Dear Diary, I...Ancestors in 52 Weeks

This year's challenge is 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks and is run by Amy Johnson Crow.

Topic Info:

True, not everyone is fortunate enough to have an ancestor's diary or journal. (I haven't found any in my family yet!) You could write about an ancestor who you can picture keeping a diary. You could write a diary entry telling about researching someone. You could do a bit of creative non-fiction and write a diary entry as if you were one of your ancestors.

And if you are fortunate enough to have an ancestral diary or journal, tell about who wrote it!

Do I have a diary or journal?

I'm not one of the fortunate people who have a journal or diary from anyone in the family. We did have a family bible on my father's side, but it got water damaged and thrown out when I was a teenager without my knowledge and I didn't know anything about that until I asked my father about it a few years ago. I used to love looking at the bible because the pages were so thin and so elegant with the gold and the drawings. This just about broke my heart. 

Putting the family back together...

Anyhow, my research started with only a few things, as I've written about before. From here, I've been able to put things together and use tape and glue to keep them together. I've been lucky enough to start to join the families back together as well. My mother's side I now have an uncle, cousins from first cousins to cousins all over the world in Poland, Belgium, Germany, and USA. On my father's side, I have a few from the German side and cousins from my paternal grandmother's Polish side. I've been lucky enough to join in some way with these families and I couldn't be prouder. I have run into some people through the DNA or email which basically said Nope and told me to shove off (actually used other words but this is a child friendly area or at least I try to keep it that way!). 

I have been trying to trek each of my ancestors across their lifetimes. Sometimes its easy and others aren't so easy...these are called roadblocks. Believe me, we all have these.

One of the ideas listed above is to write a journal entry of an ancestor as if it where them writing it. I've had a tough time narrowing the person down.

An Ancestor's Diary Entry...

Dear Diary,

You don't know me, but my name is Adam Wojtkowski. My great granddaughter, Jo Ann, will be writing this in years after my passing, but I think, from my looking over her shoulder and steering her a bit, she's done very well so far. As she's fluent in English, and barely knows any Polish, this will be written in English.

Its currently 1913 and I am sitting here on my bed on the ship Kaiserin Auguste Victoria, which is a beautiful ship, but still makes me scared as its been about 10 months since the Titanic sank. True she is fast and the largest in the world, but the things we have heard about in the Titanic hearings didn't make this voyage any easier for any of us. Its currently taking me away from everything I know and love and bringing me to the land of opportunity they promise those of us in the advertising.  There was accommodation for 472 first class passengers, 174 second class passengers, 212 third class passengers and 1608 forth class (steerage) passengers as written by the shipping company.

They spelled the last name wrong, but all other information is current. Credit: Ellis Island

Anyhow, I grew up on a farm with my parents in Wojtkowice-Dady, Podlaskie Voidvodeship in east-central Poland. My mother owns a mill which helps us sell the flour on our land at the nearest market in nearby Nur which is in the Masovian Voidvodeship and almost 6 miles or almost 11 kilometers away. When I met my wife, Maryanna, but I call my Mary, I fell instantly in love. She's my princess and I would do anything for her.

Circles show the areas mentioned above in Poland. Warsaw is to the West of Malkinia Gorna. From Google Maps

Soon after we did our wedding banns in both her church and ours because my princess wanted it that way because I lived in what the people in the US would call a county and she in another. It wasn't traditionally done here with the double banns, but whatever my Mary wanted I tried to give her. I still can't believe she married me in 1905 and gave me our little girl, Genowefa in 1910. I love them so much and only want to keep the safe and love my girls. Tears are filling my eyes just thinking about leaving them behind to go off to find our future. I live to feel them again in my arms.

The above is the wedding certificate on left. On right is the translation and date conversion. Credit

However, with the Russians looking for more soldiers for their rotten army, and the things THAT army does to all people along with the unrest they are causing, I had a talk with some close friends in town about the US. After talking it over with them and my wife, it was decided. The men would head to the US and I would have my girls say with my wife's family in Malkin Gorna for protection. Her family is from nobility and has more protection for them than anyone else I could have left them with or at least that's what we're hoping.

Newspaper article about people hating Russia. Credit

In our group, we all have the same last name. As my family owned land, we had the last name of Wojtkowski so I received my last name by my father, but the same Russian scum forced naming conventions upon the others.

The fighting has been stepping up and what the Russian scum are doing with treatment and thievery of people are only going to get worse I fear.

My friends and I had set out for the Hamburg port in Germany on foot as I sold or left behind everything else. We did have people help us with giving us rides in wagons and such, but it still took us a long time to get to this port.

We came close a few times to getting caught by either the Russian army or when we crossed over to the German area. Thankfully, we know both languages so we could pretend we were farmers from both sides and were able to get through. We did see some people who must not have been so convincing as they were shouted at because the solders did not believe them before they were shot in the head dead. It was brutally cold winter for we left in January and arrived on board in February.

Most people would be shocked or appalled at this killing treatment, but since my birth its almost a common occurrence so we're all used to it unfortunately. The toughest ones, I dare say, are when this is done to your loved ones right in front of you. We've had many family members who have had this done, or have simply disappeared like my younger brother, which I pray for every night and live in hope he is well, but deep down I fear is is already gone from us.

On board its cramped but at least I have my friends along with me, so I'm not completely homesick. I hope my brother Wiceski in New Jersey is well. Although he's not technically my brother, we are saying he is so I can get through customs. The 25 dollars I have helps with this as well. Each of these are how we are getting through the regulations the officials have put on. We have done this before in our homeland, so this isn't a problem for us or at least we hope. This is what has been told of us to do and we had decided it is all worth the risk. Thankfully my dear friend Crzeslaw, who has traveled there before even due to his young age, has helped us with this voyage.

Czeslaw's letter for my grandmother's (Genowefa/Genevieve) naturalization documents. Credit: US NIS

I better go as the seas are starting to toss about wildly once again and at times you had to hang on or else risk being thrown about. Meanwhile, I'll sit here and dream about what kind of life me and my girls will have once we all there there and settle down. I will also pray you, my darling princess wife, and our little daughter stay safe until we can be together again.

All my dreams and love to my girls.
Dobranoc (Goodnight)
Adam

Tracking family using paper and DNA

Over the last 16 years, I've been trying to track down my paternal Polish heritage and ancestry. When I first started to work on genealogy, this was one reason why I started to do genealogy - to find out where my grandmother, who was basically the only grandparent I really knew, had grown up.

From talking to her when I was in my childhood and into my early teens, I knew it was not a good area where she grew up. However, she did talk about playing in the rivers with her cousins and

1980s my grandmother and I in Newburgh, NY USA

always having cousins around her. I did ask once what rivers were they grandma and she told me, but the only one that stuck was the Bug River in Poland as, at the time, I thought it was a very funny name for a river. Anyhow, these memories helped me pinpoint down the area she grew up in.

However, back 16 years ago, there wasn't too much documentation on the web and I didn't have the resources to go tracking down the information. However, over the years, I didn't give up. If anything, I became more determined. Then when I lost my job nearly 3 years ago, I decided to crack open the information and really get into researching all my family.

Maternal Side Search
At first I had hits on my maternal side and started to find out information and go back and back. I found out an uncle I was told that had died had not and cousins, I didn't know about, were there. In fact, talking to some cousins they told me some of that part of the family had been looking for US! I found extended family in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Alabama and even Poland! Yes, I tracked my mother's side back to Poland and found a cousin there as well!

My DNA make up from Family Tree DNA

However, the downside was I my paternal side was still a huge mystery. In 2013, my husband, who is researching HIS genealogy (yes I'm guilty - I got him hooked!), was asked to do a DNA test because one of the probably cousins needed a link as they hadn't found paperwork and they only had a story to go on. He agreed and our world and knowledge of DNA started. After he took his test, and found the person WAS a cousin - a very distant but still a cousin.  (On a side note - they did find paperwork with both sides of the relatives listed which agreed with the DNA test).

DNA: Why did I do it & what to do with it?
Then we sat there and looked at each other and were thinking the same thing - I should take one, so off we sent for a DNA test for me in 2014. I took it, and got the results. I looked at them and thought they were interesting but what now? To me it looked like list of people with a range of cousins based upon the test. Then I realized to learn about the Polish in my DNA wasn't going to be that easy because I am Polish on BOTH sides.

Anyhow, as I asked questions, my husband, who's obsessed (or so it seems) with DNA results, started going on about blocks of DNA and matches. These I could pretty much understand - if your DNA is the grey part and the greys and other colors match then you are related somehow even if it is 1,000's of years. Then he started to go on about this and that and the eyes started to glass over and roll and his voice started to sound like the teacher in Peanuts (imagine wawa wawawa wa wawa over and over again). I realized this was going to require me to do some real research to understand anything more than colors match equal cousins somehow. I put it away in my to be done pile.

Dad to the Rescue with DNA

My father's DNA make up from Family Tree DNA

Anyhow, getting back to my paternal side, after I was seeing a bit of reasoning with what was going on and no documentation was coming forward either, I decided to bite the bullet and ask my father, who I was interviewing via the phone (when we'd call each other I'd ask questions - interesting concept with me in Australia and my father in New York and we'd be talking about ancestors), if he'd take a test. I told him I just wasn't having any luck whatsoever in anything I was trying, so would he. I would pay for it completely, it wasn't painful (just scratching each cheek with a think that looked like a toothbrush) and send it to me. The only thing was it would have his name on it. He agreed and off it went to him in January 2015.

My grandmother's obituary from Times Herald Record in 1988

Over the last 9 months, I've been keeping an eye on the results of both mine and my father's DNA and looking for hints via paper records. I called in microfilm from FamilySearch, which I had never done before, and went on the search of the building and area of the Mormons near me and spent the day there reviewing the microfilms I ordered in. Finally! Paperwork, other than my grandmother's obituary, which said who her mother was - Mary Slepovronskia (spelled wrong!) and who her father was - Adam Wojtkowski. I found my grandmother's marriage certificates. Yes, certificates - 2 of them. One was in the official offices and one was in a Roman Catholic Church in New York City.

Did DNA but Don't give up on paperwork!

2015 Letter enclosed with naturalization documents

Then I came back and I was starting to work on my maternal grandfather - another Polish ancestor - and ran head first into the US Federal Government files. I figured I'd wiggle my way through it as this one was a complete ghost. The first time was the number I found in the one file and it came back sorry we don't have that person by that number and they recommended me doing what's called an Index Search. After I did an index search and then asked for his Alien File or A File to be sent to me it did give up some information, but not much.

I then figured if I could do it for him, maybe there was something there on my grandmother. I knew she was a minor when she came over but why not give it a shot and filled out all the information on her. Back around 2012, I did come across her and my great grandmother's ship manifest so I had the names they used when they arrived in the US, so I put all the information I had down for her and sent it away in 2014. Let's just say when you deal with the US or state governments, the requests take awhile - think of how long a baby takes - 9 months if not longer - and you'll get a result. What appeared was shocking - My grandmother a lot of information including her parents were both naturalized as well! Upon seeing this, within an hour I put in for both my great grandparents naturalization files to be pulled.

Taken from Google Early in October 2015. Shows areas around Nur, Poland.

Upon getting that information in mid 2015, I now knew my grandmother and great grandfather were both born in Wojtkowice Dady Poland (which was both Russian and German at times). My great grandmother was born in Malkinia Poland (which was both Russian and German at times) and both locations were within 50 miles of each other! I also found my great grandparents were married in 1906 in Nur Poland which was 1/2 way between the two towns.

Using DNA to find cousins
Taking this information, I went into my father's DNA profile and started to look at the people that were pretty close 2-4th cousins. One of them had a Polish email address! Bingo! I emailed this person in August 2015. We have been talking via email about our connection and agree we are related but by which ancestor? He recently found my great grandparent's wedding certificate, which was written in Russian, and sent it to me from the archives. This took me back another generation on BOTH sides of my father's ancestry. 

DNA cousin against my father's DNA in FTDNA

My DNA cousin told me his mother was born and grew up in one of the towns north of Nur Poland which was probably the connection as it seems, by the wedding certificate/document, my ancestors married all up and down in the small villages along one main road in this area of Poland.

We're still looking to track more information down, but usually cracking the area your ancestor comes from - in ANY country (I've done this in Belgium/France and now twice in Poland) - is the hardest step. You get that area down and it seems the information comes to you in tidal waves.

My great grandparents' 1906 Russia Poland wedding document

I don't make promises lightly. I've only made 4 major promises in my life - and one of them was to my father to find out where his mother came from and to track down our cousins there. Until we link up- fully - with paperwork we're very close to finding a cousin. I did tell my father about the wedding document but are still looking for without a doubt paperwork linking us to DNA cousin Lukasz, but I think we are are only a few steps away as paperwork for this area was kept well apparently. 

Happy dance from https://media3.giphy.com

Helpful Hints on DNA
I do have a 2 things to say to wrap this post up. First, try and get your paperwork to match DNA. Remember DNA doesn't change but paperwork could so keep looking. Second, if you do decide to do DNA, please make sure people can contact you AND fill out the ancestor information as much as you can because this is how people know where you are looking. Adopted and looking? Why not put this in here too. Keep on looking but make sure you help yourself by filling out information fully and correctly and ask questions! Questions are helpful to learn anything.