Genealogy / Where are birth records from Przewałka ( Bialystok Department ) held? [10]

Thanks for this, Jaczwing. That's very helpful. I hope they survived the wars. Hania.

Thanks, Polonius. My father seemed to think that Szawelski originated from Lithuania. Here's what I found on wiki:
Šiauliai is referred to by a various names in different languages: Samogitian: Šiaulē, Latvian Saule (historic) and Šauļi (modern), German (outdated): Schaulen, Polish: Szawle, Russian: Шавли (Shavli - historic) and Шяуля́й (Shyaulyai - modern), Yiddish: שאַװל (Shavel).

Looks like this is pretty much what you said, with Saule being the Latvian version of Szawle.
Hania

Genealogy / Where are birth records from Przewałka ( Bialystok Department ) held? [10]

Thank you for this. My father always spelled it as Gasilewska. He said she crossed the Niemen to marry Jan Szawelski. I think there are many Gasilewski'a on the other side of the river. The names I'd be looking for, though, would have Szawelski/a as surname. I'm really hoping someone can tell me where the records might be kept. That part of Poland is now Belorus.

Hania