Hi, Chris Smolinski <csmolinski@blackcatsystems.com> wrote: > As always, an answer leads to more questions! > When Jozef > Truskolaski is described as being from the house > of the Ciszyk > Truskolaskis, and Teresa Makowska from the house > of the Jelita > Makowskis, does that indicate a particular clan > of people of that > surname, or does it pertain to a region? I think Ciszyk was a kind of by-name or secondary name that one branch of the Truskolaskis went by. We run into this all the time -- there came a point when surnames alone no longer distinguished this branch from that branch, or this family with a specific surname from another family by the same surname. It's a little like saying in English, "Oh, are you one of the Hyannisport Kennedys?" "No, we're poor Kennedys from Hoboken." Sometimes the distinguishing by-name was a place name, sometimes it was the nickname a common ancestor went by, and so on. I don't know for sure who or what "Ciszyk" referred to, but it looks to me like a personal name, something like "the quiet guy." My guess is, these Truskolaskis were the ones who descended from a guy named Ciszyk. But with any luck, your research will clarify that. I'm fairly certain the "Jelita Makowskis" means the Makowskis who bore the Jelita coat of arms -- another way of distinguishing one family from another. We often run into compound surnames where one element is the name of a coat of arms, such as Nowina Sokolnicki. It was just one more way of saying, "Oh, I'm taking about these Makowskis, not those Makowskis." The name Jelita, incidentally, means "guts, intestines." Supposedly a guy was fighting in battle, and his belly was slit open so that his guts came pouring out. The King saw him the next day, pushing his guts back into his belly, and the King remarked on the suffering of this valiant soldier, and blah-blah-blah. You can read more about it here: http://www.polishroots.org/herbarz/jelita.htm I welcome further information from anyone who can provide it. But I think what I've said here is more or less correct. Fred Hoffman Author, _Polish Surnames: Origins & Meanings_ www.fredhoff.com

>I think Ciszyk was a kind of by-name or secondary >name that one branch of the Truskolaskis went by. >We run into this all the time -- there came a >point when surnames alone no longer distinguished >this branch from that branch, or this family with >a specific surname from another family by the same >surname. It's a little like saying in English, >"Oh, are you one of the Hyannisport Kennedys?" >"No, we're poor Kennedys from Hoboken." Sometimes >the distinguishing by-name was a place name, >sometimes it was the nickname a common ancestor >went by, and so on. I don't know for sure who or >what "Ciszyk" referred to, but it looks to me >like a personal name, something like "the quiet >guy." My guess is, these Truskolaskis were the >ones who descended from a guy named Ciszyk. But >with any luck, your research will clarify that. This discussion prompted me to look through some notes. In the baptism records of Kobylin Borzymy parish, there is an entry for a son Wojciech Truskolaski, son of Krzysztof and Petronela Zaleska. The person who found the record for me made a note that Krzysztof had what he described as the nickname "Czyzyk". Now I wonder if the notation was a reference to which Truskolaski line he was from. Or maybe it was just a nickname ;-) >I'm fairly certain the "Jelita Makowskis" means >the Makowskis who bore the Jelita coat of arms --  >another way of distinguishing one family from >another. We often run into compound surnames where >one element is the name of a coat of arms, such as >Nowina Sokolnicki. It was just one more way of >saying, "Oh, I'm taking about these Makowskis, not >those Makowskis." > >The name Jelita, incidentally, means "guts, >intestines." Supposedly a guy was fighting in >battle, and his belly was slit open so that his >guts came pouring out. The King saw him the next >day, pushing his guts back into his belly, and the >King remarked on the suffering of this valiant >soldier, and blah-blah-blah. You can read more >about it here: > >http://www.polishroots.org/herbarz/jelita.htm > Very interesting, thanks for the link. -- --- Chris Smolinski Black Cat Systems http://www.blackcatsystems.com