PolishOrigins(TM) Forum

Re: 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

Re: Searching for ancestors

huwjc — Wed Apr 23, 2025 2:33 pm

Author: huwjc

Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2025 2:33 pm

Thanks both! Apologies - I think it was Pamela Gregory who married my grandfather Marian Stachowiak in 1951.

They then both re-married in 1957 - Pamela to Mr Pilley & my grandfather to Jennifer Joyce.

I think the Gdansk archives in person might be the best route but was wondering if if we could perhaps find anything online. The death certificate could be a good place to start. Thanks again

Re: Searching for ancestors

Sophia — Wed Apr 23, 2025 2:22 pm

Author: Sophia

Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2025 2:22 pm

Hi Huwjc, Trish and Barb,
Sopot was incorporated into the free city of Danzig (today, Gdansk) in 1920. Perhaps the birth registers for the year of Marian's birth will be filed that way.
Sophia

Re: Searching for ancestors

Trish — Wed Apr 23, 2025 2:18 pm

Author: Trish

Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2025 2:18 pm

huwjc wrote:

You guys are really helpful, thanks so much. I think Pamela might’ve been his first wife - maiden name Pilley, before he married my grandmother Jennifer Joyce Burdett in Eastbourne in 1957.

Now I have his actual birth date, I’d be really interested to now look into his family in Poland - his parents / siblings / whether he lived in Sopot all his life. Do you know a good way to do this?

Thanks again for your help! ????

Hi Huwjc,

Pamela M. Stachowiak married Ronald V. Pilley in 1957. Do you have proof that Marian was married before? I'm think somehow Pamela is related to Marian.

I think you should try to obtain both of Marian and Pamela's marriage records. I would also obtain the death record for Marian for his parents' names could be listed as well as place of birth.

Regards,
Trish

Re: Searching for ancestors

huwjc — Wed Apr 23, 2025 1:22 pm

Author: huwjc

Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2025 1:22 pm

You guys are really helpful, thanks so much. I think Pamela might’ve been his first wife - maiden name Pilley, before he married my grandmother Jennifer Joyce Burdett in Eastbourne in 1957.

Now I have his actual birth date, I’d be really interested to now look into his family in Poland - his parents / siblings / whether he lived in Sopot all his life. Do you know a good way to do this?

Thanks again for your help! ????

Re: Searching for ancestors

BarbOslo — Wed Apr 23, 2025 10:19 am

Author: BarbOslo

Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2025 10:19 am

Unfortunately I cannot check if his date of birth is correct. I have access to the Sopot civil birth register only until 1921.
-Barb

Re: Searching for ancestors

Trish — Wed Apr 23, 2025 10:12 am

Author: Trish

Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2025 10:12 am

BarbOslo wrote:

Hi,
That's important information, Trish. Excellent.

I also found Jennifer on the Electoral Register for 1956. (At that time you had to be at least 21 to vote.)
Reference : Electoral Register - Eastbourne. Polling district Eastbourne (Upperton) 1956
Carew Road - Princess Alice Hospital.
Jennifer Joyce Burdett 285 ( this will be the entry number on the enumerator's page.)
I am guessing she was a nurse, living in nurses quarters at the hospital?

-Barb

Hi Barb,

I found this in the Eastbourne Gasette - Dated: Wednesday, 1 October 1958 - Page: 2

Marian is applying for naturalization.

Regards,
Trish

Re: Searching for ancestors

BarbOslo — Wed Apr 23, 2025 10:06 am

Author: BarbOslo

Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2025 10:06 am

Hi,
That's important information, Trish. Excellent.

I also found Jennifer on the Electoral Register for 1956. (At that time you had to be at least 21 to vote.)
Reference : Electoral Register - Eastbourne. Polling district Eastbourne (Upperton) 1956
Carew Road - Princess Alice Hospital.
Jennifer Joyce Burdett 285 ( this will be the entry number on the enumerator's page.)
I am guessing she was a nurse, living in nurses quarters at the hospital?

-Barb

Re: Searching for ancestors

Trish — Wed Apr 23, 2025 9:58 am

Author: Trish

Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2025 9:58 am

BarbOslo wrote:

huwjc wrote:

Searching for Marian Stachowiak, born 1920s, possibly from Sopot

Hello everyone,

I'm researching my Polish grandfather and would be grateful for any help or pointers.

His name was Marian Stachowiak. I believe he was born sometime between 1920 and 1929, and he may have been from Sopot, or at least lived there before emigrating.

He later moved to England and married my grandmother Jennifer Joyce Burdett in Sussex, UK, in 1957. Unfortunately, we don't know his religion or if he had any siblings or other family in Poland.

I'm trying to find:
- His place and date of birth
- Any family records (parents, siblings, etc.)
- Possibly a baptismal or civil registration record
- Any information on Stachowiak families in the Sopot area in the 1920s

If anyone has come across the Stachowiak surname in the Pomeranian region or knows how to access civil/parish records from that time, I’d love to hear from you.

Thank you so much for your time!

Huw

Hi,
This Sussex marriage record from 1957 should contain all the information you are looking for. Is there any way to obtain this?
-Barb

Hi Barb and Huwjc,

England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007
Name Marian Stachowiak
Death Age 67
Birth Date 18 Aug 1922
Registration Date Oct 1989
Registration District Eastbourne
Inferred County East Sussex
Volume 18
Page 651

Here is the exact date of death for Marian from ngland & Wales Government Probate Death Index 1858-2019
Sussex, England. I am attaching the information .

I am attaching the marriage index for Marian. Check out the name Pamela Stachowiak also was married in 1957 and was in the same town/location as Marian. Could this be a sister?

Regards,
Trish

Re: Searching for ancestors

huwjc — Wed Apr 23, 2025 7:26 am

Author: huwjc

Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2025 7:26 am

Thanks so much for your response Barb

I'd also seen the entry for their marriage on Ancestry.com - but the extent of which was what you provided (Marriages Registered in January, February and March 1957. Eastbourne. Page 199. Reference 5h 490).

I couldn't find the actual marriage certificate or any further information about my grandfather which I'm looking for. Were you able to? Any guidance would be really appreciated.

Huw

Re: Searching for ancestors

BarbOslo — Wed Apr 23, 2025 4:22 am

Author: BarbOslo

Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2025 4:22 am

Hi again,
I found the entry in the marriage register for Jennifer Joyce Burdett and Marian Stachowiak. They married in the first quarter of 1957 in Eastbourne, Sussex.
Reference: Marriages Registered in January, February and March 1957. Eastbourne.
Page 199. Reference 5h 490.

Regards,
-Barb

Re: Searching for ancestors

BarbOslo — Wed Apr 23, 2025 1:12 am

Author: BarbOslo

Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2025 1:12 am

huwjc wrote:

Hi,
This Sussex marriage record from 1957 should contain all the information you are looking for. Is there any way to obtain this?
-Barb

Re: Searching for ancestors

Trish — Fri Aug 30, 2024 9:47 am

Author: Trish

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2024 9:47 am

mm_88 wrote:

Trish wrote:

Hi everyone,

I found a tree on ancestry.com that shows Wojciech and Ludwina had several children before coming to the USA. Plus the 1910 USA census states that Ludwina had 13 children and only 10 survived.

Going by the information I just mentione, I think I just found Ludwina coming into the USA with several children. I found it under their son's record. Ludwina is on line 257. I need help making out the names of all the children. I can make out the following names: Theresa, Karolina, Marcin, Wojciech, .........?

Hi Trish,

I think that the next names are Ludwin (?), S...ek? and Jan.

With the names that you listed that would be a match with this tree you mentioned https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/GH3Z-MVT (maybe "S...ek" was Staszek/Stanisław and it would be Harry Stanley)
and there is also Albert Jr https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/KCSV-JM4
and another son Joseph https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/GWLW-DKD

Maybe there are naturalization papers for Albert's son born in Poland - Albert Jr, Harry Stanley and John

Hi Monika,
Glad to hear that I'm the right path with finding records. I have the 1900 and 1910 census if the poster needs the records. I also have the death records for Wojciech Sr. and Ludwina. I do not want to duplicate the posters work.

Let me see if I find any naturalization records. I might not find a naturalization record for the children of Wojciech Sr. The children might have already become naturalized when Wojciech Sr. became natrualized. Wojciech Sr. was already naturalized before 1900. The naturalization records that far back do not state the exact place of origin. It would only state - Poland, Austria, Germany, etc.

Is the correct surname for Wojciech Sr. - Penksa? IF so, would a naturalization record of someone with the surname of Penska help?

Regards,
Trish

Re: Searching for ancestors

mm_88 — Fri Aug 30, 2024 2:17 am

Author: mm_88

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2024 2:17 am

Trish wrote:

Re: Searching for ancestors

Trish — Thu Aug 29, 2024 2:39 pm

Author: Trish

Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2024 2:39 pm

Hi everyone,

Here is a possible manifest for Wojciech Panksa coming into the USA in 1889. He is on lline 400. Also, as Sophia would say, "look at the two names listed above Wojciech". Lines 398 and 399 have the surname Gasienicza.

Regards,
Trish
(PS: Hope the link works. The file was too big to upload.)

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939V-RW97-ZN?view=index&personArk=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AQVPN-YHC4&action=view

Name Wojciech Penksa
Sex Male
Age 28 years
Birth Year (Estimated) 1861
Birthplace Austria
Nationality Austria
Event Type Immigration
Event Date 1889
Event Place New York County, New York, United States
Affiliate Publication Number M237
Affiliate Publication Title Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1820-1897
Ship Name Servia

Re: Searching for ancestors

Trish — Thu Aug 29, 2024 2:03 pm

Author: Trish

Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2024 2:03 pm

Hi everyone,

I found a tree on ancestry.com that shows Wojciech and Ludwina had several children before coming to the USA. Plus the 1910 USA census states that Ludwina had 13 children and only 10 survived.

Going by the information I just mentione, I think I just found Ludwina coming into the USA with several children. I found it under their son's record. Ludwina is on line 257. I need help making out the names of all the children. I can make out the following names: Theresa, Karolina, Marcin, Wojciech, .........?

Regards,
Trish

Name Wojciech Penksa
Gender Male
Ethnicity/ Nationality Austrian
Age 8
Birth Date abt 1883
Place of Origin Austria
Departure Port Bremen, Germany and Southampton, England
Destination Philadelphia
Arrival Date 29 Oct 1891
Arrival Port New York, New York, USA
Ship Name Havel

Re: Searching for ancestors

Trish — Thu Aug 29, 2024 1:43 pm

Author: Trish

Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2024 1:43 pm

Hi Everyone,
I just want to ask rck123 a question. Do you have any USA records for Wojciech (Albert)? I did see his Pennsylvania Death record. I also saw the family in the 1900 and 1910 census records. I don't want to duplicate your work by posting this information.

Thanks,
Trish

Re: Searching for ancestors

BarbOslo — Thu Aug 29, 2024 9:19 am

Author: BarbOslo

Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2024 9:19 am

Hi,
It was several weeks ago. I don't know if I still have these notes.
Can you write what you managed to find?

-Barb

Re: Searching for ancestors

rck123 — Wed Aug 28, 2024 5:12 pm

Author: rck123

Posted: Wed Aug 28, 2024 5:12 pm

BarbOslo wrote:

Hi rck123,
Thanks to Monika's search, I was able to contact 2 ladies who live in Zakopane. I have received some new photos and some information about the family. Will write more soon.

Regards,
-Barb

Hi Barb, I apologize, I didn’t see this until now. Could you please show me the new information you found?

Thank you

Re: Searching for ancestors

BarbOslo — Fri Jun 14, 2024 11:13 am

Author: BarbOslo

Posted: Fri Jun 14, 2024 11:13 am

Hi rck123,
Thanks to Monika's search, I was able to contact 2 ladies who live in Zakopane. I have received some new photos and some information about the family. Will write more soon.

Regards,
-Barb