sabrej
3 Oct 2007
Genealogy / Polish name? Hunzah Swantek (Swiatek?) [9]
I've been researching my gg grandfather, who came from Poland to the US sometime around 1886-1887.
Unfortunately, there's some mystery as to his name. When he arrived here, he changed his name to John B Smith. Nobody in the family knows who he was before, and he never discussed it. He was born 12-24-1869, maybe in Lodz or Warsaw? Family story is that he was from Warsaw, where his family owned a mill of some sort.
His obituary said he was baptized and confirmed in the Roman Catholic Church in Poland, which would be great, since churches usually keep records of those things, but without knowing the exact area he was in or his name.....:(
My grandpa says he remembers the family teasing John B about Hunzah Swantek or Unza Swiantec, although my spelling is probably awful.
Maybe this was just a joke, or maybe it has some significance.
Wondering if anyone can tell me if this sounds like a Polish name, and maybe if it's male or female?
I think I may have hit a brick wall here, but I keep hoping!
I've been researching my gg grandfather, who came from Poland to the US sometime around 1886-1887.
Unfortunately, there's some mystery as to his name. When he arrived here, he changed his name to John B Smith. Nobody in the family knows who he was before, and he never discussed it. He was born 12-24-1869, maybe in Lodz or Warsaw? Family story is that he was from Warsaw, where his family owned a mill of some sort.
His obituary said he was baptized and confirmed in the Roman Catholic Church in Poland, which would be great, since churches usually keep records of those things, but without knowing the exact area he was in or his name.....:(
My grandpa says he remembers the family teasing John B about Hunzah Swantek or Unza Swiantec, although my spelling is probably awful.
Maybe this was just a joke, or maybe it has some significance.
Wondering if anyone can tell me if this sounds like a Polish name, and maybe if it's male or female?
I think I may have hit a brick wall here, but I keep hoping!