And All That Heard Him Were Astonished at His Wisdom and His Answers

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Steve

Ten stained glass windows in the Church of the Blessed Sacrament in Albany, New York depict scenes from the life of Christ .  The second, And All That Heard Him Were Astonished at His Wisdom and His Answers, appears in the west wall.

And All That Heard Him Were Astonished at His Wisdom and His Answers

And All That Heard Him Were Astonished at His Wisdom and His Answers

SOURCE:  And All That Heard Him Were Astonished at His Wisdom and His Answers (Albany, Albany County, New York); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 08 January 2012.

{2:40} Now the child grew, and he was strengthened with the fullness of wisdom. And the grace of God was in him.
{2:41} And his parents went every year to Jerusalem, at the time of the solemnity of Passover.
{2:42} And when he had become twelve years old, they ascended to Jerusalem, according to the custom of the feast day.
{2:43} And having completed the days, when they returned, the boy Jesus remained in Jerusalem. And his parents did not realize this.
{2:44} But, supposing that he was in the company, they went a day’s journey, seeking him among their relatives and acquaintances.
{2:45} And not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking him.
{2:46} And it happened that, after three days, they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, listening to them and questioning them.
{2:47} But all who listened to him were astonished over his prudence and his responses.
{2:48} And upon seeing him, they wondered. And his mother said to him: “Son, why have you acted this way toward us? Behold, your father and I were seeking you in sorrow.”
{2:49} And he said to them: “How is it that you were seeking me? For did you not know that it is necessary for me to be in these things which are of my Father?”
{2:50} And they did not understand the word that he spoke to them.
{2:51} And he descended with them and went to Nazareth. And he was subordinate to them. And his mother kept all these words in her heart.
{2:52} And Jesus advanced in wisdom, and in age, and in grace, with God and men.

SOURCE: Conte, Ronald L. Jr., translator and editor .  The Sacred Bible. Catholic Public Domain Version. Luke 2:40-52. Online <http://www.sacredbible.org/catholic/NT-03_Luke.htm>. Accessed 25 January 2012.

The inscription on the window states:

And All That Heard Him Were Astonished at His Wisdom and His Answers – Luke II.47

In Memory of Mrs Anna Frances O’Connor Reid

Copyright © 2012 by Stephen J. Danko

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The Word Was Made Flesh and Dwelt Among Us

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Steve

Ten stained glass windows in the Church of the Blessed Sacrament in Albany, New York depict scenes from the life of Christ .  The first, The Word Was Made Flesh and Dwelt Among Us, appears in the west wall, in the front of the church .  The others continue in chronological order in the west wall to the back of the church and then continue from the back of the church to the front along the east wall.

The Word Was Made Flesh and Dwelt Among Us

The Word Was Made Flesh and Dwelt Among Us

SOURCE:  The Word Was Made Flesh and Dwelt Among Us (Albany, Albany County, New York); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 08 January 2012.

{1:1} In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word.
{1:2} He was with God in the beginning.
{1:3} All things were made through Him, and nothing that was made was made without Him.
{1:4} Life was in Him, and Life was the light of men.
{1:5} And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
{1:6} There was a man sent by God, whose name was John.
{1:7} He arrived as a witness to offer testimony about the Light, so that all would believe through him.
{1:8} He was not the Light, but he was to offer testimony about the Light.
{1:9} The true Light, which illuminates every man, was coming into this world.
{1:10} He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world did not recognize him.
{1:11} He went to his own, and his own did not accept him.
{1:12} Yet whoever did accept him, those who believed in his name, he gave them the power to become the sons of God.
{1:13} These are born, not of blood, nor of the will of flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
{1:14} And the Word became flesh, and he lived among us, and we saw his glory, glory like that of an only-begotten son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

SOURCE: Conte, Ronald L. Jr., translator and editor .  The Sacred Bible. Catholic Public Domain Version. John 1:1-14. Online <http://www.sacredbible.org/catholic/NT-04_John.htm>. Accessed 25 January 2012.

The inscription on the window states:

The Word Was Made Flesh and Dwelt Among Us – John I.14

Gift of Rev Wm. F. O’Connor in Memory of His Parents John Anna

Copyright © 2012 by Stephen J. Danko

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Dad’s Funeral – Our Lady of Angels Cemetery

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Steve

My father, Francis J. Danko, was buried in Our Lady of Angels Cemetery where several other members of my family are buried .  The funeral procession was met by a military honor guard who played “Taps”, folded the flag that covered my father’s casket, and presented the flag to my stepmother .  Father Anthony Gulley led the prayers at the gravesite .  One of the prayers he led, fittingly, was the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace .  Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love.  For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen

 The Funeral Procession

The Funeral Procession

SOURCE:  The Funeral Procession (Albany, Albany County, New York); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 09 January 2012.

Taps

Taps

SOURCE: Â Taps (Albany, Albany County, New York); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 09 January 2012.

Folding the Flag

Folding the Flag

SOURCE: Â Folding the Flag (Albany, Albany County, New York); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 09 January 2012.

Presenting the Flag to the Widow

Presenting the Flag to the Widow

SOURCE:  Presenting the Flag to the Widow (Albany, Albany County, New York); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 09 January 2012.

Copyright © 2012 by Stephen J. Danko

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Dad’s Funeral – The Church of the Blessed Sacrament

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Steve

My father’s funeral was held at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament in Albany, New York .  Although this was not my family’s parish, I was familiar with the church since the families of many of my friends belonged to this parish .  The church my family had attended, the Church of St. Vincent de Paul, no longer has a permanent priest in attendance and, so, we decided to hold the funeral here, close to the funeral home and not far from the cemetery.

The funeral was held on 09 January 2012 and the Christmas decorations were still on display in the church.

Church of the Blessed Sacrament - Exterior

Church of the Blessed Sacrament – Exterior

SOURCE:  Church of the Blessed Sacrament – Exterior (Albany, Albany County, New York); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 08 January 2012.

Church of the Blessed Sacrament - Interior

Church of the Blessed Sacrament – Interior

SOURCE:  Church of the Blessed Sacrament - Interior (Albany, Albany County, New York); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 08 January 2012.

Church of the Blessed Sacrament – Nativity Scene

SOURCE:  Church of the Blessed Sacrament - Nativity Scene (Albany, Albany County, New York); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 08 January 2012.

Church of the Blessed Sacrament - Choir Loft

Church of the Blessed Sacrament – Choir Loft

SOURCE:  Church of the Blessed Sacrament - Choir Loft (Albany, Albany County, New York); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 08 January 2012.

Copyright © 2012 by Stephen J. Danko

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Dad’s Funeral – The McVeigh Funeral Home

Posted on January 22, 2012 by Steve

My father’s funeral was conducted by the McVeigh Funeral Home on North Allen Street in Albany, New York .  The funeral home was at the north end of the street on which my family lived in Albany and was close to the church where the funeral would be held .  The funeral home was the same one which conducted the funeral of my father’s sister Helen just two years ago.

McVeigh Funeral Home

McVeigh Funeral Home

SOURCE:  McVeigh Funeral Home (Albany, Albany County, New York); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 08 January 2012.

The Viewing Room

The Viewing Room

SOURCE: Â The Viewing Room (Albany, Albany County, New York); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 08 January 2012.

Fireplace and Family Photos

Fireplace and Family Photos

SOURCE:  Fireplace and Family Photos (Albany, Albany County, New York); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 08 January 2012.

Flowers from the Family of Joseph Danko, Sr.

Flowers from the Family of Joseph Danko, Sr.

SOURCE:  Flowers from the Family of Joseph Danko, Sr . (Albany, Albany County, New York); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 08 January 2012.

Copyright © 2012 by Stephen J. Danko

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Rest in Peace, Dad

Posted on January 21, 2012 by Steve

Francis Joseph Danko

Albany, NY – Francis Joseph Danko, 87, died peacefully Wednesday, January 4, 2012 in the Hospice Inn at St. Peter’s Hospital surrounded by family .  He was born on January 21, 1924 in Worcester, Massachusetts, the youngest of 11 children, to parents Michael Jacob Danko and Mary Dziurzynska Danko.  He was predeceased by his parents and ten siblings: Sophie Gibson, Karol, John (Jack), Statia Iwaniec, Bronislawa, Joseph, Michael, Bertha McGinn, Mary Yousoufian and Helen Petri .  He was also predeceased by his first wife, Jane Niedzialkowski, in 1980.

Frank was a WW II Veteran, having served in the American and European Theaters as a gunner’s mate in the U. S. Naval Armed Guard .  His service included the Murmansk Run, a hazardous journey to Murmansk, Russia to deliver supplies to the eastern front.

After the war, Frank moved from Worcester, Massachusetts to Albany, New York to work at his brother Jack’s Mobil service station .  From there, he was hired by Mobil Oil Corporation to manage Mobil’s training stations on Delaware Avenue, Madison Avenue and West Lawrence Street, and New Scotland Avenue and Quail Street .  Finally, Frank obtained a position in the Albany County Purchasing Department and retired from there.

Frank enjoyed hiking and camping with Boy Scout Troop 36 at the Church of St. Vincent DePaul, acting as Scoutmaster for many years .  He was a member of the Watervliet Elks and a Funster with the Guilderland Fire Department.

Frank is survived by his wife, Mary Kearns Danko; his children, Beverly (George) Locke, Stephen J. Danko, Barbara (Jeffrey) Graig; and grandson Lukas Graig .  He is also survived by seven stepchildren, Janet (Irving) Colliton, Harold Kearns, Dale (Michael) Tobler, Debra (Michael) Moro, Ronald (Audrey) Kearns, Kathy (Paul) Hognestad, Patricia (Walter) Roemer; and numerous step-grand-children .  He is also survived by his sisters-in-law, Helen Skowronski Danko of Sutton, Massachusetts and Natalie Niedzialkowski Rawding of Duxbury, Massachusetts; his brothers-in-law, Ray Niedzialkowski and Henry Niedzialkowski of Worcester, Mass.; his cousins Frances Golinski Chrostowski, Josephine Golinski Guerin, and Joseph Golinski of Worcester, Massachusetts; his cousin Józef Dańko of Kraków, Poland, his cousins Maria Dańko Malinowski and Teresa Dańko Kordula of England; and many nephews and nieces.

Funeral services were held on Monday, January 9, 2012 at 10:00 AM from the McVeigh Funeral Home, 208 North Allen Street, Albany thence to Blessed Sacrament Church, Albany at 10:30 AM where a Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated by Reverend Anthony Gulley assisted by Reverend Gregory Weider .  Relatives and friends assembled on Sunday, January 8, 2012, 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. in the funeral home .  Interment was in Our Lady of Angels Cemetery, Albany, New York.

Those wishing to remember Frank in a special way may send a contribution to The Community Hospice, 295 Valley View Boulevard, Rensselaer, NY 12144.

Copyright © 2012 by Stephen J. Danko and Beverly A. Locke

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It’s Time for the 5th Annual iGene Awards

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Steve

The Academy of Genealogy and Family History (aka The Carnival of Genealogy) has once again requested that bloggers select the best of the previous year’s articles for iGene Awards.

iGene Award

iGene Award

Alas, I should have expected this!  Best Picture I have .  Best Documentary I have .  But, the other three categories… not so much .  Nonetheless, with a little creative interpretation of the categories and (in one category) a blatant case of backposting to my blog something I had previously posted elsewhere, I am pleased to announce the following winning articles from Steve’s Genealogy Blog in all five categories.

The award for Best Picture goes to Steve in Corsica from my post Ajaccio Cemetery and the Coast of Corsica .  This really was a tough category for me to choose a winner because  I posted several hundred photos on my blog in 2011 .  Runners up included photos from St. Peter’s Square in Rome, Knip Beach in Curacao, the outdoor market in Nice, and on and on .  Oddly enough, with all the photos I took and posted on this blog in 2011, the winner is a picture taken by someone else!  Well, at least the subject of the winning photo is devilishly handsome!

Steve in Corsica

Steve in Corsica

SOURCE:  The Author in Corsica (Ajaccio, Corsica, France); photographed by Jim Robinson for Stephen J. Danko on 09 August 2011.

The award for Best Screen Play is awarded to Evita Perón’s Final Resting Place, Buenos Aires which includes photos I took of Evita’s tomb during my visit to Argentina a year ago .  I think I will call the screen play Evita!  OK, so it’s been done .  But my version will include Argentine actress Elena Roger as Evita, Michael Cerveris as Juan Perón, and Ricky Martin as Ché .  What, you say it’s already in the works?  Indeed, it is .  The revival of the musical Evita! with Elena Roger, Michael Cerveris, and Ricky Martin opens on Broadway in March .  If, when you listen to the words Ché sings and wonder what the Casa Rosada (Argentina’s executive mansion) looks like, you can find a picture of that in my post on Casa Rosada and Edificio Libertador, Buenos Aires.

The award for Best Documentary goes to my 15-part miniseries detailing the proceedings at the Seventh International Family Tree DNA Conference for Group Administrators .  The series started with a post on 24 November 2011 and continued through 08 December 2012 .  Individual episodes included:

The award for Best Biography is awarded to Wojciech Gutowski, Wojciech’s wife Anna Jabłonowska, and their daughter Julianna . Â I have been searching for them for years!  After Donna Pointkouski told me that she found the marriage record of her ancestors online and that they were married in Holy Cross parish in Warsaw, I jumped for joy!  My 2nd great grandmother was baptized in that same church!  Well, not only did I find the baptismal record for my 2nd great grandmother, but I found the marriage record for her parents and the death record for her father!  OK, so this biography is little more than a collection of names, dates, and places, but it’s the best I have for 2011.

Finally, the award for Best Comedy goes to Welcome to GARP .  This is the article that I shamelessly backposted to my blog to make it look like I posted it in 2011 . Â I had written this article and sent it to the APG (Association of Professional Genealogists) mailing list on 31 December 2011, but I didn’t post it to my blog at that time .  You see, in reviewing the 351 articles I had posted to this blog in 2011, none of them were funny .  Not in the least .  At least some of the members of APG who read my post to the mailing list thought this post was funny and so I recently decided to reproduce it here in slightly modified form .  Or, maybe you had to be there…

Written for the 114th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy.

Copyright © 2012 by Stephen J. Danko

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Welcome to GARP

Posted on December 31, 2011 by Steve

In the month of December there was a considerable amount of discussion on the APG (Association of Professional Genealogists) mailing list about “occupational closure” and “true profession.”  I have to admit that I had to conduct considerable research to understand those two unfamiliar terms, apparently understood by sociologists, but not by me.

Wikipedia defines occupational closure as:

…the sociological term given to the process whereby a trade or occupation transforms itself into a true profession by closing off entry to the profession to all but those suitably qualified.

Consequently, one may define true profession as:

A trade or occupation that is restricted to those who are suitably qualified.

The Wikipedia article on occupational closure further states that:

(Occupational closure) .. . can be achieved by licensure, through barring entry to all except those who have passed certain entrance examinations and grades of training, or by allowing entry only to those who have gained membership of a specific professional body.

In reality, all three methods of occupational closure are used in the true professions such as law and medicine .  However, without licensure (or some other governmental regulation), the only achievable goal is that of a semi profession (a profession that does not meet all the requirements of a true profession).

Let me invent a fictional organization that oversees the entire genealogy profession and call it GARP (Genealogists Are Real Professionals) .  Let’s say that GARP decided to establish a tiered membership structure with three levels:  1) full members who have demonstrated their competency in genealogy through a combination of formal training, certification or accreditation, examination, and experience, 2)  transitional members who have not yet demonstrated the competencies required for full membership, but whose intent is to achieve full membership, and 3) associate members who are basically hobbyists whose goal is to apply the principles of professional genealogy in their own research.

Potential clients who come across the GARP website would immediately be able to discern who, in the eyes of GARP, were best qualified to conduct genealogical research on their behalf (full members) and those who were not (transitional members and associate members) .  Yet, without governmental regulation, there would be no requirement to be a member of GARP in order to seek employment as a professional genealogist and anyone, regardless of his or her qualifications, could still advertise their services through any means at his or her disposal.

Restrictions on who could practice genealogical research for hire would likely require licensure, licensure would require regulation by a governmental authority, and regulation would require legislation by state or national government .  However, efforts to successfully pass such legislation would probably require evidence that licensure was required in order to protect the public health or safety . Â Personally, I have not seen evidence that unlicensed professional genealogists are a threat to public health or safety.

The primary way to limit entry to the profession to those who are suitably qualified is through licensing .  Without licensing, genealogy will not likely achieve occupational closure .  Without occupational closure, genealogy cannot meet the sociological definition of a true profession .  I have rarely heard anyone even mention licensing professional genealogists and I suspect that any effort to require licensing of professional genealogists would attract little support from the community.

The 11th edition of the Merriam Webster Online Dictionary defines profession as (among other things) “a principal calling, vocation, or employment” and “the whole body of persons engaged in a calling”, definitions easily understood by the general public .  The term “true profession” is understood in sociology circles, but it is not well understood among the general population where it is most likely to be understood as the counterpart of “pretend profession” or “hobby” rather than by its sociological definition as a profession with occupational closure .  Indeed, if I stood up at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society, and told the members that chemistry was not a true profession, I’d probably sit down to find a capsule of cyanide in my tea.

In the end, I think that discussions of “occupational closure” and “true profession” are rather pointless in the field of genealogy .  With that, I offer all of you my best regards and wishes for a Happy New Year!

And, by the way, if you’d like to become a Charter Member of GARP, just send me a clean, unmarked twenty dollar bill in a plain brown envelope.

Copyright © 2011 by Stephen J. Danko

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The Death and Burial of Jan Gutowski – 1852

Posted on December 15, 2011 by Steve

Jan Gutowski, son of Wojciech Gutowski and Anna Jabłonowska, died on 07 September 1852 in Wiązowna, Nowo Minsk Powiat, Warsaw Gubernia, Congress Kingdom of Poland and was buried on 08 September 1852 in Wiązowna, Nowo Minsk Powiat, Warsaw Gubernia, Congress Kingdom of Poland.

The Death and Burial Record of Jan Gutowski - 1852

The Death and Burial Record of Jan Gutowski – 1852

SOURCE:  Parafia pw. św. Wojciecha (Wiązowna, Nowo Minsk Powiat, Warsaw Gubernia, Congress Kingdom of Poland), “Akta urodzeń, małżeństw, zgonów 1852 [Records of Births, Marriages, and Deaths 1852],” folio 51 recto, entry 69, Jan Gutowski, 08 September 1852; filmed as Kopie księg metrykalnych, 1810-1879; FHL INTL microfilm 0,702,556.

Click on the image above to view a higher resolution image. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Death and Burial Record of Jan Gutowski. Translated from the Polish, the record reads:

69. Wiązowna

This happened in the village of Wiązowna on the eighth day of September in the year one-thousand eight-hundred fifty-two at the hour of two in the afternoon .  There appeared Jan Sierpieński, thirty-five years of age, and Kazimierz Dękała, thirty-two years of age, both farmers residing in Wiązowna, and they stated that yesterday at the hour of eleven in the morning, Jan Gutowski died, a peasant residing in Wiązowna, ten years of age, son of the married couple Wojciech and Anna Gutowski of Wiązowna .  After visual confirmation of the death of Jan Gutowski, this document was read aloud to the declaring witnesses, and because they do not know how to write, was signed by Us .  [signed] The Reverend Antoni Zembrzeski, Pastor of Wiązowna

Jan Gutowski was my 2nd great grand uncle .  Based on his age at the time of his death, he was probably born in about 1842 .  I have not yet found his birth and baptismal record.

Copyright © 2011 by Stephen J. Danko

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The Death and Burial of Wojciech Gutowski – 1858

Posted on December 14, 2011 by Steve

Wojciech Gutowski, son of Józef Gutowski and Franciszka Zagańska, died on 20 January 1858 in Wiązowna, Nowo Minsk Powiat, Warsaw Gubernia, Congress Kingdom of Poland and was buried on 23 January 1858 in Wiązowna, Nowo Minsk Powiat, Warsaw Gubernia, Congress Kingdom of Poland.

The Death and Burial Record of Wojciech Gutowski - 1858

The Death and Burial Record of Wojciech Gutowski – 1858

SOURCE:  Parafia pw. św. Wojciecha (Wiązowna, Nowo Minsk Powiat, Warsaw Gubernia, Congress Kingdom of Poland), “Akta urodzeń, małżeństw, zgonów 1858 [Records of Births, Marriages, and Deaths 1858],” folio 56 verso, entry 8, Wojciech Gutowski, 23 January 1858; filmed as Kopie księg metrykalnych, 1810-1879; FHL INTL microfilm 1,618,644.

Click on the image above to view a higher resolution image. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Death and Burial Record of Wojciech Gutowski. Translated from the Polish, the record reads:

8. Wiązowna

This happened in the village of Wiązowna on the twenty-third day of January in the year one-thousand eight-hundred fifty-eight at the hour of two in the afternoon .  There appeared August Gí¼ttler, a carpenter, forty-five years of age, together with Franciszek Kulezycki, a wheel maker, thirty years of age, both residing in Wiąowna, and they stated that on the twentieth day of January of this same year, at the hour of ten in the morning, after receiving the sacred sacraments, Wojciech Gutowski, a shoemaker, died in Wiązowna, fifty seven years of age, son of unknown parents and husband of Anna née Jabłonowska, born here in Wiązowna .  After visual confirmation of the death of Wojciech whose bodily remains were buried in the Wiązowna cemetery, we signed this document after it had been read aloud to the declarants who do not know how to write.
[signed] The Reverend Józef Krause, Administrator of the Parish of Wiązowna

Wojciech Gutowski was my 2nd great grandfather .  Based on this record, he was born in about 1801 .  Unfortunately, the records of the Wiązowna parish do not go back that far in time .  Even though this record states that Wojciech parents were unknown, Wojciech’s marriage record states that his parents were Józef Gutowski and Franciszka Zagańska.

Copyright © 2011 by Stephen J. Danko

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