Polish Family History, Cwirko-Godycka.

I'm half polish (on my mothers side) and I know very little about that side of my family, I'd like to trace my Polish ancestory but am not sure where to start, I no longer have any contact aith my mother or with any other relatives on her side.

My grandparents moved to England from Lublin in the late 40s (I think) and married here in 1950 there surname was cwirko-Godycka, my grandfather was an Architect and my Grandmother a nurse they lived in Ealing until they both died in 1988, that's about all I know.

Any info or advice would be great,
Thanks, Natasha.

Jozef Bakowski married Teresa Cwirko. March quater, 1951. Dewsbury.

if nothing else... there were people in the uk at that time with the same name.

have a look at:

ancestry.com
family search
rootschat
jewishgen

ĆWIRKO: onomatopaeic, imitative of the chirping or twittering of birds as in the verb ćwierkać˛

GODYCKI: possibly derived from the old first name Godzimir or topo nick from Godów.

BĄKOWSKI: topo nick from Bąków or Bąkowo; the bąk root-word has many different meanings including horsefly, top (spinning children's toy), toddler and, last but not least a fart as in puszczać bąki (to break wind). Someone inclined to do so migth have been humorously nicknamed Bąkowski (Fartington or simialr).

Cwirko-Godycki family
try getting in touch with Jerzy Cwirko-Godycki at jerzy@astound.net who has build a huge family tree on Myheritage.com There are other family trees there as well - one created by Zenon Cwirko-Godycki and there should be one by Witold. The equivalent of Freinds re-united (NaszaKlasa) in POland lists around 300 Cwirko-Godycki's. There are also plenty with this name on Facebook. The names are a combination of both Cwirko and Godycki and have been used interchangeably they come under one family crest Warnia. You might be surprised by what you find...

Engineer architect Feliks Cwirko-Godycki was owner of the estate Oblasy (years 1890). Oblasy near Pulawy, Janowiec and Lublin. Marriage Janina Lisowska + Lucjan Godycki-Cwirko from Oblasy made family relation to my cousin (Janina is Aunty). Few members of Godycki family rest in Janowiec cemetery. Janina born 13.06.1896 and died 20.02.1981. Lucjan Godycki-Cwirko(na) Barbara Godycka-Cwirko 1907-1987.

Do you know first name of your grand father? Stanislawa (I guess) Cwirko-Godycka still lives in London (might be 90 now), she is a cousin of Feliks who owned the castle in Janowiec, and she studied (garden) architecture also in Lublin, she and her 2 sisters and two brothers come from Lithuania (now Belarus), somewhere near Nesvizh and it is where all the family originated from, I guess. I might get her address for you if you still interested in the subject, but I do not know if shy will like to talk with you, she might, I remember her as posh and nice lady.

W warszawskim archiwum przypadkiem znalazlem korespondencje od Anny Godecka-Ćwirko z Nieświeża do warszawskiego urzędu z 1938 roku.
I found letters of Anna Godecka-Cwirko from Nesvizh to warsow office 1938.

I've just taken up my research again and have since found out my grandfather Stanislaw Cwirko Godycki was a pow in poland in 1944 and was born in Russia but I can't seem find out any more other than he was a member of the Belorussian society in Finchley London.