Sounds like you are eligible for the DAR. I know how frustrating it is to hit that brick wall. Like you I have some really great information but it is those dead ends that are so hard to get around. For instance, I have a great uncle who was hospitalized at a state hospital in New York. I have the family "story" about him, I have his various addresses over the years, I have letters he wrote while in the institution, I have his social security number, I have his immigration records, and I have him and his family in 1900 - l940 census records, I even have had contact with a distant cousin whose family the great uncle lived with for a time. It all stops there. I've written to the records department of the state hospital without results. I may have to quite butting my head against that brick wall, but . . . I may have missed it, but it seems that you do not have specific information as to where in West Prussia your family comes from so you have two problems: an exact location in Poland, and the variability of the surname. Two things come to mind: 1)Have you tried National Archives online? 2)How about a certified genealogist in Poland? I have obtained a good bit of Polish information through a genealogist located in Torun near Warsaw. Most of my family came from either Galicia or Bialystok neither close to where the genealogist is located, but it beats beating my head against a wall I cannot knock down. And I have a good translator who doesn't charge an arm and a leg. Where are you located in Chicago? I live in Evanston. If you'd like, I'll send you my phone number. Like you, I am the only one in the family who has any interest in geneology. They are interested in the results but not in the process. I look forward to hearing from you. Dorothy Hi Dorothy, I have a membership to Ancestry.com, I don't have the international subscription though. I have worked on my fathers line for about 20 years, fortunately his family line has been here in the states since 1636, I have had little difficulty tracing his line. There were some slight name changes over the years but DNA has settled what part of the clan we descend from. Ellis Island will be of no help to me. My family arrived here in 1882 at that time Ellis Island was being used as an Ammunition storage facility. Ellis Island didn't start receiving immigrants until 1890. I have census records for the family starting in 1900 thru my subscription with Ancestry.com. I was able to online locate newspaper obits for many of my great grandparents immediate family. I however didn't find the obit for Frank my great grandfather. I was able to obtain a copy of these obits thru the local libraries in Wis. where my family members lived. I even have a funeral card for my great grandmother in which a family member saved all these years. I have located on line a record for my great grandparents marriage license but haven't been able to send off for a copy yet. It sounds like I have a lot to go on but as I have stated not knowing the actual spelling has caused serious brick walls. I do have an LDS site about 20 minutes from here but haven't used it in probably 20 years. Unless I can find clues on line I am unable to move forward. What I mean by that is I work for a school dist. and my hours don't allow me to visit the center while they are open. I do have time off in the summer but am unable to get in during that time as that's when everyone else flocks to the center. You have mentioned a couple of sites I haven't tried. I will look into them. Thank you for your suggestions and hopefully I will find a clue, no matter how small a clue is a clue that can only prove or disprove a hunch as very helpful. Thank you, Roberta Hall ----- Original Message ----- From: "D Petraitis" <dorothykp@comcast.net> To: <polandbordersurnames@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, March 15, 2010 3:27 PM Subject: Re: [PBS] trying to figure out who my polish family was > Roberta, > > It seems you have much information that could lead to further > discoveries. Have you tried Familysearch.org? That is the site of > the Latter Day Saints. Try their International Geanealogical Index. > > Since you have the month, year and port of immigration, google Ellis > Island and try a stearch. Search PGSA.org. Lots of information > there. Join Polish Genealogical Society of America, attend > conferences. They have lots of worhtwhile books listed at their site. > > Your library may have a subscription to Ancestry.com (limited edition) > which you can search from your home computer if you have a library > card. Join a couple of genealogy lists (can be found on rootsweb.com, > search Polish, Poland, Surnames). Ancestry is a good place to search > for census records. > > You have a wonderful start with your current information. What is > the source of your current information? It sounds like starting at > Ellis Island would give you lots more information if you can find > Arrival and Departure Documents. > > Google your closest Mormon Family History Library (LDS). There are > several in the Metro Chicago area. > > Happpy Hunting, > Dorothy > On Mar 15, 2010, at 11:17 AM, roberta hall wrote: > > Hi my name is Roberta Hall. I am a 5th generation Polish American. I > have no Polish heritage left as my family has fully integrated the > American way of life. Only Polish I have left is in my blood, only > wish I knew how to speak the language. > > My ancestor's arrived in the States via the Port of New York in > December of 1882. Their names have been Americanized and based on > documents I have found not one person spelled it the same way. > This is want I have: > 1) My great great grandparents: Joseph Schemenkowski and Mary > Wisnovsky/Wisnewski. > > 1900 W. Kewaunee, Kewaunee Co., Wis. USA > Household # 252 > Scimenkufsky, Joseph b. Dec. 1838 in Polish, Rus. (possibly Brevier?) > Mary (wife) b. Jan. 1847 in Polish, Ger. > Anna (dau.) b. Jun. 1878 in Polish, Ger. > Frank (son) b. Oct. 1879 in Polish, Ger. > Daniel (son) b. Dec. 1883 in Wis., USA > > 2) Frank my great grandfather's marriage license is spelled Franz, > Sieniskowski. He married in Wisconsin in 1901. > > 3) Frank believed he was a citizen of the U.S. based on the papers his > father showed him. I don't have a copy of those papers but Frank was 3 > at the time the family emigrated to the States. As it turned out > Frank was not naturalized at the time of emigration so in 1913 he > filed papers to naturalize. On those papers Frank spells his name > Shenenkowfski. He states he was born in West Prussia, Germany and that > he emigrated thru Bremen in November of 1882 arriving in New York in > December of that same year. He doesn't know the name of the ship. > > 4) Generations of the family follow the Catholic religion. > buried at St. Hedwig Catholic Cemetery > Schemenkowski, Joseph, wife Mary, son Frank his wife Eva, > grand son Louis his wife Sophie, and great grand children Louis and > Regina. Along with son John Wisnicky. > buried in another Catholic cemetery is another of Joseph and > Mary's son's Daniel Sheninkosky. > > The correct spelling of the name is an obvious issue and has made my > search difficult. I have no experience researching in Polish archives > and language would be a problem and I can't read or speak it. > > Can anyone help me, I would really appreciate it. My grandmother has > since passed but she had 8 children resulting in 27 grand children. I > am the only one in the family who is attempting to find our roots. I > have many cousins waiting to see what I can learn. > > Thank you to anyone who can help, > Roberta Hall > Chicago, Ill. > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > POLANDBORDERSURNAMES-request@rootsweb.com > with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and > the body of the message > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > POLANDBORDERSURNAMES-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' > without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to POLANDBORDERSURNAMES-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Yeah, that is the problem I'm trying to solve. I don't know where in Poland they came from. I posted a query on a Polish message board and I was given this information about the name Siemionkowski (I have a 2nd cousin who told me this is the Polish spelling but I have not seen the headstones so I don't know this for sure). Any way the respondent to my query wrote to say that the Polish letter "a" had a tail on it and that the spelling could be Siemiathowski. He then directed me to a website for Polish surnames where he typed in the name Siemiatkowski, on this map it has 10 location where in Poland this name is found. The largest concentration is in 2 towns: Szcytno (15 people) and Makow Mazowiecki (14 people). I don't known if this is the right place to look as I can't verify the spelling. Also I don't know if these town are current day names. I need to find the town names as of 1882. I live in a small usually quiet town called Darien. I was born and raised here. Darien has been in the news lately, the 3 family members shot by a friend of the daughters x-boy friend. My daughter graduated with the girl who hid in the closet and is the mother of the child of the now arrested father. What is your family name that you are looking for? Roberta ----- Original Message ----- From: "D Petraitis" <dorothykp@comcast.net> To: <polandbordersurnames@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, March 15, 2010 4:48 PM Subject: Re: [PBS] trying to figure out who my polish family was > Sounds like you are eligible for the DAR. > > I know how frustrating it is to hit that brick wall. Like you I have > some really great information but it is those dead ends that are so > hard to get around. For instance, I have a great uncle who was > hospitalized at a state hospital in New York. I have the family > "story" about him, I have his various addresses over the years, I > have letters he wrote while in the institution, I have his social > security number, I have his immigration records, and I have him and > his family in 1900 - l940 census records, I even have had contact with > a distant cousin whose family the great uncle lived with for a time. > It all stops there. I've written to the records department of the > state hospital without results. I may have to quite butting my head > against that brick wall, but . . . > > I may have missed it, but it seems that you do not have specific > information as to where in West Prussia your family comes from so you > have two problems: an exact location in Poland, and the variability > of the surname. Two things come to mind: 1)Have you tried National > Archives online? 2)How about a certified genealogist in Poland? > > I have obtained a good bit of Polish information through a genealogist > located in Torun near Warsaw. Most of my family came from either > Galicia or Bialystok neither close to where the genealogist is > located, but it beats beating my head against a wall I cannot knock > down. And I have a good translator who doesn't charge an arm and a leg. > > Where are you located in Chicago? I live in Evanston. If you'd like, > I'll send you my phone number. Like you, I am the only one in the > family who has any interest in geneology. They are interested in the > results but not in the process. > > I look forward to hearing from you. > > Dorothy > > Hi Dorothy, > I have a membership to Ancestry.com, I don't have the international > subscription though. I have worked on my fathers line for about 20 > years, > fortunately his family line has been here in the states since 1636, I > have > had little difficulty tracing his line. There were some slight name > changes > over the years but DNA has settled what part of the clan we descend > from. > > Ellis Island will be of no help to me. My family arrived here in 1882 at > that time Ellis Island was being used as an Ammunition storage facility. > Ellis Island didn't start receiving immigrants until 1890. > > I have census records for the family starting in 1900 thru my > subscription > with Ancestry.com. I was able to online locate newspaper obits for > many of > my great grandparents immediate family. I however didn't find the obit > for > Frank my great grandfather. I was able to obtain a copy of these obits > thru > the local libraries in Wis. where my family members lived. I even have a > funeral card for > my great grandmother in which a family member saved all these years. I > have > located on line a record for my great grandparents marriage license but > haven't been able to send off for a copy yet. > > It sounds like I have a lot to go on but as I have stated not knowing > the > actual spelling has caused serious brick walls. I do have an LDS site > about > 20 minutes from here but haven't used it in probably 20 years. Unless > I can > find clues on line I am unable to move forward. What I mean by that is I > work for a school dist. and my hours don't allow me to visit the center > while they are open. I do have time off in the summer but am unable to > get > in during that time as that's when everyone else flocks to the center. > > You have mentioned a couple of sites I haven't tried. I will look into > them. > Thank you for your suggestions and hopefully I will find a clue, no > matter > how small a clue is a clue that can only prove or disprove a hunch as > very > helpful. > > Thank you, > Roberta Hall > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "D Petraitis" <dorothykp@comcast.net> > To: <polandbordersurnames@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Monday, March 15, 2010 3:27 PM > Subject: Re: [PBS] trying to figure out who my polish family was > > >> Roberta, >> >> It seems you have much information that could lead to further >> discoveries. Have you tried Familysearch.org? That is the site of >> the Latter Day Saints. Try their International Geanealogical Index. >> >> Since you have the month, year and port of immigration, google Ellis >> Island and try a stearch. Search PGSA.org. Lots of information >> there. Join Polish Genealogical Society of America, attend >> conferences. They have lots of worhtwhile books listed at their site. >> >> Your library may have a subscription to Ancestry.com (limited edition) >> which you can search from your home computer if you have a library >> card. Join a couple of genealogy lists (can be found on rootsweb.com, >> search Polish, Poland, Surnames). Ancestry is a good place to search >> for census records. >> >> You have a wonderful start with your current information. What is >> the source of your current information? It sounds like starting at >> Ellis Island would give you lots more information if you can find >> Arrival and Departure Documents. >> >> Google your closest Mormon Family History Library (LDS). There are >> several in the Metro Chicago area. >> >> Happpy Hunting, >> Dorothy >> On Mar 15, 2010, at 11:17 AM, roberta hall wrote: >> >> Hi my name is Roberta Hall. I am a 5th generation Polish American. I >> have no Polish heritage left as my family has fully integrated the >> American way of life. Only Polish I have left is in my blood, only >> wish I knew how to speak the language. >> >> My ancestor's arrived in the States via the Port of New York in >> December of 1882. Their names have been Americanized and based on >> documents I have found not one person spelled it the same way. >> This is want I have: >> 1) My great great grandparents: Joseph Schemenkowski and Mary >> Wisnovsky/Wisnewski. >> >> 1900 W. Kewaunee, Kewaunee Co., Wis. USA >> Household # 252 >> Scimenkufsky, Joseph b. Dec. 1838 in Polish, Rus. (possibly Brevier?) >> Mary (wife) b. Jan. 1847 in Polish, Ger. >> Anna (dau.) b. Jun. 1878 in Polish, Ger. >> Frank (son) b. Oct. 1879 in Polish, Ger. >> Daniel (son) b. Dec. 1883 in Wis., USA >> >> 2) Frank my great grandfather's marriage license is spelled Franz, >> Sieniskowski. He married in Wisconsin in 1901. >> >> 3) Frank believed he was a citizen of the U.S. based on the papers his >> father showed him. I don't have a copy of those papers but Frank was 3 >> at the time the family emigrated to the States. As it turned out >> Frank was not naturalized at the time of emigration so in 1913 he >> filed papers to naturalize. On those papers Frank spells his name >> Shenenkowfski. He states he was born in West Prussia, Germany and that >> he emigrated thru Bremen in November of 1882 arriving in New York in >> December of that same year. He doesn't know the name of the ship. >> >> 4) Generations of the family follow the Catholic religion. >> buried at St. Hedwig Catholic Cemetery >> Schemenkowski, Joseph, wife Mary, son Frank his wife Eva, >> grand son Louis his wife Sophie, and great grand children Louis and >> Regina. Along with son John Wisnicky. >> buried in another Catholic cemetery is another of Joseph and >> Mary's son's Daniel Sheninkosky. >> >> The correct spelling of the name is an obvious issue and has made my >> search difficult. I have no experience researching in Polish archives >> and language would be a problem and I can't read or speak it. >> >> Can anyone help me, I would really appreciate it. My grandmother has >> since passed but she had 8 children resulting in 27 grand children. I >> am the only one in the family who is attempting to find our roots. I >> have many cousins waiting to see what I can learn. >> >> Thank you to anyone who can help, >> Roberta Hall >> Chicago, Ill. >> >> >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> POLANDBORDERSURNAMES-request@rootsweb.com >> with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and >> the body of the message >> >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> POLANDBORDERSURNAMES-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' >> without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > POLANDBORDERSURNAMES-request@rootsweb.com > with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and > the body of the message > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > POLANDBORDERSURNAMES-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' > without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message