USA, Canada / To move back to Poland from the USA or not to move back....that is the question [119]

Just scanning through and 'meeting' posters here. I wish you well in whatever you decide. After two decades of hard looking, I am finally making headway on finding my grandparent's families and extended family in Krasnopol and Kalisz. If I had the means/time - I would love to come to Poland for a few years but my age and lack of funds will never allow it. I don't feel that any time spent travelling or living in another country is ever a waste, though. I was fortunate enough to live many years in Italy as a child - learning about others, especially those with whom you share 'roots' can be difficult, yes - even exceedingly so - but always builds character and appreciation for other customs/ways. As for being 'accepted as a pole' - let me share this - I am from the USA - I was born a 'southerner' to a Polish father and American mother - even 'here' there will always be people who treat others as 'outsiders'. I identify as a "Southerner" here and was raised "Southern" but there have been family on my mother's side, who never accepted my father's family "Ooo- they are 'foreigners' - yuck! dirty-sloppy-stupid - and etc" This "Us versus Them" attitude is not something only found in certain places - it is found everywhere, in every country under the sun. Go where you go with good intent and good heart - you WILL meet those whom you may call 'family' everywhere you go. The Polish people I've been fortunate enough to know in my family have taught me this - 'our' Polish family people here and back in Poland/Lithuania - they work HARD, they play HARD, they love Hard - they are 'all or nothing' people - huge hearts and spirits - when I say "Hard" - I mean with all the heart and soul. You will find people to accept you - and as we say here, it is simply a case of "Mind over Matter" - if you don't mind, 'they' (those who won't/don't accept you) should not matter. LOL. Bona Fortuna!

Life / Why is circumcision not practiced in Poland? [701]

OH, thank you for the chuckle! I needed one today! I'm not 'qualified' to respond as I've never been *acquainted* with anyone who was not, ah....nipped/tucked. I will say this - I believe it is a personal decision and has very little to do with cleanliness in terms of lack of circumcision being equal to bad bathing habits or a lack of care with regard to one's physical state - if a fellow takes care of his personal hygiene as he 'should' - on a daily basis - I do not see a problem. Someone else has mentioned the Japanese - due to family in the military, we've a lot of friends and and travels there - I have to say they are the cleanest human beings I've ever known - very fastidious and has been said, they do not practice circumcision. It's a 'prickly' issue, I guess. LOL. Cheers -

Genealogy / The typical Polish look, or all Eastern Europeans [656]

My father's mother and her sister, who came from Kalusz, were never what anyone would have described as 'thin' or 'willowy' - nor were their daughters. My great-uncles both married lovely women from near Krakow, in the 1940's and neither of them were thin. I think it depends a lot on genetics, no matter where you are from. We seem to have two types of men/ women in our family from our Polish sides - the ladies are either thin and look VERY slavic - green/blue eyes, blonde/reddish blonde hair and wiry slender but muscular men - or you have the 'chubby' ones - green/blue eyes, very fair coloring, blonde/reddish hair - very wavy/curly but very plump even when young.

My brother and I - in photographs taken twenty years apart

We have always been told that we very strongly resemble our Klepacki/Blaszcyzk relatives

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Language / "Ego" as an ending in Polish Names? [19]

Chrisoz, I know exactly what you mean. It's frustrating and it is very sad. My cousins tell me that when they were young, our Grandparents and their brothers and sisters would only speak Polish when they did not want the children to understand what they were saying. None of us speak any Polish and I feel that we lost a great deal - not only of our families stories, but our heritage as well. People are people - as humans we sometimes do foolish/stupid or 'bad' things - I would love to know of our history both the good and bad. I feel as if there are links out there but my lack of understanding keeps me from finding those links and making connections. I look up "Klepacki" and pictures of people in Poland and often, I see strong resemblance to my father's family. Like ghosts.

Well, I do know one thing for certain - nothing beats a home-made, properly cooked Keilbasa and some pierogies!

Thanks again to all of you for helping us 'newcomers' to understand.

Nancy

Language / "Ego" as an ending in Polish Names? [19]

Smurf - Gee thank you. Much help.

Ziutek - you, dear heart - are my personal hero today! I am new to this and do not speak Polish. My father spoke it often and I remember how many words 'sound' but no idea as to how they are spelled or rules of grammer. Again, many, many thanks.

Nancy Klepacki - Illinois, USA

Genealogy / Help with Polish Surnames and Variants Klepacki and Blasczyk [15]

Thanks again -

I've been to the Ellis Island archives, GenForum, Ancestry.Com, RootsWeb and the LDS Church in the US sites.
What's driving me insane is that I think I may have found a possible brother for my grandfather, and all of the children in 'his' family - bear - for the most part, the same family names as my iine, during the same time period. I now have a headache. LOL!

Genealogy / Help with Polish Surnames and Variants Klepacki and Blasczyk [15]

Thanks so much for that - my Stanislawa was 16 when she arrived, though. I truly appreciate the info, though.

Genealogy / Help with Polish Surnames and Variants Klepacki and Blasczyk [15]

No, theirs was an arranged marriage. He came over in 1906 and I believe she came over in 1904. At that time, they were both living in Jersey City, NJ. Siegmund apparently had a brother named "Charles" - he signed documents as next of kin. Other than that, I don't know anything else. I'm trying to find both her and his parents/siblings. When she came over, she was accompanied by Bronislawa Blasczyzk - but aside from the ship manifest, there is no other mention of her that I can find.

THANKS TO ALL OF YOU - YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH THIS INFORMATION MEANS TO ME.