Two questions; 1) Can anyone tell me what the capital letter R means when it is inscribed immediately after the year of birth and immediately after the year of death on a gravestone?
2) What do the letters Go. mean when used as follows in the date of birth and the date of death? "8 - Go. Grudnia 1881" (translation, 8 December 1881) and, "25 - Go. Sierpnia 1943" (translation, 25 August 1943). I think I have the months right but have no idea what Go. might mean.
I can only help you with your first question I'm afraid. the R stands for 'rok' I do believe, which translates as year. I'm sure someone will be able to help you with the 'Go', which now has me intrigued.
It's 'the 8th' and 'the 25th' respectively as 'ósmego' is 'eighth' and 'dwudziestego piątego' is 'twenty-fifth'. r. does stand for 'roku' (rok-year), indeed. You got the months right.
2. -go means that the number before should be read as its declined form and is actually an error. In proper Polish we use "." after the number to do just that and we can skip "." altogether if the context clearly indicates that the number should be declined by cases.
"Zmarł 8. Grudnia 1935r." is correct. "Był uczniem 8 (no dot) klasy" is correct as well.
Thank you all for your explanations! They were all very helpful and informative. The gravestone in question memorializes a Polish speaking family in Rhode Island, USA, I have been researching, and contains inscriptions for eleven members of that family. Some of the inscriptions are in English but most are in Polish. Since I am a person who speaks only English, I am very grateful that there are sites like this and people who are willing to help.
I read all six posts and declare Polish customs insane. "R" for "roku"? Is a typical Polish gravestone so tiny that "roku" won't fit or do they charge per letter?
How about the American way: January 1, 1945 - December 31, 2018 No stupid abbreviations, no ambiguities, no need to go to a forum for a guide what means what. Anyone who does not understand the above example should be in a padded room for life.
Zyt lat 74 z.m.d.21 Pazdziernika 1918, Prosi o zdro MARYA, Tę pamiątke kladzie syn Antoni
I am sorry, but I posted this with any explanation. I have a very limited knowledge of Polish. Does anyone know if z.m.d. has something to do with zginął, perished? I am also not very clear on the rest of it. I have seen "Prosi O Zdrowas Marya", but I am not certain of the meaning of "Prosi o zdro MARYA " .
Also I could use help with "Tę pamiątke kladzie". Thank you for any help.
I'm not 100% sure but my guess is it means zmarł dzień. This person was 74 years old and died on 21st October 1918. I'm not that familiar with gravestone inscriptions, but I think the rest of it is something to do with Mary's health and the souvenir/memento was put there by son Antoni?
Someone Polish can probably give a better translation.
Thank you for your help. At least now I have a good idea of the inscription's meaning. It is my great grandfather's grave and I only just recently found a picture of it, but I don't know where it is. It is almost the 100th anniversary of his death.
This is dumber than skipping vowels texting. Are Poles so poor they can't afford full words? Or just stupid and stubborn? At least be consistent. How about: B.P. or Bl. Pa.?
Can anyone help me with this inscription on the gravestone of my Polish relative please? UR.25 Lut 1918 UM.15 Stycz 1919 Is it Born 25 February 1918 Died 16 January 1919
No, that`s because Poles, apart from All Saints` Day, visit the graves at anniversaries like birth or deathday. Also at Easter and Christmas. Seeing the full date reminds them of the next visit.
Seeing the full date reminds them of the next visit.
Then Poles are lucky to live where nobody steals identities. That being the case, why not engrave the dead guy's social security number and mother's maiden name. You know, just in case the living forget...
why not engrave the dead guy's social security number and mother's maiden name.
Each letter/symbol costs extra money, remember. Only indispensable details are engraved.
That is Polish culture. Accept it as it is or leave. It is very infantile oand boorish of you to try to change another nation`s culture. We, Poles, don`t ridicule American cemeteries. Ha!
Each letter/symbol costs extra money, remember. Only indispensable details are engraved.
What could those two dates mean? OK, I got! No, still thinking... If those URs and UMs are "indispensable", you guys have a bigger problem than you realize.
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