Mountain View Cemetery – Oakland, California

Posted on November 19, 2006 by Steve

I had a few errands to run today and I decided to stop by the Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, California .  Like many genealogists, I find cemetery research fascinating and today seemed like a good day to visit one of the most impressive cemeteries in California.

Mountain View Cemetery is the final resting place of many people important in the history of the Bay Area including the pioneer coffee producer James A. Folger (1835-1889), the founding president of the University of California Rev. Henry Durant (1802-1875), and the father of hydraulic mining who founded the first Chabot Observatory Anthony Chabot (1813-1888) .  Here are some of the photographs I took today in the cemetery.

Francis Smith

Francis Marion “Borax” Smith

Francis Marion “Borax” Smith (1846-1931) made his fortune in “Twenty Mule Team Borax”, Key Route trains, streetcars, ferries; he built the Claremont Hotel.

Charles Crocker

Charles Crocker

Charles Crocker (1822-1888) was one of the “Big Four” builders of the Central Pacific Railroad.

Julia Morgan

Julia Morgan

Julia Morgan (1872-1957) was California’s first woman architect; she designed nearly 800 buildings in California including Hearst Castle.

Domingo Ghirardelli

Domingo Ghirardelli

Domingo Ghirardelli (1817-1894) was the San Francisco chocolate king; he moved his family graves from St. Mary’s Cemetery to Mountain View Cemetery.

Cemetery Fog

Overview of the Cemetery in the Fog

Today, the fog never burned off of San Francisco, although in Oakland, where the Mountain View Cemetery is located, the fog cleared for a bit .  The trees here are turning color and this photograph of the trees, the cemetery, and the fog provides a little glimpse of autumn in the Bay Area.

There is an online index of the tombstones at the Mountain View Cemetery, complements of the California Tombstone Project .  The Mountain View Cemetery website has a detailed online map in PDF format.

Copyright © 2006 by Stephen J. Danko

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Finding the Church Where My Grandparents Were Married

Posted on November 18, 2006 by Steve

A couple of weeks ago, George Morgan wrote about Types of Marriage Records in his “Along Those Lines…” Blog .  In that article he mentioned something I never thought of:  if you’re trying to find the church where your ancestors were married, but the marriage records only list the name of the person who officiated the marriage, search the City Directory for the name of the person who officiated and you may find the church!

Today, I checked the marriage record for my grandparents, Kostanty Niedzialkowski and Helen Chmielewska .  The marriage record states that they were married on July 10, 1918 by B. A. Bojanowski, priest, Worcester, Massachusetts.

I then checked out the 1918 City Directory for Worcester, Massachusetts, available online at Ancestry.com, and found the following entry:

1918 Worcester City Directory

1918 Worcester City Directory Entry for Boleslaw A. Bojanowski

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Worcester City Directory entry for Boleslaw A. Bojanowski – 1918 .  The record states:

Bojanowski Boleslaw A rector St Mary’s church h 15 Richland

St. Mary’s Church, which opened on August 15, 1906, is still standing, although it is now known as Our Lady of Częstochowa Church .  The church still offers mass in Polish, and the elementary school and high school associated with the church are still known as St. Mary’s School .  The rectory, previously located at 15 Richland Street is now located around the corner at 34 Ward Street .  The 15 Richland Street location is now part of the path of Interstate 290, the construction of which split the parish community in half.

George Morgan’s nifty trick worked!  Thanks, George!

Copyright © 2006 by Stephen J. Danko

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Preparing for a Trip to Salt Lake City

Posted on November 17, 2006 by Steve

I’m getting ready for my annual fall research trip to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City .  I’ll spend two full days at the library with nothing to distract me.

I have two major goals this trip:

1 .  Niedziałkowski Family Records:  review the microfilms for the Krasne and Szwelice parish records that document the church records for my Niedziałkowski ancestors .  I intend to better document the records I already have so that I can properly cite my sources .  I also intend to look for additional records for the siblings of my ancestors.

2 .  Skowroński Family Records:  look for the ancestral village of my Skowroński relatives .  I previously reported that I found 12 villages named Grądy in the Łomża Gubernia .  I intend to examine as many records as I can find to try to find the ancestral village of Aleksander Skowroński, the immigrant ancestor of several of my first cousins.

I found that the Family History Library holds microfilm records for the following relevant parishes:  Długosiodło, Jelonki, Wąsewo, Krasnosiek, Lubiel, Rajgród, Nowogród, Wąsosz, Wiskitki, Wizna, and Wyszków .  The Family History Library does not have microfilmed records for Rzekuń or Nowa wieś.

Because some of these films are in the vault, I called the Family History Library to order the vault films so that they will have them available while I’m in Salt Lake City.

I also have several minor goals:

1 .  Examine the marriage indexes and the Marriage Records for the Graig and Hillis families of Otsego County, New York .  Dick Eastman recently reported that the Family History Library has microfilm copies of many New York State Marriage Records from 1908 to 1935 .  I didn’t know that!

The Graigs and the Hillis’ are the ancestors of my sister’s husband, and I have been working on these family lines for the past few years .  The Family History Library holds the Otsego County Index to Marriages from 1908 to 1935, Marriage Licenses, Consents, and Affidavits from 1908 to 1915, and Marriage Records from 1908 to 1926 .  I think I should be able to find marriage documents for anywhere from six to twelve of the Graig and Hillis marriages.

2 .  Examine the typescript death records (index?) for Schoharie and Otsego Counties 1918-1953 for Graig and Hillis names.

3.  Review the information I have for the Markiewicz family from Braciejowice to verify the source citations in the documents I previously discovered.

4 .  Examine the records of the Orthodox Church in Troki (Trakai), Lithuania to see if this might be the parish in which my mother’s mother lived .  I had to order vault films for this parish.

That’s a lot of ground to cover in two days!

Copyright © 2016 by Stephen J. Danko

Posted in Chmielewski/Meleski, Graig, Hillis, Markiewicz, Niedziałkowski, Skowroński | 3 Comments

Barbara Poole on Genealogy Magazines

Posted on November 16, 2006 by Steve

At the September meeting of my local genealogy society, I brought some magazines I had received free from the FGS (Federation of Genealogical Societies) Conference held in August, in Boston for 4 days .  All 4 magazines were current editions and were familiar to me, but none of which I subscribe to .  Some of the club members enjoyed looking through them and even pulling out the inserts to order a subscription . Â  When I got around to reading them recently, I realized how different they were from one another .  The magazines were Everton’s Genealogical Helper, Family Tree Magazine, Ancestry and German Life . Â  I thought I would give a little input on how the first three differ from one another.

Everton's Genealogical HelperEverton’s Genealogical Helper, has been around for about 50 years, had over 176 pages of articles, queries and surname index . Â  What I really liked was the large print, a calendar of upcoming genealogy events throughout the world, a Beginner’s Corner section, review of books, and the major topics are on the cover with page number.   You receive 6 issues a year for $27 .  This is a little less than the cost in 2000 . Â Â  This is an old publication with a new editor and the Heritage Quest magazine has been combined into the Genealogical Helper. NOTE: This magazine is no longer published.

Family Tree MagazineFamily Tree Magazine (not affiliated with Family Tree Maker software) also comes out 6 times a year for $24 . Â  Their website is http://www.familytreemagazine.com .  The two state research guides are nice (for Texas and Rhode Island), but at that rate, it will take years to complete this series, or maybe not, since I don’t know when the series began.

Ancestry MagazineAncestry Magazine was very impressive, and I will subscribe to it . Â  The glossy pages, nice color pictures, articles (although rather short…maybe to hold your attention), and few advertisements are the pluses .  The contributors are well known in the genealogical community . Â  Their web site is http://www.ancestry.com and click on store tab; I had to type magazine in product box .  Their price is similar to the others, 6 issues for $24.95 . Â  I especially enjoyed the article on the Evolution of Family History, a 10 year history . Â  Some interesting things that began in 1996 were: there were 100,000 websites and 14% of Americans using the internet; Ancestry.com, RootsWeb.com, FamilyTreeMaker.com  and Cyndi’s List began .  Other milestones during the 10 year span to date were included, now jump to 2006 where there are over 11.5 billion web pages and 77% of Americans are now online . NOTE: This magazine is no longer published.

Recently, I found some old copies of three magazines (1994-2001), they were Everton’s Genealogical Helper, Heritage Quest, and Genealogical Computing. Obviously some of the articles are outdated, but some still pertain today, such as: Source Documentation: Is it Time to Change the Standards (pertaining to the internet); Genealogy Made Inexpensive; State and Federal Census articles. I wish I had seen the 7 page article about Albany, NY area Churches and Synagogue Vital Records many years ago, what a useful source that would have been for me. I also wondered what happened to a Lexington company that in 1994 made Quinsept, a “software that works for generations .  The most exciting genealogical research system available.” Sure glad I didn’t buy that!

Internet GenealogyThere are now two new genealogy magazines focusing on using the internet for research .  In a past newsletter, I discussed Internet Genealogy magazine http://www.internet-genealogy.com (where you can download a free copy) .  My fourth issue arrived a few weeks ago .  I continue to like this magazine.

Digital GenealogistHowever, I love Digital Genealogist, a magazine that just came out. Digital Genealogist will be in PDF format, so you print what you want .  They are offering a free issue, and it prints out at 42 pages . I loved the first issue of Digital Genealogist for a few reasons. First, it is very easy to read & is colorful and second, it is nice to know some of the writers personally. I see Joshua Taylor every time I go to NEHGS and Laura G. Prescott will be speaking at our club in 2007. So now you can download free issues of two different genealogy publications, or print just the pages that interest you . NOTE: This magazine is no longer published.

Many thanks to Barbara Poole for contributing her column on genealogy magazines as today’s GuestBlog!

Copyright © 2016 by Stephen J. Danko

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The Polish Village of Łosice

Posted on November 15, 2006 by Steve

One of the readers of this blog wrote to me and asked if there was an entry in the Słownik Geograficny Królestwa Polskiego (Geographical Dictionary of the Kingdom of Poland) for the Polish village of Łosice .  There are, in fact, two entries for Łosice, one in the Konstantynów Powiat and the other in the Kobryń Powiat.

Slownik Entry for Losice

The Słownik Entry for Łosice

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Słownik entry for Łosice .  Translated from the Polish, the entry reads:

Łosice, an urban settlement on the Tuczna River in the Konstantynów Powiat [District], gmina [municipality] and parish of Łosice .  It lies in the riverside lowlands, 28 versts [1 verst = 1.0668 kilometers] not far from Siedlce .  It possesses a wooden parish church, a Uniate Orthodox church, a synagogue, an elementary school, a local court for the 4th district, and a post office .  In 1827 there were 190 homes and 1543 residents here, in 1862 there were 199 homes (6 made of stone) and 1755 residents (838 Jews); currently there are 208 homes, 2610 residents, and 3332 mórgs [1 mórg in the Russian Partition = 1.388 acres] of urban land .  Łosice belongs to the oldest ruling urban settlement in Podlasa .  In the year 1505, Aleksander Jagiełło moved the local townspeople from Russian Law to German Law .  At that time a town hall with a butcher’s shop, scales, a shearing room were erected, and a fair was set up .  Despite this, the district governor of the place did not stop oppressing the townfolk, and his collectors collected fees according to Lithuanian laws .  Not until the resolution of the Sejm [the Polish parliament] in the year 1573 was the exploitation ended .  Władysław the fourth, with the charter in the year 1647, allowed the townspeople to distill vodka and to distribute it freely .  Destroyed at the time of the Swedish War, in the year 1677 Łosice was granted confirmation and expansion of the charter for the establishment and sales of alcoholic beverages, but the arrival of the Jews, the protégés of the district governors, prohibited the competition of the townspeople and led them into extreme poverty .  The royal ban, confirmed several times, did not rectify the abuse; the Christian population had to shift to agricultural labor .  In the year 1511, the Catholic Church of Saint Zygmunt was founded and paid for by Zygmunt the first .  The stone chapel of Saint Stanisław stood near it .  A Russian Orthodox Church was established in an even earlier time .  The Łosice parish of the Konstantynów deaconry had 3252 souls .  The Gmina of Łosice belongs to the district court of the 3rd district, there were 2675 residents in that place.
Bronisław Chlebowski

Łosice, a village in the Kobryń Powiat [District], near the road from Chomsk to Drohiczyn and Antopol.

SOURCE:  Sulimierski Filip, Bronisaw 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 732.

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The Military Medals of Jack Arnold Gibson

Posted on November 14, 2006 by Steve

My cousin, Jack Arnold Gibson, son of Clark Gibson and Sophie Danko, was posthumously awarded the Silver Star and the Purple Heart.

The Silver Star

The Silver Star

The Silver Star is awarded for gallantry in action against an enemy of the United States .  The Silver Star is the third highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Armed Forces.

The Purple Heart

The Purple Heart

The Purple Heart is awarded to those who were wounded or killed in any action against an enemy of the United States.

Copyright © 2006 by Stephen J. Danko

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The Death of Jack Arnold Gibson

Posted on November 13, 2006 by Steve

Of all the people in my family who served in World War II, there was only one combat death – my cousin Jack Arnold Gibson .  Jack was the eldest son of my Aunt Sophie Danko and her husband Clark Gibson .  Jack was also the first grandchild of my grandparents, Michał Dańko and Marianna Dziurzyńska.

The following description of the circumstances of his death are excerpted from Captain Edmund G. Love’s book The 27th Infantry Division in World War II.

The Third Platoon had moved down through this draw an hour before without opposition of any kind .  They had found one cave which they grenaded and investigated, but there seemed to be no life in it so they had moved on by without incident .  The 2d Platoon, now coming upon this same cave was to run into trouble, however .  Pfc. Perry Hill, who as acting as lead scout, came across a Japanese soldier lying just outside the cave mouth .  The enemy was playing dead, a fact which Hill discovered by poking him, so the rifleman finished off the actor, “giving a little truth to his lie.”  When this happened, however, Hill heard movement inside the cave and decided that it was full of enemy .  His called Medina who, in turn, called Sgt. Jack Gibson of the engineers to come down with his flamethrower .  Gibson gave the cave opening one short burst and five enemy came running headlong from their hiding place .  All were killed .  Other Japanese inside the cave immediately opened fire and in the first burst Gibson was mortally wounded and Pfc. Elmer Bottke, Medina’s bazooka man, was killed .  Gibson, who had been badly hit, was in great pain and lying almost directly in front of the cave’s mouth .  Although Medina could by-pass this cave if he was careful, he felt that he should get the wounded man out of danger .  He asked for volunteers, and Pfc. Lathie Simmons and Pfc. Richard King moved forward to try and drag Gibson out of the way .  Both men got within a few feet of the engineer, however, and were then spotted and pinned down .  After several minutes, Gibson was finally prevailed upon to roll down from in front of the cave .  After one or two quick rolls he was far enough for Private First Class Guld to grab him by the feet and drag him out of danger .  Guld gave him aid, but he died later.

SOURCE:  Love, Edmund G., The 27th Infantry Division in World War II (Washington: Infantry Journal Press, 1949), 512-513.

Jack was born in Albany, New York on 10 November 1923 and died in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands on 08 July 1944 .  Despite the reference to him as sergeant in Captain Love’s book, military records list him as a private .  He is buried in Section 8, Site 464, Gerald B. H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery, Schuylerville, New York .  He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and the Silver Star.

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My Father’s World War II Medals

Posted on November 12, 2006 by Steve

My father earned three service medals in World War II:  The American Campaign Medal, The European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, and The World War II Victory Medal .  In 1985, upon the 40th Anniversary of World War II, the Russian Federation awarded a medal to US personnel who participated in the Murmansk Run.

The American Campaign Medal- Obverse

The American Campaign Medal- Obverse

The American Campaign Medal- Reverse

The American Campaign Medal- Reverse

 

 

 

Awarded for service outside the United States in the American theater for 30 days or within the continental United States for one year between 1941 and 1946.

The European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal - Obverse

The European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal – Obverse

The European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal - Reverse

The European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal – Reverse

 

 

 

 

 

 

Awarded for service in the European-African-Middle Eastern theater for 30 days or receipt of any combat decoration between 1941 and 1945.

The World War II Victory Medal - Obverse

The World War II Victory Medal – Obverse

The World War II Victory Medal - Reverse

The World War II Victory Medal – Reverse

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Awarded for service in the United States Armed Forces between 1941 and 1946.

The Murmansk Run Medal

The Murmansk Run Medal

 

 

 

 

 

 

Awarded by the government of the Russian Federation upon the 40th anniversary of World War II to all sailors, armed guards, and merchant marines from the United States who participated in convoys to Murmansk during World War II.

Cuff Trim of Seaman First Class

Cuff Trim of Seaman First Class

The Navy Seaman’s cuff had one stripe for Apprentice Seaman, two stripes for Seaman Second Class, and three stripes for Seaman First Class .  My father began his naval service as Apprentice Seaman, and was promoted to Seaman Second Class and then to Seaman First Class.

Armed Guard Mark

Armed Guard Mark

The Armed Guard Mark was worn midway between the left wrist and the elbow.

Copyright © 2006 by Stephen J. Danko

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World War II Convoys JW-54A and RA-55A

Posted on November 11, 2006 by Steve

As part of the US Naval Armed Guard, my father served on the Liberty Ship the S. S. Daniel Drake on two convoys as part of the Murmansk Run, delivering war supplies to the Eastern Front .  The Murmansk Run was one of the most dangerous assignments for an American serviceman in World War II.

The Murmansk Run

The Murmansk Run

Convoy JW-54A

Convoy JW-54A sailed from Liverpool, England to Kola Inlet, Russia (near Murmansk) and on the return trip, Convoy RA-55A sailed from Kola Inlet, Russia to Loch Ewe, Scotland .  The ship’s manifest for the S. S. Daniel Drake that I posted previously was the list of the crew just prior to the departure of Convoy JW-54A, but not necessarily of the same crew as that in Convoy JW-54A.

Convoy JW-54A departed Liverpool on November 15, 1943 and arrived at Kola Inlet on November 24, 1943 .  Nineteen vessels made up this convoy:

  • COPELAND (Br)
  • DANIEL DRAKE (Am)
  • EDMUND FANNING (Am)
  • EMPIRE CARPENTER (Br)
  • EMPIRE CELIA (Br)
  • EMPIRE NIGEL (Br)
  • FORT YUKON (Br)
  • GILBERT STUART (Am)
  • HENRY VILLARD (Am)
  • JAMES GORDON BENNETT (Am)
  • JAMES SMITH (Am)
  • JUNECREST (Br)
  • MIJDRECHT (Du)
  • NORLYS (Pan)
  • OCEAN VANITY (Br)
  • OCEAN VERITY (Br)
  • PARK HOLLAND (Am)
  • THOMAS SIM LEE (Am)
  • WILLIAM WINDOM (Am)

The convoy was escorted by the following ships:

  • Nov. 15-Nov. 18: Destroyers Brissenden, Termagant and Polish Burza
  • Nov. 15-Nov. 24: Destroyers Inconstant, Whitehall, corvette Heather and minesweeper Hussar
  • Nov. 18-Nov. 25: Destroyers Impulsive, Onslaught, Onslow, Orwell, and Canadian Haida, Huron and Iroquois
  • Nov. 18-Nov. 19: Obedient (returned early with defects)
  • Nov. 24-Nov. 26: Minesweeper Seagull.
  • Nov. 19-Nov. 24: Cruiser cover by Bermuda, Jamaica and Kent, distant cover by battleship Anson, cruiser USS Tuscaloosa, American destroyers Corry, Fitch, Forrest and Hobson.

Convoy RA-55A

Convoy RA-55A departed Kola Inlet on December 22, 1943 and arrived at Loch Ewe on January 1, 1944 . Â Twenty-three vessels made up this convoy:

  • ARTHUR L. PERRY (Am)
  • DANIEL DRAKE (Am)
  • EDMUND FANNING (Am)
  • EMPIRE CARPENTER (Br)
  • EMPIRE CELIA (Br)
  • EMPIRE NIGEL (Br)
  • FORT MCMURRAY (Br)
  • FORT YUKON (Br)
  • GILBERT STUART (Am)
  • HENRY VILLARD (Am)
  • JAMES SMITH (Am)
  • JUNECREST (Br)
  • MIJDRECHT (Du)
  • OCEAN STRENGTH (Br)
  • OCEAN VANITY (Br)
  • OCEAN VERITY (Br)
  • PARK HOLLAND (Am)
  • RATHLIN (Br)
  • SAN ADOLFO (Br)
  • THOMAS KEARNS (Am)
  • THOMAS SIM LEE (Am)
  • WILLIAM L. MARCY (Am)
  • WILLIAM WINDOM (Am)

The convoy was escorted, at least in part, by the Acanthus, Ashanti, Athabaskan, Beagle, Belfast, Borage, Dianella, Hound, Hydra, Matchless, Meteor, Milne, Musketeer, Norfolk, Opportune, Poppy, Saumarez, Savage, Scorpion, Seagull, Sheffield, Stord, Virago, Wallflower, and Westcott.

Copyright © 2006 by Stephen J. Danko

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The Crew Manifest of the World War II Liberty Ship ‘Joaquin Miller’

Posted on November 10, 2006 by Steve

I’ve been taking the opportunity to search the Immigration Collection at Ancestry.com during the Free access to this database through the end of the month of November .  Yesterday, I found the Crew Manifest for the World War II Liberty Ship S. S. Daniel Drake on which my father served .  Today, I found the Crew Manifest for the World War II Liberty Ship S. S. Joaquin Miller, on which my uncle Frederick F. Niedzialkowski served.

Crew Manifest for Frederick F. Niedzialkowski - 1943

Crew Manifest for Frederick F. Niedzialkowski – 1943

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Crew Manifest for Frederick F. Niedzialkowski – 1943 .  My uncle’s record states that:

  • The manifest is that of the S/S Joaquin Miller
  • The ship departed Boston and arrived in New York
  • Frederick F. Niedzialkowski is listed on line 21
  • He had been to sea for 1 year at this point in time
  • His position in the ship’s company was Seaman 1/c (Seaman, First Class)
  • He was not to be discharged at the port of arrival (New York)
  • He was able to read
  • He was 19 years old, was of the male sex, was of the Polish race, and his nationality was US
  • Fred’s height was 6’1″, and his weight was 176 (pounds)
  • He had a scar on his right wrist

Other pages of the manifest show that the ship was operated by the Isthmian Steamship Co., 71 Broadway, New York, and that it arrived in New York on 31 August 1943 .  Other pages show that the ship was expected to leave New York on 11 September 1943 and that it stopped in Newport News, Virginia on 14 September 1943, thence heading for foreign locations.

There is also an enigmatic notation on one page that the ship had previously left Bizerte (Tunisia?) on 20 July 1943 .  In this notation about Bizerte, the port of departure Boston was crossed out and the port of Bizerte was written in.

I’ll have to check with my cousins to see if they have a copy of Fred’s military records to see if those records include any additional information on Fred’s destinations while in the Navy.

Copyright © 2006 by Stephen J. Danko

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