The search for information on our grandmother, Maria Szubiak was less fruitful, but certainly an interesting local adventure. Through distant DNA matches of the same last name, the village of Wola Nizna seemed to be a likely starting point, we had no concrete documentation, but why not visit and see what we can find? Zen had learned from conversations with a historian that an area of Wola Nizna was at one time called Szubiakowka (the Szubiak’s land). Once in the village we were directed to the home of the Head of the Village, as he was known to be interested in the local history. Unannounced, unbashful and late in the afternoon, we all marched up to his door in the hopes he could identify the area inhabited by Szubiaks past or present. A cordial man, unaffected by our late visit, did not know of any area called Szubiakowka or of any Szubiak’s still living in the area, but he thought we might find the local church interesting and offered a tour.
The Head of the Village had the keys to the local church and offered to let us in for a peek. The church was originally Greek Catholic until the Lemko population was relocated in 1947. The church at some point became Roman Catholic. From the exterior it was a simple well-kept building. Then you step inside and realize this is a hidden gem. It still houses the icons of its Greek Catholic origins. They have been beautifully restored and cared for by the Roman Catholic Parish it now houses.
The Village Head told us about an old Lemko cemetery behind the church. Would we like to see it? Certainly, we would, thinking it was just out the back door. Then we all hop in the car and follow him down a grassy lane.
After cutting across a field of tall grass, (still thinking about snakes) we reached an old Greek Catholic cemetery. We would never have found this quiet little spot without the kindness of this man.
We were also told about a local historian named Jan who might be helpful in our search. After a quick call, we were on our way to his house, just down the road. Jan remembered the Szubiak name was in the village, but knew of no one still living there or the area called Szubiakowka. He talked about the history of the Lemko in the area and said that unlike our grandfather’s people in Wisloczek, the Wola Nizna Lemko were resettled to different parts of Poland. As an added attraction, he sang and played the harmonica.
With no real leads from Wola Nizna, our next hope was to find birth records in the local archives. The day before we had visited the Sanok Archives to verify our Bialko connections, but also looked for traces of Szubiak. We found one Maria Szubiak, born in 1895, consistent with Grandma’s immigration paperwork, but not the same actual date of birth. Zen thought it would be a good idea to search the archives for any Maria Szubiak’s born in the 1890’s. He found six additional Maria Szubiaks born in Wola Nizna in that date range. We had been told Grandma was an orphan, so to pinpoint our Maria Szubiak, we needed to search the death records for Szubiaks that died within a few years of Maria’s birth. Great idea, but a portion of the records we were looking for were not in the Sanok Archives, but in the Civil Registry Office in Dukla. Zen contacted the manager of the registry office and we were allowed an appointment the next morning to come and look at the records. We found Szubiaks who died in Wola Nizna when our grandmother was young, but nothing really fit with her story.
A couple of conclusions were floated by Zen, Maria Szubiak …………
- Could have been born in a neighboring village
- Was not an orphan as originally told, but was sent to work for another family because hers could not afford to feed her
- Both parents could have died while away from the village and their deaths are recorded elsewhere
- Her immigration age was not accurate and as such matches up with another Maria Szubiak in the database who was 5 years older than expected. This one is a long shot.
Although inconclusive, the research carried out to find Maria Szubiak’s birthplace and parents was another step in the direction of finding her/our people. We now have pieces of a puzzle and will keep looking for more documents/stories that complete the picture.
This was a grand adventure. I cannot thank Zen and his research team at PolishOrigins enough. I must sound like an advertisement for their company, but it is profoundly deserved. The search, accommodations and efficiency of the trip was well planned. In addition, the cultural sites we visited really helped us get some insight in to our grandparents’ lives. We had private tours at Cultural sites which gave us a glimpse of the environment in to which our grandparents were born. A perfect balance of touring, research and discovery.
Author: Janis Bialko