Name: Shimonkevitz (formerly Szymonkiewicz / Siemianowicz, other spellings), Warmińsko-mazurskie, Poland

My father's family name was phoneticized to Shimonkevitz when he went to school (he only spoke Polish at home until then). There are several spellings, and it seems to be a fairly common name, if all of the possible spellings are included.

It means "son of Simon (Simon), from what I understand. My grandfather's immigration records says that he emigrated from Warmińsko-mazurskie, Poland (it was listed as Russia at the time, in 1910).

Here's the thing - I've grown up in a Jewish community in the USA, so I know many US Jews, and Israelis. Many tell me that my name, and the patrynomic structure, must be Jewish. I have had many Israelis hear my name, and immediately begin speaking to me in Hebrew.

There are records for my grandmother, who arrived separately. But I have never managed to find any more info on my grandfather's origins beyond his immigration to the USA in 1910.

The family was typically Roman Catholic, along with all of the other Poles in the town in Pennsylvania where my Dad grew up.

Any thoughts or ideas on this? Thank you. (And no, sorry, I never learned to speak Polish - I really wish I had).

I should add that I've also seen information listing my grandfather's origin and near Boguszów-Gorce. A completely different area. I have not way to find out with my current resources. Either Boguszów-Gorce or Boguszewo.

Title edited - Szymonkiewicz is the best match ;)

You have confounded many things here. Warmińsko-mazurskie was never in Russia, but had been in East Prussia since about the 14-th century. There are two Boguszewo's: one Boguszewo is in Kujawsko-pomorskie, another Boguszewo is in Podlaskie and that other one was in Russia in 1910.

Boguszów-Gorce is in that part of Lower Silesia which had been ethnically Polish until the first half of 13th century. Then it became ethnically German and remained as such until 1945, so it is very unlikely that your father speaking Polish at home came from that area in 1910.

Ok, excellent information here. Thank you. The immigration records definitely say Russia. So to clarify - which Boguszewow was in Russian control in 1910? Thank you.

According to this there are four, including one in the Warmińsko-mazurskie region where he apparently emigrated from.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boguszewo


The one/s in Podlaskie.

Szymonkiewicz or Szymankiewicz don't need to be Jewish.

@kaprys, I'll bet that it is Jewish, though.

Thanks to everyone for your input and comments. Knowing the correct Boguszewow in Podlaskie is very helpful. Seems simple if you know Poland, but that kind of info is not easy to find here in the USA (no one in the USA know much about what goes on beyond our borders, and I don't speak Polish).

Any Suggestions for resources for genealogical research in Poland? Now that I have the correct hometown, I wonder if I can/should find a local researcher to help me get more info?

Thanks, folks. I appreciate the help!

Try JewishGen.

Indeed. I've been to JewishGen, and found many folks with the same last name (various spellings). My challenge is getting any ancestral information beyond my grandfather's arrival in the USA in December 1910. As you probably know, name alone does not tell me enough.

Thanks for the advice!

But now that you know that it's in the Podlaskie Region, you can look in Grodno, Suwalki, and Lomza Gubernia records.

@Shimonkevitz
The thing you need to clarify first is the surname and the place of birth. Then you can contact the state archives or even start with some online searches as szukajwarchiwach or pradziad.

I'm going to make things more complicated I came up with another suggestion for the correct spelling of your surname Siemionkowicz - and actually if you google 'Siemionkowicz Boguszewo' there are several matches - two small businesses and some results from a social networking site. And it's a small village. I have found no matches for Szymankiewicz or Szymonkiewicz. I don't know if they are somehow related to you or if that was the surname but it's worth a try.

If your grandfather was Roman Catholic and spoke Polish (not Yiddish) at home, it's very unlikely he was Jewish.
The Catholic parish in Boguszewo was built in 1980. Before that, the village belonged to the parish in Trzcianne (if you want to look for church records).

Of course you might have Jewish or Christian Orthodox ancestors as well (in fact if I remember well Siemion is Ruthenian (?) equivalent of Szymon/Simon so they might be Christian Orthodox as well) but I'd suggest starting with the religion your grandfather actually practiced.

geneteka.genealodzy.pl/index.php?op=gt&lang=eng&w=10pl&rid=A&exac=&search_lastname=siemionkowicz&search_lastname2=&from_date=&to_date=

Check this out as well. Perhaps you can find your ancestor's first name - mind you, not all records are found on geneteka. In this case it seems they have information from records till the 1840s or so.

There is information about births, marriages and deaths.

Wow! That was huge! I got a first name for my grandfather's father (from my cousin), did a search on the link you sent, and viola there he is!! Wow.

Mazel tov! (Or in Poylisher Hebrew, Mazel tow!)

Well, still not sure. Although I can now trace 3 generations as all from the village of Trzcianne in Podlaskie, although Trzcianne was supposedly 98% Jewish population in 1909 (and my grandfather arrived from there in 1910). JRI-Poland.org has a page on this village, and I have reached out to the researcher for that page.

But thanks for the congratulations anyway - I did make a big step forward (backward?) today, thanks to you. Really, really appreciate the advice.

I'm a Bat Anusim, so I get it. My own family were from Lipsk, Sejny, Kaltenik, and the smaller towns. I have trouble finding records about them, as not all have been indexed and the ba'alei teshuvah (lit., "masters of return") cut us off after we became Anusim after the Belostok (Bialystok) Pogrom. Of course, my grandfather was not happy when I found that out. He spread the bubbe meise that we were related to an infamous and Anti-Semitic zlatcha when nothing could've further from hatoldot ha'amitiyot.

@Shimonkevitz
Trzcianne and Boguszewo are two different villages. The parish church for Boguszewo was in Trzcianne according to Wiki.
Contact the state archives so that you canon get more information. @Nickidewbear
I don't get it. The Białystok Pogrom was in the 1900s and you posted a link to your ancestors' records (with Polish names etc) from the 1810s ... so how could they be escaping it?

Even if you had some Jewish ancestors a lot of your family is probably non-Jewish too. Is it so bad?

It's fine - they are whatever they are. I just want to find out. I'm Scots-Irish, German, and Polish. I have no preferences, just trying to sort it all out.

I'm not particularly attached to any religious order at this point in my life. I'm just interested to determine the family history, regardless.

Yes, I am aware that they are two different villages.

Thanks for your input!

How do I contact the state archives? I do not speak Polish, will that be a challenge?