Nancy Maciolek Blake and James Blake (Genealogy Tour)

My husband Jim and I traveled to Poland in late June 2004 on a quest to find records of my Polish ancestors.  Quite by chance, I had corresponded with Zenon, who offered to help me in my search.  He and his cousin Cezary met us in Krakow and we traveled together for three days, each day visiting a different ancestral village.  (You can read my essay about my genealogical research and this trip here: Click here: The Gift of Family)

Even though this was my second trip to Poland, it seemed an unknowable place to me because I do not speak the language, and the idea of relying so much on people I did not know made me a little nervous.  All my fears were dispelled as soon as we met Zenon and Cezary.  They are both bright, personable, young men who brought the passion of their interests in Poland and genealogy to my search for ancestors.  With their help, we negotiated unfamiliar roads, friendly (and unfriendly) priests, cemeteries filled with graves and flowers, and ancient record books written in Latin.  Cezary’s skill in deciphering the old records is remarkable: he is both careful and thorough, and he found many traces of my ancestors.

Zenon organizational skills and his command of the English language are excellent.  After I returned home, I asked Zenon to return to one of my ancestral villages and spend an afternoon with family members living there.  The result of that visit was a wonderful amount of information from my family, none of whom speak English.  Zenon took photographs, recorded stories, and developed an extensive family tree of this branch. I am thrilled with the results of his interviews!

I am continuing to have Zenon do research for me, and I can unconditionally recommend his services to you.

Nancy Maciolek Blake