History / In WW2 Poland who was eligible to sign the Volksliste ? [48]


Before, during or after the war? Before the war and the family might have been on the so-called Optantenliste of 1920/2 (a list of people wanting to leave Poland for Germany, and vice versa). During the war and she might have been a slave laborer who was considered "racially valuable" (Category IV of the Volksliste). After the war and she was probably expelled by the Poles because she had been on the Volksliste.

History / In WW2 Poland who was eligible to sign the Volksliste ? [48]

Well, he was listed as Schutzangehoeriger, so he was in the Volksliste, right? Maybe even in Category IV - Persons of Polish nationality considered "racially valuable", but who resisted Germanization (see #15).

History / In WW2 Poland who was eligible to sign the Volksliste ? [48]

As I tried to explain before: your ancestor was a so-called "Schutzangehoeriger" - a citizen of an annexed territory who was neither considered a foreigner nor a German. Such people were usually put in either category 3 or 4, unless they were Jewish. Since you've said that some of your ancestors considered themselves Prussian-Germans, my assumption is that a German female from that side of your family married a Polish man with the surname Mackowiak. If this is true, Thadeus should have been in Category III of the Volkliste. For details, see #24 above.

HTH

History / In WW2 Poland who was eligible to sign the Volksliste ? [48]

Most likely.

Life / Individualism in Polish culture...Is it almost Nonexistant? [170]


Oh, no problem - just vote for the right politicians (literally...) and leave the EU. Of course you won't get any money from then on, but hey, at least you are free again... :)

Genealogy / I am doing research on Great Grandfather, Simon Terpiloski, town Wysoky? [6]


Good point.

Genealogy / I am doing research on Great Grandfather, Simon Terpiloski, town Wysoky? [6]

@Boletus

I saw that, too, but chose the town near Brest because of the alternative spellings on the Wikipedia page I linked:

Quote:
"There are various spellings of this Shtetl to include, but not be limited to: Hyssoke, Litowan, Litowsvan, Vishuker, Visoke DeLita, Visoko Sitoromos, Visoky Litovsk, Vosokie Litew, Vysokaje, Vysoke DeLita, Vysoke Litevske, Vysoko Litevks, Vysoko Litovsk, Vysokoe, Vysokoye, Wishko, Wisoke Litovsk, Wisoki, Wisoki Dalita, Wisokie Litofsk, Wisokie Litovsk, Wisoko Litowsk, Wissokie, Wysoke Litewski, Wysoki Litewskie, Wysokie Litewskie, Wysokie Litowski, Wysoky."

Note that "Wysoky" is spelled exactly as mentioned by the OP.

Genealogy / I am doing research on Great Grandfather, Simon Terpiloski, town Wysoky? [6]

After a quick search it turned out that Wysoky, (alternative spelling: Wysokie), Russia, is actually the town of Vysokoye in today's Belarus.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vysokaye
brest-belarus.org/br/Vysokoye/Vysokoye.i.html
brest-belarus.org/br/Vysokoye/Vysokoye-surnames.i.html
vysokoye.org

If you check the Ellis Island database you will see that there were quite a few people coming to America from that little town.

History / In WW2 Poland who was eligible to sign the Volksliste ? [48]

True, especially since he was considered a "Schutzangehöriger" without any rights.

History / In WW2 Poland who was eligible to sign the Volksliste ? [48]

Let me add: the Nazis didn't care about nationality, all they were interested in was what they called "race". So if a Polish citizen had 100% German ancestors for example, (s)he was considered a German and not a Pole even though his/her passport stated something else and the person might have been completely loyal to the Polish state. Being a German didn't protect you from being sent to a concentration camp, though.

History / In WW2 Poland who was eligible to sign the Volksliste ? [48]

Why don't you google for 'Volksliste' first and see how the whole system worked?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volksliste
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volksdeutsche

Quote:
"The Deutsche Volksliste categorised German Poles into one of four categories:
Category I: Persons of German descent committed to the Reich before 1939.
Category II: Persons of German descent who had remained passive.
Category III: Persons of German descent who had become partly "polonized", e.g., through marrying a Polish partner or through working relationships (especially Silesians and Kashubians).

Category IV: Persons of German ancestry who had become "polonized" but were supportive of "Germanisation". "

History / "Quiet Hero" a book on Polish Survivors rarely heard - by Rita Cosby [26]


The "World Polish Congress" has spoken again... :)

Genealogy / Repatriation Records in Poland during/after WWII [8]

Can't help you with the repatriation papers, but if your ancestors were Jewish you could at least look up the civil registration records. For the part of Poland that was the German Empire, the records go back to October 1874. The so-called "Dissidenten Register", where Jewish citizens were listed, are also very helpful. Many of these registers have survived the war, AFAIK.

Genealogy / Repatriation Records in Poland during/after WWII [8]

That question doesn't make much sense. If your family was taken to the USSR, they must've lived somewhere in Poland before the war, right? Do you know where and do you know their names? If yes, just try to get access to the churchbooks for that parish and look for marriages first. You can find a lot of information online at familysearch.org and also on the web sites of quite a few Polish archives. Or are you talking only about the repatriation papers?

Life / Are Polish natives intolerant of foreigners who do not properly speak the language? [30]

What I know is that there are xenophobes in Poland (like in the USA or any other country in the world). Closing your eyes to their behavior by simply pointing out that other people are racist, too, doesn't help at all.

Life / Are Polish natives intolerant of foreigners who do not properly speak the language? [30]


The worst thing you can do is to find an excuse for xenophobic behavior in Poland by pointing out that the same can be found in other countries, too. Doesn't solve the problem.

Life / Are Polish natives intolerant of foreigners who do not properly speak the language? [30]

That's the spirit! ;)

Life / Are Polish natives intolerant of foreigners who do not properly speak the language? [30]


Sure. If something bad happens in Poland, it must be one of those bloody foreigners who is responsible. Hellhole? Germany? Where have you lived the last 65 years? Oh, I see, Indiana...

Hey mod, I was just taking the p*ss out of Valpomike. Why did you delete such a harmless sentence?

History / In WW2 Poland who was eligible to sign the Volksliste ? [48]

Details can be found here for example:

germanwarfilms.com/passports-drivers-licenses-etc/dvd-stamboul-quest-the-dawn-patrol-wwi-2-2-2-2-3-7.htm

Quote:
"Category III: Eingedeutschte-indigenous persons considered by Nazis as partly Polonized (mainly Silesians and Kashubs); refusal to join this list often lead to deportation to a concentration camp."

History / In WW2 Poland who was eligible to sign the Volksliste ? [48]

Those who were not regarded as foreigners were grouped into one of the four categories of the Volksliste. "Schutzangehörige" were part of the lowest two categories; usually citizens of annexed territories. They were neither considered German, nor foreigners, but stateless persons without rights.

PS: My previous post was a little misleading, sorry.

History / In WW2 Poland who was eligible to sign the Volksliste ? [48]

Those not eligible to become part of the Volksliste were called "Schutzangehörige des Deutschen Reiches", AFAIK.

Genealogy / my Polish Grandfather in Hitler Youth? HOW? [65]

You upload to a server of your liking and provide the link.

Genealogy / my Polish Grandfather in Hitler Youth? HOW? [65]


Unusual, because the regular "Kennkarte" of Nazi Germany was grey and its equivalent for the so-called Volksdeutsche was blue. Can you attach a scan?

Genealogy / my Polish Grandfather in Hitler Youth? HOW? [65]


Last names are always tricky. Before 1874, the spelling of surnames was not regulated and could even change from child to child in the same family.


Not correct. You had to prove that your ancestors were purebred Germans. Three generations back for regular folks, seven generations back for Waffen SS members. Since (protestant) church books and other documents are quite rare for the time before 1720, many people tricked the authorities. You knew your pastor personally, so he did you a favor and helped you out by rewriting your family history a little bit...

Life / Individualism in Polish culture...Is it almost Nonexistant? [170]


The collapse of the traditional family unit is a relatively recent development, having started probably during the 1960's. It's a worldwide phenomenon and has nothing to do with being a Pole, an American, or otherwise.

History / The story about German- Polish reconciliation [194]


One of our resident brownshirts has a wet dream again... :)

News / Poland's Economy Is Booming! The EU's Success Story? [711]


Russia? Maybe the crooks at the top of the food chain over there, but not the general population.

News / Poland's Economy Is Booming! The EU's Success Story? [711]


Wishful thinking at best. Just check who the largest import/ export partner of Poland is. If the French and all the other European leeches succeed in ruining the economy of Germany with their continuous demands for bailouts, Poland (and the rest of the EU) will go down the drain in no time.

Language / Should I just learn German? [55]

What do you want to do immediately after high school? Spend a year in Europe? Study in Germany as many Americans do these days? Finish college and get a job overseas? If you plan to end up over the pond as you say, I would suggest you learn the language of Europe's most important economy - German. It's widely spoken, including Poland and parts of France, and your job prospects in Germany (or even the US after your return) would be quite good.

Language / Should I just learn German? [55]


Yeah, since 2009, to be exact... :)
And you?