Posted: Thu Feb 06, 2020 11:27 pm
Post subject: Finding Obituaries in Poland from the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s
Hello, I'm new to the forum and just started doing genealogy a little over a year ago.
I was wondering if there was a way to find obituaries in Poland from the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, etc.?
My great-grandfather, Ignatius Joseph Dombrowski, immigrated from Łacha, Poland in the early 1900s and eventually settled in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He died in 1967, long before I was even born, but in his obituary, it mentions he still had two younger siblings, a sister, Katarzyna and a brother, Stanisław living in Poland who never came over to America.
I have Katarzyna's birth/baptism record as well as Stanisław's and a note about Stanisław's marriage on his baptism record.
I know Stanisław Dąbrowski was born on 30 Apr 1905 in Łacha, Poland and baptized 14 May 1905 in Kolno, Poland at St. Anne's Catholic Church. Then he married a Anna Ulusińska in Leman, Poland on 27 Jan 1931, maybe at St. Rocha's Catholic Church?
So I know Stanisław was at least alive in June of 1967, but I have no idea where he was living in Poland at the time, maybe still in Northeastern Poland, maybe not, and I don't know when he died, it could have been in the late 1960s or the 1970s or even the 1980s? I have an old picture, probably taken in the early 1940s of Stanisław, his wife, Anna, and their 5 children at the time.
Are obituaries common in Polish newspapers? I guess it would be like trying to find in needle in a haystack if the newspaper hadn't been scanned yet and I have no idea where they lived. What about a Polish cemetery database, does one even exist?
Any help would be much appreciated, possibly leading me in the right direction.
-Chris
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SophiaPO Top Contributor
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Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2020 5:59 pm
Post subject: Re: Finding Obituaries in Poland from the 1960s, 1970s, 1980
cjseliga wrote: | Hello, I'm new to the forum and just started doing genealogy a little over a year ago.
I was wondering if there was a way to find obituaries in Poland from the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, etc.?
My great-grandfather, Ignatius Joseph Dombrowski, immigrated from Łacha, Poland in the early 1900s and eventually settled in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He died in 1967, long before I was even born, but in his obituary, it mentions he still had two younger siblings, a sister, Katarzyna and a brother, Stanisław living in Poland who never came over to America.
I have Katarzyna's birth/baptism record as well as Stanisław's and a note about Stanisław's marriage on his baptism record.
I know Stanisław Dąbrowski was born on 30 Apr 1905 in Łacha, Poland and baptized 14 May 1905 in Kolno, Poland at St. Anne's Catholic Church. Then he married a Anna Ulusińska in Leman, Poland on 27 Jan 1931, maybe at St. Rocha's Catholic Church?
So I know Stanisław was at least alive in June of 1967, but I have no idea where he was living in Poland at the time, maybe still in Northeastern Poland, maybe not, and I don't know when he died, it could have been in the late 1960s or the 1970s or even the 1980s? I have an old picture, probably taken in the early 1940s of Stanisław, his wife, Anna, and their 5 children at the time.
Are obituaries common in Polish newspapers? I guess it would be like trying to find in needle in a haystack if the newspaper hadn't been scanned yet and I have no idea where they lived. What about a Polish cemetery database, does one even exist?
Any help would be much appreciated, possibly leading me in the right direction.
-Chris |
Hi Chris,
I am trying to think of the best way to help you. Obituaries, as you are familiar with them, were not in newspapers in Poland in the years you cite. Rather, a death notice ("klepsydra") would be posted on a physical bulletin board in the locale where the person had lived. That same bulletin board would be used for all kinds of other notices for the general public to read.
Regarding a database of burials in Polish cemeteries, no, you will not find that either, other than whatever contributions people are making today into databases like Find A Grave.
Your search is made even more difficult by the fact that the surname Dąbrowski is not rare, so searching for info on Stanislaw Dąbrowski would get you far too many people, not likely to be related to you. I have greater hopes for you if you follow Anna's maiden name. However ..... I do not think you have the correct spelling. I went to Stanislaw's birth record and copied the image of the notation of his marriage, from the margin. I hope others will come look at it and help decipher it. I do not see those letters as spelling "Ulusinska." It is difficult because this particular writer has no difference between lower case "n" and "u" as you can see in the way "Anna" is written.
If you were able to figure out exactly what that name is, then you might try making an inquiry in Leman for any families by that name, who have an Anna in their tree who married Stanislaw Dabrowski in 1931.
Hoping for input,
Sophia
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SophiaPO Top Contributor
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Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2020 6:57 pm
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P.S. I just went to Find A Grave. There is a Stanislaw Dabrowski, born 1905, buried in Leman. Go take a look. No mention of Anna on the stone...
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Posted: Tue Feb 11, 2020 9:37 pm
Post subject:
Sophia wrote: | P.S. I just went to Find A Grave. There is a Stanislaw Dabrowski, born 1905, buried in Leman. Go take a look. No mention of Anna on the stone... |
Thank you so much Sophia, that could be him.
Looking at the picture on the tombstone and the picture I have, which I believe is from the early 1940s, they both have that distinctive high cheek bones.
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Posted: Wed Feb 12, 2020 7:58 am
Post subject:
Sophia, I found a grave marker for a Anna Dabrowska (1909-2006) in that same cemetery, I wonder if that could of been Stanisław's wife?
The picture on the tombstone does kinda look like the face of Anna from the photo I have from the early 1940s.
Also, after analyzing Stanisław's tombstone, the one with Witold, who I assume was his grandson since he lived from 1970-1986, is that the entire marker or just the right half of it? I wonder if there was more inscriptions to the left of the crucifixion with more people buried in that plot?
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SophiaPO Top Contributor
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Posted: Wed Feb 12, 2020 8:08 am
Post subject:
cjseliga wrote: | Sophia, I found a grave marker for a Anna Dabrowska (1909-2006) in that same cemetery, I wonder if that could of been Stanisław's wife?
The picture on the tombstone does kinda look like the face of Anna from the photo I have from the early 1940s.
Also, after analyzing Stanisław's tombstone, the one with Witold, who I assume was his grandson since he lived from 1970-1986, is that the entire marker or just the right half of it? I wonder if there was more inscriptions to the left of the crucifixion with more people buried in that plot? |
Hi!
I was just looking at the same thing. It may well be her. She lived a long time!
There are a few other Dabrowski family members buried there, as well. There is also one stone where the name appears as Dabrowscy, don't let that throw you, it is simply the plural of the name.
These graves are obviously well cared for. You should be able to make a connection to a living family member, if that is your goal.
I want to make one additional suggestion. If you go to Find A Grave, and do not enter a surname, but in the box for the cemetery location, start typing Leman and it will give you the whole cemetery name. Click on search. You now have all the names that have been entered in Find A Grave from that cemetery. In addition to looking at Dabrowski graves, scroll on down to names that begin with U. These two names are the ones I keep finding in lists of people from Leman. Neither looks the faintest bit like "Ulusinski" nor like the name written in the margin for Stanislaw's baptism. Just make note of them, for future reference.
Best,
Sophia
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SophiaPO Top Contributor
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Posted: Wed Feb 12, 2020 8:20 am
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P.S. To your question about Witold, he could be a grandson or even a great-grandson, right? If you are wondering, the "zm. trag." does say that he died tragically.
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mcdonald0517PO Top Contributor & Patron
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Posted: Wed Feb 12, 2020 12:38 pm
Post subject:
Hi,
I took a look at the margin note in his birth record and taking Sophias comments regarding the handwriting into consideration, I see Ulnieska. I then entered that name into Geneteka to see what variations would come up. The closest is “Ilnicki or Ilnicka” which when pronounced would sound like Ulnieska.....
If you have access to the parish books for Leman, perhaps you can check and see if the Ilnicki surname is present.
Just a guess...
Cynthia
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