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

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.

Ambushed and Prizes too!

DearMYRTLE sent me a message with some exciting news to add to the already exciting news I shared in Prepare to Be Ambushed at NERGC. 

She is bringing prizes; an audio headset, an HD video webcam and a Samsung Galaxy 7" tablet! 

As if you needed one more good reason to spend three days taking genealogy classes and hanging out with genealogy friends.

Hope to see you next week in Providence!

Research on!

Jennifer Shoer aka Scrappy Gen

Reconnecting Relatives, LLC

Let's Remember!

Prepare to be Ambushed at NERGC!

Who pops into your head when you combine the words selfless giving with genealogy education? I think of Pat Richley-Erickson, also known as DearMYRTLE.

DearMYRTLE is a force in the Google+ Hangout on Air world where she hosts many different series all with the same goal, to help us. In DearMYRTLE's Genealogy Community, she takes advantage of the latest genealogy developments and creates cutting edge educational programing designed to help all types of genealogists learn the newest techniques for furthering their research. 

DearMyrtle is well known for attending conferences with her AmbushCAM. Pat, along with her famous Cousin Russ, will be at the 13th genealogical conference presented by the New England Regional Genealogical Consortium in Providence, Rhode Island at the Rhode Island Convention Center. Pat and Cousin Russ will use the AmbushCAM to interview attendees and vendors about the experience. 

Message from DearMYRTLE: "We want to show how *easy* it is to record even short interviews using a camera. Those videos are automatically archived on YouTube if you do this using Google's free Hangouts on Air. 

This is a GREAT idea for family reunions."

DearMYRTLE and I at SLIG 2012. 

I agree and can't wait to see this duo in action in person. Meanwhile, check out the DearMYRTLE YouTube channel. 

Ok, conference goers, prepare to be ambushed!

Research on!

Jennifer Shoer aka Scrappy Gen

Reconnecting Relatives, LLC

Let's Remember!

An Interview with Dr. Blaine Bettinger, "Praying for Spit"

The 13th genealogical conference presented by the New England Regional Genealogical Consortium is being held Wednesday through Saturday, 15-18 April, 2015 in Providence, Rhode Island at the Rhode Island Convention Center. National and local speakers will present lectures to family history initiates, dabblers, hobbyists, obsessives and professionals. All levels are invited and encouraged to attend.

To peak your interest in attending NERGC, several bloggers were invited to interview speakers. I picked the long tube and got Dr. Blaine Bettinger! In this interview you will learn what DNA tests Blaine recommends, whether or not he has DNA evidence of Native American ancestry and his opinion on whether we can expect privacy when testing our DNA.

To read the interview, head over to my website, Reconnecting Relatives. 

Research on!

Jennifer Shoer aka Scrappy Gen

Reconnecting Relatives, LLC

Let's Remember!

Today's Tip - Search for Place under Surname on FamilyTreeDNA

Have you submitted your DNA for the Family Finder test offered by FamilyTreeDNA? Here is a tip for narrowing down your results to those that are more relevant to your ancestral places.

Under Family Finder - Matches, find the sorting box for Ancestral Surnames. Enter the ancestral location of interest. Do not add the surname. The surname locations are indexed together with the surnames. The results will include all matches who have indicated that one of their ancestors originated from the target location. 

Searching Family Finder matches by place will help you:

• survey surnames originating from a particular location
• connect with individuals whose ancestors originated from the same small town, village or shtetl

Happy Searching!

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!

How to Find a Genealogy Record Group on Almost Any Website

Have you had trouble relocating a genealogy record group on a website? My hard-to-find record group is the New England Petitions for Naturalization 1787-1931 on FamilySearch.org. I can easily find the Index for this collection, but not the images. When I use FamilySearch.org, I usually search by locality as follows; 

• hover over search
• click catalog
• click places
• fill in United States, New England
• click on Naturalization and citizenship

The images are not listed. What to do?

Collection or Record Group Finding Shortcut

In the search bar of your browser, enter the collection you seek enclosed by "" followed by site:website address.

 

The top three search results will take you to the access point for the petition for naturalization images. The catalog page for this collection of images shows it is catalogued by the New England states, but not by New England. 

What is your hard-to-find genealogy record group? Remember to try searching with "collection name" site:website address. 

Jennifer Shoer aka Scrappy Gen

Reconnecting Relatives, LLC

Let's Remember!

Free Analysis Spreadsheet - MPG2 - Study Group 2 - Chapter 5

Download

Chapter 5 in Mastering Genealogical Proof by Thomas W. Jones brings us to the third element of the Genealogical Proof Standard, analysis and correlation.[1] In order to meet the proof standard we must evaluate each source and within each source each item of information and the evidence identified therein. What works best for me is to enter source, information and evidence items into my handy dandy Excel spreadsheet. 

Below is an updated version of the spreadsheet. Be sure to read Chapter 5, pages 53 through 71 in order to understand "why we must test our sources, information, and evidence."[2]

Let me know what you think of the spreadsheet. Would you add anything? 

Jennifer Shoer aka Scrappy Gen

Reconnecting Relatives, LLC

Let's Remember!

[Book available from the publisher, http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/mastering_genealogical_proof in both print and Kindle versions.]

This post is part of DearMyrtle's Hangout on Air series, MGP2 Study Group 2, studying Mastering Genealogical Proof by Thomas W. Jones.Hangouts are every Sunday morning at 10:00 AM Eastern US time. Join us to learn more about the discipline of genealogical work and how adhering to its standards will improve your family history results. Your family will thank you. 

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[1] Thomas W. Jones, Mastering Genealogical Proof (Arlington, Virginia: National Genealogical Society, 2013), 53-71.

[2] Jones, Mastering Genealogical Proof, 53.

Citation Conversation - MPG 2 - Study Group 2 - Chapter 4

This post is part of DearMyrtle's Hangout on Air series, MGP2 Study Group 2, studying Mastering Genealogical Proof by Thomas W. Jones.[1] Hangouts are every Sunday morning at 10:00 AM Eastern US time. Join us to learn more about the discipline of genealogical work and how adhering to its standards will improve your family history results. Your family will thank you. 

________________________________________________________________________

Source citations are the second element of the Genealogical Proof Statement. There are different views on the essential purpose(s) of source citations. The first most commonly stated purpose is to be able to find the source in which a piece of information was found and from which its evidence was derived. However, according to Thomas W. Jones in Chapter 4 “GPS Element 2: Source Citations” of Mastering Genealogical Proof, citations perform a greater and more complicated service by supporting our “genealogical proof statements, summaries and arguments.”[2] In order to do this our citations should show the scope of our research, the validity of our sources as well as document where we found our information and how we came to our conclusions.

communicate

  “to transmit information, thought, or feeling

  so that it is satisfactorily received or understood”[3]

The thing that resonated with me in this chapter was Dr. Jones’ use of the word communicate in reference to the role performed by “complete and accurate genealogical citations.”[4]  I imagined a little citation cheerleader cheering from the bottom of the page. Whenever you arrive at a new reference number in the text, the dude at the bottom shouts up more information about what preceded the number. You hear what he said, reread what came before the number, then reread the citation at the bottom and make your own conclusion about whether or not the author’s statements were based on sound research practices.

Citations are part of a back and forth, a conversation. Although placed apart from the text they support, source citations are a part of the whole. They aren’t stagnant, they are talking. Just like a good cheerleader at a sports game can help lift the level of play and the spirits of the fans, a clear, complete, standard citation assists in elevating a statement, summary or argument to the level of proof.

Citation Conversation:

If we want to give our family history summaries more credence, should we not include a vital part of our work, our source citations, in what we post online? Are we doing ourselves, our readers and our future family members a disservice? I talked about my thinking in My GPS Bad! Read Chapter 4 and tell me what you think. Chapter 4 includes extensive details on what should be included in source citations and standard formats for how to form them.

Jennifer Shoer aka Scrappy Gen

Reconnecting Relatives, LLC

Let's Remember!

[Book available from the publisher, http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/mastering_genealogical_proof in both print and Kindle versions.]

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[1] Thomas W. Jones, Mastering Genealogical Proof (Arlington, Virginia: National Genealogical Society, 2013).

[2] Jones, Mastering Genealogical Proof, 33.

[3] Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary (Springfield, Massachusetts: G. & C. Merriam Company, 1980), 225.

[4] Jones, Mastering Genealogical Proof, 33.

Scrapbook Sunday - 52Ancestors - Emilia Kiesel

According to my maternal line great grandmother's confirmation certificate, Emilia [Emilie] Kiesel was born 20 May 1895 in Wistka Szlachecka, Russia [today Poland]. She was confirmed at Evangelish Lutheran Kirche Nowa Wies on 2 May 1909.¹ She died 4 March 1974 in Bristol, Connecticut^.2

She married August Ginter 6 May 1914 at Evangelical Lutheran Immanuels Kirche in Bristol.³  Together they had six children; Edmund born 1916,⁴ Ruth [my grandmother] born 1917,⁵ Helen born 1917,⁶ Lydia born 1923,⁷ Ernest born 1929⁸ and Dorothy born 1938. All lived to adulthood, married and had children except Dorothy, who passed away in 1939 at five months old.⁹

Happy Scrapbook Sunday!

Scrappy Gen

Reconnecting Relatives, LLC

Let’s Remember!

This challenge 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks is provided by Amy Johnson Crow of No Story Too Small  (Don't you just love that title?). I am jumping in on week three, which will be my week one, but I am omitting the number count in my title so as not to confuse anyone...or me. Thank you, Amy, for this challenge. Weekly recaps by Amy can be read here. 

As a bonus, because I am the Scrappy Genealogist, each of my posts will include a heritage page featuring my ancestor. Hope you enjoy them!