typeogirl
Joined: 30 Mar 2012
Replies: 22
Location: USBack to top |
Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2012 5:21 pm
Post subject: Research on Kensak, Stare Bystre... Advice & Guidance ne
I am a beginner in genealogy research, and I am trying to trace my family back to Poland. The whole family is very mysterious. No one spoke about their life prior to coming to the US and everyone was very tight lipped. My family's surname is Kensak. I see a million variations, so I am not sure if I should focus on the spelling my family chose. Is there a spelling or variation of Kensak that would be more common that I should use while researching, I assume (possibly wrongly), they chose to spell the name Kensak to make it more American-ized, but for all I know that is how it should be spelt. I am not sure if I should also research under the polish names of Albert and John. Also, I do not know if at the time they came to the US, were they from Poland or was it Austria, or should I look for Galicia?
Also, I did find naturalization papers, and they both stated they are from Stare Bystre, Poland. I know there is a Stare Bystre, Stare Bystre Dolne and Stare Bystre Gorne. How do I know which town to study?
I am researching two men, an Albert Kensak (born 1885) and John Kensak (born 1875), both from Stare Bystre, Poland. I would like to confirm if they were brothers, or cousins. They both applied for naturalization on the same day, in the same town of NJ. I cannot find any immigration records for them at all (they came approx 1900-ish), and the immigration information they stated on their naturalization papers I cannot confirm since the names of the ships, and the dates do not coincide. I have tried using different months, years, ports and still cannot verify the information. I do know John went to Pennsylvania, all his children were born there, but I cannot find any record of them there on the 1910 census, I can only find them once they moved to New Jersey in 1920 and 1930. The same for Albert, I cannot find any record of him in 1910 anywhere, I am not sure if he was in NJ, or Pennsylvania, or where he went once he came to the US.
Are there any specialty websites one can go to research the families living in the mining towns in PA?
Any advice on trying to find them in Poland, or immigration records coming from Poland, or advice on names or where/how to search, I would appreciate.
Thanks everyone!
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Magroski49PO Top Contributor & Patron
Joined: 10 Nov 2008
Replies: 1762
Location: Joao Pessoa - BrazilBack to top |
Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2012 6:37 pm
Post subject:
Hi,
It seems I have found John's arrival. Jan Kenszak arrived at Ellis Island on August 13, 1913. He departured from Hamburg on SS President Lincoln. He was 18 years old and single. His last residence was Ratulow, which is located right between Stary Bystre and Nowe Bystre. He informed his father1s name was Jozef Kenszak, living in Ratulow. He was going to meet his brother Maciej, in Expet (?), PA. His place of birth was Ratulow. The numbers 6-26906 on the manifest indicates he applied for naturalization. You can read about these numbers in http://www.jewishgen.org/InfoFiles/Manifests/occ/
Albert is Wojciech in Polish. I will see if I can find him, as well as records for those places.
Gilberto
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Magroski49PO Top Contributor & Patron
Joined: 10 Nov 2008
Replies: 1762
Location: Joao Pessoa - BrazilBack to top |
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typeogirl
Joined: 30 Mar 2012
Replies: 22
Location: USBack to top |
Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2012 7:25 pm
Post subject:
Hi Gilberto, the John I am researching was born 1875 (according to his petition for naturalization), he said he came to the US in NY in November 1899 from Bremen on the SS Munchen but I cannot verify this info, based on census information he got married approx 1904 and had his first child in PA in 1904. His wife's name was Margaret or Margaretta Lash.
On Albert's petition for naturalization, he stated he entered the US through NY in February 1901, but did not remember the name of ths ship. I cannot tell when he got married, but he had four children by the year of 1924, but where they were born I cannot find yet. I just know his wife's name was Mary.
I totally appreciate you helping me out.
I have an ancestry account if you have some suggestions for me on things to try.
How far is Stare Bystre from Ratulow, or Czarny Dunajec, or Nowe Bystre or Mietustwo? Are they all right near each other?
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Magroski49PO Top Contributor & Patron
Joined: 10 Nov 2008
Replies: 1762
Location: Joao Pessoa - BrazilBack to top |
Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2012 7:41 pm
Post subject:
Here is a map for you. Distances are about 1 to 2 miles, that's why it makes me think they were from this area.
Margaret = Malgorzata.
Have you already checked http://www.italiangen.org/databaselist.stm ?
Off for checking a ships list.
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Magroski49PO Top Contributor & Patron
Joined: 10 Nov 2008
Replies: 1762
Location: Joao Pessoa - BrazilBack to top |
Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2012 7:52 pm
Post subject:
These are the years containing November arrivals for SS Munchen, from Bremen:
1895, 1896, 1897
No arrival in 1899, under any month.
71 ships arrived on Feb 1901; 8 departured from Bremen.
If you want to check one by one, go to http://stevemorse.org/ellis/boat.html and type the informaton in the appropriated fields.
it will return an information containg series, volume, roll, frame, etc. Note them down.
now go to http://stevemorse.org/ellis2/mm.htm?back=http://stevemorse.org/ and fill the fields with the previous information
you will be able to view each page of each manifest you have choose.
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Magroski49PO Top Contributor & Patron
Joined: 10 Nov 2008
Replies: 1762
Location: Joao Pessoa - BrazilBack to top |
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Bill RushinPO Top Contributor
Joined: 14 Dec 2009
Replies: 311
Location: Virginia Beach, Va.Back to top |
Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2012 8:23 am
Post subject: Re: Research on Kensak, Stare Bystre... Advice & Guidanc
| typeogirl wrote: |
Are there any specialty websites one can go to research the families living in the mining towns in PA? Any advice on trying to find them in Poland, or immigration records coming from Poland, or advice on names or where/how to search, I would appreciate.
Thanks everyone! |
Export is a borough in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. It is located about 15 miles directly east of Pittsburgh. Probably a small coal mining town. Grandview cemetery is located near there.
Bill
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Magroski49PO Top Contributor & Patron
Joined: 10 Nov 2008
Replies: 1762
Location: Joao Pessoa - BrazilBack to top |
Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2012 11:12 am
Post subject:
Thanks for deciphering it, Bill. I have checked Westmoreland on line marriage licenses. There are three Margareth Lash, but none of them is married to a John.
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typeogirl
Joined: 30 Mar 2012
Replies: 22
Location: USBack to top |
Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2012 6:54 pm
Post subject:
Thanks everyone so far for all your help! As far as I can tell right now, John and Albert did not apply for SS. I have done multiple searches many times on stephenmorse.org, but not the kind where you go to each page of the manifest. Some Kensaks that I found, not spelled that way but different variations, I saw documented on the ship manifests that they were going to a Mt. Pleasant, PA, but that is in Westmoreland County as well.
I continue to be stumped. I really appreciate all of the help from everyone!
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Bill RushinPO Top Contributor
Joined: 14 Dec 2009
Replies: 311
Location: Virginia Beach, Va.Back to top |
Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2012 8:42 pm
Post subject:
| Magroski49 wrote: | | Thanks for deciphering it, Bill. I have checked Westmoreland on line marriage licenses. There are three Margareth Lash, but none of them is married to a John. |
No problem Gilberto 
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ShelliePO Top Contributor & Patron
Joined: 18 Feb 2009
Replies: 1000
Location: Atlanta, GABack to top |
Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2012 10:07 pm
Post subject:
| typeogirl wrote: | Thanks everyone so far for all your help! As far as I can tell right now, John and Albert did not apply for SS. I have done multiple searches many times on stephenmorse.org, but not the kind where you go to each page of the manifest. Some Kensaks that I found, not spelled that way but different variations, I saw documented on the ship manifests that they were going to a Mt. Pleasant, PA, but that is in Westmoreland County as well.
I continue to be stumped. I really appreciate all of the help from everyone! |
My great-grandfather, Stanislaw Kulawiak, emigrated from your ancestors part of Poland (Odrowaz) to Mt Pleasant, PA around 1902 and ended up mining coal in Export, PA. The two towns are not exactly next to one-another, but I am not surprised when I see people from our area in Poland headed to Mt. Pleasant or Export. Although my great-grandfather moved his family from Export in 1921, his wife's brother Jan Kadlub stayed there and raised his family of 2 boys. The boys (now deceased) stayed in Export all their lives. I wish I had known them!
Watch for variations of the surname Lash - there were many Łaś families from my village.
Shellie
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typeogirl
Joined: 30 Mar 2012
Replies: 22
Location: USBack to top |
Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 6:39 am
Post subject:
Thanks Shellie! My Margaret Lash continues to be invisible. Like a ghost. I cannot find anything on her. I am going to try alternate spellings of Margeretta. What are other variations of Lash that I can try?
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typeogirl
Joined: 30 Mar 2012
Replies: 22
Location: USBack to top |
Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 1:20 pm
Post subject: Adding info
I just wanted to add information to my discussion. You guys here are so fantastic.
I found this one immigration record months ago, but did not know what to do with it since I cannot verify if this is my great-grandmother Margaretta Lash... I guess I need more information to do that.
In the meantime, --line 8 -- the name is Margarethe Las, date of arrival November 1, 1901 from Hamburg to NY on the SS Pisa, the date matches what she said in the census records for 1920 and & 1930, she is age 14 (according to the census she got married around age 19), from Austria - a town named Odrovacz, but I am not sure if that is Poland, Austria, Galicia.... On the 1920 & 1930 census she said she was from Poland. My current stumbling block is that I cannot find this person in PA in 1910, or where she went in PA and got married and had 4 children there. I can only find her in 1920 & 1930 in NJ. I cannot understand the handwriting on the manifest to determine the town she went to in PA, the letters are so loopy it might start with a K or an H.... Klannig Best, BL? It looks like her father paid her passage and it appears her father's name is Stanislaw Las? The passengers above her and below her are all going to Pennsylvania... There are some lightly penciled in numbers on her line too... not sure of their significance.
I am posting the link to the record on familysearch.org.... https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JFNK-336
Maybe someone can help me with some clues to determine if this is my great-grandma...
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ShelliePO Top Contributor & Patron
Joined: 18 Feb 2009
Replies: 1000
Location: Atlanta, GABack to top |
Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 6:12 pm
Post subject: Re: Adding info
Typogirl,
I can't tell you whether this is your great-grandma, but it is certainly worth a closer look! The birth place looks like Odrowaz. There are several Odrowaz in Poland, but only one of them is near Stare Bystre, and Las is a very common name in that village Odrowaz. This is my ancestral home. If your great-grandmother married someone from her part of Poland, this might be a good lead!
I have some records from Odrowaz, but this Margarethe Las is not among them.
I wonder if her destination was Kitanning, PA........
Check Ancestry.com for the same ship arrival - if Margarenthe was traveling alone, she may have been detained until her destination was confirmed or someone came to pick her up....
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