Forum | PolishOrigins :: View topic - Surnames: Wojewoda & Nalepka (Gicala, Kokoszka too)

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hh4h

Joined: 04 Mar 2010
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Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 7:02 pm Post subject: Surnames: Wojewoda & Nalepka (Gicala, Kokoszka too)

My grandfather's Americanized name is Walter Wyoda. On his Michigan birth certificate it says, "Wadyslaf Woiwoda". (the spelling probably wasn't accurate due to the person filling out the birth certificate.) My great grandfather spelled it Wojewoda.

His father was Antoni Wojewoda and his mother was Katarzyna Nalepka. It says they were both born in Poland, but his father (Antoni) came to America in 1910. The places listed on the ship manifest were Kobyle, Galicia, & Austria. Katarzyna's manifest also mentions Kobyle, Galicia, & Austria.

Antoni had 2 brothers: Josef & Jan.
Katarzyna also had a brother named Josef. Possible names of Katarzyna & Josef's parents are Joannes Nalepka and Marianna Gicala. Possible names of a set of grandparents are Mathias Nalepka and Catherina Kokoszka.
(I apologize if these names don't add any value to the meaning of the surnames...I wasn't sure if it would help or not, but I thought I'd include it anyway.)

I'm trying to research my grandfather's ancestry, but I can't find anything based on Wojewoda as a last name in Poland/Austria. It always comes up as "the Wojewoda of" a certain province.

I'm determined to solving this mystery. Smile

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Heather Smile

Zenon
PolishOrigins Team Leader

Joined: 28 Apr 2007
Replies: 1515
Location: Poland
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Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 7:26 am Post subject:

Welcome to the Forum Heather Smile

When you look for your grandfather surname Wojewoda you always find phrase "the Wojewoda of" because Wojewoda in Polish means "governor of a province" Smile

But this is also a popular Polish last name. In 2002 there were 3781 people bearing the surname Wojewoda living in Poland. Detailed map of the surname distribution can be found here: https://nazwiska-polskie.pl/Wojewoda .

Listen how your surname is pronounced in Polish (speakers turned on): http://say.expressivo.com/jacek/wojewoda .

There are two villages of Kobyle in Galicia. One of them is located in Bochnia county and the second in Strzyzow county. However, if you look again at the Wojewoda surname distribution in Poland https://nazwiska-polskie.pl/Wojewoda you will notice that the most Wojewodas in Poland currently live in Bochnia county Exclamation

Isn't it a significant hint for you Question

Add to this the fact that also many Nalepkas (about 125) also live in Bochnia county you will have most probable location of your Kobyle, click here for the map: http://bit.ly/9rS7Z3 .

This Kobyle in 19th century belonged to Stary Wiśnicz parish and it seems that plenty of records from this parish, even from 1650, can be found in Bishop Archives in Tarnow.

Sources

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