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
Jakub Dańko, son of Paweł Dańko and Zofia Szymańska, was born on 02 July 1843 in Tuligłowy, Przemyśl Kreis, Lemberg Regierungsbezirk, Austrian Empire and was baptized on 03 July 1843 in the parish church in Tuligłowy, Przemyśl Kreis, Lemberg Regierungsbezirk, Austrian Empire.
The Birth and Baptismal Record for Jakub Dańko – 1843 Parish of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Dubiecko, Poland), “Liber Natorum et Baptisatorum (Book of Births and Baptisms), 1843,” p. unknown, no. 42, Jakub Dańko birth and baptism (1842); parish rectory, Dubiecko.
Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Baptismal Record for Jakub Dańko, including a transcription and translation of the record . Translated from Latin to English, the record states:
Serial Number: 42
Date of Birth: 02 July 1843
Date of Baptism: 03 July 1843
House Number: under Number 12 in Tuligłowy and from Number 140 in Nienadowa
Name: Jakub
Religion: Catholic
Sex: Boy
Legitimacy: Legitimate
Father: Pawel Dańko, gardener
Mother: Zofia, born of the father Andrzej Szymański, gardener
Godparents: Marcin Tanowski, gardener from Nienadowa, and Maria, widow left behind after the death of Andrzej Poloczni, farmer from Tuligłowy. Standing by: Jakub Kuzienko, gardener from Nienadowa, and Rozalia, wife of Błażej Wajda, farmer from Nienadowa.
Midwife: The midwife named herein ins not approved Maria Regentowa
This infant was born outside the parish in the village of Tuligłowy in Przemyśl Kreis, and baptism was performed there by AK. Ludwik Wodziński, curate of the place and Deacon [for.?] the Roman Catholic Parish on the date noted above. Written in this Book of Baptisms, these events were from the document presented from there.
Removed?] 14 August 1878 Number 84
Jakub was born in Tuligłowy (Przemyśl Kreis), although his family lived in Nienadowa in the Dubiecko parish (Sanok Kreis). In the middle of Tuligłowy stands Parafia pw. Świętego Mikołaja Biskupa (Parish of St. Nicholas, Bishop), one of the most visited Marian shrines in Poland. The main altar of the church includes a 15th century painting of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Jakub’s mother was most likely visiting this shrine when Jakub was born.
The record includes a note that I think states: “removed 14 August 1878 Number 84”. This may indicate that my grandfather moved to a new house on 14 August 1878.
Some of the participants are listed with an occupation of hortulanus – gardener. A hortulanus farmed a very small plot of land, probably only enough to supply the needs of their own families. The Godmother, Maria Poloczni, is listed as cmethonifsa, and Błażej Wajda is listed as cmethonis, indicating that these people operated full-sized farms.
This is the first Baptismal Record I’ve seen that listed people “standing by,” a statement that I don’t completely understand.
Much of my United States family history research is centered on ancestors who lived in Massachusetts . In the course of that research, I found many useful resources that I use over and over again . Five of the best resources are:
The New England Historic Genealogical Society Located in Boston, the NEHGS was founded in 1845 and owns the nation’s oldest genealogical library . Despite the name of the organization, the collection includes materials from many places outside New England, with especially large collections for Eastern Canada . The organization’s website includes several online databases, some of which are restricted to members . In particular, the online database for Massachusetts Vital Records 1841-1910 includes images of the original documents prepared from the original sources, not just scans of microfilm images.
The Boston Public Library The Boston Public Library was founded in 1848 and was the first large free municipal library in the United States . The collection includes American Loyalist Claims, Civil War Histories, town and county histories, genealogies, genealogical newsletters, city directories, and a collection of newspapers on microfilm that includes more than five thousand titles . Virtually all Massachusetts newspapers and many newspapers from surrounding states are included in the collection . The library’s website includes an “Ask a Librarian” link that can provide incredible assistance in breaking down brickwalls.
The Massachusetts State Archives
The Massachusetts State Archives in located in the Dorchester Section of Boston, adjacent to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum and the UMass Boston campus . The collection includes Massachusetts Vital Records from 1841-1915 and is the only repository that currently holds Vital Records for the entire state for the period from 1911-1915 . Other collections include Post of Boston Immigration Records, Massachusetts Federal and State Census Records, Naturalization Records, Probate Records, Adoption Records, and Witchcraft Trial Records.
Massachusetts Land Records
Massachusetts Land Records maintains an online database with images of original documents from Massachusetts property transactions . The database mainly lists more recent property transactions and does not yet cover the entire state . However, this database provides an opportunity for those who have not yet researched Massachusetts property records with a way to easily access those records for free.
The Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statistics Massachusetts Vital Records from 1916 to the present can be viewed at the Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statistics . The facility is located near the Massachusetts State Archives in the Dorchester section of Boston . The facility charges nine dollars an hour to conduct research there . Indexes to Massachusetts Vital Records from 1916 to the present can be searched by researchers who may then request to view the original record books . Researchers may not photocopy these records, but may order certified copies which are rapidly prepared by the staff.
There are many other important resources for family historians studying their Massachusetts ancestry . These five resources are just the ones I have used most in my research.
The ancestral village of the Izbicki family is Piertanie, a village that was in the Russian Partition of Poland at the time the family emigrated.
Słownik Geograficzny Entry for Piertanie Chlebowski, Bronisław, Władysław Walewski, and Filip Sulimmierski, eds., Słownik Geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i Innych Krajów Słowiańskich (Geographical Dictionary of the Kingdom of Poland and other Slavonic Countries) – Warsaw 1887, Volume VIII, page 101.
Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Słownik Geograficzny Entry for Piertanie. The entry, translated from the Polish, states:
Piertanie, a village on the small lakes Pierty and Wigry, Suwalki Powiat [District], Hutta Gmina [municipality], Wigry parish. Twelve viersts [1 vierst = 1.0668 km] not far from Suwalki, it has 15 homes, 109 inhabitants, 327 mórgs [1 mórg in the Russian Partition = 1.388 acres] in territory. Swampy land. In 1827 there were 7 homes, 38 inhabitants.
The parish for Piertanie is in Wigry. The Family History Library in Salt Lake City has church records for Wigry from 1808-1882. I may be able to find some relevant records in these microfilms.
I’ve mentioned the Słownik Geograficzny several times in the past . I use this reference often to discover to which parish a particular village belonged and to learn more about the village . Some entries, like the entry for Piertanie, are very brief . The entry for Wigry, the parish, is much more extensive.
The last of the Marriage Certificates I have for the members of the Izbicki family is for Stanley Joseph Izbicki, who married Dorothy Roslyn Crandall in 1946.
The Marriage Certificate for Stanley Joseph Izbicki and Dorothy Roslyn Crandall -1946 The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Registry of Vital Records and Statistics. Certificate of Marriage. City of Worcester. 1946. Volume 152. Page 107. Stanley Joseph Izbicki and Dorothy Roslyn Crandall.
Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Marriage Certificate for Stanley Joseph Izbicki and Dorothy Roslyn Crandall . The record states that:
Stanley Joseph Izbicki was a 28 year old white man born and residing in Worcester, Massachusetts
He was a Postal Clerk, and his parents were William D . Izbicki and Victoria Miller
Dorothy Roslyn Crandall was a 28 year old white woman born in West Haven, Connecticut and residing in Middletown, Connecticut
She was a Payroll Supervisor and her parents were Julian L. Crandall and Ethel Willis
They were both single, and this was the first marriage for each of them
The wedding was solemnized on 14 Feb 1946 in West Haven, Connecticut by Gerald J. Jud, a Minister of the Gospel residing at 141 Main Street, West haven, Connecticut
The certificate was received by the registrar, Malcolm C. Midgley on 16 Apr 1946, the Registered No. was 278
The certificate also notes the page number 107 in the Volume of the Marriage Records for Worcester in 1946 and specifies that this is a Copy of a Certificate of Marriage for a resident of Worcester that was solemnized outside of that city
This document is an official record in the city of Worcester that recorded the marriage of a resident (Stanley Joseph Izbicki) that occurred in West Haven, Connecticut, the hometown of the bride (Dorothy Roslyn Crandall).
The marriage was solemnized by a Minister of the Gospel, indicating that this marriage took place outside the Roman Catholic Church. The exact location of the marriage was not specified in this record.
Stanley Izbicki was a Postal Clerk, just as his older brother Bernard was in later life.
Stanley listed his father’s name as William D., the alias for Bolesław Izbicki, and he listed his mother’s name as Victoria Miller . I have no idea where the Miller surname came from . The maiden name of Stanley’s mother was Victoria Kruczyńska.
Before marrying my cousin Anastasia Rita Meleski, Bernard J. Izbicki married Josephine I. Maslowski.
The Marriage Certificate for Bernard J. Izbicki and Josephine I. Maslowski The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Registry of Vital Records and Statistics. Certificate of Marriage. City of Worcester. 1936. Volume 84. Page 464. Bernard J. Izbicki and Josephine I. Maslowski.
Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Marriage Certificate for Bernard J. Izbicki and Josephine I. Maslowski. The record states that:
Bernard J. Izbicki was a 25 year old white man born and residing in Worcester, Massachusetts
He was a Cold Roller, and his parents were Boleslaus Izbicki and Victoria Kruczynski
Josephine I. Maslowski was a 22 year old white woman born and residing in Worcester, Massachusetts
She was a Sticher and her parents were Stanislaus Maslowski and Agatha Szkutnik
They were both single, and this was the first marriage for each of them
The intention of marriage was entered at Worcester on 25 Jan 1936, and the certificate was issued on 30 Jan 1936 by Malcolm C. Midgley
The wedding was solemnized on 22 Feb 1936 in St. Mary’s Church in Worcester by John F. Mieczkowski, a priest residing at 15 Richland St., Worcester, Massachusetts
The certificate was received by the city or town clerk, Malcolm C. Midgley on 11 Mar 1936, the Registered No. was 178 and the Intention No. was 74
The certificate also notes the page number 464 in the Volume of the Marriage Records for Worcester in 1936
Bernard Izbicki later married Anastasia Rita Meleski in the same church. Bernard was divorced and Anastasia Rita was widowed at the time. The question now is, did Bernard Izbicki and Josephine Maslowski obtain a divorce? If they did, how did Bernard and Anastasia Rita manage to be married in the Roman Catholic Church?
On my to-do list: look for the death of Josephine and look for a possible divorce of Bernard and Josephine.
Continuing with the marriages of the siblings of Bernard Izbicki, Bernard’s sister Victoria was married in 1935.
The Certificate of Marriage for George W. Card and Victoria Izbicki
SOURCE: The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Registry of Vital Records and Statistics.
Certificate of Marriage. City of Worcester. 1935. Volume Unknown. Page 391.
George W. Card and Victoria Izbicki.
George W. Card was a 27 year old white man born in New Haven, Connecticut and residing in Worcester, Massachusetts
He was a greaser, and his parents were Henry R. Card and Mary E. Connors
Victoria Izbicki was a 26 year old white woman born and residing in Worcester, Massachusetts
She was a seamstress, and her parents were William D. Izbicki and Victoria Kruczynska
They were both single, and this was the first marriage for each of them
The intention of marriage was entered at Worcester on 08 Aug, and the certificate was issued on 13 Aug 1935 by Malcolm C. Midgley
The wedding was solemnized on 07 Sep 1935 in St. Mary’s Church in Worcester by B. A. Bojanowski, a priest residing at 15 Richland St., Worcester, Massachusetts
The certificate was received by the city or town clerk, Malcolm C. Midgley on 10 Sep 1935, the Registered No. was 1129 and the Intention No. was 1054
The certificate also notes the page number 391 in the Volume of the Marriage Records for Worcester in 1935
In this record, Victoria’s father is listed as William D. Izbicki, rather than Bolesław Izbicki . Bolesław often used the alias William after he arrived in the United States . This is the first record in which I’ve seen a middle initial for him, though . I don’t know what the D. stands for.
The marriage took place in the Roman Catholic St. Mary’s Church in Worcester . St. Mary’s Church is known today as Our Lady of Częstochowa Church . At the time George W. Card and Victoria Izbicki were married, the congregation of St. Mary’s Church was mostly Polish, and is still largely Polish today . Each Sunday, two masses at Our Lady of Chęstochowa Church are still celebrated in the Polish language.
Yesterday I posted the Marriage Certificate for Leo Izbicki and Anna L. Baronisky . Anna’s parents were listed as John Baronisky and Louise Zadeckas . The marriage record for Anna’s parents reveals some more information about the family surname and origins.
The Marriage Record for John Baranauckas and Louisa Zideckas
SOURCE: The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Marriages Registered in the City of Worcester for the Year 1905. Volume 556, Page 479, No. 619. John Baranauckas and Louisa Zideckas. http://www.newenglandancestors.org.
The marriage was recorded in Volume 556, Page 479, Number 619 of the marriage registers for the city of Worcester, Massachusetts in 1905
John Baranauckas, age 24, residing in Worcester and working as an operative, was born in Russia-Lithuania, the son of George Baranauckas and Catharine [Denulevicz?]
Louisa Zideckas, age 20, residing in Worcester and working as an operative, was born in Russia-Lithuania, the daughter of Joseph Zideckas and Eva Dambrauckas
The couple was married on 19 Jun 1905 by Joseph Jaksztys, a Clergyman from Worcester
This was the first marriage for each of them
The marriage was recorded on 19 Jun 1905
This record helps to confirm the hypothesis that Anna L. Baronisky’s surname was changed at some time and that her parents were from Lithuania.
In the 1905 Worcester City Directory, Joseph Jaksztys is listed as the pastor of St. Casimir Church, residing at 22 Waverly St., Worcester, so it is likely that John Baranauckas and Louisa Zideckas were married in St. Casimir’s . St. Casimir’s Church was a Roman Catholic Church serving a predominantly Lithuanian congregation . The church itself is located at 41 Providence Street at the intersection of Waverly Street.
