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cleonick22

Joined: 03 Mar 2014
Replies: 1

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Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 10:33 am Post subject: Surname Leoniak

Hi, my name is Chris and I am trying to find the origin or documentation of my original surname "Leoniak". When my grandfather arrived in America with his family, most kept the original name Leoniak. My grandfather however entered the US Army and changed his last name to Leonick in order to sound more American. CN anyone help me locate where my family originated from. I was told possibly Obryte Poland due to the -ak in the last name along with Leon being from the Latin "eastern" side of the Country. Any information would be appreciated.

Philip
PO Top Contributor

Joined: 03 Mar 2014
Replies: 117

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Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 10:53 am Post subject:

Hi Chris!

This should help you: http://goo.gl/LjQIbP

Then you have to find arrival's certificates of your grandpa in the USA, on that certificate there should be written where he came from (city, town, village)!

Magroski49
PO Top Contributor & Patron

Joined: 10 Nov 2008
Replies: 1762
Location: Joao Pessoa - Brazil
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Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 11:09 am Post subject: Re: Surname Leoniak

cleonick22 wrote:

Chris,

Leoniak - od imienia Leon, z greckiego Leon, z łacinskiego Leonis. Imię, notowane w Polsce od średniowiecza, pochodzi od greckiego leon ‘lew’, tłumaczone było też jako Lew.
according to http://www.stankiewicz.e.pl/index.php?kat=44&sub=543

As to -ak ending see
http://www.polishroots.org/LinkClick.aspx?link=117&tabid=360#Endings

and fourteen Leoniak here:
http://www.jewishgen.org/databases/EIDB/engine/gold.php?uid=13881003607801388100383728&referrer=httpstevemorse.orgellis2ellisgold.html&mode=running&time=1393862804365&arrivalPort=ellisgold&email=&firstkind=close&FNM=&kind=close&LNM=leoniak&companionkind=close&CNM=&townkind=close&town=&SHP=&prtkind=close&PRT=&SYR=&EYR=&MONTH=&DAY=&SAGE=&EAGE=&offset=1&MRTL=&BSYR=&BEYR=&pagesize=50&CGD=&FLD=name&FLD=yoa&FLD=age&FLD=passrec&FLD=town&FLD=tmanifest&FLD=smanifest&FLD=yob&FLD=image&FLD=annotations&SRT=name&DIRECTION=asc

Gilberto

Booby

Joined: 01 Apr 2014
Replies: 53

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Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2014 2:07 am Post subject:

Hi Chris,

I agree with Philip. It will be easiest to look at your GrandFather's immigration papers, or if he because a Citizen of the new country then look for his NATURALIZATION petition/papers to find the city he claims he is from on those papers.

If he immigrated to the USA, and if you think he might have entered through Ellis Island, you can search the Ellis Island list online, here:
https://www.ellisisland.org/search/passSearch.asp
Enter "Leoniak" in the "Lastname" box, and it found 18 Leoniak.
Sokolowic/Poland is the most common, and "Galicy" is also common ("Galicy" is an area that contained part of current day Eastern Poland & Western Ukraine during the early 1900's).

OBryte. I found 2 towns in Poland named OBryte:
1) Obryte, Ostrów Mazowiecka County. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obryte,_Ostr%C3%B3w_Mazowiecka_County
2) Obryte, Pułtusk County. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obryte,_Pu%C5%82tusk_County
There might be other "OBryte" towns in Poland.

I also found some Catholic BIRTH/Marriage/Death records via the Mormon/LatterDaySaints library (related to Obryte/Pultusk):
1) Years 1808 - 1900. https://familysearch.org/search/catalog/694345#?availability=Family%20History%20Library
2) Years 1732 - 1825. https://familysearch.org/search/catalog/435009#?availability=Family%20History%20Library
If you think your Grandfather was born in before 1900, then you MIGHT find a record of his birth in the 1808-1900 collection.
Maybe your father knows the year of birth (or a range of years) of your Grandfather's birth to help you narrow down your search, if you look for his original birth record.

booby

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