Genealogy /
Searching for Dawids and Deptułas in Kadzidło parish [12]
Hello Currain - ...or should I say - *Cousin*... :)
I'm so glad you responded back so quickly... I believe we are cousins a only a few times removed. As I said before, my grandmother's name was Eleanor Berk (1907-1999) and her mother's name was Eleanor Dawid (c.1885-? - same first name). ED's sisters' and brothers' names were Kasha Dawid (c.1885-?), Franciszek (c.1922-c.1940), Jozef Dawid (c.1900-c.1940) and Stanislaw (c.1900-c.1940). Their mother and father's name was Peter Dawid (?-?) and Kasha ? (c.1860-?).
I do not know of any "Walenty" or "Deptuła", but the siblings named: Antonina, Mary and Josef (plus: Stelia, "Churcha", and Stanley) were my grandmother's sisters/brothers, from Jeglijowiec (I met Antonina, Mary and Josef in 75' - they were old then and all deceased by now, but Antonia might still be alive in France. Her daughter is doing well there). Their mother was Eleanor Dawid (my great-grandmother). If this information does not quite fit with your understanding, it's because some of it was from my grand mother's oral tradition, which may be 'off' from her memory. However, some of it was supported by fragmented document sources that I have, but which ones, I can't say yet until I dig up the documents and reconstruct where I got them. But as you know, much of the primary documents has been destroyed during the war. I have a family tree chart of the Dawid/Berk family that I created years ago, but I have to get it into PDF form.
When I was in Jeglijowiec in August, 1975, there was only a walking/horse/wagon trail to get to this village - a two hour walk on a dirt road from Kadzidło. I might have been the first American to visit the area - and they loved me.... Electricity was first introduced to Jeglijowiec the year before, and in 75', the coop tractor finally came to town - with a collective "wow"... (the whole town of 200 was off the map for three days as everyone was drunk from all the partying. I remember waking up in some cornfield with some cousins/friends...). You can still see the tank tracks across my family's farm field and shell holes from the war. I found a partially buried, fragmented skeleton while looking for mushrooms for dinner with my family - a common discovery in that area - but from which war, or on who's side, are always unknown (the Battle of Tannenburg was fought over the entire area during WWI). Water was from a well from a bucket, as was bathing; water always had to be boiled (i.e. lots of tea...); oats and wheat were brought in by sickle and hand; thatched roofs on our farmhouse; everything was by horsepower - and outhouses. I had cousins up and down that village. My family lived on the south-side of the village, in the middle of the turn on the west side of the road, across from the narrow open field, before it leaves the village heading east.
Now that road is a paved road, in-door plumbing (no outhouses), and car accidents (did you see the photos of the car wreak? Do a Google-Image under "Jeglijowiec" and find out what's new...). I'm waiting weekly for Google Earth to travel up that road so can see my family's house from the road. They still haven't yet... :(
I know a lot of the oral history of the Berk and Dawid family from Jeglijowiec, but I don't feel comfortable in describing it in detail on a public forum. Please email me and I can tell you more. Take care...
dinkytown@hotmail
