The Birth and Baptism of Marie-Zenaide-Zite Patenaude – 1870

Posted on April 28, 2007 by Steve

My uncle, John Danko, married Alice Charron. The two were my Godparents. Alice’s mother was Marie-Zénaí¯de-Zite Patenaude, who was born in Coaticook, Québec, Canada in 1870, and was baptized in either the Mission of St. Edmond or the Mission of St. Herménégilde in Coatacook. Her Birth and Baptismal Record is the third record on this page, designated as B.68.

Birth and Baptismal Record of Marie-Zenaide-Zite Patenaude

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Marie-Zenaide-Zite Patenaude -1870

SOURCE: Ancestry.com. Quebec Vital Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967 [database on-line]. Original data: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Drouin Collection. Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Institut Généalogique Drouin. Birth and Baptismal Record of Marie-Zenaide-Zite Patenaude, Mission of St. Edmond, Coaticook, Quebec, Canada, 1870. Back of Folio 12, B.68.

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record of Marie-Zenaide-Zite Patenaude -1870. The record, translated from French, states:

B.68 [baptism #68]
M.Z.Z. Patenaude.

On the ninth of July one thousand eight hundred seventy, we, the parish priest whose name is signed below, baptized Marie-Zénaí¯de-Zite, daughter born on the twelfth day of June last, of the legitimate marriage of Charles Patenaude, farmer, and Osithe Gamache of Saint Herménégilde. Godfather, Octave Blain, laborer, godmother, Adeline Gamache, who don’t know how to sign. The father has signed with us.

[signed] C Patenaude
[I.A. Dufresne ??]

This is the first French Canadian record I’ve found, and the first record I’ve translated from the French. Years ago, I had purchased a copy of:

French-Canadian Sources

Geyh, Patricia Keeney. 2002. French Canadian sources: a guide for genealogists. Orem, Utah: Ancestry Pub.

Luckily, I had this book around when I found Marie-Zénaí¯de-Zite Patenaude’s Birth and Baptismal Record today. Page 147 shows an image, transcription, and translation nearly identical in format to the record I found.

So, even though I can’t speak more than a dozen words of French, with the help of this book I was able to translate this record.

Posted in Daily Journal, Patenaude | 3 Comments

The Death and Burial of Sarah Waters Gibson – 1890

Posted on April 27, 2007 by Steve

Sarah Waters, the wife of John Gibson, died on 02 Jan 1890 and was buried on 04 Jan 1890. She was 85 years old at the time of her death.

The Death and Burial Record of Sarah Waters Gibson

The Death and Burial Record of Sarah Waters Gibson -1890

SOURCE: John W. Clipsham, Minister of the Clarenceville Council of the Methodist Church, Missisiquoi, Quebec, Canada. Register of the Acts of Baptisms, Marriages and Burials for 1890. Sarah Waters Gibson Death and Burial. Ancestry.com. Quebec Vital Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2007.

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Death and Burial Record of Sarah Waters Gibson -1890. The record states:

folio two J.C. ccc

Burial Gibson Jan. 4th 1890

Sarah Waters, widow of the late
John Gibson, in his lifetime of the
Parish of Saint George of Clarenceville,
farmer, died on the second day of
January, one thousand eight hundred
and ninety, aged eighty-five years,
and was buried on the fourth day
of the same month and year in
presence of subscribing witnesses by
me.

[Signed] John W. Clipsham.
Minister

Witnesses
Nelson S. Gibson
Mary C. Gibson

The minister, John W. Clipsham, was described at the front of the folios:

…Reverend J.W. Clipsham of the Clarenceville Council of the Methodist Church in the County of Missisquoi in the District of Bedford in the Province of Quebec…

Sarah’s Death and Burial Record states that she was a widow. Since she was enumerated in the 1871 census with her husband, then her husband, John Gibson, died between 1871 and 1890.

I don’t know who the witnesses, Nelson D. Gibson and Mary C. Gibson, were. I assume they were relatives, but I don’t know that for certain.

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The Birth and Baptism of Clark Gibson – 1823 and 1867

Posted on April 26, 2007 by Steve

Clark Gibson, the son of John Gibson and Sarah Waters, was born in 1823 and baptized in 1867. His baptism is recorded in the folios of John Armstrong, a minister of the Wesleyan Methodist Congregations of the circuit of Saint Armand in Canada East, just weeks before the confederation of Canada.

Birth and Baptismal Record of Clark Gibson - 1823 and 1867

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Clark Gibson – 1823 and 1867

SOURCE: John Armstrong, Minister of the Wesleyan Methodist Congregations of the Circuit of Saint Armand, Quebec, Canada. Register of the Acts of Baptisms, Marriages and Burials for 1867. Clark Gibson, Baptism. Microfilm, New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts.

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record of Clark Gibson – 1823 and 1867. The record states:

Baptism of Clark Gibson

Clark son of John Gibson of the parish of
St. George District of Bedford farmer and
of Sarah his wife was born on the eleventh of
October one thousand eight hundred and
twenty three and was baptized on the thirteenth
day of June one thousand eight hun-
dred and sixty seven in the presence of
the subscribing witnesses by me

[Signed] J. Armstrong
Minister

[Signed] [J W Saxton?]
[Signed] Lynda Smith

Clark was born in Lower Canada in 1823. In the 1861 Census of Canada East, the religion of the family of Clark Gibson was “none”.

Clark was baptized in Canada East by John Armstrong, a circuit rider for the Wesleyan Methodist Congregations of the circuit of Saint Armand. This implies that there was no permanent Wesleyan Methodist minister assigned to a church in the area.

There is no indication why Clark Gibson finally decided to be baptized in 1867.

I copied this record many years ago and, unfortunately, I didn’t write down a complete source description to indicate where I found the record. According to my notes, I found this record on microfilm at the New England Historic Genealogical Society in Boston, but I did not indicate the microfilm number.

The Family History Library in Salt Lake City also holds a microfilm copy of this record; although I am not sure which film number contains this record . Ancestry.com has recently posted an image of this record online with the following source description:

Ancestry.com. Quebec Vital Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2007. Original data: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Drouin Collection. Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Institut Généalogique Drouin.

The image of this record on Ancestry.com is apparently from a different filming of these records, because the Ancestry.com images are of lesser quality than the one I’ve posted here, and the eraser end of the pencil in the image above is missing from the Ancestry.com image.

I’m not sure of the name of the first witness. The signature looks like it could be J. W. Saxton, but I’m not certain of this.

Posted in Daily Journal, Gibson | 2 Comments

The Family of Clark Gibson in the 1871 Census of Canada

Posted on April 25, 2007 by Steve

Clark Gibson, the son of John Gibson and Sarah Waters, was enumerated in the 1871 Census of Canada in the Village of Philipsburg, not far from where John and Sarah were enumerated.

1871 Canadian Census Record for the Family of Clark Gibson

Clark Gibson Family in the 1871 Census of Canada – Page 10

SOURCE: Clark Gibson Household, 1871 Canada Census (Province of Québec), Village of Philipsburg, Missisquoi County, page 10, lines 16-20. National Archives of Canada Film C-10070 Nominal. Microfilm FHL US/CAN Census Area 0493463, Family History Library [FHL], Salt Lake City, Utah.

1871 Canadian Census Record for the Family of Clark Gibson Page 2

Clark Gibson Family in the 1871 Census of Canada – Page 11

SOURCE: Clark Gibson Household, 1871 Canada Census (Province of Québec), Village of Philipsburg, Missisquoi County, page 11, lines 1-3. National Archives of Canada Film C-10070 Nominal. Microfilm FHL US/CAN Census Area 0493463, Family History Library [FHL], Salt Lake City, Utah.

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Clark Gibson Family in the 1871 Census of Canada. The family is listed on pages 10 and 11, and includes six children.

Census of 1871
Province of Quebec
District No. 125 Missisquoi
Sub-District d, Village of Philipsburg
Schedule No. 1 – Nominal Return of the Living

Page 10

Line 16, Dwelling 45, Family 45
Name: Gibson, Clark
Sex: M[ale]
Age: 45
Country or Province of Birth: Q[uebec]
Religion: W. Methodist
Origin: American English
Profession, Occupation or Trade: Blacksmith
Married or Widowed: M[arried]

Line 16, Dwelling 45, Family 45
Name: ” [Gibson], Maryette
Sex: F[emale]
Age: 35
Country or Province of Birth: United States
Religion: W. Methodist
Origin: ” [American English]
Profession, Occupation or Trade: –
Married or Widowed: M[arried]

Line 16, Dwelling 45, Family 45
Name: ” [Gibson], Willard
Sex: M[ale]
Age: 18
Country or Province of Birth: “” [United States]
Religion: W. Methodist
Origin: ” [American English]
Profession, Occupation or Trade: –
Married or Widowed: –

Line 16, Dwelling 45, Family 45
Name: ” [Gibson], Hannah
Sex: F[emale]
Age: 16
Country or Province of Birth: Q[uebec]
Religion: W. Methodist
Origin: ” [American English]
Profession, Occupation or Trade: –
Married or Widowed: –

Line 16, Dwelling 45, Family 45
Name: ” [Gibson], Emily
Sex: F[emale]
Age: 14
Country or Province of Birth: Q[uebec]
Religion: W. Methodist
Origin: ” [American English]
Profession, Occupation or Trade: –
Married or Widowed: –

Page 11

Line 1, Dwelling 45, Family 45
Name: Gibson, Addie
Sex: F[emale]
Age: 11
Country or Province of Birth: Q[uebec]
Religion: W. Methodist
Origin: American English
Profession, Occupation or Trade: –
Married or Widowed: –

Line 2, Dwelling 45, Family 45
Name: ” [Gibson], Arnold
Sex: M[ale]
Age: 8
Country or Province of Birth: Q[uebec]
Religion: ” [W. Methodist]
Origin: ” [American English]
Profession, Occupation or Trade: –
Married or Widowed: –

Line 3, Dwelling 45, Family 45
Name: ” [Gibson], Martha
Sex: F[emale]
Age: 38
Country or Province of Birth: Q[uebec]
Religion: ” [W. Methodist]
Origin: ” [American English]
Profession, Occupation or Trade: –
Married or Widowed: –

Clark and Margaret Gibson and their son Arnold are the direct ancestors of my Gibson relatives.

This census record clearly answers a question I had about the ages of Addie and Arnold. Addie is clearly Arnold’s older sister.

The entry in column 17 of these records shows that Emily, Addie, and Arnold are all attending school.

Although both of John’s parents were listed as Irish, Clark and his family are listed as American English.

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The Families of John Gibson and William Gibson in the 1871 Census of Canada

Posted on April 24, 2007 by Steve

While at the Family History Library recently, one of my goals was to obtain additional records of the Gibson family in the Canadian Census. I had previously presented the records from the 1851 Census and the 1861 Census. The records below show the families of John Gibson and William Gibson in the 1871 Census of Canada.

Gibson Families in the 1871 Census - Page 46

Gibson Families in the 1871 Census of Canada – Page 46

SOURCE: John Gibson and William Gibson Households, 1871 Canada East Census (Québec), Parish of St. Georges de Clarenceville, Missisquoi County, page 46, lines 18-20. National Archives of Canada Film C-10070 Nominal. Microfilm FHL US/CAN Census Area 0493463, Family History Library [FHL], Salt Lake City, Utah.

Gibson Families in the 1871 Census - Page 47

Gibson Families in the 1871 Census of Canada – Page 47

SOURCE: John Gibson and William Gibson Households, 1871 Canada East Census (Québec), Parish of St. Georges de Clarenceville, Missisquoi County, page 47, lines 1-5 National Archives of Canada Film C-10070 Nominal. Microfilm FHL US/CAN Census Area 0493463, Family History Library [FHL], Salt Lake City, Utah.

The images are difficult to read, but most of the information can be deciphered.

Census of 1871
Province of Quebec
District No. 125 Missisquoi
Sub-District b, Parish of St. George de Clarenceville
Schedule No. 1 – Nominal Return of the Living

Page 46

Line 18, Dwelling 172, Family 178
Name: Gibson, John
Sex: M[ale]
Age: 70
Country or Province of Birth: United States
Religion: W. Methodist
Origin: Irish
Profession, Occupation or Trade: Farmer
Married or Widowed: M[arried]

Line 19, Dwelling 172, Family 178
Name: ” [Gibson], Sarah
Sex: F[emale]
Age: 54
Country or Province of Birth: ” [United States]
Religion: ” [W. Methodist]
Origin: ” [Irish]
Profession, Occupation or Trade: –
Married or Widowed: M[arried]

Line 20, Dwelling 172, Family 178
Name: ” [Gibson], James
Sex: M[ale]
Age: 34
Country or Province of Birth: Quebec
Religion: ” [W. Methodist]
Origin: ” [Irish]
Profession, Occupation or Trade: –
Married or Widowed: –

Page 47 

Line 1, Dwelling 172, Family 178
Name: Gibson, George
Sex: M[ale]
Age: 21
Country or Province of Birth: Quebec
Religion: W. Methodist
Origin: Irish
Profession, Occupation or Trade: –
Married or Widowed: –

Line 2, Dwelling 173, Family 179
Name: Gibson, William
Sex: M[ale]
Age: 34
Country or Province of Birth: ” [Quebec]
Religion: ” [W. Methodist]
Origin: ” [Irish]
Profession, Occupation or Trade: –
Married or Widowed: M[arried]

Line 3, Dwelling 173, Family 179
Name: ” [Gibson], Margaret
Sex: F[emale]
Age: 38
Country or Province of Birth: ” [Quebec]
Religion: ” [W. Methodist]
Origin: ” [Irish]
Profession, Occupation or Trade: –
Married or Widowed: M[arried]

Line 4, Dwelling 173, Family 179
Name: ” [Gibson], [Sothemon?]
Sex: M[ale]
Age: 8
Country or Province of Birth: ” [Quebec]
Religion: ” [W. Methodist]
Origin: ” [Irish]
Profession, Occupation or Trade: –
Married or Widowed: –

Line 5, Dwelling 173, Family 179
Name: ” [Gibson], Carrie
Sex: F[emale]
Age: 6
Country or Province of Birth: ” [Quebec]
Religion: ” [W. Methodist]
Origin: ” [Irish]
Profession, Occupation or Trade: –
Married or Widowed: –

I had previously discovered that John Gibson (born about 1800) and Sarah Waters (born about 1804) had six children: Clark (born in 1823), James (born in about 1830), Martha (born in about 1833), William (born in about 1836), Sarah (born in about 1841), and George (born in about 1849).

John, Sarah, James, William, and George are mentioned in this record. Their ages in this record agree with the information I previously found, except for Sarah (who should be about 67 in this record, but is reported as 54) and James (who should be about 41, but is listed as 34).

Clark had previously married and was enumerated on another page. William is enumerated with his spouse and children immediately after John’s family. I don’t know where Martha and Sarah were in 1871, but it is likely they were married and enumerated with their spouses.

I was unable to read the first name of William’s son. While in the Family History Library, I asked some of the staff if they could read the name, but none of us could tell what the name should be.

I didn’t realize at the time, but the Family History Library has microfilm copies of the other schedules of the 1871 Census, including the Agricultural Schedule. I’ll have to look up the Agricultural Schedule the next time I’m in Salt Lake City.

Posted in Daily Journal, Gibson | 2 Comments

The Birth and Baptism of Maryanna Izbicki

Posted on April 23, 2007 by Steve

Maryanna Izbicki, the sister of Franciszek Izbicki, was born a few years before Franciszek, in 1821.

Birth and Baptismal Record for Maryanna Izbicki

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Maryanna Izbicki – 1821

SOURCE: Roman Catholic Parish of the Immaculate Conception of Mary in Wigry, Poland. Księga Urodzonych (Book of Births). 1821. Page 40. Entry Number 79. FHL INTL Film 0752637, Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah. Text in Polish, translated by Stephen J. Danko.

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record of Maryanna Izbicki – 1821. Translated from the Polish, the record states:

40 Number 79. Wieś Nowa

In the year one thousand eight hundred twenty-one on the fourth day of the month of July at four o’clock in the afternoon, before us, the Civil Registrar of the Wigierski gmina [township] in the obwód [district] and województwo [province] of Augustów. Bartłomiej Izbicki presented himself, a farmer, age thirty, living in Nowa Wieś, and he showed us a child of the male sex who was born in his house at number twenty-six on the second day of April of the current year, stating that it was begotten of him and Katarzyna née Kramniczówna, age thirty-two, the wife by his first marriage, and that it is his wish to give it the name Maryanna. After making the above statement and showing the child in the presence of Wawrzeniec Stronowski, age thirty and also of Ignacy Krasnowski, age forty, farmers settled and living in Nowa Wieś in the Wigry gmina. The present birth record was read aloud to the declarants and was signed by us, the registrar, since the father and witnesses cannot write.

Reverend Felix Nacieszewicz
Registrar of the Civil State.

This record reports the birth of a child of Maryanna, the daughter of Barłomiej Izbicki and Katarzyna Kramniczówna. The priest who completed the record apparently wasn’t paying attention to what he was writing, since he declared that Maryanna was a child of the male sex: dziecię płci Męskiej.

The ages of the parents are probably approximations, because in 1821, the father was reported to be 30, but in 1824, he was reported to be 38 – he became 8 years older in just 3 years! The mother’s age is equally questionable. In 1821, she was reportedly 32, but in 1835, she was reported to be 30 – the mother became younger with time! The births of the parents occurred before 1808, the earliest date for which these parish records were microfilmed. I’ll probably never know when they were actually born.

This is the last of the records for the Izbicki family that I found while in Salt Lake City recently. I’ll either have to order films through my local Family History Library or wait until my fall trip to Salt Lake City if I want to find more records.

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The Birth and Baptism of Franciszek Izbicki

Posted on April 22, 2007 by Steve

Over the past couple of days, I posted the Birth and Baptismal Record of Dominik Izbicki and Piotr Izbicki. Their father was Franciszek Izbicki, who was born in 1824 and whose record was number 22 in the Birth Register for Wigry Parish that year.

Birth and Baptismal Record for Franciszek Izbicki - 1824

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Franciszek Izbicki -1824

SOURCE: Roman Catholic Parish of the Immaculate Conception of Mary in Wigry, Poland. Księga Urodzonych (Book of Births). 1824. Entry Number 22. FHL INTL Film 0752637, Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah. Text in Polish, translated by Stephen J. Danko.

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record of Franciszek Izbicki -1824. The record, translated from the Polish, states:

22 Nowa Wieś

In the year one thousand twenty four on the second day of the month of April at ten o’clock in the afternoon, before us, the Civil Registrar of the Wigierski gmina [township] in the obwód [district] and województwo [province] of Augustów. Bartłomiej Izbicki presented himself, a farmer, age thirty-eight, living in Nowa Wieś, and he showed us a child of the male sex who was born in his house at number seven on the first day of April of the current year, stating that it was begotten of him and Katarzyna née Kramnitzówna, age thirty, the wife by his first marriage, and that it is his wish to give him the name Franciszek. After making the above statement and showing the child in the presence of Franciszek Jarasiewski, age thirty-four and also of Jan Anuskiewicz, age fifty, farmers living in Nowa Wieś in the Wigierski gmina. The present birth record was read aloud to the declarants and was signed by us, the registrar, since the father and witnesses cannot write . 

Reverend Felix Nareszewicz
Registrar of the Civil State

The format of this record is a bit different than the format used for the Birth and Baptismal Records for Dominik and Piotr Izbicki and many of the other Birth and Baptismal Records I’ve seen before from this area of Poland . Consequently, I had a bit of difficulty translating this record. In the end, I think I was able to figure out all the words, despite the fact that the handwriting in this record is fairly difficult to read.

Complicating the difficult handwriting are the facts that the Polish in these records doesn’t always have the correct diacritical marks, is almost entirely devoid of punctuation, sometimes uses archaic words or spellings, and often refers to obsolete administrative divisions.

One point I had a question about is: since the mother is listed as “Katarzyna of the Kramnitz family”, should I list her maiden name as Kramnitzówna?

I also noticed that the name of the village in which Franciszek Izbicki was born is listed at the top of the record as Wies Nowa. Today, the village is called Nowa Wieś. Which should I enter in my genealogy software – Wies Nowa or Nowa Wieś?

Two dates are provided in this record for the date of birth and date of baptism. The earlier date is entered according to the Julian Calendar used in Russia at the time. The later date is entered according to the Gregorian Calendar used in Poland at the time and still used today in most of the world.

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The Birth and Baptism of Piotr Izbicki

Posted on April 21, 2007 by Steve

Dominik Izbicki’s brother, Piotr, was born in Piertanie in 1851. His birth and baptism was recorded as entry number 90 for that year.

Birth and Baptismal Record of Piotr Izbicki

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Piotr Izbicki

SOURCE: Roman Catholic Parish of the Immaculate Conception of Mary in Wigry, Poland. Księga Urodzonych (Book of Births). 1851. Entry Number 90. FHL INTL Film 0752640, Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah. Text in Polish, translated by Stephen J. Danko.

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record of Piotr Izbicki. The record, translated from the Polish, states:

90. Piertanie

This happened in the Wigry on the seventeenth / twenty ninth day of June 1851 at five o’clock in the afternoon .  Franciszek Izbicki presented himself, a farmer living in Piertanie, age 27, in the presence of Antoni Omilianowicz, age 25, and Karol Daniłowicz age 40, both farmers living in Piertanie, and he showed us a male child born in Piertanie on the eighth / twentieth day of the present month and year at twelve o’clock noon, born to his wife Franciszka née Bućko, age 25 .  At Holy Baptism performed this day, the child was given the name Piotr, and his Godparents were Marcin Kielch and Rozalia Krupińska. Also present were Antoni Omilianowicz and Dorota Buchowna .  This document was read aloud to the declarants and witnesses, all of whom cannot write, and was signed by us. –

Reverend W. Olszewski, priest in Wigry parish

The records kept in Poland before 1918 differed depending on the partition. The records kept in the Russian partition were kept in Latin, Polish, or Russian, depending on the year. Before 1808, records were written in Latin in brief paragraphs. From about 1808 to about 1868, the records were usually written in Polish in detailed paragraphs. After about 1868, the records were written in Russian, again in detailed paragraphs. The reasons for these changes are tightly associated with the political events in the region.

The exact year in which the churches began to maintain records of births/baptisms, marriages, and deaths varied somewhat, but the records were kept in Latin – the language of the Church, and typically these records were maintained for all Poles beginning in the late 18th century.

In 1807, after Napoleon’s conquests formed the Duchy of Warsaw from lands seized from Prussia, civil registration was mandated . Both church records and the transcripts of those records prepared for the state were written in Polish according to the format used in Napoleonic France.

After Napoleon’s defeat, the Congress of Vienna split the Duchy of Warsaw between Prussia and Russia. The portion allotted to Russia became known as the Kingdom of Poland, Congress Poland, or informally as Russian Poland. Records continued in Polish in the Napoleonic style.

After the January Uprising, which lasted from 1863-1865, the Russian government decreed that all official records in the Kingdom of Poland be maintained in Russian. Consequently, by about 1868, the birth/baptism, marriage, and death records were written in Russian. The exact year of the change from Polish to Russian varied somewhat from parish to parish, but eventually all parishes kept their records in Russian.

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The Birth and Baptism of Dominik Izbicki

Posted on April 20, 2007 by Steve

I’ve previously written about my cousin Rita Meleski, her husband Bernard Izbicki, and her father-in-law, Bolesław Dominick Izbicki, all of whom lived in Worcester, Massachusetts. Bolesław was the immigrant ancestor of this family, and when he came to America, he left his parents, Dominik Izbicki and Józefata Marianna Bizewska behind in Piertanie, Poland. Dominik was born in 1848. His Birth and Baptismal Record was recorded in the Book of Births in the Parish of Wigry.

Birth and Baptismal Record of Dominik Izbicki

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Dominik Izbicki

SOURCE: Roman Catholic Parish of the Immaculate Conception of Mary in Wigry, Poland. Księga Urodzonych (Book of Births). 1848. Entry Number 103. FHL INTL Film 0752640, Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah. Text in Polish, translated by Stephen J. Danko.

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record of Dominik Izbicki. Translated from the Polish, the record states:

103. Piertanie

This happened in the Wigry on the twelfth day of September 1848 at one o’clock in the afternoon .  Franciszek Izbicki presented himself, age 20, a farmer living in the small village of Piertanie, in the presence of Karol Tomaszewski and Adam Daniłowicz both age 36, farmers living in Piertanie, and he showed us a male child born on the eleventh day of September of the present year at eight o’clock in the afternoon, born to his wife Franciszka née Bućko, age 20 .  At Holy Baptism performed this day, the child was given the name Dominik, and his Godparents were Józef Daniłowicz and Maryanna Tomaczewska both from Piertanie .  This document was read aloud to the declarants and signed by us. The father and the witnesses cannot write. –

Reverend W. Olszewski, parish priest in Wigry

I obtained this record while I was at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City last weekend. The library has birth, marriage, and death records from the Wigry parish from 1808 to 1882. Now that I’ve confirmed that the records for the correct family are on these microfilms, I can order the films to my local Family History Center and continue my research on this family without the need to travel to Salt Lake City.

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Barbara Poole: Publishing Your Family Tree on the Internet

Posted on April 19, 2007 by Steve

Barbara Poole, who has contributed several articles to this blog in the past, presents today’s article. She offers her experience in publishing family trees on the internet. Thanks, Barbara!

Should you publish your genealogical information on the internet for others to see?  I pondered that question many times before I submitted my GEDCOM to www.familysearch.org about five years ago .  Since that time, I have received a number of inquires via snail mail, as I had given my address (I don’t think email addresses were used then) .  Even now, I receive letters with a question or two, and am amazed that these people took the time to write .  One even tracked me down using my address in a Google search and found out my phone number and called .  But I didn’t mind, as I know what it is like to really want to contact somebody immediately .  These people are kind and I’ve never had a problem.

Because of an article in the NEHGS eNews of January 3, 2007, called Drawing Attention to Your Book or Article by Helen Schatvet Ullmann, CG, FASG, I went a step further by submitting my tree to RootsWeb .  I listen to Helen, as I’ve known her about 10 years and know she wouldn’t say something she didn’t mean .  In her article, she mentioned that she submitted to RootsWeb a GEDCOM with a lot of members of her Peter Mills line (she had just published a book on this family) .  Because she submitted this GEDCOM to RootsWeb, her book sold out.

After all the years of doing my genealogy, I wanted to share my information with a wider group of people and with people who could contact me immediately via email .  Submitting a tree is rather simple; and, if you prefer to remain anonymous, you can use a pseudonym as a contact name. I used my real name .  Why use a pseudonym like Smith, if I want to touch base with a Poole?  In my case, I use a separate email account just for the RootsWeb site, so mail about my genealogical information on RootsWeb is sent to a separate email account, not to my primary email account.

With RootsWeb, you can choose whether or not to allow others to directly download your information into a reader’s file, but I decided not .  If someone wants my information they’ll need to enter it into their file manually .  Also, I didn’t include information on living relatives, and I didn’t include notes .  You can remove your tree or update whenever you want, and I do so weekly .  Very little effort is involved in updating my information, and I know my tree is pretty much up to date .  Not only will the information you upload to RootsWeb be incorporated into Ancestry’s WorldConnect database, but others can find your information on Google.

In the past, I found information published by other people; now it was time to give back and share what I have .  Many people are unwilling to share their information .  Sometimes, I wonder why they are even doing it if they are unwilling to share.

I’ve recently had several, unresolved problems with Family Tree Maker (FTM), and so I decided I also wanted my information available to me .  Now, when I’m at another computer or location, it is easy to access the information I’ve uploaded .  Photos included in my file did not upload, but all the data transferred beautifully .  Because of my RootsWeb site, I have been contacted by at least 1-2 persons a week .  All have either asked for a little information or shared some really valuable information I didn’t have .  Most people want to share accurate data about the lines they are researching, and this has all worked in my favor .  The positive outweighs the negative .  Actually, I can’t think of a negative and that is probably why RootsWeb is so popular .  Granted, you have to sift through the databases to find what you are looking for, but heck, the information is free, and is even more valuable if the submitter included sources.

Recently, I discovered another place to keep my information – Personal Family Trees on Ancestry.com .  I uploaded the same GEDCOM to Ancestry.com that I had previously uploaded to RootsWeb .  The features of Ancestry’s Personal Family Trees are really nice, and you can either keep this tree to yourself or share it with others .  For now, I restrict access to my Ancestry Personal Family Tree to myself .  The ability to upload a Personal Family Tree on Ancestry is a free feature for subscribers, and I was able to upload all 30,000 names in my database .  The Personal Family Tree feature is being updated, as it has only been available since July 2006 .  According to Ancestry, “1,000,000 members started a tree (March 2007).”  I love the automatic timeline feature in Personal Family Trees that automatically calculates the age of a person at the time of each life event entered .  Researchers can also upload photos to Ancestry’s Personal Family Trees, but not to RootsWeb .  Notes uploaded to Ancestry Personal Family Trees may only be viewed by the submitter. As with RootsWeb, you can view your tree from another location or computer by logging on to your Ancestry.com account and then clicking on the My Ancestry tab .  Your information is right there, no need to open up FTM, if you didn’t want to.

If you have ever worried about a hurricane, major storm, flood, or other disaster which could wipe out your genealogy data, storing your data on RootsWeb or Ancestry.com could be a life saver .  Granted, many of us backup to CD’s, but often they are near the computer and could be destroyed along with the computer in a natural disaster .  At least the information on RootsWeb and Ancestry.com is stored on servers many miles from me.

The other day, I was merging information into my file and I was quite confident in what I was doing .  While merging, I noticed that the parents of one of the people in my file were missing .  I thought I really messed up the merge process and inadvertently deleted some data .  I quickly went to the tree I had uploaded to Ancestry.com, pulled up the records for that individual, and sure enough, I never had his parents in the first place!  Fortunately, I only had to worry about 2 minutes before I knew I was OK and the merge was fine .  If I hadn’t submitted my tree, I would still be trying to figure out who James Mead’s parents were.

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