The Birth of Anthony Chmielewski

Posted on December 14, 2006 by Steve

While I don’t have any information on my Chmielewski ancestors further back than my great grandparents, I do have a number of documents from the descendants of my great grandparents, most of which are from the State of Massachusetts.

The New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) has posted a database of Massachusetts Vital Records up through 1910 and has digitized and linked many of the original documents to the database .  The database is restricted to members and access to this database is only one of the many reasons I faithfully renew my membership each year.

One remarkable aspect of the digitized records on the NEHGS website is that the images are apparently digital photographs of the original registers, not just digitized versions of the microfilms .  The microfilm copies of these registers are generally of poor quality, but the digitized images at NEHGS are excellent .  Compare the image in today’s post with that in yesterday’s post to see the difference.

One of the records I found recently was that for Anthony Chmielewski, a younger brother of Harry Chmielewski.

Birth Register for Anthony Chmielewski

The Birth Register for Anthony Chmielewski

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth Record for Anthony Chmielewski – 1907 .  The record states that:

  • Anthony Chmielewski was born in Worcester, Massachusetts on June 14, 1907
  • Anthony was a white male
  • His father was Joseph Chmielewski, a laborer from Russia, Poland
  • His mother was Katie Kwarket from Russia, Poland
  • The record is from the Register of Births for 1907, Volume 568, Page 475, Number 659

SOURCE:  The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Massachusetts State Archives. Record of Birth. Worcester County. 1907. Volume 568, Page 475, Number 659. Anthony Chmielewski.

The maiden name of Anthony’s mother is listed as Katie Kwarket .  Most records list her maiden surname as Warchol.

These registers were not completed at the time of the event .  They were prepared periodically from the records accumulated over a number of months .  This record is an exact image of an original document .  I consider this record to be an original source of primary birth information for Anthony Chmielewski, but because these records may have been compiled several months after the actual events by people not present at the event, is the birth information really secondary, rather than primary?

Copyright © 2006 by Stephen J. Danko

Posted in Chmielewski/Meleski, Warchol | Tagged | Comments Off on The Birth of Anthony Chmielewski

The Birth of Harry Chmielewski

Posted on December 13, 2006 by Steve

Harry Chmielewski was born in the year 1898 at a time when births in Massachusetts were recorded by the state in a register .  These registers were microfilmed by the Massachusetts State Archives and the quality of the microfilm record is rather poor .  For a charge of three dollars, the Massachusetts Archives provided me with a photocopy of the microfilmed record and a certified Copy of Record of Birth .  When I compared the two documents, I found that the Copy of Record of Birth is an accurate and complete transcription of the actual register.

Copy of Record of Birth for Harry Chmielewski

Copy of Record of Birth of Harry Chmielewski

Birth Register for Harry Chmielewski

The Birth Register for Harry Chmielewski

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth Record for Harry Chmielewski – 1898 .  The record states that:

  • Harry Chmielewski was born at 8 Oliver St., Holyoke, Massachusetts on May 3, 1898
  • Harry was a white male
  • His father was Joseph Chmielewski, a laborer from Russia
  • His mother was Katie Varchol from Austria
  • The record is from the Register of Births for 1898, Volume 475, Page 735, Number 577

SOURCE: The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Massachusetts State Archives. Record of Birth. Worcester County. 1898. Volume 475, Page 735, Number 577. Harry Chmielewski.

While the Copy of Record of Birth is a complete and accurate transcription of the register, other documents indicate that the correct spelling of Harry’s mother’s maiden name is Warchol, not Varchol.

Harry’s father was Joseph Chmielewski, my grandmother’s half brother and Stefania Chmielewska’s full brother .  Harry is my half-first cousin, once removed.

Harry Chmielewski’s surname was later changed to Meleski.

Copyright © 2006 by Stephen J. Danko

Posted in Chmielewski/Meleski, Warchol | Tagged | 3 Comments

The Death of Harry Meleski

Posted on December 12, 2006 by Steve

My grandmother’s half-nephew, Harry Meleski, was a prominent attorney in Worcester, Massachusetts .  His Death Certificate is filed with the City of Worcester, with a copy to the State of Massachusetts .  I obtained this copy from the State of Massachusetts, Registry of Vital Records and Statistics.

Death Certificate for Harry Meleski

The Death Certificate for Harry J. Meleski

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Death Certificate for Harry J. Meleski – 1981 .  The record states that:

  • Harry J. Meleski was born on May 3, 1898 in Massachusetts and died January 8, 1981 in Hahnemann Hospital, Worcester, Worcester County, Massachusetts
  • Harry’s wife was Margaret Werme
  • His residence was 33 Hill Top Circle, Worcester, Massachusetts
  • His occupation was Retired Attorney for the City of Worcester
  • His parents were Joseph Meleski and Katherine Warchol, both born in Poland
  • Harry was buried in Hope Cemetery, Worcester, Massachusetts on January 12, 1981 by A J Jozefowski of Alexander Memorial Chapel at 52 Ward Street, Worcester
  • An autopsy was performed
  • Harry died as a result of respiratory failure, due to weeks of aspiration pneumonia, as a consequence of Parkinson’s Syndrome
  • Harry also suffered from benign prostatic hypertrophy
  • Harry’s death was certified by Leonard Morse, MD

Harry and his wife died childless .  Their grave has been largely neglected.

Copyright © 2006 by Stephen J. Danko

Posted in Chmielewski/Meleski, Warchol, Werme | Tagged | 2 Comments

The Lithuanian Villages of Butrymonys and Likiškės

Posted on December 11, 2006 by Steve

My Chmielewski ancestors were from the Lithuanian villages of Butrymonys and Likiškės.  I’m not sure if the Chmielewskis were Polish or Lithuanian, but given the surnames, it’s likely they were Poles who settled in Lithuania during the time when the two countries were united.

These two villages are listed in the Słownik Geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i Innych Krajów Słowiańskich (The Geographical Dictionary of the Kingdom of Poland and Other Slavonic Countries) as Butrymańce and Likiszki.

Slownik Entry for Butrymance

Slownik Entry for Butrymonys

SOURCE:  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 1880, Volume I, page 484.  Text in Polish, translated by Stephen J. Danko.

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Słownik Geograficzny entry for Butrymonys.  The entry, translated from the Polish, states:

Butrymańce  1.) a little town in the Troki Powiat [District], on the Pinsówek River, 54 versts [1 verst = 1.0668 kilometers] from Troki, 115 versts distant from Wilno [Vilnius] .  There is a wooden Catholic church under the name of the Redeemer, erected by the Reverend Jezierski, a sister parish to Punia: 1834 souls .  Butrymańce is famous for its fair and for the manufacture of gingerbread .  There are 2400 inhabitants .  It is the property of Count Józef Tyszkiewicz; in the year 1850 it was the property of the Bogateks, the Wnorowskis, and the Morawskis .  The township of Butrymańce totals 521 houses, 6798 peasants under wages, the local government is in Butrymańce .  The township consists of 7 rural districts and 73 villages .  The districts are:  1) Butrymańce, 2) Ajciuny, 3) Punie, 4) Girejkańce, 5) Krążnńce, 6) Skrejciany, 7) Piwoszuny .  The circumference of the village of Butrymańce totals in its area the little village of Butrymańce, the villages of Gryszkańce, Pieskuńce, Płasowniki, Kasperzyszki, Trokieniki, Mażuńce; the area of Rejż .  Butrymańce has a post office on the Koszendary-Hanuszyszki road.
2.) Butrymańce, a village in the Lidzki Powiat, the Catholic church of Saint Michael is there, erected of wood by the Baron Schrotter, a chapel of Bieniakoski.
F.O.

Slownik Entry for Likiszki

Słownik Entry for Likiškės

SOURCE:  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 1884, Volume V, page 230.  Text in Polish, translated by Stephen J. Danko.

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Słownik Geograficzny entry for Likiškės.  The entry, translated from the Polish, states:

Likiszki, a village in the township of Butrymańce, Trocki Powiat [District], the 4th administrative circuit, 48 versts [1 verst = 1.0668 kilometers] from Troki, 5 homes, 42 inhabitants of which 41 are Catholic, and 1 is Orthodox.

The Słownik generally indicates the location of the parish church, and for Butrymonys (Butrymańce), it appears that the parish is located in Butrymonys itself, although there is a reference to a sister parish in Punia.  Oddly enough, there is no reference to the location of the parish church for Likiškės (Likiszki).

Finally, the reason there are two spellings for the names of these villages is simply that the current locations are spelled in Lithuanian, but the Słownik spellings are Polish.

Copyright © 2006 by Stephen J. Danko

Posted in Chmielewski/Meleski | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

The Descendants of Wincenty Chmielewski

Posted on December 10, 2006 by Steve

Tracing my ancestors of my maternal grandmother, Helen (Helena) Meleski (Chmielewska) is one of my most difficult brick walls .  The reasons this line is so difficult are that:

  1. My grandmother never liked to talk about her past.
  2. This line lived in what is now Lithuania and Lithuanian records are not very abundant in the Family History Library.
  3. I’m not exactly sure where my Chmielewski ancestors lived or where the parish was.

To be honest, I do have living relatives in Lithuania .  One of my cousins, Liliana, was born there but now lives in the United States .  Liliana’s mother is still living in Lithuania, but doesn’t know much about our common ancestors, Wincenty Chmielewski and Anastasia Wojnowska.

This is what I do know about the Chmielewski line .  Living individuals are not represented in this chart.

Descendants of Wincenty Chmielewski

Generation No. 1

1 .  WINCENTY CHMIELEWSKI was born in Gubernia Wilenska, Russia, and died in Gubernia Wilenska, Russia .  He married (1) SCHOLASTYKA WOJTCZUKA before 1874. He married (2) ANASTASIA WOJNOWSKA after 1886 .  She was born in Gubernia Wilenska, Russia, and died in Gubernia Wilenska, Russia.

Children of WINCENTY CHMIELEWSKI and SCHOLASTYKA WOJTCZUKA are:

2 . i . JOSEPH CHMIELEWSKI was born 03 Apr 1874, Wilno, Gubernia Wilenska, Russia /Lithuania, and died before 1934 in Massachusetts.

ii . STEPHANIE S. MELESKI was born 07 Feb 1886, Butrimonys, Alytaus Region, Russia, and died 31 Jan 1973, Worcester City Hospital/Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.

iii . ARTURS CHMIELEWSKI was born about 1880.

iv . VINCENT CHMIELEWSKI, JR. was born about 1891.

Children of WINCENTY CHMIELEWSKI and ANASTASIA WOJNOWSKA are:

3 . v . HELEN ANNE CHMIELEWSKA was born 15 Feb 1897, Trakai, Gubernia Wilenska, Russia, and died 23 Nov 1980, St. Vincent Hospital /Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.

4 . vi . ONA CHMIELEWSKA was born 18 Jun 1899, Likiskiai, Co. Butrimonys, Alytaus Region, Russia, and died 31 May 1969, Alytus, Alytaus Co., Lithuania, USSR.

Generation No. 2

2 .  JOSEPH CHMIELEWSKI (WINCENTY) was born 03 Apr 1874 in Wilno, Gubernia Wilenska, Russia /Lithuania, and died Bef. 1934 .  He married KATARZYNA WARCHOL 01 Oct 1894 in Chicopee, Hampden Co., Massachusetts, daughter of JAN WARCHOL and MARY UNKNOWN .  She was born between 1873 – 1880 in Poland, and died 28 Aug 1928 in Massachusetts.

Children of JOSEPH CHMIELEWSKI and KATARZYNA WARCHOL are:

i . HARRY JOHN MELESKI was born 03 May 1898, Holyoke, Hampden Co., Massachusetts, and died 08 Jan 1981, Hahnemann Hospital /Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts . He married MARGARET WERME, after 1930 .  She was born 23 Feb 1902, Massachusetts, and died 22 Apr 1983, Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.

ii . FRANCIS J. CHMIELEWSKI was born 04 Oct 1901, Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts, and died before 2000.

iii . HELENE RITA MELESKI was born 02 Dec 1904, Holyoke, Hampden Co., Massachusetts, and died 08 Jun 1993, St. Vincent Hospital /Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts .  She married ZYGMUND STANLEY MIKOLOSKI, about 1929; born 21 Dec 1899, Bielsk, Powiat Plocki, Gubernia Płocka, Kingdom Poland; died 09 Oct 1972, Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.

iv . ANTHONY P. MELESKI was born 14 Jun 1907 in Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts, and died 23 Oct 2000 in MetroWest Medical Center, Leonard Morse Campus /Natick, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts .  He married ANNA M. KOSCIUSKO, daughter of ADAM KOSCINCZYK and VALERIE HELEN BURAKIEWICZ .  She was born 01 Apr 1910 in Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts, and died 16 Sep 2002 in Medway Country Manor /Medway, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts .  Her parents were married 21 May 1906 in Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.

v . ANASTASIA RITA MELESKI was born 22 Feb 1911, Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts, and died 01 Jan 2000, Mayflower Place Nursing Center /West Yarmouth, Barnstable Co., Massachusetts .  She married (1) ALBERT FRANCIS BLACKMAN 08 May 1946 in St. Mary’s Church, Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts, son of CLIFFORD A. BLACKMAN AND JANE A. GOODRICH .  He was born about 1914-1915, Boston, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts, and died 11 Jul 1966, 146 Cullinane Drive /Marlborough, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. His parents were married 17 Sep 1907 in Boston, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts .  She married (2) BERNARD JOSEPH IZBICKI 04 Jun 1968 in Our Lady of Częstochowa Church /Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts .  He was born 12 May 1910, Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts, and died 30 Apr 1985, Boston, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts.

3 .  HELEN ANNE CHMIELEWSKA (WINCENTY CHMIELEWSKI) was born 15 Feb 1897 in Trakai, Gubernia Wilenska, Russia, and died 23 Nov 1980 in St. Vincent Hospital /Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts .  She married KOSTANTY NIEDZIALKOWSKI 10 Jul 1918 in Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts, son of TEOFIL NIEDZIALKOWSKI and KSAWERA ZYGMUNTOWICZ .  He was born 28 Oct 1892 in Pomaski, Powiat Makowski, Gubernia Lomzynskiej, Congress Poland, and died 14 Mar 1978 in Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.

Children of HELEN CHMIELEWSKA and KOSTANTY NIEDZIALKOWSKI are:

i . JANE ANN NIEDZIALKOWSKI was born 06 Oct 1922 in 194 Prescott Street /Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts, and died 16 Apr 1980 in St. Peter’s Hospital /Albany, Albany Co., New York.

ii . FREDERIC FRANCIS NIEDZIALKOWSKI was born 26 May 1924 in Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts, and died 23 Jan 2005 in Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts .  He married JANICE VIRGINIA QUINTIN 05 Jun 1948 in Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts, daughter of LEOPOLD QUINTIN and CELINA FONTAINE .  She was born 19 Aug 1925 in Fall River, Bristol Co., Massachusetts, and died 05 Apr 2005 in Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.

4 .  ONA CHMIELEWSKA (WINCENTY CHMIELEWSKI) was born 18 Jun 1899 in LikiÅ¡kiai, Co. Butrimonys, Alytaus Region, Russia, and died 31 May 1969 in Alytus, Alytaus Co., Lithuania, USSR .  She married JONAS SAMSANAVICIUS .  He was born 28 Jan 1887 in StakliÅ¡kes, Co. Jeznas, Trakai region, Gubernia Wilenska, Lithuania, and died 17 Jul 1980 in Panevežys, Panevezio, Lithuania.

Children of ONA CHMIELEWSKA and JONAS SAMSANAVICIUS are:

i . ELENA SAMSANAVICIUTE, died Abt. 1996.

ii . VYTAUTAS SAMSANAVICIUS, died Oct 2000.

iii . JUOZAS SAMSANAVICIUS was born Abt. 1927; died Abt. 1936.

As I look over the records I’ve posted so far on the Chmielewski line, I see I’ve rather neglected this family .  I’ve only posted one birth, marriage, or death record for the Chmielewski/Meleski family, although I’ve posted cemetery records, images of gravestones, naturalization papers, and notices of change of name for this family .  As I post additional records, I’ll link the events listed on this page to the actual records.

Despite the fact that I have so little information on my Chmielewski ancestors, my cousin Liliana has provided me with a lot of information about our cousins living in Lithuania and Russia .  Since Liliana still visits her mother in Lithuania regularly, I’ll have to see what I can do to travel back to Lithuania with her someday so I can walk through the ancestral family villages and visit the church archives.

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My Genealogy Christmas Wish List

Posted on December 9, 2006 by Steve

I’ve noticed a few genealogy bloggers have posted their Christmas wish lists and I don’t want to be left out .  Here’s my list:

10 .  A Pigma Micron Pen so I can finally write the names, dates, and places on the backs of all my photographs .  Pigma ink is lightfast, waterproof, permanent, and archival-safe.

9 .  The new edition of “The Source: A Guidebook to American Genealogy“.

8 .  A Canon Digital Rebel XTi camera.

7 .  A digital voice recorder for recording oral histories.

6 .  A subscription to “Digital Genealogist” .  Well, it’s only fair to ask for a subscription to this publication if I’m also asking for a digital camera and a digital voice recorder.

5 .  A Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin .  And, while we’re at it, let’s get Simple Latin for Family Historians back in print.

4 .  A easy and legal way to make attractive, topographic maps onto which I can superimpose the locations where my ancestors lived, the paths of my ancestors’ migrations, and the routes my relatives traveled while in the military service .  Family Atlas comes close, but it’s not exactly what I want.

3 .  An autographed copy of “How to Do Everything with Your Genealogy” by George Morgan.

2 .  “In Their Words: A Genealogist’s Translation Guide to Polish, German, Latin, and Russian Documents” by Jonathan D. Shea & William Hoffman, Volume III: Latin, and Volume IV: German .  OK, I know they haven’t been published yet, but this is a wish list!

1 .  The birth records for my grandparents Marianna Dziura (Dziurzyńska), Kostanty Niedziałkowski, and Helena Chmielewska.

Copyright © 2006 by Stephen J. Danko

Posted in Daily Journal | 9 Comments

The Birth of Julianna Chotkowska

Posted on December 8, 2006 by Steve

My great-great-great-great grandmother, Cecylia Chotkowska was born in 1767 .  Her sister, Julianna, was born in 1758 .  The record of her baptism is record 36 for the year and the third record on this page of the Book of Baptisms of the Krasne Church 1755-1781.

Birth Record for Julianna Chotkowska

The Baptismal Record for Julianna Chotkowska

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record for Julianna Chotkowska – 1758 .  Translated from the Latin, the record states:

36. Mosaki Rukle

I, Jacób Pilchowski Ca: Re: Lo: on the 21st of September, baptized an infant by the name of Julianna, the daughter of the Noble Andrzej Chotkowski and Marianna née Mosakowska his wife, a lawfully wedded couple .  The Godparents in the Sacred Font were the Nobles Julianna Chotkowska and Slaski of the country home Szlazy.

One problem I have had while researching my Chotkowski ancestors is that the Krasne parish has another family with a similar name: Chełchowski .  In the handwriting of the time, it’s sometimes difficult to tell the difference between the names since the letter T and the letter ł look similar, and the letter k sometimes looks like the letter combination ch .  To make matters worse, At the time Andrzej and Marianna Chotkowski were having children, another couple, Andrzej and Marianna Chełchowski, were also having children.

In fact, before I realized there were two different surnames, I copied a large number of births from the indexes before I realized that the children in my list were born less than 9 months apart!  It was then I realized I was dealing with two families with similar names.

Copyright © 2006 by Stephen J. Danko

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The Death and Burial of Tomasz Niedziałkowski – 1826

Posted on December 7, 2006 by Steve

My great-great-great-great grandfather, Tomasz Niedziałkowski, died in 1826 .  His was the 52nd death in the Krasne Parish that year.

Death Record for Tomasz Niedzialkowski

The Death Record for Tomasz Niedziałkowski

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Death and Burial Record for Tomasz Niedziałkowski – 1862 .  The record, translated from the Polish, states:

52 .  Mosaki Godacze  This happened in the church-owned village of Krasne on the seventeenth of December one thousand eight hundred twenty six at two in the afternoon there presented themselves the well-born Józef Niedziałkowski, age twenty-five and Leon Chotkowski, age twenty-five, owners of the noble part, both living in Mosaki Godzcze of the Krasne Parish and stated that on this day at seven in the morning, in his home at number three, the well-born Tomasz Niedziałkowski died, a country-squire, age seventy-two, residing in Mosaki Godacze, leaving behind his widowed wife Cecylia née Chotkowska .  After visual confirmation of the death of Niedziałkowski, this document was read aloud to those appearing, of whom the first is the son of the deceased, it was signed by us those appearing to the document are unable to read.

Reverend Norbert Zalewski, Preacher, Krasne Parish

This record names the Tomasz’ wife, Cecylia Chotkowska, and his son, Józef Niedzialkowski .  It also names Leon Chotkowski, likely a relative of Cecylia .  In this record, Józef and Leon are both described as “well-born” and “owners of the noble part” of the village, and Tomasz is described as “well-born” and “a country squire”.

The record further identifies where Tomasz died:  “in his home at number three”, suggesting that his home may have been either close to the center of the village or at one edge of the village since the numbering of houses often started in one of those two places .  In Polish villages, the houses were numbered, but the streets were not named .  The house number was sufficient to uniquely identify each house.

The Priest who prepared the record described himself as “Kaznodzieja”, meaning “Preacher” .  This is the first record in which I’ve seen a Polish Priest describe himself as a preacher.

1Copyright © 2006-2019 by Stephen J. Danko

Posted in Chodkowski, Niedziałkowski | Tagged | 1 Comment

President Chester A. Arthur's Grave in Albany Rural Cemetery

Posted on December 6, 2006 by Steve

Chris at the Genealogue wrote about this year’s White House Christmas Ornament in honor of former president Chester A. Arthur .  In particular, he wrote about how Peter Hess, the head of Albany Rural Cemetery, was outraged by the biographical information about President Arthur that accompanied the ornament.

My Aunt Sophie Danko and her husband Clark Gibson are buried in Albany Rural Cemetery, as are my Step-Grandparents Samuel Bohok and Tekla Halaszyn, and I’ve visited their graves and the grave of Chester A. Arthur several times.

Chester A. Arthur’s monument is the focal point of the part of Albany Rural Cemetery where he is buried:

Grave Arthur Distant

Grave Arthur Entire

Grave Arthur Closeup

Grave Arthur Plaque

In a previous article, Chris wrote about the controversy about President Arthur’s birthplace .  Officially, Chester A. Arthur was born in Fairfield, Vermont in 1830, but the New York Times issue of 22 December 1880 speculated that he may have been born in Canada .  This suggestion may be rooted in the fact that the border between Vermont and Lower Canada (which became Canada East in 1841 and the Province of Quebec in 1867) was rather porous, and families tended to move back and forth without much concern that they were crossing a border.

Like Chester A. Arthur, my Aunt Sophie’s husband Clark was born in Fairfield, Vermont .  I have not been able to locate a birth record for Clark to substantiate his date or place of birth, although the census records document that he lived in Fairfield when he was young .  Clark’s grandparents were born in Lower Canada and their children were born alternately in New York and Canada East .  The family finally moved to Fairfield, Vermont, where Clark was born.

Gibson Monument 2005

Gibson Monument in Albany Rural Cemetery

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The Marriage of Tomasz Niedziałkowski and Cecylia Chotkowska

Posted on December 5, 2006 by Steve

My great-great-great-great grandparents, Tomasz Niedziałkowski and Cecylia Chotkowsa were married in 1785 in the Church in Krasne, Poland .  Theirs was the 20th marriage in Krasne that year.

The Marriage Record of Tomasz Niedziałkowski and Cecylia Chodkowska - 1785

The Marriage Record of Tomasz Niedziałkowski and Cecylia Chodkowska - 1785

Click on the image to enlarge it. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Marriage Record for Tomasz Niedziałkowski and Cecylia Chodkowska .  Translated from the Latin, the record shows that:

20. Mosaki Rukle, the 15th day of November 1785

I, Jan Napierkowski CRL pastor of Krasne: a Marriage Contract between the Nobles Tomasz Niedziałkowski, an unmarried man from the village of Kłonowo of the Pałuki Parish, and Cecylia Chotkowska, an unmarried girl from the village of Mosaki Rukle of the Krasne Parish, immediately following the presentation of three banns before the people to the divine audience of the congregation made in the Krasne Parish Church as well as in the Pałuki Parish Church in order that no testimony shown on either part stands as an impediment being free in appearance the Church confirms and blesses .  The witnesses present were the noble Adam Łyczkowski, the noble Stanisław Milewski, and the noble Wiktor Chrzanowski, and a number of others.

Of particular interest is the fact that Tomasz Niedziałkowski was from a different parish, explaining why I could not find earlier records for the Niedziałkowskis in the Krasne Parish.

UPDATE (24 June 2007): Thanks to an email from Agnieszka, the correct spelling of Tomasz Niedziałkowski’s parish is Pałuki. The Family History Library has microfilmed records from this parish from 1658-1904, opening up a whole new set of records for me to search! I have now found both the village of Klonowo and the parish of Pałuki on a map.

The name of the month is shown as 9bris, an abbreviation referring to November .  While one might expect that the 9th month should be September, the number nine refers to the Latin word for nine – novem, and the fact that November was once the ninth month of the year .  In fact, the last four months of the year take their names from the Latin numbers seven through ten:

September – septem – seven
October – octo – eight
November – novem – nine
December – decem – ten

I had a bit of trouble translating this document .  I suspect this is because my high school Latin is rusty, but it doesn’t help that I don’t have a proper Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin (in case anyone is wondering what they should get me for Christmas).

Copyright © 2006 by Stephen J. Danko

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