Genealogy / Zelem family - Southeast poland [73]


Yes we've been around for centuries and probably came from the Lemko regeons of the Carpathian Mountains, Lots emigrated to the America's in the 1890's, more were displaced during the two world wars and the depopulization of the Lemko's in 1946-1948.

here are some links........

lemko.org
carpatho-rustyn.org
nancy.polishsite.us

There is such a lot of US sites , but little or no UK based info. if anyone knows more please let us know............:)

Food / Smalec - how to make it? [53]

Add finely chopped mushroom and a clove of garlic and you're realy rocking............

Language / Polish Lessons Units [189]

These are just Superb!!!

A great leap forward for people trying to get thiere toungue around letter sounds.

Genealogy / Displaced Persons Camp / Work camp and concentration camp difference [86]

Yeh ! I was born in a displaced persons camp here in England . Hallburn in Cumberland, went and paid a visit there early in January.

Genealogy / Displaced Persons Camp / Work camp and concentration camp difference [86]


I've tried to google in the past and didn't get much at all.
However the camp was just outside Longtown in Cumberland, it was wartime service hostpital. Our family lived there fo about seven years.
In effect it was made up of nissan huts with round corrigated steel roofs and pot bellied stoves for heating, there was also pre fabricated huts in another section of the camp, later in the period of my being there one came available and we moved into it for a couple of years.

Gradualy as time went on the people moved on, most went to the industrial areas of the northwest and some stayed on but not many. I'd been to Scotland for the new year and out of interest stopped had lunch in the hotel at Longtown. Got talking to one person who had stayed in the area, he was a nieghbour living two doors down although I don't remember him personaly I certainly remembered the family name.

Not much left of the place now just a couple of the concrete buildings once used as a community hall, the rest have been demolished years ago and the land returned to farm land.

Will take my Mother up for a visit next month she and her old friend will enjoy the chat.

Genealogy / Displaced Persons Camp / Work camp and concentration camp difference [86]

Will ask her next time I see her.(Sunday).......But don't hold out on that, she's 84 and in good health but dosn't like being quizzed. I have a hells job asking about Stary krai.

Well see...............

Genealogy / How hard is it to get a Polish passport? [74]


A Good question........There don't seem to be any advantages in possessing one if you are within the EU. American citizens may find it an advantage if they need to buy land in poland.

But any case it will not make you anymore Polish than you are now.

Genealogy / Zelem family - Southeast poland [73]

Latest search on this name makes it likely to have Hebrew conections.

Zelem Elonim - " In the image of god" Gen.1. 26...

Language / Calling a person a 'potato' (ziemniak/kartofel/burak) [37]

Not heard thay one before Dannyboy..........hear people call someone" Baran"(ram)...if someone was considered slow and clumsey............

Language / English-Polish tests [23]

just tried that its very good....thank you

Genealogy / Displaced Persons Camp / Work camp and concentration camp difference [86]

Hi Polishdaz.....It's good to here from someone who has walked the same path.

I personaly do not remember your family but I shall ask mother if she remembers the names. You say you grew up in Bradford we still have contact with some families in Bradford who also lived in Hollburn,I'll get a list together and see if you know any of them.

I'll try and post a picyure of my first home .....don't know if it will work I'm quite hopeless.

I'll try again ... Nope still not working file too big I, ll try again when more time.

Well Polishdaz........I've just had a word with my mother and she says she remember's the name of pacyna quite well, but tell me did your family have red hair ?

Still working on resizeing the pics.

Genealogy / Displaced Persons Camp / Work camp and concentration camp difference [86]

Reason I asked Mother says she was Godmother to a Pacyna boychild but she couldn't remember the name. Could it be your Dad or Uncle maybe ?.............

Genealogy / Displaced Persons Camp / Work camp and concentration camp difference [86]

going to try again to post a pic. got it!

Right on this picture according to my mother is on the very left holding a glass Mr Pacyna.
possibly your grandad....The lady withe the child on the right is Mrs pacyna , possibly your grandma . what her son was called she do's not remember.

the other two children in the center is my sister and myself, my father is extreme right next to the boy.

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Genealogy / Displaced Persons Camp / Work camp and concentration camp difference [86]

will do that today for you Polishdaz......meantime take a look at this site, you may find something of interest there. I found my mothers name on the ship passenger list that brought her to britian in '46.

polishresettlementcampsintheuk.co.uk

Genealogy / Zelem family - Southeast poland [73]

Well folks I shall be going to Poland in 10 days for a 2 week vist to various places and will be staying for a few days in Pstrazne, Chata Zelem to me.

Mecyna Wielka is just a short walk through the forrest, if you give me some more info I'd kick up some dust for you.

+
btw family first names are,

Tadeusz and Paraskiewla.......Grandad and grandma (maiden name Lysak)
Piotr, Paulo , Theodore, Jan, Micheal ........Uncles
Theodora .....Aunty and Maria...my Mother.

Of all those only my uncle Piotr remained in the region the rest were diplaced by the war and Operation Vistula in 47....

Genealogy / Vintage Photos of Polish ancestors [144]

Just came back from a trip to Poland, had a great time lost two days at a weding and hooked up with pleanty of relatives I'd not met before.

One aunt pulled out a box full of photo's and proceded to show them to me explaining to me who the particular relative was. It was all quite macarbe, because all the pics I was being shown were of aunts, uncles, cousins and indeed one of my Gran dead, lying in the coffin rosery beads entwined in her finger's.

All the time I was thinking please show me a picture of someone in a happy pose saying cheese for the camera. What can you say though...."Oh yes now thats a good one of uncle Piotr, he looks realy well there. How did he die?"

This happend on several occations with a few different people, and they all had the same photo's. I couldn't build a conversation arround those images, it's as though there was only one person who had a camera and he only went to funerals.

Bizzare quite bizzare.

Got some good ones of my own though :0)

Food / Pierogi Dough [30]


Yes you can freeze the dough it's no problem, do it all the time.

Genealogy / Vintage Photos of Polish ancestors [144]


Met a elder cousin on this trip who at first meeting I warmed to...She was definately the rebel in the family.

I was at that time back in the Lemko village of Bodaki where my mother came from.She eventualy explained that she had literaly been blanked by her father for marrying a Polish man. She left the family home with nothing but made good, now she has her own home and family in a nearby town, and sadly regrets the rift with her father was never repaired before her father died. Now she just visits the village and family from time to time.

My mother married a polish man, I wonder weather that had been a major factor why she never returned to her homeland.......

Genealogy / Zelem family - Southeast poland [73]

genekpolak Hi.

Good to hear of you, but you just missed a hell of a opertunity, I just got back from Poland and Bodaki. I was told that there was another family of Zelems who were from Bodaki or Bartne but not related could have been your dads family.

My surname is not Zelem that was my mothers maiden name. Grandad and Grandma Zelem are both buried in the same grave in a cemetry near Wroclaw, visited the site also two weeks ago. There are other aunts and uncles buried in the wroclaw area.Lots of cusins and extended family around there too.

Strange how the names reacur within a family, Had a cusin Stefan he died in america some five years ago. Had two uncles in Canada Michael and Paulo they are now dead also. There is some family in America also but don't know much about them as yet.

There is lots more to find out, and will return to Poland again in the spring.

---

Hello again Genekpolak.............just a quick update ifyou'r still around. I had a word with my mother last week and I mentioned your family to her, and behold it is very possible that your family, although not related have been visitors at our home near Manchester.

Apparently after your family had visited Bodaki you came to visit bringing my mother a jar of honey from her brother Piotr's bees.
If you have a sister called Soscia then you'r the one.

Genealogy / Zelem family - Southeast poland [73]

genekpolak, there is also a zelem family around oldham district in manchester. Do you have any family links with them?

Genealogy / Zelem family - Southeast poland [73]


Thats realy interesting, thanks a lot Kaliszer great post.

I had a thread on the subject but it seems to have been wiped out.(those damn americans will shoot at anything when there bored).

Admin...... What did hapen to that thread ?

History / Unusual soldier (The bear - named Voytek) [71]

A pal of my father served with Wojtek all the way from Iran to demob in Scotland. he has very vivid memories of Wojtek and his daily bath in the river while in Iran. As a child I always thought that it was just a barrack room story........

Genealogy / Vintage Photos of Polish ancestors [144]

This is my favorite picture of all time. I saw it when I last visited Poland in April, it is in possesion of my last remaining Aunt. So it is the didgitised copy of a photographed copy of the original which had been cut out in a oval shape.

I shows my Grandad, Grandma and my Father just before he was taken for forced labour to Austria. Grandad was blown up allong with two of his youngest sons all in the same blast. Grandma lost it and was found a couple of days later in a derelict church. She lived on into her eighties and now lies in a 11th century church yard near Wroclaw.

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Genealogy / Displaced Persons Camp / Work camp and concentration camp difference [86]

Hi Hannah...Just great, have you any idea where your family were posted to after they arrived in Britain ?.
Take a look at the site below if you haven't already..polishresettlementcampsintheuk.co.uk

Genealogy / Displaced Persons Camp / Work camp and concentration camp difference [86]


Hi Polishdaz, ...When were those pictures taken ? if they are recent I'll go and take a lookfor myself soon.

I've got a good one of the nissan huts with the tin roof which was my first home..I'll have to dig it out.

Genealogy / Zelem family - Southeast poland [73]

Hi All.......Not been around for a while, but I'm still alive......

To all who are interested I'll be going to a Żelem family wedding in September.
I'll be around Bodaki, Ropica, sękowa area's with Męcina Mała and Męcina Wielka just over the hill......So if anyone want's I could ask some questions or kick up some dust while I'm there.. :0)

Genealogy / Zelem family - Southeast poland [73]

ok. lcbohio will do what i can .

setting off in the motorhome next wekend will be missing for a month or so. I'm not in any rush but I will be back.

Genealogy / Vintage Photos of Polish ancestors [144]

Got some old photo's of my Grandad from the first world war even my mother hadn't seen them before.

hope they load

Begger!! resize and try again......

Genealogy / Vintage Photos of Polish ancestors [144]

picktures of grandad wearing uniform of the Austro Hungarian Empire 1st. world war.

hope it works this time............:0)

• 
  grandad on ouside right
  
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  grandad back row 2nd from right
  

Genealogy / Vintage Photos of Polish ancestors [144]

Here is one more ......Grandad the war hero.....he's front row 2nd from left.

Aparently he had a bad limp all his life after this......but he lived into his 80's

Hell I've done it again....no picture