Domkoski or Dabkowski - In search of my Grandfather's history

I have been using Ancestry.com and some family history, pedigree charts, etc. left to me by grandmother to research my family from Poland. My maiden name was Domkoski.

My grandfather was born in East Prussia in 1889. We think near what is today Pisz or perhaps near Olsztyn. He came to the United States from East Prussia about 1909. He was married in the US in 1911. He spelled his name John Domkoski in the US. However, I have a note from my grandmother that John's father's name was George Dabkowski. I am assuming the spelling was changed when he immigrated.

I haven't found either John Domkoski or John Dabkowski in any immigration documents or in early census documents--I just can't find the right guy. If anyone was any ideas for me, suggested resources, etc. I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks!

John = Jan, and George = Jerzy in Poland

And maybe the Domkoski surname was misspelled and it should be Domkowski - it's more popular name in Poland. I'm wondering, because I've checked the Ellis Island records and found that there was one Jan Domkowski who travelled to the US in 1907 - the data shows that this person was 15y old at the time.

libertyellisfoundation.org/passenger-details/czoxMjoiMTAxOTcwMTYwMDkyIjs=/czo4OiJtYW5pZmVzdCI7

Another name which you may be interested in is Jan Dabkowski - but he went to the States in 1923 - at the age of 38.
libertyellisfoundation.org/passenger-details/czoxMjoiNjAwMDYyMTAwMDAzIjs=/czo4OiJtYW5pZmVzdCI7

And one more thing - on the Ellis Island passengers list is also a Jerzy Dabkowski who went across the ocean at 1956.

Thank you so much. This is very helpful; I really appreciate it.

DĄBKOWSKI: toponmyic nickname for in inhabitant of Dąbków or Dąbkowo (Oakville, Oakton, Oakwood). Since accent vanished in America, Dąbkowski would have lost its ogonek (˛), ended up as Dabkowski and got Anglo-mangled into something like Dab-(rhyming with stab)-Cow-ski.

Dumping the "o" was an easy way to get rid of the "cow" in the many -owski ending surnames for which Polish is known.

Thank you, my great, great grandfather was definitely Jerzy Dąbkowski, and my great grandfather had his name Anglocized into John Domkoski. However, I can't find them on any passenger lists with dates that make sense.

Sorry about the typo: 'Dumping the "o" was an easy way to get rid of the "cow"' should have read: 'Dumping the "w"....'

One hint: dumping the 'w' was an American thing so we find such versions as Makoski, Stankoski, Rutkoski, etc. Such spellings are rare in Poland where Makowski, Stankowski and Rutkowski prevail.

Thank you. The name was definitely Dąbkowski, and my great grandfather's name changed to Domkoski in the US. One of his sons uses Domkuski; but the other two children use Domkoski. We're not sure what happened, but we think the brother's name was misspelled Domkuski when he was in the service, and he just left it. I've been in touch with my second cousin--his father was my grandfather's brother, and he and his children use Domkuski as their last name. The name confusion is making my genealogy research a bit challenging.

Merged: Searching for my roots in the former "Russian Poland"

I am thrilled that I will be traveling to Poland in March. I will visit Warsaw, but I would also like to visit the region where my family came from, but I'll have to figure that out between now and then.

My great grandfather was born Jan Dabkowski in 1889, but I don't know where. He was buried John Domkoski in Spring Valley, Illinois. The family members who are still alive know that he was "from Poland" and my aunt remembers that they spoke Polish in their home all the time when she visited them. However, none of the remaining family members know anything about where he was born. One remaining relative, the niece of my great grandparents, remembers that her mother helped put packages together to send to John's sister who was still in Poland, but she was so young she doesn't remember the sister's name or where she lived in Poland. I suspect that I still have family living in Poland, (descendants of the sister) but I don't know where.

John (Jan) immigrated to the US in either 1908 or 1909 (I have conflicting information) to join his brother, Charles, 12 years his elder, who had immigrated 1897 and Charles' wife, Helen Pierschola, who immigrated in 1902. The 1910 census says that all three of them were born in "Russian Poland" and their native language is Polish; it also indicates for all three that the birthplace of both parents is "Russian Poland." The 1920 census says that John and his parents were born in "Russia" and their native language is Polish. But, in the 1930 census, he indicates that his birthplace and the birthplace of his parents is Poland. His native language is Polish. The only clue I've had regarding place is a post card from family in Pisz, apparently sent sometime in the late 1940s.

I started trying to figure out what part of current-day Poland was once part of Russian Poland. This led me to Congress Poland. What I read indicated that the capital was Warsaw, and that Congress Poland included the Kalisz Region, Lublin, Lodz, Masovia, Podlasia, and Swietokrysic voivodeships of Poland. I tried to look at a map, but it was in Russian, and it was difficult for me to read. I found another site about the "Russian Pale" and if I'm reading it right, it indicates Kielce, Kalisz, Lomza, Lublin, Piotrkow, Plock, Radom, Siedlce, Suwalki, and Warsaw are the current parts of Poland that would have been in "Russian Poland" in 1889 when my great grandfather was born there, and in 1908 or 09 when he left. Does this seem right? Can I focus on searching for Dabkowski's in these regions? So far I've searched church records from Lublin, Radom, and Siedlce. There are plenty of Dabkowskis, but they're not the right ones.

I'm looking for any insights that can help me narrow down where my great grandfather came from. Thanks!

I really would suggest not coming then if at all possible. Come in May instead. March can be freezing cold with lots of snow or fairly cold and raining all the time, it's very unlikely to be nice weather but quite likely to still have slush and ice on the ground. May, however, is superb, most probably the best time of the year to come. Move heaven & earth if you have to, but come in May (or even late April).


Pisz was never part of 'Russian Poland'. Pisz was made up in 1945 (or perhaps 1946, I forget the exact year) because the Polish name for the town too closely reflected the fact that it had been Prussian / German for the best part of a thousand years (when given the chance to vote in 1920, the region overwhelmingly voted to join Germany and not Poland).


Sorry to rain on your parade, but looking for Dabkowskis in that region is like going to be like looking for an O'Sullivan in Ireland: lots of them, far too many of them for serious research.


All places well worth avoiding.


A stormingly brilliant city which should be on any tour of Poland, the most under-rated city in Poland.


Piotrkow is pretty mheh but Plock is worth a visit: it has a fairly charming old town square, two very decent brewpubs and the best place to eat is the restaurant in the charmingly named Hotel Petrochemia Plock, where, as the tourist bumf for the city points out "The Head Chef recommends the alcoholic beverages".


A dire toilet of a city.


Nice but very over-rated.


Unmissable.

Thank you, Harry. I do know that Pisz wasn't part of Russian Poland, it's just where the family who sent my family a postcard/photo lived. The postcard came from "Your loving Wierzbicka family" in Pisz, so that's one place I know I had family. My great grandfather and his brother indicate that they're from "Russian Poland" in the census. I guess it's not such a great clue after all.


I appreciate the advice, but I am presenting at a conference in Dubrovnik and will be in Poland on my way home, so I can't change the dates. I'll be there in the second half of the month. I don't mind cold and snow; I live in the Pocono Mountains and today is 9 degrees and snowy. I'm sure Poland is more beautiful in the spring, but I'll just be happy to be there. Hopefully, in the future, I can plan a trip in a more temperate time of year.

I was planning to take the bus from Warsaw to Pisz for a day or two, but perhaps I'll consider Lublin based on your high recommendation.

Thank you for the information!

I prefer Autumn rather than Spring.

And indeed, Pisz was under Prussian partition, though during 1st World War was occupated by Russia. After the war remained German, part of Poland after 2nd World War.

As far as I know, Pisz (Johannisburg) had never been part of Poland until the end of WW2, and during WW1 the town was occupied by the Russians only from September 1914 to February 1915.

It was Polish before partitions.

No, it seems it wasn't. See Jansbork on the map? Prussian before the first Polish partition.



en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pisz

You see the date this map refers to? ;)

What do you mean? It's the 1768 - 1772 time frame, so shortly before the first partition of Poland. Some other maps:

Poland in XVII C.

Ducal Prussia was a part of PLC as a fief.

Okay, now I understand. Although, Prussia became independent from Poland in 1653, and the territory wasn't controlled by the Polish crown before 1466. Jansbork belonged to the Teutonic Order for about 200 years, then became Polish for roughly 200 years, then Prussian/German for another 150 years. Not that it is really important, but claiming that the town was part of the Prussian partition seems to be a bit far fetched, don't you think? ;)

My guess would very much be that the Wierzbicka family were just visiting Pisz. Pisz is mainly a tourist town and is in the middle of one of Poland's most popular tourist regions. Also, people tend to send postcards when visiting places, not from where they actually live.


Given its location, Pisz might well take you the best part of a day to get to. There can't be too many direct buses from Warsaw to Pisz, especially outside the holiday season, you may well have to go to Elk or Mragowo and change there. I can't see much reason for being in Pisz for two days (not unless you have transport).


I'd strongly recommend Lublin, especially given the time of year you're coming at (it'll be far easier to find places in Lublin to spend time in to warm up or get out of the rain). Lots of trains every day and a journey time of about two hours.


No it wasn't. It was part of Prussia. Prussia was never a part of Poland (although it was during certain years it was a fief of the King of Poland).

I am looking for part of my family in the US The name Dabkowski (Dąbkowski) . They came from a small village in Podlasie . The village is called Wyk , near Lomza. If anyone has any information or need more of them please contact me.

Greorde Dabkowski - DĄBKOWSKI Grzegorz 50years, 03.06.1888 Jankowo Młodzianowo, 144/88.

katalogszlachty.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9892:indeks-zmarych-w-parafii-nowogrod-rok-1888&catid=36:indeksy&Itemid=55

zaginieni1939-45.pl/search.html

This may help a little. If so, then there is the probability we are related .

Thank you! I can give you the information I have on my family in the US whose name started out as Dabkowski. It would be amazing if we are related. I'm in Poland right now. I head home to the US tomorrow. I have learned a lot on this trip and really enjoyed myself. You can email me directly at doctor.burnside@gmail

Thanks again for the help.


Harry, I wanted to let you know I lucked out on the weather. It's been absolutely beautiful!

I was very excited, but as I looked at the record, I realized these can't be my great, great grandparents because Jan Dąbkowski, my great, grandfather was born in 1889. These look like deaths in 1888 :-( It's too bad because this is the general area where I believe their from.

I will talk to my Mum today and see what she knows. If I find somethink new I`ll e-mail it to You!!