1939 Krakow - what happened to the residents?

hi all - could anyone point me in the right direction please. My father and family were in Krakow in 1939. he was called up from the reserves and ultimately came to Britain. He never returned to Poland and didn't see his family again. His mother died between 1947 and 1962(i think). His name was Stanislaw Flek and his mother was Zofia Flek z Kosydarska .I have had no luck so far in tracing her death record or grave.

Would all Roman Catholic Poles have remained in Krakow post 1939? I have sent queries to the State registry in Krakow but got a negative response( no record of death1950 -1970). My grandmother was from Tarnow originally - did the Germans send people back to their birthplaces?

As the names Flek and Kosydarska are not the commonest I thought that I would find searching easy!
How wrong could I have been?
Any ideas on where i should go with this search?
Cheers : )

Most probably remained.

Where was your father born? Where were your grandparents born?.....Could it be that they are from another town & the Archives only looked for them in the Krakow records?

Just a thought.

Hi there JCSM

I have looked in Torun Tarnow and Krakow - the places where they lived.
My father was born in Zywiec and then moved to Krakow. I have his baptism record - that is how I found his parents.

My grandparents were born and married in Tarnow.They were.
Wladyslaw Flek 1890 (Tarnow) - 1935 (Torun)
Zofia Kosydarski 1895 ( Tarnow) - ? 1950s ??Krakow

I have obtained my grandfathers baptismal record and have his parents as Jacob Flek and Wladyslawa Kaspar , grandparents as Michal Flek i Henryki Walczak and Antoni Kaspar i Zofia Medrzycki.

My grandmothers parents were
Jan Kosydarski and Teresa Jordan.

I have written to archives, Civil registration and Churches and have got no further with my grandmothers family or her fate. I can find no more family for my grandfather.

I am at a brick wall. I Ahave tried writing to Kosydarskas that I found on the interent explaining my tree etc. but unsurprisingly got no reply.

I ws hoing the names might ring a bell with someone.
Cheers

Thank you - sorry slow to reply _ trouble with email : (

I'm trying to locate information on the name Zelasko. My grandmother says we are from Krakow, Poland originaly. she also mentioned that we had a relative that was a count or military officer any help would be geatly appreciated.

Alread tried birth records from The Catholic church? Lot's of things may change in Poland, but the Catholic Church always remains.

Have you tried the Red Cross Tracing Service for WWII era displaced persons of all nationalities?

Try here:

redcross.org/services/intl/holotrace/index.html

Have you searched at ancestry.com yet to see if they have her immigration file, death info or census record showing where she was from?

I have access to ancestry. Let me know names and possible d.o.b.s on the peson you want me to search for and I'll see what I can do for you.

My family Polish/Roman Catholic's were in easter Poland (now Ukraine) in Jan. 1940 they were placed in a box car that would leave when filled by the Russians on Feb 10,1940 the train's filled and they were deported. Destination was concentration camps in Siberia. In 1942 for the ones that survived this hell, amnesty was granted. My grandfather joined Polish home army, he was one of the men that took an active part in organizing the Polish army on Russian soil. They joined up with a main mobilizing center in Buzuluk. This unit was Anders Army. For family that had survived they followed a route out to Iran and across to So. Africa. Iran had a school is Isfahan and Africa had many camps, B'Wana, Masindi and others.

Thats an Irish name :)

Dear Flekron,

Was there a painter in your family named B. Flek?

Thanks,
L.D

Is it possible she remarried and that is why you are having difficulty finding her death record under that name?

I've hit a brick wall searching for relatives in USA. I have found my great uncle Stefan Rybinski entered New York in 1910. Thanks to people on this site I found documentation to show a Stephen lived and died in Baltimore. However, I'm not sure whether Stephen & Stefan are the one and same person. The year of birth is the same, and I have a date of birth for Stephen, but I need to trace Stefan's movements so I can be sure I am dealing with the one and same person. Any ideas?

Etymology: Flek - roof patch from German Fleck.
43 such name bearers in Poland, the most in the south opf the country: Tarnów and
environs (17), Opole (14) and Katowice (5). Only 2 in the Greater Kraków area.

I have a painting in my family, artist named B. Flek. The label at the back of the picture places it to an art gallery in Krakow. This is a pre-war. I'm trying to trace the story of this painter. Perhaps was killed during world war 2. Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks

Yes! Possibly two.

Bruno Flek from Tarnow and possibly Barbara Flek.

To Maria l and LD - sorry about the long gap before a reply. I have seen some of Bruno Fleks paintings . They were rural scenes , he was born around 1914. I do not know if Barbara Flek was a painter but she was born 1919 and lived in Krakow. They were cousins. I would be very interested to hear what type of painting you have. Could you tell me anything about the gallery or the label on the painting.

I have another Krakow relative Bronislawa Flek - I do not know much about her.

It sounds like a village near Piwniczna-Zdrók called Kosarzyska

After a lot of searching and help from people on this site I have found my relatives.
Anyone trying to do the same, don't give up. The archives in Poland are amazingly well kept. It's possible to check in the Gmina (council) offices as well as through baptismal church records which provide the date of birth.

Thank you everyone.

Maybe you should write some manual? Lot of people looking for ancestors in Poland.

Hello! if you're still looking for your relatives from Tarnow I know Bruno Flek's granddaughters. I know also where his grave is.

I've read your post because my distant relatives' last name was/is Flek, and actually I knew Zofia Flek (my aunt), but it looks like it is a different person than the one you are asking about. I come from Tarnow and she lived in Tarnow, too. However she did not die between the years given by you, but much later. Her husband's name was Karol. Sorry I can't help :(

I remember Bruno, too, although he died when I was a young girl. His family (and partially mine, too) still live in Tarnow. Good luck with your searching!

Hi,

Sorry for the late late response... (Only now did I see your response...)

This is so exciting! Always wondered about this painter. My father's aunt left Krakow and took the painting with her. She had no children, so when she died, my father got this painting which we really love and is still hung in my mother and father's living room. We even changed its frame a few years back when its original one was decaying.

It is an oil painting of rural scene of snow. It is from a gallery in Krakow. If you will see this message, I would love to send you a picture of it.

If you have any additional information about the painter - I will be happy to hear.

All the best,
L.D


Hi,
I would be glad if you could connect me to his granddaughters. They would probably love getting a picture of one of his works.