Culture & Customs
Songs,
Postcards, MuseumsDatabases Haller's
Army, PNA Lodges... Geography &
Maps Slownik
Geograficzny, Galicia Heraldry
Herbarz Polski History Military,
Belarus, Detroit,
Prussia Immigration
& Ships Ellis
Island, Hamburg,
Pier 21
News Gen
Dobry!, Polish Forum, VolunteersReference Archives,
Libraries, Surnames
Regional Countries,
Regions, US States |
| |
|
* * * * * * * * * G E N D O B R Y ! * * * * * *
* * *
Volume IV, No. 4. 30 April 2003.
Copyright (c) 2003, PolishRoots(R), Inc.
Editor: William F. "Fred" Hoffman, E-mail: WFHoffman@prodigy.net
***************************************
CONTENTS
Welcome
Napoleon & The Poles
Letters to the Editor
Software Review: Genbox Family History
Book Review: _In Their Words ... Volume 2: Russian_
Fire at Kamieniec Podolski Archive
Upcoming Events
More Useful Web Addresses
You May Reprint Articles...
***************************************
*** WELCOME! ***
to the latest issue of GEN DOBRY!, the e-zine of PolishRoots(R). If you
missed previous issues, you can find them at
http://polishroots.org/gendobry/gendobry_index.htm.
Don't forget to visit PolishRoots.org, the sponsor of _Gen Dobry!_, and
take advantage of the many resources offered there. Also, if you'd be
willing to lend a hand with work on projects that will help PolishRoots(R)
-- and maybe do you some good, too! -- take a moment to visit this page:
http://polishroots.org/projects.htm
***************************************
*** NAPOLEON & THE POLES ***
by Bill Rutkowski, Dave Nelson, and Peter G. Wessner
[Editor: There's nothing I love more than when a _Gen Dobry!_
reader asks for help with a particular subject, and shortly thereafter I
receive a number of notes from readers who volunteer information on that
subject. I think that's when a publication like this is at its best. Why
count on one expert, or two, or three, when you can reach over a thousand
researchers? Someone's sure to know something!
[In the last issue Paul S. Valasek and Stan Klemanowicz both
expressed interest in hearing from people with knowledge of the role Poles
played in Napoleon's army. I received several good, substantive replies.
First, Bill Rutkowski <ImogeneRut@aol.com> sent this brief essay on
the history of Poles involvement with Napoleon:]
Following the final partition, Poles could not reconcile themselves to the
elimination of the Polish State. Armies were formed and insurrections
planned, but they were helpless without allies. Following the failed
insurrection against Austria in 1797, thousands of Poles offered their
services to revolutionary France. They were used throughout the French
army, but clamored to serve in specific Polish units. Weight was added to
this argument when it was learned that many of the prisoners taken during
the Italian campaign were in fact Poles drafted by the Austrians in
Galicia. In 1797, a Polish Legion was formed in Milan under the command
Jan Henryk Da~browski. They marched to a song written by Jozef Wybicki
that later became the Polish National Anthem. The following year, a second
Polish Legion was formed in Italy and in 1800, a third was formed on the
Danube.
[Editor's note: there is a Web page dealing with the Polish
anthem here: http://www.usc.edu/dept/polish_music/repertoi/dabrowski.html].
The Poles who fought in these legions believed they would defeat the
Austrians and launch an insurrection in Poland. But France made peace with
Austria and the Polish Legions became an inconvenient embarrassment.
Da~browski's legion became the army for the new state of Lombardy. The
others were disbanded and scattered throughout the French Army. One
contingent was sent to Santo Domingo [now in the Dominican Republic] to
subjugate a slave uprising. Those who did not perish from yellow fever
eventually joined the Black cause. Their descendants are prevalent today.
Many Poles felt let down by Bonaparte and betrayed by France, but this was
not the end of the Napoleon adventure. Following the defeat of Prussia,
Napoleon and Czar Alexander agreed on the formation of a Polish State. The
Prussian share of the second partition was reorganized as the Duchy of
Warsaw. Napoleon dictated its constitution and granted it the "Code
Napoleon." But he blatantly exploited the Duchy, selling back
confiscated lands at exorbitant rates. The Duchy was expected to pay for a
standing army of 60,000 men. In addition, Napoleon required 10,000 men as
a regiment for the Imperial Guard. In the Summer 2002 Newsletter of the
Polish Military Society of America, Matt Sobieszczyk wrote about the role
the Polish Light Horse played in Napoleon's victory over the Spanish Army
at the battle of Somosierra in November 1808. Napoleon awarded sixteen
crosses of the Legion of Honor to the Polish Light Horse stating,
"You are worthy to belong to my old guard, honor to the bravest of
the brave."
The Duchy of Warsaw never rose above the status of a pawn in Napoleon's
schemes, but he did whip up Polish hopes, and as a result thousands did
join him. According to Adam Zamoyski in his book _The Polish Way_,
Poles accounted for 98,000 men of the Gran Armee which marched into
Russia, by far the largest non-French contingent. Polish units were the
first in and the last out; 72,000 never returned and many more died of
typhus or wounds in the following months. Napoleon's treatment of Polish
aspirations had been cynical from the start and the whole episode had been
of no benefit whatsoever to the Polish cause.
[For those who'd like to do some further reading on the
subject, here's a note from Dave Nelson in Wisconsin:]
You might want to point readers to _Poles and Saxons of the Napoleonic
Wars_ by George Nafziger, Mariusz T. Wesolowski and Tom Devoe, Emperor's
Press, Chicago (1991), 266 pp. including color illustrations of unit
uniforms, army organizations and leaders, some battle descriptions and the
politics, personalities and feuds of command. Love your newsletter. The
newsletter is a must-read for Polish genealogy researchers.
Dave (Zeberkiewicz) Nelson <denelson@execpc.com>
[Then I heard from Peter Wessner, President of PGS-Texas, who
provides more details on this book, as well as another that might be worth
a look:]
Along the way I found reference to the following two books that might fit
what you need. I hope to have PGST buy and donate them to our
excellent genealogical library here in Houston, Clayton Library. I have
not read them yet, so cannot vouch for their quality.
They can be found at: http://home.fuse.net/nafziger/nafnap.htm.
THE POLES AND SAXONS
DURING THE NAPOLEONIC WARS
By George F. Nafziger
Size: 9" x 11"
Illustrations: 16 color plates
Pages: 266 pages
$35.00, hard cover
This hardbound book examines the Saxon army, the Army of the Grand Duchy
of Warsaw, and Poles in French service during the Napoleonic wars. It
provides a complete history of its organization, the raising, disbanding,
and the modification of the organization of every unit in these armies.
Details are provided on uniforms and their changes, in support of the
discussion of organization. This is the only history of these armies in
the English language. It was prepared using archival materials, official
documents ranging from regimental histories to governmental studies, and
memoirs of members of these armies.
OPERATIONS OF THE POLISH ARMY
During the 1809 Campaign in Poland
By General R. Soltyk
Translated & Edited by G. F. Nafziger
Size: 8" x 11"
Illustrations: 1 map
Pages: 175 pages
$25.00 soft cover
This is a translation of an obscure work by a Polish officer who served in
the army of the Grand Duchy of Warsaw during the 1809 campaign. The
discussion of the campaign is filled with highly detailed accounts of
every battle that occurred during this campaign, from the big battles to
the sieges and the small engagements of raiding parties supported by a few
hundred Polish militia. There is nothing in English on this campaign, let
alone on this level of detail. It is written entirely from the Polish
perspective, so details on the Austrians are a little light.
[I loved reading these notes, and thought they reflect well
on the caliber of our readers ... So now, do YOU have a question you'd
like some help with? If so, send it to me <WFHoffman@prodigy.net>
and I'll be glad to print it and see what kind of response it gets!]
***************************************
*** LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ***
[Editor: Armela Hammes sent me three interesting and
informatives notes this month. I thought you might enjoy reading them,
too.]
Subject: Library of Congress
Just wanted to let you know that I tried one of the websites you mentioned
in _Gen Dobry!_--the Library of Congress.
My father always said that he could swim across a river and be in Germany.
His village, Nick/Dlut~owo, was in Russian territory, though only 80 miles
NNW of Warsaw. He left Poland in 1911. I e-mailed the Library of Congress
and asked if they had an old map that would verify my father's story. A
Dr. Paczolt very kindly mailed me a map with my father's village
highlighted and a river nearby, the Welle. I e-mailed Dr. Paczolt, thanked
him for the map, and asked if that would be the present-day Dzial~do~wka
River. He sent me another map, agreeing that this was one and the same
river. I e-mailed him back with many thanks. I had looked up the meaning
of _Welle_ in my German dictionary and it means “wave.” When I looked
up Dzial~do~wka in my Polish dictionary, I found that the word _dzial~_
means division or partition! This made absolute sense to me.
I e-mailed the Library of Congress again and asked if they had any
information on the Dzial~do~wka River, as to its width and depth. My
message was sent to the Enoch Pratt Library in Baltimore. They did not
have the information but they gave me an e-mail address of the National
Library of Poland and of the City Office of Dzial~dowo. I hope they will
answer this crazy lady in Hudson, OH. I really want to know if my father
could have attempted swimming into Germany or was this just a father
story, like walking in five feet of snow to get to school, etc.
Armela Hammes <armelahammes@att.net>
-----
Subject: Swimming the Dzial~do~wka!
I have been given my answer by the City Office of Dzial~dowo -- the river
in question was shallow enough for my father to swim into Germany! Someone
in the City office was proficient enough in English to answer my question.
Problem solved.
My husband and I were in Dzial~dowo (formerly Soldau) in September 2001
with Iwona Dakiniewicz (on tour with Daniel Kij). She was able to talk a
clerk into getting my grandfather's death certificate from 1932 on short
notice. Iwona told the clerk very nicely that we were just going to
be there for the day and could she please locate the death date of Jan
Jablonowski.
Of interest to me was the website, http://www.szukacz.pl, that appeared in
the last _Gen Dobry!_. I typed in my mother's maiden name,
Galezewski, and an interesting website appeared of an artist, Jacek
Galezewski. I e-mailed him, but have not had an answer. When I tried the
"S~wiat" (world) portion, after the Poland portion of the name
Galezewski, I found my cousins' children and grandchild mentioned. They
live in the Chicago and Milwaukee areas. I immediately forwarded them the
website, just to check out their names on the World Wide Web.
Armela Hammes <armelahammes@att.net>
-----
Subject: Join Family Groups at Yahoo!
I also have another suggestion or genealogy hint. My family name was
Jablonowski and I joined a Jablonowski@yahoo.group. I was hoping to find
out some information about my father's uncle, Martin Jablonowski, who
lived and died in Berlin, Germany. About two years ago, I found the Berlin
phone directory on-line and took down the addresses of 31 Jablonowski's. I
wrote to all of them, enclosing a copy of a letter from Martin, written in
1925, to my father. I asked the recipient if Martin was a relative of
theirs. He was in an Altersheim [retirement home] outside of Berlin, in
Teltow. I so wanted to know if I had any distant cousins still living in
Berlin. I did get some e-mail responses, but all negative. Not one
positive response.
About four months ago, a young lady signed onto the group asking about
relatives from East Prussia by the name of Jablonowski. That's where my
family originated, but not from the town she was asking about. I e-mailed
her back saying that I couldn't help her, but could she possibly help me.
Then I asked about Martin, and the genealogy angels were smiling on me
because Annette lived right in that particular area and the Altersheim was
still there. She promised to stop in, with a copy of Martin's letter, to
see if she could get any information about Martin. So I mailed her a copy
of one of the letters from Martin.
Annette did stop in and there was information available, but the people
needed some verification that I was a relative. I sent a notarized letter
saying that I was indeed a relative of Martin and that I would like
information about the death of Martin. About three weeks ago I received a
copy of Martin's death certificate from Annette, which I was happy to
receive because now I needn't look any further for family in Berlin.
Martin was a widower, with no children. The certificate gave his
birthplace, Priom, which is where my grandfather was born. The certificate
gave his age, so now I know that Martin was my grandfather's older
brother. Annette also sent a brochure of the retirement home. It is quite
beautiful.
I'm glad my son introduced me to the internet/computer world. I'm
having such fun gathering genealogy information.
Armela Hammes <armelahammes@att.net>
[Editor: I'm glad, too -- it was fascinating reading your
notes! I'm delighted you managed to connect with Martin, and to get an
answer about the plausibility of your father's swimming across the
Dzial~do~wka. I'm also glad to hear Dr. Paczolt at the Library of Congress
continues to earn the praises and gratitude of researchers who need help
with maps. For those who missed it, let me repeat the address of the
Website for submitting requests connected with geography and maps: http://www.loc.gov/rr/askalib/ask-geogmap.html.
[Incidentally, the experts say the name Dzial~dowo had
nothing to do with _dzial~_, "section," but rather is a
Polonized form of the original German name of the town, Soldau. But that's
a minor matter: you found what you were looking for, and that's what
counts!]
-----
Subject: Coals to Europe? (Not Newcastle!)
[In a past issue there was a note saying, "I read that
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad made a deal with the North German Lines to
bring their passengers to Baltimore (where the B&O would pick them up
and carry them westward to the coal mines or further west). In return, the
B&O provided coal to be carried to Europe by the North German Line so
they wouldn't have to return empty." Bill Rutkowski sent the
following comment:]
What the writer read, without identifying the source, is in my opinion
wrong. Bremerhaven competed with larger ports such as Amsterdam, Rotterdam
and others. It owed its tremendous development to the transportation of
emigrants. Originally sailing ships sailed to America to ports such as
Baltimore with cobblestones as ballast. Visit Baltimore's Fells Point
today and the streets are still paved with these cobblestones. Ships --
and we are talking sailing ships -- returned to Europe with sugar, coffee,
timber, rum and other articles. Following the Civil War, Baltimore was the
principle port for flour and coffee trade from South America plus fruits
and vegetables from the South. Baltimore became a mecca of "packing
houses" for canned fruits, and vegetables. I have never read where we
may have shipped coal to Europe. Germany had the greatest supply of coal
fields in the world, so why would we?
Emigration traffic escalated in 1857 with the founding of the North German
Lloyd shipping company. Emigrants became the lifeblood of the operation.
The B&O Railroad ran trains from Baltimore to points north and west.
It was a major port of immigration. Civic leaders decided that if
Baltimore was to develop into a major port, it needed a transatlantic
steamship line. In 1867, the B&O Railroad, which was so instrumental
in the revitalization of Baltimore's Fells Point after the Civil War,
signed an agreement with the North German Lloyd Steamship Company. The
agreement was to run at least two steamers between Baltimore and
Bremerhaven. The wharves at Fells point were too small to accommodate the
new steamers. So, a new, modern deep-water terminal was developed directly
across the Patapsco River from Fells Point at Locust Point. It was so
successful that the Pennsylvania Railroad opened a similar facility
several miles east of Fells Point. Baltimore remained a major port for
immigration. Fells Point became Baltimore's Polonia and today is one of
the Nation's historical districts.
Bill Rutkowski <ImogeneRut@aol.com>
***************************************
*** SOFTWARE REVIEW: GENBOX FAMILY HISTORY ***
reviewed by Ceil Jensen <cjensen@mipolonia.net>
[Editor -- Ceil's review is also available with helpful
illustrations on her Website at: http://www.mipolonia.net/technology/genbox.htm]
Thoughtful Creations's new Genbox Family History software is a database,
research tool, task organizer, data analyzer, chart producer and a report
writer. They encourage beginners as well as experienced genealogists and
professionals to use the new program.
I was anxious to try a new software program. I had a few problems with
files I had created with Family Tree Maker 10.0 and PAF 5.0.2 I
decided to use these problems to test Genbox.
1) Clean up a gedcom that had too many ancillary branches.
2) Enter digital photos into the software that I previously
kept in separate folders.
3) Use the correct diacritical marks for my Prussian and
Polish ancestors' surnames and villages (a PAF 5.0 feature)
I downloaded Genbox from their website, http://www.genbox.com, in
February. The screen shots on the Genbox website showed a new type of
workspace. I opened version 3.0.14 and began to explore the software. I
downloaded the program to a PC running Windows ME and a laptop running
Windows XP.
The user interface was carefully constructed to provide a lot of power and
flexibility to the user while also being easy to use and uncluttered in
appearance. "Genbox has an attractive, powerful, and flexible user
interface." - Genbox website
I really like the Lists window found under VIEW. It is the same layout as
Windows Explorer and you see the structure of the folders and files of
Genbox. This allows for easy file management. The folders under Lists
include individuals, places, projects, and citations. They have taken care
to create a professional tool by developing default source templates based
on the formats described in _Evidence! Citation & Analysis for the
Family Historian_, by Elizabeth Shown Mills. The location entries are
useful for British Isles researchers, but development is needed for
continental Europe and for historic names of countries such as Prussia.
Asian countries need their current and former names as well.
Since this is a relatively new product, I think that the few problems I
ran into can be corrected or developed for future versions. I couldn't
find a filter feature like PAF 5.0's tool to isolate a branch of a family.
I added a gedcom to my Family Tree Maker and inadvertently saved it. It
added a line that goes back to the Mayflower. I didn't want to
individually delete each entry nor re-key all the data.
I wanted to add the proper diacritical marks to my ancestors names, and
found out it was not supported in Genbox. (A diacritical mark is an
additional mark added to a basic letter. Most North American researchers
will eventually find a need for their use.) The German u-umlaut (ü) and
eszet (ß) were supported if they were in the original gedcom or were
pasted in from another document on the XP, but not supported on ME. The
same for the French grave accent (´) and Spanish tilde (~). But the
diacriticals for the Polish language such as the ogonek (hook or tail),
kreska (accent), and kropka (dot over the z) were not supported on either
operating system.
I searched the built-in Help files, but there were no hits for the
following words: tilde, umlaut, diacritical or German. The search for the
word "language" brought up "Language for Output."
The month names for dates can be formatted on charts and reports in a
number of languages. The "default" setting will use the normal
language. Supported languages include Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish,
French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese,
Romanian, Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish.
It seems more important to list ancestors' names with the correct
diacriticals then to enter the month in the ancestors' language. Since
these languages are listed, we may hope that indicates the software will
support diacriticals in the future. The inclusion of the Genbox Phonetic
Search, which generally produces more matches than an exact spelling
match, may also indicate development of second language support. Adding
the Daitch-Mokotoff Soundex system would be helpful for Central and
Eastern European researchers.
There were technical glitches that can also be cleaned up in future
versions. Version 3.0.14 on XP would not allow me to create a report. The
software couldn't detect the network printer which was online and working.
After I downloaded and installed three patches from the Genbox website the
problem was corrected.
It is easy to install the patches and upgrades on Windows XP as long as
the user makes sure to download and install them in order. It's a tedious
task. When I tried the same upgrades on Windows ME I couldn't open
the program after restarting the machine. I received the error "Can't
locate the file GENBOXENU.DLL." I had to look in the Genbox.exe
folder and rename the most current .dll. This problem alone takes this
software out of the realm of a beginner. Once the file name was fixed I
was able to open Version 3.0.19 without a problem.
I think Genbox has the potential to become front-running software if they
incorporate second language support and develop a more informative manual.
I really like having several windows opened at once, such as a data screen
and a media file. But the small asterisk icon used for inserting media is
also used on the toolbar for creating a new record. Their claim that
the program meets the demanding needs of professionals is true in the
sense that the researcher needs considerable experience with both
technology and genealogy software to make good use of the program.
***************************************
*** BOOK REVIEW: IN THEIR WORDS … VOLUME 2: RUSSIAN ***
reviewed by Polish Roots(R) Vice President Paul S. Valasek
<Paval56@aol.com>
Recently while perusing the Internet, I was quite surprised to see a
Polish genealogical society strongly recommending an outdated, inaccurate
book to its readers. Now keeping up with the times is a serious matter to
PolishRoots, and with that in mind, I'd like to bring our reader's
attention to the latest reference book published by qualified authors,
researchers and scholars. Jonathan Shea and William F. Hoffman's _In Their
Words, Volume II - Russian_, is a must book to order when your Polish
ancestry comes from any of the regions of the former Polish-Lithuanian
Commonwealth that later came under the rule of the Russian Empire. Though
the book probably has more material than anyone can use, it's far better
to get more than you need than to find out you were denied information
which may matter to your research. For those readers who have already
purchased Hoffman and Shea's _In Their Words ... Volume 1, Polish_, this
book is even thicker and goes into more details, especially dealing with
that ever-present problem of the Cyrillic alphabet. Again, it may appear
overpowering as most of us are not familiar with written Cyrillic. If you
need to get answers for your Russian Poland ancestry, this is the book to
buy.
For those of you who order it, please let PolishRoots know how well it
works for your research.
[Editor: I can only blush and thank Paul for his kind words.
If you want more details on the book, visit the Website: www.langline.com].
***************************************
*** FIRE AT KAMIENIEC PODOLSKI ARCHIVE ****
The April 13th issue of _Nu? What's New?_, the free e-zine of Avotaynu,
Inc., had details on some very sad news -- a fire that destroyed many
records at the State/City Archives of Kamianets-Podilsky (Polish name:
Kamieniec Podolski) in Ukraine. For more information you can read the
article here: http://www.avotaynu.com/nu10.htm.
***************************************
*** UPCOMING EVENTS ***
May 1 - May 8 - May 15, 2003
Beginner Genealogy Course at the Polish Center of Wisconsin
7:00 p.m. at the Polish Center of Wisconsin
Learn to trace your family history!
Classes last approximately 1 hour and are sponsored by members of the
Polish Genealogical Society of Wisconsin. Cost is $30.00 per person,
materials included.
414-529-2140
-----
May 28-31, 2003
National Genealogical Society - 2003 Conference in the States
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
For more details see: http://www.eshow2000.com/ngs/
-----
Sunday, June 1, 2003
Erie, Pennsylvania
2:00 - 5:30 p.m.
IN SEARCH OF OUR ANCESTORS
a 3-part workshop for Eastern Europeans,
especially Rusyns
Well-known genealogist Megan Smolenyak will lead the seminar, including:
"Jump-Starting Your Eastern Europe Research," "Maximizing
your Results from the Ellis Island Database," and "Honoring Our
Ancestors"
Place: Crossroads Community Baptist Church, 5827 Old French Rd, Erie, PA,
near I-90, exit 27
Co-sponsors: Mercyhurst College and Erie Society for Genealogical Research
Fee: $10 for national Carpatho-Rusyn Society members and Erie Society for
Genealogical Research members; $20 public.
Ethnic Dinner: You can also get a delicious dinner for $5, including
stuffed cabbage, noodles and caraway, baby carrots, cucumbers, rye bread
and pastry. Seating at 1:00 - 1:50 p.m. (The meal is optional.)
Registration is requested in advance BY MAY 17TH, with checks made payable
to:
Carpatho-Rusyn Society
c/o Lake Erie Chapter
926 West 8th Street
Erie PA 16507
Note name, address, phone, and number attending for workshop and dinner.
For more information, call Eileen Zinchiak at (814) 456-7217 or email:
Eileen@stargate.net
-----
June 20-22, 2003
Polish Fest 2003
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Friday, June 20th - 3:00 to Midnight
Saturday, June 21st - Noon to Midnight
Sunday, June 22nd - Noon to 10:00 p.m.
For more information visit http://www.polishfest.org or call 414-529-2140.
-----
July 7-10, 2003
The Illinois State Genealogical Society Announces
THE 9TH ANNUAL GENEALOGICAL INSTITUTE OF MIDAMERICA
Springfield, Illinois
University of Illinois, Springfield Campus
The Genealogical Institute of Mid America (GIMA) is a four-day intensive
educational experience.
Students choose one of four courses to attend for the 4 days. Instructors
are nationally known lecturers who have spoken at local, state and
national genealogical conferences. Courses are taught in a relaxed
atmosphere. Be a part of a Midwest tradition, where genealogical
instruction is presented in a relaxed atmosphere, a small informal setting
where camaraderie among attendees and instructors make for a unique
educational experience.
To be added to the mailing list for further information, please send your
mailing address to Susan Kaufman-Tavenner, GIMA Chairperson at:
kaufmansusan@juno.com -- please put "GIMA" in the subject line.
Information can also be found at the ISGS web site, http://www.rootsweb.com/~ilsgs/index.html.
Or write: ISGS-GIMA03, PO Box 10195, Springfield, IL 62791-0195
-----
July 11-12, 2003
MIDWESTERN ROOTS
Family History & Genealogy Conference
at the Indianapolis Marriott East
East 21st Street & Shadeland Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana
Sponsored by the Indiana Historical Society and the Indiana Genealogical
Society
For more information visit the Website: www.indianahistory.org/midwesternroots
-----
July 20-25, 2003
IAJGS 23rd International Conference DC
J.W. Marriott, Pennsylvania Ave., NW
More details to be announced later
-----
September 5-6, 2003
St. Louis Polish Festival
Behind Falcon Hall - 20th and St. Louis Avenue
St. Louis, MO
Music, crafts, games and authentic Polish food and pastries.
For more information: 314-421-9614
-----
November 6-9, 2003
New England Regional Genealogical Conference
Sea Crest Resort, North Falmouth, MA
New England-America's Melting Pot
For more details: http://www.rootsweb.com/~manergc
***************************************
*** MORE USEFUL WEB ADDRESSES ***
http://www.strony.wp.pl/wp/obgpiast
Robert Strybel forwarded this address, saying it's the new
Website of the Piast Genealogical Research Center. Over the years
researchers have had mixed results from Piast -- sometimes very good,
sometimes not so great. These days the director is Andrzej Sikorski, a
reputable scholar and researcher; so you might wish to look into Piast's
services (but as always, let the buyer beware!).
______________________________
http://www.sog.org.uk/leaflets/surnames.html
This is a page I happened across while wandering around on
the Web. It's a good article on the importance of surnames in research.
Though it is written mainly in regard to English names, much of what's
said there applies just as well to Polish.
______________________________
http://www.piasa.org/polisharchives.html
Ray Marshall <raymarsh@mninter.net> sent along this
address, saying he had never heard about this site, and it's not directly
genealogical, but it can be valuable "for the serious researcher
taking the next step." He also gave the address of a page on the
PIASA site with info on Polish Archives in the U.S., Canada, and Great
Britain, etc.: http://www.piasa.org/polisharchivesinamerica.html.
______________________________
http://www.carpatho-rusyn.org/map.jpg
On the Galicia mailing list Lavrentiy Krupnak <Lkrupnak@erols.com>
gave this as the address of a map that shows the extent of the region
inhabited by the Lemkos. He listed several more excellent sites if you're
interested in Rusyns and Lemkos:
http://www.lemko.org/lih/intro.html
http://www.lemko.org/term.html
http://www.lemko.org/lih/whoarewe.html
http://www.lemko.org/rusyn.html
______________________________
http://www.clpgh.org/locations/pennsylvania/genealogy/wwi.html
On the soc.genealogy.jewish list Joe Beine gave this as a
site where the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh lists World War II
casualties from Pennsylvania. He warned that this page loads slowly. He
also said a directory of similar sites can be found here: http://home.att.net/~wee-monster/military.html.
______________________________
http://historykpress.com/whatsnew.htm
History Press, a small publishing firm concentrating on the
Polish community in Maryland, has a new publication you can read about
here.
______________________________
http://www.beskid.com/base/indexgb.php
Christine Clark <CLC1040@aol.com> forwarded this
address from the Rootsweb update e-mail. It's a searchable database for
Polish soldiers who died in France during World War II. Thanks, Christine!
______________________________
http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/pl.html
On the Poland-Roots list Debbie Brejniak <debbiebeez@catchnet.com.au>
said she had come upon this site while looking at world phone books. She
found it very interesting, with lots of useful information and facts about
Poland.
______________________________
http://www.genealogyunlimited.com/me200g.html
On the Galicia mailing list Peter Morgan <pmorgan@Morgan-News.com>
pointed out that at this address there's "a simplified grid map of
Galicia at a ratio of 1:200,000 ... The maps, which are fairly primitive
but load quickly, are offered to help people order good quality maps of a
specific area from the website publishers, but they work OK for a quick
look at the major cities of the areas covered, or for use in family
history documents." He adds "these maps use Ferro, not
Greenwich, as longitude 0 degrees. To convert to Ferro from Greenwich, add
17 degrees 40 minutes to the Greenwich longitude."
______________________________
http://www.polishroots.com/military/aleksandrow_cemetery.htm
This new page on the Polish Roots site lists names posted
outside the Military Cemetery at Aleksandrow, about 25 km. south-southeast
of Zamosc. Information about the soldiers as well as emblems of the Cross
of Bravery was added.
______________________________
http://lemko.org/tour.html
On the Poland-Roots mailing list Debbie Greenlee
<daveg@airmail.net> mentioned this site, which has information on a
tour for those who want to see their Lemko ancestral villages. "The
tour will include experts of different areas as well as the assistance of
Iwona Dakiniewicz, a researcher in Poland who is a member of the Polish
Genealogical Society of America in Chicago. Even if you're not a Lemko
descendant you might want to read about this tour. I was pretty
impressed."
***************************************
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Vol. IV, No. 4, 30 April 2003. PolishRoots(R): http://PolishRoots.org/.
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