PolishOrigins(TM) Forum

Names of great-great grandparents on documents from 1891

odcecki — Mon Jun 22, 2026 10:45 pm

Author: odcecki

Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2026 10:45 pm

BarbOslo wrote:

Hi,
I have some good news for you and your family. I managed to build a family tree based on the information you gave us. It is possible to find more, but it will take a bit more time. I am also attaching a Word document with explanations/translations of the terms.

Regards,
-Barb

OH MY GOODNESS!! This is INCREDIBLE! Wow, thank you SO much! I can't believe you went to all this work... this is informtation my family has never had access to before, with our limitation with language and handwriting, resources, etc. My family is going to be so blown away when I show them what you've provided me with, it's WAY more than I ever expected. Thanks x a million!!!!

Translating and Transcribing Birth Certificate

marcelproust — Sun Jun 21, 2026 11:37 pm

Author: marcelproust

Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2026 11:37 pm

odcecki wrote:

I found the birth certificate for my great-grandfather, Andrzej Zak. It lists the names of his parents, which I have never found anywhere else, but I can't read his mother's name. If I could figure out her name, I could research them. It says his father's name is Grzegorz Zak, and my best guess for his mother, based on the handwriting, is Marianna L. Nowinskich, but that doesn't sound very Polish. If anyone could help me translate the rest of the document and try to figure out what her name is, I would really appreciate it!

Republic of Poland
Act numer: 129
Year: 1891

Voivodeship: Kielce
County: Olkusz
Parish: Ogrodzieniec

Birth Certificate

Birth place: Ryczów
Full name: Andrzej Żak
Birth date: November 14th, 1891.
Parents' full names: Grzegorz Żak, Marianna nee Nowińska.

Year of birth in words: the year one thousand eight hundred and ninety-one

Ogrodzieniec, April 11t, 1939.

Parish-priest, serving as Civil Registrar: Jan Podkopał.

This Certificate was issued for presentation at the Commune Office for entry into the register of residents.

Stamp: Registry Office, The parish of Ogrodzieniec.

Transcript:

RZECZPOSPOLITA POLSKA

Nr Aktu 129
Rok 1891

Województwo: kieleckie
Powiat: okluski
Parafia: Ogrodzieniec

ŚWIADECTWO URODZENIA

Miejsce urodzenia: Ryczów
Imię i nazwisko urodzonego: Andrzej Żak
Data urodzenia: Dzień: 14, Miesiąc: listopada, Rok: 1891.
Imiona i nazwiska rodziców: Grzegorz Żak, Marianna z Nowińskich.

Słownie: Tysiąc osiemset dziewięćdziesiątego pierwszego roku.

Ogrodzieniec, dnia 11 kwietnia 1939 r.

Utrzymujący Akta Stanu Cywilnego, proboszcz ks. Jan Podkopał.

Wydane celem przedstawienia gminie do użytku rejestru mieszkańców.

Stamp: Urząd Stanu Cywilnego Parafii Ogrodzieniec.

Polish census records

yapper — Wed Apr 01, 2026 7:42 am

Author: yapper

Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2026 7:42 am

You are quite welcome - I came across it in a post on this PolishOrigins forum

birth certificate for my grandmother

BarbOslo — Mon Mar 30, 2026 5:17 pm

Author: BarbOslo

Posted: Mon Mar 30, 2026 5:17 pm

Scan 185. Kozieł Antoni was born on June 2, 1866 in Lubomirka (parish Opole Lubelskie).
Father: Tomasz Kozieł, 25 years old (estimated year of birth 1841).
Mother Wiktoria nee Kołodziejczyk, 24 years old (estimated year of birth 1842).

Scan 3. Piłat Joanna was born on January 5, 1865 in Chodlik (parish Karczmiska).
Father: Stanisław Piłat, 40 years old (estimated year of birth 1825).
Mother: Marianna nee Niezgoda, 36 years old (estimated year of birth 1829).

-Barb

Help finding Muzyk family

BarbOslo — Tue Mar 24, 2026 9:10 am

Author: BarbOslo

Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2026 9:10 am

Birth records linked to main line:

Chrzanowski research

BarbOslo — Fri Feb 13, 2026 6:52 pm

Author: BarbOslo

Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2026 6:52 pm

Hi Deirdre,
I have some information that I would like to share with you. I need your email address. Send me a private message.

-Barb

Request for translation

dac4455 — Tue Dec 09, 2025 6:39 pm

Author: dac4455

Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2025 6:39 pm

BarbOslo wrote:

dac4455 wrote:

Sophia wrote:

dac4455 wrote:

Hi Sophia,

Thank you so much for your reply. I really appreciate your offer to help. Firstly, I need to try to locate the source of the above marriage document. I have found a voluminous amount of information on Wikimedia under CDIAK 966-1. There are numerous volumes of information that were scanned into the website by Marcin Kowal, you may already be aware of this. The above document references a Jozef C who married Franciszka. His son Jan C immigrated to the US and was destined for the same location in Pennsylvania as my husband's grandfather (Kostanty), I have also been trying to establish a connection between the two people.

I am also, and more importantly, trying to find documentation for a few things actually. I have been able to find records verifying that my husband's 3th grandfather, Jozef was a noble and married in the Szelkow commune, Pultusk district and Plock voiv. His father was Maciej, heir to the noble estate in Chrzanowo, Rozan commune and his mother was Apolonia. I have not found Jozef or Maciej's birth certificates (if they exist) or what region they may have been born in. I have located heraldry documents which may indicate that Jozef was descended from Marcin Chrzanowski who was the Burgrave of the Warsaw Castle Court. The heraldry document references a father and grandfather, Wawrzyniak and Maciej Chrzanowski, although the father would be Maciej and grandfather would be Wawrzyniak.

I hope this makes sense and that it is not too much to ask.

Thank you again.

Kindest regards,
Deirdre

Hi Deirde,
I am not experienced in the area of heraldry research, which is what seems to be the focus of Wikimedia's CDIAK 966. I had been hoping to be able to assist you with finding baptism/marriage/death records. Somehow, you were able to find one from 1876 and Marcel was able to find one from 1875, but I do not know how either of you are accessing those.
Sorry that I cannot be of help. Here's hoping that Trish can find some kind of document that helps you establish the link you are looking for.
Best regards,
Sophia

Dear Sophia,
Thank you so much for your reply and for your interest. I would still like to locate birth records for Jozef Chrzanowski or Maciej, if they exist. As I mentioned above, I have been concentrating my research on the Rostki, Szelkow area of Poland, but I am not sure if that is the correct location. I did find the 1875 marriage records for Jozef. Here is the link to the record:

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSVC-8HB4?cat=koha%3A559644&i=305&lang=en

If the link does not work the record is on page 306 of record number 008120074 in Family Search.
Thank you again.
Kindest regards,
Deirdre

Hi Deirdre,
The 1875 marriage record you mention is between Jozef Chrzanowski and Franciszka Gostkowska. This Jozef is the son of Stanislaw and Magdalena nee Perzanowska. He was born abt.1854. Is this Jozef you want to find the birth record for?

Your Jozef was the son of Maciej. He was married twice. In 1817 to Weronika Anastazja Zalewska and 1839 to Franciszka Marianna Sikorska. His death record says he was born in Rostki. In his second marriage Chrzanowo is mentioned as the place of birth. I would say that the information in the marriage record is given by him himself and is more credible. Jozef was born abt. 1792. Szelkow is indexed and I do not see him. In the Szelkow area we have 2 places called Chrzanowo. I can see that records from the noble estate in Chrzanowo are in the parish of Makow Mazowiecki. Have you searched for him in Makow?

-Barb

Hi Barb,

Thank you for your reply. I am looking for the birth record of Jozef the son of Maciej. I have done searches in Makow Mazowiecki concentrating on Szelkow and Rostki. I will now concentration on Chrzanowo. I also know that Joseph and Maciej were nobles/szlachta, but I have not been able to determine which coat of arms they belonged to.

Thank you again.
Regards,
Deirdre

No trace of relatives... except a grave?!

ALAEssex — Tue Oct 14, 2025 9:08 am

Author: ALAEssex

Posted: Tue Oct 14, 2025 9:08 am

Hi Sophia
Thanks for the map.
I am assuming that he was born in Kolomyja because that's where his Mother was from, likely she went home to her own mother to give birth.
I will redirect the researcher to look in the Lwow records for the residential information.
Amanda

Genetka printouts

Henryk — Fri Jun 13, 2025 2:20 pm

Author: Henryk

Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2025 2:20 pm

https://metryki.genbaza.pl/index/list
"Welcome to the Metryki GenBaza, where we present scans of vital record registers>> ENTRY <<
We invite you to browse our resources. There are scans and photos of vital records and civil registry books for genealogical purposes

Hiring a Researcher

Sophia — Wed Jun 11, 2025 8:09 am

Author: Sophia

Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2025 8:09 am

Richard Kuzniak wrote:

I am trying to find out information on my mother's forced labour in WW2. I have tried the usual resources (Arolsen, USHMM, etc.) but no luck to my specific questions about where and when she worked in forced labour and what day did she finally enter Hellbrunn DP camp (where I was born). I have what I believe is an Arbeitsbuch ID (photo and number).
My question is: is it worthwhile hiring a private researcher? Is there anyone that specializes in this area that you could recommend?

Hello Richard,

Hopefully you will be able to find what you want through your correspondence with IPN and Arolsen. As regards your question about hiring a private researcher, I would mention that this forum, where your answers come predominantly from genealogy volunteers, is actually part of the Polish Origins website and they are a professional genealogy research company. It would be worthwhile to ask them if they have experience in this specific area of research. It won't cost you anything to ask them that.

I recall that back in early March, you had posted a question about songs you were trying to remember. You did receive replies from both Barb and me, and I cannot tell whether you ever saw those replies. Your question is here:
https://forum.polishorigins.com/viewtopic.php?t=24294
I realize that people do not always receive the email from Polish Origins that there has been a reply to their question, so I did try to follow up later in March by sending you a private message letting you know you had gotten these replies, but I can see that you did not open that private message.

Good luck to you as you continue your search,
Sophia

Grandfathers Birth Certificate

Trish — Wed Apr 30, 2025 10:26 am

Author: Trish

Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2025 10:26 am

marcelproust wrote:

SHarrison68 wrote:

Hi! I am trying to locate my father's birth certificate. His name was Jan Sczcepan Kaminski b 24.11.1914 in Warszawa
I am struggling to find any information online
Can someone advise what would be the best way to go about obtaining this
Regards
Steve

Do you know the names of your father's parents? How certain is the information that the father was born in Warsaw?
Do you have any documents?

Hi Marcel and SHarrison,

Marcel, I found this tidbit of information on Jan Sczcepan Kaminski. Jan used the surname Kaye in the UK.

Regards,
Trish

Name Jan Szczepan (Kaye) Kamiński
Military Rank Corporal
Poland Rank Sierżant
Birth Date 24 lis 1914 (24 Nov 1914)
Birth Place Warszawa, Polska (Poland)
Military Date 1940-1947
Occupation Radiomechanik
Known or Last Assignment/Post 18 Otu, 301 Db
Decorations 2xML
RAF Service Number 781500
Death Date 27 kwi 1966 (27 Apr 1966)
Burial Place Casterton, Lancs., Wlk. Brytania

komornik, ekonom

SPG — Sat Apr 26, 2025 5:33 pm

Author: SPG

Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2025 5:33 pm

MikeP wrote:

Hi,

I checked Shea and Hoffman's "In Their Words - Volume 1: Polish" (PDF version 2018). On page 301, ekonom is an "estate steward or supervisor". On page 305, komornik is "a landless peasant who lived with a wealthier peasant; tenant farmer; also a term for a sheriff's officer (archaic)". I suspect that the use of komornik as a sheriff's officer preceded its use as a tenant farmer. Hope this info helps.

Mike

Thank you. This is at least the second instance I’ve had with a noble identified as a komornik. (Completely different family lines ans places.)

I also have Shea ans Hoffman’s books. I think you are correct that the sheriff definition is older. It just seems to me, a modern person, that a sheriff (used in the older sense of bailiff), is a government occupation rather than an occupation in service of a noble landlord. I could be completely wrong.

I included the tidbit about ekonom because it seems like an occupation that someone who was a bailiff and/or noble would have. They’d have the experience and/or education to do the necessary accounting than a peasant probably would not have.

Bartłomiej was definitely a noble according to multiple records. His first wife was seemingly better off. Her only child from her first marriage had local notable godparents (eg, the pastor of Włocławek, who trekked out to the country to be the first godfather).

Searching for ancestors

BarbOslo — Wed Apr 23, 2025 3:15 pm

Author: BarbOslo

Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2025 3:15 pm

I would advise ordering this wedding record from 1957. You get the names of parents, and place of birth. You still don't know if Sopot is his birthplace or if he lived in the city before he went to the UK.
-Barb

Research Dead End

BarbOslo — Sat Apr 12, 2025 12:51 pm

Author: BarbOslo

Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2025 12:51 pm

It seems that Katarzyna nee Pyszczynska died in 1875. She left behind her husband Stanislaw and 2 sons: Antoni and Jozef.
Stanislaw remarried and had at least 6-7 children with his new wife. You mentioned in one of your first posts that Antoni had a sister Anna. It seems that they were half-siblings.
-Barb

Searching for Gawlak ancestors

BarbOslo — Sun Jan 19, 2025 6:29 am

Author: BarbOslo

Posted: Sun Jan 19, 2025 6:29 am

Doug, you wrote that you sent an email to the parish of Harklowa? Did you write this in English? Could you please share this with me as a PM? Priests rarely answer questions. I get 1 reply per 10 sent mails.
-Barb

Geneteka-understanding remarks

BarbOslo — Sat Jan 18, 2025 4:42 pm

Author: BarbOslo

Posted: Sat Jan 18, 2025 4:42 pm

maallen16 wrote:

Thank you! It has been about 10 years since I worked with my Polish Genealogy, have been working on my husband's Swedish and Finnish line, hard to transition back! Would appreciate some translation, but absolutely no hurry.
Takk
Marian

No. 28
Nur
It happened in the town of Nur on January 28th/February 9th, 1899, at 10. a.m.
Appeared Julian Terlikowski, 38 years old and Józef Lenarczuk, 50 years old, both owners, living in the town of Nur and they declared that on January 26th/February 7th, at 2 p.m., died in the town of Nur, Wojciech Młodzianowski, an owner, 52 years old, a son of Franciszek and Antonina the Młodzianowski spouses, who was born in the village Żebry Laskowiec, living in the town Nur. He was survived by his wife, Marcela Młodzianowska nee Dombrowska.
After convinced myself about the death of Wojciech Młodzianowski this act was read to the declarants and it was signed by Us and Julian Terlikowski, the second declarant was illiterate.
Priest Mieczysław Kapszewicz, the Nur parish priest, serving as Civil Registrar.
Signature Julian Terlikowski

Josepha Kapuscik Marriage Translation

HelpTheFamily — Thu Aug 29, 2024 6:13 am

Author: HelpTheFamily

Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2024 6:13 am

Here you go:

Transcription
"den 6ten Juni
Leiche der Eheleute Joseph Lex und Josepha Kauscik,
Bauer in Slawikau, empfangen von dem Hochwürdigen Herrn Paul Kapuscinski, Subdiakon
und Vikar in Blaschewitz. Zeugen: Joseph Sobozik und Valentin Zawika."

Translation
"June 6th
Body of the married couple Joseph Lex and Josepha Kauscik,
farmer in Slawikau, received by the Reverend Mr. Paul Kapuscinski, sub-deacon
and vicar in Blaschewitz. Witnesses: Joseph Sobozik and Valentin Zawika."

Komornik - bailiff or tenant (farmer)

SPG — Sun Jul 21, 2024 11:19 am

Author: SPG

Posted: Sun Jul 21, 2024 11:19 am

dnowicki wrote:

SPG wrote:

I’ve seen komornik translated both as bailiff (even overseer) and as a tenant (farmer). I know that the use of some teems evolved over time and can have slightly different interpretations from place to place. However, in the case of komornik, the two definitions often provided seen very different.

If komornik can be used in both senses, can someone provide some guidance in how to determine when one interpretation applies over the other.

In one branch of my family, I have an ancestor in Włocławek often identified as a parobek, but twice identified as a komornik in the mid-1800s. In his case, perhaps for a time he had some responsibility to his landlord to help with some sort of administrative / rules enforcement duties.
But maybe the term just meant he was a tenant farmer. This is somewhat a splitting hairs case.

However, in another case, the godfather of a relative — also early-mid1800s — different family branch in another part of Poland — is identified as a noble AND a komornik from/of Ciechanów. Seems like in his case he was some official for the starostwo and his occupation was truly more of a bailiff.

Hi,

The terms about which you wrote must be understood as they were used in the 19th century. In general the meaning you would find in a contemporary dictionary or using Google Translate don’t usually fit. The go to dictionaries to understand Polish words as they were used in the 19th Century are Słownik języka polskiego, Warszawa 1807–1814 by Samuel Bogumił Linde, which was the first comprehensive dictionary of the Polish language, and what is commonly referred to as the Słownik warszawski, which was published in eight volumes in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. Both dictionaries are available online in PDF format.

Parobek is an occupational word for a landless farm worker or a worker on a large estate or in other words for a farmhand. Komornik, on the other hand, is a status word used to describe a landless peasant who was a tenant who lived with and worked for another person. This term dates back to the time of the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth prior to the Partitions. It was used to describe status in terms of the old feudal system. In 18th century documents it appears in Latin as “inquilinus” with the same meaning as above.

Combining a term used to describe peasants with someone who was szlachta (a noble) would seem to be a metaphysical fizzle unless he were a tenant who was living with and working for another member of the gentry. In that case he could best be described as a landless minor member of the gentry.

I hope this explanation helps you.

Wishing you success,

Dave

Thanks you for the response. My understanding of the word in the context of the relative identified as a Parobek/Komornik was not in serious doubt. What has stumped me over the years is that SO MANY Polish(-American) genealogy sites define komornik as bailiff (sometimes solely), which gave rise to some doubt. Then I saw the term applied to a noble and I wondered a bit if somehow I was misunderstanding something. For what it is worth, the Słownik Doroszewskiego as my go-to dictionary for understanding archaic terms and definitions.

To go a bit further regarding the use of komornik as it applied to a noble Baltazar Bobiński, who may or may not be the same noble Baltazar Bobiński as my relative's godfather -- in this wikipedia.pl entry (yes, yes, I know about the reliability of Wikipedia), komornik almost certainly isn't used in the sense of a tenant farmer:

W XVIII wieku, zapewne przed 1775 rokiem, Bądkowo przejął Kazimierz Krasiński, oboźny wielki koronny, poseł i marszałek sejmowy, także trybunalski. Za tezą tą, przemawia, liczna korespondencja z lat 1785-1796, którą pisali do Kazimierza, oficjaliści z Bądkowa m.in. Baltazar Bobiński, komornik ciechanowski. Z drugiej strony, ówczesną sukcesję dóbr bądkowskich potwierdzają, szerokie zainteresowania Krasińskiego, który posiadał w ziemi ciechanowskiej liczne dobra, w tym klucz krasnosielecki i płodownicki, a w ciągu swego życia nabywał wiele majątków, głównie na Mazowszu. Zatem, najprawdopodobniej, dopiero wtedy, czyli po 1775 roku, pobudowano pierwszy, niewielki dworek drewniany, z dachem gontowym i gankiem na osi. Miał służyć za mieszkanie dla oficjalistów dworskich, doglądających interesów kolejnych Krasińskich. W I połowie XIX wieku, nastąpiło powiększenie dworku o dobudówki o charakterze gospodarczym (kuchnia, spiżarnia, pokoje dla służby), powiększono piwnice i dostawiono drugi, drewniany ganek. Następnie, wszystkie ściany potraktowano gliną i pomalowano na biało, a sufit podbito deskami z otynkowaną podsufitką. Rozbudowę skromnego dworku, w obszerne siedlisko, wiąże się, z Dionizym Strzeszewskim, kolejnym, przynajmniej do 1847 roku, właścicielem rozległego majątku. W końcu XIX wieku, Bądkowo należało już do rodziny Sumińskich, od których, w 1903 roku, majątek zakupił Zygmunt Bojanowski (†1917), z silnie zakorzenionej, mazowieckiej rodziny ziemiańskiej.

https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bądkowo_(województwo_mazowieckie)

I brought this to the Polish Origins forum to get clarity but also to provide an example of how amateur researchers really need to take care in understanding the context in which some terms are used.

For what it is worth, I looked into the various Baltazar Bobińskis about 7-10 years ago, so I don't recall all the various details about them now. The question popped into my head when I saw the term applied to an ancestor I recently found on my tree.

Again, thank you for your input.

Marriage dispensations

yapper — Sun May 26, 2024 8:16 am

Author: yapper

Posted: Sun May 26, 2024 8:16 am

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge - it is quite helpful not only for my Prussian ancestor who immigrated to America (which makes me wonder if perhaps German Lutheran who married a French Catholic??) but his descendant a couple of generations later that I know were 2nd cousins (blood related).
I appreciate your time, Laurie

Victor Dorschke/Drozdzok

briankaess — Wed Feb 28, 2024 9:26 am

Author: briankaess

Posted: Wed Feb 28, 2024 9:26 am

Hello,
Do you have any vital info on Jadwiga Drozdzok? My ancestor was Viktor Drozdzok (1889-1969) from the same village, Hohenbirken (Brzezie). Perhaps they are related? Also, which photo is the one with the Brzezie pilgrims?
Brian