Forum | PolishOrigins :: View topic - Marriage name crossed out

Author

Message

a4u2fear

Joined: 25 Oct 2019
Replies: 230
Location: NY/USA
Back to top

Posted: Fri Jan 24, 2020 4:33 pm Post subject: Marriage name crossed out

I am interested in the following marriage:

Catholic parish Ostrowo k. Pakości [Ostrowo b.Amsee]
entry 1 / 1808
Thomas Podrybiński? (38 years old, widower)
Susanna Marnecka alias Gawronska (20 years old)

The scan is attached.

What I'm wondering is the Gawronska crossed out and Marnecka written in.

What could cause this? I don't believe she was a widow so I don't think it was her maiden name. Which is likely her name? Marnecka?

Any ideas?

Capture.JPG

Description:

scan

Filesize:

94.5 KB

Viewed:

0 Time(s)

dnowicki
PO Top Contributor

Joined: 28 Dec 2011
Replies: 2787
Location: Michigan City, Indiana
Back to top

Posted: Fri Jan 24, 2020 6:48 pm Post subject: Re: Marriage name crossed out

a4u2fear wrote:

Hi,

Gawronska was definitely crossed out and Marnecka entered in different handwriting. Even during the second half of the 18th Century not all Polish peasants used surnames and even during the early 19th Century surnames on non-nobles remained somewhat fluid. We tend to look at surnames as something immutable but that was not necessarily the way it was among Poles in the early 19th Century. Plenty of individuals were recorded with an alias during the first quarter of the 19th Century. She was definitely not a widow as the entry states that she was a maiden [virgine, the Ablative Singular of virgo, virginis, f. maiden/virgin (although not necessarily a virgin in the technical physical sense. It simply meant a woman who had never been married.)]. From this record alone it is not possible to tell why the alias was entered and by whom. It is also not possible to say which name is more correct. A possible strategy would be to search for her birth record under both surnames and see what shakes out. Sometimes one gets lucky and the pieces fall into place.

Wishing you happy hunting,

Dave

PolishOrigins Forum