Agnieszka Dańko, the daughter of Pawel Dańko and Zofia Szymańska, and the sister of my great grandfather, Jakub Dańko, was born in Nienadowa on 06 Jan 1838 . Agnieszka’s record is the second entry on this page.
The Birth and Baptismal Record for Agnieszka Dańko
SOURCE: Roman Catholic Parish of the Immaculate Heart of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, Dubiecko, Poland. Liber Natorum et Baptisatorum (Book of Births and Baptisms). 1838. Page 44. Text in Latin, translated by Stephen J. Danko.
Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record for Agnieszka Dańko, along with a transcription and translation from the Latin . The record states:
Agnieszka Dańko was born on 06 Jan 1838 in house number 158 in Nienadowa
She was baptized in the church in Dubiecko on 07 Jan 1838 by Antoni [Itselczycki?]
She was a legitimately born, Catholic girl
Her father was Pawel Dańko, a farmer
Her mother was Zofia Szymański, daughter of Anna and Andrzej Szymański, farmer
Her Godparents were Marcin Tanowski, and Rozalia Wayda, the wife of Błażej Wayda, both farmers
The midwife present at the birth was Agnieszka Pilchowa, who was “not tested”
The priest who baptized the child was Antoni [Itselczycki?]
Agnieszka apparently moved to house number 50 on 28 May 1881
It’s interesting to note that the priest who performed the baptism only signed the first baptismal record on the page . On all other records, he signed “same as above”.
The midwife, Agnieszka Pilchowa, was described as “not tested” . I suppose this means that she did not have a license as a midwife . When compared with the Birth and Baptismal Record for Agnieszka’s sister Jadwiga, Jadwiga’s midwife was listed as “District Midwife”.
Pawel Dańko often called on Marcin Tanowski and Rozalia Wayda to be the Godparents of his children . I don’t know who Marcin Tanowski married, but he may be a relative or the husband of a relative of Pawel . Rozalia Wayda, wife of Błażej Wayda, may well be Pawel’s younger sister, but I’ll have to search for the marriage record for Błażej and Rozalia to be sure.
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Leon Izbicki, the brother of Bolesław Izbicki, arrived in the United States in 1902 . The passenger manifest for the S.S. Rotterdam includes his record.
S. S. Rotterdam
The Passenger Manifest for Leon Izbicki
SOURCE: Immigration and Naturalization Service. Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1897-1957. National Archives Microfilm Publication T715, Roll 243, List F, Line 18.
Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Passenger Manifest for Leon Izbicki . The record shows:
Leon Izbizki, a 20-year-old, single male, departed Rotterdam on the S.S. Rotterdam on 24 Apr 1902 and arrived in New York on 04 May 1902
Leon was a laborer and was able to read and write
He was Polish and a citizen of Russia from the village of Pjertani
He had never been in the US before; he was going to stay with his brother Bol[esław] Izbicki, Lab[orer] of Sta. No. 1, Box 52, Worcester, Mass
Leon was in possession of $2 when he arrived in New York
He was never in prison, was not a polygamist or anarchist, and was not under contract, expressed or implied, to labor in the United States
His mental and physical health were good, and he was not deformed or crippled
Leon’s village in Poland was spelled Pjertani on the Passenger Manifest . The correct spelling of this village is Piertanie . Today, Piertanie is located in the far northeast corner of Poland.
Leon did not remain in the United States . He returned to Poland.
A large number of my relatives are buried in Notre Dame Cemetery in Worcester, Massachusetts. Among those are Joseph Chmielewski (alias Meleski), my half great uncle. Joseph is buried with his wife, Catherine Warchol, and his daughter, Rita M. B. Izbicki.
Meleski – Warchol – Izbicki Grave (Front) Notre Dame Cemetery (Worcester, Worcester County, Massachusetts), Joseph Meleski, Catherine Warchol, and Rita M. B. Izbicki grave marker, Section 25A, Lot 100; photographed by Stephen J. Danko, 09 Sep 2005. Meleski – Warchol – Izbicki Grave (Back) Notre Dame Cemetery (Worcester, Worcester County, Massachusetts), Joseph Meleski, Catherine Warchol, and Rita M. B. Izbicki grave marker, Section 25A, Lot 100; photographed by Stephen J. Danko, 09 Sep 2005.
The front of the marker reads:
+
MELESKI
JOSEPH MELESKI 1872-1933
CATHERINE WARCHOL HIS WIFE 1873-1928
RITA M. B. IZBICKI 1911-2000
Rita’s initials stand for her maiden name, Meleski, and the surname of her first husband, Blackman. I’m not sure why Rita is buried here with her parents rather than with one of her husbands. Finding the graves of her two husbands may help explain this unusual arrangement.
I have not seen a marker like this before. The back of the monument is rough cut and stands out in the cemetery. This portion of Notre Dame Cemetery is graced by mature trees and is quite peaceful. Click on the link for a PDF map of Notre Dame Cemetery. UOn 10 August 2009, I obtained the cemetery record for Rita M. B. Izbicki. It states:
Roberta Josephine Izbicki, the daughter of William P. Izbicki and Mary V. Kuchnicki, died in 2004 and was buried near her parents in Worcester County Memorial Park, Paxton, Worcester County, Massachusetts, USA.
The Grave Marker for Roberta J. Izbicki Worcester County Memorial Park (Paxton, Worcester County, Massachusetts), Roberta J. Izbicki grave marker, Garden of Valor I, Lot 3, Grave 2; photographed by Stephen J. Danko, 09 Sep 2005.
Click on the link for a PDF copy of the overall map for Worcester County Memorial Park and a detailed map for the Garden of Valor.
This marker shows that Roberta Josephine Izbicki was born in 1936 and died in 2004. She was buried on 12 Jan 2004 in Grave 2, next to her parents, who were buried in Graves 3 and 4. The marker includes the inscription “IN LOVING MEMORY”.
When I took this photograph in September 2005, Roberta’s marker had not yet been set in place; it was leaning upright against a support. I imagine that Roberta’s relatives had purchased the marker sometime in 2005, at least a year after Roberta was buried.
I have written about the Izbicki family, and I’ve shown birth records for several members of the family. One family member for whom I don’t have a birth record is Bolesław Izbicki, although I know Bolesław was born in Worcester in 1903.
I looked through my files of gravestone photographs today and found a photograph of the grave marker for William P. and Mary V. Izbicki. William P. Izbicki was born with the name Bolesław, but, like his father, he used the name William for most of his life.
The Grave Marker for William P. and Mary V. Izbicki Worcester County Memorial Park (Paxton, Worcester County, Massachusetts), Roberta J. Izbicki grave marker, Garden of Valor I, Lot 3, Graves 3 and 4; photographed by Stephen J. Danko, 09 Sep 2005.
Click on the link for a PDF copy of the overall map for Worcester County Memorial Park and a detailed map for the Garden of Valor.
This marker shows that William P. Izbicki was born in 1903 and died in 1976. He was buried on 05 Jun 1976 in Grave 3. His wife, Mary V., was born in 1900 and died in 1993. She was buried on 04 May 1993 in Grave 4. The marker includes the inscription “TOGETHER FOREVER”.
Worcester County Memorial Park only permits markers that are flush with the ground. The small round object at the top of the marker is a vase in which fresh flowers may be placed. When the vase is not in use, the vase is turned upside-down and inserted into the marker so that it, too, is level with the ground.
From June through December, the cemetery provides an area where fresh flowers may be picked in order to place flowers on the graves.
Pawel Skowroński and Marjanna Zaborczyk were married on 09 October 1909 in Gardner, Worcester County, Massachusetts, USA.
The Marriage Record for Pawel Skowroński and Marjanna Zaborczyk – 1909 Town of Gardner, Worcester County, Massachusetts, USA, Marriage Registrations, vol 588:326, no. 134, Pawel Skowroński and Marjanna Zaborczyk, 09 October 1909 ; image, “Massachusetts: Vital Records, 1841-1910,” American Ancestors (https://www.americanancestors.org/DB191/i/10654/326/126220555 : accessed 18 February 2019); citing original records held by the Massachusetts Archives.
Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Marriage Record for Pawel Skowroński and Marjanna Zaborczyk . The record states:
The marriage was recorded in Volume 588, Page 326, Number 134 of the marriage registers for the town of Gardner, Massachusetts in 1909
Pawel Skowronski, age 20, residing in Gardner and working as a Chairmaker, was born in Poland, the son of Franciszek Skowronski and Malgorzata Parzyk
Marjanna Zaborczyk, age 20, residing in Gardner and working at home, was born in Poland, the daughter of Piotr Zaborczyk and Marjanna Gawkozawka
The couple was married on 09 October 1909 by Julius Rodziewicz, a priest in Gardner
This was the first marriage for each of them
The marriage was recorded on 13 October 1909
Other information indicates that Pawel’s mother was Margrette Podeswa, but this record lists her name as Małgorzata Parzyk. In Polish, her given name would have been Małgorzata. I’m not certain about the correct spelling of her surname.
My grandfather, Michael Danko, died before I was born . His obituary was published in the Worcester, Massachusetts Telegram:
Michael Danko, 76, of 47 Main street, formerly of 15 Henchman street, died Friday at his home . He was a wire drawer at American Steel & Wire Co. for 38 years, retiring 10 years ago.
Mr. Danko was born in Nirnadowa, Galicia, Poland, son of the late Jacob and Agnes (Sawa) Danko, and lived in Worcester for 48 years.
He leaves his wife, Mary (Dziwrzynski) Danko;Â four sons, John J. and Francis J. Danko, both of Albany, N.Y., and Michael J. and Joseph J. Danko of Worcester;Â five daughters, Sophie, wife of Clark Gibson, Statia, wife of Alfred Iwaniec, and Miss Helen Danko, all of Albany, and Bertha, wife of George McGinn and Mary, wife of Oscar Yousoufian, both of Worcester;Â a sister, Mary, wife of Paul Golinski of Worcester;Â 18 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
The funeral will be held Monday morning from Karolkiewicz Funeral Home, 7 Richland street, followed by a high mass at 10 in St. Mary’s Church . Burial will be in Notre Dame Cemetery . Calling hours at the funeral home are 2 to 5 and 7 to 10 p.m. today.
SOURCE: Michael Danko Obituary, Worcester Telegram, Worcester, Massachusetts, 4 January 1953, page C19.
There are a few typos in this obituary:
Nirnadowa should be spelled Nienadowa
Dziwrzynski should be spelled Dziurzynska
Sawa should be spelled Sowa
Technically, grandfather was born in Nienadowa, Galicia, Austria . The area in which he was born was controlled by Austria at the time, although historically the area was part of Poland . Today, Nienadowa is once again in the country of Poland.
A funeral notice appeared in the same paper the next day:
DANKO, Michael, 47 Main street, today, 10 a.m., St. Mary’s Church.
SOURCE: Michael Danko Funeral Notice, Worcester Telegram, Worcester, Massachusetts, 5 January 1953, page 15.
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Jadwiga Dańko, daughter of Paweł Dańko and Zofia Szymańska, was born on 09 September 1847 in Nienadowa, Sanok Kreis, Lemberg Regierungsbezirk, Austrian Empire and was baptized on 09 September 1847 in the parish church in Dubiecko, Sanok Kreis, Lemberg Regierungsbezirk, Austrian Empire.
The Birth and Baptismal Record for Jadwiga Dańko – 1847 Parish of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Dubiecko, Poland), “Liber Natorum et Baptisatorum (Book of Births and Baptisms), 1847,” p. unknown, no. 43, Jadwiga Dańko birth and baptism (1847); parish rectory, Dubiecko.
Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record for Jadwiga Dańko. Translated from the Latin, the record states that:
Jadwiga Dańko was born and baptized on 09 September 1847
Her birth was the 43rd birth in Nienadowa that year and she was born in house number 158 there
She was a legitimately born, Roman Catholic girl
Her father was Pawel Dańko, farmer
Her mother was Zofia, the daughter of Andrzej Szymański
Her Godparents were Marcin Tanowski and Zofia, the wife of Jan Wajdowicz, farmer from Nienadowa
The district midwife who delivered Jadwiga was Katarzyna Kazienkowa, who signed the record with her mark (X)
Jadwiga was baptized by Karol Poprawski, Parish Assistant
A notation on the record shows that she apparently moved on 16 August 1878 [to house number?] 90
I’m more convinced now that the notations I’ve seen that begin with “Extra” indicate that the individual moved to a new house. In Jadwiga’s case, she was born in 1847 in house number 158. In 1878, when she would have been 31 years old, she apparently moved to house number 90.
While not a common notation among the Dubiecko Parish Baptismal Records I’ve seen, the Baptismal Records of several of Jakub Dańko’s brothers and sisters show this type of notation:
Agnieszka – Extra 28 May 1881 No. 50
Daughter Jadwiga – Extra 16 Aug 1878 No. 90
Jakub – Extra 14 Aug 1878 No. 84
Katarzyna – no notation
Marianna – no notation
Pawel – no notation
Szymon – Extra 14 Aug 1878 No. 88
Tomasz – no notation
Notice that three of the notations were made in August 1878 and one was made in May 1881 . This suggests to me that some event occurred in 1878 that forced the family members to move . At this point, I don’t know what that event would have been.
Today I received an email message from Erik, who asked:
I saw while browsing Google for Powiat Ciechanowski I stumbled across your family history website and saw you have ancestors from there. Well, I do too, and I was wondering how you went about researching the people of that area. My great-grandfather and his family were all from a town called Szulmierz in that county and I really know nothing but his name, the year of his birth, and his father’s name. How do you recommend I go about researching his family? Are there any microfilmed records of the area? Since I see you’ve done Polish genealogy I was hoping you could provide me with some tips.
This is a great question, Erik. When I first began to study my family history, I had no idea how to go about this, and for a while I thought this was an obstacle I would never get past. You’re already part way to your goal, in that you know the name of your ancestors’ village. Here’s a plan on how to proceed from here:
1. The first thing to do is to find the name of the parish to which Szulmierz belonged by consulting a gazetteer. I looked for Szulmierz in the Słownik Geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i Innych Krajów Słowiańskich (The Geographical Dictionary of the Kingdom of Poland and other Slavonic Countries):
Słownik Geograficny Entry for Szulmierz Chlebowski, Bronisław, Filip Sulimierski, and Władysław Walewski, eds., Słownik Geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i Innych Krajów Słowiańskich (Geographical Dictionary of the Kingdom of Poland and other Slavonic Countries) (Warsaw, 1892), vol. XII:70; digital images, University of Warsaw (http://dir.icm.edu.pl/pl/Slownik_geograficzny/Tom_XII/70 : accessed 17 February 2019).
The entry for Szulmierz, translated from the Polish, states:
Szulmierz, a village and grange [a grange is a large manorial farmstead], Ciechanów Powiat [District], it has 2068 mórgs [1 mórg in the Russian Partition = 1.388 acres] in the grange (720 mórgs of settled forest) and 287 mórgs in the manor. Compare Sulmierz and Dunoch.
I then looked up the entry for Sulmierz:
Słownik Geograficny Entry for Sulmierz Chlebowski, Bronisław, Władysław Walewski, and Filip Sulimierski, eds., Słownik Geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i Innych Krajów Słowiańskich (Geographical Dictionary of the Kingdom of Poland and other Slavonic Countries) (Warsaw, 1890), vol. XI:575; digital images, University of Warsaw (http://dir.icm.edu.pl/pl/Slownik_geograficzny/Tom_XI/575 : accessed 17 February 2019).
The entry for Sulmierz, translated from the Polish, states:
Sulmierz, a village and grange [a grange is a large manorial farmstead], Ciechanów Powiat [District], Regimin Gmina [municipality], Niedzborz parish. Eight viersts [1 vierst = 1.0668 km] not far from Ciechanów, it has 25 homes, 317 inhabitants, 1924 mórgs [1 mórg in the Russian Partition = 1.388 acres].
Finally, I looked up the entry for Dunoch:
Słownik Geograficny Entry for Dunoch 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, 1890), vol. II:227; digital images, University of Warsaw (http://dir.icm.edu.pl/pl/Slownik_geograficzny/Tom_II/227 : accessed 17 February 2019).
The entry for Dunoch, translated from the Polish, states:
Dunoch, a forest area in Ciechanów Powiat [District], Regimin Gmina [municipality], Koziczynek and Lekowo parishes, belonging to the property of: Kosiczyn, Szulmierz, Włosty and others. It consists predominantly of coniferous trees, although it is frequently possible to come across whole areas consisting of oak forests and birch groves. Formerly, this forest was joined with the forests owned by the Opinogórski Manor in the village of Lekowo.
So, it appears that the Baptismal, Marriage, and Death Records for the Polish village of Szulmierz were probably maintained by the parish in Niedzborz. However, since Szulmierz was part of the Dunoch forest area, it is possible that the records could have been maintained by the parishes of Koziczynek or Lekowo.
Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Słownik Geograficzny entries for Szulmierz, Sulmierz, and Dunoch, along with transcriptions and translations of those entries.
2. The second thing to do is see if the records have been microfilmed at by the Family History Library. Go to http://www.familysearch.org , click on the “Library” tab at the top of the page, then click on “Family History Library Catalog”. Then click on “Place Search”, enter the name of the parish in the “Place” box, and click on the Search button. I checked for Niedzborz, Koziczynek, and Lekowo. I found that there were baptismal, marriage, and death records in Niedzborz from 1644-1900 (with some gaps), and there are baptismal, marriage, and death records in Lekowo from 1808-1903 (but the records for 1860 appear to be missing). I could not find records for Koziczynek in the Family History Library Catalog, nor could I find Koziczynek on a map.
3 . The third thing to do is to go to your local Family History Center (you can find a list of Family History Centers at http://www.familysearch.org by entering the place where you live in the search box near the bottom of the main page) . Order the films you want, pay a small fee (usually about $5.50 – $6.50 US) and wait until the films arrive . Then, you can search the films for the records of your family . The FamilySearch Wiki includes additional information about Family History Centers.
One difficulty is that records up through the early 19th Century are in Latin, from the early 19th Century to about 1865-1870 they’ll be in Polish, and after that they’ll be in Russian. If you can’t read these languages you may have to find someone who can.
Usually (but not always), these church records will have an index at the end of each year and a cumulative index every ten years. You can look up the name in the index and find the record. For the Polish and Latin records, you shouldn’t have a problem finding the names in the indexes, but the Russian records usually only index the names in Russian using the Cyrillic alphabet.
Steve Morse has a webpage at https://stevemorse.org/russian/eng2rus.html that will transliterate English or Polish names to Russian. The webpage will give you lots of possibilities, but sometimes doesn’t come up with the correct transliteration at all. The webpage shows the transliteration in print form rather than handwritten form, so you still may need help in finding names handwritten in Russian in the church records.
Most of the Polish and Russian records will follow a consistent format. I’ve shown some of these records, along with transcriptions and translations, on my website. Additional help with translations can be found elsewhere on the web and in the excellent translation guides by Jonathan Shea and Fred Hoffman published by Language and Lineage Press:
Jonathan D. Shea and William F. Hoffman, In Their Words. A Genealogist’s Translation Guide to Polish, German, Latin, and Russian Documents. Volume I: Polish (New Britain, Connecticut: Language & Lineage Press, 2000).
Jonathan D. Shea and William F. Hoffman, In Their Words. A Genealogist’s Translation Guide to Polish, German, Latin, and Russian Documents. Volume II: Russian (New Britain, Connecticut: Language & Lineage Press, 2002).
NOTE: Volume III (Latin) was published in 2013 and Volume IV (German) was published in 2017.
Marianna Dańko, daughter of Paweł Dańko and Zofia Szymańska, was born on 13 December 1826 in Nienadowa, Sanok Kreis, Lemberg Regierungsbezirk, Austrian Empire and was baptized on 13 December 1826 in the parish church in Dubiecko, Sanok Kreis, Lemberg Regierungsbezirk, Austrian Empire.
The Birth and Baptismal Record for Marianna Dańko – 1826 Parish of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Dubiecko, Poland), “Liber Natorum et Baptisatorum (Book of Births and Baptisms), 1826,” p. 781, no. unknown, Marianna Dańko birth and baptism (1826); parish rectory, Dubiecko.
Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record for Marianna Dańko . Transcribed and translated from the Latin, the record states:
Marianna Dańko was born in Nienadowa on 13 Dec 1826 and baptized on the same day
The baptism is recorded as the third entry on page 781 in the Book of Baptisms for Nienadowa in 1826
Marianna was born in house number 140
Her birth was legitimate and she was a girl born to a Catholic family
Her father was Pawel Dańko, a farmer from Nienadowa
Her mother was Zofia Szumańska, daughter of Andrzej Szumański, farmer
Her Godparents were Marcin Janowski, a farmer, and Rozalia, a farmer and wife of Błażej Wayda
The midwife was Zofia Grzegorzak
Marianna was baptized by Pacificus Suchański, Parish Assistant
