Hello Listers: I have been investigating my Chrapkowski family. My Great-Great Grandparents lived in Slesin and Samsieczno Bydgoszcz, Poznan. Grandfather Franciszek lived in Slesin while Grandmother Katarzyna Borzych lived a little bit north in Samsieczno. After the couple were married in Samsieczno (The fact that they were married in Samsieczno leads me to believe that Grandma Borzych Chrapkowski lived there prior to their marriage) they took up residence there and had their first three children. There are two villages between Slesin and Samsieczno lying along a vertical line south from Slesin, north to Samsieczno; they are: Kazim and Michalin (I believe I have the spelling correct). All four villages house a number of Chrapkowski and Borzych surnamed folks. I was hunting for my Great Grandmother Marianna Chrapkowski and I expected to find her birth place in one of these four villages. However, I found her born in Elzbietowo. Now, the four previously named villages are a bit west of Bydgoszcz while Elzbietowo is quite a bit south and east of Bydgoszcz; almost due south of Torun “on the road” to Warsaw. I then found that Marianna’s brother Stanislaus and sister Francisca were also born in Elzbietowo. Why the family would have moved to this town is a mystery to me. This move was made about seven years before the family moved to America. But, I ran into a problem. There are two Elzbietowo villages. The other is directly north of Slesin all the up to the top of Poland and just a short distance west of Gdansk and Gdynia. So, in which Elzbietowo was Grandma born? I found Marianna’s record on the same film as the records of all the folks from Slesin, Bydgoszcz. My question: Would I be correct in assuming that the Elzbietowo mentioned in the Slesin record would be the village south and east of Bydgoszcz as opposed to the town up north which lies to the west of Gdansk? John

John, Not knowing the dates when Franciszek and Katarzyna's children were born sort of puts us at a disadvantage. Are you saying that Franciszek Chrapkowski and Katarzyna Borzych married in Samsieczno, had three children there and then moved to Elz~bietowo where they had at least three more children including your grandmother Marianna Chrapkowska? Many families who did not own land traveled from village to village sort of following the crops. This could have been the situation with your ancestors. The records you were looking at should have been parish records. Which parish? That will help you decide in which Elz~bietowo Marianna and her two siblings was born. Debbie John Ruther wrote: > Hello Listers: > > I have been investigating my Chrapkowski family. My Great-Great Grandparents lived in Slesin and Samsieczno Bydgoszcz, Poznan. Grandfather Franciszek lived in Slesin while Grandmother Katarzyna Borzych lived a little bit north in Samsieczno. > > After the couple were married in Samsieczno (The fact that they were married in Samsieczno leads me to believe that Grandma Borzych Chrapkowski lived there prior to their marriage) they took up residence there and had their first three children. > > There are two villages between Slesin and Samsieczno lying along a vertical line south from Slesin, north to Samsieczno; they are: Kazim and Michalin (I believe I have the spelling correct). All four villages house a number of Chrapkowski and Borzych surnamed folks. > > I was hunting for my Great Grandmother Marianna Chrapkowski and I expected to find her birth place in one of these four villages. However, I found her born in Elzbietowo. > > Now, the four previously named villages are a bit west of Bydgoszcz while Elzbietowo is quite a bit south and east of Bydgoszcz; almost due south of Torun “on the road” to Warsaw. > > I then found that Marianna’s brother Stanislaus and sister Francisca were also born in Elzbietowo. Why the family would have moved to this town is a mystery to me. This move was made about seven years before the family moved to America. > > But, I ran into a problem. There are two Elzbietowo villages. > The other is directly north of Slesin all the up to the top of Poland and just a short distance west of Gdansk and Gdynia. So, in which Elzbietowo was Grandma born? > > I found Marianna’s record on the same film as the records of all the folks from Slesin, Bydgoszcz. > > My question: Would I be correct in assuming that the Elzbietowo mentioned in the Slesin record would be the village south and east of Bydgoszcz as opposed to the town up north which lies to the west of Gdansk? > > John