Regarding diminutives --- In 2000, I spend three weeks teaching at a school in Poland. There were two Sebastians in my class, so one of the boys suggested that I call him Bastek to distinguish him from the other boy. I then began to notice other "nicknames" that seemed to be created by taking one syllable of the original name and adding an -ek to it. (Can't recall any of those examples right now, but there were a few). It seemed to me to be the equivalent of English nicknames having -y added, such as Jim to Jimmy, Bill to Billy or Catherine to Cathy. My uncle, Stephen, was called Tepek. Could that be an example of this? Or have I just made some inaccurate assumptions based on a few examples? Another thing I noticed was the inability of the Polish speakers to pronounce "th" as in thumb. A goal of my teaching was to improve spoken English of students, so I had them practice that sound. It really made a difference and they were proud when they could say "Thank you!" According to them, their language doesn't have that sound. Could be why my Polish aunts and uncles always said "Tank you" and other "th" words as "T". (We kids giggled whenever they said the word "third.") So, could some linguist on this list (Fred Hoffman?) let me now if my observations and conclusions make sense? In a message dated 7/17/2008 1:21:33 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, GkneeoloG@aol.com writes: I visited some relatives from Poland and was amazed and astounded by the diminutives used for given names. First of all, there are more than one for any given name. Secondly, sometimes they don't even look - sound - or being with the same letter as the given name. For example, Ola for Alexandria, Gosia for Malzgorata. I bet it was Tekla. **************Get the scoop on last night's hottest shows and the live music scene in your area - Check out TourTracker.com! (http://www.tourtracker.com?NCID=aolmus00050000000112) ********************************* Need to contact the list manager? Write to Marie at Poland-Roots-admin@rootsweb.com ---------------------------------- Discussion of Polish food, culture, and customs are welcome on the list as long as the discussion stays pertinent to the topic of this list: researching our Polish roots. ---------------------------------- Browse the list's archives here: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index?list=poland-roots Search the list's archives here: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/search?aop=1 ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to POLAND-ROOTS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message **************Get fantasy football with free live scoring. Sign up for FanHouse Fantasy Football today. (http://www.fanhouse.com/fantasyaffair?ncid=aolspr00050000000020)

The Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Film, "Katyn" directed by the academy award winning director, Andrzej Wajda, is available with English subtitles from PolBook. http://www.polbook.com/index.php?p=advanced_search&phrase=wajda&skat=-1&stype=autor The above link contains many other films which were directed by Wajda including the 2007 film, "Kanal" and "Pan Tadeusz." PolBook also has the Polish genealogy how-to books by Rafal Prinke and Mal~gorzata Nowaczyk; both books are in Polish. A great way to get your relatives in Poland interested in research! However, it would be cheaper to order the book from a company in Poland. Shipping from the U.S. or Canada is expensive now. Debbie

Ellis Island wants your family story Check it out: http://www.ellisisland.org/Story/tellstory.asp TELL US YOUR STORY for THE ELLIS ISLAND IMMIGRATION MUSEUM We invite you to share your family’s immigration story with us: when your family came to America and why -- the challenges you’ve faced in leaving your homeland and settling here, and how your family has become a part of the American Experience. This offer is for ALL Americans – whether you arrived on the Mayflower, through Ellis Island or just became a new citizen in recent years. Your story will be added to our new Peopling of America® Center planned for the museum. You and millions of other visitors will be able to learn from your story. If you provide your street address we will be happy to send you a handsome certificate commemorating your name as a contributor to the TELL US YOUR STORY program at the Ellis Island Immigration Museum.

Good morning all!? As I cannot read?it, can anyone tell me why his father Johann Pallas did not present the child the to authorities?? It appears his uncle Fryderik Pallas did with two other individuals. ? Thanks a million.

I visited some relatives from Poland and was amazed and astounded by the diminutives used for given names. First of all, there are more than one for any given name. Secondly, sometimes they don't even look - sound - or being with the same letter as the given name. For example, Ola for Alexandria, Gosia for Malzgorata. I bet it was Tekla. **************Get the scoop on last night's hottest shows and the live music scene in your area - Check out TourTracker.com! (http://www.tourtracker.com?NCID=aolmus00050000000112)

Good morning My grandmother was Dutch, born in Groinigen Holland, her name was Tillie here, but here name on legal documents was Tekla, or Tejke ----- Original Message ---- From: Tom Malek <tmalek@alumni.ksg.harvard.edu> To: POLAND-ROOTS <POLAND-ROOTS@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2008 10:48:40 AM Subject: [POLAND] Tetaklia: Given Name Have only known this person (through records) to have the given name as either Tekla or Tillie. Today I came across the husband's WWI Draft Registration card and he spelled her name "Tetaklia". Has anyone else seen this given name before. I assume (at my peril) that it must be a form of Tekla. Would  appreciate comments. Tom Malek ********************************* Need to contact the list manager?  Write to Marie at Poland-Roots-admin@rootsweb.com ---------------------------------- Discussion of Polish food, culture, and customs are welcome on the list as long as the discussion stays pertinent to the topic of this list: researching our Polish roots. ---------------------------------- Browse the list's archives here: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index?list=poland-roots Search the list's archives here: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/search?aop=1 ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to POLAND-ROOTS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

I had a (much beloved) great-aunt Tillie, and I think her "real" name may have been Tetaklia. I recall being told her actual name, and remember it being longer than Tekla, which is the only version of this name I've seen. In the census records, even as a small child, she was listed as Tillie. I know this doesn't really answer your question, but I just wanted to support your theory that a longer and different version of Tekla exists. Brian On Wednesday, July 16, 2008, at 10:48AM, "Tom Malek" <tmalek@alumni.ksg.harvard.edu> wrote: >Have only known this person (through records) to have the given name as >either Tekla or Tillie. > >Today I came across the husband's WWI Draft Registration card and he >spelled her name "Tetaklia". > >Has anyone else seen this given name before. I assume (at my peril) that >it must be a form of Tekla. Would appreciate comments. > >Tom Malek >********************************* >Need to contact the list manager? Write to Marie at Poland-Roots-admin@rootsweb.com >---------------------------------- >Discussion of Polish food, culture, and customs are welcome on the list as long as the discussion stays pertinent to the topic of this list: researching our Polish roots. >---------------------------------- >Browse the list's archives here: >http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index?list=poland-roots >Search the list's archives here: >http://archiver.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/search?aop=1 > >------------------------------- >To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to POLAND-ROOTS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > >

Have only known this person (through records) to have the given name as either Tekla or Tillie. Today I came across the husband's WWI Draft Registration card and he spelled her name "Tetaklia". Has anyone else seen this given name before. I assume (at my peril) that it must be a form of Tekla. Would appreciate comments. Tom Malek

Hi listers! Is anyone of you familiar with this "book"? Are there any good information about people who has joined the school? If I have understood right there are several artikles in the "book". Best wishes from Christel in Finland __________________________________________________________ Låna pengar utan säkerhet. Jämför vilkor online hos Kelkoo. http://www.kelkoo.se/c-100390123-lan-utan-sakerhet.html?partnerId=96915014

In a message dated 7/13/2008 3:56:50 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, daveg@airmail.net writes: I think a correct spelling would be Barbarewicz; 'c' before 'z'. Debbie SamE797@aol.com wrote: > I am researching the Barbarewizc family who came to the US in late 1884. I > know when they got here and how. I also know what part Debbie, It is spelled both ways on several documents. However one family in the US that used that spelling did spell it Barbarewicz. THanks Sam **************Get the scoop on last night's hottest shows and the live music scene in your area - Check out TourTracker.com! (http://www.tourtracker.com?NCID=aolmus00050000000112)

Sam, I think a correct spelling would be Barbarewicz; 'c' before 'z'. Debbie SamE797@aol.com wrote: > I am researching the Barbarewizc family who came to the US in late 1884. I > know when they got here and how. I also know what part of Prussia (West > Prussia) they came from, Grudziadz. Is there anyone else who is researching or comes from that area of Prussia or Poland? Also does anyone know if that > last name comes up under any other family name or spelling? > > Sam

Poznan Project Creator, Oct. 2008 On October 18-19 in Troy, Michigan, Lukasz Bielecki, the creator of the Poznan Project, will present four lectures at the Seminar of the Polish Genealogical Society of Michigan. One of the lectures will cover exclusively the Poznan Project. Please refer here for more details: http://www.pgsm.org/index_041.htm

Piecing Together Our Past: 2008 Abrams Genealogy Seminar (Lansing, MI) Friday, July 25-Saturday, July 26 Library of Michigan The Abrams Genealogy Seminar will be Friday, July 25 and Saturday, July 26. The event will feature renowned genealogist Dr. George K. Schweitzer as the keynote speaker. His appearance is co-sponsored by the Ingham County Genealogical Society. For more information, please look at the schedule and registration form. http://www.michigan.gov/hal/0,1607,7-160-17447_18625_18627-137799--,00.html a.. For both beginning and experienced researchers. a.. Mix and match programs from two seminar tracks: a.. Resources available in the Abrams Foundation Historical Collection at the Library of Michigan. b.. Genealogical and historical collections at selected libraries and archives from across the state. a.. All sessions at the Library of Michigan in downtown Lansing.

I am researching the Barbarewizc family who came to the US in late 1884. I know when they got here and how. I also know what part of Prussia (West Prussia) they came from, Grudziadz. Is there anyone else who is researching or comes from that area of Prussia or Poland? Also does anyone know if that last name comes up under any other family name or spelling? Sam **************Get the scoop on last night's hottest shows and the live music scene in your area - Check out TourTracker.com! (http://www.tourtracker.com?NCID=aolmus00050000000112)

It is my understanding that the filming is NOT done at the village level, but, to get the most bang for the buck, at established archives, usually state archives, or in some cases, church diocesan archvies. If they find a private archive that contains materials they feel are useful to their acquisitions, they might also film there. It isn't that they sneak into a village, and get out quick. It takes time to film any amount of records, and they train archive personnel to use the equipment they provide to film or image the records.They also pay a 'royalty' per page filmed. I do know that if asked of someone in acquisitions, one can find out if 1) a particular town/village records have been filmed 2) they are filming in a particular archive. What they may choose to not disclose is what archives they are negotiating with at a particular time. Anettka *********************** > The staff at my local Family History Center told me the Mormon > microfilming teams do not announce when they are arriving into a > village - they only publicize their work AFTER the microfilming is > completed. This is to fly under the radar from those who oppose their > mission to microfilm church records. **************Get the scoop on last night's hottest shows and the live music scene in your area - Check out TourTracker.com! (http://www.tourtracker.com?NCID=aolmus00050000000112)

I was thinking about this issue the other day, and it occurred to me that maybe the Roman Catholic Church sees genealogy researchers as stickybeaks, that we are looking through our ancestry for gossip and scandal when we should really be minding our own business... Elyssa Alan wrote: > Message: 2 > Date: Fri, 04 Jul 2008 07:17:46 -0600 > From: Alan Kania <alankania@mac.com> > Subject: [POLAND] Church records vs. family historians (revisited) > To: poland-roots@rootsweb.com > > > I can understand why some priests believe that they are supposed to be > the only people who protect the parish records. And I understand that > there have been allegations that unscrupulous "researchers" may have > cut out pages of church records. And I understand that parish priests > may be inundated with requests from all over the world. However, I > don't understand why the church doesn't do at least one of two > possible solutions: > > 1. There are laypeople who serve in various capacities within the > church. As you've mentioned, many family historians are willing to pay > buckets of money for online services, professional researchers, or > their own time and travel expense to do first-hand research. With the > high rate of unemployment (especially in rural villages), wouldn't it > be helpful for churches to provide an opportunity for some of their > trusted yet unemployed members of the church to work with researchers > for a fee? It would bring a little revenue to the operations of the > church and provide a stipend to the unemployed parish member. The > initial funds could even go to making full-sized reproductions of the > records so the actual church records would not be disturbed from their > dusty shelves. > > 2. I understand the philosophical differences between the Roman > Catholic Church and the Church of Latter Day Saints; therefore the > churches disagree on issues of microfilming the records. We also > understand that these important church records are deteriorating badly > while being improperly (from an archival perspective) stored in parish > offices. It's clear that several commercial services are successful > with their paid online services that make a variety of official > documents available (for a fee) to family historians. The benefits > are clear -- the important church records will be digitally preserved. > The parish priests are freed from answering requests from around the > world. Unemployed parishioners can be recruited to help with the > microfilming. The Roman Catholic church can get into an > entrepreneurial program that provides family historians an opportunity > to establish closer roots to the church through their ancestors, and > earn enough income to underwrite the program. > > To me, this is a no-brainer, but perhaps someone may know of some > reason why the Roman Catholic Church hasn't found a solution to the > issue of church records and genealogy. Other churches seem to have > reached some kind of solution to this situation. > > -- Alan

It will be up to each bishop or parish priest to refuse permission for copying of records by the LDS. The LDS in Salt Lake City will never receive a letter and has issued a "no comment" when asked about the directive to conferences of bishops. It is up to the conferences of bishops to notify their bishops who would then notify their parish priests of the directive. So, if the priest has not yet received the directive from his bishop, or the bishop has not received the directive from his conference of bishops, he may indeed allow the microfilming. Mary Alan J. Kania wrote: > I spoke with the crew at my local Family History Center and they told > me that the story of the directive to stop microfilming is "bogus" -- > the words of the staff at the local FHC library. They told me they > checked with Salt Lake City and they they were told the church has not > stopped microfilming in Roman Catholic Churches, especially in Eastern > Europe. Allegedly the folks in Salt Lake City have yet to receive an > actual letter from the Vatican telling them to cease any further > microfilming. > > The staff at my local Family History Center told me the Mormon > microfilming teams do not announce when they are arriving into a > village - they only publicize their work AFTER the microfilming is > completed. This is to fly under the radar from those who oppose their > mission to microfilm church records. > > I apologize for sharing third-hand information, but perhaps someone > from the Church of Latter Day Saints can provide more official > information about the situation. > > -- Alan > > > On Jul 10, 2008, at 10:15 AM, Mary Snow wrote: > > >> I cannot find the entire Vatican directive on the internet; perhaps >> someone has found it. This is the original story that appeared in >> Catholic News Service: >> >> http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0802443.htm >> >> Excerpt: >> "In an effort to block posthumous rebaptisms by the Church of Jesus >> Christ of Latter-day Saints, Catholic dioceses throughout the world >> have >> been directed by the Vatican not to give information in parish >> registers >> to the Mormons' Genealogical Society of Utah. >> >> An April 5 letter from the Vatican Congregation for Clergy, obtained >> by >> Catholic News Service in late April, asks episcopal conferences to >> direct all bishops to keep the Latter-day Saints from microfilming and >> digitizing information contained in those registers. >> >> The order came in light of "grave reservations" expressed in a Jan. 29 >> letter from the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, >> the >> clergy congregation's letter said. >> >> Father James Massa, executive director of the U.S. bishops' >> Secretariat >> of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, said the step was taken to >> prevent the Latter-day Saints from using records -- such as baptismal >> documentation -- to posthumously baptize by proxy the ancestors of >> church members." >> >> http://catholicism.about.com/b/2008/05/06/baptism-of-the-dead-its-not-for-catholics-anymore.htm >> Excerpt: >> "The About.com Guide to Genealogy, Kimberly Powell, has news of a very >> important directive issued by the Vatican Congregation for the >> Clergy on >> April 5, 2008. As the Catholic News Service reported, the Congregation >> for the Clergy has directed all Catholic dioceses "not to give >> information in parish registers to the Mormons' Genealogical Society >> of >> Utah." >> >> The reason is that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, >> commonly known as the Mormons, engage in a practice of baptizing the >> dead. Any Mormon in good standing may stand in as a proxy for a dead >> relative, engaging in baptism on his or her behalf. Mormons believe >> that >> such posthumous baptisms allow those who did not have the >> opportunity to >> be exposed to the Mormon gospel while alive to accept or reject that >> gospel." >> >> History of the re-baptism issue: >> http://www.jewishgen.org/InfoFiles/ldsagree.html >> Excerpt: >> >> May 8, 2008 >> Reuters Blogs >> Catholic-Mormon tension over LDS baptism of the dead (excerpts) >> Posted by: Tom Heneghan >> >> The issue of Mormon proxy baptisms has resurfaced with the news that >> the >> Vatican has written to Catholic dioceses around the world telling them >> not to provide parish records to the Genealogical Society of Utah. As >> the Catholic News Service reported last week, the letter calls proxy >> baptism using these records “detrimental” and says the Vatican did not >> want Catholic parishes “to cooperate with the erroneous practices of >> the >> Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints”. Mormons use genealogical >> data to find names of people to baptise posthumously, a practice the >> Roman Catholic Church rejects on theological grounds. >> >> This is not just an issue for Catholics, Jews asked similar >> questions in >> the 1990s, after finding Holocaust victims on the IGI. After strong >> Jewish protests, the Church agreed in 1995 to stop proxy baptising >> them, >> a step that seemed to indicate some recognition of a problem. However, >> names of Jews have continued to appear over the years, including >> that of >> Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal in 2006. According to Helen Radkey, a >> researcher who specialises on the IGI, “In 2008, the Church is still >> posthumously baptising Jewish Holocaust victims, against the terms of >> the agreement it signed with Jewish groups on May 3, 1995.” >> >> Mary >> Speculation is often an obstacle to fact finding >> >> Elyssa Kowalinski wrote: >> >>> I was thinking about this issue the other day, and it occurred to >>> me that maybe the Roman Catholic Church sees genealogy researchers >>> as stickybeaks, that we are looking through our ancestry for gossip >>> and scandal when we should really be minding our own business... >>> >>> Elyssa >>> >>> >

Fred, I have your book on Polish surnames and have been looking for your book on Polish given names. I tried Amazon, Borders and Barnes and Noble with no success. Now you've given me the link to order that book and probably will order the maps packet and possibly others. Thank you for all the help you have given me. It is truly appreciated! Jane ----- Original Message ----- From: "Fred Hoffman" <wmfhoffman@sbcglobal.net> To: <poland-roots@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, July 09, 2008 9:15 AM Subject: Re: [POLAND] Help with Grandmother's Town > Hi, > > Jane <jania1938@wowway.com> wrote: > >> Plus Fred, I don't have your e-mail address, but >> are you the author of the >> book on Polish surnames? > > Yes, that's me, Fred Hoffman, or officially, > William F. Hoffman. If you're curious about the > books I've written and cowritten, and the > publications I edit, you can read all the glorious > details here: > > http://www.fredhoff.com/publications.htm > > You can usually contact me at wfh@langline.com. Or > check this page on my Web site: > > http://www.fredhoff.com/contact.htm > > I have several e-mail addresses, and occasionally > I experience problems with one or another, due to > circumstances beyond my control. I try to make > sure the address given on that Web page is always > the most reliable one to use at any given moment. > > I'm really not posting this in an effort to get > attention for myself or my Web site. One of the > main reasons I set it up was so that people who > had questions like yours could find the answers > fairly easily. Make sure you've got the right Fred > Hoffman, however. When I set up my Web site, I > couldn't use www.fredhoffman.com because that > domain was already spoken for -- by a physical > fitness expert. He may bear the same name as I, > but it's hard to imagine two more different > people!! > > Fred Hoffman > > ********************************* > Need to contact the list manager? Write to Marie at > Poland-Roots-admin@rootsweb.com > ---------------------------------- > Discussion of Polish food, culture, and customs are welcome on the list as > long as the discussion stays pertinent to the topic of this list: > researching our Polish roots. > ---------------------------------- > Browse the list's archives here: > http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index?list=poland-roots > Search the list's archives here: > http://archiver.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/search?aop=1 > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > POLAND-ROOTS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

I spoke with the crew at my local Family History Center and they told me that the story of the directive to stop microfilming is "bogus" -- the words of the staff at the local FHC library. They told me they checked with Salt Lake City and they they were told the church has not stopped microfilming in Roman Catholic Churches, especially in Eastern Europe. Allegedly the folks in Salt Lake City have yet to receive an actual letter from the Vatican telling them to cease any further microfilming. The staff at my local Family History Center told me the Mormon microfilming teams do not announce when they are arriving into a village - they only publicize their work AFTER the microfilming is completed. This is to fly under the radar from those who oppose their mission to microfilm church records. I apologize for sharing third-hand information, but perhaps someone from the Church of Latter Day Saints can provide more official information about the situation. -- Alan On Jul 10, 2008, at 10:15 AM, Mary Snow wrote: > I cannot find the entire Vatican directive on the internet; perhaps > someone has found it. This is the original story that appeared in > Catholic News Service: > > http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0802443.htm > > Excerpt: > "In an effort to block posthumous rebaptisms by the Church of Jesus > Christ of Latter-day Saints, Catholic dioceses throughout the world > have > been directed by the Vatican not to give information in parish > registers > to the Mormons' Genealogical Society of Utah. > > An April 5 letter from the Vatican Congregation for Clergy, obtained > by > Catholic News Service in late April, asks episcopal conferences to > direct all bishops to keep the Latter-day Saints from microfilming and > digitizing information contained in those registers. > > The order came in light of "grave reservations" expressed in a Jan. 29 > letter from the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, > the > clergy congregation's letter said. > > Father James Massa, executive director of the U.S. bishops' > Secretariat > of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, said the step was taken to > prevent the Latter-day Saints from using records -- such as baptismal > documentation -- to posthumously baptize by proxy the ancestors of > church members." > > http://catholicism.about.com/b/2008/05/06/baptism-of-the-dead-its-not-for-catholics-anymore.htm > Excerpt: > "The About.com Guide to Genealogy, Kimberly Powell, has news of a very > important directive issued by the Vatican Congregation for the > Clergy on > April 5, 2008. As the Catholic News Service reported, the Congregation > for the Clergy has directed all Catholic dioceses "not to give > information in parish registers to the Mormons' Genealogical Society > of > Utah." > > The reason is that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, > commonly known as the Mormons, engage in a practice of baptizing the > dead. Any Mormon in good standing may stand in as a proxy for a dead > relative, engaging in baptism on his or her behalf. Mormons believe > that > such posthumous baptisms allow those who did not have the > opportunity to > be exposed to the Mormon gospel while alive to accept or reject that > gospel." > > History of the re-baptism issue: > http://www.jewishgen.org/InfoFiles/ldsagree.html > Excerpt: > > May 8, 2008 > Reuters Blogs > Catholic-Mormon tension over LDS baptism of the dead (excerpts) > Posted by: Tom Heneghan > > The issue of Mormon proxy baptisms has resurfaced with the news that > the > Vatican has written to Catholic dioceses around the world telling them > not to provide parish records to the Genealogical Society of Utah. As > the Catholic News Service reported last week, the letter calls proxy > baptism using these records “detrimental” and says the Vatican did not > want Catholic parishes “to cooperate with the erroneous practices of > the > Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints”. Mormons use genealogical > data to find names of people to baptise posthumously, a practice the > Roman Catholic Church rejects on theological grounds. > > This is not just an issue for Catholics, Jews asked similar > questions in > the 1990s, after finding Holocaust victims on the IGI. After strong > Jewish protests, the Church agreed in 1995 to stop proxy baptising > them, > a step that seemed to indicate some recognition of a problem. However, > names of Jews have continued to appear over the years, including > that of > Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal in 2006. According to Helen Radkey, a > researcher who specialises on the IGI, “In 2008, the Church is still > posthumously baptising Jewish Holocaust victims, against the terms of > the agreement it signed with Jewish groups on May 3, 1995.” > > Mary > Speculation is often an obstacle to fact finding > > Elyssa Kowalinski wrote: >> I was thinking about this issue the other day, and it occurred to >> me that maybe the Roman Catholic Church sees genealogy researchers >> as stickybeaks, that we are looking through our ancestry for gossip >> and scandal when we should really be minding our own business... >> >> Elyssa >> >> >> > ********************************* > Need to contact the list manager? Write to Marie at Poland-Roots-admin@rootsweb.com > ---------------------------------- > Discussion of Polish food, culture, and customs are welcome on the > list as long as the discussion stays pertinent to the topic of this > list: researching our Polish roots. > ---------------------------------- > Browse the list's archives here: > http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index?list=poland-roots > Search the list's archives here: > http://archiver.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/search?aop=1 > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to POLAND-ROOTS-request@rootsweb.com > with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and > the body of the message

I cannot find the entire Vatican directive on the internet; perhaps someone has found it. This is the original story that appeared in Catholic News Service: http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0802443.htm Excerpt: "In an effort to block posthumous rebaptisms by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Catholic dioceses throughout the world have been directed by the Vatican not to give information in parish registers to the Mormons' Genealogical Society of Utah. An April 5 letter from the Vatican Congregation for Clergy, obtained by Catholic News Service in late April, asks episcopal conferences to direct all bishops to keep the Latter-day Saints from microfilming and digitizing information contained in those registers. The order came in light of "grave reservations" expressed in a Jan. 29 letter from the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the clergy congregation's letter said. Father James Massa, executive director of the U.S. bishops' Secretariat of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, said the step was taken to prevent the Latter-day Saints from using records -- such as baptismal documentation -- to posthumously baptize by proxy the ancestors of church members." http://catholicism.about.com/b/2008/05/06/baptism-of-the-dead-its-not-for-catholics-anymore.htm Excerpt: "The About.com Guide to Genealogy, Kimberly Powell, has news of a very important directive issued by the Vatican Congregation for the Clergy on April 5, 2008. As the Catholic News Service reported, the Congregation for the Clergy has directed all Catholic dioceses "not to give information in parish registers to the Mormons' Genealogical Society of Utah." The reason is that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the Mormons, engage in a practice of baptizing the dead. Any Mormon in good standing may stand in as a proxy for a dead relative, engaging in baptism on his or her behalf. Mormons believe that such posthumous baptisms allow those who did not have the opportunity to be exposed to the Mormon gospel while alive to accept or reject that gospel." History of the re-baptism issue: http://www.jewishgen.org/InfoFiles/ldsagree.html Excerpt: May 8, 2008 Reuters Blogs Catholic-Mormon tension over LDS baptism of the dead (excerpts) Posted by: Tom Heneghan The issue of Mormon proxy baptisms has resurfaced with the news that the Vatican has written to Catholic dioceses around the world telling them not to provide parish records to the Genealogical Society of Utah. As the Catholic News Service reported last week, the letter calls proxy baptism using these records “detrimental” and says the Vatican did not want Catholic parishes “to cooperate with the erroneous practices of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints”. Mormons use genealogical data to find names of people to baptise posthumously, a practice the Roman Catholic Church rejects on theological grounds. This is not just an issue for Catholics, Jews asked similar questions in the 1990s, after finding Holocaust victims on the IGI. After strong Jewish protests, the Church agreed in 1995 to stop proxy baptising them, a step that seemed to indicate some recognition of a problem. However, names of Jews have continued to appear over the years, including that of Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal in 2006. According to Helen Radkey, a researcher who specialises on the IGI, “In 2008, the Church is still posthumously baptising Jewish Holocaust victims, against the terms of the agreement it signed with Jewish groups on May 3, 1995.” Mary Speculation is often an obstacle to fact finding Elyssa Kowalinski wrote: > I was thinking about this issue the other day, and it occurred to me that maybe the Roman Catholic Church sees genealogy researchers as stickybeaks, that we are looking through our ancestry for gossip and scandal when we should really be minding our own business... > > Elyssa > > >