Genealogical Gems

Here in America we celebrate Veterans Day today. In most of Europe, people are celebrating Armistice Day. In Poland ... where some of my father's grandparents came from ... they are celebrating their independence! Today is Poland's National Independence Day. It was On This Day in 1918, after more than a century of partitions and take overs, that Poland once again claimed herself her own country. It was On This Day - according to the European Network Remembrance and Solidarity -  that Józef Piłsudski was appointed the Commander-in-Chief over the Polish Forces. Three days later he was given complete civil control over Polish territories. Piłsudski is the founder of Polish legions. He had returned from German prison on 10 November 1918.               © Jeanne Ruczhak-Eckman, 2015

The January Uprising breaks out On This Day in 1863 in Poland , Lithuania and Belarus against the Russian Empire. The uprising lasted until 1865. The goal had been a national independence.      On This Day is a prompt I started this month to further explore historical events.                  © Jeanne Ruczhak-Eckman, 2015

The geography of Poland has seen many changes over the years. Duke Wladyslaw Lokietek was coroneted King of Poland On This Day in 1320. He served Poland as King until 1333. He is, according to Adam Zamoyski’s The Polish Way, one of “the greatest Polish kings.” As King, he defeated the Teutonic Knights in 1331.   Born in 1261, he is the son of Casimir I of Kuyavia and Euphrosyne of Opole. He was a prince of the Mazovian line. He married Hedwig of Kalisz. Their son, Kazimierz III, took reign after Wladyslaw died.   Source: Zamoyski, Adam. The Polish Way . NY: Hippocrene Books, 1987.   Photo: The Royal Seal of Wladyslaw the Short, as he was called, is a public domain image acquired through Wikipedia.   On This Day is a prompt I started this month to further explore historical events. I will make every effort to keep events localized to that of my research or research I am conducting for others. However, from time to time, it will simply be a ...

Karol Wojtyla is appointed archbishop of Kraków , Poland On This Day in 1964. He would later serve as Pope John Paul II from 16 October 1978 until he passed on 2 April 2005. He be the first Pope from Poland .      On This Day is a prompt I started this month to further explore historical events. I will make every effort to keep events localized to that of my research or research I am conducting for others. However, from time to time, it will simply be a subject that captured my attention. Some posts will be brief while others may be more detailed.                  © Jeanne Ruczhak-Eckman, 2015

The Polish people hoped for a sovereign Poland . The Great Polish Uprising began today in 1918 against the Germans. Polish Prime Minister Ignacy Paderewski delivered a patriotic speech earlier in the day. That evening th e uprising began with a shooting in front of Poznań 's Police Headquarters. By 1918 my direct Polish ancestors had already immigrated to America. However, I'm sure I still had family there who were affected by this event.   On This Day is a prompt I started this month to further explore historical events. I will make every effort to keep events localized to that of my research or research I am conducting for others. However, from time to time, it will simply be a subject that captured my attention. S ome posts will be brief while others may be more detailed.

I joined a Polish Genealogy group on Facebook and came across a resource, similar I suppose to our white pages here. The site, Moikrewni , led me to realize that the surname Matys is more common that I had thought.   There are, according to this site, 2,446 people with the last name Matys. That said, it does say "people" as opposed to "families" or "households."   On a whim, I searched for Matys in Ancestry.com using only a location as "Fraga, Poland" (which by the way did not self populate. The results? Over 47,000 entries! I should point out that I currently only have the US edition of Ancestry. I am so close to upgrading but I wanted to wait until I had several lines ready to cross the pond, to make it cost effective.   Find A Grave (yes I realize it is now owned by Ancestry.com) revealed 52 entries using only the last name Matys as my search requirements. That's a little more manageable! It also includes some from Poland, ...

Follow Friday is, for me at least, one of the more difficult Geneabloggers' prompts to write. Today however, I hopped online and found one that was perfect for where I am now in my research on my MATYS line and I had to include it! My great grandmother - Bessie Matys - came from Fraga. It has been a most difficult place to find information out about. PolishRoots.org is an awesome resource. This particular post, "How to Write a Letter Requesting Records in Polish" is timely and a God-send, for me at least. In it, are examples of phrases to use so that anyone essentially can write a letter requesting information. The site itself is a wealth of information. It covers land records and maps and tips. It covers the history of Poland as well. It is a "must check out" for anyone doing Polish or Ukrainian research.

Irek Jaworniciki is looking for former residents/descendants of ULUCZ. An announcement in a publication of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA reads: "Attention former residents of the village Ulucz, present day Poland, and their descendants. Please help us build the web site ( www.ulucz.org ) and create the monography of the Ukrainian village Ulucz, whose residents were forcibly resettled in 1947 as a result of 'Akcja Wisla'. Email us your memories, articles, old photographs and interesting stories about Ulucz. You may contact us at irek-jawornicki (at) wp.pl. "

I came across a post today on FaceBook about Irena Sendler and did a little searching to verify that it was a trues story and since it is and since I was moved when I read it, I thought I would share some information about this extraordinary woman. First off the post read: (I did take out the breaks and put in paragraph form to save some space) Look at this lady - Let us never forget! The world hasn't just become wicked...it's always been wicked. The prize doesn't always go to the most deserving. ... Irena Sendler Died 12 May 2008 (aged 98) Warsaw, Poland During WWII, Irena, got permission to work in the Warsaw ghetto, as a plumbing/sewer specialist. She had an 'ulterior motive'. She KNEW what the Nazi's plans were for the Jews (being German). Irena smuggled infants out in the bottom of the tool box she carried and she carried in the back of her truck a burlap sack, (for larger kids). She also had a dog in the back that she trained to bark when...

Today's Motivational Monday is a cleaning out of sorts. It is filled with random tips and tidbits. Feel free to add your own tips and tidbits in the "Comments" below the article. Great resource for fellow Poles is the PGSA - the Polish Genealogical Society of America. Membership is open to anyone doing research within the borders of the old Commonwealth of Poland. Eastman's Online Genealogical Helper did an article  on indentifying an unknown Civil War soldier. That reminded me that I need to get back working on my Van Horn line. My third great grandfather had a brother BENJAMIN VAN HORN who served the UNION in the CIVIL WAR. I know very little of his service however and would love to delve into that are more. I received this picture above from a family member descended directly from Benjamin. The plaque shows he was a Prisoner of War.   Social Security Numbers. We all have one - or at least we should! The Ancestry Insider wrote " Social S...