PolishOrigins(TM) Forum

Latin records translations

dnowicki — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 16:36:06 +0200

Author: dnowicki

Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2026 9:36 am

TedMack wrote:

dnowicki wrote:

Hi Ted,

A few preliminary notes...All the marriages took place while the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was still in existence. The 1770 marriage took place prior to the First Partition and the remaining marriages prior to the Second Partition in 1793. All took place in woj. kaliskie but the 1777 and 1779 marriages in a smaller woj. Kaliskie. All the records are purely ecclesiastical since the Commonwealth had no system of civil registration. The style, vocabulary and content of the records is similar but not identical in each record and also is heavily ecclesiastical according to what was in use during the 18th Century and also employs the old feudal terminology of the Commonwealth. The Latin reflects the Golden Age oratorical style—an example...the subject is found in the first line whereas the verb is the final word of the text. Ancient Romans would have understood the style but did not speak that way in everyday life. Only one Ablative Absolute appears in the text but participles are used continually. The word order is good Latin but is not good English. Your translation of the opening liners is fine but the rest is not so great. Anyway, here follows an accurate translation. However, by remaining faithful to the Latin the English remains stilted and results in a run on sentence but such is the nature of the beast.

Attached are two maps of the western region of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (Rzeczpostpolita Obojga Naradów), one prior to the First Partition of 1772 and the second prior to the Second Partition of 1793. The maps show how woj. Kaliskie shrank following the First Partition.

Village Podlesie, par. Osiek Wielki, Koło 1779
On the same day which is above (31st January) I as above Curate of this place after the proclamation of three banns before the people hearing the Divine Rites* (&) not having any Canonical impediment, in the name of Holy Mother Church** solemnly blessed the holy marriage of the industrious Jan Weczorek from Dźierawy, a bachelor, and Maryanna Cieplanka***, my**** parishioner, being contracted between themselves***** through words concerning the present (marriage)******, consenting mutually to each other******* in the presence of the witnesses Marcin and Antoni Gaydow, Kazimierz Zawada (&) Wojciech Potwora.

Notes: *Divina audiente/hearing the Divine Rites: Sunday Mass. Prior to the liturgical reforms of Vatican II the congregation was a group of passive listeners.
**Nomine S(anct)æ Matris Ecclesiæ/in the name of Holy Mother Church: the Church viewed as a whole rather than an individual parish church. The Church is viewed as a mother in that it gives birth to and nourishes the faith of believers. In this context the church universal is nourishing the marriage—all part of the package deal of womb to tomb care...hatch, match & dispatch.
***anka: old feminine suffix for an unmarried woman.
****meæ/my: possessive pronoun meus, mea, meum, my
*****Sacrum int(er) se matrimonium/holy marriage between themselves: “se” is the Accusative of the third person reflexive pronoun. The declension is Genitive: sui, Dative: sibi; Accusative: se, Ablative: se.
******de præsenti/concerning the present (marriage): the actual marriage as opposed to de futuro, a solemn promise to wed in the future.
*******sibi/to each other: Dative of the third person reflexive pronoun.

G'day Dave

The best I can say to all this valuable info is Sheeesh! Don't know how you can remember all these wonderful details.

Thanks heaps.

Cheers
Ted

Hi Ted,
Perhaps a short review about the Catholic Sacraments in general and matrimony in particular could be helpful, especially since these records are heavy on Sacramental Theology and custom.
The number and the nature of the sacraments evolved over a period of centuries. The first three, Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist are known collectively as the Sacraments of Initiation and Baptism and the Eucharist are the most ancient. Baptism was integral to Christianity from the very beginning as was the Eucharist. However the practice of infant baptism did not become widespread until about the 5th century. The ordinary ministers of baptism are bishops, priests and deacons. However, when necessary anyone can act as the minister of baptism.
Penance/Confession evolved as a response to believers abandoning Christianity (apostates) during times of persecution and then wanting to return to the fold when persecution lessened or ceased. Since baptism could not be repeated the way back into the Christian community was via Penance.
Matrimony obviously predated Christianity. The Christian community did not become involved with marriages until after the Fall of the Roman Empire when the keeping of public records disintegrated. The bride and the groom are the ministers of the sacrament of marriage and the role of the priest is to bless/ratify their marriage in the name of the Church. Thus it is never proper to say that the priest married the couple.
The sacrament of Holy Orders is made up of the Minor Orders (porter, lector, acolyte, and exorcist) and the Major Orders (Subdeacon, Deacon, Presbyter [priest] and Bishop. Although not part of Holy Orders tonsure was the step by which one became a cleric. The only mention in parish records of Holy Orders is a notation which would appear in the baptismal register stating that an individual had been ordained a Subdeacon since from that time on the person was bound by celibacy and was no longer eligible to marry.
The seventh sacrament is the Anointing of the Sick formerly known as Extreme Unction. It was the last anointing in a series which began in Baptism.
Keeping of parish records of baptisms and marriages was mandated by the Council of Trent in 1575 but the form and the content was not specified. It was considerably later that some parishes began to keep records of Christian burials and of Confirmations.
The 1770 and the 1777 records express the Theological underpinnings in phrases such as “…contracted between themselves” and “mutual consent” and “I blessed”.
A helpful hint...Since the entries are one long sentence it is a good idea first to determine the basic structure of the sentence—subject, predicate (main verb), and direct object—before attaching the subordinate participial clauses. This process is similar to diagramming a sentence as scholars were required to do during grammar school. Once the main portion of the sentence has been identified the subordinate clauses can be attached. In order to insure that the translation makes good sense in English translation usually it is necessary to modify the order of the subordinate clauses. There is not just one single modification of order which must be followed but the clause order must make good sense in English. In the 1770 and 1777 records I arranged the subordinate clauses in the chronological order in which the elements of the marriage would have taken place.
The translations follow.
With the fond hope that you’ve been able to outfox the pesky foxes,
Dave
1770 Village of Podlesie, par. Osiek Wielki, Koło
Left Margin: 15 (number of wedding for the year)
Body of entry: On 19th of November I, as above, after the customary* proclamation of 3 sequential banns, and since they had no Canonical impediment about which I should be aware** standing in the way, and after having recognized*** their mutual consent, blessed the marriage of the industrious Bartłomej Ciepły and Elżbieta Zawadźianka,**** both single, being contracted between themselves*****, in the presence of the witnesses Wojciech Skonieczny from Ruchana, Wojciech Ciepły and Marcin and other colonists/settlers.

Notes: *de more/Lit. according to custom = customary

**de quo sciam/about which I should be aware: sciam is the First Person Singular Present SUBJUNCTIVE Active of the verb scio, scire, scivi, scitum, to know, to be aware.

***cognito/having recognized: Ablative Singular of the Perfect Passive Participle of the verb cognosco, cognoscere, cognovi, cognitum, to learn, know, recognize (many English words are derived from this verb.)

****ianka: old feminine suffix for an unmarried woman.

*****inter se/between themselves: Accusative of the reflexive pronoun.

******colonus/colonist/settler: settler in a new settlement usually established out of forest land.

1777 Village of Rosocha, par. Osiek Wielki, Koło
On the 1st of November, itself the Feast Day of All Saints*, after the proclamation of all 3 banns and since no Canonical impediment was standing in the way, I blessed the holy marriage being contracted between themselves** of the industrious Gabriel (Lewandowski), a servant from the estate***, a bachelor, and Konstancja Lorykowna****, a maiden, (both) my parishioners*****, in the presence of the witnesses Wojciech Potwora, Marcin Gayda, Wojciech & Bartłomiej Ciepły.
Notes: *OO.SSm = Omnium Sanctorum/of All Saints
**Sacrum int(er) se Matrimonium.../the holy marriage being contracted between themselves: In Catholic Theology marriage is viewed as a contract between the bride and the groom.
***famulo de Prœdio: a servant on the manorial estate of the noble landowner.
****owna: old feminine suffix used for an unmarried woman .
*****mejs =meis, the Ablative Plural of meus, mea, meum. my. It modifies both the groom and the bride.

TYLKA

AndrewTylka — Sun, 23 Aug 2026 06:57:45 +0200

Author: AndrewTylka

Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2026 11:57 pm

I have done my own private research on Stanislaus in the past. Amazing to find a descendant of his on here. I would love to hear what you know about his ancestors as I am trying to find how his family connects to mine as I suspect my Tylka ancestors stayed with his family when they immigrated to the US. I suppose that makes us distant cousins!

People from Wysoka near Lancut

nataliaszulc — Sat, 22 Aug 2026 10:39:57 +0200

Author: nataliaszulc

Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2026 3:39 am

Hi sirdan,

I hope you do not mind me contacting you through this old thread.

I am researching my Kielar and Szylar family from Markowa and found your old posts about the Markowa parish records and the scans you had collected.

I am currently looking for Markowa records from approximately 1850–1890, especially marriages involving Kielar, Szylar, Ryznar, Szpytma, Cynar, Grad and Bąk.

I also saw that you had read Howard Tejchma’s “Tejchma Ryznar Research 2005.pdf”. Unfortunately the attachment is no longer available.

If you still have any of the old Markowa scans, transcriptions, or Howard’s PDF, I would be extremely grateful for a copy.

Thank you,
Natalia

Markowa--Inglot, Flejszar, Bytnar, Szajer, Kud, Cyran, etc.

nataliaszulc — Sat, 22 Aug 2026 10:37:22 +0200

Author: nataliaszulc

Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2026 3:37 am

Hello,

I have recently joined PolishOrigins because I am researching my family from Markowa.

I am especially researching the Kielar, Szylar, Ryznar, Szpytma, Grad, Cynar and Bąk families.

I found this old thread and noticed that several very valuable files and scans concerning Markowa were shared here in the past.

In particular, I am looking for:

“Tejchma Ryznar Research 2005.pdf” shared by Howard Tejchma in 2013
older scans or transcriptions of the Markowa parish records
any records from Markowa from before 1890

I have already confirmed the following ancestors from original marriage records:

Antoni Kielar, born 18 May 1884, son of Wojciech Kielar and Katarzyna Cynar, married Katarzyna Grad on 18 November 1908.

Franciszek Szylar, born 30 October 1884, son of Antoni Szylar and Katarzyna Bąk, married Franciszka Ryznar on 27 July 1910.

Franciszka Ryznar was the daughter of Jan Ryznar and Wiktoria Szylar.

I am now trying to find the earlier marriages:

Wojciech Kielar × Katarzyna Cynar
Antoni Szylar × Katarzyna Bąk
Stefan Grad × Franciszka Szpytma
Jan Ryznar × Wiktoria Szylar

@Tejchmah – if you still have a copy of your Tejchma Ryznar Research 2005, I would be extremely grateful if you could share it again.

@sirdan – I saw that you had access to and shared older Markowa records. If you still have any of those scans or transcriptions, I would be very grateful for anything covering approximately 1850–1890.

@frostyrose33 – if you still have your Markowa record files or any additional scans, I would also be very interested.

Thank you very much for any help. Even a partial scan, transcription or information about where the older Markowa books are currently held would be extremely useful.

Natalia

Cause of death query (cor?)

lenahlene — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 17:59:56 +0200

Author: lenahlene

Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2026 10:59 am

I’ve come across a little batch of records which seem to have ‘Cor’ as part of the cause of death and I have no idea what it means or its relevance, as it appears both in the originals and the bishops copy, and the deaths seem to be mostly children but the causes differ. In some cases, the cause of death in the original is simply given as ‘cor’ but the bishop’s copy adds scarlatina. But this word appears in pretty much every death entry for about 6 months, and then disappears and I haven’t seen it anywhere else in the records. Most of the deaths are ‘cur’ or ‘cur et scarlatina’ but not all, there is one ‘cur et convulsiones’, but where ‘scarletina’ is given as the cause of death elsewhere in the books, it’s not accompanied by ‘cur’

These are from 1875, the scans are on FamilySearch film 2037644, image 181 for the original; and the bishop’s copy is film 4945071 images 677 and 678.

Anna Landkammer d.28th Dec is one of the ones which has ‘scarlatina’ added in the bishop’s copy entry but not in the original.

Possible ancestors? Looking for advice

Sophia — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 11:38:04 +0200

Author: Sophia

Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2026 4:38 am

Hi Jerry,

You're welcome!

I agree, you can consider this Jakub Krutul to be part of your family, even if you will not be able to find a record of the birth of his son Stanislavas/Stanislaw because the records from the year you need might never become available.

It could be well worth your while researching the others on that list of displaced persons to see if they are extended family members. Try tracing them back and pay special attention to whether their baptism records show any of your known family members as godparents/sponsors, or if their marriage records show someone from your family as witnesses.

Best of luck!
Sophia

Polish records translations

marcelproust — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 07:08:03 +0200

Author: marcelproust

Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2026 12:08 am

Fmbelcher wrote:

If you could translate this document, I would be most appreciative. It is written by a notary to my GGM, Marya Strezpek Stec when she lived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I believe it is a request to sign papers so that they could sell the family estate.

I am working on it.

Translation

marcelproust — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 15:06:55 +0200

Author: marcelproust

Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2026 8:06 am

TorSee wrote:

Hello,
can anyone read and decipher the attached handwritten Polish document?
Thanks in advance.
Torsten Seemann

61

It happened in the town of Dąbie, on July 14th, 1828, at 7 p.m.

There appeared Michał Bosim, a farmer, 43 years old and Jan Doberstein, a farmhand, 22 years old, both living in Łąbędź Holendry and they declared that on that day, at 2 p.m., Marcin Doberszteyn (as the surname was written in this document) died in Łabędź Holendry, a 19 years old cloth-making journeyman, a son of ...[left blank], luźniak [ a day laborer without land or property].

After having convinced myself of the death of Marcin Doberszteyn, this Act was read to the declarant, the second of whom was the deceased's brother, and was signed by Us, as the others were illiterate.

German records translations

Blue — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 14:12:49 +0200

Author: Blue

Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2026 7:12 am

Thanks again TorSee, much appreciated.

Bobrowniki or Tłuchowo parish records

BarbOslo — Sun, 02 Aug 2026 16:32:02 +0200

Author: BarbOslo

Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2026 9:32 am

Hi,
I have sent an email. Please check your spam folder if you don't find it in your inbox.
-Barb

Need Help Deciphering Ancestor's Town Name

Trish — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 17:49:30 +0200

Author: Trish

Posted: Tue Jul 28, 2026 10:49 am

JFalejczyk wrote:

Just a minor update here, I was able to find a few things, and (thus far) not able to find a few things.

I am leaning towards that record Trish found of Joe Cieslak being Sylvia's older brother, I feel like the close birth year and parent match is too much to ignore. I was able to find his grave on FindAGrave here: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/95613654/joseph-cieslak

I don't think he had any children. I have been researching the descendants of the Fisher family and there are definitely quite a few.

I unfortunately haven't been able to find anything else on Sylvia's other siblings, like Zofia, Wladyslaw, or Edward. I was able to figure out that Stanislaw's (Sylvia's father) second wife's name was in fact Aurelia, and I was able to find some FamilySearch records on her first marriage and children from it, like here: https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/details/PMQY-BD6

It appears Karpinska was her maiden name and Daszkowski was the surname of her first husband. I haven't seen any evidence of her having kids with Stanislaw after they got married, and considering she was 36 when they got married, I think it's totally possible they just didn't have any other kids.

I've been scouring FindAGrave and I can't seem to find any graves for the Cieslak family, besides Sylvia's and (potentially) Joseph's. I'm going to keep on digging to see if there's anything on her other siblings (Sophia, Wladyslaw, and Edward). I'll be sure to post updates in here.

Hi!
I am so happy to hear that you were able to find some amazing clues about the family. I'm glad you were able to figure out the maiden name and first marriage surname for Aurelia. Keep us posted as how you make out with your research and if you find any more clues.

Regards,
Trish

Villages

Fox — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 13:05:40 +0200

Author: Fox

Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2026 6:05 am

Dąb Wielki

Looking for relatives of Wesolowski, Wesolek, Jankowski,

monika_wk — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 07:24:56 +0200

Author: monika_wk

Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2026 12:24 am

Dear Terri,

while researching my husband’s ancestors, we came across your posts on this forum. You last posted in 2019; now, seven years later, I hope you’re in good health, and if you’re still interested in learning more about your immediate and extended family, I’d be happy to help you, to the extent of my knowledge about the family from Bartoszyce.

Warm regards, Monika Wysocka-Kawa
wife of Arkadiusz, a descendant of the Wesołek family

ancestry

Fox — Sun, 26 Jul 2026 18:43:28 +0200

Author: Fox

Posted: Sun Jul 26, 2026 11:43 am

Thank You

Birth record information/translation

susancoles — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 13:58:25 +0200

Author: susancoles

Posted: Sat Jul 25, 2026 6:58 am

Wow! Sophia and Barb, thank you!!! I truly appreciate your help to find Anna's father's last name & get the spelling correct.

You both have uncovered so much more about my family. I am overwhelmed with happy tears.

Deepest gratitude,
Susan

Looking for help narrowing down location

Trish — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:56:34 +0200

Author: Trish

Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2026 10:56 am

ShannonCreedon wrote:

Hi Shannon and Sophia,

If we are going by the information on the obituary, then I found a tree on ancestry.com. I don't know if any of the information on the tree is correct. There isn't any source information for the Poland dates and places.

Regards,
Trish

Konstanti "Kostek" Smigiel
Birth 8 May 1893 • Piasutno Zelazne, Lomza, Poland
Death 7 Jan 1952 • New Bedford, Bristol County, Massachusetts, USA

Father: Jozef Szmigiel
Birth 14 Mar 1860 • Katy, Podlaskie, Poland
Death 26 Oct 1920 • Piasutno-Zelazne, Maly Plock, Podlaskie, Poland

Mother: Julianna Piaścik
Birth 1861 • Piasutno-Zelazne, Mały Płock parish, gmina Zbojna, Kolno County, Podlaskie, Poland
Death 12 May 1926 • Katy, Maly Plock, Podlaskie, Poland

Wife's information.
Wiktoryja "Victoria" Wojtuszewska
Birth 4 Mar 1897 • Niebieszczany, Podkarpackie, Poland (Galicia)
Death 19 Apr 1991 • New Bedford, Massachusetts

Sister's Information.
Stanislawa "Stasia" Smigiel
Birth 15 JAN 1885 • Piasutno Zelazne, Zbojna, Lomza, Augustów Governorate, Poland
Death 17 JUN 1972 • New Bedford, Bristol, Massachusetts, USA

Hi Trish!

Thanks for taking the time to look. I believe I have also found this tree in the past and noticed the same thing. I will say, something that strikes me as interesting, looking at it now though, is that Wiktoryja Wojtuszewska is listed as being born in Niebieszczany. The reason that jumps out at me, is because the Smigels are from my grandmother's side, and I know for a fact that my grandfather's side of the family (Jozefek, Wesoly) is from Niebieszczany.

I know that the Niebieszczany birth records from 1890-1915(ish) are available on https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/, so I'll definitely explore that connection!

***EDIT***

I just looked, and I found her listed there! It's a very interesting discovery, thanks for sharing what you found![/quote]

Hi Shannon and Sophia,

Sophia, I see you figured out the mystery about the towns. Great maps!

Shannon, by any chance did you contact the person who put the ancestry.com tree online? I would contact the person and ask if they have the actual records since they posted exact dates and places for the family.

Regards,
Trish

Witamy Górale!

ShannonCreedon — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 18:31:34 +0200

Author: ShannonCreedon

Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2026 11:31 am

Bill Rushin wrote:

(Please click on the "Yes" bar above if you have Highlander relatives).

Welcome, this forum is only for anyone who has connections with the extreme Southern area of Poland at the foothills the Tatra Mountains. This is the magical land of the Highlanders, the Góral.

Polish: Górale; Slovak: Gorali; Cieszyn Silesian: Gorole; literally "Highlanders"

The Górale are a group of indigenous people found along southern Poland, northern Slovakia, and in the region of Cieszyn Silesia in the Czech Republic as well as in Chicago, the seat of the Polish Highlanders Alliance of North America.

"The flatland's grow onions, the mountains grow men."

Hi Bill! Nice to "meet" you!

I'm curious how far east this indigenous group goes. My grandfather's family came from Niebieszczany, about 15 km southwest of Sanok in the Subcarpathian Voivodoship. Looking forward to hearing from you.
Shannon

Could This Be a Village or Town (Popczyki, Galicia)?

Sam — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 21:03:27 +0200

Author: Sam

Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2026 2:03 pm

Sophia,

Your guess is as good as mine in regard to how Andrzej and Marya ended up in Luxor, Penn. I never really did find any records of their presence in the U.S. before 1913.

Good Hearted Woman

Sonny Poremba — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 16:29:15 +0200

Author: Sonny Poremba

Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2026 9:29 am

Thanks for giving it a listen!

Seeking Church Records for Grodno (Kadysz, Horaczki Towns)

Trish — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 17:21:42 +0200

Author: Trish

Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2026 10:21 am

Hi!

I think it's wonderful that you have so much information on the family. Hopefully you can get records so that you can connect all the people you found.

Regards,
Trish