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davepio
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Joined: 14 Aug 2013
Replies: 126
Location: Waterford, Connecticut, US
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Posted: Sun Nov 17, 2013 7:34 am Post subject: Włosłonka

I found the World War I draft card for someone that I believe to be my grandfather's cousin, Kazimierz. The town name on the card is written as Włosłonka. I've looked on maps, done Google searches and looked on lists of villages destroyed during WWII -- no mention of the name of this village anywhere.

Other clues:
-Ellis Island record from 1913 states residence = Osmolek, Russia.
-WWII draft registration card lists place of birth as Warsaw
-My grandfather was from a small village Latkowo, which is very close to Osieciny (about 185 km northwest of Warsaw).

Any suggestions on where to look next?

Thank you
Dave

village name WWI draft card.jpg

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TadWysocki

Joined: 29 Nov 2012
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Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2013 6:48 am Post subject:

Hi Dave,

Here is the explanation:

The origin of your Gpa friend Kazimierz's is Osłonki, counting now 176 inhabitants, belonging to gmina (commune) Osięciny, according to Polish historical sources in the 19th century (1827) this Osłonki counted then 10 homes, and 85 inhabitants, and the Polish family RC holy church, and cemetery was Kościelna Wies.

Why with the U.S. WWI draft card it was given "Włosłonka"? I've met same situation with other cases, helping other searchers, the immigrant told the place name in old Poland in the phonetic way "I was born w, wł (in) ........", then both w and the place name was given together.

Yes, the origin of your Grandfather was Latkowo, now counts 228 inhabitants, belongs to same gmina (commune) Osięciny, in abt 1827 counted 14 homes, and 118 inhabitants, and your Polish family ancestral church, and cemetery was:
In abt 1827: Byczyna
After that in the 19th century: Witów, now named as Witowo.

You are cordially invited to visit all these places vitrually from our Angels' view: You can see your Latkowo few miles in West of the Osięciny, the Osłonki in East, Koscielna Wies in North, Witowo in South, and Byczyna in NW, your have zoom + and - to see and touch the family homes, fields, and all their local roads to the churches and towns:

http://wikimapia.org/#lang=pl&lat=52.623477&lon=18.726196&z=12&m=h

Just to see something about your Polish family holy churches, please note some images for your Family Immigration History Book:

Koscielna Wies: http://parafiakoscielnawies.pl/?page_id=2833

Witowo: http://www.parafia.witowo.pl/page2.php

Byczyna: http://byczyna.parafialnastrona.pl/

With the best good luck,

Tad, Warsaw, Poland,
And his search method "1-10": http://forum.polishorigins.com/viewtopic.php?t=2045

davepio
PO Top Contributor

Joined: 14 Aug 2013
Replies: 126
Location: Waterford, Connecticut, US
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Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2013 7:30 am Post subject: Osłonki

TadWysocki wrote:

Dear Tad,

Thank you for all the great information that you provided. This is entirely consistent with what what I know about my family. My grandmother's family (Grzelak) is from Piolunowo and my grandfather's family (Piotrowski) is from nearby Latkowo. It appears that his (presumed - still need to confirm this) cousin, Kazimierz, is also from the nearby village Oslonki. My grandparents got married and settled in Chicago, Illinois. My grandfather cousin Kazimierz settled in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

I have not been able to dig much deeper on this side of my family because many of the church birth-marriage-death records from this area of Poland do not appear to have been microfilmed or indexed (or I am not looking in the right place to find the information).

Thank you

Dave

TadWysocki

Joined: 29 Nov 2012
Replies: 70

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Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2013 8:32 am Post subject:

Dave,

Surname location in present-day Poland confirms your both family names have survived in the area, as we can find in this local small town Osięciny, as the most developed local place in the 20th century, counting now almost 3000 inhabitants:

Mieczysław Grzelak & family Grzelak, Osięciny, Poland
Leszek Piotrowski & family Piotrowski, Osięciny, Poland

Also with Polish Geneteka indexes of my PTG - Polish Genealogical Society I can locate some Grzelak's and Piotrowski's from parish Witowo from some years of the 19th century:
Births
Grzelak: http://www.geneteka.genealodzy.pl/index.php?rid=3232&from_date=&to_date=&search_lastname=Grzelak&search_lastname2=&rpp2=5&rpp1=0&bdm=D&w=02kp&op=gt&lang=
Piotrowski: http://www.geneteka.genealodzy.pl/index.php?rid=3232&from_date=&to_date=&search_lastname=Piotrowski&search_lastname2=&rpp2=5&rpp1=0&bdm=B&w=02kp&op=gt&lang=
Marriages
Grzelak: http://www.geneteka.genealodzy.pl/index.php?rid=3233&from_date=&to_date=&search_lastname=Grzelak&search_lastname2=&rpp2=5&rpp1=0&bdm=S&w=02kp&op=gt&lang=
Piotrowski: http://www.geneteka.genealodzy.pl/index.php?rid=3233&from_date=&to_date=&search_lastname=Piotrowski&search_lastname2=&rpp2=5&rpp1=0&bdm=S&w=02kp&op=gt&lang=
Deaths
Grzelak: http://www.geneteka.genealodzy.pl/index.php?rid=3234&from_date=&to_date=&search_lastname=Grzelak&search_lastname2=&rpp2=5&rpp1=0&bdm=S&w=02kp&op=gt&lang=

Happy digging!

Tad

PS. Sorry, your family Byczyna church image is not right, here is the true image: http://www.polskaniezwykla.pl/web/place/21265,byczyna-kosciol-pw--sw--jadwigi-i-nm-krolowej-polski.html

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