PolishOrigins(TM) Forum

Re: Witamy Górale!

Kim K — Wed Sep 02, 2020 12:03 am

Author: Kim K

Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2020 12:03 am

cherylmendel wrote:

I am just curious about the last names of your family that is from Waksmund that moved to Hastings. My family did the same thing and I am trying to research that branch. Their last names were Kunka, Sral/Schall, Waksmundski and they lived in Hastings, PA as coal miners in the early 1900s. Some of them are buried at St. Bernard's cemetery in Hastings.

Actually, I have a US side question for those of you in PA. Are there any online resources for Polish community records in the area? I've tried to track a potential sibling + sibling-in-law for a ggparent from neighboring Ostrowsko who went to PA but come up empty. One may have even died in PA before 1925.

As for Waksmund, I think it was a part of Ostrowsko parish before 1871. The church duplicate book in Krakow for Waksmund as its own parish goes from 1871-1880. I don't know how best to search after 1880.

-Kim

Re: Witamy Górale!

cherylmendel — Fri Jul 24, 2020 5:58 pm

Author: cherylmendel

Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2020 5:58 pm

dl1949 wrote:

Hello,

My mother's family lived in the Podhale town of Waksmund, Poland. When she was 17, my mother left the town to settle in Chicago. Although my mother was an American citizen, born in Hastings, PA, she was the only one in her family to return to the United States. Her brother, sister and parents remained in Poland. The family left the United States years earlier to return to Poland. I was lucky enough that my mother past on the rich Gorale culture to me and my sister. I have inherited the pride and independence of my Gorale ancestors.

Re: Witamy Górale!

slovakiaorawa — Wed Jan 06, 2016 7:49 am

Author: slovakiaorawa

Posted: Wed Jan 06, 2016 7:49 am

Hi, everyone

I am not sure if I am Goral, but my ancestors have lived in Oravská Polhora (now Slovakia) since 1800´s. It is a village in slovak Orawa region, belonged to Hungarian Empire before WW1. My surname was written like Vorcsak, Worcsak, Wortsak etc back in 1800´s. According to Maria Theresa's Urbarium 1767 family Vorcsek lived in village Zubrzyca Dolna (Alsózubrica (ÁRVA), Hungary), which is located in Poland now but belonged to Hungary before WW1.

Re: Witamy Górale!

vgondek — Thu Jan 29, 2015 4:39 pm

Author: vgondek

Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2015 4:39 pm

Ute wrote:

Valerie,

Thanks for the information on your ancestors!

I just saw something else that I wanted to share with you -- Idez's, Jozef's and Patia's posts of 2011 that you will find here:

http://polishorigins.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=4360&sid=474f9b4f8571d242f0a7ef63999402e4

You may want to contact them to see which information they have on Szczawnica that might be helpful in your further research.

You may have seen the article on Szczawnica Nizna and Wyzna at PGSA:

It says, among others: "Mountain people known as "Spiszcy Gorale" were Christians. They dressed in their goralskie costumes which were very colorful."

http://queenofthieves.tumblr.com/post/100932505231/womens-regional-costume-of-the-the-szczawnica

Ute

Ute, thank you so much - the information and links are very helpful! much appreciated!

Re: Witamy Górale!

Ute — Wed Jan 28, 2015 11:40 pm

Author: Ute

Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2015 11:40 pm

Valerie,

Thanks for the information on your ancestors!

I just saw something else that I wanted to share with you -- Idez's, Jozef's and Patia's posts of 2011 that you will find here:

http://polishorigins.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=4360&sid=474f9b4f8571d242f0a7ef63999402e4

You may want to contact them to see which information they have on Szczawnica that might be helpful in your further research.

You may have seen the article on Szczawnica Nizna and Wyzna at PGSA:

It says, among others: "Mountain people known as "Spiszcy Gorale" were Christians. They dressed in their goralskie costumes which were very colorful."

http://queenofthieves.tumblr.com/post/100932505231/womens-regional-costume-of-the-the-szczawnica

Ute

Re: Witamy Górale!

vgondek — Wed Jan 28, 2015 5:30 pm

Author: vgondek

Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2015 5:30 pm

Ute wrote:

Valerie and Bill,
I finally found the info on Szczawnica that I remembered and couldn't find yesterday. Zenon posted it here:

http://forum.polishorigins.com/viewtopic.php?p=2040

It includes a map showing Szczawnica Wyzna and Szczawnica Nizna:

http://www.szczawnica.eu/map.html

Valerie, since we are not 100% sure if this is indeed the village Szczawnica your paternal grandfather and his father came from -- do you have any records or any additional information on your grandfather and his father -- besides the info you found at Familysearch.org -- e.g. church marriage records, naturalization records, death records, dates of arrival in the US, etc. -- that may help us determine where exactly they came from?

Dear Ute and Bill - Yes, thank you so much for your time and assistance and awesome maps and links! I have copies of the following scanned originals:

*1*Albert’s WWI draft registration card – date and place of birth: “April 6, 1889 Sczawnica, Galicia, Poland” (signed Albert Gondek, 1917) via ancestry.com

*2*Albert’s WWII draft registration card – date and place of birth: “April 6, 1889 Szcrawnica Wyznia” (signed Albert J Gondek, 1942 ) via ancestry.com

*3*Albert and his father Anton’s entry in S S Bremen passenger record: “arrival date 23 May 1900; last residence: Szczwarnica; ethnicity: Galician” via ancestry.com

*4*Albert’s original marriage registration: date and place of baptism “6th … 1889 Szczawarnica” via Sobieski, Wi Catholic church secretary

*5*Albert and Anton’s baptism entry from Tarnow Diocese transcribed /translated records: event dates: 8 June 1862 and 6 April 1889”; event place (for both) “Szczawnica Wyźna, Szczawnica Wyźna, Kraków, Poland”, house number (for both): “102”. Note – I also have same type of record for several of Anton’s sisters and brothers, ranging from 1859 to 1878, with same event place and house number, also via familysearch.org

*6* Albert and Anton’s certified copies death certificates, but place of birth is listed only as “Poland”.

*7*The family lore that I mentioned in my first post indicates Nowy Targ as the birthplace and Szczawnica as the parish and priest as Fr John Olexik…my current research seems to indicate Szczawnica is the village and Nowy Targ the region of Galicia at that time? I have three scanned pages of the “family lore” which I used as the starting point in my research, authored by my late Uncle Rev Fr Joseph Gondek (1911-2011), which I tried to attach for your reference, but keep receiving error messages (I think I need to reduce their size).

I do appreciate your assistance – I am very keen to learn exactly where my grandfather and great grandfather were from to pass on to their descendants and to study more about their history, folklore, culture and heritage. Right now I am confused how records designate villages vs regions vs parishes, and do not know enough about the area to interpret the documents correctly. Many thanks!

Re: Witamy Górale!

Ute — Wed Jan 28, 2015 2:52 am

Author: Ute

Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2015 2:52 am

Valerie and Bill,
I finally found the info on Szczawnica that I remembered and couldn't find yesterday. Zenon posted it here:

http://forum.polishorigins.com/viewtopic.php?p=2040

It includes a map showing Szczawnica Wyzna and Szczawnica Nizna:

http://www.szczawnica.eu/map.html

Valerie, since we are not 100% sure if this is indeed the village Szczawnica your paternal grandfather and his father came from -- do you have any records or any additional information on your grandfather and his father -- besides the info you found at Familysearch.org -- e.g. church marriage records, naturalization records, death records, dates of arrival in the US, etc. -- that may help us determine where exactly they came from?

Re: Witamy Górale!

Bill Rushin — Tue Jan 27, 2015 1:00 pm

Author: Bill Rushin

Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2015 1:00 pm

Ute, anything is possible but I was going on her statement "records show my paternal grandfather Albert Gondek (1889) and his father Anton Gondek (1862) were both baptized in Szcawnica Wyzna, Szcawnica Wyzna, Krakow, Poland". And I like to trust records before family stories as you know. But looking at your note and rechecking my map I see there is Szcawnica just on the other side of the Piennys and it might be considered Podhalian, let me double check with my cousin. And Valerie just admitted her mistake in the place name. So it proves 3 heads are better than one. Valerie, look at my last map posted above, you can see your little village on the top right area. It shown just outside of Podhale area. I'll send you another map when I locate it.

Re: Witamy Górale!

vgondek — Tue Jan 27, 2015 11:47 am

Author: vgondek

Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2015 11:47 am

Ute wrote:

Bill Rushin wrote:

Valerie, I am sorry but your relatives are too far north to be from Podhale. Tarnow and Rzeszow are around 100 miles NE of Podhale. See maps of area.

Bill,
When I read the village name Szcawnica, I remembered a discussion about Szczawnica in the district of Nowy Targ. I can't seem to find it right now, but I saw an earlier post by Patia whose grandfather was from Szczawnica:

http://forum.polishorigins.com/viewtopic.php?t=712

It could be that Valerie's paternal grandfather Albert Gondek (1889) and his father Anton Gondek (1862) were both baptized in the village Szczawnica in Podhale and thus were considered 'Highlanders from Nowy Targ', as family lore stated, while earlier generations lived in the Rzeszow region (Valeries's great-great-grandfather Sebastian Gondek, who she wrote was baptized (1823) in Bobowa, Bobowa, Rzeszow, Poland.). What do you think?
Ute

Dear Bill and Ute, Yes, the village name is Szczawnica Wyzna - sorry, my spelling mistake! thanks, Valerie

Re: Witamy Górale!

Ute — Tue Jan 27, 2015 2:04 am

Author: Ute

Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2015 2:04 am

Bill Rushin wrote:

Valerie, I am sorry but your relatives are too far north to be from Podhale. Tarnow and Rzeszow are around 100 miles NE of Podhale. See maps of area.

Re: Witamy Górale!

vgondek — Mon Jan 26, 2015 5:33 pm

Author: vgondek

Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2015 5:33 pm

Bill Rushin wrote:

Valerie, I am sorry but your relatives are too far north to be from Podhale. Tarnow and Rzeszow are around 100 miles NE of Podhale. See maps of area.

Thanks, Bill! Your maps are very informative. Would you happen to know what tradition/folk costume people from Szcawnica Wyzna are known for? likewise for people from Bobowa and Biadoliny Szlacheckie? If not, would you be able to direct me to an appropriate resource? Thank you in advance

Re: Witamy Górale!

Bill Rushin — Sat Jan 24, 2015 1:24 pm

Author: Bill Rushin

Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2015 1:24 pm

Valerie, I am sorry but your relatives are too far north to be from Podhale. Tarnow and Rzeszow are around 100 miles NE of Podhale. See maps of area.

Szcawnica Wyzna; Bobowa, Rzeszow; Biadoliny Szlacheckie

vgondek — Thu Jan 22, 2015 8:12 pm

Author: vgondek

Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2015 8:12 pm

Hello from USA !

I am trying to determine the culture and heritage of my paternal grandparents.

Familysearch.org records show my paternal grandfather Albert Gondek (1889) and his father Anton Gondek (1862) were both baptized in Szcawnica Wyzna, Szcawnica Wyzna, Krakow, Poland. My great great grandfather Sebastian Gondek was baptized (1823) in Bobowa, Bobowa, Rzeszow, Poland. Family lore states that they were Highlanders from Nowy Targ, from the Goral area of Poland (then Galicia). Would they be considered Podhale, or?

In addition, my paternal grandmother, Sofia Palka (1888) original record show she was baptized in Bresko, Galicia, Austria; Dembno Parish, Wojnicz Deanery, Tarnow Diocese, from the villiage of Biadoliny Szlacheckie. Would she also be considered Gorale? Podhale?

Thanks in advance.

Re: Witamy Górale!

Bill Rushin — Wed Nov 16, 2011 7:18 pm

Author: Bill Rushin

Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 7:18 pm

Eric, yes the n. is Latin nata...nee name or maiden name.

Re: Witamy Górale!

Eric — Wed Nov 16, 2011 6:49 pm

Author: Eric

Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 6:49 pm

Hi Bill, I apologize for my lateness in reply, been a busy week at work!

I will definitely get some scans made of the documents for you to see. (I have a portrait of Grandad and two others in military uniform that I had scanned years ago. I will post it in the military portrait thread.)

I've made a little more progress in deciphering the names on the certificate by referring to other documents for names. The person who wrote it up didn't write the letter "n" very clearly, so it just looks like a large letter U, with loops on it's ends. (Hard to describe!)

His mother's section of the certificate reads: Anna filie Michaëlis Dyrczoń et Mariannae n. Koriot (I wonder, does the n. means the maiden name?)

The Godmother's name does indeed appear to be Antonina, but Grubiak appears to be the proper spelling of her last name. I think I said Cubiak earlier.

Once again, I'll try to get some scans as soon as possible.

Re: Witamy Górale!

Bill Rushin — Sun Nov 13, 2011 7:16 am

Author: Bill Rushin

Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 7:16 am

Eric wrote:

Hi Bill, it is interesting until now I hadn't heard anything of the Gorals until now!
(His latin name is Ludovicus.) His father's name on the certificate is Bartholomaeus, I can't make out what his mother's name is. His godfather's name is Michaël WOJEIK.
Godmother's name is very hard to see, possibly Antoreica Cubiak?
His father address is listed as: KNUROW. P.HARKLOWA. POW.NOWY TARG.
I think his family is Polish Goral?

Welcome Eric,

The parish priest always converts the given names to Latin. They are not used in every day life. So the names would be Lodewijk and Bartlomiej in Polish. Godmothers name may be Antonina which was very common. If you could scan that document I might be able to tell better. You may send it to my email address if you wish- bgetya2@aim.com -I would love to see copies of your military records also.

Knurow is a small village on the other side of the river from the village of Harklowa and they are in the powiat (county) of Nowy Targ. (Polish: powiat nowotarski)

Yes they are very much Góral from Podhale. see my maps (please click on "yes" to add another Góral member)

Re: Witamy Górale!

Eric — Sat Nov 12, 2011 7:27 pm

Author: Eric

Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2011 7:27 pm

Hi Bill, it is interesting until now I hadn't heard anything of the Gorals until now!

I am researching my grandfather, Ludvik GIL, and his line of family in Poland.

According to his baptismal certificate, he was baptized in 1900, in the parish of Harklowa, just east of Nowy Targ. (His latin name is Ludovicus.) His father's name on the certificate is Bartholomaeus, I can't make out what his mother's name is.
His godfather's name is Michaël WOJEIK.
Godmother's name is very hard to see, possibly Antoreica Cubiak?

My dad says he was a cavalryman at the end of the First World War. We also have most of the pages of a Polish military service book. According to this book he was in an artillery regiment during the Russo-Polish war from 1918 to 1920. He remained in reserves until 1925.
He had a brother who went missing in action, but I'm not sure in which war.

He immigrated to Canada in 1927 and listed his father Bartlomiej Gil as his contact in Poland. His address is listed as: KNUROW. P.HARKLOWA. POW.NOWY TARG.

I've only just begun my research, as I have to ask my dad many more questions about Granddad and the family that remains in Poland. I think his family is Polish Goral?

EDIT* I apologize, I clicked accidentally. I want to say hello to all in this forum and site and thankyou for the wonderful information!

Re: Witamy Górale!

Ute — Mon Jul 11, 2011 1:26 am

Author: Ute

Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2011 1:26 am

jackiewisniewski wrote:

I have access to the Chicago Tribune obituary archives through a remote login with my library, and I've even accessed Chicago Trib obits from the 30s... when I do a search for his, nothing comes up. Can I ask what database/website you use to access it?
And thank you for the book - I'm definitely going to check it out. I honestly thought that the way I would know if he had a Gypsy background would be if there were no records at all. Years ago I read up online about the culture, and it was my understanding that they typically do not leave records. This was years before I was involved in genealogy, and I specifically remember one of the issues that was discussed was that because their history is more oral-based, people who want to trace their family history were unlikely to find records. Now I'm certainly want to find out if there's any truth to that! Jackie

Jackie,
I have access to the Chicago Tribune Historical Archive through a remote login also, and when I searched for John Polanski, I found the 1971 obituary right away on the first page. Perhaps there is a difference between the Chicago Tribune Obituary Archives and the Chicago Tribune Historical Archive that I have access to. I found another two obituaries for your family that you’ll find below.
The reason why I asked if you have your great-grandfather’s passenger record is that from the information given in the ship manifest one can sometimes figure out family connections, e.g. the name of a parent, brother, sister, or other relatives the passenger indicated he/she stayed with in the old country resp. was going to join in the United States. Did you find any of this information in your great-grandfather’s passenger record?
I would try to get hold of the parish records for your great-grandfather’s birth town Zubrzyca Górna, and only if no signs of the name appear, then I would look further. I don't know much about gypsies, but I found another website that provides some interesting information on gypsy culture that might interest you (e.g. the paragraph ‘Eastern European Style Names’). The link is http://www.johncooke.com/name/gypsy.htm
Ute
*
1968-01-15
Chicago Tribune (IL)
Polanski
Edition: Chicago Tribune
Sophie Polanski, nee Smigel, Jan. 12, beloved wife of John; dear mother of Edward [Helen], John Jr. [Elizabeth], Helen [Henry] Wisniewski, Sophie Budd, Josephine [Leonard] Kozlowski, and the late William and Anna; grandmother of 15; great-grandmother of two. Resting at Satala Funeral Home, 4744 S. Damen avenue. Funeral Tuesday, Jan. 16 at 9 a.m., to St. Michael's Slovak church. Interment Resurrection. Bi 7-9379.
Source: Chicago Tribune, 1968, Record Number: 19680115dn114.
*
1970-07-28
Chicago Tribune (IL)
Polanski
Edition: Chicago Tribune
Helen Polanski, suddenly, July 26, 1970, beloved wife of Edward Polanski; loving mother of Beverly [Robert] Lewen and Deborah; dear sister of Ted Charles; also survived by brothers in law, sisters in law, nieces and nephews; daughter in law of John Polanski. Resting at Satala Funeral Home, 4744 S. Damen Av. Funeral Wednesday, July 29, at 8:30 a.m., to St. Mary Church. Interment Resurrection. Bi 7-9379.
Source: Chicago Tribune, 1970, Record Number: 19700728dn098.

Re: Witamy Górale!

jackiewisniewski — Sat Jul 09, 2011 10:31 pm

Author: jackiewisniewski

Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2011 10:31 pm

Ute - You are so awesome!! Thank you!!! I did not have his obituary (and you are correct, this is the right person, and I did have his passenger list). I have access to the Chicago Tribune obituary archives through a remote login with my library, and I've even accessed Chicago Trib obits from the 30s... when I do a search for his, nothing comes up. Can I ask what database/website you use to access it?

And thank you for the book - I'm definitely going to check it out. I honestly thought that the way I would know if he had a Gypsy background would be if there were no records at all. Years ago I read up online about the culture, and it was my understanding that they typically do not leave records. This was years before I was involved in genealogy, and I specifically remember one of the issues that was discussed was that because their history is more oral-based, people who want to trace their family history were unlikely to find records. Now I'm certainly want to find out if there's any truth to that!

Jackie

Re: Witamy Górale!

Ute — Fri Jul 08, 2011 11:51 pm

Author: Ute

Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 11:51 pm

jackiewisniewski wrote:

Hi Bill & the rest of the forum!
This week, I was FINALLY able to confirm that my great-grandfather Jan Polanski (1894-1971) came from the Goral area (thanks to the TARG website!). His birth town was Zubrzyca Górna (also known as Zubricza during hungarian rule).
He emigrated to the US (Chicago) in 1913 and stayed here until his death. I'm still learning about him, but the odd thing is that of all my great-grandparents, he is the only one I've been unable to find siblings/cousins of. There was a rumor passed around the family that originated from his daughter (my 90 year old grandmother) that he had Gypsy/Roma roots. I thought it was due to the amount of times they moved throughout the years (multiple times per year), so I'm interested to learn if this is a common misconception, or if the Gypsies/Roma also have a strong presence in this area.

Jackie,
I found your great-grandfather Jan 'John' Polanski's obituary in the Chicago Tribune Historical Archive (at least I think that's him ...). In case you don't have it yet, I'm attaching the text of the obituary for you below. Obituaries can be very helpful in identifying family connections and in discovering maiden names, unknown siblings and their spouses, and other facts that cannot be found in other places. Unfortunately, your great-grandfather's obit doesn't mention any siblings, cousins etc. at all. I don’t know if the Zubrzyca Górna parish records have been microfilmed, I suspect only the parish registers will show if your great-grandfather had more siblings, what their names were, when they were born, and so on, and you'll have to go from there. Did you find your great-grandfather's 1913 passenger record?

As to the Gypsy roots, I was also told that my paternal grandfather who -- like your great-grandfather emigrated to the US and lived in Chicago until his death -- was part Polish, part Slovak, and part Gypsy. He had black hair, olive skin, and black eyes, but all of his Podhale ancestors I have found so far had Polish surnames and were Roman Catholic, so I really don't know what to think. I remember reading an article about Gypsies in the Tatra Mountains some years back, I'll try to find it again. Perhaps this book and its bibliography will be interesting to you: http://www.amazon.de/Bury-Me-Standing-Gypsies-Departures/dp/067973743X#reader_067973743X
Ute

1971-11-04
Chicago Tribune (IL)
Polanski
Edition: Chicago Tribune
John F. Polanski, W. W. I veteran, Nov. 3, 1971, beloved husband of the late Sophie, nee Smiegel; loving father of Edward [the late Helen], John [Elizabeth], Helen [Henry] Wisniewski, Sophie, and the late Frank Budd, Josephine [Leonard] Kozlowski, and the late William and Anna Polanski; grandfather of 14; great-grandfather of five. Resting at Satala Funeral Home, 4744 S. Damen Av. Funeral Saturday, Nov. 6, at 9 a.m., to St. Michael's Church. Interment Resurrection. Member of James J. Zientek Post, No. 419, American Legion. Bi 7-9739.
Source: Chicago Tribune Historical Archive, 1971, Record Number: 19711104dn141.