POLISH GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY OF MINNESOTA

Newsletter Volume 26#3 Fall 2018

2018 at the Twin Cities Polish Festival In This Issue By Dori Marszalek • President’s Letter What another great year for PGS-MN to be able to • PGSMN at the TCPF participate in the 10th Annual Twin Cities Polish Fes- tival. People were actually waiting for us to get set • The “Fourth Partition up on Friday and it was a steady line all the way up to 8:00 pm. • Missing Branches Saturday was another crazy busy day and we • Upcoming Events signed up 5 members that day. • Membership insert Sunday brought in another steady stream of people • Polish Independence Gala who didn’t want us to close at the end of the day.

• Death Records Shredded We sold a total of 19 books and the PGS-MN Can Koolies were a hot item. • Familypedia Thanks again to the volunteers who were your in- • Photo copying Fair Use volved in making 2018 another great year to get the word out there for PGS-MN. • Old Newspaper Ads for Research Please consider volunteering in 2019 to make a even bigger impact at the festival.

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PRESIDENT’S LETTER

Autumn is such a refreshing time of year! It is a time when our enthusiasm grows as we focus once again on projects we set aside during the busy days of summer. Genealogy is one of those fall projects where we can add to our family history the stories and memories we learned while visiting with relatives during the summer.

Our September program was a wonderful presentation given by Jay Biendy on the history of the partitions of Poland. If you missed the meeting the meeting slides are available on pgsmn.org. Definitely not the same as hearing the in-person presenta- tion but the slides give you a nice documented history of Poland.

On Saturday, October 6, we will follow September’s topic with a DVD presentation of “The Fourth Partition.” This is the story of Polish immigrants in Chicago, IL in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. If you are interested in further history of Polish Chicago, a good follow up read is Dominic A. Pacyga’s book, “Slaughterhouse: Chicago’s Union Stock Yard and the World It Made.” This book chronicles the rise and fall of the livestock industry and its enduring effect on the city of Chicago.

Twice now some event occurred that prevented me from doing my family history presentation. This is now re-scheduled for the November 3rd PGS-MN program meeting.

As you know, PGS-MN is a non-profit organization operated and sustained strictly by volunteer members. This includes the board of directors. We are currently seeking nominations for president, vice president, director I, and director III for the 2019 board of directors. I am not running for re-election to the president position. If you’d like to nominate someone, or yourself, please contact me or Jay Biendy. Elections will be at the annual meeting on Saturday, January 19, 2019.

Thank you for your support.

Peggy Larson [email protected]

PGSMN Membership Update

Please check your address label, if it has a Membership exp: 09/30/2018, or earlier— this maybe your Last Newsletter!!

PGS-MN is Still a Bargain at $20 per year!! Our standard PGS-MN Society membership dues have been stable for the last eight years at $20 per year. This is comparable to many other ethnic, regional genealogical organization across the country.

We truly value your membership and would like to Thank You, for your continued support. 2

Court Rules Copying Photos Found on Internet is Fair Use

The Federal Court system (Virginia) ruled that photo(s) on the Internet and its use without permission on a commercial website can be considered fair use.

This ruling will affect photographers, as well as many genealogists who are building or maintaining web sites.

In the United States, whether or not a use of copyrighted material without permission can be considered fair use (17 U.S. Code § 107) depends on four main factors: (1) the purpose and character of the use (including whether it’s “transformative” and commer- cial vs. non-commercial), (2) the nature of the copyrighted work, (3) how much of the work is used, and (4) how much the use affects the market and/or value of the work.

After considering these four factors, District Judge Claude M. Hilton of the Eastern District of Virginia concluded that the festival’s use of Brammer’s photo fit the criteria for fair use.

It is anticipated that this ruling will be challenged.

Address/email changes or membership questions? Contact Dori Marszalek, Membership Chair, 3901-61st AV N, Brooklyn Center, MN 55419-2403 or email [email protected]

PGSMN Officers/Board of Directors Polish Genealogical Society of Minnesota President — Peggy Larson (763-445-0090) A branch of the Minnesota Genealogical Society [email protected] Vice President— Paula Colwell (612-220-4852) 1385 Mendota Heights Road [email protected] Mendota Heights, MN 55120-1367 Treasurer - Gary Wolf (715-220-7052) [email protected] Committees Secretary - Vicki Myslajek (763-533-5658) [email protected] Library—Bob Kraska Director - Connie Waldherr Membership—Dori Marszalek & Connie Waldherr [email protected] Newsletter/Website —Marie Przynski Director - Dori Marszalek (763-535-2296) [email protected] Programs/Publicity— Director - Richard Theissen (651-739-1490) Research—John Rys— ([email protected]) and [email protected] Greg Kishel Director - Marie Przynski (612-501-2799) [email protected] 3 DNA leads to Arrest in Florida Woman’s 1999 Murder

Since 1869, when Friedrich Miescher discovered a substance he called "nuclein" and later developed into DNA, it has been used to identify nucleic acid in chromosomes. In 1968, DNA as a forensic crime tool became mainstream in England, when it was used to solve the murder of Claire Josephs, and capture of the public attention was cemented. Numerous other noteable crimes have been solved using DNA testing. In 1984, Sir Alec Jeffreys invented DNA “fingerprinting” and the research has continued to advance.

In March of 1999, Deborah Dalzell was murdered. Who did it remained a mystery for nearly two decades, with only a DNA sample of the suspect was captured. Over time, DNA technology improved, making it possible to project physical appearance and an- cestry from DNA evidence. The investigation resumed. The crime scene sample was compared to a database of DNA profiles provided voluntarily and a link was found to the suspect’s father. The suspect Luke Fleming was identified and arrested.

“Thanks to DNA evidence coupled with ancestry and genealogy, we’ve finally connected the dots,” said Sheriff Tom Knight.

Expanded Ellis Island Immigrant Records 1820-1957 are now Online for Free

FamilySearch and The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc. announced today the entire collection of Ellis Island New York Passenger Arrival Lists from 1820 to 1957 are now available online on both websites giving the opportunity to the descendants of over 100 million arrivals to discover their ancestors quicker and free of charge.

Originally preserved on microfilm, 9.3 million images of historical New York passenger records spanning 130 years were digitized and indexed in a massive effort by 165,590 online FamilySearch volunteers. The result is a free searchable online database containing 63.7 million names, including immigrants, crew, and other passengers traveling to and from the United States through the nation’s largest port of entry.

Details may be found in the FamilySearch Blog at: https://www.familysearch.org/blog/ en/archive-ellis-island-records/.

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has created a 30-minute documentary video, "USCIS and the Legacy of Ellis Island. While most docu- mentaries about Ellis Island describe the immigrant experience, this video tells the story from the perspective of those who worked there.

“USCIS holds a distinctive place in history for its role in processing immigrants into the fabric of our nation,” USCIS Director L. Francis Cissna said to employees at the premiere. “It remains an indisputable fact that America is a nation of immigrants. As employees, we all have an essential duty in honoring and preserving that legacy.” https://www.uscis.gov/news/news-releases/uscis-premieres-video- highlighting-its-

historic-connections-ellis-island. 4 “The Fourth Partition” a DVD video presentation

PGS-MN Meeting October 6, 2018, 10:00am – Noon

During the late 1700’s Poland had suffered territorial partitions. The last partition occurred in 1795, completely removing Poland from the map of Europe. Poland had been broken into three separate partitions, each one controlled by a different country. With all of Poland now partitioned between Russia, Germany (Prussia) and Austria, over 4,000,000 Poles immigrated to the United States between 1870 and 1920 in search of a better life. At the dawn of the 20th century, Chicago was the second largest city in the United States with over 2,000,000 residents. It was also considered the center of Polish culture in America because of the large numbers of Poles in Chicago. In their neighbor- hoods, Poles built communities, churches, and most of all, aided their beloved Poland in her fight for independence which occurred in 1918, one hundred years ago.

Their story has become known as the "Fourth Partition".

Please NOTE: Any time remaining at this meeting will be available for discussion of personal experiences in researching your family history.

Minnesota Genealogical Center- Mississippi Meeting Room 1385 Mendota Heights Rd Mendota Heights, MN 55120

NEW LOCATION: just a mile north of Highway 494 off the Pilot Knob Road exit.

Everyone is invited! Bring a friend. ($2 PGS-MN Members; $5 nonmembers)

Should you miss this presentation and you can access Chicago TV Channel WTTW/Channel 11 on Oct. 11 at 8:00 p.m. The video -The Fourth Partition: Chicago's Polish Immigrants, will be shown and followed by. A Night on Milwaukee Avenue (famous Polish neighborhood in Chicago) at 9:15 p.m.

PGSMN has volunteer staffing at the MGS Library on the first Saturday of the month from 12:00 - 4:00 pm and “Polish Night at the Library” on the 2nd Thursday of the month with expert genealogical resources available from 4:00—8:00 pm

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11th Annual North Star Genealogy Conference October 5 & 6, 2018 Crowne Plaza West 3131 Campus Drive Plymouth, MN 55441

"Looking Back, Sharing Forward,"is this year’s fo- cus—looking at the rewards of researching family history and passing it forward to future generations. The conference features presentations by two of America's leading genealogy educators, Thomas W. Jones and Karen Mauer Jones, plus 25 how-to classes on topics such as DNA, finding immigrant origins, internet research, and breaking down brick walls. Registration open—See https://mngs.org for information and registration.

TICKETS ON SALE PACIM Soup Fest $100—Dinner, concert of Polish Sunday , October 28, 2018 classical and choral music, and 3:00-7:00pm historical exhibits. Kolbe Hall . St John Paul II School Tickets available at 1630 4th St NE poloniaminnesota.org or by mail Minneapolis 55413 (check) to PICC, P.O. Box 270005, Handicap accessible through alley behind St. Paul, MN 55127. Include school. dinner selection—pork roulade, salmon or vegetarian. The Soup Fest will provide a tasting of a variety of traditional Polish soups, along See www.polandcelebration.org with bakery goods and beverages. for additional event information. www.pacim.org

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Best DNA Tests and Ancestry Websites

Consumer Affairs Buyers Guide https://www.consumeraffairs.com/health/ancestry-dna-testing/

Until recently, you could only learn about your family history by talking to your oldest relatives and visiting libraries and archives to confirm what they told you. These days, digitized public records and DNA analysis make it possible to learn so much more. You can see the manifests from the ship your relatives came to the United States on and even learn where your ancestors lived thousands of years ago. You can also get health information from these DNA tests.

If you’re ready to learn more about your family ancestry, this guide will walk you through all your options when choosing a DNA testing company or ancestry website.

23andMe

23andMe was the first company the FDA authorized to offer genetic testing directly to consumers in 2015. You can choose to receive reports on your genealogy, actionable health and carrier status in- formation. Tests start at $99.

Ancestry offers a membership to search genealogy records for $99 for six months. DNA ancestry tests can be bought separately for $99. It provides raw DNA data and sends results in six to eight weeks.

Archives offers access to databases for genealogical research. You can also create an online family tree and purchase AncestryDNA. Archives is part of the Ancestry.com family of companies. Access is $9.99 per month.

Family Tree DNA offers autosomal, mtDNA and Y-DNA tests to help you trace your maternal and paternal ancestry. Prices for DNA tests with this company range from about $70 to nearly $700.

Findmypast is a genealogy search site with over two billion historical records, including the 1939 Register. It has a 14-day free trial, and annual membership starts around $35. 7

Fold3 has digitized documents related to the military going back as far as the American Revolution. It’s part of Ancestry, and annual memberships are about $80.

GenealogyBank provides subscribers access to over 7,000 digitized newspapers, as well as other genealogy records and resources. An annual membership costs around $60.

The Genographic Project provides individuals with information about their ancestry and helps archaeologists study human migra- tion. DNA testing costs $200 but often goes on sale for $130.

MyHeritage offers both genealogy research and DNA testing. Access for about $85 a year. DNA analysis costs $99.

NewspaperARCHIVE offers access to more than 8,000 digitized newspapers going back as far as the 1600s. A semi-annual subscrip- tion costs $60.

Orig3n offers DNA analysis specifically for helping people understand how their genes affect their health. Pricing for DNA health tests starts at $99.

Please note that PGSMN is only providing information on the above sites/ products. For reviews, questions, and other information, visit the Consumer Affairs link (above).

Minnesota Genealogical Resources by Paula Goblirsch

a collection of Minnesota links

https://mngs.org/links.php?sid=1

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University of Minnesota: Immigration History Research Center Archives

The University of Minnesota’s Immigration History Research Center is home to a rich collection of archival material held in the University Archives that documents the expe- riences of American immigrant communities in the state of Minnesota throughout histo- ry. A number of these archival materials have been digitized in the school’s UMedia Ar- chives, allowing visitors around to the world to explore hundreds of photographs, news- papers, letters, oral history interviews, and more. Visitors can explore these items through a series of collections, which include the Armenian American Collection, Digitiz- ing Immigrant Letters, Italians in Duluth Oral History Collection, and the Twin Cities Ukrainian and Folk Ballet and Chorus Collection. Each item in this collection is accompa- nied by full cataloging information. This collection includes many items in English, as well as newspapers and letters in other languages including Italian, Finnish, and Greek. You can learn more at: http://umedia.lib.umn.edu/node/5494.

Geneanet

https://en.geneanet.org/cemetery/

Because cemeteries are one of the most important resources for genealogists, Geneanet has launched the project ‘A Cemetery for Posterity’ to capture headstones before they are lost “Familypedia”

Online site where you can create articles about your ancestors and can easily link them to other articles about relatives and where and when they lived. You can work wholly within this wiki, or you can lik your articles to external sites on the world wide web. Because this is a wiki format, you can work collaboratively with others to create a net- work of articles about your ancestors and about those they lived and worked with - or simply about people you find interesting. It is our hope that, as this site grows, we will gradually be able to link our ancestors into a network that goes far beyond the simple nuts and bolts of who lived where and when.

The focus of this site is on capturing the details of the lives of our ancestors, both those historically significant people and the everyday people rarely listed in encyclopaedias, histories, or even “people’s histories.” Along the way, the site will also provide infor- mation about the historical and social context in which our ancestors found themselves.

Familypedia is the largest semantic wiki for genealogy. We are currently working on 246,804 articles and 373004 other pages. Here you can keep your family history research organized, evergreen, accessible, and collaboration-ready.

The site aspires to be truly global, with active contributions and information from several cultures and languages, and all four hemispheres. 9 Familypedia: the Biggest Genealogy Site You Probably Never Heard Of Reprint—Dick Eastman · July 11, 2018 ·

Are you familiar with Familypedia, a web site with 242,770 online articles about deceased individuals plus another 366,615 genealogy-related pages?

Familypedia is a wiki, part of the commercial Wikia site. It is a place where YOU can create articles about your ancestors and easily link them to other articles about where and when they lived. The site is primarily text-based with biographical pages about deceased individuals. In some cases, you can find pictures of individuals as well as pedigree charts, maps, and other graphics. In most cases, each deceased person has a separate web page giving details about his or her life and also containing hyperlinks to other web pages that contain information about the person’s relatives. Entire fami- lies can be hyperlinked together.

Familypedia can be used alone as a separate service, or it can be linked via hyperlinks to other online services, such as MyHeritage.com, FamilySearch.org, Ancestry.com, or independent web pages created by individuals. Because the Familypedia web site has a wiki format, you can work collaboratively with others to create a network of articles about your ancestors and about those they lived and worked with. The site has no constraints on where the data resides, so you can provide links to your ancestors on whatever web sites host the information.

Before you start entering your own ancestors on Familypedia, you will want to see if there is already some information about them or their family. To find existing infor- mation, you can go to http://www.familypedia.wikia.com and use the search box. However, a more organized search method is to use the Surnames Index, Birth Coun- try Index, Death Country Index, Birth Decade Index, or Death Decade Index, all found on the same home page.

I started by searching on my own surname and found a number of individuals listed. However, they were not tied together as a “family” but appeared to be somewhat ran- dom listings. As I tried other surnames from my own family tree, I found several fami- lies linked together with a lot of information. All information on Familypedia is contrib- uted by users, so we can expect the quantity and quality of information to vary widely. Some of the information is well sourced while other entries contain no source citations at all.

Since anyone can edit a wiki, I could jump right into collaboration mode even though I don’t know the other contributors personally. I could add to their information about the individuals I have researched, change anything I knew to be incorrect, or create a new web page for other individuals and link them to related people.

In short, Familypedia and other wikis are truly democratic communities. Any user can create a new web page for any individual at any time. Perhaps even better, any user can also edit each existing page. If you have supplemental information about an indi- vidual you find already listed, or if you wish to correct an error on a page, you can do so within seconds. If you can type and click, you can edit almost every page in a wiki.

Of course, such anarchy might invite spam, graffiti, and other junk to be added by un- caring users. Luckily, like most other wikis, Familypedia easily handles such junk. Mul- tiple copies are saved for each page on the site. When you visit a page, the latest ver- sion is displayed. If you see inappropriate content, you (or anyone else) can click on 10 continued p.11

EDIT and then on SHOW CHANGES to show the various revisions. Finally, click on the last unmolested web page to revert to that version.

It actually takes more time to create graffiti than it does to delete it. Therefore, spammers and other unwelcome “guests” soon lose interest and move on to other pas- tures. Each and every user becomes an editor, able to delete unwanted content within seconds. Likewise, if anyone deletes good content, a click on EDIT and then on SHOW CHANGES will show all the different revisions, including those previously deleted. With a few more mouseclicks, any deleted pages can be restored in seconds.

The reality is that Familypedia, Wikipedia, and other online wikis receive very little spam or other unwanted junk. The self-policing by users works well as long as there are plenty of users. The more popular the site becomes, the better the self-policing effort works.

Unlike some other wikis, Familypedia allows anyone to add or correct information, even without creating an account. However, there are advantages to creating a free account. For one thing, your free account lets you register a user name for yourself. Becoming known under that user name means that you will be able to gain reputation and recogni- tion in the community when others see your user name as the person who made the changes. Registered users also can do more with the site; they can upload pictures, cre- ate personal “watchlists” to keep an eye on favorite articles, be notified of changes by email, and other advanced features.

User names can be whatever you choose, within a few common sense limits (no profani- ty, no spam, etc.) and can be fully anonymous. Other users will not see your real name, address, telephone number, or other personal information. However, registered users may optionally create a user talk page where others can contact them. Information shown on a talk page can include as much or as little information as each person wishes to share.

Familypedia is a part of the family of wikis available at Wikia.com. Other wikis on the same service are devoted to television shows, movies, food, fashion, environmental sus- tainability, online games, lifestyle, and many other topics. In fact, if you want to start a new wiki about a topic that is not covered by an existing wiki, you can do so within sec- onds. Wikia is supported by advertising, so the site is free for all users.

If you have an interest in genealogy wikis, you will want to check out the free Familypedia at http://www.familypedia.wikia.com.

To see a typical web page about a person, look at Donald Trump’s page at http:// familypedia.wikia.com/wiki/Donald_John_Trump_(1946).

OK, so perhaps that is not a “typical” page; but, it does illustrate the sort of page that you can create for any or all of your ancestors. It includes pictures, a biography, links to relatives, and even a scanned image of his signature. Clicking on the name of any of Trump’s relatives takes you to a page for that person. Familypedia strongly suggests that you only create pages for deceased individuals or for public figures, such as the President of the United States.

For more information, go to http://www.familypedia.wikia.com and click on GETTING STARTED, GUIDED TOUR, and also on TUTORIAL, all shown in the menus along the right hand side of the home page at http://familypedia.wikia.com/wiki/ Family_History_and_Genealogy_Wiki. You also may want to use the HELP DESK where you can ask other contributors for help regarding the Wiki or genealogy in general. 11

World News

Holocaust Historian Slams Germany for Shedding Millions of Death Records

The Hamburg State Archive has destroyed an estimated 1 million death certificates dating from 1876 to 1953. The state cultural ministry lhas admitted the move was a mistake.

The Hamburg State Archive shredded millions of death records, including those dating from the Nazi era.

A historian of the Holocaust called the records’ destruction “catastrophic.”

According to the Hamburg Morgen Post newspaper, the state cultural ministry is defending the decision by the archive’s director, Udo Schäfer, to destroy an estimated 1 million death certificates dating from 1876 to 1953.

But even Schäfer admits he made a mistake. In his own defense, he explained to the paper that “almost all the information” contained in the files is found in other archived documents, like death registries and in files from jails or hospitals.

Schäfer, who has directed the archive since 2001, now says he should have considered that historians and other scholars have cited the documents in their publications — and that these sources no longer exist. He said he would not make the same decision today.

She said that in many cases these certificates provided important clues in cases of so-called euthanasia murders, because such deaths were far from natural and merciful, and the doctors who signed off on them often were the murderers them- selves. Baumbach called the loss “catastrophic.”

The shredding has drawn criticism from politicians, historians and associations representing survivors of the Nazi regime. The documents have been considered important in research on Nazi crimes against humanity and have been consulted by the Hamburg association for cobblestone memorials, which mark the last domicile of victims who were deported and murdered.

Rainer Nicolaysen of the Hamburg Historical Association called it a “serious loss.” He told the Morgenpost that Schäfer had admitted to him in early August that he had wrongly thought the documents were duplicates.

Historian Sybille Baumbach, who has worked on reconstructing the life stories of Jewish Holocaust victims for the Yad Vashem memorial in Israel, told reporters that the death certificates contained information that — if recorded elsewhere at all — would be difficult to find, such as cause of death and the name and signature of the doctor who made the determination. 12

Your DNA is Not your Culture by Sarah Zhang

The Atlantic magazine has published an article on the new phenomenon or utilizing DNA testing in other venues—in this case Spotify has joined with AncestryDNA and creates a custom playlist for users based on their DNA, tapping “into the idea that something interesting, something unknown, might be buried in your past” Ances- tryDNA has also collaborate with Momondo, a travel website, so that you can visit the places revewed in your DNA Test.

To read the complete article— https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/09/your-dna-is-not-your- culture/571150/

February 27 - March 2, 2019

Registration is now open for the conference held at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. See the video at: https://www.rootstech.org/ The schedule includes over 300 sessions, including hands-on computer lab classes. For the daily schedule go to: https://www.rootstech.org/schedule There does not appear to be a subject they don't address. Early bird pricing available.

Looking for Minnesota Records—Check out the MN Historical Society

• Birth, Death, Censuses, Veterans Graves, Gold Star Roll

Websites of Interest

https://sites.google.com/view/polishgenealogygroup/

New info regarding West Prussia Land Records,

See the “Collections and Databases.” page of FBPGG, which has developed into a supe- rior reference aid to finding a variety of resources.

Gen Dobry Volume XIX, No. 8 31 August 2018 13

Szukam cię — I’m looking for you

Welcome to our new members! We hope all members enjoy reviewing the list below for possible connections with other members. You may be related to someone sitting next to you at one of our get-togethers!

Kuznia, Ron and Carole, 4100 Sherman Dr. NE., Bemidji, MN 56601, [email protected], Researching: KUZNIA PETER, settling in Stephen, MN; GRZADZIELESKI JOSEPH, settling in Drayton, ND; WOINAROWICZ GEORGE, settling in Stephen, MN.

Larkin, Clare, 1228 Phelps Street, Red Wing, MN 55066-3540, [email protected], Researching: BUCCHOLZ of Kownitz, settling in Chicago, IL.; SZATKOWSKI of Kownitz, settling in Chicago, IL. Lundquist, Kathryn, 13747 Atrium Ave., Rosemount, MN 55068, Researching: FLIS of Lublin, settling in Iowa, St. Paul, MN, and Chicago, IL.

Nalezny, Sandra, 8899 35th Street N., Lake Elmo, MN 55042-9201, [email protected], Research- ing: NIZNIK of Galicia, settling in Minnesota; NALEZNY of Galicia, settling in Minnesota; DECOWSKI of Galicia, settling in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Pennsylvania; NIEMCZYCKI of Galicia.

Polnaszek, Carl F., 6600 Lyndale Ave. S., #605, Richfield, MN 55423, [email protected], Researching: POLNIASZEK of Tarnow, settling in Nanticoke, PA; MICHALOWSKI of Odolanow, Po- land, settling in Wilkes Barre, PA.

Sisler, Donna Linert, 4344 Bloomington Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55407, [email protected], Researching: GOGOLA, settling in Dowers Grove, IL.

Stroncek, Steve, 5117 Richmond Dr., Edina, MN 55436, [email protected]

Walega, Chris, 3013 Salem Ave., St. Louis Park, MN 55416, [email protected], Researching: WALEGA of Galicia, settling in Detroit, MI; ZALUCKA of Galicia, settling in Detroit, MI.

Warzonek, James R., 3454 132nd Lane NW, Coon Rapids, MN 55448, [email protected], Researching: WAWRZONEK of Krakow, Poland, settling in Minneapolis, MN.

Renewing Members:

Batalden, Sandra L., 1015 E. Laguna Dr., Tempe AZ 85282, [email protected], Re- searching: BUDISH / BUDZISZ of Kaszubia, settling in Minnesota and North Dakota; ZIOLKOW- SKI of Kaszubia, settling in Minnesota and North Dakota; ORZEL of Kaszubia, settling in Minnesota and North Dakota; PARCHEM of Kaszubia, settling in Minnesota and North Dakota; PARTIKA of Kaszubia, settling in Minnesota and North Dakota; FLOREK of Poland, Central?, settling in Minnesota and North Dakota; ULIK of Poland, Central?, settling in Minnesota and North Dakota.

Kerzman, LuAnn, 10790 Highway 25, NYA, MN 55397, winter: 11425 E. University Dr. Lot 117, Apache Junction, AZ 85120, [email protected], Researching: LEWANDOWSKI of Pozan, Poland, settling in Chicago IL and Silver Lake, MN; SKALEKI of Pozan, Poland, settling in Chicago IL and Silver Lake, MN.

Zawislak, Kathleen, 2144 Case AVE E, St. Paul, MN 55119, [email protected], Researching: ZAWISLAK of Jodlowa, Galicia, Poland, settling in Chicago, IL, New York, and Minnesota, Pennsylva- nia, Arkansas, New Jersey; RYCHlICKI of Prysiersk, Poland, settling in Minnesota and Chicago, IL; DANIELSKI of Srebrnagora, Wapno Kycnia, settling in Little Falls, St. Paul, MN and Alberta, CA; TARARA of Łubiany, Bierdzany, Poland, settling in Minnesota and Illinois; KALUZA of Lubiany, Opole, settling in Minnesota; OWCA of Jodlowa, settling in Chicago, IL; DREWICZ of Dolnoskie area; NIESPODZIANNA of Dolnoskie area; SIKORA of Bierdzany, Opole; GORA of Kossowocen, Opole. 14

How to Use Old Newspaper Advertisements to Research the Childhood Lives of Your Ancestors

As genealogists, we love to collect all kind of information about our ancestors. Any lit- tle scrap of information will do. It satisfies our need to know about the people who came before us, who helped contribute to us being “us.” It does not matter how insig- nificant the information may seem to others. To us, any little bit of knowledge is another piece in the puzzle that is the picture of our ancestors’ lives.

Some of the most interesting information about our ancestors, and some of the hardest to come by is what their lives were like as children. Also, what they were like as parents to their own children is equally as interesting and equally as challenging to find, unless you happen to be lucky enough to know someone with firsthand knowledge who can tell you.

The fact is, children, and the raising of children, usually left behind very few records, as it was all considered common sense, and matters of the family and not news. There might be a legal record if something extraordinary occurred, such as adoption or outra- geous abuse. There is a legal record from the 1650’s in my own genealogy, from the Massachusetts Bay Colony, that indicates custody of an infant was awarded to its maternal grandparents due to unusual abuse from its stepfather. In a time when harsh discipline of children was the norm and expected, the abuse the infant suffered at the hands of its stepfather had to be truly unusual for the Puritan government to give the baby to its grandparents for its own safety.

However, in most instances, you will not find much information on the childhoods of your ancestors, or their experiences as parents. You can, however, locate information that will tell you how their lives were probably like as children or as parents. Where is this information? It is in old newspaper advertisements. If you can find old newspapers from the time and place where your ancestor was a child, or where he or she was a parent, you can derive a lot of “probable” information about how they lived their lives based on those advertisements.

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How? Read on to find out how to use old newspaper advertisements to piece together the childhoods (and parenthoods) of your ancestors. In every generation, parents have, by and large, done their best to provide the best for their children. Every parent usually wants their children to have the best of everything, and a better childhood than they themselves had. There are, therefore, advertisements in old newspapers, usually ones dating from the 1800’s and early 1900’s, that are tar- geted toward parents and how they should be raising their children. From these adver- tisements, you can glean a lot of likely information on how your ancestors spent their childhoods, and how they acted as parents toward their own children. Take school, for example. By 1918, every state in the United States had made an ele- mentary school education mandatory for every child. If a parent wanted to educate their children beyond the elementary school years that the government provided for free, they had to use tutors and private schools, sometimes even boarding schools. These schools and tutors advertised in both local and national newspapers. You can get an idea of what type of educational opportunities beyond elementary school that were available to your ancestors by looking at these advertisements. There were also advertisements for vocational schools for those parents who wished their children to learn a trade after elementary school. And, those trade schools could cover a variety of interests. For example, there was once an International School of Photo-Play Training in Portland, Oregon that taught acting. This was at a time when movies were a new technology, and people were attracted by the high salaries early stars like Mary Pickford and Charlie Chaplin commanded. There were also ads for children’s clothing. While most families made their children’s clothing by hand until after WWII, those who had the money could afford to buy pre- made clothes off the rack at department stores, and those stores advertised. What par- ent wouldn’t want their child to wear the best clothing money could buy, and what par- ent wouldn’t save up to afford at least one good piece for their child? At a time when just two or three dollars was considered a lot of money, you can learn a lot about chil- dren’s fashions and how much your ancestors might have paid for store-bought cloth- ing (or how likely your ancestor was, as a child, to have it). Of course, the health of children was always and continues to be a primary concern for parents. If you want to know what types of medicine your ancestors were given (or gave their own children) for various ailments, or what health-giving tonics they were given to keep them well, look no farther than the local newspaper advertisements of their times. You may find some truly horrifying things being advertised for children, such as cocaine-syrup to ease a cough, or laudanum to help baby sleep (so the parents could, too). You might also find some amusing things, such as magnetic wave treat- ments in the early 1900s to help short children get taller. You might even find advertisements for children’s toys. Manufactured children’s toys weren’t really a “thing” until the industrial revolution of the mid-1800’s, and only the very rich could afford them until the mid-1900’s, but those advertisements are interest- ing to look at. Maybe your non-wealthy ancestors saved up just to get their children one special manufactured toy for a birthday, Christmas, or other holiday. The ads from the newspapers of your ancestor’s area and time will tell you what that toy might have been. As you can see, old newspaper advertisements can tell us much about the mysterious childhoods of our ancestors, or what they were like as parents. Have a look around and be amazed at what you discover in them.

16 Coming to America: Two Tales of Immigration Saturday, 3 NOV 2018 at 10 am Minnesota Genealogical Center Mississippi Meeting Room 1385 Mendota Heights Road #100

When Peggy Larson took up genealogy as a hobby she thought ‘how hard can it be? Put all your relatives on a tree branch and you're done,’ right? How little did she know about the size of her family? And why did she know so little? Peggy will share her genealogical journey and present her grandfathers' family trees, both paternal and maternal. The Wieczorek family immigrated to America in 1870; the Zakrzewski fami- ly in 1884. Join us and enjoy hearing about some of the colorful characters and un- solved mysteries on both sides of her family. You can always learn from others that faced your same research challenges. Come and learn. Peggy Larson is a wife, mother and genealogist. She has been active with the Polish Genealogical Society of MN as a member, newsletter editor, board member and cur- rently serves as its president. She is also a member of the MN Genealogical Society and presents introductory genealogical classes. She has a passion for her Polish roots that comes out in her presentations.

Saturday, October 6, 2018

MGS Membership meeting from 08:30—09:15 am in the Plymouth Room at the Crowne Plaza West. The only item of business is nomination of candidates for the 2019-2020 MGS Board.

MGS offering

Use Free Online Services to Map your Ancestors (Free webinar) Wednesday, November 7, 2018 7:00 PM—8:15 PM CST Presenter Zbigniew Stettner

See how to build interactive and attractive-looking maps of places our ancestors lived, which can provide us additional insights about their lives. The presenter will introduce free, mostly online mapping services and show how to combine old maps from various timeframes, current maps, and location information (from gedcom files, grave databases, land owners registers, etc.) The resulting combined map shows our ancestors visually in a new way. Example at www.polishgen.com/ kulaszne. Regoster at https://register.gotowebinar.com/ register/5411967044343401731

Did you know—the MGS Library Catalog is now available Online. 17

Researching Family History—an Overveiw

http://libguides.mnhs.org/c.php?g=58736

Family history can be a very rewarding and educational activity. The Minnesota Historical Society has a variety of resources to help you learn about your family's history. If you are just starting out on your family research it is best to begin in a systematic way. Your research will be more productive and generally more successful if you do. Family History Research in 8 Easy Steps Step 1: Start with what you know Step 2: Prepare for your visit to the library. Step 3: Determine the kind of record you need. Step 4: Record your results. Step 5: Decide what you want to find out next. Step 6: What you can do at home. Step 7: Read about the areas in which your ancestors lived. Step 8: Read about doing family research. Join a society. Share your research.

Allso included on webpage are related research guides, video tutorials, and webpages—Check it out.

Kinga Augustyn

Violin Recital October 12, 2018, 7:30 p.m., Antonello Hall MacPhail Center for Music 501 South 2nd Street, Minneapolis

Augustyn is an emerging artist living in New York City. Polish-born and New York City- based versatile classical concert violinist and recording artist gaining worldwide recog- nition through her performances as a concerto soloist, recitalist and chamber musician is the star performer for this event. She has been described as “an adventurous performer valuable to New York’s scene” (NY Concert Review), “stylish and vibrant… playing with verve and superb control” (The Strad Magazine), and “beyond amazing, one hell of a violinist!” (The Fanfare Magazine). Her repertoire ranges from early baroque, which she sometimes performs on a baroque violin, to modern, oftentimes written especially for her. She is known for unique programming of unaccompanied solo violin recitals. Learn more about Dr. Augustyn at https://kingaaugustyn.com/.

This performance and master class are generously sponsored by Michael and Jean Antonello. 18 2019 Tours to Poland

Galician & Prussian Partitions Planning is now complete. Under the Polish Genealogical Society of America (PGSA) tours have been organized by several prominent and well respected genealogical tour companies based in Poland.

In addition to the important sights of each region, and cities including Krakow, Gdansk, Poznan, Wroclaw, Torun, and Rzeszow, you will also….

• Visit national and church archives to learn what they hold and how to work with them • Experience how your ancestors lived as you stroll through ethnographic parks and historical locations • Lean, and work with, your genealogist guides.

Tours are limited to 15-18 to maximize personal service. You can add a personalized tour with these guides for additional research and to visit ancestral towns.

Complete details on PGSA website, and bookings are be- ing made at https://pgsa.org/pgsa-2019-genealogy- tours-to-poland/ There you will find information on 8 tours—4 for each of the two partititions. The trips are scheduled for Spring and Fall and range anywhere from 10-12 days. The specifics of each tour are listed within the itinerary for each.

Several participants have already booked, so we encourage you to give these tours your consideration and book today. If any questions contact [email protected]

In 1984, the US passed resolution 577 and was a recognition of not only the Poles that arrived in Jamestown in 1608, but Polish and Polish American heroes who have con- tributed to the American landscape, and to honor Polish Culture and Heritage. Every year the American President renders proclamations acknowledging this relationship. Celebrate and enjoy your heritage during October 19 Polish Genealogy Society of Minnesota NON-PROFIT ORG. US POSTAGE A branch of the MN Genealogical Society PAID 1385 Mendota Heights Road #100 TWIN CITIES MN Mendota Heights, MN 55120-1367 PERMIT NO. 28318

Consider volunteering for PGSMN at the 2019 Polish Festival

Contact Us Give us a call for more information about our services and meetings. PGS-MN Monthly Meeting Saturday, 6 October 2018 at 10 am Polish Genealogical Society Minnesota Genealogical Center of Minnesota Mississippi Meeting Room 1385 Mendota Heights Road 1385 Mendota Heights Road Suite 100 Mendota Heights, MN 55120 Mendota Heights, MN 55120-1367

651-330-9312 “The Fourth Partition”

Visit us on the web at The Polish Genealogical Society of Minnesota www.pgsmn.org wishes to thank its members for their generos- Current PGSMN Articles and ity and support in 2018, and look forward to bylaws posted on website continuing to provide resources, tools and support in your Polish Genealogy research.

The PGSMN Newsletter is published quarterly in Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. Newsletter subscription is included with membership.

Submitting items for publication is welcomed and highly encouraged. We require feature- length articles to be submitted exclusively to PGSMN. Mail articles, letters, book 20 reviews, news items, send queries to Editor— email [email protected].