singingfalls 3 | 50
13 Jan 2015 / #1
Looking for genealogy advise. Please excuse the long post.
I'm old. A month ago, out of the blue, a relative Poland contacted me on FaceBook! I have been looking for years for some way to find the roots of my past. He sent me a picture of my great grandfather and a photo album of our family tree with a picture of my grandmother included from when she visited Poland in the 1950's or 60's. 0_0 I was excited.
Since then I have found her birth certificate and many other interesting facts about her side of the family going way back to close to the late 1700's. Names and dates included. She is from Adamówka, Poland. She came to the USA at the age of 16 in 1913 according to the Ellis Island ship manifest. The relative is very much into genealogical studies for his family which is helpful. Success with Katrazyna Kyć!
Dzjadek on the other hand was very difficult to pin down and the story is still not complete. Nevertheless I am hot on the trail. I found census information from 1920, 30 and 40. Very helpful and confusing at the same time. Each census spelled his name differently. I always thought I was Petrowski through and through. The census had him down at Ludwik Petroski, Loius Petrowski and finally Ludwig Petrowski. His naturalization papers were the shocker. His real name was Ludwik Petraszczuk! He changed it formally in 1943 to Ludwik Petrowski. Everywhere I could find he proclaimed himself Polish and his nationality Russian. His Soviet era birth record tells an interesting story. His father's name was Stanislaw and his mother's name was Anastasia. He was from Khrabuzna in what is now Ukraine. So am I Russian, Polish or Ukrainian? I claim Polish. I am unable to find the ship manifest that records his entry to the US. He departed from Hamburg in 1912 is all I know. No Ellis Island record that I could find. Naturalization papers say he arrived in Philadelphia and I have been looking everywhere on this.
My mother was Polish also. Her maiden name was Wlaz (Wlas or Wlasz). I have not been able to track down her lines at all. There is a clue from a very elderly aunt that she may have relatives in Poznan who once taught at the university there. I am not succeeding at all with that half of my house.
I have become obsessed with this and have not done anything else for a month. (Guilt over neglected duties). I have stored dozens and dozens of web site links and have four DNA tests I am waiting on.
Guidance would greatly be appreciated.
I'm old. A month ago, out of the blue, a relative Poland contacted me on FaceBook! I have been looking for years for some way to find the roots of my past. He sent me a picture of my great grandfather and a photo album of our family tree with a picture of my grandmother included from when she visited Poland in the 1950's or 60's. 0_0 I was excited.
Since then I have found her birth certificate and many other interesting facts about her side of the family going way back to close to the late 1700's. Names and dates included. She is from Adamówka, Poland. She came to the USA at the age of 16 in 1913 according to the Ellis Island ship manifest. The relative is very much into genealogical studies for his family which is helpful. Success with Katrazyna Kyć!
Dzjadek on the other hand was very difficult to pin down and the story is still not complete. Nevertheless I am hot on the trail. I found census information from 1920, 30 and 40. Very helpful and confusing at the same time. Each census spelled his name differently. I always thought I was Petrowski through and through. The census had him down at Ludwik Petroski, Loius Petrowski and finally Ludwig Petrowski. His naturalization papers were the shocker. His real name was Ludwik Petraszczuk! He changed it formally in 1943 to Ludwik Petrowski. Everywhere I could find he proclaimed himself Polish and his nationality Russian. His Soviet era birth record tells an interesting story. His father's name was Stanislaw and his mother's name was Anastasia. He was from Khrabuzna in what is now Ukraine. So am I Russian, Polish or Ukrainian? I claim Polish. I am unable to find the ship manifest that records his entry to the US. He departed from Hamburg in 1912 is all I know. No Ellis Island record that I could find. Naturalization papers say he arrived in Philadelphia and I have been looking everywhere on this.
My mother was Polish also. Her maiden name was Wlaz (Wlas or Wlasz). I have not been able to track down her lines at all. There is a clue from a very elderly aunt that she may have relatives in Poznan who once taught at the university there. I am not succeeding at all with that half of my house.
I have become obsessed with this and have not done anything else for a month. (Guilt over neglected duties). I have stored dozens and dozens of web site links and have four DNA tests I am waiting on.
Guidance would greatly be appreciated.
