Genealogy / Russian POW Camp records [71]

Bobko - As to finding anything else, it is a piecemeal attempt to strengthen my claim towards Polish citizenship. Right now, not being able to find verifiable records that can prove his citizenship. With what I have, I could apply for citizenship but it would be difficult. With some kind of records that state his military service and citizenship may make my application easier. Now to get in touch with Bundearchiv or Deutsche Dienststelle. As for mixed marriages, My grandfather did not get married until he was 50 and my grandmother was already married and having marital problems with her husband. then she got a divorce/annulment in Sept 1949 and got married to my grandfather 2 months later. He may have been of German background and she may have been of (Ukrainian) Polish background.

Genealogy / Russian POW Camp records [71]

Thanks Paulina. I tried to get in touch with the Sikorski Museum, but did not get anywhere with them at the time. I will have to try again. In the letter my grandfather wrote in regards to vet benefits (written in March 1964 since he turned 65 in Sept of that year), he made mention of where he signed up which was Zegrze Sept. 3, 1939 and the unit started from there and went through Rembertow, Lukow, Biala-Podlaska, Miedzyrzecze, Kobryn, Pinsk, Rowne, Brody, Zloczow, Tarnopol and ended up at Czortkow by Sept. 17, 1939. I don't have any idea as to the names of those he served with when it comes to the 1st Signals Regiment. To Bobko and Torq, I hope these town/village locations kind of help you to trace and connect to some unit.

Life / Why there is always around a horrible smell of sweat in Poland [214]

It is more the strong smell of manure emanating from Washington D.C. that is offensive.

Genealogy / Russian POW Camp records [71]

Paulina - Since my grandfather was living in Canada, I would assume he was applying for vet benefits here and hoping they would coordinate with their counterparts in Poland.
Torq - I have included a scanned copy of the documents for both medals. You will notice that the cross was issued for the 1919-1922 service and the wojska medal for the 1939 tour of duty. Yes I am aware of the fact that some cross of valours were issued during the 2nd war but for my grandfather that was not the case.Since the direct approach failed to get his service records, I am trying to find a chink in the armour and hope there is a duplicate record some where because of the medals, being a POW or where he joined up with either unit

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Genealogy / Russian POW Camp records [71]

To Bobko, yes, both medals my grandfather received are Polish ones. The 1st one he received is known as Krzyzen Walecznych. He got that from his 1st tour of duty from the 4th Sigmals Regiment 1919-1922. The 2nd medal he received is a round one with these words on the reverse side of the eagle Polska Swema Obroncy and that was when he was with the 1st Signals Battalion Sept. 3-17, 1939. On the card that came with the 2nd medal makes reference to 1 Pulk Lacznosci. To Paulina, as for the document I have in German that makes reference to my grandfather being employed in the Post office in Lublin from May 1940 to Aug.1944. I have to resize them without too much degradation in the upload quality.

Genealogy / Russian POW Camp records [71]

That is part of why I am looking into the possibility of POW records to find something about my grandfather. Since the CAW can not find his records in their files partly due to the fact the records could have been destroyed during the war. I also am not an historian. As for the vets benefits, I do not know where he was going to send it. That letter mentions when he got Canadian citizenship, that his 1st tour of duty was from 1919-1922 and he was honourably discharged and he received the cross of valour and that his 2nd tour was September 3-17,1939 and where the unit ended up. But he does not say if he was honourably or dishonourably discharge, if he went awol or was captured. As for the name of either unit, I have them in English, but not Polish. Since he got the Cross of Valour in 1922 after his 1st tour duty I thought there might have been some sort of record on file but no such luck. As for the document in German, I am not sure how to do that since I have not done it before with this forum.

Genealogy / Russian POW Camp records [71]

To Feniks, Right now all I have is a letter that my grandfather wrote because he was applying for vet benifits. In this letter he mentions the 2nd unit he was with (1st Signals Regiment) and they started out from Zegrze on Sept.3, 1939 and ended up at Czortkow by Sept 17, 1939. Right now, there are no other documents to verify anything. My grandfather never spoke of what happened during this time. The story that was relayed to me from a relative was that he was captured, but my relative has a habit of lying. Another document I have is orders for my grandfather to go to Ulm August 1944. This document makes reference to a date of May 16,1940 in Lublin and is in German and I am not fluent in German. So why a short time as a POW I do not know. That is part of what I am tracking down and piecing his military records together. When I do a search for either unit that my grandfather was with nothing showing up as if both units did not exist. I got in touch with CAW and they could not find his military records and I do not know if either unit he was with had personnel records of their own stored somewhere and forgotten about.
To Paulina: Yes, He has German roots. His grandparents lived in Gostynin and are buried there. His parents and siblings were living in Elzbietow from 1890 to about 1920. Unfortunately I do not have the name of either unit in Polish. The document that I have in German shows that my grandfather was working for the Post Office in Lublin and that he was given marching orders to go from Lublin to Ulm August 1944. Since CAW is unable to find his military records, I wanted to see if I can find POW records on him to show military service

Genealogy / Russian POW Camp records [71]

I did not say top of the war. My grandfather spoke Polish, Russian and German. Going by what was told to me through family members that kind of made him somewhat useful. I do have 1 document that makes reference to the German Post Office in Lublin and that is where my grandfather worked from May 1940 to August 1944 before he was relocated to Ulm. As to why he was released just before May 1940 I have no idea.

Genealogy / Russian POW Camp records [71]

He was not an officer. He was a corporal. I am hoping to find a back door, so to speak, that might substantiate his military service. He did survive the war and ended up emmigrating to Canada. All I know is that apprently he was released sometime before May 1940 and he was working somewhere else from May 1940 to August 1944 before relocating to Ulm. As for the gulag, I am not sure about that but will have a look. What you mention at the end of your post I will look into it. There is a part in the Katyn Forest Massacre headed by a Mr. Madden (1951) where it has 3 lists of some Polish personnel that were killed and buried at Katyn that were in Starobielsk,and a couple of other camps and I could not find any reference to officers that were from the unit he was with at the time he was captured.

Genealogy / Birth Certificate for parent [4]

My aunts and I are not on speaking terms. They think they are punishing me for what they did. As for church records, that is going to be tough since I do not know the date of death for my grandmothers parents or where they are buried. I know there names and approximate year of birth, but that is about it. I suspect they may have been Greek Orthodox. Going on the scanned documents I have and if I assume them to be correct partly because my grandmother was still married to her 1st husband when my mother was born I would like to take a chance and apply for the certificate for my mother. I do have a copy of the marriage certificate for the 1st marriage for my grandmother. Plus I have a scanned copy of the annulment/divorce for her dated Sept. 1949 and a copy of the certificate of marriage to her 2nd husband in 1949. The declaration that the 2nd husband (the one I got to know as my grandfather) had made in order to get a passable copy of a birth certificate for mother, makes me think it as act of adoption

Law / Polish citizenship by descent for "Brześć nad Bugiem" born 4 grand-parents? [15]

Another thing to consider, did your grandparents have relatives living within the boundaries of Poland currently? If so, get in touch with them and see what else they can tell you about your grandparents. You may be surprised.

Genealogy / What does my Polish name mean? [402]

Merged:

Last name of Pusiewicz v Pus

I recently came across a church archive document regarding a marriage between a Tomasz Pusiewicz v Pus who married a Konstancja Wieczorek in 1889. Two things, how common is this last name in and around the Kropiwki area of Poland and trying to find descendants. I am curious about the last name since I have never came across it before. Thanks

Classifieds / Teaching Job [online] for an English Native Speaker - Poland based online school [19]

Milosz

Besides what is listed in the posting you have provided in your post about wanting English Teachers, what are you looking for that is not listed? Prosze email me. Dziekuje. I currently live in Canada.

Law / The right to own guns: would you support such legislation in Poland? [2237]

Here in Canada everyone has the right to own handguns or rifles. But there are some hoops that you must go through in order to purchase them. For most that actually do own such type of firearms use them mostly for hunting. As for the Americans, as you have heard on the news in the last 20 years that have been a lot of mass shootings with the latest one at a church in Texas and there was a couple of schools in different states as well. If you want gun ownership, the American system is the wrong way to go on all accounts Since 1980, we have had only 2 major incidents of major shooting that I can remember here in Canada. The 1st one in Montreal at Ecole Polytechnic and the other one in Quebec city.

Law / Poland's citizenship by descent question. Polish great-great grandfather arrived in the USA as a kid. [76]

MattWebb, I do not know if you are following this post of yours still. Check the website known as easyexpat.com
Then find the forums link and then click on Poland. Then click on the immigration Poland - polska and look for the polish citizenship confirmation (part 3). You should be able to find answers to your questions there or in the other 2 parts. But in order to post, you will need to have an account. Also, check the citizenship act of 1920 and 1951. good luck

Classifieds / Random Classifieds Ads Poland [261]

How many bottles do you have and how much per bottle? Could you wait until about the 16th or thereabouts? I can make a trip up there on the Saturday of the festival if you can wait until then.

gary

Was in Toronto on the 17th for the Polish festival that was on Roncesvalles Ave. Sorry I missed you since you never replied. I have no idea as to when I will be back. Would have bought at least 3 or 4 bottles from you.

Language / Dziadzia / Babcia - help me with spelling/pronunciation [81]

As for the word/term babcia, when I was growing up I used the term babu for my grandmother and (d)ja(d)ju for my grandfather. That is what I can remember was used before they died many a year ago. I guess the pronunciation will depend on where the grandparents grew up or their parents.

Genealogy / Family Decendent of Gen. Jozef Bem [28]

JjJon
Do you have knowledge of Bohm's in the family that could have lived in or near Gostynin? The reason I ask is that my great great grandmother was a Bohm. I did find her grave, along with a brother of hers. Problem is I do not have much else in the way of information on her family other than what was written down in the family bible. I do know who her parents and grandparents are but not where they came from.

Genealogy / Claiming WW2 medals for Polish father [38]

I have been in touch with a lady by the name of Margaret Goddard who has a connection with the MOD in the U.K. I sent her a copy of the certificate that was issued with the medal that my grandfather received. The certificate has a number of issue and the date it was issued was in 1948. I also sent a copy of a letter that my grandfather wrote that states what units he was with and the time frame he was with each unit.

Usually, how long does it take to respond to such a request? My grandfather never served with the Polish Armed Forces outside of Poland during the 2nd world war. Since the certificate appears to have been issued from the U.K. I am hoping they may limited information on service records.

Work / I'm retired teacher, age 69 - I want to teach English in Poland voluntarily, in return for Polish language [18]

Eugene
Another thing to consider in order to make your pension go the distance if you want to teach would be to bargain. For example, if a school takes you up on your offer, have them help you with the cost of accommodations. Or someone can offer you a couple of rooms to work out of and then you would have to help out with incidentals such as food. By having a sitting room included with the bedroom, then you could teach privately or assist students with their homework.

News / RUSSIA TO MAKE PUBLIC THE KATYN FILES... [274]

It has been quite some time now that Russia was supposed to declassify their files on the Katyn Forest Massacre. Has anyone heard what has happened as of yet to these records? Have the records been reviewed, scanned and turned into pdf files so people can access and read them?

Genealogy / Wierzcholek family surname [15]

kind of odd in a way. my babcia's maiden name was Wieczorek. But my grandmother was born in Kropiwki, NE of Lublin and married someone from a nearby village just north of Podedworze. I doubt there is any connection due to the spelling. But the name sounded very close to hers though.

Life / Electricity in Poland: plug and voltage? [73]

inWroclaw

a rewire while it may initially cost a bundle, but in the long run will prove to be cheaper. Especially when you consider the alternative and that could be a short circuit which would cause the wires to overheat and maybe cause a fire. Check with the place that covers your insurance for your place. Chances are they may be aware that aluminum wiring may be a hazard and could give you a break on the insurance so to speak if that wiring is replaced. Copper may be more expensive, but if it helps to reduce the potential for causing a fire over aluminum wiring, it is cheaper than trying to replace your belongings that were damaged by fire and the stress of having to relocate during the process after the fire.

History / Finding locations of old Photos - Lublin, Lodz, or Pabianice? [7]

Great thanks. My grandparents would have know where the photos were taken, but they have died over 30 years ago. My 2 aunts don't know and at least I can let them know. Like I said in my main post with the photos while I could not pin either photo down to a specific location because there was nothing written on the back of them or even the year the photo was taken. I could only surmise the supposed locations based on the connections my family had to those locations. Such as Pabianice is where my great grandparents are buried and Gostynin was where they were born. Lublin was where my mother was born and Wegrow was where my grandfather was baptised and some family still live. As for Lodz, had some family living there until the first world war since I have a post card that was sent to them in 1909.

Life / Electricity in Poland: plug and voltage? [73]

to Plaiddino

on the external power unit for my laptop it does say that it is a dual unit capable of handling either North American or European power supply. if your laptop or play station have more or less external power units then another option would be to find a place to buy the appropriate power supplies for each item if you so desire. Either way, now you have something to think about.

Law / Poland's Inheritance Law Without Will [21]

Rey115
If you and your brother do not wish to give up your rights to the part ownership of the property, obtain any documents you can. Such as birth and death certificates. Since your uncle was the owner of the property and died before his parents (your grandparents), and he had no children, how much of the property reverted back to the parents and then after their deaths was divided between your aunt and father. Other postings I have read made allusions that if the owner of a property does not have children to inherit the property then the courts would look at the question did the deceased have siblings and/or parents still living and determine how to split the property if I understand it right.

The point here is who owned the property prior to it being registered in your uncle's name. If ownership got transferred while the original owners were still alive to your uncle there must be some kind of court document to substantiate this. By obtaining the certificates of the individuals involved (birth, marriage and death) may also assist in how the ownership got split may help your claims. By obtaining the various certificates will help to prove your claims to prove that the owner was your uncle because the names of the parents would be on all the birth certificates.

Using the certificates and other documents in proper perspective will help. Your best bet would be to locate a lawyer that will hopefully know the real estate laws and inform you if there is a statute of limitations and how that applies to your case.

History / Is there a list of those in the Polish Army during WWII? [195]

Would the British location for archives of Polish military have something on the signal corps? My grandfather never set foot in Britain when the WWII started. His service basically ended on Sept. 17, 1939 after his unit may have been captured by the Russians near Czortow, Poland (now in the Ukraine). I enquired through the CAW and was told that any records for my grandfather can not be found. At the same time, from a story that was related to me, the commissioned officers were segregated and may have eventually been summarily executed.

If that is the case, then his unit may be connected to the Katyn massacre. I heard that Russia declassified some of the material related to the Katyn massacre and handed it over to the Polish government. Can that materiel be accessed in order to (dis)prove a connection? Or do I have to go through a museum in SW Poland that may have POW information to find information. The museum is located in Lambowicz, I believe. Sorry if I have the spelling wrong since I do not have the correct spelling in front of me right now.