Family History

I feel like simply doing a genealogy and calling it quits really leaves a lot unfinished. How much more could you get out of your genealogy if you learned something about the history and reality of the names and dates that you are writing down? You might learn something about yourself, your talents, inclinations, desires, and pet peeves. And knowledge, as well all know, is power.

The internet and historic documents can be one starting point. For example, if you know that someone came to America through Ellis Island, find that record. They included all kinds of information in there, including who they traveled with, who they were going to see, and sometimes things like eye color and build.

Another thing you can do is to look through old family records. Did anyone save old papers from your ancestors?  Medical records, journals, even receipts and ticket stubs can help you fill out the personality and life of family that has passed on.

Check in with your family, too. You can get all kinds of other information from your living family as well. Ask them to tell you stories about their childhood, their favorite aunt or uncle, what their grandparents were like, etc. As you listen carefully to stories that you may have already heard before, you may notice details you had overlooked previously. And starting into story-telling has this organic way of growing, of spinning into other tales, other family stories and histories and lessons learned. Run with it.

As you learn more of the details of others who have gone before you, you might start seeing family patterns. You family is part of who you are, and the more you learn of them, the more you might find that you learn about yourself.

I suggest whatever your writing level might be to create a family history. Do it with as many or as few words as you desire. If you're wordy, go with that. Write out all the memories you or others have of various people in your family, of family trips, illnesses, special events. Go as far back and as you can. Write about overarching family dramas and about tiny details. Write out some short stories based on these very real people. Maybe you'll even come away with something worth publishing. If not for the general masses, then at least something for your extended family to enjoy.

And what if you don't like writing? You have loads of other options for all of that information. You can video tape your interviews and turn it into a family documentary. And if you don't have an affinity for technology? You can use what you find and create some scrapbook pages, paint a mural, make a representational quilt, or sculpt a three-dimensional family tree with symbolic meaning. You can create a running family tree in a hallway with photographs, drawings, and paintings.

There's so much that can be done. So let's do it. And if you are so inclined, write me and tell me what you've done.

The information comes rolling in

So, just when I thought I was running short on leads again. . . I started going through the informative Family History Lessons HERE. They have links to lessons that help you in researching family ties from various countries, Poland included. I've only gotten through one complete lesson, but it already has resulted in more names to go through. There are many relatives that we only have the names of and not any actual record of, so I hope that some of the Ellis Island records I just discovered will help me with that.

My latest link discovery, thanks to the beta site of Family Search is http://stevemorse.org/ Going through this site, you get a lot more options on how to search out your ancestors. I went from finding a handful of possible leads and names to about fifty. Maybe more. I haven't been able to go through them all yet. So exciting!

Stanisław Miecznikowski and Katarzyna Skrzypek

I know that Stanisław had a second wife. I met her, in fact, when I was younger and she was still around. I'll add in that information later, but I want to make sure I have permission to do so first. 


Stanisław Miecznikowski was born in 1901 and died in 1979. (He was the son of Michal Gabriel Miecznikowski and Agnieszka (Jarzebska) Miecznikowska.) He married Katarzyna Skrszypek who was born August 8,1903 and died February 2, 1944 during the pacification of Poland by the Nazis. (She was murdered, along with all but one of her children.)
Their children, in order from oldest to youngest: 
1. Michal Miecznikowski - born 1920, died February 2, 1944
2. Alojzy Miecznikowski - born 1925, died February 2, 1944
3. Jan Miecznikowski - born 1930, died December 28, 2005
4. Helena Miecznikowska - born 1932, died February 2, 1944
5. Hanna Miecznikowska - born1934, died February 2, 1944
6. Zenon Miecznikowski - born 1936, died February 2, 1944
7. Maria Miecznikowska - born 1938, died February 2, 1944
8. Zofia Miecznikowska born 1939, died February 2, 1944
9. Katarzyna Miecznikowska born 1941, died February 2, 1944

Children of Stefan Miecznikowski and Marianna Pezioł (and Katarszyna Beirut)

Stefan Miecznikowski was the son of Michal Gabriel Miecznikowski and Agnieszka Jarzebska, and lived his life in Łążek Zalików. 

Stefan married Marianna Pezioł and he had three children with her.

1. Helena Miecznikowska, who died in 1942.

2. Stefan Miecznikowski (named after his father) b.1916 d.1996

3. Janina Miecznikowska b.1915 d.2005

Marianna succumbed to an illness in 1920 and in short order Stefan Miecznikowski (the elder) married Katarzyna Beirut. (Katarzyna was born in 1895 and died Sept 1, 1986.) Farm living was a hard life without spousal support, and back in those days, it just made sense to marry again quickly. 

Stefan Miecznikowski and Katarszyna Beirut had the following children together: 

1. Bronisława Miecznikowska b.1919 
2. Piotr Miecznikowski b.1924 d.?
3. Mieczysław Miecznikowski b.1925, d.?

4. Julianna Miecznikowska b.1927

5. Daniela (Danuta) Miecznikowska b.1930

*Thanks to the Julianna's son, I am able to put those names in order with birth dates! Thank you, thank you, Bogdan!

+And thanks to Daniela's son Piotr Sudoł for saying hello! 

Michal Gabriel Miecznikowski

Michal Gabriel Miecznikowski married Agnieszka Jarzebska, and they had the following children together:

(Again, no order to this yet, as I don't have all the dates.)

1. Stefan Miecznikowski b.1888 d.1975

2. Stanisław Miecznikowski b.1901 d.1979

3. Felek or Felicjan Miecznikowski

4. Jan Miecznikowski

5. Juliusz or Julian Miecznikowski

6. Władysław Miecznikowski

7. Helena Miecznikowska

Miecznikowski line

So I still don't know the names of the couple that got this line going, so we'll just call them Mr. and Mrs. Miecznikowski. Here are their children, in no particular order:

1. Michal Gabriel Miecznikowski

2. Ludwig or Ludwik Miecznikowski

3. Teofil Miecznikowski

As far as I know, they only had the three boys. I'll update that if I learn something different.

Out of the three boys, I only know of what happened with Michal Gabriel. He my direct ancestor.

Click on any of the names that are links and it'll take you to another page about them, or do a search from the search box on any of the names to see all possible articles related to an individual. I'll be updating links and information as I get it. 

Geography and Town Names

A good deal of my family comes from Łążek Zalików. It is located in southeast Poland. There were several tiny townships referred to as "Łążek " and even a few not too far from the town of Zalików. Other towns nearby include: 


Antoniówka
Dąbrowa
Gielnia
Goliszowiec
Irena
Józefów
Karkówka
Kruszyna
Łążek
Lipa
Łysaków
Łysaków-Kolonia
Nowe Baraki
Stare Baraki
Zdziechowice Drugie
Zdziechowice Pierwsze

Here is a bit more detailed information about the particulars of Zalików:

Voivodeship: Podkarpackie
District: Stalowa Wola
Municipality: Zaklików

The Basics

Here's my plan: write everything I can about my family heritage in the hopes of finding more extended family members and possibly helping someone else out that is in a similar boat. As I get going, I'll add information about my family lines, about the places that my family is from, and links to where I am finding my information.


My family all comes from Poland. I have a bit of my line that comes from northern Poland, but right now I am focusing my efforts on the Subcarpathian Voivodship or Podkarpacie Province. (Southeast Poland). I'll get to Northern Poland as I can. But I'm starting where I feel the greatest need.


The surnames I am researching right now are:
Miecznikowski Miecznikowska Miecznikowscy
Pezioł (Peziol)
Rospierski  Rospierska Rospierscy
Kaczkowski Kaczkowska
Skrzypek
Jarzebska or Jarzebski




The area that I am putting most of my effort into at the moment is Łążek (Lazek),  in the district of Zaklików (Zaklikow).