Poland: Target Wisła River

Poland has been on my genealogy wish list for years. 

In My Genealogy Sabbatical Year, I wished for two months in Poland and Germany. I feel lucky that I was able to spend two weeks there.

Lake Radyszyn

Target: Vistula River (Wisła in Polish)

I hoped to stay near the Wisła River. My ancestors lived in various small towns along the river between Włocławek and Płock. I wanted to feel what it felt like to be there. The Gostynin-Włocławek Landscape Park, a beautiful post-glacial area, absorbed many of the towns. The land and its' beauty remains. 

Ancestral Locations on Vistula River

Research Location #1: Płock or Włocławek?

Since my last posting about finding genealogical records in Poland, I have found evidence of ancestors in several more towns. Most of these ancestral towns, are part of Powiat Włocławski in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. These towns belonged to the Nowa Wieś Lutheran parish. Nowa Wieś is just south of the border of Powiat Włocławsk in Powiat Płocki in the Masovian Voivodeship.  When it was active the Nowa Wieś Lutheran parish encompassed 36 towns and villages. Our first research stop will be the Płock archive. 

Research Tip: Carefully examine ancestral locations over time to determine which government or religious body created the records when your ancestor lived. 

A River View

We found a fantastic hotel right on the river in Płock; Hotel Tumski. It is less than a block from the archives. Our guide, Zbigniew, picked us up at the Warsaw airport and brought us straight there. PolishOrigins had planned research for the first day, but I knew we would all need a break. Plus, our cousin, Erwin, would be coming from Potsdam, Germany, in the evening to meet and join us in our ancestral quest. We did not want to leave him out of the fun.

Research on!
Jennifer Shoer aka Scrappy Gen
Reconnecting Relatives®, LLC
Let's Remember together! Visit my business page to learn how to hire me in 3 easy steps to help you find and reconnect with your ancestors and family. 

Resources: 
My Genealogy Sabbatical Year
Gostynin-Włocławek Landscape Park
Using Google Maps to Find Genealogical Records
Płock Archives
Płock Evangelical Lutheran and Catholic Indexing Project
Polish Archival Resources for Nowa Wieś
Search Polish Archives

Poland: Hiring a Genealogy Tour Guide

As you know my parents invited me on their trip to Germany. They added a side trip to Poland where I could research in the Polish archives. My Mom wanted to stand on the land where our ancestors lived. I felt prepared for a research trip to Poland. I knew our family surnames and previous residences. I had exhausted all online, FamilySearch and U.S. record groups. I also knew the record groups to review at the archives and which records I was hoping to find. For example, my great grandparents birth records from 1891 and 1895.

Here is the catch. I do not speak Polish. I can usually recognize names/surnames in Polish handwriting in genealogical records, but speaking, writing or even sounding out Polish is beyond my capability. What does a good genealogist do when she does not have a needed skill to complete a project (and I didn't have enough time/years to learn Polish)? Just like you, we hire someone. 

Over the last year, I have become familiar with the website and company, PolishOrigins. Their online strength is their active forum. I posted a marriage record there and it was translated by one of their kind volunteers. Then an unknown cousin from Connecticut contacted me because the record was for our shared 4x great grandparents. Boom. Just like that. A new cousin (connection) is born. :)

Zbigniew at the Płock archives.

PolishOrigins is a registered tour operator. They travel to Poland and nearby countries that have been part of Poland. My new cousin, who had been using PolishOrigins for longer than I have, encouraged me to hire them to guide us on our research trip to Poland. I did and we were all happy to have Zbigniew, their chief genealogy guide to assist us on our journey into the past. 

PolishOrigins was extremely flexible with our planning. September is their busiest season, but Zbigniew fit us 

between a big trip to Belarus and his next client. While with us, he gave us his full attention and energy to our family. It was super hectic as we had only two full days to accomplish so much, but he kept us on task and going forward. Sometimes he even let us have a coffee break. Zbigniew is a typical genealogist. Finding the records and the places and the people are more important than sleeping or eating. Although, sometimes I like to eat. And sleep. But he and my parents (Remember those rocket to Mars travelers?) kept telling me that I would have time on the train to sleep and eat. And I did. 

I highly recommend Zbigniew and PolishOrigins. My husband and I already plan to go back in two years for the IAJGS 2018 Jewish genealogy conference in Warsaw. Did I tell you that all we did in Warsaw was get off a plane and then onto a train after three days? I don't even like to think about everything I missed. I start to get anxiety. Anyway, Zbigniew insists that we must go first to Kraków before the conference because there is an amazing Jewish festival there every summer. It makes me happy to hear that Jewish life is flourishing in places where it had been obliterated. It is clear that Zbigniew loves Kraków and Poland and his job. 

I wonder if I could learn to speak Polish in two years...

Research on!

Jennifer Shoer aka Scrappy Gen

Reconnecting Relatives, LLC

Let's Remember!

PolishOrigins

Płock Archives

Festival of Jewish Culture - Kraków

International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies Jewish Genealogy Conference - Warsaw

It Begins in Poland: Traveling at the Speed of ... My Parents

Buckle your seatbelts! We are traveling at the speed of my parents. Oh, did you think that speed might be slow? Not with my parents. They may physically move at a slower pace than me, but they travel with the purpose and intensity of a rocket trip to Mars. 

We spent two weeks in Poland and Germany with a small day trip to Austria. During that time, we visited eight cities and numerous villages; researched our family in archives in Płock and Włocławek (Poland); spent time with six new (to me) cousins (ages 8 months to 95 years); crawled through overgrown cemeteries and the locations of long gone villages; and even did some sightseeing. 

My parents invited me on their nostalgic trip to Germany, where they began their lives together more than fifty years ago, while my Dad was serving in the U.S. army. True, they wanted some help along the way, but they enticed me with family research in Poland and new cousins. New cousins and dead ancestors. What could be better? 

Research on!
Jennifer Shoer aka Scrappy Gen
Reconnecting Relatives, LLC
Let's Remember!

Into a Briar Bush - Genealogy Records Page by Page

"If a girl jumps into a briar bush, it is hard to tell which bush scratches the hardest."[1]

This birth certificate took my breath away. There were several illegitimate births each year in Stonington, Connecticut, but for this one, either the doctor or the clerk felt the need to pass moral judgement on the mother of this baby boy. 

Genealogy Records Page by Page

I found the record for baby boy Morrison born in 1863 by looking through the Stonington vital records on microfilm, image by image. When you are searching for a family (online, on microfilm or in person), take the time to proceed page by page. There are several benefits to this process;

• become familiar with names of fellow residents; important when building your FAN club
• find items missed during indexing or indexed incorrectly
• microfilm: you may discover film descriptions are inaccurate and find something you didn't expect to find
• births: find babies recorded without first names
• marriages: learn the names of officiants of other marriages and by extension discover religious institutions
• deaths: learn about most common causes and epidemics
• discover interesting stories and add to your knowledge of the time and place

Yes. It takes more time to look at every page or image. I spent eight hours going through this microfilm reel! That's three days spent at the Family History Center in Exeter, New Hampshire. However, not only did I find several family records, I found baby Morrison's birth certificate. 

Baby Morrison's certificate tells us about the morals of the day and society's view on illegitimate births, promiscuity and racial prejudice. Was this remark made by the white doctor because of the mother's color? We could answer this question by making a survey of all of the illegitimate births in Stonington and noting the doctors' names and their remarks.[2] 

I hope you will consider going page by page the next time you are hunting for an ancestor's record. Let me know what you find. 

Research on!

Jennifer Shoer aka Scrappy Gen

Reconnecting Relatives, LLC

Let's Remember!

________________________________________________
[1] Stonington, Connecticut, Records of births, marriages, deaths 1847- 1869, Certificate of Birth, 39, Morrison, April 12th, 1863; FHL microfilm 1309873, Item 4.
[2] 1850 U.S. census, Stonington, New London County, Connecticut, population schedule, p. 270 (stamped), dwelling 208, family 381, Geo. E. Palmer; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 19 June 2015); citing National Archives microfilm publication M432, roll 48.

5 Questions for Thanksgiving

Would you like some conversation starters for your Thanksgiving feast? After the chewing slows and before desert begins, try asking one of these 5 questions for Thanksgiving. 

1. What is your earliest memory of Thanksgiving? Who was there? Where was it? What did you eat? 
2. Which Thanksgiving was your favorite or most memorable and why?
3. Did you ever celebrate Thanksgiving in an unusual way? How? 
4. Who did the cooking for Thanksgiving when you were a kid? 
5. Did you have any special traditions; a place you went or an activity you did?

These questions are great for learning about your family history or about your friends' lives. Telling stories brings everyone closer together. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Jennifer Shoer aka Scrappy Gen

Reconnecting Relatives, LLC

Let's Remember!

Recording it for Posterity

Video for Family History – Part 1

Have you thought about creating family videos? 

If you are over the age of ten, you have probably already made at least one video of yourself or your friends. Most of you have phones that record video. Let me tell you about my grandfather and his videos.

My Grandfather, known to his grandchildren as Bubba, recorded thousands of feet of video tape during his life. He recorded his children, his siblings, his nieces and nephews and of course his grandchildren. It is possible for me to view in video most big events from my childhood right through and including my wedding. Bubba taped that too.

If you listen to the later movies after Bubba bought a video camera with sound, you can hear his chuckle, or his quiet prompts for you to do something for the camera. I loved his chuckle. If we ever complained about being taped (I remember not loving it when I was a teenager.), he would remind us that we were “recording it for posterity.” At the time I didn’t know exactly what posterity was, but Bubba said it, which meant it was important.

Posterity means all future generations. How cool that Bubba recorded our lives as they unfolded for our children and our children’s children and their children. He was our family historian, creating an amazing record of the lives of his family members.

Bubba recorded his movies on film. Digital didn’t exist yet. His first sound camera was immense. Now, video cameras fit in your pocket. 

At the holidays this year, whip out your phone and try recording your family members. Ask them questions about what they are doing. If they have a special skill, ask them to perform it. Ask them how they celebrated the holidays when they were younger. If they complain, tell them you are recording it for posterity. Your children’s children will thank you.

Jennifer Shoer aka Scrappy Gen

Reconnecting Relatives, LLC

Let's Remember!

My Genealogy Sabbatical Year

If you could spend each of the next twelve months living in one of your ancestral locations and researching on-site, where would you go? 

Join me as we dream up our genealogy sabbatical years. The rules for the genealogy sabbatical year meme are that you have enough money to support yourself and you are free of regular life responsibilities. There is nothing that will distract you from your mission, family history immersion research. 

Month 1: Connecticut         

My first stop would be the state of Connecticut. It isn’t far from New Hampshire, but life responsibilities keep me from spending an extended amount of time there. My paternal grandfather’s lines are embedded in Connecticut for generations. My mother’s parents’ families settled in Connecticut in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Both sides immigrated to Connecticut, her mother’s from Prussia, today Poland; her father’s mother’s family from Ireland to Canada to Vermont and then to Connecticut; and her father’s father’s family from Ireland.

Month 2: Massachusetts

The second month would find me next door in Massachusetts. My paternal grandmother’s roots are here. Her mother’s family came from Northern Ireland in the late 1800s, while her father’s family has been here for generations.

Month 3: New York

I was well into Northern Ireland in my mental trip planning, when I realized that before I headed to Ireland, I must go to New York. My grandfather’s maternal grandmother died with child at a young age so we didn’t learn a lot about her family from family lore. Her mother’s maiden name was Diamond, which brought us the only family story I have heard which was that she was related to the family of the Diamond match company. I have not found that connection. The Diamonds and Murtaghs most likely arrived in New York between 1830 and 1840. My Murtagh 2x great grandfather's headstone indicates he was from Old Ballinacargy, County Westmeath, Ireland. 

Months 4-5: Poland and Germany

After gathering all that I can in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York with a possible side trip to Rhode Island during one of the first two months, I would spend the next months in Poland and Germany. Both of my maternal grandmother’s parents came from the area of Włocławek near the Wisła or Vistula River. While I can get along in German and can roughly translate Russian, I would need assistance with Polish records. Luckily, per the rules of the genealogy sabbatical year, I can afford to hire a guide or a local genealogist.  Germany is included in this research plan because these grandparents were Germans from Russia, or Prussia, or Poland, depending on the year. While further research is needed to determine their German ancestral origin, part of my family fled the Soviets before WWII and went back to Germany, where they ended up living in the East until 1990 when the two sides reunited shortly after the wall began to come down in 1989. There is both modern and ancient family history to pursue, including known living relatives.

Month 6: Canada

From Poland or Germany, I would fly back to Canada and visit Quebec and Ontario. My grandfather’s grandfather was born in Montreal, while the family was migrating from St. Columban, Quebec to Vermont. The story is that the family arrived in Canada in the late 1820s from Freshford, Kilkenny,Ireland. I am hoping to hunt down some records regarding their early time in Canada and firm up the connection back to Ireland.

Month 7: Northern Ireland

From Canada after a possible stop south of the boarder in Vermont, I would head to Northern Ireland. My grandmother’s mother, Mabel Hill, was born in Belfast and Mabel’s father, William Hill, was born in Ballymoney. The Hill family had been there since at least the early 1800s. They were Presbyterians. They were most likely English or Scottish. William, his wife Annie, and Mabel oft repeated for American records that they were English. William’s middle name was McPherson. Annie’s maiden name was Connor(s) and had family living in Scotland. I hope to find Annie’s birth record and learn more about where her family’s origins as well as the origins of the Hill family.

Month 8: Ireland

From Northern Ireland I would head south to Ireland in pursuit of my Catholic forebears. I have two known possible towns to explore. Hopefully further research in New York and Connecticut would reveal more information about the origins of my grandfather’s father’s family. They were Smiths, so it shouldn’t be that difficult.

Months 9-10: Scotland and England

Until now during my genealogy sabbatical year I have been working on locating the ancestral origins of my great through 3x great grandparents. If I have learned enough in Connecticut, Massachusetts and in Northern Ireland, I may be able to head to Scotland and/or England to learn about the places from which my earlier ancestors hailed.

Months 11-12: Revisit or Recap

I would use this time to revisit the documents, narrative research notes, photographs and connections I have amassed throughout the year. I would focus on organizing and filing or displaying as well as editing the narrative research notes. The notes would serve as a basis for my finding reports. 

Time for Your Genealogy Sabbatical Year

How would you spend your genealogy sabbatical year? Where would you go? What would you do? Dream big!

Have fun dreaming and planning and let us know where you will be. 

Jennifer Shoer aka Scrappy Gen

Reconnecting Relatives, LLC

Let's Remember!

Family History Stories

Just a quick hello to say I have been enjoying organizing photos and memories for telling more family history stories. 

What have you been working on?

Jennifer Shoer aka Scrappy Gen

Reconnecting Relatives, LLC

Let's Remember!

My Sister Rocks the Family History Gift

Not one, but two of these lovely mugs were presented to me by my thoughtful sister.

A Year on a Scrapbook Page

Would you like a simple scrapbook page idea for documenting a year or a piece of your family history? Inspired by an older kit from Ali Edwards, I gathered four photos of my sister and me from 1980 and created this page about the family story of our nickname:

Let's Remember! The Story of Our Nickname

I used Adobe Photoshop Elementsto put my version together. Every Day Life, the Ali Edward's kit was paper and I used it for my dear son:

Every Day Life, kit by Ali Edwards

There were so many pictures of my cutie from 2009 that I decided to add an extra page to coordinate with the first.

If you like the simple layout with space for up to nine photos, you can download my blank Photoshop file. It's free!

The key to putting a year on a page is keep it simple and easy. Don't try to find and organize every single photo for the year, just choose a few portraying a person, a place, a relationship or....the possibilities are endless. 

If you create a Year on a Scrapbook Page, please send me a link and I will add it for others to visit. 

Happy Scrapping!
Let's Remember!
Scrappy Gen

Traveling Back in Time - Hancock, Michigan - Part I

Hello friends. How was your summer? Did you do any genealogy traveling? We spent most of our summer on the road, in the air and on the water. I have thousands of pictures, documents, memories and notes to process. How about you?

In August we traveled to my father-in-law's birthplace, Hancock, Michigan. We were a small group, but it included three generations of my husband's family. That's his Dad in the middle. He just turned 91 years young. 

We took this picture right before we had dinner at Gemignani's Italian Restaurant. The restaurant has been a landmark in Hancock for many years, but more importantly it is housed in the same building where my father-in-law was born and where his family ran a kosher butcher shop. 

We traveled to Michigan, but it was more of a journey, a journey into our family's past and into my father-in-law's memories. It was a profound gift to have been part of it and I will forever be grateful.

Let's Remember!
Scrappy Gen

Family History Month at Digital Scrapbook Place

Digital Scrapbook Place is hosting a Family History Month, this month, August 2012. There are opportunities to learn, explore and create. There are challenges and a gallery of inspiration. If you have ever thought about digitally scrapbooking the results of your genealogical research, DSP is the place to go. I am not affiliated with this website and will not benefit either way, but it is a cool place to visit. The kits for sale in their store are cutting edge. I love this new steampunk kit by Nicole Young Designs. 

Happy Wednesday!

Scrappy Gen
Let's Remember!

A Little Bit of Self Indulgence

Are you wondering where the genealogy went? Please permit and forgive this period of self indulgence. My daughter is still recovering from pancreatitis. Scrapbooking about her, about her strength, has been therapy for me. It's been one of the things that has kept me going...well, that and coffee. Lots of coffee! 

This is a flashback layout. I went through a year of digital pictures, picked my favorites and put them all together. 2000 was the first year I took digital photos. The quality isn't great, but the subject is precious to me.

Have you cared for someone who is ill? How did you get through it? Do you have any special strategies that helped?

Happy Tuesday!

Scrappy Gen

Let's Remember!

One Foot in the Present, One Foot in the Past

As I mentioned in Not Who We Thought We Were, my great, great grandfather may have changed his name from Shailer to Brainard. When I began to create this family history page, I hoped to capture the mystery that surrounds my maiden name, but as I worked the story became about the enduring draw I have, since childhood, felt from my ancestors. Although rooted in the present, part of me lives in the past and usually the quite distant past, not yesterday or last month. 

The trio of men are my three grandfathers, who brought this surname forward to my Dad. I have been thinking about them quite a lot and wondering how the story of our surname was lost, or was it purposely forgotten? In the layout a much younger me is ready to climb over the wall into the past seeking understanding of my grandfathers' lives. She is already starting her climb as if she cannot resist the pull.


Have you experienced this feeling? When did it start? 


Happy Scrapbook Sunday!


Scrappy Gen
Let's Remember!

Credit: Elements in layout are from "Flying Dreams, A Storybook Collection" kit copyright 2009 by Lorie Davison of scrapbookgraphics.com

Not Who We Thought We Were!

It appears that we may NOT be from the Brainard family.

It happens and you should expect that when you delve into your family's genealogy, the beliefs you hold will be challenged. My time for challenge is now. My assumptions have been called into question, by just a couple of sentences in a compiled family genealogy. These sentences, a mere postscript, if proved correct, will change the historical path of our family history.

William Henry Brainard or William Henry Shailer? 

The Genealogy of the Brainerd-Brainard Family in America 1649-1908 by Lucy Abigail Brainard reports "William Henry Brainerd of Mystic, Conn., had his name changed to Brainerd from Shailer. He m. Harriet E. Lamb, of Groton, Conn. He was son of Henry and Elizabeth (Cushman) Shailer, 2ch.[1]

We thought his name was William Henry Brainard. We thought our family traced back through William to Daniel Brainerd in the early seventeenth century in today's Haddam, Connecticut. What you think is very different from what you know in genealogy. William, my great, great grandfather was a man of mystery, his records having reported several different places of origin. His birth record has to date remained elusive. And now, this...a few sentences adding to the confusion of his parentage.

Luckily in genealogy, when you lose one, you gain one. We may lose our Brainard pedigree, but we will gain a whole new family. It's time to start hunting the Shailers (Shaylor, Shailor).

Has one of your core family stories been challenged? Have you lost one family and gained a new one? Tell us your story.

Scrappy Gen

Let's Remember!

  [1] Lucy Abigail Brainard, The Genealogy of the Brainerd-Brainard Family in America   
       1649-1908 (Hartford, Connecticut: Hartford Press, 1908), 150; digital images, Internet 
       Archive (http://archive.org/ : accessed 3 March 2012). 

How to Begin Your Genealogy Research, or How Not to

One of my best friends has renewed her interest in researching her family tree. Woo hoo!!! An in person, non-virtual friend...who is actually interested in genealogy. She has caught the bug! How lucky am I?

How to Begin Your Genealogy Research

Like many who catch the genealogy bug, my friend would love to jump ahead and collect as much information as she can, but she has been allowing me to offer some guidance and I am thrilled at all the great discoveries she has made.

Here are a few of things she has done to get started:

1. Contacted and gently prodded family information and records from her living relatives. 
2. Made a research plan of the vital records she needed to collect for her direct line ancestors.
3. Visited the town clerks where she suspected her ancestors' vital records would have been recorded. 
4. Joined Ancestry.com and began using both Family Search and Find a Grave. She has been learning how to do a targeted Google search and has consulted genealogies and family histories.
5. Tramped through cemeteries all over southeastern New Hampshire. Took pictures of her ancestors' graves as well as the graves all around her ancestors' burial plots. 
6. Bought a special notebook to use specifically for her research notes so that she doesn't end up with lots of slips of loose paper. 
7. Started a binder with a tab for each of her direct line surnames and individual sections for each of her direct line ancestors. Began filing her documents according to surname.
8. Created a Dropbox account to share documents with me and with her family members. 

Hasn't she been doing a great job? She gets that it is important to not give up and even has a plan to look at alternative records for proving familial relationships. Another important skill she has used frequently is an often overlooked one: ask a question if you can't find something or you don't understand something. Not only has she been asking me questions, but also those she has met in her research journey. This leads me to a question she recently asked me and to the second part of this post.

How Not to Begin Your Genealogy Research

My friend is not shy, no, not at all. Everywhere she goes, she strikes up conversations. She had a nice talk with a local historian, who told her the advice he gives to most newbie genealogy researchers. When you start out, don't bother with getting all those original records, gather information from the people, who have already shared their family trees. What?? This is not the way to begin your genealogy research!

Random copying of names, dates, places and events from books and websites is never a good idea, unless the facts are linked to sources. Books and websites without sources can and should be consulted to find clues to possible research paths. Thankfully my friend knew enough to ask if the advice was good and she gets it. What about all of the newbies, who didn't know enough to ask? What do you think will happen with their family tree?

Happy Monday Everyone!

Scrappy Gen

Let's Remember!

Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy

Family History Library

What a week! Exhausting, exhilarating, emotional, euphoric. From beginning to end, every  minute of the week brought new information and discoveries. My brain is filled to the brim with ideas and resources for researching family history and furthering the genealogies of my family and yours.


I have to laugh when I look at my last post in which I said that I would blog each day of the  Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. That would be like asking a skier to stop skiing in the most beautiful, deep powder he had ever seen and just write about skiing while the other skiers go whizzing past him. Sure I am a blogger and I love to blog, but I was in Salt Lake City learning with some of the top genealogists in the country and every minute outside of that time I was researching in the Family History Library. There was simply no time to blog, unless I wanted to give up my beauty sleep, which was not going to happen. Each night I literally fell into bed exhausted. 


American Research and Records with Paula Stuart-Warren was the perfect class track for me. Some of it was review, but it was review in a good way. It caused me to pause and reflect and then redirect my energies toward resources that I haven't used recently. Paula gathered several other phenomenal teachers for her track including; Cath Madden Trindle, CG; D. Joshua Taylor, MA, MLS; Debra Mieszala, CG; John Philip Colletta, Ph.D; Kory Meyerink, MLS, AG, FUGA; and Karen Mauer Green, CG.  American Research and Records was light on homework, which was perfect for me as it allowed time for personal research at the library.  


Paula did give us a group project, which I enjoyed because we got to know some of our classmates during our research.  Hi to my group mates Denise, Raylene, Bonny, Jaycee and Todd. You guys were great! The entire class worked on a Kentucky family with the surname of Hedges, so if you are a Hedges with Kentucky roots, let me know. We may have some information to share with you.


Will I return to the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy? You bet! Hopefully next year in January 2013. I took two evening classes with John Philip Colletta, Ph.D and he mentioned that he is putting together a new writing track. Keep your fingers crossed. Will I see you there? 


Happy Friday!


Scrappy Gen
Let's Remember!