Piatek
23 Sep 2015
Genealogy / My theory about my family history - thoughts? Piatek surname. [7]
I realize this is a long shot, and is only based on my public school education's influence, but help me figure if this makes sense and where the holes are in my theory. Please be nice, as I said, I'm not particularly learned on any of this. (not like anyone here has ever been unkind, but it is an online forum, so there's always those trolls)
Anyways, getting on with it. My grandmother has traced our family lineage through the Piatek name to the mid-to-late 1800's and it seems to have dropped off. She believes the records were lost in the war (entirely probable, I know) but I feel like there could possibly be more to it. From my very light research, I've come to understand that the name Piatek was a possible name given when one converted to Christianity (if they were baptized on a Friday?) or a name possibly bestowed upon Jews in Warsaw (I didn't find much on that line). Our family is from the very south of Poland, almost to Slovakia.
From this, I'm wondering if the reason the records dropped off is because the last name was changed and our family was not "really" Polish?
Also I wasn't sure if a Roma family would convert to Christianity and change their name for safety during turbulent times, that was a theory of my mother's.
Thoughts?
**I'm going to add that this idea came about partially because my grandmother, great-grandmother, and great-great grandmother do not look stereotypically Polish, or Slavic at all for that matter. My father's side is Polish as well but they look very different, blonde and green/blue eyed. That may mean nothing, I'm not sure.
I realize this is a long shot, and is only based on my public school education's influence, but help me figure if this makes sense and where the holes are in my theory. Please be nice, as I said, I'm not particularly learned on any of this. (not like anyone here has ever been unkind, but it is an online forum, so there's always those trolls)
Anyways, getting on with it. My grandmother has traced our family lineage through the Piatek name to the mid-to-late 1800's and it seems to have dropped off. She believes the records were lost in the war (entirely probable, I know) but I feel like there could possibly be more to it. From my very light research, I've come to understand that the name Piatek was a possible name given when one converted to Christianity (if they were baptized on a Friday?) or a name possibly bestowed upon Jews in Warsaw (I didn't find much on that line). Our family is from the very south of Poland, almost to Slovakia.
From this, I'm wondering if the reason the records dropped off is because the last name was changed and our family was not "really" Polish?
Also I wasn't sure if a Roma family would convert to Christianity and change their name for safety during turbulent times, that was a theory of my mother's.
Thoughts?
**I'm going to add that this idea came about partially because my grandmother, great-grandmother, and great-great grandmother do not look stereotypically Polish, or Slavic at all for that matter. My father's side is Polish as well but they look very different, blonde and green/blue eyed. That may mean nothing, I'm not sure.