Steve's Genealogy Blog

The sixth child of Paweł Dańko and Agnieszka Szymańska was named Tomasz. The Birth and Baptism of Tomasz Dańko is the second entry on page 80 of the Book of Births and Baptisms for Nienadowa in 1840.

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Tomasz Dańko – 1840

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). 1840. Tomasz Dańko. Text in Latin, translated by Stephen J. Danko.

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record of Tomasz Dańko – 1840. Translated from the Latin, the record states:

• Tomasz Dańko was born on 07 Dec 1840 in house number 158 in Nienadowa, a boy legitimately born to a Catholic family and delivered by the midwife Agnieszka Pilch
• He was baptized the next day, 08 Dec 1840, in the church in Dubiecko by E. Ciesielski, Assistant Pastor
• His record is entered on page 80 of the Book of Births and Baptisms for Nienadowa for the year 1840
• His parents were Paweł Dańko, a farmer, and Zofia, daughter of Andrzej Szymański, a farmer
• His Godparents (Sponsors) were Błażej Wayda and Maria, wife of Marcin Janoski

With this entry, I have published the Birth and Baptismal Records for all the children of Paweł Dańko and Zofia Szymańska.

Błażej Wayda and his wife Rozalia, and Marcin Janoski and his wife Maria frequently appear as Godparents for the children of Paweł Dańko and Zofia Szymańska. This fact suggests that these two couples were either related to the family or were close friends or neighbors.

The fourth child of Paweł Dańko and Zofia Szymańska was born in 1835 and was given the name Paweł. His record is the last entry on the image below.

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Paweł Dańko -1835

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). 1835. Paweł Dańko. Text in Latin, translated by Stephen J. Danko.

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record of Paweł Dańko -1835. The record, translated from the Latin, states:

• PawełÂ Dańko was born on 19 Jan 1835, in house number 158 in Nienadowa, a boy legitimately born to a Catholic family and delivered by the midwife Agnieszka Pilchowa
• He was baptized the next day, 20 Jan 1835, in the church in Dubiecko by Aleksander Bylina, Assistant Pastor
• His parents were Paweł Dańko, a farmer, and Zofia, daughter of Andrzej Szymański, a farmer
• His Godparents (Sponsors) were Marcin Janoski, a farmer, and Rozalia, the wife of Błażej Wayda, a farmer

Many early church records in the Dubiecko parish were not signed by anyone other than the priest. This record shows that the midwife and the Godparents all signed the record with an “X” inside a circle. The “X” mark was circled to distinguish it from the cross “+” that indicated death.

The fact that the midwife and the Godparents signed with a mark “X” indicates that these three people were not able to read and write. Most Polish peasants could not read or write and relied on the priest to correctly record the births, marriages, and deaths in the village.

Paweł’s Godparents were Marcin Janoski and Rozalia, the wife of Błażej Wajda. The two daughters previously born to Paweł Dańko and Zofia Szymańska had the same Godparents. The Godparents of the other child, Szymon, were the spouses of Marcin Janoski and Rozalia Wajda.

The third child of Paweł Dańko and Zofia Szymańska was born in 1832 and was given the name Katarzyna. Her record is the second entry on the image below.

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Katarzyna Dańko – 1833

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). 1832. Katarzyna Dańko. Text in Latin, translated by Stephen J. Danko.

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record of Katarzyna Dańko – 1833. Translated from the Latin, the record states:

• Katarzyna Dańko was born on 22 Sep 1833, in house number 158 in Nienadowa, a girl legitimately born to a Catholic family and delivered by the midwife Katarzyna [Golwioska?]
• She was baptized on the same day in the church in Dubiecko by Ignacy Hrobanowicz, Assistant Pastor
• Her parents were Paweł Dańko, a farmer, and Zofia, daughter of Andrzej Szymański, a farmer
• His Godparents (Sponsors) were Marcin Janoski, a farmer, and Rozalia, the wife of Błażej Wayda, a farmer

The first three children of Paweł Dańko and Zofia Szymańska shared Godparents.

The Godparents of the first two daughters, Marianna and Katarzyna, were Marcin Janoski and Rozalia, the wife of Błażej Wayda.

The Godparents of the second child, Szymon Dańko, were Błażej Wayda and Maria, the wife of Marcin Janoski.

It seems that I’ve discovered the spouses of the Godparents without even trying! Now, if I can only figure out why these people were so important in the lives of Paweł Dańko and Zofia Szymańska that they were repeatedly asked to be the children’s Godparents.

The second child born to my great-great grandparents, Paweł Dańko and Zofia Szymańska, was named Szymon. His Birth and Baptismal Record is the third entry for October in the image below.

The Birth and Baptismal Record for Szymon Dańko – 1829

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). 1829. Szymon Dańko. Text in Latin, translated by Stephen J. Danko.

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record for Szymon Dańko – 1829. The record, translated from the Latin, states:

• Szymon Dańko was born on 17 Oct 1829, in house number 158 in Nienadowa, a boy legitimately born to a Catholic family and delivered by the midwife Teresa Durys
• He was baptized on the next day, 18 Oct 1829 in the church in Dubiecko by Ignacy Hrobanowicz, Assistant Pastor
• His parents were Paweł Dańko, a farmer, and Zofia, daughter of Andrzej Szymański, a farmer
• His Godparents (Sponsors) were Błażej Wayda and Maria, wife of Marcin Janoski, a farmer
• A notation says “removed 14 Aug 1878 to No. 88”

I had previously published the Birth and Baptismal Record of Paweł Dańko, the Marriage Record of Paweł Dańko and Zofia Szymańska, and the Birth and Baptismal Record of the couple’s first child, Marianna Dańko.

Note that three of the four children listed on the image above were boys, and all three boys were named Simon (Szymon). Was Simon a popular name for boys that year? The Feast of Saint Simon is celebrated on 28 Oct, so there is good reason for Catholics to give the name Simon (Szymon) to a son born in the month of October.

I’m still not certain what the “Ext” notations mean. At first, I thought it was an indication that the individual moved to a different house. However, the Marriage Record for Wojciech Dańko and Marianna Jedlińska shows a similar notation with a date that was long after both Wojciech and Marianna had died.

My best guess is that the notation is the date when the information was extracted for an official certificate, but I’m still not sure about this.

Wojciech Dańko died in 1853. Two wives and at least one of his children died before him. His record is the fourth entry on the image below.

The Death Record of Wojciech Dańko – 1853

SOURCE: Roman Catholic Parish of the Immaculate Heart of the Most Holy Virgin Mary,
Dubiecko, Poland. Liber Mortuorum (Book of Deaths). 1853. Wojciech Dańko.
Text in Latin, translated by Stephen J. Danko.

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Death Record of Wojciech Dańko – 1853. Translated from the Latin, the record states:

• Wojciech Dańko, the widower of Rozalia Chruścicka, a farmer and the father of a family, died on 28 Dec 1853, the 68th death in Nienadowa that year
• Wojciech was a Catholic male, residing in house number 178
• He was buried on 30 Dec 1853 by J Karpiński, Assistant Pastor of the church in Dubiecko
• He was 81 years old at the time of his death
• His death was due to [old age?] and he received the final sacrament

Since this record states that Wojciech was a widower, I can assume that Rozalia Chruścicka died before him, even though I don’t have a copy of her death record.

I’m not sure how to translate the word morosmo. I can’t find this word in my dictionaries. I have translated it as “old age”, but this translation is probably not literally correct.

The rather enigmatic ss. smtis provisus is an abbreviation for “the sacred sacraments [last rites] were provided.

Wojciech was buried two days after he died. At the time he died, the bodies of the deceased were usually buried soon after death, at least in part due to concerns about communicable diseases.

One difficulty with all these Galician records is the frequent use of abbreviations and the habit of the priests of writing the first part of a word on one line and finishing the spelling on the next line.

The youngest child of Wojciech Dańko and Rozalia Chruścicka was born in 1833 and named Anna. Her Birth and Baptismal Record is the next to last entry on the page below.

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Anna Dańko – 1833

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). 1833. Anna Dańko. Text in Latin, translated by Stephen J. Danko.

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record of Anna Dańko – 1833. The record, translated from the Latin, states:

• Anna Dańko was born in house number 140 in Nienadowa, a girl legitimately born to a Catholic family and delivered by the midwife Marianna Wojtowicz, not examined
• Anna was baptized by Ignacy Hrabanowiz, Assistant Pastor, on the same day she was born, [26] May 1833 in the church in Dubiecko
• Her parents were Wojciech Dańko, a farmer, and Rozalia, daughter of Józef Chruścicki
• Her Godparents (Sponsors) were Kazimierz Chruscicki, farmer, and Barbara, wife of Marcin Kaziejko, farmer

While the top part of the page is missing, it appears that the form used to record births and baptisms changed between 1830 and 1833. Later records in my possession that include the header confirm that the forms did, indeed, change.

The columns for legitimate and illegitimate births have apparently been reversed, and the two columns previously used to record the names and occupations of the Godparents have apparently been combined into one.

Two columns to the left of the form appear to be missing from this image. There should be a column for the sequential number of birth and the date of birth. This record only states “the same”, indicating that the date of baptism was the same as the date of birth.

Since the date of birth is missing from this image, I have to depend on the notes of the researcher who took this picture. The notes state that Anna was born on 26 May 1833 in Nienadowa.

My great-great-great grandfather, Wojciech Dańko, had two daughters named Wiktoria, one by each of his two wives. The first was baptized on 06 Dec 1800, the second on 27 Jul 1830. The second Wiktoria Dańko’s Birth and Baptismal Record is the third record on the image below, the last baptism recorded for Nienadowa in July 1830.

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Wiktoria Danko – 1830

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). 1830. Wiktoria Dańko. Text in Latin, translated by Stephen J. Danko.

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record of Wiktoria Danko – 1830. The record states:

• Wiktoria Dańko was born in house number 140 in Nienadowa, a girl legitimately born to a Catholic family and delivered by the midwife Anna Janowska
• She was baptized on 27 Jul 1830 in the church in Dubiecko
• Her parents were Wojciech Dańko, a farmer, and Rozalia, daughter of Józef Chróscicki
• Her Godparents (Sponsors) were Kazimierz Chróscicki, farmer, and Barbara, wife of Marcin Kazienko, farmer

The left side of this image is cut off, and so I assume the date on this record is the date of Wiktoria’s baptism. The date of birth, when recorded, is usually written to the left of the date of baptism.

The name of the priest who baptized Wiktoria is not listed in this image. In Wiktoria’s record, the priest’s name is indicated as “ut supra”, meaning “as above”. Since the top of the image is missing, I don’t know the name of the priest written “above”.

Wiktoria’s Godparents (sponsors) are the same two people who were Godparents for the previous children of Wojciech Dańko and Rozalia Chruścicka; however, the midwife who delivered Wiktoria was someone new: Anna Janowska.

Since Wojciech had two daughters named Wiktoria, the first Wiktoria Dańko may have died before 1830. I’ll have to keep this in mind as I search for more records on this family.