PolishOrigins(TM) Forum

Re: Village in Suwałki region, Russian Poland

Sam — Fri May 15, 2026 8:04 am

Author: Sam

Posted: Fri May 15, 2026 8:04 am

Sophia,

Hmm. Regarding Piotr, considering the date of his parents' marriage, I think an 1876 birthdate is correct for him. His headstone places it at 1872, but since he died in Nov. 1937, I think whoever ordered the stone believed he was about 65 when he died. Meanwhile, his wife is given an 1862 birthdate on the same stone, which if correct, would give them a 14-year difference in age, although they typically presented as being opposite to that.

I can easily see how the man in the photo could be a sibling of my great-grandmother. But therein lies the rub. Their parents married in 1888 (their names were Jan Walenda [Walędy], b. c. 1865 at Malesowizna, who was apparently married up to twice beforehand, and Marianna Truchan, born 8 Feb. 1869 at Szurpiły), but unfortunately there is a big gap in the birth index until 1898, and if the portrait was taken around 1910, the young man could be a child of theirs from earlier in the marriage. The oldest sibling I currently know of is a sister, Stefania (Stella), born 1897, followed by Kazimiera, born 1899, Stanisław, born 1902, and Jan, born 1909. My g-grandmother Mary is unique in that she was born in the U.S. (in 1906), which places her family as being in residence here in the mid-1900s before returning to Poland. As for other brothers, Mary's obituary mentions a Wladka (Władysław?).

Falu Suwalki régióban

rozaliaDrKrupa — Fri May 15, 2026 2:17 am

Author: rozaliaDrKrupa

Posted: Fri May 15, 2026 2:17 am

Szia Sam! Új vagyok a fórumon, ezért benéztem. Az üzenetedben jelzett falu Prudziszki lehet Lengyelországban. Phttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prudziszki

Re: Village in Suwałki region, Russian Poland

rozaliaDrKrupa — Fri May 15, 2026 2:12 am

Author: rozaliaDrKrupa

Posted: Fri May 15, 2026 2:12 am

Sam wrote:

I have recently discovered passenger manifests for a couple of my great-grandparents, but the one for my great-grandfather is particularly interesting because it reveals the village and region of origin, in addition to the surname of a maternal relative (Jan Las-i-ski?). But the name of the place is rather beyond me at the moment. I read it as "Presdrisko" or "Prudrisko". Thirty years later, on my g-grandfather's draft card, it is transcribed as "Proceniski". The region, Suwałki, is indeed what my grandmother remembered and is legible enough on the document. Nonetheless, Suwałki was not merely a county at the time of emigration (1912) but an entire province of Congress Poland. But it is probable that they really did come from the immediate area of Suwałki itself. Suwałki (as a city) also appears on the lines below my ancestors', albeit as "Luwalki" in all cases.

On the manifest page my 2nd great-grandmother Marianna Galazewska and her son Felix are on lines No. 27 and 28.

Re: Village in Suwałki region, Russian Poland

Sophia — Thu May 14, 2026 4:57 pm

Author: Sophia

Posted: Thu May 14, 2026 4:57 pm

Sam wrote:

Dear Sophia,

Good Lord, I'm not sure how I missed Antonina in spite of her proximity on the sheet. I do remember I was sick when searching for the manifest. And I just paused my Ancestry subscription for budgetary purposes, too. I should have updated the thread sooner.

Doing a quick search on Geneteka I saw a marriage record for an Augustyn Gałażewski (42-year-old widower, son of Kazimierz and Katarzyna Filipowicz) and Katarzyna Butkiewicz (32-year-old spinster, daughter of Wincenty and Agnieszka Ołów) dated to 23 November 1874 in Suwałki parish (Węgielnia-Biała Woda?). This Augustyn appears to have had a younger sister named Marianna who married a Jan Jasiński in 1855, and who died at Biała Woda in 1865. He also appears to have had a brother named Jan Kazimierz, b. 27 December 1822 at Prudziszki; died 1823.

Katarzyna appears to have had several siblings (Stanisław, b. and d. in 1823, Agnieszka, b. 1824, Magdalena, b. 1824 and d. 1825, Kazimierz, b. and d. 1829, Józefata, b. abt. 1832, Franciszka, b. abt. 1833 and m. 1860, and Józef, b. 1838 and d. 1846). Her parents married at Okuniowiec in 1822, Wincenty being the son of Antoni Butkiewicz and Wiktorya Burba, and Agnieszka being daughter to Stanisław Ołów and Katarzyna Tylenda.

As for the photo, it was DEFINITELY a postcard (RPPC?) judging by the lines on the right horizontal side of the back (it is also of a similar size and composition to other RPPCs in my possession), although the back is bereft of any writing, names, manufacturer's info, stamps (there is no box for one), etc., causing me to deduce it was sent inside a letter if in fact mailed, or it simply never left someone's personal possession. Nonetheless, it seems more like a 'cabinet card-style' formal studio portrait to me. In my poor judgment, I'd place the date somewhere in the middle of the period 1900-1920, although the postcard stock suggests it being produced further into the 20th century. The woman in the portrait appears older than the man, causing me to at first regard it as depicting Felix Gałażewski's mother-in-law and one of her adult sons. They also struck me as being more physiognomically similar to my great-grandmother. But then I remembered that Piotr's wife was older than he was, perhaps by as much as 10 years, and I'm not sure why said mother-in-law would only pose with one of her children, as she had several sons.

Hi Sam,

I am glad that Antonina has provided such a strong clue for working your way back in the family tree!

Thank you for posting the photo. I like it very much. As you are trying to date the photo, I will comment on the chair (which would of course have belonged to the professional photographer, along with his backdrop). It looks very much like this particular Thonet chair:

https://bmjuws.larstov.baby/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=153140

The website shows several views of the same chair, which it dates as 1910. The photographer could have continued using it for some years, but I doubt he'd still be using it decades later. So your guess as to years could well be right. Someone who is well-versed in shoes of various periods could probably help you narrow down the timeframe, too. Regarding the people in the photo, I wonder whether it is a man and his mother. Perhaps they chose to get a photo together, prior to him emigrating? Just a thought.

Sophia

Re: Village in Suwałki region, Russian Poland

Sam — Thu May 14, 2026 1:54 pm

Author: Sam

Posted: Thu May 14, 2026 1:54 pm

August and Katarzyna must indeed be our Piotr's parents:

Re: Village in Suwałki region, Russian Poland

Sam — Thu May 14, 2026 9:07 am

Author: Sam

Posted: Thu May 14, 2026 9:07 am

Dear Sophia,

Good Lord, I'm not sure how I missed Antonina in spite of her proximity on the sheet. I do remember I was sick when searching for the manifest. And I just paused my Ancestry subscription for budgetary purposes, too. I should have updated the thread sooner.

Doing a quick search on Geneteka I saw a marriage record for an Augustyn Gałażewski (42-year-old widower, son of Kazimierz and Katarzyna Filipowicz) and Katarzyna Butkiewicz (32-year-old spinster, daughter of Wincenty and Agnieszka Ołów) dated to 23 November 1874 in Suwałki parish (Węgielnia-Biała Woda?). This Augustyn appears to have had a younger sister named Marianna who married a Jan Jasiński in 1855, and who died at Biała Woda in 1865. He also appears to have had a brother named Jan Kazimierz, b. 27 December 1822 at Prudziszki; died 1823.

Katarzyna appears to have had several siblings (Stanisław, b. and d. in 1823, Agnieszka, b. 1824, Magdalena, b. 1824 and d. 1825, Kazimierz, b. and d. 1829, Józefata, b. abt. 1832, Franciszka, b. abt. 1833 and m. 1860, and Józef, b. 1838 and d. 1846). Her parents married at Okuniowiec in 1822, Wincenty being the son of Antoni Butkiewicz and Wiktorya Burba, and Agnieszka being daughter to Stanisław Ołów and Katarzyna Tylenda.

As for the photo, it was DEFINITELY a postcard (RPPC?) judging by the lines on the right horizontal side of the back (it is also of a similar size and composition to other RPPCs in my possession), although the back is bereft of any writing, names, manufacturer's info, stamps (there is no box for one), etc., causing me to deduce it was sent inside a letter if in fact mailed, or it simply never left someone's personal possession. Nonetheless, it seems more like a 'cabinet card-style' formal studio portrait to me. In my poor judgment, I'd place the date somewhere in the middle of the period 1900-1920, although the postcard stock suggests it being produced further into the 20th century. The woman in the portrait appears older than the man, causing me to at first regard it as depicting Felix Gałażewski's mother-in-law and one of her adult sons. They also struck me as being more physiognomically similar to my great-grandmother. But then I remembered that Piotr's wife was older than he was, perhaps by as much as 10 years, and I'm not sure why said mother-in-law would only pose with one of her children, as she had several sons.

Re: Village in Suwałki region, Russian Poland

Sophia — Wed May 13, 2026 9:08 am

Author: Sophia

Posted: Wed May 13, 2026 9:08 am

Sam wrote:

I suppose I should provide a last update to this thread because of discoveries made since last posting. I did find Piotr Gałażewski's emigration/immigration records from 1912 on Ancestry, when he and his family permanently settled in the U.S. Incidentally today (12 May) is the anniversary of his final arrival. It states he was also born in Prudziszki. I also found my grandmother's hand-written genealogy notes from twenty or thirty years ago. She knew her father's immigration info and native village and her mother's parents' names. The latter were definitely from Szurpiły. I've also found myself reading quite a bit on the so-called 'Suwalszczyzna'. I read of a book published in 2023 titled "Localities of the Jeleniewo Commune" by Tomasz Naruszewicz, which sounds like a very interesting volume, albeit one beyond my reach.

I also found a studio portrait of what I increasingly believe to be Piotr and and wife Marianna, but there is unfortunately no information on the photo itself.

Hi Sam,

Thanks for providing this update! I looked at the manifest on Family Search (they have indexed him as "Piotr Galaschewski"). It is a two-page manifest, so you need to page forward to see all of it:

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9TH-5SN1-M?view=index&cc=1368704&lang=en&groupId=

You probably noticed that two lines above Piotr is his sister Antonina, age 30. (See on the second page, the handwritten over the required information of columns 19 through 25, it says "With Bro No 29" which refers to Piotr's line number on the manifest). She gives her father's name as Augustin. Both Piotr and Antonina were going to Kazimir at 141 9th Street in Jersey City. There was another passenger from their hometown, on line 22, but he does not seem to be related and he was going to West Lynn, Massachusetts.

I would certainly be interested in seeing the photo you have, if you are comfortable posting it.

Best regards,
Sophia

Re: Village in Suwałki region, Russian Poland

Sam — Tue May 12, 2026 2:40 am

Author: Sam

Posted: Tue May 12, 2026 2:40 am

I suppose I should provide a last update to this thread because of discoveries made since last posting. I did find Piotr Gałażewski's emigration/immigration records from 1912 on Ancestry, when he and his family permanently settled in the U.S. Incidentally today (12 May) is the anniversary of his final arrival. It states he was also born in Prudziszki. I also found my grandmother's hand-written genealogy notes from twenty or thirty years ago. She knew her father's immigration info and native village and her mother's parents' names. The latter were definitely from Szurpiły. I've also found myself reading quite a bit on the so-called 'Suwalszczyzna'. I read of a book published in 2023 titled "Localities of the Jeleniewo Commune" by Tomasz Naruszewicz, which sounds like a very interesting volume, albeit one beyond my reach.

I also found a studio portrait of what I increasingly believe to be Piotr and and wife Marianna, but there is unfortunately no information on the photo itself.

Re: Village in Suwałki region, Russian Poland

Sam — Fri Feb 06, 2026 12:40 pm

Author: Sam

Posted: Fri Feb 06, 2026 12:40 pm

Dear Trish and Sophia,

I would like to thank you both for taking the time to look into the mystery and tragedy surrounding the Nadolny family. Joseph did remain a lifelong bachelor. Perhaps he saw what losing a spouse to a terrible disease did to his father, who, mind you, was badly wounded in the Meuse-Argonne campaign in the First World War. But Joseph's apparent domestic loneliness did inspire my own father to consider raising a family one day. Overall an interesting and sobering record to think about.

I did see a death record for a Marianna Nadolna, daughter of Francis and Apolonia Bronikowska, dated to 1913 in Suwałki on Geneteka. This seems to have been around the time of their marriage and emigration. They could very well have lost their first child.

Re: Village in Suwałki region, Russian Poland

Sophia — Fri Feb 06, 2026 11:35 am

Author: Sophia

Posted: Fri Feb 06, 2026 11:35 am

Hi Trish,

Thank you for uploading all of that. It keeps it very tidy.

Hi Sam,

While I have not been able to find Felix John Nadolny in the 1940 census, I think I have found him in the 1950 census. It is, however, a bit of a messy record. Thanks to Trish for finding a cleaner copy for me than I was able to see on Family Search, which I have attached below.

You can see him as the 13th person on the page, entered as "Nadalina Felix" and grouped with several other people under the heading "Persons not assigned to D.O." which I have not yet deciphered the meaning of. I think it gives his address as 1117 Main Street in Dickson City. Although the person who indexed him for Family Search labelled him as female, he clearly is not if you understand the coding of the columns to the right of the column of names. In the column for "race" he was given the number 1 which meant "white." In the column for "sex" he was given the number 1 which meant "male." In the column for "age at last birthday" he was 16. In the column for marital status he was given the number 5 which meant "never married."

I would like to add a comment about the four Nadalny children. Their mother died in 1939 and their father died in January 1940. The 1940 census was taken in April 1940, so in the course of those three months they were separated and sent in various directions. Tragic. So, thank you for keeping their memories alive.

Best regards,
Sophia

Re: Village in Suwałki region, Russian Poland

Trish — Fri Feb 06, 2026 10:15 am

Author: Trish

Posted: Fri Feb 06, 2026 10:15 am

Hi Sam,

I'm happy to see that you are finding tons of records and family connections. However, I would like to go back to the Nadolny family for a second. Some things were troubling me so I reached out to Sophia who came up with really amazing information for you. I will post this information for you.

Per Sophia:
1940 census record, in Hoban Heights, Wyoming County, Pennsylvania:

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89MT-1R5Y?view=index&personArk=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AKQCY-6D3&action=view&cc=2000219&lang=en&groupId=

Line 66, Adam Nadoney, age 11
Line 67, Joseph Nadoney, age 15

The 1940 census asks where you lived in 1935 and these two boys answered Dickson City. This is apparently St. Michael's Industrial School.

The WWII draft cards for Adam and Joseph troubled me for Adam lists "Mrs. Frank Urban" as next of kin. Joseph lists "Dianna Urban" as next of kid. (It looks like "Mrs. or Miss Dianna Urban" on the record".) However, Dianna was too young to be married by 1942-1943. I am attaching the WWII draft cards for Adam and Joseph as proof.

Per Sophia:
Dianna Nadolny was living with Frank and Sophia Urban in the 1940 census as "Anna Nadolney" .

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KQQB-J8F?lang=en

This makes sense now for Dianna Nadolny. She was not married twice. Dianna took the surname of Urban. Dianna married Stanley Chmielewski. Dianna is listed as "Anna Dianna Urban." She lists Frank and Sophia as her parents. I am attaching the marriage record.

So far we (Sophia and I) cannot find Felix Nadolny in the 1940 census.

I hope this information helps with figuring out the Nadolny family.

Regards,
Trish

Re: Village in Suwałki region, Russian Poland

Sam — Fri Feb 06, 2026 10:13 am

Author: Sam

Posted: Fri Feb 06, 2026 10:13 am

Pretty sure I've come across Piotr Gałażewski's emigration record.

Re: Village in Suwałki region, Russian Poland

Sam — Thu Feb 05, 2026 1:50 pm

Author: Sam

Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2026 1:50 pm

I actually did find a birth record for Anthony Borusiewicz readily available on Geneteka. A death record for his sister Antonina is also there.

Re: Village in Suwałki region, Russian Poland

Sam — Thu Feb 05, 2026 9:52 am

Author: Sam

Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2026 9:52 am

Another discovery made regarding the Walenda family of Jeleniewo. Mary Walenda's sister, Stefania (Stella), her husband Anthony Borusiewicz, and son Joseph were traveling between the U.S. and Suwałki in 1923. Anthony and Joseph made the same trip in 1932, without Stefania, it seems.

According to the manifest, Anthony was born in Prudziszki. Stefania on the other hand names "Surpyty" as her place of birth. Could this be none other than the village of Szurpiły?

A Stella Walenda of the right age is also listed as living with or near a Gałażewski family on the 1915 New Jersey State census. Perhaps they themselves were related to Stella's future brother-in-law.

Re: Village in Suwałki region, Russian Poland

Sam — Wed Feb 04, 2026 3:47 pm

Author: Sam

Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2026 3:47 pm

Ah, well.

I just made another discovery concerning the family of Felix's wife, Mary Walenda. She had two nephews born in Suwałki: Ignacy (b. 1938 in Jeleniewo) and Ryszard (b. 1940). They emigrated in the early 60s. My dad remembers Ignacy -- it appears he is a relative after all.

Re: Village in Suwałki region, Russian Poland

Trish — Wed Feb 04, 2026 12:08 pm

Author: Trish

Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2026 12:08 pm

Sam wrote:

That should be them.

From what I've been able to gather, Pearl succumbed to cervical cancer in 1939 and Frank died three months later. They had four children: Joseph (b. 1924), who eventually went to live with his 'uncle' Felix in New Jersey; Adam (b. 1928), who joined the Air Force; Diana (b. 1930), who was taken in by a man named Frank Urban and married a Chmielewski; and Felix John (b. 1934), who also joined the Air Force. They were all minors when their parents died.

But Pearl is without a doubt a woman named Apolonia Bronikowska, daughter of Kazimierz, according to her death certificate and 1923 passenger manifest (which is in type). Nonetheless, she is still documented to have been from the Suwałki area (born in "Leszowo," family in residence at "Rogatka Kalw"). The fact that one of her sons was named Felix is also intriguing, unless such a name was common in Suwałki at the time, as it seems it was.

Perhaps my dad was right when he said his "Uncle Joe" was merely taken in by Felix and his wife and subsequently passed off as a nephew. The only instance I've found online of Pearl's maiden name being the same as Felix's is via Joseph's Social Security information.

Hi Sam,

I searched around and basically saw the same information you did. Pearl is listed as Apolonia Bronikowska on her death reacod. Kazmiierz is listed as her father on her death record and the naturalization record.

It is confusing when you see that Pearl's son Joseph, lists his mother as Pearl Galezewska on his Social Security Application.

Adam (son of Pearl) does not list his mother's name on his Social Security Application. He only lists his siblings in his obituary.

I'm having trouble finding anything on the sister, Diane. I thought I would have been able to find some type of marriage information for her.

I did see Felix Nadolny on "Find a Grave". I did see he married Gloria Pina in 2014. I didn't find anything listing his mother's surname.

I am sorry I am not of much help. I don't know if anyone else on the forum would have any idea why Joseph Nadolny listed his mother's surname as "Galezewski".

Regards,
Trish

Re: Village in Suwałki region, Russian Poland

Sam — Tue Feb 03, 2026 9:26 am

Author: Sam

Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2026 9:26 am

Trish wrote:

Sam wrote:

Dear Anna and Sophia,

I am deeply sorry for my absence and I cannot believe such a document appeared just one hour following my last post. The birthdate is indeed approximate (30 December 1901). It seems to confirm that Marianna was older than her husband, which are the facts displayed on the family's gravestone in New Jersey. And now Sowul can be considered her maiden name?

I have just started digging into the family of Felix's nephew in Pennsylvania. Felix appears to have had a sister named Pearl, who married a man surnamed Nadolny.

Hi Sam,

Was Pearl living in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania? I found a Pearl with her husband, Frank living in Dickson City, Pennsylvania. Is this the sister of Felix?

Regards,
Trish

Re: Village in Suwałki region, Russian Poland

Trish — Mon Feb 02, 2026 4:47 pm

Author: Trish

Posted: Mon Feb 02, 2026 4:47 pm

Sam wrote:

Hi Sam,

Was Pearl living in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania? I found a Pearl with her husband, Frank living in Dickson City, Pennsylvania. Is this the sister of Felix?

Regards,
Trish

Re: Village in Suwałki region, Russian Poland

Sam — Mon Feb 02, 2026 1:59 pm

Author: Sam

Posted: Mon Feb 02, 2026 1:59 pm

Dear Anna and Sophia,

I am deeply sorry for my absence and I cannot believe such a document appeared just one hour following my last post. The birthdate is indeed approximate (30 December 1901). It seems to confirm that Marianna was older than her husband, which are the facts displayed on the family's gravestone in New Jersey. And now Sowul can be considered her maiden name?

I have just started digging into the family of Felix's nephew in Pennsylvania. Felix appears to have had a sister named Pearl, who married a man surnamed Nadolny.

Re: Village in Suwałki region, Russian Poland

anna_p — Thu Nov 27, 2025 5:04 pm

Author: anna_p

Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2025 5:04 pm

Hi Sophia,
I assumed he doesn't have time but maybe you're right - I'll write a private message just to make sure he's aware of the document.
Thanks for the advice