have enough information to look for Emil’s baptismal record in Krasne, the parish for the village of Mosaki where he was born. I also have enough information to look for his marriage record and his children’s birth records in Connecticut.

I don’t yet know if or how Emil is related to me, but his surname and place of birth suggest that he and I are distant cousins.

Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko

In the course of searching for records on my Niedzialkowski relatives, I found a World War II Draft Registration Card for Emil Niedzialkowski in Waterbury, Connecticut. While I am not aware of any relatives who lived in Waterbury, Connecticut, what caught my eye was the fact that Emil was born in Mosaki, Poland, the birthplace of many of my Niedzialkowski ancestors.

World War II Draft Registration Card for Emil Niedzialkowski – Front

World War II Draft Registration Card for Emil Niedzialkowski – Back

SOURCE: “U.S. World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942”, digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 13 May 2008), Emil Niedzialkowski, serial no. U1618, order no. not stated, Draft Board 15A, Waterbury, New Haven County, Connecticut; citing Selective Service Registration Cards, World War II: Fourth Registration, NARA microfilm publication M1962, roll 35.

Click on the images above to enlarge them. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the World War II Draft Registration Card for Emil Niedzialkowski.

The record states that:

• Emil Niedzialkowski resided at 1105 N. Main St., Wtby (Waterbury), New Haven County, Conn.;
• His Serial Number was U1618;
• His telephone number was 43075;
• He was 59 years old and was born on 16 Jul 1883 in Mosaki, Poland;
• He listed Mrs. Emil Niedzialkowski at 1105 N. Main St. as someone who would always know his address;
• His employer was Waterbury Manufacturing Co., North Main St., Wtby, New Haven, Conn.;
• He was of the white race, 5’7″ tall, 185 lbs., with blue eyes, black hair, and ruddy complexion;
• He had no other obvious physical characteristics;
• His card was signed by Mary Elizabeth Mongeau, registrar for Local Board 15A, Wtby, Conn.
• He registered on 27 Apr 1942.

I don’t know who Emil was or how he is connected to my family. The fact that he was born in Mosaki is a pretty good clue that he is related to my Niedzialkowski ancestors. I’ll have to look up his baptismal record in the church records for Krasne and trace his ancestry to see if and how he is related to my family.

Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko

In the course of searching for records on Damijan Niedzialkowski, I found his World War I Draft Registration Card.

World War I Draft Registration Card for Damijan Niedzialkowski – Front

World War I Draft Registration Card for Damijan Niedzialkowski – Back

SOURCE: “World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918,” digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 12 May 2008), Damijan Niedzialkowski, serial no. 11805, order no. 263, Draft Board 4, Worcester, Worcester County, Massachusetts; citing World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, NARA microfilm publication M1509H, roll MA158.

Click on the images above to enlarge them. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the World War I Draft Registration Card for Damijan Niedzialkowski. The record states that:

• Damijan Niedzialkowski was assigned serial no. 11805, order no. 263;
• He resided at 83 Ward, Worcester, Mass;
• He was 24 years old and was born in June 1893;
• He was an alien, born in Lomzyenskiej, Poland, Russia, and was a citizen of Russia;
• He worked as a grinder for Norton Grinding Co., Greendale, Mass.;
• His mother in Poland was dependent on him;
• He was single and of the Caucasian race;
• He had not previously served in the military;
• He was of medium build, 167 lbs., with blue eyes, brown hair (not bald);
• He had not lost an arm, leg, hand, foot, or both eyes; he was not otherwise disabled;
• He registered in Ward 5, Precinct 2, Worcester, Mass.;
• His registration card was signed by James J. Rourke on 05 Jun 1917.

The information on this draft registration card matches up with other information I have on Damijan Niedzialkowski. From his signature, I believe I now have the correct spelling of his first name: Damijan.

One other note is that Damijan stated that he was born in Lomzyenskiej, Poland, Russia. Lomzyenskiej indicates that he was born in the Łomża Gubernia, but no more specific information about his place of birth is provided on this document.

Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko

I’ve been searching for information about Damjan Niedziałkowski ever since I found him in the Ellis Island Alien Passenger Manifests and various records in Worcester, Massachusetts. Damjan was from Pomaski, the same Polish village as my grandfather, Konstanty Niedziałkowski. Furthermore, Damjan settled in Worcester, Massachusetts, the same city in which my grandfather settled.

Several years ago, I made copies of relevant portions of the indexes from the church records of the parish of Szwelice, Poland (Szwelice was the village where the parish for Pomaski was located).

Digging through those indexes, I found the following entries (in Russian):

Baptismal Index for Szwelice, Poland – 1893 – “N”

SOURCE: Parafia Podwyższenia Św. Jana Chrzciciela (Szwelice, Maków Powiat, Łomża Gubernia, Congress Kingdom of Poland). Index of Baptisms 1893-1902, Damjan Niedziałkowski (1893); FHL microfilm 2103625.

In 1893, only two infants were baptized in Szwelice with surnames beginning with the letter “N”. These two were:

1893

Niedziałkowski Damjan 47
Napierkowski Beniamin 53

I have ordered the relevant microfilm to find the baptismal record for Damjan Niedziałkowski through my local Family History Center. As I recall, the indexes for Szwelice cover more recent events than do the actual microfilmed records, and so I don’t have high hopes that I will find the baptismal record for Damjan on microfilm.

On the positive side, a birth/baptism of 1893 corresponds to the information I already have on Damjan from the Alien Passenger Manifest and the 1930 US Federal Census.

It’s looking more and more like Damjan may be related to me. However, I don’t recall anyone in the family ever talking about him.

While at the California Genealogical Society’s library on Saturday, I visited Steve Harris’ collection of City and Telephone Directories. The most recent City Directory Steve had for Worcester was 1930, but he had a Telephone Directory for 1951. Damjan was not listed.

The second baptism in the index, Beniamin Napierkowski, is also of interest. My grandfather provided two different maiden surnames for his mother: Napierkowska and Zygmuntowicz. I have found other records that indicate that the mother of my grandfather’s siblings was Ksawera Zygmuntowicz, but I haven’t found my grandfather’s baptismal record to verify the name of his mother. It’s possible he had a different mother than did his siblings if his own mother died young and his father remarried. I keeping my mind open to the possibility that his mother’s surname may have been Napierkowska and his stepmother’s surname may have been Zygmuntowicz.

Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko