Just found out I'm Polish!

Hi all. My father's older brother passed recently and on his death bed, told my father that we were of Polish decent. I went on Ancestry.com (until free trial ran out, I can't afford it) and think I have traced my great-grandfather back in the 1900 Texas census. Only thing is, he'd already changed his surname to Wilson. I don't know how to find out any further information and could find nothing else on Ancestry.com. I'm good with Internet searches but have run out of things to try.

Does anyone out there have any ideas or suggestions? As I said, I'm not rich and I don't speak Polish.

Thanks!

You're probably going to have to do the leg work yourself until you reach a name. Maybe check local church records?

Who cares. You're just one of 60m

Where did you get 60m from?

Wikipedia

lucky you!!! ;] :P

Are the parents also listed as Wilson? If so that is tough. Do you know when they arrived in Texas? I guess you already attempted to go back a generation on the Wilson name. Did you look at arrivals to the USA? They might have changed the name already, although unlikely.

You might look for naturalization records, too.

its number of all poles and polish-descent peoples.

Welcome to the family

Alleluia !

Either that or somebody just got deathbed punked by their uncle.

Tell her what are the disadvantages of being a Pole

Obviously none, but seriously, name Wilson, from Texas, Polish? There's gotta be a chance that Uncle Stan is up there plucking his harp and having a laugh about the time that somebody is wasting.

There are two kinds of people in the world: those that are Polish and those that wish they were. Amen!

You lucky lady!!!


Stick around PF for a while. You're bound to learn plenty, concerning your ethnicity and Polish heritage :)

have you talked to the Deceased uncles family and asked them if they have any old
documents you might be able to view or make copies of?

if he was the one who knew, then there has to be documents that show the original
last name.

another way to check is that you already located the 1900 cencus which tells you where
your great grandpa lived at the time.. on that it should show age when he was married
or your great grandma too.. once you know the age you can get a date,, go to that local
church in the town that he lived and check thru the records for that year in that city/town
and hopefully find out his original spelling if he didnt change it before he was married.

which I cant see someone doing that, I think he changed it after he was married, but
I could be wrong.. usually during that time, polish men looked for wifes ( polish women)

hope this helps. without the polish name spelling I am afraid we are limited on how we
can help. wilson is very common name.

Maaaybe there was some settlers in Poland from England/America, and then move to USA later?


Congratualtions!

are you trying to help this person or trying to be annoying?

I gave her some tips, do you have suggestions or just statements?

because we all know that there were settlers from all parts of the globe, she needs
help finding the name, the only way to do that is dig further in family docs and local
churches and history centers.

if people dont have anything good to say when someone does a genealogy request
then stay the hell out of the thread.. its hard enough for people to do the research then
they get stupid answers from dorks who are just trying to be funny and really they are
idiots.

people take this seriously, so if you dont like it, dont fricken respond to the thread.

I come with theories, it's up to any individual to accept those theories or throw them at the junkyard... No need to be hostile!


I can't agree with that statement


Oh fine! Miss polite!


I was 100% serrious! Of course there is an possibility that the persons mentioned family changed names early in the stage of settling but, blacking out all options... Hello?

Wow, well that automatically means you're ten times better than anyone else... so congratulations!

I mean how do you feeel?


And this just proves it...

look mr g, I live in the us, so i already have done footwork on four of my polish grand
parents documents.. I pretty much know which way to research in my own country.

Im not being hostile, I get sick and tired of seeing people go into a thread that someone
created and type stupid crap when they are asking serious questions.

your response to me appeared sarcastic, and my advice was sound for her to go try
and get records.. on the 1900 cencus it asked age at last marriage. so the age should
be there, she can go to the actual town /city and find the records via the history center

I also would need to know what town in texas, online they have the records of alot of
marriages, so she might be able to find it that way, but she left little information for us to
go on to even think about helping.. so again without that, she is on her own.

what do you have?

oh yeah, a settler came from england/america and settled in poland.. hmmmmmmmmm

that helps.

goodnight.

I know what it is with Poles...! They hold on to their Polish heritage as if they've got NOTHING else going for them.

Well, you're still an American and now you found out you are of Polish ancestry. :)

Congratulations and welcome to the club.

so you decided to be a dork too right.

someone is asking a legitimate question to find out more info, and someone stupid like you
has to come along and make a snide ass comment cause your so cool

wow grow up.. I cant figure out people who get all hot and botherd over why people
want to research there own family, but I guess if you have inbreeds like you aussies do
I wouldnt want to know either..............................................................

keep it all in the family. ha.

Wrong, that applies to most nationalities. There are Americans who have Italian, German, Mexican, Egyptian, Irish, etc. roots and many of them, just like people of Polish descent like to hang on to their old traditions, nothing wrong with that.

The sarcasm and negative feedback within this thread is totally unnecessary. The lady just shared some news with us, something she was excited about. Yet some people here just love to spoil it for her, a bunch of negative party-poopers, shame on you.

Ashley - you do realize this is Polishforums.com, right? Would you have preferred if it was renamed to BeAshamedofBeingPolish.com? I just don't get it...

Yep

Yep

Yep

Oh and by the way... HUMANS are inbreeds... especially when they call themselves from one particular tribe such as Slavs.

Prove my point sister.

I have Polish heritage too... is it relevant? Only in so much as that is where my grandmother's mother gave birth to her. I find it hard enough comprehending and belonging to my *own* country in this *particular* century... why would I want to complicate it by trying to belong to something I'm not from a bygone era...? (Looking for a sense of identity..?)

We're ALL related... I just hate this exclusion on the basis that you're not from glorious Slavonia!

And interesting the number of people who want to belong to Poland's past but not its future...

When does the umbilical cord get cut?

ALL history is important... and I hate to say it, but it really has nothing to do with you beyond your heightened and irrational interest based on the people you are related to who passed through there on the long journey known as *the migration of man...*

I mean why stop in Poland? Why not trace your roots right back to Africa...?
Oh no wait, don't answer...

so you ask me if I am lookin for sense of identity when your here in a polish forum
also??? responding to a research question that I responded too.. lame.

yeah, so your point is??????????????????????

why did you come to a polish forum ashley?????? to shoot the breeze?

you can do that outside this forum.. this is a POLISH FORUM>>>>>>>

so whatever someone who wants to learn about, whether its history, or
about their family, why the hell does that bother you so much???

your pot is so black it makes the kettle look bad.

join the del movement ehh, well, I guess you should turn in your polishness, cause
hes anti polish, you can pass judgement on those who are polish , you have some real
big problems....

Coshomre, Texas had a major wave of immigrations from Poland through one of the ports. I think it was Galveston. And the people created Polish towns and churches there (Texas). Have you investigated that? There are ship records online. You should check for names that are similar to Wilson. You might also be able to find a Polish geneology center somewhere.

I'm here to chat with *people*, and I don't give a sh1t where they're from... and I don't assume that national identity is more than just a front anyway...

What makes it interesting is the diversity of cultures and inputs... I wouldn't be here otherwise...


Is there a rule about not praising perceived Polishness every damn day...?! Step off and ignore my comment if it doesn't please you... or is it making you think...?


There is nothing inherently Polish about an internet forum... I mean, I don't smell the Kielbasa burning and I certainly don't detect a lot of Polish language here... So I'll stay if you don't mind... (and make believe I'm Polish too.) It's fun!

Hey there's a lot of information exchange that goes on here without my interference...! As I said, I have a different view on nationalism.. no, on genetic nationalism... I think it's bullshit! On the basis that genes don't tie you to a piece of dirt... your inherent romanticism does, if not your house, language or job...

A border is a political construct... but at *least* you want to be living within those borders... ;)

I have no interest in my Polish ancestry beyond a perverse interest... I'm more into how we're evolving as a species and relating to each other as one race...

How on earth did this thread turn into this conversation? The original poster simply asked how to trace her ancestor's name. Weird.