genealodzy.pl

It does in fact.

mlszw

Another researcher Czeslaw Malewski on Lithuania looked at the 1884 record and agreed with you that the 1884 marriage record referred to the Szymkiewicz's as "noble" in background. Also of note he translates the name not as Julia Dowt but rather Julia Dowiat. Just figured I'd run that by you, to see what you think.

Iam always interested to have more than one opinion.

Hugh

Like I wrote previously, the surname is in plural genetive. In this form it stands in the register as "Dowtow". In this case there are absolutely no doubts as to the spelling, for this part of the register is clearly written. The single nominative could be either Dowt or Dowta, and there is no way one can say which one is the right one. Another thing is that all these documents were created based on oral testimonies of the notifying parties. So the priest, if the notifying person was not from his parish and he had no previous knowledge of the background of family, wrote the names, personal and geographical, just like he heard them. You can imagine what happened if the priest was an older person, which happened quite often. Since I know the surname Dowda exists (I knew a person of that surname), it could be that that's the correct spelling. That's all I can say.

mlszw

mlszw,

Again many thanks for your considerable input into my research. I am at a complete loss when it comes to language translating especially Russian. I think I will stick with the potential Belarus connection. I also recall a persons genealogy web page with a mention of her Szymkiewicz ancestors comming from modern day Belarus, though I can't find the web page anymore. So we'll see how this lead shakes out. I am hoping to not have to pay a researcher in Lithuania if I can help it, but if I can't find it on my own I am left with no other choice.

Again many thanks for clearing things up.

Hugh

My pleasure


mlszw

Mlszw,

Does number 1260 on page 59 look like Adam Narkiewicz to you? If so Imight have found the beginings of the family.


Hugh

However disappointing this will be, sorry - it's Markiewicz, not Narkiewicz.

mlszw

darn gotta skim more closely i guess.

Hugh, accidentally, just today, I have come across two death registers of the Michalkiewiczs. Both are from Rakiszki parish dated at the end of the nineteenth century/beginning of the twentieth.

1. Franciszek Michalkiewicz, the son of Jan and Grasylda, year 1899, p. 157/ register no 98:
http://www.epaveldas.lt/vbspi//content/ ... 289661_157

2. Anna Michalkiewicz, the wife Antoni, year 1901, p. 187/ register no 27:
http://www.epaveldas.lt/vbspi//content/ ... 289661_187

Hope that helps.
mlszw

Mlszw,

Thanks for the leads, there were a Jan and Anna and Antoni Michalkiewicz's in the family, though Iam not sure where those branches eventually settled down. Also remember the Mejszagola list from the other day. Could you please look at pg 24 numbers 474 and 478 are those Giedrojc or Narkiewicz family members or is it my misreading of the names?

Hugh

Yes, they are. Both unmarried ladies.

mlszw

Mlszw,
Not to beat a dead horse but a few for names if you could please look at them if you have the time:
pg. 11, number 233 and pg 13 number 326. Thanks also if Imay ask why did so many Kresy Poles from around Wilno end up in the areas around Gdansk?? Thanks again my friend.

Hugh

P. 11 item 233 Felix the son of Bartłomiej Narkiewicz.
p. 13 item 236 Symienon (my comment - strange name) Narkiewicz.

After WWII there was an action of resettlement of the population from the territories annexed by Soviet Union to the territories recovered from the Germans. The population from Lithuania and Byelarus moved mostly to Pomorze. That's why.

mlszw

Another quick question for my friends here. This is kind of a specific topic but here she goes. When I conttacted the archives in Wilno they informed me most registers go back to about 1795 or so, and that they didn't have anything earlier than that. My question is where did the earlier Lithuanian records go, or did they even have them before then? Are they still at the parish itself or the archdiocese archive?

Hugh

Hugh

You should direct this question to experts. I'm one, but in a completely different, unrelated discipline. Consider starting a separate thread on this.

This question intrigues me, too. Here is what I know. Keeping parish registers was obligatory since 1563.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parish_register

So after that year they must have existed in all parishes throughout the Commonwealth. I suppose that in the Grand Duchy many of them were destroyed or lost during the Moscovite invasion of 1654–67:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Pol ... 2%80%9367)

This invasion, the first one in a series, was particularly destructive. For instance, Wilno was burnt to the ground. So you may imagine what happened to the archives.

But the times of the eighteenth century were relatively peaceful. So the archives should survive.

Since some unknown to me point all these registers were made in two copies. One stayed in the parish, and the other one was sent to the diocesan curia proper for the parish. This increased the chances of survival of the archives.

Another major wave of destruction came with the Bolshevik revolution of 1917 and ensuing war of 1919 to 1921.

Still another reason for losses were accidental fires. In olden times most of the rural churches were built of wood. Fires happened frequently.

All in all I think many of them survived and await for discovery in unexpected places.

Greetings
mlszw