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.

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Why I Researched the Wrong Julianna Gutowska

Posted on November 30, 2006 by Steve

A Lesson on the Genealogical Proof Standard 

A couple of years ago, while searching for Polish parish records on microfilm at the Family History Library, I tried tracing the ancestry of my Niedziałkowski ancestors.

I knew my grandfather was from the Szwelice parish and I was able to find the Birth and Baptismal Record for my grandfather’s siblings Józef, Sabina, and Stanisław Niedziałkowski .  All of their records showed that their parents (my great grandparents) were Teofil Niedziałkowski and Ksawera Zygmuntowicz.

I also found the Birth and Baptismal Records for my great grandfather Teofil Niedziałkowski’s siblings, Karolina, Julianna, and Franciszek Niedzialkowski .  All their records showed that their parents (my great-great grandparents) were Wojciech Niedziałkowski and Julianna Gutowska.

I wasn’t able to find the Birth and Baptismal record for either my grandfather or my great grandfather, but I knew I was following the correct family because the information in the Polish parish records agreed with information I already had obtained from family records and Massachusetts vital records.

With certainty I was on the right track, I looked for the Birth and Baptismal Record for my great-great grandmother, Julianna Gutowska, born in about 1836 .  I searched the Szwelice parish records and found a Birth and Baptismal Record for Julianna Gutowska .  Translated from the Polish, the record states:

94 Głodki

This happened in the church-owned village of Szwelice on the 17th / 29th day of December 1836 at one o’clock in the afternoon .  Mikołaj Gutowski presented himself, age 27, from Głodki, in the presence of Maciej Chrzanowski, age 40, and Kasper Trościński, age 60, from Głodki, and he showed us a female child born in Głodki yesterday at four o’clock in the morning, born to his wife Rosalia née Biedrzycka, age 18 .  At Holy Baptism performed this day, the child was given the name Julianna, and her Godparents were Stanisław and Maryanna Trościński .  This document was read aloud to the declarants and witnesses and signed only by us, because those appearing and the witnesses mentioned in this document cannot write.

Rev. Ignatius Kołakowski, Pastor of Szwelice

Well, it looked like I found the Birth and Baptismal Record for my great-great grandmother!  She was born in the right year in the same parish as my Niedziałkowski ancestors .  I merrily researched the families of Mikołaj Gutowski and Rozalia Biedrzycka without much difficulty since this line was well documented in the Szwelice records.

Then I found another record – the Death Record for my grandmother, Julianna née Gutowska Niedziałkowska .  Translated from the Russian, this record reads:

â„– 38 .  Pomoski

This happened in the village of Szwelice on April 13th / 26th 1900 at 12 Noon .  Wojciech Niedziałkowski, the husband of the deceased, age 65, and Piotr Napierkowski, age 60, farmers living in Pomaski, appeared and stated that on April 12th / 25th of this year at 4 o’clock in the morning in Pomaski, Julianna Niedziałkowska died, age 67, born in Warsaw, Holy Cross parish, and living with her husband as a farmer woman in Pomaski, the daughter of the deceased Wojciech and Anna née Jabłonowski Gutowski .  She is survived by her husband, the widower Wojciech Niedziałkowski .  After eyewitness testimony on the death of Julianna Niedziałkowska, this document was read to the declarant, who is illiterate, and was signed by us alone .  Id. Administrator of the parish of Szwelice, Assistant Pastor, Keeper of the Documents of the Civil State -.

Father [Sędzicki]

At this point, everything fell apart .  I was certain this was the Death Record for my great-great grandmother .  However, it states that Julianna’s parents were Wojciech Gutowski and Anna Jabłonowski and that Julianna was born in Warsaw, Holy Cross Parish .  I had been researching the wrong family!

I have not yet found the Birth and Baptismal Record for Julianna Gutowska .  Like many of my other ancestors, her records have eluded me .  I searched the Baptismal Records for Holy Cross Parish in Warsaw, but that parish is extremely large, performing thousands of baptisms a year – and the records aren’t indexed – and the records are in Russian.

The lesson here is don’t assume someone is your ancestor just because they have the right name and were born at what you think was the right time and place .  I have since learned that the Genealogical Proof Standard requires much more.

A Polish proverb says:

“Nauka nie poszła w las.”

Literally, this is translated as “The lesson didn’t go into the forest” .  It means “The lesson has not been forgotten”.

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The Birth of Walenty Niedziałkowski-1796

Posted on November 29, 2006 by Steve

While in Salt Lake City, I searched for the records of children of my great-great-great-great grandparents, Tomasz Niedziałkowski and Cecilia Chotkowska who were married 15 November 1785 in the Krasne Parish.

One Baptismal Record I found was for Walenty Niedziałkowski, born in 1796 in Mosaki Godacze .  The record of his baptism is the fourth record on page 149 of the Book of Baptisms of the Krasne Church 1781-1807.

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Walenty Niedziałkowski - 1796

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Walenty Niedziałkowski - 1796

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

Year 1796, Page 149

12. Mosaki Godacze, the 17th day of the month of February

I, Stanisław Opolski, CSL, pastor of Krasne, baptized an infant by the name of Walenty, the son of Thomas and Cecilia née Chodkowska Niedziałkowski, a legally married couple .  The Godparents in the font were the Nobleman Jan Puszczyński and the Noblewoman Marianna Kierkowska of the Krasne Parish.

I had previously found the baptismal records for five children born to this couple, but the earliest of those occurred in 1801 .  This birth in 1796 is much closer to the wedding date for the couple .  Still, I would have expected a birth within the first two or three years of the marriage.

Notice that 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.

Copyright © 2006 by Stephen J. Danko

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Temple Square

Posted on November 28, 2006 by Steve

I took these pictures in Temple Square on the day after Thanksgiving after the Family History Library closed for the evening .  This was the night when the holiday lights were turned on in Temple Square and the whole downtown area was full of people.

Salt Lake Temple

Salt Lake Temple

The neo-gothic Salt Lake Temple is the most recognizable structure in Salt Lake City .  You can see the gilt statue of the Angel Moroni on top of one of the towers.

Between the Visitors' Center and the Temple

Between the Visitors’ Center and the Temple

The Temple is on the left and the Visitors’ Center is on the right .  In the background the tall building to the left is the LDS Church Office Building and the shorter building to the right is the Joseph Smith Memorial Building where the Family Search Center is located.

Assembly Hall

The Assembly Hall

The Assembly Hall is my favorite building in Temple Square . Â The gothic structure was built between 1877-1882 .  The pillar to the left with the golden seagull on top is Seagull Monument to commemorate an event in June 1848 when swarms of crickets (now called “Mormon Crickets”) threatened the crops of the pioneers .  Flocks of seagulls arrived and devoured the crickets, saving the crops.

Inside the Assembly Hall

Inside the Assembly Hall

The Assembly Hall houses a 3,489 pipe organ and is most often used for free weekly concerts .  The columns (a couple can be seen under the balcony to the right) are contructed of white pine and painted to look like marble.

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Inside the Family History Library

Posted on November 27, 2006 by Steve

I generally make two trips to the Family History Library every year.  I could just order the microfilms through my local Family History Center, but I enjoy the atmosphere at the Library in Salt Lake City and I can focus totally on genealogy during the few days I’m there.  With all the trips I’ve made to Salt Lake City, I’ve become fairly familiar with the Family History Library and I’ve witnessed quite a few changes over the years.  A description of Guest Resources is available.

On my most recent trip, I asked if I could take some pictures in the Library and the staff told me that I could take pictures of anything I wanted.  The only caution they made was that I shouldn’t take pictures of any people unless I first obtained their permission.  Since Thanksgiving weekend is a slow time for the Library, I had few problems taking pictures without people.

Main Floor Computers
Main Floor Computers
SOURCE: Main Floor Computers (Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah, USA); photographed by Stephen J. Danko in November 2006.

These are the computers closest to the front entrance.  The computers have a direct connection with the Family History Library Catalog and can also be used to search the web.  The Family History Library has subscriptions to Ancestry.com, Heritage Quest, and several other online databases.

Descendants of Anne Hutchinson
Descendants of Anne Hutchinson
SOURCE: Descendants of Anne Hutchinson (Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah, USA); photographed by Stephen J. Danko in November 2006.

This impressive family tree on the main floor shows the descendants of Anne Hutchinson, including George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Stephen Douglas, Mitt Romney, and Oliver Wendell Holmes.

Microfilm Cabinets on the International Floor
Microfilm Cabinets on the International Floor
SOURCE: Microfilm Cabinets on the International Floor (Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah, USA); photographed by Stephen J. Danko in November 2006.

This is just one aisle of the microfilm cabinets on the International Floor (B-1) .  There are about eight of these rows of cabinets on this floor, with even more cabinets on the British Isles Floor (B-2), and the US/Canada films floor (second floor) .  Even with all these cabinets, many more films are stored in the Granite Mountain Vault and in onsite high-density storage.

Microfilm Readers on the International Floor
Microfilm Readers on the International Floor
SOURCE: Microfilm Readers on the International Floor (Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah, USA); photographed by Stephen J. Danko in November 2006.

These are just a few of the microfilm readers on the International Floor (B-1) .  Just as there are rows and rows of microfilm cabinets on three floors, there are rows and rows of microfilm readers on those same floors .  If this hadn’t been Thanksgiving weekend, all of these readers would have been in use.

Copyright © 2006-2020 by Stephen J. Danko

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Back from Salt Lake City

Posted on November 26, 2006 by Steve

I just returned from Salt Lake City .  I’ll go into detail about my research there in the upcoming days .  For now, here are photographs of the two libraries I visited in Salt Lake City: the venerable Family History Library, and the beautiful main branch of the Salt Lake City Public Library.

Family History Library

The Family History Library

Salt Lake City Public Library

The Salt Lake City Main Public Library

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Saturday at the Family History Library

Posted on November 25, 2006 by Steve

Today was my second and last day at the Family History Library .  I can say that, in the past two days, I have added a few names to my Niedzialkowski family line (two more children of my great great great great grandparents), and i added more details about the lives of some people already in my database.

Also, in response to a request, i took a few photographs, both inside and outside of the Family History Library .  I was told I could take all the photographs I wanted inside the library, as long as I only take photographs of people who consent to being photographed .  Those photos will have to wait until i get home so I can upload them to the server.

I also managed to finish the final exams for two of the genealogy courses I’m taking through the National Institute for Genealogical Studies – Canadian Census Records Part 2, and US Probate Records .  And, yes, I think I did very well on the final exams, thank-you for asking.

Sunday will be a relaxing day for me .  I might even take the opportunity to read the Sunday paper and have room service deliver breakfast .  Then, it’s back home to sort out the information I found while I was here .  To tell the truth, I haven’t finished sorting out the information I collected from the last two trips I made to Salt Lake City!

I have another hour before the Family History Library closes for the evening .  Just enough time to make sure I have all my sources correctly cited!

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