dnowickiPO Top Contributor
Joined: 28 Dec 2011
Replies: 2717
Location: Michigan City, IndianaBack to top |
Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2023 6:47 am
Post subject: Re: Latin Record Translation
| TedMack wrote: | G'day Dave
I have 2 more translations that I hope you can check for accuracy. I still have trouble reading the scribes writing or what the possible abbreviations maybe.
The first is the Latin record and the marriage date differs from the Polish record that I already have, probably a transcription error. I've included my best guesses as to what it should say.
The second is a Latin record I found in the Death books that finished in 1799 - appears there were spare pages and marriages were included from 1821. Interestingly the marriages for 1821 that appear were not included in the Polish marriage records for that year in this parish. So it is a rare find of an unknown relative.
I've included the full pages of both records to assist with the handwriting - records 1 is the last entry on the first page and record 2 is the last entry on the second page.
Here they are:
Par, Tłokinia, 1825
Tłokinia, year 1825, 22 (marriage record in Polish says 20) day of the month of October, after the proclamation of the 3 banns to the people gathered and as there were no impediments to the marriage, a legitimate marriage between Tomasz Kasprzak, age 24, son of Michał and Franciszka, and, Franciszka Wochlik, age 17, daughter of Józef and Elżbieta was confirmed and presented to the witnesses Jan Stępień, Wojciech Wielgosz, Józef Woźny, and Paweł Wochlik.
Par, Tłokinia, 1821
25 February: Between Tomasz Gibas, ? (bachelor) age 20 son of Szymon ? and Józefa, maiden age 17, daughter of Józef and Elżbieta Wochlik, ? (presented to those present) Rafał Jakobak(?), Aleksandra Feis(?), Joanna Zarnecki, Józefa W?iny.
Cheers
Ted |
Hi Ted,
Although you were able to find most of the important information in the record it appears that since the vocabulary and the word order of the entry is not the same as what you have been used to seeing the translation faltered a bit. Back in the good old days I used to tell the scholars that a good way to prepare to translate a document was to first read through it without trying to translate anything. The purpose of reading through it was to determine the basic structure of the passage which was essential to translating it accurately and coherently. The entries which you are used to seeing configure the Latin in the word order which would be used in English and in simple Polish prose. What I suggest doing is in a way similar to diagramming a sentence in English. During my elementary school days we spent a large amount of time diagramming sentences as prep work for English composition. I don’t know whether that was a method you used in your elementary school days and I’m not even sure that it is still used in the USA and although it was boring work it probably did help to sharpen up composition skills. So let’s take a look at the entry you translated and determine the structure of the main sentence. The main sentence consists of a subject, a predicate, and a direct object since the verb or rather verbs in this entry are transitive. The subject is not expressed separately but is included in the verb forms. The main verbs are benedixi et confirmavi, both of which appear in the first person singular of the perfect indicative active. It is the ending of each verb which shows the person and thus the subject. In the perfect indicative active the personal endings in the singular are i (First Person); isti (Second Person); it (Third Person). In the plural the personal endings are imus, istis, and erunt (with the alternate form ere). Fortunately the only endings that you will see or have seen in Sacramental records are the 1st and the 3rd person singular of transitive verbs and the 3rd person plural of the verb to be (fuerunt with the alternate form fuere). This is found before the names of the sponsors aka godparents in baptismal records and sometimes, although rarely, before the names of the witnesses in a marriage record. Here the subject is named at the very end of the record where the priest who entered the information signed his name, (Adam Knapinski).
Now let us continue to analyze the marriage record you posted and translated. We have the subject and the compound predicate but now we need the direct object which in this case appears before the verb and is matrimonium. Now we have the bones of the sentence which in English would be I blessed and confirmed the marriage (Latin: benedixi et confirmavi matrimonium).Unto these bones we can attach the details found in the text. The marriage is legitimate (legitimum) And is contracted between Thomas (Tomasz) Kasprzak, 24 years of age, the son of Michael (Michał) and Frances (Franciszka) [inter Thomam Kasprzak anorum 24 filium Michaelis et Franciscae] and between Frances (Franciszka) Wochik, 17 years of age, the daughter of Joseph (Józef) and Elizabeth (Elżbieta) [et inter Franciscam Wochikowna annorum 17 filiam Josephi et Elisabethæ]. —A note on the choice of verbs—According to Catholic Sacramental Theology the priest was not the minister of the sacrament of marriage. The bride and the groom were the ministers. The priest was a witness and the official representative of the church and thus his function was to bless to confirm or to ratify the marriage which was contracted between the couple by the words of their mutual consent. Thus the Latin verbs which appear in this context are benedixi, confirmavi, or ratificavi (I blessed, I confirmed, or I ratified)—all of which express his role in the marriage ceremony.
Now we move on to a few tweaks to the Ablative Absolutes found in the record. Once again you translated the ideas but with a couple of missing words. The Latin text reads “coram populo ad Divina congregato”. Coram in Latin is both an adverb and a preposition. As an adverb it can be translated as publicly or openly. Here it is a preposition followed by a word in the ablative case (coram populo) which is translated as “in the presence of the people”. The words “ad Divina congregato” follow. Divina is a substantive from the adjective divinus, divina, divinum, divine. As a substantive it means the Divine Rites or The Divine Liturgy and simply put means Sunday Mass. The preposition “ad” usually means “to” or “towards”. However, when combined with a Gerundive it expresses purpose. Latin has both Gerunds and Gerundives. A Gerund is a verbal noun and a Gerundive is a verbal adjective. English also has Gerunds but not Gerundives. Normally the Latin would read “ad Divina audienda congregato”—“gathered to hear the Divine Rites/Divine Liturgy” Audienda is the Gerundive.
The final tweek involves the ablative absolute which contains the names of the witnesses. The ablative absolute in question is “præsentibus testibus” which can be translated as “the witnesses being present” or in better English “in the presence of the witnesses…”
I would translate the entry as follows:
Tłokinia, in the year 1825 on 22nd day of the month of October after the three banns had been proclaimed in the presence of the people gathered for the Divine Rites and since no impediment had been detected, I blessed and confirmed the legitimate marriage between Tomasz Kasprzak, 24 years of age, the son of Michał and Franciszka, and between Franciszka Wochik, 17 years of age, the daughter of Józef and Elżbieta, in the presence of the witnesses Jan Stępień, Wojciech Wielgosz, Józef Woźny, and Paweł Wochlik.
(Signature of priest) Adam Knapinski
The translation of the 1821 marriage is better and is basically correct with the exception once again of the section regarding the witnesses. I would translate the entry as follows:
Tłokinia, On the 25th day of February: Between Tomasz Gibas, a bachelor age 20 son of Szymon and Maryanna and Józefa, a maiden age 17, daughter of Józef and Elżbieta Wochlik, in the presence of Rafał Jakobak(?), Aleksander Feis(?), Jan Zarnecki, (&) Józef Wozny.
Note that all the witnesses are male. This fact is indicated by the masculine ablative singular ending—“o” on each given name.
Until the next time,
Dave
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