The Birth, Baptism, and Death of Pawel Dańko

Posted on March 24, 2007 by Steve

My great-great grandfather, Pawel Dańko, was born in 1799 . There is, however, a Birth and Baptismal Record for another Pawel Dańko, born of the same parents in 1796, three years before my great-great grandfather’s birth. The Birth and Baptismal Record for Pawel Dańko born in 1796 is the third record on the image below.

Birth and Baptismal Record for Pawel Danko 1796

The Birth and Baptism of Pawel Dańko – 1796

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). 1796. Pawel Dańko. Text in Latin, translated by Stephen J. Danko.

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptism of Pawel Dańko – 1796 . The record states:

  • Pawel Dańko was born in house number 161 in Nienadowa
  • He was baptized on 01 Jul 1796 in the church in Dubiecko
  • His parents were Wojciech Dańko and Marianna Jedlińska
  • His Godparents (Sponsors) were Wojciech Trupiło and Zofia Waydzina, farmers (peasants)
  • He was baptized by Tomasz Lazarowiz, Assistant Pastor

The sponsors signed with a mark “X”. This is distinguished from the mark “+” that indicates the death of the person named in the baptismal record, as on the Birth and Baptismal Record for Wiktoria Bębenek. The “+” mark is the sign of the cross and is sometimes circled to distinguish it from the “X” used to sign the records.

The fact that the next male child born to Wojciech and Marianna was also named Pawel is a good indication that their son Pawel born in 1796 died before the next male child was born. After the death of a young child, Poles often used the same name for a child born later.

Copyright © 2007 Stephen J. Danko

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The Birth and Baptism of Pawel Dańko

Posted on March 23, 2007 by Steve

My great-great grandfather, Pawel Dańko, was born in 1799 .  Pawel was the older brother of Maciej Dańko, whose Birth and Baptismal Record I showed yesterday .  Pawel’s baptism is recorded as the last record on this page from the Dubiecko parish records .  His baptism was the first baptism recorded for Nienadowa that year.

Birth and Baptismal Record for Pawel Danko 1799

The Birth and Baptismal Record for Pawel 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). 1799. Text in Latin, translated by Stephen J. Danko.

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

  • Pawel Dańko was born in house number 161 in Nienadowa
  • He was baptized on 04 Jan 1799 in the church in Dubiecko
  • His parents were Wojciech Dańko and Marianna Jedleńska
  • His Godparents (Sponsors) were Szymon Jedleński and Marianna Makowska
  • He was baptized by Tomasz Lazarowiz, Assistant Pastor
  • There is an enigmatic note “1. Ertu”

Note that the house number for Pawel is the same as that for Maciej: 161 .  House numbers are a good way to verify that the individuals named in the records are part of the same family group.

The church records in Galicia were almost never indexed .  House numbers provide a quick way to find records for individuals in the same family group because the researcher can quickly scan the House Number column instead of reading each name.

Notice, too, that the mother’s maiden name in this record is spelled Jedleńska, but is spelled Jedlińska in Maciej’s record .  Other spelling differences between the records include Marianna / Marjanna and Makowska / Markoska.

The parents and Godparents named in these records probably could not read or write and probably didn’t know how to spell their own names .  The duty of correctly spelling the names was up to the priest, and different priests often spelled the names differently.

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The Birth and Baptism of Maciej Dańko

Posted on March 22, 2007 by Steve

Maciej Dańko, son of Wojciech Dańko and Marjanna Jedlińska and brother of my great great grandfather, Pawel Dańko, was born in 1808 .  The record of his baptism is the fourth on the page from the Book of Births and Baptisms of the parish in Dubiecko.

Birth and Baptismal Record for Maciej Danko

Birth and Baptismal Record for Maciej Dańko

SOURCE: Roman Catholic Parish of the Immaculate Heart of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, Dubiecko, Poland. Liber Natorum et Baptisatorum (Book of Birth and Baptism). 1808. Text in Latin, translated by Stephen J. Danko.

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record for Maciej Dańko .  The record states that:

  • Maciej Dańko was born in house number 161 in Nienadowa
  • He was baptized on 01 Jan 1808 in the church in Dubiecko
  • His parents were Wojciech Dańko and Marjanna Jedlińska
  • His Godparents (Sponsors) were Pawel Jedliński and Marjanna Markoska
  • A notation was made that on 14 Jun 1882 he was in house number 59

The register notes that he was baptized on the same date as the entry above, meaning 01 Jan 1808 .  No clear notation was made of the date of his birth, which may actually have been a day or two earlier, but could also be the same day as the baptism.

The baptismal records for this time period provide minimal information .  No notation of the names of the grandparents, the name of the priest who performed the baptism, or the name of the midwife was made.

The far right side of the record was cut off in this image .  The missing portion describes the occupations of the Godparents.

In dealing with names in the records from the former Galicia (Austria Poland), I always translate the names from Latin to Polish for my reports. In this record, the translations of the names are:

Mathias (Latin) = Maciej (Polish) = Matthew (English)
Adalbertus (Latin) = Wojciech (Polish) = Adalbert, Albert, George (English)
Marjanna (Latin) = Marjanna (Polish) = Marianna (English)
Paulus (Latin) = Pawel (Polish) = Paul (English)

As in many of the Dańko records from Dubiecko, there is a notation that Maciej was living in a different house at some later date .  Curiously, not all baptismal records include such a notation .  In particular, on this page, only the record of Maciej Dańko includes this notation.

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The Birth and Baptism of Wiktoria Bębenek

Posted on March 21, 2007 by Steve

I received a message from Kasia Tropiło who provided me with quite a bit of information on her ancestors, including Katarzyna Dańko .  As it turns out, Kasia and I appear to be fourth cousins, twice removed!  While the final documents to prove the connection are still missing, the document I have that supports the connection is the Birth and Baptismal Record of Wiktoria Bębenek .  Wiktoria’s record is at the bottom of the image of the parish record book shown below.

Birth and Baptismal Record for Wiktoria Bebenek

The Birth and Baptismal Record for Wiktoria Bębenek

SOURCE: Roman Catholic Parish of the Immaculate Heart of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, Dubiecko, Poland. Liber Natorum et Baptisatorum (Book of Birth and Baptism). 1870. Entry Number 90. Text in Latin, translated by Stephen J. Danko.

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record for Wiktoria Bębenek .  The record shows that:

  • Wiktoria Bębenek was the 90th child born in 1838 in Nienadowa, Galicia (Austria Poland), and was born on 19 Dec 1870 in house number 44
  • She was baptized in the church in Dubiecko on 20 Dec 1870
  • She was a legitimately born, Catholic girl
  • Her father was Antoni Bębenek, a gardener, son of Franciszek Bębenek and [?]
  • Her mother was Zofia Dańko, daughter of Maciej Dańko and Franciszka [?]
  • Her Godparents were Wawrzyniec Chruścicki [?] and Zofia, the wife of [?]
  • Wiktoria died on 16 Dec 1871

The bottom part of this record was not included in the digital image I have .  In fact, this record was not even the subject of my interest at first .  The record immediately above the record for Wiktoria Bębenek was the Birth and Baptismal Record for my step-great grandmother, Zofia Głowacz .  I only noticed Wiktoria’s record by chance, long after the image was obtained.

Because the bottom of the record was not included, I don’t know the name of Antoni Bębenek’s mother or the maiden surname of Zofia Dańko’s mother (although I can tell that Zofia’s mother’s maiden name begins with the letter “J”) .  Other information is also missing.

This record shows that Wiktoria’s maternal grandfather was Maciej Dańko, and it is Maciej Dańko who is the critical link between Kasia’s family tree and my family tree .  I believe Maciej Danko is Kasia’s gggg grandfather and the brother of my gg grandfather, Pawel Dańko.

To confirm this link, I’ll have to obtain this complete record and Maciej’s marriage record .  These two records will either complete the link or disprove the link.

In addition to this evidence, the time and place are correct for the Maciej Dańko in my ancestry and in Kasia’s, and several surnames repeat in both our records.

The records from the Dubiecko parish have not been microfilmed, and so Kasia and I will have to obtain the records directly from the church in Dubiecko.

One final observation: notice the cross (+) and the date on the record .  This notation indicates Wiktoria Bębenek’s death .  She died just a year after she was born.

Copyright © 2007 Stephen J. Danko

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The Grave of Chester Pszczolkowski, Josephine Skowronski, and James Paul Carlberg

Posted on March 20, 2007 by Steve

Józefa Skowroński (Josephine Skowronski) married Czesław Pszczółkowski (Chester Pszczolkowski) .  They are buried in St. John’s Cemetery in Gardner, Worcester County, Massachusetts with James Paul Carlberg.

Monument for Chester Pszczolskowski - Front

The Monument for Chester Pszczolkowski, Josephine Skowronski, and James Paul Carlberg – Front

Photograph copyright 2007 by Louise Gagnon. Used with permission.

Monument for Chester Pszczolskowski - Back

The Monument for Chester Pszczolkowski, Josephine Skowronski, and James Paul Carlberg – Back

Photograph copyright 2007 by Louise Gagnon. Used with permission.

SOURCE: Chester Pszczolkowski, Josephine Skowronski, and James Paul Carlberg grave marker, St. John’s Cemetery, Section Unknown (Gardner, Worcester County), Massachusetts, photographed by Louise Gagnon, 12 Mar 2007.

The front of the monument reads:

PSZCZOLSKOWSKI

The back of the monument reads:

CHESTER PSZCZOLKOWSKI
1887-1959

HIS WIFE
JOSEPHINE SKOWRONSKI
1891-1989

JAMES PAUL CARLBERG
AUG 7, 1971

With this monument, I’ve published photographs of the monuments of all the children of Małgorzata (Margaret) Podeszwa.

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The Graves of Pawel F. Skowronski, Marianna H. Zaborczyk, and William Ojerholm

Posted on March 19, 2007 by Steve

Pawel F. Skowronski, the brother of Alexander Frank Skowronski, is buried with his wife, Marianna H. Zaborczyk, and their great-great grandson, William Ojerholm, in Notre Dame Cemetery, Worcester, Worcester County, Massachusetts.

The Monument for Pawel F. Skowronski, Marianna H. Zaborczyk, and William Ojerholm - Front
Monument for Pawel Skowronski, Marianna Zaborczyk, and William Ojerholm - Front
Notre Dame Cemetery (Worcester, Worcester County, Massachusetts, USA), Pawel F. Skowronski, Marianna H. Zaborczyk, and William Ojerholm grave marker; photographed by Louise Gagnon, 12 March 2007.
The Monument for Pawel F. Skowronski, Marianna H. Zaborczyk, and William Ojerholm - Back
Monument for Pawel Skowronski, Marianna Zaborczyk, and William Ojerholm – Back
Notre Dame Cemetery (Worcester, Worcester County, Massachusetts, USA), Pawel F. Skowronski, Marianna H. Zaborczyk, and William Ojerholm grave marker; photographed by Louise Gagnon, 12 March 2007.

The front of the monument reads:

SKOWRONSKI

PROSZE O ZDROWAS MARJA

The back of the monument reads:

PAWEL F. SKOWRONSKI
1890 – 1959

HIS WIFE
MARIANNA H.
1888 – 1971

GREAT GRANDSON
WILLIAM OJERHOLM
1963-1963

The inscription on the front, translated from the Polish, reads: I ask for a Hail Mary.

Copyright © 2007-2019 by Stephen J. Danko and Louise Gagnon

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The Death of Jean B. Danko

Posted on March 18, 2007 by Steve

Jean B. (Skowronski) Danko, the wife of my uncle, Michael J. Danko, Jr., died in 1996.

The Death Record of Jean B. Danko

The Death Record of Jean B. Danko

SOURCE: The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Registry of Vital Records and Statistics. Standard Certificate of Death. City of Worcester. 1996. Volume Unknown. Page 048586. Jean B. Danko.

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Death Record of Jean B. Danko .  The record states:

  • Jean B . Danko, a white female, died on 18 Oct 1996 at Memorial Health Care, Worcester, Worcester County, Massachusetts
  • Her Social Security Number was 017-09-7098, she was not a veteran
  • Jean was 79 years old at the time of death; she was born 31 Mar 1917 in Worcester, Massachusetts
  • She was the widow of Michael J. Danko, Jr.; she was a housewife working at home, and she lived at 157 Burbank Road, Sutton, Worcester County, Massachusetts
  • Her father was Alexander F. Skowronski and her mother was Frances Dymek, both born in Poland
  • Jean was buried in Notre Dame Cemetery, Worcester, Massachusetts on 22 Oct 1996 by Henry V. Karolkiewicz, license # 4555, of the Henry Funeral Service, 33 Ward Street, Worcester, Massachusetts 01610
  • Jean died 9 days after the onset of sepsis and respiratory failure – status – post lung volume reduction surgery 3 months prior, due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease from which she suffered for years
  • No autopsy was performed and the case was not referred to the medical examiner; the death was declared to be natural
  • Jean’s death was certified on 18 Oct 1996 at 5:30 PM by Svetlana Mironov, M.D., license no. 96-4177-99, of 119 Belmont Street, Worcester, Massachusetts 01605; the attending physician was S. Said, MD; there was no R.N. pronouncement of death
  • The Burial Permit was issued 21 Oct 1996 by Arnold Gurwitz, MD, the Commissioner of Public Health
  • The Death Certificate was received in the city of Worcester by Robert J. O’Keefe on 21 Oct 1996

After the death of her husband in 1981, Jean moved from Marion Avenue in Worcester to Burbank Road in Sutton, where she was close to several other members of her family.

I also found it interesting that Jean B. (Skowronski) Danko died of sepsis, the same cause of death as was reported for my mother.

Copyright © 2007 by Stephen J. Danko

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The Death of Michael J. Danko, Jr.

Posted on March 17, 2007 by Steve

My uncle, Michael J. Danko, died in 1981 from prostate cancer.

The Death Record for Michael J Danko Jr

The Death Record of Michael J. Danko, Jr.

SOURCE: The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Registry of Vital Records and Statistics. Standard Certificate of Death. City of Worcester. 1981. Volume Unknown. Page 50576. Michael J. Danko.

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Death Record of Michael J. Danko .  The records states:

  • Michael J. Danko, a white male, died on 19 Nov 1981 in his home at 15 Marion Avenue, Worcester, Worcester County, Massachusetts
  • His Social Security Number was 034-09-2107, he was a veteran of WWII
  • Michael was 68 years old at the time of death; he was born 13 Sep 1913 in Worcester, Massachusetts
  • He was married to Jean B. Skowronski; he was a carpenter in the carpentry industry, and he lived at 15 Marion Avenue, Worcester, Worcester County, Massachusetts 01604
  • His father was Michael Danko and his mother was Mary Dziwrzynski, both born in Poland
  • The informant was Michael’s wife, Jean B. Skowronski, of 15 Marion Avenue, Worcester, Worcester County, Massachusetts 01604
  • Michael was buried in Notre Dame Cemetery, Worcester, Massachusetts on 21 Nov 1981 by Henry V. Karolkiewicz of the Henry Funeral Service, 33 Ward Street, Worcester, Massachusetts
  • Michael died within 5 minutes of cardiopulmonary arrest due to uremia from which he suffered for 3 years, due to prostatic cancer from which he suffered for 8 years
  • No autopsy was performed and the case was not referred to the medical examiner
  • Michael’s death was certified on 19 Nov 1981 at 6 AM by Howard J. Alfred, M.D. of 119 Belmont Street, Worcester, Massachusetts 01605
  • The Burial Permit was issued 19 Sep 1981 by Arnold Gurwitz, MD, the Commissioner of Public Health
  • The Death Certificate was received and filed in the city of Worcester by Robert J. O’Keefe on 20 Nov 1981

Michael Danko’s Death Certificate shows that he was a veteran of World War II .  During that war, he served as a Shipfitter First Class in the United States Navy.

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The Death of Joseph J. Danko

Posted on March 16, 2007 by Steve

My uncle, Joseph J. Danko, died on 05 Jul 1991 after being stricken on the Fourth of July.

Death Record of Joseph J Danko

The Death Record for Joseph J. Danko

SOURCE: The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Registry of Vital Records and Statistics.
Standard Certificate of Death. City of Worcester. 1991. Volume Unknown. Page 35891. Joseph J. Danko.

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Death Record for Joseph J. Danko .  The record states that:

  • Joseph J. Danko, a white male, died on 05 Jul 1991 in the ER at the Med. Center of Central Mass.-Hahnemann
  • His Social Security Number was 027-09-9649, he was a veteran of WWII
  • Joseph was 71 years old at the time of death; he was born 02 Sep 1919 in Worcester, Massachusetts
  • He was a Tool & Die Maker for a Tool & Die Mfg.
  • His father was Michael Danko and his mother was Mary Dziwrzynski, both born in Poland
  • Joseph was buried in Notre Dame Cemetery, Worcester, Massachusetts on 08 Jul 1991 by Henry V. Karolkiewicz, license # 4555 of the Henry Funeral Service, 33 Ward St., Worcester, MA 01610
  • Joseph died within hours of myocardial infarction due to coronary artery disease, hypercholesterolemia, and hypertension; he suffered from all three complications for years
  • No autopsy was performed, although the case was referred to the medical examiner; his death was declared natural
  • Joe’s death occurred on 05 Jul 1991 at 5:58 AM, as certified by Bruce McNully, MD of 281 Lincoln St., Worcester, whose license number was 58559
  • The attending physician was Sr. Samuel Said
  • The Burial Permit was issued 08 Jul 1991 by Arnold Gurwitz, MD, the Commissioner of Public Health
  • The Death Certificate was received in the city of Worcester by Robert J. O’Keefe on 08 Jul 1991

I tried to confirm the spellings of the surnames of the the attending physician and the certifying physican on the Death Certificate by searching for their names online .  Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a convenient way to verify the spellings of their surnames .  One could be McNully or McNally or McNulty .  The other looks like Said or Saiu.

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The Birth of Joseph Danko

Posted on March 15, 2007 by Steve

The ninth child of Michael Dańko and Marianna Dziurzyńska was named Joseph .  He was born in Worcester, Worcester County, Massachusetts .  His birth is recorded on page 430 of the Birth Register for the City of Worcester for the year 1919, a copy of which I obtained from the Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records.

Canvassers Return of a Birth for Joseph Danko

Canvasser’s Return of a Birth for Joseph Danko

SOURCE: The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Return of a Birth. City of Worcester. 1919. Joseph Danko. Volume Unknown, Page 430, Registered Number 3183. Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records And Statistics.

Click on the link for a PDF Copy of the Canvasser’s Return of a Birth for Joseph Danko .  The record states that:

  • Joseph Danko was a male child born alive at 19 Prescott Place, Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts on 02 Sep 1919
  • His father was Michael Danko, a 43 year-old, white wiredrawer born in Poland and residing at 19 Prescott Place, Worcester
  • His mother was Mary Guginski, a 38 year-old, white woman, no occupation listed, born in Poland and residing at 19 Prescott Place, Worcester
  • Katie Tutudar personally attended the birth, no further information provided
  • The name of the canvasser and the date the return was obtained were not provided
  • The Canvasser’s Return of a Birth was filed in Jan 1920 as attested by W. Henry Towne, Registrar

The Canvasser’s Return of a Birth was used to record Joseph Danko’s birth because he was born at home and the birth had not been previously recorded.

The name of Joseph’s mother is listed as Mary Guginski . Â Nearly every document spells Mary’s name differently . Â Other documents list her first name as Maria, Marya or Marianna, and list her surname as Dziura, Dziurzynski, Dziurzyńska, Dziurznska, Ginsky, Dzevirzynska, Jusuka, Dzuizynski, Dziwrzynski, Durzinski, and Dzinski .  Whew!

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