PolishOrigins(TM) Forum

Alternate surnames in Greek Catholic records

galicia seeker — Mon Jul 05, 2021 6:09 pm

Author: galicia seeker

Posted: Mon Jul 05, 2021 6:09 pm

BTW, Dave you said that the name Fedun sounded more Ukrainian than Polish. I concur; however, in the village of Biale, Przemyslany they appeared suddenly in about 1834, concurrently with a Polish noble - Pawel Ostrowski who lived in Biala, Ternopil.

I have been trying to determine the connection. The Biale records go back to 1777 and no Feduns prior to 1834. Possibility that the Fedun brothers came with Ostrowski to manage property? Two of the brothers were econom/provisors. I may never know, but the search is intriguing!

Frustrating that many of the LSD village records only start in 1835.

Alternate surnames in Greek Catholic records

galicia seeker — Mon Jul 05, 2021 5:39 pm

Author: galicia seeker

Posted: Mon Jul 05, 2021 5:39 pm

Dave, I will absolutely explore the alternate name...it is actually Tarnowski ...again, many thanks for sharing your expertise and knowledge. I have learned so much!

Gail

Alternate surnames in Greek Catholic records

galicia seeker — Mon Jul 05, 2021 5:34 pm

Author: galicia seeker

Posted: Mon Jul 05, 2021 5:34 pm

Dave, many, many thanks in helping me realize the folly of trying to connect dots that just don't compute. As always, you are the voice of reason and common sense. It is always too easy to make assumptions that are not based on fact.

The record in question is actually from 1837 not 1848...my error!

I arrived at this place because my great grandfather was born in a village (Dubryniow) far away from where he was married (Biale) and....his father on his marriage record and subsequent gr grandfather records for his children, including my grandfather, was a relative in Biale, and not his birth father.

Many mysteries but thanks again for holding my feet to the ground!

Kind regards, Gail

Re: Alternate surnames in Greek Catholic records

dnowicki — Mon Jul 05, 2021 5:14 pm

Author: dnowicki

Posted: Mon Jul 05, 2021 5:14 pm

galicia seeker wrote:

Thanks all for plausible reasons for two surnames.

In this particular village in Rohatyn, there were many Fedun families so....perhaps he was illegitimate and Jarnowski/Garnowski was his mother's name.....maybe he was raised by a Fedun family. I've come across a similar situation but in that case the "foundling" seems to have been re-baptized in another parish in order to legitimize his name.

Hi Gail, Starshadow, & Marie,

Individuals known by two surnames certainly were not a rarity in the partitioned lands of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. This phenomenon was not religious but was social/societal in nature and origin. Often “vel” was the Latin conjunction used to express that reality. Even at the close of the 18th Century not all Polish peasants had/used surnames. Well into the 19th Century surnames were fluid and changeable. There were many reasons why an individual was known by more than one surname. Sometimes the reason was as simple as the way the person enunciated when providing the priest with information—Rolek could be heard as Lollek. Since most peasants in the early 19th Century were not literate they had no way to correct what the priest had written. Sometimes the change was from an occupational to a patronymic surname. One of my 4th great grandfathers and his family was known as Stelmaszek during his lifetime (2nd half of the 18 Century). The surname was occupational since he was a stelmach (wagon/coach/carriage builder). After his death in 1804 his wife and children continued to use Stelmaszek. By the second decade of the 19th Century his widow and children ceased to use Stelmaszek and were known by a form of his given name, Kajetan. For a time both surnames were used. However, eventually the surname Kajetaniak remained and Stelmaszek disappeared. However, sometimes how and why a surname changed is not so clear.

Sometimes both peasants and minor nobles used two surnames, one “regular” surname and a second surname derived from a nickname. Another Latin word which was used to connect the two surnames by which a person was known was the adverb “vulgo” (“commonly known as”). “Vulgo”, in my experience, was more common than “vel”. Thus a man of few words could end up with the nickname “Cichy” (quiet) and a man who liked to whistle while he worked could end up with the nickname “Gwizdek”(whistler).

One should also consider the historical situation in which the record was created. 1848 is a watershed year in the history of Europe—a year of unrest and societal and political change. It is often referred to as “The Springtime of Nations” or as “The Springtime of the Peoples”. It had a major impact on the Austrian Empire in general and on Galicia in particular. It was the year that the peasants were emancipated from their feudal obligations and serfdom was abolished. It was the year that the Greek Catholic clergy pushed for the use of the Ukrainian language in schools and in official decrees in areas with a large Ukrainian population. The name Fedun seems more Ukrainian than Polish. It would seem worth while to research any possible connection of the use of this second surname in the context of the history of what was going on in Galicia at the time. Although the attached map is from the 16th rather than the 19th Century, it may help to visualize the linguistic diversity of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and provide some insight into the19th Century linguistic makeup of Galicia.

The one idea which absolutely will not fly is the idea of a person being re-baptized to legitimize his name. The entire concept of a second or re-baptism has no foundation in reality. Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders are sacraments which can only be received once. The question of re-baptism was rejected during the time of the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire prior to the year 313 of the Common Era. The intensity of the persecution of Christians waxed and waned from the time of Nero until the Edict of Milan in 313. During times of relative little active persecution the number of Christians increased but during times of vigorous persecution some Christians renounced their faith. A major question which faced Christianity was what needed to be done to restore those who had abandoned Christianity during the tough times but wanted back in when the times got better. The idea of re-baptizing those who wanted to return was completely rejected. The explanation was that baptism had a permanent effect which could not be erased. For those of us who received a Catholic education during the 1940s and 1950s the Baltimore Catechism explained this permanent effect in terms of a “character” which marked a person as belonging to Christ. The ancient Romans understood this in terms of the “character” used to mark members of the Roman legions, slaves, etc. So the bottom line is that baptism is a one shot deal and thus a person being baptized a second time is not a possibility.

I hope this helps.

Dave

Alternate surnames in Greek Catholic records

galicia seeker — Sun Jul 04, 2021 3:02 pm

Author: galicia seeker

Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2021 3:02 pm

Thanks all for plausible reasons for two surnames.

In this particular village in Rohatyn, there were many Fedun families so....perhaps he was illegitimate and Jarnowski/Garnowski was his mother's name.....maybe he was raised by a Fedun family. I've come across a similar situation but in that case the "foundling" seems to have been re-baptized in another parish in order to legitimize his name.

Alternate Surnames in Greek Catholic Records

marierpk — Sun Jul 04, 2021 10:30 am

Author: marierpk

Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2021 10:30 am

Is it possible there was a conversion to Greek Catholicism? My second great grandfather converted from Judaism to Roman Catholicism. His name was originally Icko Abramowicz, but the Church changed his name to Wincenty Poznanski upon baptism.

Re: Alternate surnames in Greek Catholic records

starshadow — Sun Jul 04, 2021 2:37 am

Author: starshadow

Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2021 2:37 am

I can only offer some experiences with unexplained surname changes from my own tree. The first case occurring around 1750 in the Roman Catholic parish of Miastkowo (so it might not just be a Greek Catholic thing). A family which originally used the surname "Wieczorek", changed their name to "Szymczak". The best explanation I could come up with was the surname Wieczorek became so common. They adopted the first name of their grandfather (Szymon Wieczorek) as their new surname. It almost seems like a kind of patronymic change.

Another case from about the same time period, but in the parish of Nawojowa. A family switching from the surname "Baran" to "Potoczni". Once again I believe because the surname Baran had become too popular in the area. That time I suspect they adopted the surname Potoczni because they lived in a village named "Potok".

Re: Alternate surnames in Greek Catholic records

starshadow — Sun Jul 04, 2021 2:34 am

Author: starshadow

Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2021 2:34 am

I'm wondering if in Ukraine or Belarus there might have been linguistic reasons for using alternate surnames?

I'm trying to trace a family named Spizarny from the Lomza district of Poland back into Belarus, and am likewise finding possibly alternate surnames. It's surely confusing things.

Alternate surnames in Greek Catholic records

galicia seeker — Thu Jul 01, 2021 12:13 pm

Author: galicia seeker

Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2021 12:13 pm

As with many 18th and 19th church records one will always come across something unusual.

In the birth record attached the father is recorded as Joanne Jarnowski/Garnowski vel Feduniow, the word vel meaning "or" in Latin.

Has anyone come across this - this is the second record I've come across - and any idea why the alternate surname? The record is from the Greek Catholic Church in Dubryniow, Rohatyn, 1848.

Any insight would be appreciated!