Poli Sh Genealogcal Soci Ettq of Mlrfiesota Newsletteiili
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Poli sh Genealogcal Soci ettq of MlrfiesotA NEWSLETTEIili VOLI.JME 13 WIMER 2005-06 NUMBBR 4 A Survivor's Guide to Finding Ancestors in Poland: My experience in researching the M AG DZI ARZ| LAB AK fami I i e s from Pilzno, Galicia through Chicago to Sturgeon Lake, MN By Mark Dobosenski [email protected]> All of us have had to start somewhere in our search for nm our ancestors originating in Poland--but where do we begin? this issue " . " How does one go about this grurd scavenger hunt? WtritE A Survivor's Guide to Finding there are many rcsources available online and in printed form Ancestors in Poland......................p. 1 (some of which will be noted for you ro try), I thought it might be helpful to document my search for my wife's ancestors. President's Letter........ ........2 I used to ask many questions of my father-in-law, fhe late The Bulletin Board............................... 3 Frank MAGDZIARZ, of Sturgeon Lake, MN. Sometime Letters to the editor........ .......................4 after Dianne and I were married and I became interested in Where is ?inovrocwa? qagTg both my and my wife's family hisrories. Maybe having Pommem? Pomorze? Kaszuby? children brought that urge to mind? Nonetheless, Frank had a great mind for relationships! Group Tour to Poland.......................5 Marcinkiewicz of Little Falls Well, the first step in beginning one's family history re- DNA Genealogy search is to ask questions: check with living family members Polish Churches of the Archdiocese of and record your information down in eithera notebook or St. Paul and Minneapo1is........ ..........6 through th9 uqe of g,enealogical forms such as Family Group Today' s Contest:........................7 Sheets or Pedigree Charts..Eventually, you may wani to switch Trivia to computerized forms using Genealogical software--I had to Winona's Polish Museum and when I had accumulated so much information I couldn't keep St. Stanislaus Kostka Church............8 track of everything, much less find what I was looking for! PGS-MN Annual Meeting Summary...9 "Branching Out," March 18 The second step is to look for any recorded information on Last 1 the family history available. Check old bibles for children's Issue's Trivia Challenge:............ 0 births or ancestor's marriages or deaths being recorded. Polish Genealogists to Meet in Salt Frank's older siblings had gotten together and someone had Lake City tape recorded an interview session where many stories and Drobne 8cha.......... ...........11 facts were shared. Check out any and all possible resourees of Dateline: Sturgeon Lake thmily information. From Wiarus,1886-1891 For thethird step, check out any church or civil records you Survivor' s Guide, continued.. .............20 can find: Church records usually include Births/Baptisms/ Anyone recognize these people?........25 Missing Branches... ..........28 Survivor's Guide, centinued on r-ge 20 Polish Genealogical Society of Minnesota Winter 2005-06 P olis h G enealo gi cal S ociety of Minnesota A Branch of the Minnesota Genealogical Society 5768 Olson Memorial Hwy. Golden Valley MN 55422 http: //www. rootsweb. com/-mnpol gs/pgs-mn. html Offlcers/Board of Directors: hesident...... .Terry Kita (612-927-Wt9i) <terrykrta@ earthlinlcnet> Vice President...............John Kowles (612-7 2l -7 227) <[email protected]> Secretary..............Mary Ellen Bruski (763-588-3801 ) President's Letter <[email protected] Treasurer........................Audra Etzel (7 63 -97 ? -639) I will be very shortly starting over with m),genei- _ =;a1 past presidenr.......................::::IT:L'.8H",ftffi research. Direcror........ ,- ;'#13::*:l]r$E My flrst, and main leaming experience rrith ie.<-::-. Direcror........ ..r.ii't",iJi3rffiitffR was the search for my Polish great-grandfather. r.':-:.-.--::e <[email protected]> Kita and his wife. I enjoyed that experierce St- Director......................Lisa Trerirbley igSZ -g+t -OSl q; =-.:-- - <lctrembley @ mn. rr. com> decided to continue with my French-Canadiar: --=.: :. Committee Chairs/Co-Chairs: Most of that research had already been compije{. -:: '; .: Library ................Jan Bias given to me by Dorothy Chandler at the MGS L:::":. ....................Lisa -J Membership. Trembley from a volun[eer in I am almost emt a::.-i>+: : Newslener.... .....Paul Kulas Quebec. Program/Publicity.................Terry Kira, John Kowles talk about it because I did so little to eam it. Research...... ........Greg Kishel, John Rys Website........ ..............Mary Ellen Bruski The search for my Bavarian gtreat-great-[T3-;t -r r -i P olis h G mealo gi cal S ociety morc than made up for the ease of the French-C--- of Minnes ota N ewsletter ': rvork. They immigrated a generation before i.i:e =':. :.r Newletter Staf?: ancestors in the early 1850s. This made recc,rc-:-=:---. 8ditor........... Paul Kulas (763427-4523) more difficult and personal recounting impt >.::-s --;: Associate 8ditor........... ........Greg Kishel Mailing 1abe1s............ ......Lisa Trembley extracting all the information I could from tlus ;."-:*-. i Mailing........ .....Terry Kita, John Kowles records, I decided to seek them in Bavaria. rr he- - : -'-:-: Sumame indexing....... ................Kay Freund, Mary Kowles, Dori Marszalek them. The PoHsh Genealogical Society of Minneson have only one my quarters Newsletter is published quarterly in Spring, Summer, I of leii t.- resL-a:!:- - -- Autumn and Winter. Subscription tothe Newsletter s lieve that my maternal grandfather's parents ::--:-=3=r included with membership. Dues are $15.00 per year. lrom Holland--at least that is what a census iE.ii: I Please use applicatlon form on advertising insert -.i. Make checks payable to PGS-MN and mail to: will start the same way that I did with m1' other B-Bi$'- - r: Audra Etzel, Treasurer,S4ET Darrow Ave SE, and I will eventually find them. The main reu'ard fr-r rxr Buffalo MN 55313. has been, and will be, the search. Items submitted for publication arc welcomed and encouraged. We require that featurelength articles be submined exclusively to PGS-MN only. Articles, After I finish my research there will remain the task letters, book reviews, news itefits, queries, ad copy, of organizing all of it, into a usable form. This task I do etc. should be sent to: Paul Kulas, editor, PGS-MN Newsletter,120O8 West River Road, Champlin MN not relish. But it is a necessary aspect of preserving yoru 55316-21,45 or to e-mail: <[email protected]> family's story for future generations. Address changes or membership questions? Contact: Lisa Trembley, Membership Chair We hope to see you at our program meetings in 2C[6. 15800 Post Road, Wayzata MN 55391 or <lcrembley @ e-maih mn. rr.com> --Tern'Kiu O ffi6 RlktfaGdEdiod Sbarydlltfim Winter2mS-06 Polish Genealogical Society of Minnesota Page 3 Library . o Corn€r. oc Q..u{ol !h9 MQSLfbrary has a new CD-ROM ttrat may be "?i2. useful to Polish researchers. It is titled Immigration: New York Passenger Lists, Arrival Years tS50-t89l . It is an index arrivals at the Port of New York before ffieBwffiffi@oarb Ellis Island opened n 1892. The database indexes the passenger lists of ships Extra contributions: arriving from foreign ports at the Port of New york from 1850-1891. Information contained in the index includes given We thank the ftrllowing for their extra contributions name, sumame, age, gender, arrival date, port of departure to PGS-MN. (either through Sponsor membership or and ship name. If a place of origin place to contributions to the Library Fund). or on nativity was provided, that in- tormation is included as well. Linda Black Gary Litchy ---J.M. Bias Millieent R. Kriske Jason lValdowski We.-are a non-profit educational organization. lln frLemarium Contributions^ !,"Vg_ng basic membership dues may be income tax deductible Bernard L, Szymczak tt lzsl 1923 - Lt lzs /2005 And our thanks to Shirely Mask Connolly for regularly sending us News fr.om the Witno Hiritage We at PGS-MN and Polish-Americans Society, a newletter celebrating the Polish/I(ashub throughout the Twin City area and the many heritage of Wrlno area in Ontario, Canada. others whom his life touched moum the death of Bemie Szymczak. And to Glen Linscheid for sending us copies of Along the Galician Grapevine, a new-sletter about the Bemie will be remembered by all who descendants of Galician Mennonite immigrants to the knew him for his endless giving to others United States. The newsletter and the Gatician Family and to his community. Bemie taught English Study Database can be accessed online at: <http:// and Latin at Osseo, DelaSalle and Anoka High 1ww. galizien germandescendants. org/Mennonile/ Schools and many of his former students Mennonite.htm> sent tributes that were read at his memorial service. He was an active member of the Both of tlese newsletters and those from many Knights of Columbus and of Toastmasters other Polish-related groups can be found in the polish International and was a leader in his church Collection ar the MGS Library. and community. Bemie received the WCCO "Good Neighbor Award" and the Columbia Heights "Humanitarian of the Year" award. A CIue-- Most of all Bemie will be remembered for his passion to solving this issue's Trivia Challenge on page 7: for his Polish heritage. He helped forge the Sister City relationship between Columbia Heights It is possible that a 20th century citizen of the MN and t omianki Poland, the place city in question might have been bom in the Austria- where his brother died in World War Bemie was Hungary, gone to school in Poland in his youth, was II. a long-time member and a past Director employed in the Soviet Union during most of his of PGS-MN and active in many other Polish-related organ i zations. adult life with a three-year break working in a part of Nazi Germany and ended his days in UFaine without ever once leaving the city limits of his native town.