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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The Birth of Józef Niedziałkowski

Posted on December 4, 2006 by Steve

While in Salt Lake City a week ago, I found the Baptismal Record for Józef Niedziałkowski, born in 1801 in Mosaki Godacze .  He is the son of my great-great-great-great grandparents, Tomasz Niedziałkowski and Cecylia Chodkowska .  The record of his baptism is record 39 for the year and the second record on page 202 of the Book of Baptisms of the Krasne Church 1781-1807.

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Józef Niedziałkowski - 1801

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Józef Niedziałkowski - 1801

Click on the image to enlarge it. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Baptismal Record for Józef Niedziałkowski .  Translated from the Latin, the record states:

Page 202

39 Mosaki Godacze, the 5th Day of July in the Year 1801

I, Andrzej Roman, Canon Regular of the Laterans, baptized an infant by the name of Józef born on [illegible] day, the son of the Noble Tomasz and Cecylia née Chotkowska Niedziałkowska, a lawfully married couple .  The Godparents in the Sacred Font were the Noble Augustyn Obydzieński and Małgorzata Kierzkowska.

As compared to the Baptismal Records for the children previously born to Cecylia Chodkowska and Tomasz Niedziałkowski, this record apparently has a reference to the actual date of birth .  The word after “natum die” may tell when Józef was born .  Unfortunately, I can’t tell what that word is .  The only thing I’m relatively sure of is that the word is not “hodie” meaning “today”.

Notice, too, that the priest referred to Tomasz and Cecylia as “Noble” .  This probably doesn’t mean that they had any high status in Poland, but rather that they owned land in the village .  They probably belonged to the “lesser nobility”.

Copyright © 2006 by Stephen J. Danko

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The Birth of Anna Niedziałkowska – 1798

Posted on December 3, 2006 by Steve

While searching for the records of children of my great-great-great-great grandparents, Tomasz Niedziałkowski and Cecylia Chotkowska, I found the Baptismal Record Anna Niedziałkowska, born in 1798 in Mosaki Godacze .  The record of her baptism is the second record on page 167 of the Book of Baptisms of the Krasne Church 1781-1807.

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Anna Niedziałkowska - 1798

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Anna Niedziałkowska - 1798

Click on the image to enlarge it. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Baptismal Record for Anna Niedziałkowska .  Translated from the Latin, the record states:

Page 167

44 Mosaki Godacze, the 29th of July 1798

I, Maciej Milewski, CRL, baptized a female by the name of Anna, daughter of the well-born Tomasz Niedziałkowski and Cecylia, a legally married couple .  The Godparents were the well-born Józef Grabowski and the well-born Małgorzata Kierzkowska, an unmarried woman.

As with the Baptismal Records I’ve found from this time period, no date of birth is provided .  Properly, this article should be entitled “The Baptism of Anna Niedziałkowska” .  The date mentioned in this record is the date of baptism, but since most Polish infants were baptized within a day or two of their birth, the date of baptism is a good substitute for the date of birth.

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The Birth of Jan Wojciech Niedziałkowski – 1797

Posted on December 2, 2006 by Steve

While searching for the records of children of my great-great-great-great grandparents, Tomasz Niedziałkowski and Cecylia Chodkowska, I found the Baptismal Record Jan Wojciech Niedziałkowski, born in 1797 in Mosaki Godacze .  The record of his baptism is the second record on page 160 of the Book of Baptisms of the Krasne Church 1781-1807.

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Jan Wojciech Niedziałkowski - 1797

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Jan Wojciech Niedziałkowski - 1797

Click on the image to enlarge it. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Baptismal Record for Jan Wojciech Niedziałkowski .  Translated from the Latin, the record states:

Page 160, Year 1797

49 Mosaki Godacze the 12th day of July

I, Stefan Nożewski parish priest of Krasne baptized a male infant by the name of Jan Wojciech, the son of Tomasz and Cecylia née Chodkowska Niedziałkowski, a legally married couple .  The Godparents were Jakub Mossakowski and Marianna Kinkowska.

As with the Baptismal Record for Walenty Niedziałkowski, no date of birth is provided .  The date mentioned in this record is the date of baptism, but since most Polish infants were baptized within a day or two of their birth, the date of baptism is a good substitute for the date of birth.

The fact that this child was given two names is rather unusual in Polish records, but not unheard of . Â Wojciech is generally accepted as the Polish equivalent of the English name Albert or Adalbert.

Copyright © 2006 by Stephen J. Danko

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How Christopher Became the Family's Youngest Genealogist

Posted on December 1, 2006 by Steve

As far as I know, Christopher, my first cousin twice removed, is my family’s youngest genealogist .  He started researching his ancestry when he was about 9 years old, and now that he’s in high school he’s become quite an accomplished genealogist .  He wrote an article for this blog explaining how he got involved in researching his family history .  Here is his story:

I began researching my family almost eight years ago now. The earliest notebook I have is dated October 1998- that’s the month that one night at dinner I showed my grandparents a list I had been making of all of the relatives in my family that I knew of. It was at that time that my step-grandfather brought out his pedigree that traced his family history back into the 1700s, and that’s how it all began.

At that time I began picking the brains of all of my relatives, I was only about nine years old. When I began doing my research I began on my mother’s side because the information was more readily accessible to me than my fathers side. My mothers mother luckily had already collected some information from relatives in the early 1990s before my great-grandmother and her brother Paul Charron had died. She also had a list of rough birthdates and death dates from her uncle Joe Danko for members on her fathers side. The information that my grandmother had was the basic facts that I used to start my research on my mothers side of the family.

One night in 1999 my mother received a phone call from her cousin Stephen Danko, who was working out a family tree for his father. I wonder if he was surprised when she had told him that her ten year old son could give him more information about her own family than she could. Every now and than Steve and I chat to keep each other up-to-date on our family. Steve even helped me in researching information on sides of my family that he is not a relative of. He has been very helpful and my family tree wouldn’t be nearly as plentiful as it is without his most appreciated help and research.

I have learned a lot about Genealogy just by searching for family members online, at courthouses, churches, and cemeteries and by interviewing family members. About five years ago I found a distant cousin and fellow genealogist Kelly Townsend through Ancestry.com. She had traced my mother’s maternal grandmother’s family back into the late 1500s in France. We began chatting, and after about a year of correspondences we finally met at a cemetery where our relatives were buried. About a year afterwards my grandparents, grandaunt, and I attended the Patenaude Family Reunion in Montreal, Canada. Kelly is just one of a few of my distant cousins that I have found.

While looking into standard ways of documenting sources, I realized that Family Tree Maker is a savior at documenting sources. Without that software my information would probably never be as organized as it is. Sometimes I think to myself, if I have gotten this far and I’m only seventeen now, imagine how much more I will know and understand about my family years from now. Genealogy has even gotten me interested in learning about genetics! Researching the history of my family has also taught me to appreciate my own family more, and I will continue to study my family history because after all it is a project that can never be complete.

Christopher and I get together now and then to compare notes and do some collaborative research in New York or Massachusetts .  Since I live in California and Christopher lives in Florida, we usually meet at the ancestral family homestead in Albany, New York .  Both Christopher and I grew up in the same house in Albany, although the times each of us lived there were separated by 29 years.

Christopher probably knows when his great grandfather bought the house the Albany (I think it was in the 1940s) .  The house is still in the family; it’s now owned by Christopher’s older brother William.

At age 17, Christopher has 8 years of genealogy research experience under his belt, and his family history research has led to a new interest in genetics .  Perhaps Zoe Williams should interview Christopher for her column someday.

Posted in Dańko | Tagged | 7 Comments