Genealogy /
What does it mean for surname to be included in Herb PRUS III? Napierkowski. [8]
I had to make quotes shorter, because I got some error from the forum that I quote too many signs. <_< So I have putted (...) somewhere, hope will still be understandable to which parts I refer. :)
of our Napierkowski (or the singluar version, Napiórkowska (...),I'm probably wrong so please feel free to correct me
Suffixes -ska and -cka in Polish surnames are feminine, while -ski and -cki are masculine.
As far as the Baltic roots my father that definitely makes since. My father always told me that he was certain we were Slavic, maybe part Czechoslovakian.
There is always a possibility to have some other roots in Czechoslovakia, people always had a tendency to travel, so maybe someone married someone from present day Czech or Slovakian land.
I always wondered if we were part Swedish (...)
Unfortunately, I am not good in genetics, but Poles in general differ in terms of look. But in case of your photo, you look like a Polish person and no one here would think otherwise. :)
anyhow, I know there's mixing to explain this but since I'm only the 2nd U.S. born generation and we've been able to trace the roots (...) for good or bad
There were plenty of nations living in Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, but I think people not often were marrying people of different religions. Not sure though. What I am sure is that even if officially something did not happened, unofficially could. :p
thus, I thought maybe I found my 'true' home possibly, which if so, I feel VERY lucky (...) (some reside in Germany but none live in Poland if all these sources are correct;
According to this site (I don't know if have an equivalent in English language):
moikrewni.pl/mapa/kompletny/napierkowski.html
there are 104 people with surname Napierkowski, mainly in Masovia and Greater Poland regions.
moikrewni.pl/mapa/kompletny/napierkowska.html
same with feminine variant of a surname, but I am not sure if both options are not counted together, as it it gives exactly same number.
moikrewni.pl/mapa/kompletny/napi%25C3%25B3rkowski.html
but check Napiórkowski surname. 2134 people with that surname, in territories closer to Olsztyn.
moikrewni.pl/mapa/kompletny/napi%25C3%25B3rkowska.html
in feminine version 2175, same story with the location.
and I wonder if that has to do with WWII like with my family moving in the late 1930s even though they were Catholic and/or what happened to Poland post-war, or from 1945-1989).
By late 30s which years exactly do you mean? The war started in 1939. ;)
But Germans did not cared much about who is Catholic or who is not. No matter of religion Poles have been killed in large numbers by the nazis. Even today (exactly in few hours) some people from Israel are coming to my little rural area forgotten by the civilization to grant one man, who is buried here, the Righteous Among the Nations award. He was killed by Germans in 1942 or 1943 for helping Jews. Being Catholic was not important for the Germans, who also ordered to change Roman Catholic churches into Orthodox tserkovs, to make their Ukrainian allies happy.
After the war there was communism and indeed many people left the country in huge numbers.
Finally, my maternal side, Schaf (...) association with the area of Silesia
Yes, Schaffgotsch family was a nobility from Silesia which originated in Franconia. But I do not know if Schaf(f) and Schaffgotsch surnames are related. Silesia has a German history too, and if Schaff itself means something popular in German language there is a possibilty that plenty of not related people share same or similar surname.
There was one communist with surname Schaff born in Lviv (present-day Ukraine), and he was in fact Jewish.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Schaff
P.S.S. [...]
By typing "Napierkowski Nowogród" I have found a site with marriages index and it is shown that in 1892 Aleksander Napierkowski, son of Stanisław, have married Rozalia Konikowska, daughter of Stanisław.
On same site there are 50 results for Napiórkowski family, for Napierkowski 3. But in Nowogród only this one.
Korzunowski or Korzonowski...again, due to phonetic interpretation written in possible illegible handwriting
There may be plenty of options for that surname. Could be as well Korzanowski, Korzeniowski (there was one sportsman with that surname, and is Joseph Conrad's real surname), Korzeniewski.
Again thank you for for your assistance, (...) All the best!
No problem, take care and get better soon. :)