Hello Penny, Have you tried looking at records under content on http://www.lvva-raduraksti.lv/en.html? You will need to register for a free account. I found an Alien File for Valeria Gajtkowski on www.archives.gov. She was born on 12/08/1883 in Poland. Maybe you could e-mail Elizabeth.Burnes at nara.gov. She could look at the file and tell you where she was born. Maybe she is a cousin. Valeria's file info is A5840082/085-09-0706/Box 3. You would need to know some details on Valentine to find him in Russian archives- birthdate, birthplace, parents name and place of service. Russian military archives is annoying. I had all that information, plus an address, for my grandfather's service in WWII and I still couldn't get information. Vera > Date: Thu, 24 May 2012 17:51:45 -0700 > From: penny.ruckle@yahoo.com > To: poland-roots@rootsweb.com > Subject: [POLAND] Can the Group Help? > > I am still searching for my elusive Grandfather Franz Gajtkowski. I have found everything I can about him here in Philadelphia, PA, USA. He is listed as being from Prussia or Prussia/Poland on every document I find for him in the USA. However, I cannot find him in Poland and I have spent a lot of time and money searching. > > 1. At this point I am concentrating on areas of Poland that would butt against Russia. Is there a possibility that he lived so close to > Russia that the family church was in Russia and not Poland? > > 2. My mother told me that Franz had a brother Valentine who was conscripted in the Russian Army. How do I go about looking for > records or is looking for the town Franz was born in first, the way to go? I know nothing else about Valentine. That was the only time I ever heard about him. I don't know if he survived his time in the Russian army or died while in the army. > > 3. I also think that my grandfather was living on manorial lands. Reason: My mother said that the male children in Poland who lived > on the Pon's (spelling?) land, were taught to read and write and were taught a trade. Franz could read and write Polish and was a > blacksmith by trade. > > I am planning on going to our main library in Philadelphia to meet with a man I have gotten to know well. He works in the Map Department and has helped me many times in locating areas that have changed countries, names, etc. I am going to ask him the same questions and try to find maps for 1861 (the year my grandfather was born, and prior maps. My thoughts are that I may find some town that have now been searched. > > I also mention that in addition to Polish, my grandfather spoke German and I am assuming that is because he was raised in Prussia and not "Poland." (We all know it was Poland with a fake name!) > > Any help that anyone can give would be appreciated. I am most anxious to learn how to access manorial records. > > Thank you. > ********************************* > 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