Life / RUSSIAN BLACK TERRIERS...are there any in Poland...? [8]

Hi Wildrover,

I put the term, "Black Russian Terrier" into the Polish online translation service at poltran.com in order to get a term to type into a Polish search engine. I found, this is how you say Black Russian Terrier in Polish.....Czarny Terier Rosyjski. I entered the Polish name at wp.pl and found a link that is written in both Polish and English. They are breeders. Not sure if they are located in Poland, but since they speak English and Polish, maybe they will know about breeders in Poland if they are located else where.

They have a litter coming up in January! So, if they are in Poland that may be the answer you are looking for....enter the same term and you will find other hits in Poland. This is one that looked promising to me:

arguselectra.com

And this one....they are in Poland and have pups coming along for 2010!

magnateria.pl/dokument.php?doc=69

Life / Why do Polish people celebrate the name day? [11]

Actually, I've heard that as people get older, they tend to celebrate name day more than birthdays. I am thinking this may become my tradition, too! LOL

History / Poland Around 1883 [30]

Yes, it is more important what the natives call it. No one is denying it was Poznan and is Poznan again. But if you want to do historical research you have to go by the name that it was called during the time period you are interested in.

The example above about Zimbawe vs. Rhodesia is a good point.

If we did insist upon calling Posen in the 1880's Poznan, than we should also ignore the partitions and go on calling the country, Poland instead of Prussia.

My great-grandparents who were Polish...Josef Lewandowski and Elzbieta Bubacz also emmigrated in the 1880's, probably due to the Kulturkampf. And probably because they were poor and looking to better their lives.

All their papers say they were from Prussia. Sad, but that is what it was then. So, the original poster is just attempting to figure out where the places his historical documents tell him his family originated. He does need a cross reference as it is very confusing at times. Any one know of a good one?

Life / GERMANS LIVING IN POLAND vs POLES LIVING IN GERMANY [30]

Adding to this....the ethnic Germans that BB speaks of were Polish citizens who lived for centuries in Poland as simple farmers and villagers. My grandmother was one of these and others that I know of. For the most part, they were caught between the horror of Hitler, Russians and their fellow Poles who now viewed them as the enemy race.

Just like in America during WWII, many U.S.A. Japanese citizens were rounded up because we were at war with Japan.

Some ethnic Germans did collaborate with Hitler because they were given a rotten choice to be mistreated with Poles or declare themselves German. Some were openly for Hitler. But most were just simple farmers who did not care about Germany, but lost their homes due to Hitler. Some stayed because they loved Poland and did not want to emmigrate to Germany.

I understand that after the war, many Germans within the current borders called these ethnic Germans from Poland, "Pollacks." They were not Polish enough to be Poles, or German enough to be German.

So, those who stayed have minority rights because they had lived for centuries in Poland as Polish citizens. Some probably even fought against Hitler.

My elderly friend in Canada cheered for the Poles as his ethnic German father fought with Poland.

People who come to Poland from Germany...NOW....do not have minority rights. Just like people who come from Poland to Germany do not have minority rights. Only former residents who have lived their before border changes.

The people in both countries who have minority rights are those native to both countries, rather than recent immigrants.

I am pretty neutral as for Poles and Germans because I am half each. My mother's side are Polish from Gneizno and Poznan.

Language / POLISH ETHNIC PEJORATIVES [23]

In my genealogy research, I found a map of ethnic German settlements and their origins.

For many hundreds of years, northern Germans and the Dutch settled into the Vistula River Delta as experts at draining and reclaiming swampland. In time, they moved along the Vistula River into Central Poland. By this time, the distinction between Northern German and Dutch Mennonites was blurred. The Dutch who did not go on into Russia, mixed with the North Germans and Kashubians and formed the generally Lutheran ethnic Germans that lived in Poland until WWII.

At some point, the Swabians begun to be settled in the same area, especially around Warsaw, and they did not get along with the ethnic Germans or the Poles. The ethnic Germans and Poles had good relationships with each other, but usually separate villages. The Swabians looked down on both the ethnic Germans and Poles. They believed that they were more "cultured" than the farmers and fisherman.

As a rule were not handy as colonists, farmers, etc. and wound up relying on the ethnic Germans and Poles to help them even though they made fun of them. So to this day, being called a Szwab is very uncomplimentary.

Here is a link to the map: upstreamvistula.org/History/Breyer_Map.htm

Genealogy / If He didn't come to America by way of Ellis Island.....! [25]

Cool! I am sure that link will help gurl! Thanks Wroclaw

Genealogy / If He didn't come to America by way of Ellis Island.....! [25]

If your ancestors came at that time, they may have passed through Castle Gardens which processed new arrivals before Ellis Island.

Genealogy / If He didn't come to America by way of Ellis Island.....! [25]

Yes, he could have come through Philadelphia or other ports. My grandfather, did. Going to check ancestry.com

Maybe the middle initial "L" stand for Leopold. There is a ship record for that name. I am not an active member of ancestry.com, so I cannot provide the details. Maybe someone on here is and can give you the information.

If the link fails to work, here are the basics, scroll down for Leopold:

Social Security Death Index

Birth, Marriage & Death

Name: Karol Olechowicz
Birth: date
Death: dd mm 1965
Civil: Pennsylvania

U.S. World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942

Military

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Name: Karol L Olechowicz
Birth: date - location
Residence: city, Pennsylvania

1920 United States Federal Census

Census & Voter Lists

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Name: Leo Alechonicz
[Leo Olechowicz]
Birth: abt 1893 - location
Arrival: year
Residence: 1920 - city, Allegheny, Pennsylvania

Social Security Death Index

Birth, Marriage & Death

Name: Stella Olechowicz
Birth: date
Death: dd mm 1986 - city, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Civil: Pennsylvania

New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957

Immigration & Emigration

View Image

Name: Bronislaw Olechowicz
Birth: year - location
Departure: location
Arrival: date - New York, New York

New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957

Immigration & Emigration

View Image

Name: Boleslaw Olechowicz
Birth: year - location
Departure: location
Arrival: date - New York, New York

New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957

Immigration & Emigration

View Image

Name: Wladislaw Olechowicz
Birth: year
Departure: location
Arrival: date - New York, New York

New York Petitions for Naturalization

Immigration & Emigration

View Image

Name: John Olechowicz
Birth: year
Civil: date
Origin: location, Poland;Russia

Baltimore Passenger Lists, 1820-1948

Immigration & Emigration

View Image

Name: Wladyslaw Olechowicz
Other: Roop Olechowicz
Birth: year
Departure: location
More: See all information...

Philadelphia Passenger Lists, 1800-1945

Immigration & Emigration

View Image

Name: Leopold Olechowicz Birth: year - location
Origin: location
Departure: location
Arrival: date - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

U.S. World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942

Military

View Image

Name: John Olechowicz
Birth: date - location, city
Residence: city, New York

Hamburg Passenger Lists, 1850-1934 (in German)

Immigration & Emigration

View Image

Name: Leopold Olechowicz
Birth: year
Departure: date - location
Arrival: Philadelphia

Love / Polish men vs German men: Who is hotter? [513]

Hey Amanda91, this topic was moreorless a joke and largely in response to the men always posting pictures of hot women. So, one gave us a thread of our own to do the same. It is not serious....just fun...but some take it dead serious.

News / Dealing with constant insults against Polish [323]

I honestly have to say that the whole world has some beautiful ladies!

Miss Poland is outstanding! But like with everything else in life, generalizing can be dangerous. I like to take things on an individual basis.

Miss Germany is also beautiful, but in this case, my personal opinion is that Miss Poland has a better chance. In a different contest with different people, my opinion might be for Germany, or some other country.

This contest will be very hard to choose just one.

Genealogy / POLISH (-ski) and ENGLISH (of) = TOPONYMIC NICKS [18]

Wow! Thank you TheOther! I will checkout these three census lists! Great sources of information!

As far as "the church" records I've mentioned....no....I don't know where to find them or if they are published. They are referred to by those who have written about the German settlements in Poland whenever there is discussion as to the origins of the villages.

But, my friend who is active in many genealogy associations was able to get the local Lutheran church in the Michałki-Rypin area to show him some of their old church books, and I believe he will work on making some sort of index.

Yes, I can believe your grandmother could understand English! They say Plattdeutsch is a lot easier to learn than German as it is in a way more related to Old Saxon from which both languages developed.

I thank you for helping me. I am heading to work now, but will PM you with some interesting links about Lowland Languages. Probably you know already! But maybe something new for you....

Joan :-)

Genealogy / POLISH (-ski) and ENGLISH (of) = TOPONYMIC NICKS [18]

Thanks, TheOther. You are very knowledgeable! :-)

They were Lutheran, but in the early days of the Hollander villages in Poland, the records were kept by the Catholic Church regardless of religious affliation. I have found my family in the Żałe Catholic records. And I have also written to the Polish Archives for information.

In general, I have heard it said that the church books show that the first settlers in this area mostly came from West Prussia, or the delta areas of the Vistula River. History in general tells that many Mennonite and Dutch settlers came to this area, and some moved on to Russia, and others stayed and were absorbed by Germans and became Lutheran.

The upstreamvistuala.org site is very interesting. I like that some of the old cemetaries are being found and preserved for history.

A friend who is very deep into genealogy went to Poland this past summer and he found that the church has many records locally, some that were not filmed. So, I am hoping eventually to see if it tells of where they came from before settling in Central Poland. Otherwise, I just have the general trends of where people settled from the west.

I am now also interested in extending my genealogy further back on my Polish side. It took a long time to find out where my Poles were from, but I found my great-grandparents marriage record in Gniezno. I'd like to find out their sibling's names and trace descendents to see if I have family there.

Thanks for the film numbers and for your interest!

P.S. I have re-established contact with family from that ethnic German line that now live in Schleswig-Holstein. And they have in their memory Dutch roots. And the Low German they spoke seemed to have some elements of Dutch and Low Prussian.

Genealogy / POLISH (-ski) and ENGLISH (of) = TOPONYMIC NICKS [18]

The farthest I have gone back so far is my ethnic German line. Marćin Szultz (Schultz)born abt. 1761 and his wife, Anna Leide, born abt. 1768. They moved to Zajeziorek, Zale, Rypin, Poland and that is where they raised their family and died. I need to get the church records to see if where they came from is on the death certificates.

I suspect Holland or northern Germany near the Dutch border, as they were farmers in Poland under the Hollander system. Perhaps not directly from there, but they may have lived closer to Gdańsk in the river delta area like many of the Dutch who were called upon to drain the lowlands like back home. The Dutch and Germans gradually moved south along the Vistuala river. Szultz usualy is an occupational name related to the Hollander system and refers to the "mayor" or manager of the village who collects money for the leases to the Lord.

Love / My Perfect Love Story so I thought [73]

Very thoughtful and kind reponse Thomasee73. Perfect example of support along with a healthy dose of reality.

Travel / Help with travel to Gdansk [30]

Do your family know about your visit? I am sure they can help some. I went to Gdańsk this past October and I know very little Polish. You will find that people who are 50 years old and older, usually know German rather than English as they grew up in Communistist times. But most younger people speak some English.

There is an airport in Gdańsk, and train and bus service from the airport. I had friends pick me up. I did not rent a car, and stayed in a hostel in Gdańsk so I could see the sights by foot.

If your family is outside the city, you may want to rent a car. I am sure you will enjoy your trip. It is a lovely city.

And yes, summer is great, and fall.

Love / My Perfect Love Story so I thought [73]

Thanks "theboywholived." I can see this is a very kind and good man. But, he will be all right.

I hope if Kasqures goes to Poland to keep his promise, that he gets closure. Good luck!

And, JohnCardwell, amazing story with a lot of insight for Kasqures. Hard to believe a lady could be that selfish.

Love / My Perfect Love Story so I thought [73]

Many people meet and chat on the net, they webcam each day, and phone one another. Several I know were like this and considered themselves to be in a relationship. They met after a few years, it still felt right, and one couple is very happy and married after five years.

It may be "Just" an internet relationship to you, but many people develop a strong emotional bond. No sex, so lots of talk about who you are, what you hope for in life. You really can get to know another's soul. Or so you think. Yes, meeting in person is important, but that was all set to happen. This man dedicated himself to finding a way to come to Poland, and she said she was equally committed. He could have dated, been with other women, but he took his promises to her seriously, and she seemed to do so, also.

No wonder he is hurt. But there have been excellent suggestions to help move on. It takes time, there is a big hole in his life where he was chatting, calling and dreams he had. He will get over it. And make his heart open again.

Good luck, I do feel sorry for what happened and I understand that this whole relationship was very real for you.

History / Battle of Grunwald 2009 [24]

And I'll bet that helmet is freshly shined, too. Dents or not!

Looking forward to seeing the pictures of the re-created battle!

Genealogy / My genetic ancestry results [11]

Thanks for the update. One day I will get around to the autosomal tests and might want to do what you have done, as well.

Genealogy / My genetic ancestry results [11]

Cool! I am glad more people are being tested. I'd like to have more than just my MtDNA done. I am about half Polish and half ethnic German from Poland. My mother's side should reflect the Polish ancestry, but her mother's mother's line were U5 which is most popular in Finland and among the Saami. But that is in the very distant time.

Travel / Now Gdansk is tipped as a hot spot for 2009 [24]

Even some of the grey, drab "commie" blocks are being spruced up. I stayed with some friends, for a few days and had arrived at night. I was surprised when I woke in the morning because everything used to be grey.

Darn, the file size is too big. I'll have to see if I can resize and post later. Sorry....tried twice.

Love / Polish men vs German men: Who is hotter? [513]

Patrycja19, you may have solved the whole energy crisis!! Great idea! LOL

I have to fess up though, bf and I live about 45 minutes from each other, so the laundry thing is more occasional and done when we've gone boating or on a vacation together and before I know it, my stuff is cleaned, dry and ready to go.

However, he is almost always very thoughtful and does things to surprise me. He called me around the time I get off from work and invited me to a delicious homemade Chinese meal yesterday. Good thing it was not a bean dish! ;-)

Life / Beatles Songs with Polish Lyrics [5]

There is a Polish group called Zuki that is known as the Polish Beatles. I am not sure if they actually did Beatles songs with Polish lyrics or not.

History / Who here lost out because of WW2? [9]

Thanks Ozi Dan and isthatu2. I was out of town a few days and did not see your comments.

And yes, isthatu2, you're right about many who were at one time ethnic Germans now being completely Polish. Another man that I write to who has a genealogical interest in the same area as me (and is a fifth cousin), found he has Leichnitz relatives still in the area, and they are now known as Lejchmic. And of course, they have married into Polish families over the years.

And Socrates, that is very sad about your family connections being broken. I have something kind of similar, but not so extreme. Since my grandmother who was ethnic German and came to America in 1912, had two brothers and a sister that stayed in Poland, I have lost tract of where they are. Recently, since I am in touch with the descendants of my grandmother's sisters that emmigrated with her, I have been attempting to find my other relatives in Europe.

All I had were unnamed portraits because my grandmother had not labeled them. Evidently, she and her siblings in Europe stayed in touch. When she had a stroke and her home was sold to move into a nursing home, my mother threw out the pictures because they were unlabeled. I retrieved them and always wondered, is that her sister? Or is that a woman who married her brother and where are the children.

Evidently they were expelled to Germany, as that descendant of my grandmother's sister in this country found she had an evelope in her mother's shoebox with an address in a refugee camp in Germany. I've found that one brother's son died, and others lived on, and I have zeroed in an area in Germany where I may find them. Happily, this same lady had all the portraits that I had, but they were labeled and my confusion of who is who was cleared up. And she had other pictures showing grandchildren, etc. So I was happy that some of them lived on.

I am very sorry of your horrible losses. I had a boyfriend from Poland at one time and I learned of all the hardships and losses from him. It breaks my heart.

History / Who here lost out because of WW2? [9]

In the course of my geneological research, I ran across an old man (ethnic German),who had lived about 30 miles from where my grandmother had lived in Russian-Poland. My grandmother emmigrated to the USA before WWI, but his family stayed in Poland.

I enjoyed hearing his stories of how Polish people and German people got along before WWII. (I am half Polish and half German).

Anyway, they were poor farmers and worked for a Polish nobleman. He recalls that the Polish nobleman had him stay on the manor during the summer to play with his son. The first time he had icecream and went to a movie was with the Polish family.

After a number of years his parents earned the right to their farm. His father was in the Polish armed forces when WWII broke out, and he and his mother were alone. He remembers how they cheered when the Polish planes flew overhead.

During the winter, when Germany was losing the war and the Russians were advancing, he and his mother and their neighbor were told to flee to Germany. All Ethnic Germans were ordered to leave. They put all their clothes layered on their backs and rode the neighbor's horse.

There were bombs exploding, bridges down and people crossing the rivers in wagons and however they could do it. He told me of having to pee and going behind a bush to see a dead man with his eyes open. He was 14 years old at the time. Anyway, with the Pottsdam Treaty in effect they had to leave behind everything, even though they were not part of the Germans who came in with Hitler. Their ancestors had lived in Poland for hundreds of years, and they were Polish citizens.

They made it safely to Germany, but were not fully accepted at first by the Germans as being German, but gradually integrated into post-war Germany. Eventually, he moved to Canada. He tells me that when he hears the German national anthem or the Canadian national anthem, neither move him. It is when he hears the Polish anthem that he feels a sense of pride.

He has had a good life in Canada, but finally in the 1980's he got to go and visit Poland. He looked for his family's old farm, and it was there. Of course, Poles from further east had been settled in his old farmhouse. I wish more people were like him. He never resented them, in fact they had a son of about 14 years of age and he identified with the teen. The family and him have kept in close touch and send birthday and Christmas presents to each other. I think he has become an "honorary part of their family."

I thought I tell this because these threads usually wind up saying that my people suffered more than your people did as a result of WWII. My conclusion is that it was horrible for all. I hope that people can remember, and learn a lesson, but forgive and realize that the people living nowadays did not have anything to do with all the pain and suffering. I am extremely proud of Poland even though I am an American. I admire how it has risen from the ashes so many times and always stood for freedom.

USA, Canada / DO POL-AMS GIVE THEIR BABIES POLISH NAMES? [4]

My friend, Eva (Ewa) was born in Poland, and moved to the USA when she was 16 years old. She had most of her children when she was in her late 30's, early 40's. She named her first son, Shaun.

Her other children are Jakub, Ashton, Symone, and Monique.

My mother was born in the USA and named Joanna. I am Joan. :-)

News / Is Poland ready for the swine fever stuff? [59]

There is no vaccine for this one, yet. Just the Tamiflu medicine that ShellyS mentioned. It's a general anti-viral medicine.

History / Heretics Asylum - The First Republic of Poland [50]

On my two trips to Poland, I was interested in seeing the areas where my Polish ancestors had lived, as well as my ethnic German ancestors who bear testimony to the wonderful way that Poland welcomed all those of different faiths needing a home.

They were originally part of the Flemish/Frisian (Dutch) Mennonite groups that came to Poland for religious freedom. At some point, they assimilated with the German Kashubian Lutherans and Prussian Germans.

At this point, the Polish nobles wanted the swamps and forests cleared and with their Dutch/North German ability to reclaim swamp land, they were welcomed in the area around Rypin and Lipno and guaranted the right to remain Protestant.

This link shows the little wooden Lutheran church that my grandmother attended as a child, and the Lutheran church that was built later.

upstreamvistula.org/Parishes/Michalki.htm

Love / Age difference in our relationship. I'm 41, my girlfriend is 27. Common in Polska? [57]

Yes, your age gap is relatively small. I know many people with 30 year gaps, either a YW/OM or OW/YM.

For more support you could visit: agelesslove.com

They have many happy stories to tell! :-)

Love / SOS!! I feel a little hopeless with my Polish husband... [58]

Yes, find a way to leave him where you can be safe!

There must be shelters in your area. No way of relating to him will change this situation. He is an abuser and they are always nice to you in the beginning and to others. Sometimes they say they are very sorry for what they do to you, and you see the nice side again. But it will get worse and worse. Some woman stay stuck in this pattern hoping to find a way to bring out that nice person again. Impossible to do. He needs to want to change and to go to a professional for help. In the meantime, your safety is at stake.

It is possible no one will believe you since he so charming. Doubly important to just get help from centers that deal with spousal abuse. This is very serious.

Your life may be at risk if you stay with him. Certainly your self-esteem and well-being are already at stake.

P.S. If he has left marks on you, documenting this with photos might be a good thing. Figure out how to do this without him knowing and keep them someplace else. He will be very angry if he finds them, but it will help to establish the truth if you divorce and need proof down the road. Main thing though is get out of there like Krysia said ASAP. Make sure he has no idea you are leaving. Be wise.