The Polish village of Babice lies close to the village of Nienadowa where my grandfather Dańko lived. I’m continuing to translate the Słownik Geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego entries for neighboring villages in order to get a better understanding of what the area where my grandfather grew up was like.
Słownik Geograficzny Entry for Babice
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 1880, Volume I, pages 88-89.
Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Słownik Geograficzny entry for Babice. Translated from the Polish, the entries read:
Babice, 1). a village and grange [large manorial farmstead] in the Biłgorajski powiat [district] and gmina [community] of the same name, it lies in a valley above a river falling to Tanew on the left bank, in the vicinity of Bezlesie, about 5 versts [about 1.0668 kilometers per verst] from the border of Galicia. It has a community office and a brewery producing 1,400 silver rubles annually. Currently, a new Orthodox church is being built here for the Ruś population. Catholics belong to the parish in Łukowa; in the year 1827 there totaled 142 homes and 754 residents; currently there are 211 homes. Babice, gmina, Biłgorajski powiat, a court of law for the third district and a post office are in Tarnogród, 34 viersts distant from Biłgoraj. The area of the gmina amounts to 15,153 mórgs. The population is 4737.
2). Babice, a governmental village in the Łódzki powiat and gmina of the same name, near the beaten track from Aleksandrów to Lutomiersk, the post office is in Lutomiersk; in the year 1827 there was a total of 20 homes and 154 residents. The Babice gmina belongs to the sixth local court district in Bełdów (about 8 viersts); a community office is in the settlement of Kaźimierz, population 2000, an area of 3238 mórgs [in the Russian partition 1 mórg = 1.388 acres], it has two elementary schools
3). Babice, a village and grange in the Warszawski powiat, Blizne gmina, about 9 versts to the northwest side of Warszawa. In the year 1827 it had 28 homes and 266 residents. Babice, a parish in the Warszawski deanery, with a total of 3098 souls.
4). Babice, a village and grange in the Garwoliński powiat, Trojanów gmina, a sweeping expanse of 2640 mórgs, the grange alone has 1915 mórgs. In 1827 there were 46 homes and 265 residents; the current population totals 374 souls.Babice, 1). A small town in the Przemyśl powiat, together with the suburb called “Babice village”. The area of the estate includes: 268 mórgs [in Galicia 1 mórg = 1.422 acres] of arable land, 7 mórgs of meadows and gardens, 26 mórgs of pastures, 116 mórgs of forest. This village has a population of 623 souls of which 363 are Roman Catholic, 251 are Greek Catholic, 9 are Jews, it belongs to the Greek Catholic parish in Skopów. There is a Roman Catholic parish in this place, it belongs to the Przemyśl deanery (1124 of the faithful). The parish church was formerly in the small village of Stupnica. Stanisław Kmita of Wiśnicz, the governor of Województwo Ruskie [Ruś province], at Mateusz from Drzewica, bishop of Przemyśl, established that this benefice would be attached on the 15th of February 1508 to the parish chapel, erected by Kmita in the small village of Babice; the church in Stupnica collapsed in the course of time, and in the time of Wacław Sierakowski, bishop of Przemyśl, there stood in that place a Greek Catholic Orthodox church made of stone, in the year 1794 it was consecrated under the name of the Holy Trinity. Once there was considerable trading here. Zygmunt August granted the little village of Babice freedom from customs duties and a royal position which this charter in the year 1553 expanded and justified. The owner of Babice is Zdzisław Count Dembiński.
2). Babice, a village in the Chrzanowski powiat, with Wygielzów and Lipowec, occupies 2568 Austrian mórgs [in Galicia 1 mórg = 1.422 acres] in area and has 115 homes, 749 souls, a parish in the place, the Royal Imperial military guard, and a one-classroom country school. Babice lies not far from the national road from Kraków to Chełm; in the vicinity there is located supplies of iron and zinc ore, a distillery, and a common brewery; a very industrial population, they make a living at lace making and basketry. In the 12th Century salt was extracted under Babice. The Catholic parish of Babice, Novogórski deanery, had 7298 of the faithful. It included the villages of Babice, Kolonia, Jankowice, Kwaczała, Olsyny, Rozkochów, Mętków Wielki and Mały, Wygiełzów, Zagórze, Żarki, Zrodła Wielka and Mała. In Babice there is a stone church and shops.
3). Babice, a village in the Bialski powiat in Galicia, with Zabrzeg and Chropanie, there are 1107 Austrian mórgs [in Galicia 1 mórg = 1.422 acres] of area, 136 homes, 868 souls, a parish in Oświęcim about 2 kilomieters, not far from the Northern Railway of Cesarz Ferdynand and the governmental track from Oświęcim to Kęty.
4). Babice, a village in the Rzeszowski powiat, see Babica.
5). Babice, a village in the Wadowicki powiat, about six and one-half kilometers from Wadowice, in the Roman Catholic parish of Witanowice.Babice, Babitz in German, 1). A village in the Raciborski powiat, in the parish of Markowiek, belonging to the key of Raciborski. To Babice belongs the grange of Kępek and Trawnik, the Łączek forest district, Piaski, and having a large two thousand mórg fishpond Babiczek.
2). A village in the Głupczycki powiat, it has a Catholic parish church and a post office in Baborowo.
The entries for Babice describe a number of villages with the same name. The one near where my grandparents lived is the first village described in the second entry – the small town in the Przemyśl powiat.
This was a lot to translate in one evening and I’ll have to go back and correct the many Polish place names in the entries after consulting the Słownik Geograficzny for the correct spelling of the nominative case of the place names.
Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko
