Genealogy / Looking for info on Romani name Goman and Siejanka Goman from a gravesite in one of Poland's cemeteries [33]


Atch, thank you for your research. I have followed some of your leads and left questions at the Polish genealogy forum I have found through the link to the pgsmn.com. I am hoping someone will reply with info. I am positive Siejanka was from a Romani family because of the info in the letter (I posted the pic of the actual letter yesterday) - her gravesite is the only Roma grave at the cemetery. Also, the first name Siejanka, to my knowledge, is not a Polish Catholic name. You have been so very, very helpful. Any other ideas/avenues I might explore?

Genealogy / Looking for info on Romani name Goman and Siejanka Goman from a gravesite in one of Poland's cemeteries [33]

Here goes the photo

• 
  Siejanka_letter.JPG
  

Genealogy / Looking for info on Romani name Goman and Siejanka Goman from a gravesite in one of Poland's cemeteries [33]

Looker and Dougpol, thank you both. I will try again with the file this afternoon (my time) - time to head to work.

Here goes again
Well, it doesn't like the file type, not the size. I will try to take a photo and post that.

Genealogy / Looking for info on Romani name Goman and Siejanka Goman from a gravesite in one of Poland's cemeteries [33]

Hi, Atch,
I am attaching a scan of the letter with all the info I have on Siejanka. This letter was written by a lady from Bytom who took care of my Grandpa's gravesite when my Grandma was ill. Apparently they were very familiar with the gravesite and also with the fact that she was a Gypsy (Roma). Darn if I remeber where, but somewhere in the past I had read that Goman was one of the Roma family names from the Cyganie Nizinni group.No Google search from here has yielded anything valuable.

Dougpol, I have tracked down Stowarzyszenie Romow "Czerchań" on Bytom, ulica Piłsudskiego19. If you make the trip, could you check if they know anything?

Here goes with the scan, I hope it goes through...
Oh, I have made a mistake - Siejanka was born in 1948, not 1949, so she was not quite six when she died.
OK, so I am getting a message tha file is too big. It'a just one page. Any ideas?

Genealogy / Looking for info on Romani name Goman and Siejanka Goman from a gravesite in one of Poland's cemeteries [33]

What is that cemetery called? Cmentarz Miejski? Cmentarz Katolicki?

Genealogy / Looking for info on Romani name Goman and Siejanka Goman from a gravesite in one of Poland's cemeteries [33]

I remember a really wide paved street and a large church to the right, at the bottom of the hill. Then you would go up the hill and the cemetery would be on the left of the street.

Genealogy / Looking for info on Romani name Goman and Siejanka Goman from a gravesite in one of Poland's cemeteries [33]

Aw, that would be wonderful. I cannot give you the exact location, but I am sure that the 1954 burial section won't be difficult to find. The tombstone is big, plain and white as I remember it (mind you, this is 40+ years ago).

Genealogy / Looking for info on Romani name Goman and Siejanka Goman from a gravesite in one of Poland's cemeteries [33]

Ziemowit, great idea about contacting Roma, but the distance is a huge issue for me. Also, many, many things have changed since I left Poland in 1987... This forum has been a great help to me. Maybe someone will have ideas for me along that line of research.

Atch, thank you for your comment above. My thoughts, exactly.
Dougpol, the cemetery is right in town, having been absent all these years I have no idea where E40 is, but I remember coming into town and going up the hill to get to the cemetery.

Genealogy / Looking for info on Romani name Goman and Siejanka Goman from a gravesite in one of Poland's cemeteries [33]

Ziemowit, good point, I rely here on my Grandma's exact words as she knew of the situation.
Atch, your are awesome. Great thought. I have the exact date of her death (tombstone info), I will proceed with that search and also try to ferret out some names of archivists, etc. Glad you are also intrigued by this story - the longer I wait, the fewer people will be able to help me (my Grandma passed on in 2005)...

Genealogy / Looking for info on Romani name Goman and Siejanka Goman from a gravesite in one of Poland's cemeteries [33]

Hi, all
Dougpol, thanks for the info on the museum in Swietochlawice. I will contact them.
Atch, thank so much for your positive and thoughtful replies. I haven't had much luck in Bytom - the cemetery supervisor was a youngish guy and had absolutely no idea about Siejanka and the circumstances of her death. He couldn't think of anyone to refer me to, so that link kinda died right there. That's why I decided to throw it out there through the Forum and see if anyone can contribute. The reason I know about this tombstone is that my grandpa is buried nearby. Every Saint's Day when we visited his gravesite and I was a little girl my Grandma would point out the "Gypsy princess" tombstone to me. I remember her saying it was very unusual for a Gypsy family to have obtained a Catholic cemetery plot and to have erected such a big tombstone (compared to the other ones this one is really large) with a beautiful inscription "Given by her loving parents to commemorate her heroic death". Yes, for a six years old. So there is an unusual story there.

Genealogy / Looking for info on Romani name Goman and Siejanka Goman from a gravesite in one of Poland's cemeteries [33]

Dougpol, the exact words on the tombstone are "zmarla smiercia bohaterska". So.

Genealogy / Looking for info on Romani name Goman and Siejanka Goman from a gravesite in one of Poland's cemeteries [33]

Well, that's what her tombstone states. That's also why I would like to discover her story. Your comment is very rude and inappropriate.