When Genealogists Become Family Historians

The terms genealogy and family history are generally used interchangably, although the terms can mean quite different things .  Genealogy uses facts such as births, marriages, and deaths to define family relationships and documents these facts with source materials such as vital records .  Genealogy can show the descendants of a single individual or the ancestors of an individual . Â Family history, on the other hand, describes individuals and families through their biographies and in context with local, national, and world history .  Sooner or later, many genealogists become interested in more than just who is related to whom, and seek to understand how historical events affected the lives of their ancestors .  We may want to know why our ancestors immigrated to the United States, or why they chose a particular career .  Consequently, we may need to study local, national, and world history .  We may need to look into letters written by our ancestors, and we may want to find out where they went to school and where they worked.

One important aspect of my own family history is to discover where my ancestors lived, why my grandparents came to this country, how they got here, and how they adapted to life in their new environment .  Knowing where my ancestors lived is also very important in order to find their birth, marriage, and death records, and thus to extend my pedigree further into the past.

Passenger Manifest for Michael Danko - 1905

Passenger Manifest for Michael Danko – 1905

The passenger manifest for my grandfather, Michael Danko, provides an important clue to learning where he was born and where the records on his ancestors are located (click on the image above to enlarge the image) .  On his passenger manifest, my grandfather reported that he was from Nienadowa, his nationality was Austrian, and that he was Polish .  From studying history, I know that Poland was partitioned by Russia, Prussia, and Austria three times:  in 1772, 1793, and 1795 .  After these partitions, Poland effectively ceased to exist until after World War I, when Poland’s independence was restored .  At the time my grandfather immigrated to America in 1905, Poland was still partitioned and he lived in the Austrian partition, Galicia.

But what about his village, Nienadowa?  And where are the records I need to learn about his ancestors?  In Poland, all the birth/baptismal, marriage, and death/burial records were maintained by the parish church to which the people belonged, but most villages did not have a church .  How do I learn where the church was?  The answers to these questions will have to wait until another day.

Copyright © 2006 by Stephen J. Danko

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Grandfather and the Umbrella Maker

My grandfather, Michael Danko, immigrated to the US from his native town of Nienadowa, Galicia, Austria-Poland when he was 27 years old .  He sailed from Antwerp on the S.S. Zeeland and arrived in New York City on March 7, 1905 .  The passenger manifest (click on the thumbnail below to see the entire manifest) asked in Column 16 “Whether going to join a relative or friend; and if so, what relative or friend, and his name and complete address” .  My grandfather is listed on Line 17, and his response to the question in Column 16 is practically unreadable . Â Patricia, a friend and classmate of mine, helped me figure out with whom my grandfather was staying.

Michał Dańko Passenger Manifest

Michał Dańko Passenger Manifest

Patricia examined the manifest and thought that she could read the name “Flichtenfeld” and so she started to search the 1900 census records for someone in New York City with that surname .  She found an Isaac Flichtenfeld living in New York City with his wife Esther .  I took a look at the census records for Isaac and found him in the 1900, 1910, and 1920 census records .  The 1910 census record is provided in the thumbnail below.

1910 US Census Record for Isaac Flichtenfeld

1910 US Census Record for Isaac Flichtenfeld

Isaac Flichtenfeld was enumerated on line 43 of the census record .  He is listed with his wife Esther, five children, and a servant .  Based on the information in this census, other census records, and the World War I draft registration card for Isaac’s son Carl, I learned that:

  1. Isaac was a Jewish immigrant from Galicia, Austria-Poland, who immigrated in 1892.
  2. Isaac lived at 35 First Avenue in New York City.
  3. Isaac was an umbrella maker.

In examining Column 16 closely, I was able to interpret the handwriting to say that my grandfather was going to stay with:

friend, Isaac Flichtenfeld Hester 1st Ave New York

So exactly who was this New York umbrella maker Issac Flichtenfeld and his wife Esther (Hester)?  How did my Roman Catholic grandfather become good enough friends with a Jewish family in New York that he could stay with them?  Did they live near each other in Galicia?  Did they know each other in Galicia or was my grandfather simply referred to Isaac by someone else?  How long did my grandfather stay with Isaac and why did he later leave New York to settle in Worcester, Massachusetts?

I looked for anyone named Flichtenfeld who immigrated through Ellis Island .  I didn’t find Isaac or his wife, but most of the Flichtenfelds I could find were from Przemysł, a relatively large town not far from Nienadowa where my grandfather lived . Â I also found one Flichtenfeld who was from Babice – a village within walking distance of Nienadowa, and a village that, along with Nienadowa, belonged to the Dubiecko parish.

I still don’t know how my grandfather came to stay with a Jewish umbrella maker in New York City when he immigrated in 1905, but this little bit of information adds some detail to my grandfather’s immigration story.

Copyright © 2006 by Stephen J. Danko

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US Vital Records and a Historic Car Accident

Today I added information on how to obtain Vital Records from 27 more US States and Possessions to my US Vital Records webpage .  When this project is complete, I believe it will be the most complete and up-to-date summary of US Vital Records sources on the net .  Many of the other websites with similar information are outdated or don’t include alternate sources such as Historical Societies and State Archives .  Furthermore, I’ve included information on whether or not the Vital Records are restricted (and for what period of time), the cost of the records, and the years for which the records are available at each of the repositories.

In line with this addition, my images of the day are the death certificate, grave marker, and obituary for Harry J. Meleski .  Harry was the half-nephew of my grandmother, Helen (Chmieleska) Niedzialkowski .  In Lithuania, my grandmother’s family name was Chmielewski / Chmielewska (men used the ending “i” at the end of the surname, while women used “a”) .  After arriving in the US, the family shortened their name to Meleski, and, by that, I mean the family changed the name – it wasn’t changed at Ellis Island or by someone else.

The Grave of Harry Meleski and Margaret Warchol

The Grave Marker for Harry and Margaret Meleski

Click on the links to see a PDF image of Harry Meleski’s Death Record or  Harry Meleski’s Obituary .  Click on the thumbnail to see a larger version of the marker on his grave in Hope Cemetery, Worcester, Massachusetts .  Harry and his wife died childless and it appeared that nobody had visited their grave in quite a while when I took this picture last summer .  I had to dig quite a bit of dirt and crabgrass off the marker in order to see it .  Harry was buried in Section 95, Lot RF1 on January 12, 1981 .  His wife Margaret was buried next to him in Section 95, Lot RF2 on April 25, 1983.

As a final note, Harry was a lawyer and served for many years as the city solicitor of Worcester, Massachusetts .  He was once interviewed by the Worcester Telegram and told the newspaper that his most memorable case was one he argued before the Supreme Court of the United States to decide liability in a motor vehicle accident when one of the people involved was not a resident of the state in which the accident occurred .  This case and the decision are still important today, nearly 80 years after Harry won the case.

Copyright © 2006 by Stephen J. Danko

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A Marriage in New Brunswick

The Provincial Archives of New Brunswick, Canada have posted an index to a large number of vital records, and some of those records are linked to images of the original documents .  I searched for the marriage record of William McGinn and Lea Poirier who were the in-laws of my aunt, Bertha (Danko) McGinn .  As yet, the Provincial Archives have not linked the image to the index entry for this marriage, so I searched for this record while I was at the Family History Library (FHL) in Salt Lake City.

I found the image on FHL US/CAN Film 2024682 (you can click on the image below to enlarge it or you can view, download, and print a PDF Copy of the Marriage Record of William McGinn and Lea Poirier).

The Marriage Record of William McGinn and Lea Poirier

The Marriage Record of William McGinn and Lea Poirier

In addition, I looked through a series of films of the New Brunswick vital statistics from newspapers and found a entry for the marriage in FHL US/CAN Book 971.5 V2nb V. 99, which appears to be a transcription form The Daily Telegraph, Saint John, New Brunswick on 16 MAY 1895:

W.H. McGINN and bride passed through the city yesterday en route to Fredericton .  Mr. McGinn was married yesterday morn. to Miss L.A. POIRIER .  The ceremony was performed by Rev. Fathe Ouellett .  Mr. McGinn is superintendent of the electrical works at the Celestial City.

I also looked up the biographical entry for Pascal Poirier, who is related to Lea Poirier, although I’m not sure how (I’ll have to check with my McGinn cousins to find out about this) .  I found the entry in Appleton’s Cyclopaedia of American Biography FHL US/CAN Book 973 D36ap 1887-89 v. 5 .  You may recall from a previous post that Appleton’s contains at least 200 entries of fictitious individuals .  Pascal Poirier’s biography appears to be accurate, however:

     POIRIER, Pascal, Canadian senator, b. in Shediac, New Brunswick, 14 Feb., 1852 .  He is of Acadian descent .  He completed his course of studies at St. Joseph’s college, Memramcook, studied law, and was admitted to the bar of Quebec in 1876 .  In 1872 Mr. Poirier was appointed postmaster of the Dominion parliament, which post he held till his appointment to the senate, 9 March, 1885 .  At an early age he contributed to the press, both French and English, and he has published “L’Origine des Acadiens” (Montreal, 1874).

Copyright © 2006 by Stephen J. Danko

Posted in McGinn, Poirier | 2 Comments

Dancing in the Aisles and Other Matters

A few days ago, I promised to write more about Ceil Jensen’s multimedia presentation that she promised would have us dancing in the aisles .  At the Monday evening banquet of the United Polish Genealogical Societies Biennial Conference in Salt Lake City, Ceil showed us the video she made of her adventures in the Polish Archives, complete with some great Polish music!  Everyone enjoyed the presentation and it was worth the wait!

Ceil visited several archives with Kasia Grycza, a charming and skilled genealogist and tour guide in Poland .  Just type Kasia’s name into your favorite search engine and you’ll find testimonials from people who have hired her to act as their guide and genealogical consultant in Poland .  Kasia arranged for Ceil to visit civil and church archives in Poland, and was even able to arrange for video interviews with the archive directors .  Everyone in the video was thoroughly interesting, informative, and at times the interviews were absolutely hilarious (and you thought there was nothing funny about visiting archives)!  Sadly, Ceil showed us the unfortunate state of the archives that operate with low budgets in facilities that lack climate control to preserve the valuable documents they house . Â Between the individual interviews, Ceil included music that certainly had everyone’s feet tapping and added a festive tone to the entire presentation .  Thanks, Ceil, and I know we all look forward to seeing more of your videos in the future!  By the way, Ceil has just published a new book called “Detroit’s Polonia”.

A couple of people have left comments on this blog, asking for summaries of the presentations at the conference .  For the first of these summaries, I’ll start with the last presentation:  the keynote speech at the banquet presented by Joseph B. Everett, who currently works for Ancestry.com and who spoke on “New Databases and Features of Ancestry.com” .  I had actually met Joe before, when he worked as a Supervisor on the International Floor at the Family History Library .  During two separate visits to the FHL in the past, he helped me translate Russian documents relating to my Niedzialkowski ancestors .  The amazing thing, though, is that he even remembered me from those two isolated occasions!  Wow, the guy has a good memory!

Some of the new features Joe talked about included the complete England and Wales Census collection, the doubling of the Historical Newspapers collection, and the addition of new Canadian Records .  In connection with the Historical Newspapers collection, he pointed out that, when searching this collection, one should enter the search terms, including names, in the keyword box .  The Historical Newspaper collection is not indexed for First Names and Last Names, so the search engine just looks for the keywords anywhere in the newspapers .  Joe gave us examples of how to search for newspaper articles and census records for Lt. Col. Francis S. “Gabby” Gabreski, a World War II Ace Pilot .  It was quite an interesting story.

One other point Joe mentioned was that Ancestry.com has added the ability for researchers to add alternate names, add comments, or report image errors for some of the databases, including census records .  I actually took advantage of this new feature, since my grandfather, Kostanty Niedzialkoski, was indexed in the 1920 US Census as Kostanty Pudgealkoski!  The alternate names that users add are then available to all users, so that poorly transcribed names won’t be a brickwall for future researchers .  I have attached an image of the 1920 Census record for my grandfather so you can see why his name was so badly transcribed in the index .  Click on the image below to view a larger image .  Kostanty is enumerated on line 77, and my grandmother Helen is on line 78.

Kostanty Niedzialkowski in the 1920 US Federal Census

Kostanty Niedzialkowski in the 1920 US Federal Census

Finally, I want to point out a couple of features of this blog to those of you who visit regularly .  You can post a comment by clicking on the “Comments” link at the bottom of each of the entries .  The first time you post a comment, the comment must be approved by the Administrator (that’s me) before it appears on the blog .  After the first comment is approved, your future comments will automatically be approved without any intervention from me .  Second, if you post a comment and want to return to the main page, just click on the banner “Steve’s Genealogy Blog” at the top of the page .  Third, you can visit my website by clicking on one of the links to the right of the blog under “Steve’s Genealogy Web”.

Thanks for visiting, and be sure to leave a comment!

Copyright © 2006 by Stephen J. Danko

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World War II Draft Cards

The Family History Library (FHL) holds 166 microfilm reels of World War II Selective Service System Registration Cards for the state of Massachusetts .  These are the Draft Registration Cards for the Fourth Registration conducted in 1942 and include men born between 28 APR 1877 and 16 FEB 1897 .  The original cards are located in the National Archives at Boston .  Note: The FHL holds copies of World War II Selective Service System Registration Cards for other states, too.

I was particularly interested in these records since I have been unable to find my grandfather’s birth and baptismal record in Poland .  In various official documents, my grandfather stated that he was from the village of Pomoski in the Łomża Gubernia of Russia-Poland, but I couldn’t find his birth and baptismal record in the church records for the village of Pomoski (there was no church in Pomoski itself; the residents of Pomoski belonged to the Parish and Church in Szwelice) .  Since these World War II Draft Registration Cards included the place of birth, I thought this might help me find my grandfather’s birth and baptismal records.

WWI Draft Card KN Obverse

WWII Draft Card KN ReverseI have attached images of the obverse and reverse of my grandfather’s Draft Registration Card found on FHL US/CAN Film 2251612 (click on the thumbnails, above, to see larger images) .  My grandfather listed his name as Konstanty Niedzialkoski, but signed his name as Kostanty Niedzialkowski (he used the spelling Kostanty Niedzialkowski for most of his life) .  The address, 18 Huntington Ave. in Worcester, Massachusetts, was owned by his uncle, Franciszek Niedzialkoski . Â Surprisingly, Kostanty listed his place of birth as Warsaw, Poland, not the village of Pomoski!  Perhaps Kostanty was born in Warsaw, but lived in Pomoski.

In addition to my difficulty in finding Kostanty’s birth and baptismal record, I haven’t been able to find the marriage record of Kostanty’s parents (Teofil and Ksawera) in Pomoski . Â My working hypothesis is that Teofil and Ksawera were married in another location and Ksawera gave birth to Kostanty in the same place she was married . Â A family connection does exist in Warsaw, since Teofil’s mother was born in Parafia Świętego Krzyża (Holy Cross Parish) in Warsaw .  So, I have another lead to follow now, although this may be a tough one – the records for Parafia Św. Krzyża held by the FHL include documents that date only from 1826 – 1876, too early to include records for my grandfather or my great-grandparents.

Nonetheless, the information on my grandfather’s World War II Draft Registration Card gives me some additional information and another lead to follow.

As a historical note, the following notice appeared on page 10 of the New York Times on 24 APR 1942, calling older men to register for the fourth registration of the World War II Draft:

All Men 45-64 Required To Register at Week-End

     All men in New York City, whether citizens or aliens, who reached their forty-fifth birthday on or before Feb. 16, 1942, or who will not have reached their sixty-fifth birthday by April 27, 1942, must register for selective service either tomorrow or Sunday between 1 P. M. and 6 P. M. or on Monday between 7 A. M. and 9 P. M.

They must register in their own local board area .  Selective service headquarters advised them yesterday to learn immediately the address of their local board .  It was suggested that they ask neighbors who already had registered where to find the local board; then go to the board to learn whether to register there or elsewhere.

Daily commuters will not be registered in New York City.

Copyright © 2006 by Stephen J. Danko

Posted in Niedziałkowski | 2 Comments

My Last Day in Salt Lake City

Family History Library
Family History Library

WOW! What a great time I had in Salt Lake City .  I managed to obtain copies of an enormous number of original sources (and quite a number of derivative sources, too!).

As genealogists, we often classify information as primary or secondary, depending on whether the source was generated at the time the event occurred, by someone who was a witness to the event (primary) or whether the information in the source was provided at a later date or by a person who was not a witness to the event (secondary) .  We also realize that a source can contain both primary and secondary information .  For example, a death certificate may contain primary information about the death, but secondary information about the birth.

However, even before we consider whether the information is primary or secondary, sources can be classified as original or derivative sources .  Original sources are the first place where the information was recorded and derivative sources include indexes of records, transcripts of records, and abstracts .  More about all this later.

It’s late here in San Francisco, and I’m ready to call it a night .  My flight back from Salt Lake City was pleasant and largely uneventful, except for an unfortunate encounter between the plane’s engine and a bird during the landing .  Well, thanks to the skilled pilots at Southwest Airlines, we landed safely in Oakland, despite the rather odd experience of landing with the aroma of roast poultry in the cabin!

I have a lot to report about the conference itself and the information I found at the Family History Library .  Check back later to see some of the most interesting documents I found and details about the sessions of the United Polish Genealogical Societies Biennial Conference.

Copyright © 2006 by Stephen J. Danko

Posted in Daily Journal | Tagged | 1 Comment

GuestBlog from Ceil Jensen

This morning, I’m grateful to Ceil Jensen for providing a GuestBlog (I’ll provide my own blog at the end of the day) .  I asked her to write a bit about her own research at the Family History Library this past week .  By the way, last night at the conference banquet, Ceil showed us the multimedia presentation she promised would have us dancing in the aisles!  More about that later!  Here’s Ceil’s blog:

I spent a week in Salt Lake researching material for my forthcoming book “Sto Lat” A Modern Guide to Polish Genealogy. The most interesting find was the cattle brands registered to the Polish ranchers in Bexar Co. ,Texas. I had never thought about that aspect of western life in terms of the Poles. An article in the Summer 2001 “Polish Footprints” published by the Polish Genealogical Society of Texas showed  brands registered to Poles including Anton Kobus, Joseph Michalsky and Jacob Lubinsky. It was serious business. The article was illustrated with a “Certificate of Registration of Marks and Brands” registered in Karnes Co., Texas.

Ceil
Copyright © 2006 by Stephen J. Danko and Ceil Jensen
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Sunday at the Conference

Sundays the Family History Library is closed, so my day was a little more mellow than the previous two .  I spent some time reading on Sunday morning, had a leisurely lunch at Trofi (the restaurant at the Hilton Salt Lake City Center, where I am staying), and then attended the afternoon sessions of the United Polish Genealogical Societies Biennial Conference.

Ceil Jensen talked about school records (come to think of it, I don’t even know where my own school records are!) and the Polish State Archives .  She claimed her multimedia presentation would have us dancing in the aisles but, alas, technical difficulties prevented us from seeing the multimedia part of her talk . Â After Ceil’s presentation, Kalile Mehr from the Family History Library (FHL) explained how records are obtained from the former Soviet Union sphere.

Dinner at the Olive Garden with five other conference attendees was great .  I can’t remember when I had such a good time at dinner!  All in all, the time we had for dinner was way too short .  We were heading back to the conference before we knew it.

Kahlile Mehr presented the final talk of the day and discussed East European Internet sites .  I’ll post the list on my website after I get home from the conference .  By the time the day’s events were over, I returned to the hotel to plan my strategy for Monday.

Right now, I’m in the FHL, and concentrating on obtaining proof of what I already know .  I’ve found a few surprises, including incorrect dates that I had in my files, and a surprising (to me, anyway) cause of death!  I’ll have to check the information I have at home and see how the new sources compare with the old.

Copyright © 2006 by Stephen J. Danko

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First Full Day of the Conference in Salt Lake City

Well, it’s getting to be close to the end of the first full day of the United Polish Genealogical Societies Biennial Conference here in Salt Lake City .  I’m bushed, and it’s only 7:40 PM!  We have one more session tonight and then I’ll be ready to hit the sack!

The first session this morning was on “Professional Techniques for the Family Genealogist” by Ceil Jensen .  I asked Ceil if she’d like to “Guest Blog” in this space and she said she’d love to tell everyone about what she thought was her best find so far at the Family History Library (FHL) .  Check back in the next couple of days for her Guest Blog.

After Ceil’s presentation, several others presented lectures on how to best use the resouces in the FHL, all of which were great (and I thought I already know my way around the FHL 🙂 !)

Ugo Perego gave us an update on the research at the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation .  Two years ago, I heard a presentation by the Foundation, and at that time, there was no way for participants to see the results of their DNA analysis .  The Foundation encouraged participation in order to further the science of molecular genealogy .  But now, the results will be provided online, and you can compare your own results with the results of others (while protecting the privacy of living individuals, of course) .  There is no cost for the analysis, but you may have to wait a long time to see the results.

It’s also been a productive time for me at the FHL .  I’ve been looking for Birth, Marriage, and Death records for two branches on my family tree .  I found the marriage record for the parents of my Aunt Bertha’s husband George McGinn, a newspaper clipping mentioning the wedding, and a delayed birth record for George’s older sister, Pascaline .  Plus, I found a biography for Pascal Poirier, a senator from New Brunswick who was an ancestor of George and Pascaline.

Today I also found 21 death records for other people in my family file, so I consider this a very productive day .  It’s about time for me to get a bite to eat and then head to the last session of the day (Ceil Jenson is speaking again tonight on “Maps for Polish Genealogy:  Old, New, Electronic” .  Good night!

Copyright © 2006 by Stephen J. Danko

Posted in McGinn, Poirier | Tagged | 3 Comments