PolishOrigins(TM) Forum

Re: 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

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

Sophia — Thu Oct 09, 2025 5:08 am

Author: Sophia

Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2025 5:08 am

Hi Amanda,

Yes, that worked. Nice clear handwriting. Clearly he was born in 1916, no question about it.

The family appears to have lived in Lwow, because this page of baptisms gives the street address of each child and by looking at the street names, I can deduce they lived in Lwow. Your Schnitzer family lived on a street called Grottgera, in house #7.

The list of street names in Lwow in 1920 is here:
https://maps.geshergalicia.org/general/lviv-lwow-lemberg-1920/street_index.jpg

And from that you should be able to find it on the map here:
https://maps.geshergalicia.org/general/lviv-lwow-lemberg-1920/
If it helps you to see it, look for a very short street that crosses the line between rows 3 and 4 in column F. You will see Grottgera connecting to the longer street Franciszkanska.

All the best,
Sophia

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

ALAEssex — Thu Oct 09, 2025 2:38 am

Author: ALAEssex

Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2025 2:38 am

Hi Sophia,
I hope it is attached this time...

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

Sophia — Wed Oct 08, 2025 1:47 pm

Author: Sophia

Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2025 1:47 pm

ALAEssex wrote:

Hi Sophia
I believe that he located their records somewhere near Kolomyia, I have attached the record I have received.
The researcher is looking through the population registers to confirm that the family were living in Kolomyia during the period 1939-1940.
It has been quite a journey so far and it looks like there might be more twists and turns to come!
KR
Amanda[/img]

Hi Amanda,
Thanks for the reply. The image you tried to attach did not get attached, though.
Sophia

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

ALAEssex — Wed Oct 08, 2025 10:37 am

Author: ALAEssex

Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2025 10:37 am

Hi Sophia
I believe that he located their records somewhere near Kolomyia, I have attached the record I have received.
The researcher is looking through the population registers to confirm that the family were living in Kolomyia during the period 1939-1940.
It has been quite a journey so far and it looks like there might be more twists and turns to come!
KR
Amanda[/img]

Re: Update

Sophia — Wed Oct 08, 2025 6:23 am

Author: Sophia

Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2025 6:23 am

ALAEssex wrote:

Hello All
Just a quick update.
I have finally located the birth records of my grandfather and his brother, thanks to a researcher in Ukraine.
And another mystery....!
Wenceslaus Josephus Robertus Schnitzer - born 18 March 1916 (not 1912 per his UK naturalization and marriage certificates) - we do not yet know why we have the wrong date of birth and the researcher is reviewing birth records to see if there was another boy born in 1912, perhaps also on the 18 March..?

And so I reviewed the information that people had posted, including the arrest records from Stevemorse.org
On the list there are two other names with parent Michal Sznicer (same mis-spelling as Waclaw Sznicer)
- Antoni - 1903
- Artur - 1907

But also a Stanislaw Sznicer was arrested at the same time as Waclaw - their ID numbers are 47317 and 47318 respectively.
It might be a stretch but I feel like there is a chance these may be related.
Obviously research in Ukraine is challenging but we are so happy to have made such great progress.
Thank you all again for your help.

Hi Amanda,

It's so kind of you to come back and update us on your success! Out of curiosity, where were your grandfather and his brother born? We have looked at so many different towns in Ukraine. As I recall, their short-lived sister Isabella was born in hospital in Lwow. But where were the brothers born?

If you'd like to post the baptism record for Waclaw Robert, it would be interesting to see it.

Nice sleuthing, by the way, to go back to the list of deportees and find that ID number link (or suggestion of a family link, anyway) between Waclaw and a Stanislaw Sznicer. It's so useful in research to go back and look at what was found earlier to see if it yields additional clues.

All the best,
Sophia

Update

ALAEssex — Tue Oct 07, 2025 11:59 am

Author: ALAEssex

Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2025 11:59 am

Hello All
Just a quick update.
I have finally located the birth records of my grandfather and his brother, thanks to a researcher in Ukraine.
And another mystery....!
Wenceslaus Josephus Robertus Schnitzer - born 18 March 1916 (not 1912 per his UK naturalization and marriage certificates) - we do not yet know why we have the wrong date of birth and the researcher is reviewing birth records to see if there was another boy born in 1912, perhaps also on the 18 March..?

And so I reviewed the information that people had posted, including the arrest records from Stevemorse.org
On the list there are two other names with parent Michal Sznicer (same mis-spelling as Waclaw Sznicer)
- Antoni - 1903
- Artur - 1907

But also a Stanislaw Sznicer was arrested at the same time as Waclaw - their ID numbers are 47317 and 47318 respectively.
It might be a stretch but I feel like there is a chance these may be related.
Obviously research in Ukraine is challenging but we are so happy to have made such great progress.
Thank you all again for your help.

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

ALAEssex — Wed Jul 30, 2025 12:03 am

Author: ALAEssex

Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2025 12:03 am

Good Morning!
We are indeed in Poland. We had some luck yesterday finding birth and marriage certificates relating to my maternal Grandmother in Poznan. The archive staff were really helpful - although he pointed out that on the resident card my grandmother was shown as a boy, a fact I had completely overlooked! We also walked to some of the addresses listed in the residents card and found the original buildings, which was amazing.
Today we are in Warsaw but I am not confident now that we will find anything helpful regarding Kolomyia or Lwow, however we will try and see how far we get.
I am also astonished at how far Barb, Sophia and Trish have managed to trace my family and I am so grateful for the time that people have spent to assist a complete stranger.
I get the sense that they like a challenge!!
Thank you so much x

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

looking for clues — Sun Jul 27, 2025 1:42 pm

Author: looking for clues

Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2025 1:42 pm

I third what Sophia and Trish said! With each new post I continued to be amazed by new contributions by Barb, Sophia and Trish. It truly was a joint effort! As a side benefit, I became acquainted with some new resources too.

Diane

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

Trish — Sun Jul 27, 2025 10:57 am

Author: Trish

Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2025 10:57 am

Sophia wrote:

Hi Barb,
Absolutely extraordinary, the family tree you have been able to construct for the Schnitzer family!

Barb, Trish and Diane,
I imagine Amanda may already be off on her adventure to Poland.
Let's take a moment to look at how far we have come, in two weeks of work, to go from "no traces" of this family to all the information that we have assembled.
It is a pleasure to work with all of you.
Kind regards,
Sophia

Hi Sophia, Barb, Diane, Amanda, and the forum,

Sophia, I totally agree with all you said. It’s fabulous to see how wonderful everyone is on this forum, and to see how everyone pitches in to help. There are so many people on the forum that help with translations, finding records, and finding those impossible clues! It’s totally amazing!

Warm Regards,
Trish
.

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

Sophia — Sun Jul 27, 2025 4:20 am

Author: Sophia

Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2025 4:20 am

Hi Barb,
Absolutely extraordinary, the family tree you have been able to construct for the Schnitzer family!

Barb, Trish and Diane,
I imagine Amanda may already be off on her adventure to Poland.
Let's take a moment to look at how far we have come, in two weeks of work, to go from "no traces" of this family to all the information that we have assembled.
It is a pleasure to work with all of you.
Kind regards,
Sophia

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

BarbOslo — Sat Jul 26, 2025 9:36 am

Author: BarbOslo

Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2025 9:36 am

Hi Everyone,
Here is the new chart.
New facts since the last one was published:
new generation Schnitzer
new generation Buskiewicz
spouse + a child of Ignacy Schnitzer (brother of Irena)
date of death of Antoni Stadniczenko
likely date of birth of Antoni Stadniczenko
likely parents and grandparents of Antoni Stadniczenko
date of death of Domicella Stadniczenko nee Bush
date of birth of Jozef Schnitzer
Ferdynand Schnitzer (brother of Jozef Schnitzer) + date of birth
siblings of Jan Schnitzer (Marcin, Dorota, Andrzej, Maria/Julianna) + spouses

-Barb

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

BarbOslo — Fri Jul 25, 2025 9:01 am

Author: BarbOslo

Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2025 9:01 am

Fantastic find, Trish! Great to know Irena and Michael's date of birth. We already know he was born around 1875, and she abt. 1881. The location is correct. I checked these places yesterday and unfortunately I didn't find them.
Sophia, I think it's Łuck (Ukraine).

-Barb

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

Trish — Fri Jul 25, 2025 8:57 am

Author: Trish

Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2025 8:57 am

Hi Everyone,

I just found information for Irena too (with the help from Sophia) on the same website. She is listed as Irene Schnitzer. There are two entries for her.

Personal data
last name: Schnitzer
maiden name: Stednichenko
name: Irene
date of birth: 1879-05-16
place of birth: Kolomyia
domicile: Poznań, Schwabenstr.48 W.9
occupation: Ehefrau

Information about persecution
Source: Rutowska Maria
Lager Glowna German resettlement camp on the Main Street in Poznań for the Polish population (1939-1940)
2008 - Poznań Western Institute

displaced/resettled

displacement to: Poznań
confinement: she survived
type of imprisonment: resettlement camp
place of detention: Poznań Home
date of deposition: 1939-12-13
circumstances of detention
resettlement action
additional information
transport list 10 page 15

Personal data
last name: SCHNITZER
name: IRENE
date of birth: 1879
Information about persecution:

Source:
State Archives in Łódź 62 I/15

displaced/resettled

displacement to: POZNAN
additional information: resettled from the so-called Wartheland in 1939-1945; data in the files of the resettlement center in Poznań, branch in Łódź

Regards,
Trish

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

Trish — Fri Jul 25, 2025 8:40 am

Author: Trish

Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2025 8:40 am

Hi Everyone,

Sorry Barb, I didn't see Ludwika on your chart.

I did find this information on the Instytut Pamieci Narodowej website. https://straty.pl/szukaj-osoby.php
There are two entries for Michal Schnitzer.

Personal data
last name: Schnitzer
name: Michael
date of birth: 1873-12-14
place of birth: Wola Zółtaniec
domicile: Poznań, Schwabenstr.48 W.9
occupation: Professor
Information about persecution:

Source: Rutowska Maria
Lager Glowna German resettlement camp on the Main Street in Poznań for the Polish population (1939-1940)
2008 - Poznań Western Institute

displaced/resettled
displacement to: Poznań
confinement: he survived
type of imprisonment: resettlement camp
place of detention: Poznań Home
date of deposition: 1939-12-13
circumstances of detention: resettlement action
additional information: transport list 10 page 15

Personal data
last name: SCHNITZER
name: MICHAEL
date of birth: 1873
Information about persecution

Source:
State Archives in Łódź 62 I/15

displaced/resettled

displacement to: POZNAN
additional information: resettled from the so-called Wartheland in 1939-1945; data in the files of the resettlement center in Poznań, branch in Łódź

Regards,
Trish

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

Sophia — Fri Jul 25, 2025 5:21 am

Author: Sophia

Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2025 5:21 am

Thanks, Barb.

Here is an easier link to the image of Roman Schnitzer's residence card in Poznan.

First page: https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/skan/-/skan/5a21367995237837d71f12d702f0c0f015971eaf224e00a02339a1017a16a209

Second page: https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/skan/-/skan/878d1554663a848e534b6923d518ec7d4290d76e445843cb5f51cbdf06d92050

I cannot read all the places he lived. Was he in Torun? And Luck?

Best regards,
Sophia

P.S. I see that e-kartoteka also has an entry for a Ludwika Przepierzynski, maiden name Schnitzer, but this is not Michal's sister Ludwika, the birth date is too far off.

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

BarbOslo — Fri Jul 25, 2025 12:23 am

Author: BarbOslo

Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2025 12:23 am

This is quite an interesting track, Sophia. Yes, it is written "dziennikarz".
-Barb

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

Sophia — Thu Jul 24, 2025 8:31 pm

Author: Sophia

Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2025 8:31 pm

Hi everyone,

Did we already know that Roman lived in Poznan? This has to be him. The birth date is 18 July 1905, the place of birth is Kolomija and the parents' names are correct, Michal and Irena. Go here and search on Schnitzer Roman:

https://e-kartoteka.net/pl/search

Note that there is also writing on the back of his card.

Barb, there is something written in pencil in the "zawod" column. Does it say "dziennikarz," or is that my eyes just trying to find something familiar in the handwriting? Amanda, was he a journalist?

Best regards,
Sophia

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

BarbOslo — Thu Jul 24, 2025 6:06 pm

Author: BarbOslo

Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2025 6:06 pm

Amanda, I don't see Robert Waclaw (1912) in the Kolomyjas church records. Checked for the years 1911-15. Quite often people don't give the exact location, but mention the largest city in the area.
Trish, Ludwika is already on the chart. Good to hear from you again!

-Barb

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

Sophia — Thu Jul 24, 2025 4:41 pm

Author: Sophia

Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2025 4:41 pm

Trish wrote:

Hi Everyone,

It is so wonderful to see all the great information that was found for Amanda's family. I would like to ask everyone's opinion. Do you think this is a sibiling to Michael Schnitzer?

https://geneteka.genealodzy.pl/index.php?op=gt&lang=pol&bdm=B&w=21uk&rid=B&search_lastname=schnitzer&search_name=&search_lastname2=Szaszkiewicz&search_name2=&from_date=&to_date=

Here is the link for the birth record for Ludwika Schnitzer. It is Record #1 - Scan #7.
https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/skan/-/skan/260085175902572eed6f0376165b934f926936cb81065c980382ead7ae1816b5

Regards,
Trish

Hi Trish,
No question about it! Good find. This Ludwika fits right in with the diagram that Barb put together.
Best,
Sophia