What region of poland is my family from?

Cześć! I am wondering what part of poland my originated from. I was hoping someone could tell by the dialect? For example i learned potato as kartofle and "your welcome" as (i am not sure how to spell it) "book-sop-witch". This is really the only thing i have seen a difference. Oh, and the girls of the family would say "Ji Jest Polski" to say that they are polish. I do not know if this helps, but i gave it a shot. Dziękuję i mam nadzieję na uzyskanie pomocy!

mainly used in Silesia but in other parts of PL also...


Bóg zapłać

Before it's too late (mortality never waits for anyone!), try to question the eldest family members you know, possibly old firends of the fmaily or former neighbors about where your ancestors were from. Are most of the Polish people in your area from one part of Poland? Some Polonain communities are dominaned by people of Góral (highlander), Wielkopolanian (Poznań region), Mazovian, Silesian, Kashubian, etc. ancestry. That could be a start. Also what were your fmaily's Polish surnames. At times that is also telling.

Or "ziemniaki."

Well, the story with the polish side of my family is, my great great grandma, was 100% polish. But hear family moved to Austria to live for unknow reasons. Her last name was Manko. Then, my great great grandfather claimed he was Polish and Russian, but mainly Polish. But no one really true knows. His family spoke polish, but lived in Russia. He also spoke and wrote fluently Hebrew, German, Austrian and American(english). His last name was Frederowicz, then changed to Fredricks once he came through Ellis Island. So it is hard to say, since they weren't from poland, even though they are Polish. SO, then, my family was originally from Silesia, Poland? before they moved?

Are you sure they were really Austria and Russia, not parts of Poland under Austrian and Russian occupation. For over a century before WWI Poland hadn't existed as an independent country.


Not Yiddish ? That's what Jews in Poland used.


There's too little info to say anything.

Sorry man, that is too little. Pgtx said that 'kartofle' is from Silesia, but the same is for south-central Poland where I am from (but it is quite close to Silesia...).

it's from Silesia, but it's used everywhere... every Pole knows that a kartofel is not a strawberry... ;)

No, they were polish. Well, atleast my great great grandmother was. She even said that she was polish and lived on the poland/austria border. She stated that her family ended up moving to poland. I am assuming they lived in a Polish Community their.


I am not sure. As I said, my "Dziadzi"(Ga-gee)"(i guess short for dziadek), never really spoke off his family heritage. So she may have spoken Yiddish. Some family members thought he may have been jewish, but that is just an assumtion. His family sent him to US, in fear of him being put into the Russian Army.(thats what was told to us).

Well, If he spoke the language then 99.99% he was, at least partly.

Yes, that is true. But, no one ever knew about this. My great grandmother said that he just came from Russia and was a Pole because thats all she knew. He spoke and read/wrote in 6 different languages(Polish was his 1st, then russian, austrian, german, english and jewish "guessing yiddish theb"). His family was very rich so they had the money to school him for longer periods of time. The story is, he was an only child and they didnt want him to die in war, so they paid extended family to travel with him under there name, and once he arrived at the boat, he used his real last name.

I guess He is from Eastern parts of the old republic. Mainly Belarussia, Lithuania or Ukraine. at thoose times people called all that Russia if you weren't specific (In western lands maybe that's why he said it idk) School him you mean private teacher or a very good School? Cause if it was a Good school and it's records have somehow survived and are placed on the internet or not that's a good start I say but a VERY hard one

Also She probebly came from Tatry area since you said it was near the border, then guess either near Todays Polish slovak border or even maybe Czech Rep border with Poland. It's quite hard to find them :S GL

I don't know.

I just looked at there ellis island records and my great great grandmother was from Polana, Austria (today, in southern austria), and she listed her ethinicity as Austria Polish. Then, my great great grandfather's last place of residence was Teresnica, Austria. He listed his ethinicity as Austrian, Ruthenian. Yet, he still considered himself polish. And on the survey type things they took in his town, he change where he was from. He put polish a few times, then russian and austrian. So, i guess we are a mystery.

Hey when i talk to my great grandmother and say "Jak się masz?" she answers "Dobrze, jak tee się masz?" I always just answer back Dobrze, asuming she means "And how are you?" and i right?

yes...

Dziękuję!

Start with this link
moikrewni.pl/mapa/kompletny/stachowski.html

Hi guys. I asked my great grandmother one more time and she said the same and what she is just that his family was poolish and had money. being an only child during a russian uprising they sent him here. thats all i can say.

I want to know too but I am told our family surname is like Smith or Johnson in the United States? My grandfathers name was Swierczek and I guess there are tons and tons of them in Poland? All of the Ellis Island Swierzcek's or almost all of them are recorded as coming from Austria and I was always told that they may have originally been Austrian and not Polish, but everyone still says Polish? I am confused about it. If anyone knows more about this surname or can help me please email me!

Your family name occurs mostly in southern Poland.

At the time your family moved to the USA this part of Poland was under Austria.

Check the history of Poland at wikipedia to get a better understanding

Thanks for posting that website, I have no figured out that my Great-Grandfather came from Strzyzow and my other Great-Grandfather came from Świlcza. On the documents it said Strarow is that the same town, and Swilzca is the same name?

That also helped me as well. According to the site, mój Dziadzi was from Wieruszów poland- well the name atleast.
Then mój Babcia, her name originated in Szczecinek, Opatów, Świdnik or Chełm. That is very interesting, I like this site. :)

Love that site 8) I search random names there all the time. :D Though they show my name as being most popular in Lodz, when I know for a fact my ancestors were from Kroscienko nad Dunajcem. :P Though Nowy Sacz does show up as the fourth city, which is a lot closer to Kroscienko n/D than Lodz, Zgierz, and Warsaw. =P So just be careful with what you find on that site...remember that just 'cuz Lodz and Warsaw might show up as having the most people with your name, doesn't mean that's necessarily where your family came from. There are a lot of people in those cities, so naturally there will be more people with one name there. ;)

Yeah i understand. but my families names were not common at all so there were eiother 1 place or like 2-3.

There are 3 people registered in Wieruszow under that surname.

But they only show cities and powiaty... no small towns or villages.