Paternal grandparents Feldman/Prochnak born 1879, married Waipahu, Hawaii 1899

I have a copy of my paternal grandparent's marriage certificate dated May 21st, 1899 in Waipahu, Hawaii. I know many Poles went to Hawaii to work on sugar plantations. I assume my grandparents were among them. They went to San Francisco after that. I think they were born in Krakow. My grandfather was Edward Feldman, born 7/10/1897. His parents were Anthony Feldman and Joanna Ostroski. My grandmother was Magdalena Roszko Prochnak, her parents were Vosyl Prochnak and Mary Ludwig. I would love to find out more about my grandparents as I am planning a trip to Krakow. I saw an archived mention of someone doing research on the sugar plantations and was wondering if anyone has a similar quest with some answers or a starting place to look. I've tried several sites but to no avail. Thanks

Merged thread:
info on Polish contract labor on Hawaiian sugar plantations, 1896-99

My grandparents were married in Waipahu, Hi in 1899. Waipahu had a sugar plantation, I am assuming they were among the contract laborers from Poland. My grandfather (Edward Feldman) I believe was born in Krakow, am not sure if my grandmother (Magdalena Roszko Prochnak) was from there or did they meet in Hawaii?. I am trying to research my family history in Poland. Any info would be much appreciated.

this date


this date make no sense.

are you saying your grandfather was born in 1897 and married in 1899 at the tender age of two?

:)

I know its confusing at times. alot of dates and alot of names to remember ;) lol

PRÓCHNAK/PROCHNAK: root-word próchno (dry rot); sometimes stare próchno is said of a crumbly old person who appears to be rotting from the inside; his son could have been dubbed Próchnak; or topo nick from Próchna or Próchnik.

ROSZKO: from first name Roch (Italian Rocco): or topo nick from Roszki or Roszkowo.

OSTROWSKI: root-word ostrów (archaic word for islet); topo nick from numerous localities called Ostrów, Ostrowo, etc.

FELDMAN: German or Yiddish for fieldman

LUDWIG: from German first name Ludwig (Louis); Polish equivalent = Ludwik.

oops, thanks for pointing that out...he was born in 1879!! he married at age 20.

I have been tracing my family for a number of years now.

Some Polish authorities will not issue any certificates unless you can prove you are a close relative (!) In my case my parents and grandparents were deported on 10 February 1940 by the Russians to Siberia. Any documents of identification were taken from them. They landed in the UK after the war as displaced persons and without any ID other than travel documents which the UK authorities issued. There is no way I can prove I am related to my grandparents because my parents do not have their own birth certificates to show their own connection to their parents.

My mother and father were born in what is now the Ukraine and Belarusse respectively. I have checked with the archives in Warsaw and the archdiocese of Bialystock and the registers related to my father's and his parent's birth and marriage were destroyed (by the Russians, Belarussians - the Germans tended not to destroy registers - but who knows). The same is true of the registers relating to family on my mother's side.

However, after visiting a lot of cemeteries and piecing together a lot of information gleaned from grave stones I have found some information from the church register from the late 1800s. During the communist era church registers seemed to have been confiscated by the civil authorities so this particular one is in the hands of the local "urzad stanu cywilnego". I have been there a couple of times and they won't issue me with a copy of the entry relating to my grandparents' marriage because I can't prove with first hand direct evidence that I am directly related to my grandparents. They tell me that their records are confidential and they also need to know why I want the certificate. It's bonkers. The clerk was very job's worth and gave me to understand that register entries are state secrets!

However, I have managed to obtain a death certificate from another "urzad" without proving my connection.

I think if you have the time and the inclination you might want to visit some cemeteries in Krakow and try and piece together earlier family. If there is a Jewish connection then I think there are Jewish organisations which may be able to help.

Did you know that the Mormons have the largest collection in the world of genealogy records. You can access their site online (I can't post the link but go to the main Mormon site) or attend their offices in Salt Lake City where they have 100s of computers which visitors can use for free. I found the missionaries extremely helpful but unfortunately I did not get any further with my research.

Good Luck

Thanks for your reply. It is so frustrating. I know I must have relatives in Poland. Visiting the graveyards is a good idea, however, I hope to uncover more before I visit Krakow (optimistic?). I will re visit the Mormon site as my first time was not successful. I am waiting for some documents from INS as I do have a copy of my grandfathers Naturalization certificate. It is a start. It sometimes seems that they didn't exist as there are no records beyond the US. Good luck to you.

Checking back to see new information in compiling background for Hawaii. Looking for any surviving people from wartime generation.

FELDMAN: popular German/Yiddish surname well-known in Poland; literally fieldman meaning a field-dweller, tiller of the soil or farmer.

OSTROWSKI: root-word ostrów (archaic for island); probably toponymic from numerous localities called Ostrów, Ostrówek, Ostrowo, Ostrowiec and similar; very popular -- some 38,000 users..

PROCHNAK: root-word proch (dust) as in "From dust thou art and to does thou shalt return." Possibly a topo nick for someone from the village of Prochy or Prochowice.

Aloha! I'm Polish (100%, from Warsaw) married to a Hawaiian who has 8 generations of ancestors in Hawaii. I'm fascinated by the history of Poles in Hawai'i. I would love to connect with people who are of Polish descent in Hawai'i or who have grown up in Hawaiil.

My spouse's grandmother was 1/2 "Portuguese" and 1/2 German (maiden name Ebling, married to Burgess). She was from Kauai. She died in 1992 I think. I met her. I was very surprised that she and her daughter, my mother in law, used the same "old wives tale" remedies as we do in Poland. I always thought it was the European connection but after reading some postings here (polishforums.com/archives/2005-2009/genealogy/contract-labor-hawaii-35804/) it's very likely that Poles in Hawai'i were erroneously registered as German, Austrian or even Spanish (from Galicia).

It would be crazy if I were able to find Polish ancestry among my spouse's relatives!

@katmell I can't help you with your search (unless it's language assistance in Polish) but I'm very curious about your ancestors in Hawai'i and whether you keep in touch with those relatives. I'd love to hear from you. My email: djk@pobox.com.

In Poland these records are closed for 100 years after the books close. Since the places of their births are now across the border in Ukraine and Belarus, you might have better luck checking in the archives there. If they are there, you should be able to get them. The other issue you raise is the bureaucratic circle you experienced. It is quite common when dealing with the bureaucrats and a government that chooses to ignore the effects of WWII on those who were victims of it, if they left. It requires finding a lawyer who can compel them to open the records to you. I won't recommend any one lawyer, but in such cases, a lawyer is required to simply get access to the records.