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CYCAK is my original surname, which belonged to my Grandfather Michal, who was born in Galicia, Austrian Poland on June 24, 1886. He did farm labour until emigration to North America around 1903. I have not found any birth or baptismal certificate, only his Canadian naturalization card of May 4, 1908. This said he was previously an American citizen. His mother and a brother Andrzej (born 1890) are buried in a cemetery in Walawa. His brother Mikolaj was born there in 1895. His mother"s name was Maria Sambarek (born 1865); his father"s name was Marcin. I am told that there were 175 CYCAKs in Poland in the 1990 survey, and now there are none listed in the Walawa phone directory. This is apparently a rare dialect surname from southeastern Poland. Many CYCAKs emigrated to Pennsylvania, USA from the village of Myczkowce, through New York"s Ellis Island. A handful, like my Grandfather and his brother Mikolaj, made it to Canada. I have not found Grandfather Michal"s immigration or US naturalization records. My Grandfather worked for the Canadian Pacific Railway for 34 years, my Uncle Ed also was a railroad man. My Father became an US Army dentist; his Sister Stella was a nurse. My Grandmother Lena Sliwinska was born in Nowa Huta, near Brody, East Galicia. She came to Winnipeg by rail from Boston, where she arrived on the SS Iverna from Liverpool/Queenstown in June 1907. She was 15 years old then. She was a housewife, a midwife, and did cleaning and laundry for others. Two of my Father"s Cousins played professional sports: hockey - Eddie Slowinski (NY Rangers) and football - Pete Barbolark (Pittsburgh Steelers). Another nephew was drafted by both the NBA and ABA - Bill Drozdiak played professional basketball in Belgium. I am proud of my Polish heritage!

Hi Canada,
It would be sensational rejoining the families CYCAK from the Canada, and the US, as I"ve just replied in last weeks/months on the American genforum to the U.S. family re this surname in Poland, and seems all roots are the same!, here are my two open helps with small corrections, locating almost all in 2007 Poland, including the FHL/Lds microfilms available for you at your nearest public library, moreover, if you want to try to find the family in 2007 Poland you must just contact them.
My first help/message on American genforum:
"I see from this forum that from 2001 you have collected many new info about your family roots from Poland, cordial congratulations!, if may I give you some next help; all routs are going to south-east Poland and beatiful BIESZCZADY part of the country, for your Family Memory Book and for other searchers:
# some images from this Myczkowce:
http://myczkowc.rzeszow.opoka.org.pl/myczkowce.htm
# yes, Myczkowce is one of the most beatiful places in south Poland, now it"s popular place prefered by many tourists, see some next images from this beatiful land Bieszczady:
http://www.ga.com.pl/bieszcza.htm
# and general info about Bieszczady:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bieszczady_Mountains
# church there in 19th-century was Uherce (for RC), now it"s Myczkowce:
http://www.uherce.przemysl.opoka.org.pl/index.html
# Why this Myczkowce as this family nest? Checking Polish phone book white pages with the surname CYCAK we can find only 30 of them in Poland, and most of them from... this MYCZKOWCE (Andrzej Cycak, Augustyn Cycak, Bronislaw Cycak, Tadeusz Cycak, Wiktor Cycak and Wojciech Cycak).
Hope this help a little in your Polish roots search,
Good luck!"
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My second help/message, after further search:
"Dzien Dobry - Good Morning,
I see your next direct message on the genforum, so you deserve to have this next info:
All these family surnames may confirm Polish roots, we can find many information with the names only: first name Michal, Mikolaj (not Nikolaj), and Andrzej are tipical Polish; your family surname CYCAK is very old in Poland, according to Prof. K. Rymut"s invaluable work "Nazwiska Polakow" (The Surnames of Poles), Krakow, t.I, Krakow, Warsaw, 1999, p. 103: Cycak, etymology: from old Polish surname Cyc, derived from Polish "cyc", "piersi", and/or from the local name of the small baby, ..., noted in Poland from 1386!
Now giving you all CYCAKs in 1990 Poland, according to 1990 census:
Nazwisko-Surname Ogolna liczba-Totally Rozmieszczenie-Location:
Cycak 175 BB:2, Ci:1, Go:17, JG:1, Ka:15, Ko:9, Ks:46, Ls:1, Pr:45, Rz:2, Sr:1, Sz:5, To:7, Wr:23
= only 175 adults with the surname CYCAK, and most of them from the Pr: Przemyskie (town Przemysl, SOUTH-EASTERN part of Poland),
Finally let"s check the Polish white pages from this part of Poland with your Cycak"s:
# village WALAWA: none in 2006 Poland
# But checking all white apges CD we found 6! CYCAK in this village MYCZKOWCE:
1. Andrzej! (family tradition?) Cycak & family, Myczkowce, Poland
2. Augustyn Cycak & family, Myczkowce, Poland
3. Bronislaw Cycak & family, Myczkowce, Poland
4. Tadeusz Cycak & family, Myczkowce, Poland
5. Wiktor Cycak & family, Myczkowce, Poland
6. Wojciech Cycak & family, Myczkowce, Poland
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Very interesting results, seems one of your family Cycak"s nest in old Poland is this MYCZKOWCE, SE Poland!
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Just to show you this MYCZKOWCE on the detailed map of Poland, so beatifully located amongst small woods, on the wellknown lake Solina:
http://mapa.szukacz.pl/?x=747157&y=180015&zoom=3
Also many weblinks could be given about this MYCZKOWCE with Polish internet, this is very old small town in Poland, with rich historical and religious roots and heritage.
==
Finally, you must know, every archival personal search could be expensive, and time-lasting, many records had been destroyed by the WWI/WWII time, and 45-years of communism in Poland after the WWII Jalta pact, also please understand that archival searchers have to ask money to cover their search costs on place, my open advice for you would be to make archival search by you with your nearest FHL centre, here are church books microfilm detailed numbers:
http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Library ... umns=*,0,0
The second solution would be to contact all these families in 2007 Poland, asking any family connection, but according to our many-year experience it needs from your side sharing any family documents (photos?, etc.) preserved in the US, and few weeks/months contacts/correspondence in Polish mainly."
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Hope this helps in your invaluable search, good luck!
Tadeusz
Warsaw

Hi, Tad:

Thank you for the detailed and informative reply to my CYCAK posting. I understand that due to unfortunate circumstances, I may not find the records I want in Poland. I have contacted a person in Walawa who is related to my family. She knows about my Grand Uncles and Great Grandparents. She even knew different variations of my Great Grandmother"s maiden name! I am trying to encourage her to look up vital records in the civil registry office nearby, and maybe get copies of certificates. I would like to find my Grandfather Michal"s birth/baptism records. I have contacted a researcher from Warsaw, Emil Krasnodebski, who will do research for records in parish and civil offices. I have considered your second solution, especially about contacting CYCAKs in Myczkowce. I would do that next, and contact CYCAKs in the USA, especially those in Pennsylvania, because that is where most of them went. This will make the search interesting!

Thank you for your comments.
Tym