Sunday, June 11, 2023
Today, we traced the parents of Grandpa’s father Władysław (Walter) Więczkowski. Walter was born in America but he had five siblings born in Poland. I knew about only three of them (the three that survived childhood to come to America), but we learned about two others who died young. The families moved around a lot, following work, so we went to several churches and villages today.
My 2x great-grandparents emigrated from Kujawsko-Pomorskie (Kuyavian-Pomeranian) Voivodeship, which was part of the Russian Partition.
My 4x great-grandparents, Walenty Dąbrowski and Franciszka Kalinowska, were married in Holy Trinity Parish in Działyń in 1819. This church was built in 1609 (1609!), and then renovated in 1897, after my ancestors left. They lived in Klonowo. I did not see more than 3 or 4 houses in Klonowo.
My 3x great-grandparents Wojciech Dąbrowski and Rozalia Kamieńska were married in Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Lipno in 1845. The current church was built (from ruins of the 14th Century church – !!) in 1819. My 2x great-grandmother Elżbieta Bronisława Dąbrowska was baptized here in 1859. She and Józef Więczkowski were married here in 1881. Their children were baptized here. They lived in the town of Huta Głodowska; there was no village sign. ‘Huta’ means where they make iron. ‘Głodowska’ is derived from the word for hunger: the farmland is very flat and the soil is mostly sand so people had a hard time farming.
My 2x great-grandfather Józef Więczkowski was baptized in Saints Peter and Paul Parish in Ruże in 1853. The church was decorated for the Feast of Corpus Christi. Although the church I stood in was not the same one Józef would have stood in (the current church was built in 1928), this was my favorite church. The inside was beautifully painted. I also loved the surroundings; it was on a slight hill surrounded by rolling farmland.
The families moved around quite a bit within the Lipno area, similar to the Szymenderas. This means that they did not own land; they moved to where work was. When occupations were given in the records, my ancestors were listed as ‘worker’ or ‘servant’. I guess this dispels the rumor among American Poles that anyone with a last name ending in -ski is royalty.
About the last day you can read HERE.
Julie