Genealogy / Poland Genealogy Resources [130]

What are the implications? Will they increase the volume of spam sent to your email account, zap you with a sci-fi-style ray gun, increase your taxes, send you a letter containing anthrax germs or what? If you commit a crime having your DNA on file may help he authorities track you down, and the sooner the better.

Would all posters please remember the topic please....

Language / Busha and JaJa [140]

Italy awaits you. Benvenuto in Italia! Krzyżyk na drogę!

Genealogy / Poland Genealogy Resources [130]

Only those with something on their conscience or planning to commit a criminal offence should be wary of having their DNA on file with the police. It is the so-called "cookies" one should be wary of. That is legitimised espionage of all net users which we are sheepishly forced into. No cookie consent, no access to websites.

Language / Busha and JaJa [140]

No PolAm ever said busia was Polish -- it is an indigenous Polish-American term. In the Colonies (USA), Brits are referred to as Limeys although that's not the case in the English Motherland. (In Oz Brits are called pommies BTW.) In Québec there's a sign on a cemetery fence that reads "Défense de trépasser". In continental French that means "dying is prohibited" but in French Canada it is franglais for "No trespassing". The German of the Pennsylvania Dutch as well as Milwaukee Deutsch are not the same as the German of Frankfurt or Berlin. And there are all kinds of pidgin and creole argots that create their own terms for things and have every right to. Only an ignoramus would contend that they must slavishly obey Old Country linguistic patterns.

Language / Busha and JaJa [140]

Merged: Expat busia-bashers take heed!

For the benefit of those expat PF-ers who for some unknown reason are particularly annoyed by the PolAm term busia (also spelt busha) for granny, in Baltimore there is actually an eatery called Busia's Kitchen. Here is one review or, I should say, reaction:

I've read countless Polish restaurant reviews where the reviewer commented "this is just like being in my busia's kitchen." So I wondered, why has no enterprising restaurateur opened up a restaurant called "Busia's Kitchen"? Then I found one on the Internet. Ha! This is definitely not like MY busia's kitchen! Hey, Baltimore-area members, how's the food from Busia's Kitchen? Please ask them to make a swing through Kalamazoo!

busiaskitchen.com

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]

GNACKI: Gnatski is not a Polish spelling but it makes sense in America. If it had been left intact, its bearer would have had to go through life being called something like "nacky". Polish pronunciation is GNAHT-ski (the "g" is tounded).

It originated as a patronymic tag derived from the first name Ignacy (Ignatius), Gnacek or Gnacik for short, and means the same as "Iggy's boy".

For more information please contact me.

TOBIKASZ: root-word Tobiasz (Tobias) from which the pet form is Tobik. Tobik's son would have been called Tobikasz or Tobikiewicz.

GAWLIK: pet form of first name Gaweł (Gaul), probably also a patronymic for "the son of Gaweł".

For more information please contact me.

Genealogy / Is your line of the Polish family noble? [74]

NOWICKI: Root-word nowy (new); most likely originated as a toponymic tag to identify an inhabitant of Nowica (Newton, Newbury).
In Polish heraldry people did not have coats of arms because of what their surname was but because of membership of a gentry clan. There were 11 noble lines amongst your Nowicki namesakes with as many different coats of arms. There was even an own-name clan & crest called Nowicki.

For more information on this please contact me.

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]

£UKASZEWICZ: surname of patronymic origin derived from first name £ukasz (one of the Four Evangelists) meaning "son of Luke"; English equivalent Lucasson. Very popular Polish surname; alternate form: £ukasiewicz;

10 different noble lines amongst the surname's bearers with as many coats of arms.

For more information please contact me.

Life / Are foreigners welcome in Poland? [305]

At first glance I don't believe one can usually distinguish a Russian from a Pole on the basis of physiognomy and attire unless he starts speaking Russian and unless he has a sizable amount of Asiatic DNA. Romanians may be a bit on the swarthy side and remind some of Gypsies.

Po polsku / Polskie powiedzonka typu "Nie moja bajka"? [41]

Zależy czy w stanie spoczynku, czy zwarty i gotowy?

Po polsku / Polskie powiedzonka typu "Nie moja bajka"? [41]

Albo g---- to mnie obchodzi! Z tym, że"nie moja bajka" ozancza, że akurat tym się nie interesuje/zajmuje, bez niansu pejoratwynego.

History / Pictures of Polish Jews holding coins and lemons? [25]

ZARAŃSKI/ŻARAŃSKI: Poznań University onomastician (name researcher) Dr Ewa Szczodruch traces this surname to the word zaranie (dawn as in zaranie dziejów = dawn of history)) or zaranek (early part of the day). I could have also originated as a topo tag from Żar or Zarańsko; there was one noble line amongst the bearers of the Zarański surname.

History / Polish nobility - what is the status of princes and aristocrats in modern Poland? [33]

The 1921 constitution abolished the nobility and gentry lineage no longer provided any special privileges. But there is no law against displaying one's ancestral coat of arms or pursuing heraldry and genealogy or unofficially calling oneself a count.. Many people nowadays have no opinion about the gentry or are negatively disposed to them. You'll heart things like they frittered away their fortunes away in Monte Carlo and lived beyond their means when the country was enslaved (partitions). Individual landed aristocrats however are fondly remembered for their efforts to improve local agriculture, found churches, promote education for peasant children and patriotically serve in the insurrections.

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]

GNIADKOWSKI: root-word = adjective gniady (sorrel-coloured or reddish-bown - usually said of a horse's coat). For some strange reason Enlgish also uses the word sorrel to mean a green leafy veggie like spinach which in Polish is claled szczaw. Anyway, nearly all -owski ending surnames are of toponymic origin. This one originated to identify a native of places called Gniadków or Gniadkowo (Sorrelton, Sorrelville in rough translation). One gentry line using an own-name coat of arms.

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]

CZARNECKI: Root-word czarny (black); of toponymic origin tracing back to numerous localities called Czarna or Czarne. One of many surnames derived from czarn- or czern- including Czarniecki, Czarnowski, Czarnik, Czarnota, Czerniak, Czerniawski and many more. In English too there are such surnames as Black, Blackly, Blackton, Blacking, Blackman, Blackwood, Blackfield, etc.

Language / Short Polish<->English translations [1049]

Section sounds pretty good. Many dzięks! I have used passage for ustęp but it seems that would be more appropriate for a literary passage than a legal term.

Language / Short Polish<->English translations [1049]

Merged: artykuł 3 ustęp 4 paragraf 5

How would you translate this bit of Polish legalese into English: artykuł 3 ustęp 4 paragraf 5?
Dictionaries translate both ustęp and paragraf as paragraph, and that can't be right.

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]

CHMUROWSKI: root-word chmura (cloud), possibly a patronymic nickname for someone whose father was called Chmura; or a toponymic tag for an inhabitant of the Masurian settlement of Chmury.

Genealogy / All Future Polish Genealogy Researchers: Please Read before you start a thread [45]

NAWALANY: probably derived from nawałnica (violent weather, downpours accompanied by strong winds).

SZYMCZAK: patronymic meaning Simonson.

MAŚLAK: root-word masło (butter), hence something buttery or a butter merchant; maśłak is also the name of a mushroom known in the US as a slippery jack.

History / Terrible past for the Jews in Poland? [930]

I'm really not following this. Where were they supposed to enter Poland from? Why weren't they in Poland already if these were Polish citizens? Who did not let them enter: Polish border guards, the army, police? And when did this allegedly occur?

Genealogy / Want to find a person [770]

MARECKI: probably originated as a patronymic nick meaning "son of Marek" (Eng. Marcusson). Other patronymically derived surnames traceable to Marek would include Marczak, Markowski and Markowicz.

Language / Short Polish<->English translations [1049]

I think it's a cultural thing. In the Anglo and maybe even most of the Western world pickling implies curing something in a vinegar-based marinade. Polish differentiates between marynowane (marinated in a vinegar solution) and kiszony (brine cured without any vinegar). So waht are known as pickled cucumbers in Polish can be konserwowe (used instead of marynowane) or kiszone or kwaszone (brine cured). Sauekraut in Polish is kapusta kiszona. The term konserwowy also means tinned or canned, so groszek konserwowy would mean tinned peas without any vinegar. Smacznego!

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]

MALIK AND MA£EK both come from the word mały (small. little, tiny, negligible, minor etc.) but are separate names; both are quite common in the Opole region.

MICHALIK: is a different story; its root-word is Michał (Michael) and it probably arose as a patronymic tag whose English equivalent would be Michaelson. Also quite a number in and around Opole.

History / Terrible past for the Jews in Poland? [930]

Dunno? Israel? Germany? Russia? If they weren't admitted into Poland why was it their "own country"?

History / Terrible past for the Jews in Poland? [930]


I confused about the "their own country" bit. Why were they out of "their own country"? I'd love to see some evidence of this. Did Poland treat Jews in the 1930s worse than other countries? If so, why didn't they move out?

History / Terrible past for the Jews in Poland? [930]

This from Wikipedia for better or worse:
Between the end of the Polish-Soviet War of 1919 and late 1938, the Jewish population of the Republic has grown by nearly half a million or over 464,000 persons.[1] Jews preferred to live in relatively tolerant Poland rather than in the USSR, and continued to integrate, to marry into Polish Gentile families, to bring them into their community through marriage, to feel Polish and to form an important part of Polish society.[2] Between 1933 and 1938, around 25,000 German Jews fled Nazi Germany to sanctuary in Poland.[3]

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]

NOWAKOWSKI: toponymic tag for someone from Nowakowo or Nowakwów (Newbury, Newton); 7 gentry lines.

MARKUSZEWSKI: toponymic tag for someone from Markuszów or Markusy (Marcusville, Markton); one gentry line.

STACHYRA: one of many variants derived from Stach, pet form of Stanisław; no noble lines.

KĄKO£ÓW: patronymic meaning the Kąkols' son; a kąkoł is a corncockle

WILIŃSKI: toponymic tag from Wilno; nowadays the adj. is wileński; one noble line

MIRCZAK: patronymic nick for the son of Mirek (pet form of Mirosław); no known gentry connections.

CISCONIK: root-word is the mazurianised pronunciation of czyścionik (someone with a hygiene obsession); in modern Polish czyścioszek; no known gentry connections.

CAMLET: ????

TREMBACZ/TRĘBACZ: occupational tag for trumpeter, bugler

CHMIELARSKI: root-word chmiel (hops); patronymic for the son of the chmielarz (which can mean a hop grower or vendor or a drunk or vagrant); no known gentry connections.

WARZYCKI: topo tag from Warzyce: root-wrod warzyć (to cook, boil, scorch), hence Scorchville, Boilton, etc.; 3 noble lines.

KOWALECE(?): this doesn't look right; maybe it was Kowalec in which case it could have been the blacksmith's son or helper; no known gentry connections.

NOTE: For more information on the above please contact me.