Asking for some advice/imput on research roadblock

ossnhughie — Sat Jan 02, 2016 11:14 am

Author: ossnhughie

Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2016 11:14 am

Hello My Polish Origins friends,

Well firstly Happy New Year to all, hopefulythis year provides us all with much joy, and hopefully a better understanding of who our ancestors were and in effect we are. I have come to this well of information for many months now when I needed a hand with difficulties in translation and just general overall questions. I have found information that is hoepfully realted to a line of ancestors I have as of yet to be able to track down, my point in coming here is to ask opinions and to see if you guys think I am on the right track.

As part of my research I found a great website with lots of records that have been photographed from the Kresy area (seemingly where all my Polish ancestors came from) the site is http://kresy.genealodzy.pl (for those who are interested). I recently found on the site a number of Parish books from the late 1850's in Troki Lithuania, that pertain to communicants/penintents at the local Catholic church (I was not aware such lists existed). The books are all in Russian cursive and list all members of the Parish by villages and by families and or households.

I can't read Russian to save my life but I do know what the last names Rogowicz and Fronckiewicz look like in Russian so I took to the daunting task of looking through the 95 (oh boy) pages that make up the list. What I did find on pages 84 and 85 was what I think is a very promising lead: here's the actual book-
http://kresy.genealodzy.pl/METRYKI/spis_troki_1858/dir.djvu

* on pg. 84 Female #1931 was Marianna Rogowiczowna 22 years old, from Kiermieliszki.

* on pg. 85 Male #1803 was Jozef Fronckiewicz 24 year old, from Pietkieniszki

I am thinking these must be my 3rd great grandparents of whom I have never been able to find any trace of other than the birth records of two daughters from the same parish of Nowe Troki, and the death record of Jozef Fronckiewicz from 1872 from the Stare Troki death register.

Here are the facts as I have them and the opinion of those more expereinced then me would be most appreciated.

1. My 2nd great grandmother Jozefa Fronckiewicz a noblewoman was born on 19 March 1864 in Landwarow Lithuania and baptized in Nowe Troki. The daughter legal spouses, Nobles Jozef and *Marcjanna* (Rogowicz) Fronckiewicz.

2. Weronika a noblewoman was born on 3 February 1862 in Gorale Lithuania and baptized in Nowe Troki. The daughter of legal spouses, Nobles Jozef and Marcjanna (Rogowicz) Fronckiewicz.

3. Jozefa (#1 above) married Adolf Szymkiewicz on 22 January 1884 in Kozakiszki. She is listed as the daughter of Nobles Jozef and Marcjanna Rogowicz.

4. The Lithuanian Archives also found a death record for Jozef Fronckiewicz from 9 March 1872 in Dobrawola, Lithuania aged 54 and buried in the Stare Troki Roman Catholic cemetery. He is listed as being survived by his wife Marianna (nee Rogowicz) and sons Romuald, Rafal and daughters Weronika, Jozefa, and Scholastyka.

The first 3 records I consider to be gospel truth, and the 4th record the archivist, Daiva thinks is the same family. What are the chances on the names lining up like that (also Rafal and Weronika are names that apear often in family tree in more recent generations (ie my great grandmother Weronika Szymkiewicz and her son Rafal Michalkiewicz).

Also of note is looking at the Polish army maps from the 20's and 30's the two villages (Pietkieniszki and Kiermieliszki) that 1858 list has them residing in, literally border each other and are located a little ways west south west of Nowe Troki, another seemingly intersting point that seems to back this theory up.

The things that dont match up though that give me pause:

1. The parish list from 1858 lists Jozef Fronckiewicz as 24 years old meaning he was born about 1833-35. Yet the death record from the 1872 Stare Troki death register has him as 54 year old at the time of his death putting his birth year around 1817-1819 (over ten year age difference).

*I think the name discrepancy of Marianna or Marcjanna Rogowicz is probably not a deal breaker either*.

Also of note is that after having the Archives in Wilno search the marriage registers of Nowe Troki from:1864 back to 1844, and Stare Troki from 1864 back to 1854 no marriage records were found either. So with seemingly a mountain of evidence I still cant find the darn marriage record, and as of yet cant find the birth records of Marcjanna, Jozef or the boys Romuald, Rafal, or other sister Scholastyka.

I know its a lot to digest but any opinions, advice or pointers in general would be greatly appreciated. You guys have done wonders in the past.

Dziekuje Bardzo,

Hugh

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Asking for some advice/imput on research roadblock