Słowik or Liguz? Małgorzata Warzecha’s Story

Many of us are familiar with the wonderful information that can be found in Catholic church records. Details such as parents’ names, dates of birth, and place of origin make these records well worth exploring. However, these church records can sometimes introduce mysteries that can only be explained through still deeper research.

One such mystery involves the marriage records I discovered for my great-great-grandfather, Andrzej Klaus, and his brother, Tomasz, which I discussed in a post back in 2017.[1] At that time, I noted that Andrzej’s mother was identified as Anna Słowik in the record of Andrzej’s marriage to Marianna Łącka, which took place at St. Stanislaus Church in Buffalo on 21 January 1891 (Figure 1).[2]

Figure 1: Detail from the marriage record of Andrzej Klaus and Marianna Łącka, showing Andrzej’s parents’ names as” Jakob K. i Anna Słowik,” and his place of birth as “Maniowo, Gal.” The record is in a mixture of Polish and Latin; “Gal.” is an abbreviation for the Galicia province of the Austrian Empire, and Maniowo is a misspelling of Maniów.[2]

Similarly, when Andrzej’s brother, Tomasz Klaus, married Wiktoria Rak at St. Stanislaus on 20 November 1900, the groom’s mother was identified as Franciszka Słowik (Figure 2).[3]

Figure 2: Detail from the marriage record of Tomasz Klaus and Wiktoria Rak, showing Tomasz’s parents’ names as “Jakób K. i Franciszka Słowik,” and his place of birth as “Mielecka Wola, Gal[icia].”[3]

That’s all well and good, except for the fact that I have good evidence that Andrzej and Tomasz were the sons of Jakub Klaus and Franciszka Liguz. Where does the name Słowik come in? Why did both her sons report this as their mother’s maiden name, why did Andrzej report her given name as Anna, and why am I so certain that her name was really Liguz?

The answers lie in church records created at the parish of St. Mary Magdalene in Szczucin, located in Dąbrowa County, in the Galicia province of the Austrian Empire. This was the parish that served the village of Maniów, where the Klaus family lived. Maniów is presently located in gmina Szczucin, Dąbrowa County, in the Małopolskie province of Poland. In 1981, the village was reassigned to a new parish, Our Lady of Fatima & the Rosary, which was established in the village of Borki. According to local custom, when a village is reassigned to a new parish, the church books for that village are transferred from the old parish to the new parish. So, it was in Borki that I first laid eyes on the books containing the baptismal records for my great-grandfather, Andrzej Klaus, and his siblings, even those those baptisms took place in Szczucin.

Church records revealed that Jakub Klaus and Franciszka Liguz were married on 16 September 1860 in Szczucin (Figure 3).[4]

Figure 3: Marriage record from Szczucin for Jakub Klaus and Franciszka Liguz, 16 September 1860.[4]

The Latin marriage record stated that the groom, Jacobus Klaus, was a Catholic, single, 30-year-old servant (famulus), and the son of Laurentius and Anna (née Zolowna) Klaus. Because the records were kept in Latin, Latin forms of given names were used. However, the individuals identified in the records would have been known to their communities by their Polish names, to Laurentius would have been called Wawrzyniec and Jacobus would have been called Jakub. (The name Anna is the same in Latin, Polish, and English.) Note also that the groom’s mother’s maiden name (Zolowna) was given in an old form not used today; the “-ówna” ending signifies an unmarried woman of the Zola family, although her name has also been spelled as Żala and Żola on other records. The bride, 24-year-old Francisca Liguz (Franciszka in Polish), was Catholic, single, and the daughter of Laurentius Liguz and Margaretha (Małgorzata) Warzecha. Witnesses were Adalbertus (Wojciech) Liguz and Joannes (Jan) Mamuśka.

Baptismal records identified eight children born to this couple:

  1. Jan Klaus, born 09 October 1860 in Maniów,[5] died 13 May 1920 in Plymouth, Luzerne, Pennsylvania, USA;[6]
  2. Józef Klaus, born 26 February 1863 in Maniów,[7] died 12 January 1874 in Wola Mielecka;[8]
  3. Andrzej Klaus, born 25 November 1865 in Maniów,[9] died 14 June 1914 in North Tonawanda, Niagara, New York, USA;[10]
  4. Michał Klaus, born 01 September 1867 in Maniów,[11] no death or marriage record yet discovered;
  5. Paweł Klaus, born 28 May 1870 in Maniów,[12] died 14 March 1879 in Wola Mielecka;[13]
  6. Piotr Klaus, born 28 May 1870 in Maniów,[14] died 22 July 1870 in Maniów;[15]
  7. Tomasz Klaus, born 03 September 1872 in Wola Mielecka,[16] died 28 December 1911 in Buffalo, Erie, New York, USA;[17]
  8. Helena Klaus, born 25 September 1875 in Wola Mielecka,[18] died 15 August 1878 in Wola Mielecka.[19]

Baptismal records from Galicia typically identify not only the parents of the child, but also the grandparents, the baptismal records for Andrzej Klaus and each of his siblings identified their mother as Francisca, daughter of Laurentius Liguz and Margaretha Warzecha.

Franciszka Liguz herself was born 6 February 1836 in Maniów, the oldest child of Wawrzyniec and Małgorzata (Warzecha) Liguz (Figure 4) .[20]

Figure 4: Franciszka Liguz’s baptismal record, which states that she was born 6 February 1836 in Maniów, house number 31, and baptized the next day. She was Catholic, female, and legitimate. Her father was Laurentius, a farmer (agricola), son of Joannes (Jan) and Catharina (Katarzyna) Liguz. Her mother was Margaretha, daughter of peasants (cmetho) Andreas and Agnes Warzecha. The midwife was Eva Dudaykowa, and the godparents were Franciscus Rogoza and Catharina Liguszka (Liguz), wife of Adalbert [Liguz] of Borki. The godparents were farmers (agricola). Franciszka was baptized by Fr. Michael Kuziel, Cooperator (assistant pastor).[20]

Her birth record identified her parents as Laurentius, son of Joannes and Catharina Liguz, and Margaretha, daughter of Andreas and Agnes Warzecha. Wawrzyniec/Laurentius Liguz and Małgorzata/Margaretha Warzecha were married on 28 May 1832 in Szczucin (Figure 5).[21] The marriage record identified Wawrzyniec as a 40-year-old widower, while the bride was just 17 years old. Parents’ names were not reported for Wawrzyniec, but Małgorzata’s father was named Andreas/Andrzej, consistent with the information reported on Franciszka Liguz’s birth record.

Figure 5: Marriage record from Szczucin for Laurentius Liguz and Margaretha Warzecha, who were married 28 May 1832.[21]

Wawrzyniec and Małgorzata had six children together:

  1. Franciszka, born 06 February 1836 in Maniów,[22] date of death unknown;
  2. Józefa Zofia Liguz, born 11 January 1838 in Maniów,[23] date of death unknown;
  3. Jan Liguz, born 01 January 1840 in Maniów,[24] died 4 January 1840;[25]
  4. Sebastian Liguz, born 01 Janaury 1840 in Maniów, [26] died 2 January 1840;[27]
  5. Jan Liguz, born 13 June 1841 in Maniów,[28] died 8 September 1841;[29]
  6. Józef Liguz, born 2 March 1844 in Maniów,[30] died 16 May 1846.[31]

The twins, Jan and Sebastian, both died within a few days of birth, and the younger son named Jan, born in 1841, died at the age of 3 months. Wawrzyniec Liguz died at the age of 55 on 6 November 1845, leaving Małgorzata as a 30-year-old widow with three children, ages 9, 7, and 20 months.

How Małgorzata supported her young family during the next three years is unclear. Church records described her late husband, Wawrzyniec, as a “hortulanus,” which was a peasant with a small, garden-sized plot of land.[32] They were residents of house number 31 in Maniów, but she was living at house number 40 at the time of her second marriage to Jan Podkówka, on 1 November 1848 in Szczucin, suggesting that she may have moved in with other family members after her husband’s death.[33]

Jan Podkówka was a 50-year-old father and widower when he married Małgorzata Liguz. The couple had two children together:

  1. Tomasz Podkówka, born 5 November 1849,[34] died 16 November 1873;[35]
  2. Agata Podkówka, born 1 February 1852,[36] died 6 March 1910.[37]

Jan Podkówka must have died before 27 January 1856,[38] because that was when Małgorzata married a third time, to another widower, Antoni Słowik.[39] Here, at last, is the answer to the mystery found in the Buffalo church records regarding the identification of Andrzej and Tomasz Klaus’s mother as Słowik rather than Liguz. Figure 6 shows a simplified version of Małgorzata’s family tree.

Figure 6: Simplified family tree for Małgorzata Warzecha Liguz Podkówka Słowik, which includes her parents, her husbands, and all her children. The chart does not include previous marriages of Jan Podkówka and Antoni Słowik. Her children’s spouses are shown, but the chart does not include all of Małgorzata’s grandchildren. Click image to enlarge.

At the time of her marriage to Antoni Słowik, Małgorzata was a 41-year-old mother of eight children, four of whom were still alive. Franciszka Liguz and Józefa Zofia Liguz were ages 20 and 18, respectively, while Tomasz Podkówka and Agata Podkówka were 7 and nearly 4 years old, respectively. Antoni and Małgorzata had two children together prior to his death on 4 April 1864:[40]

  1. Katarzyna Słowik, born 14 February 1857 in Borki,[41] died 25 April 1902 in Delastowice;[42]
  2. Ignacy Słowik, born 28 July 1859 in Borki,[43] died 5 October 1937 in Maniów.[44]

It’s unclear why Andrzej and Tomasz Klaus would have reported their mother’s maiden name as Słowik rather than Liguz, and why Andrzej would have reported her given name as Anna, rather than Franciszka. It may have been a simple misunderstanding of the question, providing her name at the time of their marriages, rather than her maiden name. It’s also possible that an error was introduced during recopying of the church books from St. Stanislaus in Buffalo; the fact that all the church records from St. Stanislaus appear to be in the same handwriting suggests that these are not original records.

Widowed for the third time at the age of 49, Małgorzata never remarried after Antoni’s death in 1864. Her oldest child, Franciszka, had been married for four years by the time her stepfather, Antoni Słowik, died. Małgorzata’s second child, Józefa Zofia (known as Zofia), had married Wojciech Krupa on 27 July 1862, so she, too, was living independently.[45] Tomasz Podkówka, age 14, was old enough to be a help to his mother, along with his younger sister, Agata Podkówka, age 12. Katarzyna and Ignacy Słowik were only 7 and 5 when their father died, and once again, it’s unclear how Małgorzata managed to support her family following her husband’s death, although it’s probable that she relied on assistance from additional family members.

Małgorzata Warzecha Liguz Podkówka Słowik died at the age of almost 77 on 7 January 1892, having outlived all three husbands, and five of her ten children.[46] Her death record, shown in Figure 7, identified each of her previous husbands. At the time of her death, Małgorzata was living in house number 33 in Borki, and further research may identify the owner of that home.

Figure 7: Death record for Margaretha widow of 1. Laurentius Liguz, 2, Joannes Podkówka, 3. Antonius Słowik, née Warzecha, age 77; causes of death, marasmus.[46]

Researching Małgorzata’s life revealed more than just names and dates—it uncovered a narrative of resilience, adaptation, and change. Her multiple marriages and the resulting blended family echo the complex structures many genealogists discover in their own research. Many questions still remain, but this is the nature of genealogical research; our ancestors left behind breadcrumbs, not roadmaps, and it’s up to us to piece together their stories with patience and persistence.

© Julie Roberts Szczepankiewicz 2025


[1] Julie R. Szczepankiewicz, “And the Walls Came Tumbling Down: New Discoveries in My Klaus Family Research, Part I,” From Shepherds and Shoemakers (https://fromshepherdsandshoemakers.com/), published 8 August 2017, accessed 12 March 2025.

[2] Roman Catholic of St. Stanislaus, Bishop & Martyr (Buffalo, Erie, New York, USA), Marriages, Vol. II (1891-1931), p. 1, 1891, no. 26, Klaus-Łączka, 21 January 1891; digital image, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS4N-64SL-7?i=1407&cat=23415 : accessed 15 March 2025).

[3] Ibid., p. 62, 1900, no. 77, Klaus-Rak, 20 November 1900; digital image, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS4N-64QV-L?i=1468&cat=23415&lang=en : accessed 8 August 2017).

[4] Roman Catholic Church of St. Mary Magdalene (Szczucin, Dąbrowa, Małopolskie, Poland), Maniów, Akta małżeństw [Marriage records], 1860, 16 September, Klaus-Liguz; FamilySearch Library, film no. 1958428 Items 7-8.

[5] Roman Catholic Church, Sanktuarium Matki Bożej Fatimskiej – Różańcowej (Borki, Szczucin, Dąbrowa, Małopolska, Poland), Baptisms, 1860, no. 20, Joannes Klaus; parish archive. Mother was recorded as “Francisca nata Laurentio Liguz et Margaretha Warzecha.”

[6] Pennsylvania, USA, Death Certificates, 1920, no. 60801, John Klaus, died 13 May 1920; imaged as, “Pennsylvania Death Certificates, 1906-1966,” database, Ancestry, (http://ancestry.com : 13 March 2025).

[7] Roman Catholic Church, Sanktuarium Matki Bożej Fatimskiej – Różańcowej (Borki, Szczucin, Dąbrowa, Małopolska, Poland), Baptisms, 1863, unnumbered entries in chronological order, Josephus Klaus, born 26 February 1863. Mother was recorded as “Francisca nata Laurentio Liguz et Margaretha Warzecha.”

[8] Polskie Towarzystwo Genealogiczne [Polish Genealogical Society], Geneteka, database (https://geneteka.genealodzy.pl/ : accessed 15 March 2025), search result for Klaus deaths in Podkarpackie, 1874, no.4, Józef Klaus, son of Jakub Klaus and Franciszka Liguz, parish Książnice-Wola Mielecka, died in Wola Mielecka on 12 January 1874 at the age of 7 years, source: parish archives, indexed by Krzysztof Gruszka.

[9] Roman Catholic Church, Sanktuarium Matki Bożej Fatimskiej – Różańcowej (Borki, Szczucin, Dąbrowa, Małopolska, Poland), Baptisms, 1865, no. 37, Andreas Klaus, born 25 November 1865. Mother was recorded as “Francisca nata Liguz fil: Laurentii et Margarethae natae Warzecha.”

[10] North Tonawanda City Clerk (North Tonawanda, Niagara, New York, USA), Death Certificates, 1914, no. 82, Andro Klaus, 14 June 1914.

[11] Roman Catholic Church, Sanktuarium Matki Bożej Fatimskiej – Różańcowej (Borki, Szczucin, Dąbrowa, Małopolska, Poland), Baptisms, 1867, no. 20, Michael Klaus, born 1 September 1867. Mother was recorded as “Francisca nata Liguz fil. Laurentii et Margarethae natae Warzecha.”

[12] Ibid., 1870, no.18, gemini, Paulus, Petrus Klaus, born 28 May 1870. Mother was recorded as “Francisca filia Laurentii Liguz et Margaritha Warzecha.”

[13] Polskie Towarzystwo Genealogiczne [Polish Genealogical Society], Geneteka, database (https://geneteka.genealodzy.pl/ : accessed 13 March 2025), search result for Klaus deaths in Podkarpackie, 1879, no. 7, Paweł Klaus, son of Jakub Klaus and Franciszka Liguz, parish Książnice-Wola Mielecka, died in Wola Mielecka on 14 March 1879 at the age of 8 years, source: parish archives, indexed by Krzysztof Gruszka.

[14] See note 12.

[15] Ibid.; a cross next to Petrus’ name indicates that he died, and the date “22/7 1870” is recorded under his name.

[16] Polskie Towarzystwo Genealogiczne [Polish Genealogical Society] Geneteka, database (https://geneteka.genealodzy.pl/ : accessed 15 March 2025), search result for Klaus births in Podkarpackie, 1872, no. 23, Tomasz Klaus, son of Jakub Klaus and Franciszka Nygus [sic], parish Książnice-Wola Mielecka, born in Wola Mielecka on 3 September 1872, source: parish archives, indexed by Krzysztof Gruszka, accessed 15 March 2025.

[17] Roman Catholic Church of Corpus Christi (Buffalo, Erie, New York, USA), “Deaths, 1902-1916,” p. 68, 1911, no. 139, Thomas Klaus, 28 December 1911; Polish Genealogical Society of New York State.

[18] Ibid., 1875, #23, Helena Klaus, son of Jakub Klaus and Franciszka Nygus [sic], parish Książnice-Wola Mielecka, born in Wola Mielecka on 25 September 1875, source: parish archives, indexed by Krzysztof Gruszka.

[19] Polskie Towarzystwo Genealogiczne [Polish Genealogical Society], Geneteka, database, (https://geneteka.genealodzy.pl/ : accessed 13 March 2025), search result for Klaus deaths in Podkarpackie, 1878, no. 28, Helena Klaus, daughter of Jakub Klaus and Franciszka Liguz, parish Książnice-Wola Mielecka, died in Wola Mielecka on 15 August 1878 at the age of 3 years, source, parish archives, indexed by Krzysztof Gruszka.

[20] Roman Catholic Church of St. Mary Magdalene (Szczucin, Dąbrowa, Małopolska, Poland), Maniów, Liber Baptizatorum, 1836, unnumbered entries in chronological order, Francisca Liguz, 6 February 1836; FamilySearch Library film no. 1958427, items 12-14.

[21] Ibid., Maniów, Akta małżeństw, 1832, Liguz-Warzechow, 28 May 1832; FSL film no.1958428, items 7-8.

[22] See note 20.

[23] Roman Catholic Church of St. Mary Magdalene, (Szczucin, Dąbrowa, Małopolskie, Poland), Liber Baptizatorum, Maniów, 1838, no. 2, Josepha Sophia Liguz, born 11 January 1838; FamilySearch film no. 1958427, Items 12-14.

[24] Ibid., 1840, no. 2, Joannes Liguz, born 01 January 1840; FamilySearch film 1958427, Items 12-14.

[25] “Poland, Church Books, 1568-1990,” database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6VQ2-VSPW?lang=en : accessed 13 March 2025), Joannes Liguz, died 4 January 1840.

[26] Ibid.,1840, no. 3, Sebastianus Liguz, 01 January 1840; FamilySearch film 1958427, Items 12-14.

[27] Polskie Towarzystwo Genealogiczne [Polish Genealogical Society], Geneteka, database,  (http://geneteka.genealodzy.pl/ : accessed 13 March 2025), search result for deaths in Malopolska, 1840, no1, Sebastian Liguz, son of Wawrzyniec and Malgorzata, Parish: Szczucin, Place: Maniów, Remarks: 1 day [old], date of death: 2 January 1840, Source: parish archive, Indexed by Marc68.

[28] Roman Catholic Church, St. Mary Magdalene parish (Szczucin, Dąbrowa, Małopolskie, Poland), Liber Baptizatorum, Maniów, 1841, no. 12, Joannes Liguz, 13 June 1841; FamilySearch film no. 1958427, Items 12-14.

[29] “Poland, Church Books, 1568-1990,” database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6VQ2-4HM9?lang=en : accessed 13 March 2025), Joannes Liguz, died 8 September 1841 in Borki, son of Laurentii Liguz and Margaretha Warzczonka.

[30] Roman Catholic Church, St. Mary Magdalene parish (Szczucin, Dąbrowa, Małopolskie, Poland), Liber Baptizatorum, Maniów, 1844, unnumbered entries in chronological order, Josephus Liguz, 2 March 1844, FamilySearch film no.1958427, Items 12-14.

[31] “Poland, Church Books, 1568-1990,” database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6VQ2-QZJW?lang=en : accessed 13 March 2025), Josephus Liguz, died 16 May 1846, son of Laurentii Liguz and Margaretha Marzcrzona [sic].

[32] William F. Hoffman and Jonathan D. Shea, In Their Words: A Genealogist’s Translation Guide to Polish, German, Lain, and Russian Documents: Volume III: Latin (Language & Lineage Press, 2018), p. 272.

[33] Roman Catholic Church, St. Mary Magdalene parish (Szczucin, Dąbrowa, Małopolskie, Poland), Liber Matrimoniorum [Book of marriages], Maniów, 1848, Joannes Podkówka and Margaretha Ligus, nee Warzecha, 1 November 1848; FamilySearch film no. 1958428, Items 7-8.

[34] Ibid., Liber Baptizatorum, Maniów, 1849, no. 18, Thomas Podkówka, 5 November 1849; FamilySearch film no. 1958427, Items 12-14.

[35] Polskie Towarzystwo Genealogiczne [Polish Genealogical Society], Geneteka, database, Geneteka.genealodzy.pl, (http://geneteka.genealodzy.pl/ : accessed 14 March 2025), search result for Podkówka deaths in Malopolskie, 1873, no. 57, Tomasz Podkówka, son of Jan and Malgorzata Warzecha, Parish: Szczucin, Place: Maniów, Remarks: 25 years [of age], died 16 November 1873, source: parish archive, indexed by Marc68.

[36] Roman Catholic Church, St. Mary Magdalene parish (Szczucin, Dąbrowa, Małopolskie, Poland), Liber Baptizatorum [birth records], Maniów ,1852, no. 5, Agatha Podkówka, 1 February 1852; FamilySearch film no. 1958427 Items 12-14.

[37] Roman Catholic Church, St. Mary Magdalene Parish (Szczucin, Malopolskie, Poland), “Akta stanu cywilnego Parafii Rzymskokatolickiej w Szczucinie,” Ksiega Aktów Zgonów od 1890 – 1913 [Book of Death Certificates from 1890 – 1913], p. 140, Maniów, 1910, no. 6, Agata Liguz, died 6 March 1910; digital image, Szukajwarchiwach (https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl : accessed 16 March 2025), reference code 33/630/0/-/3, image 74 of 123.

[38] Roman Catholic Church, St. Mary Magdalene parish (Szczucin, Dąbrowa, Małopolskie, Poland), Akta małżeństw [Marriage records] 1786-1866, 1856, Maniów, unnumbered entries in chronological order, Antonius Słowik and Margaretha Podkowka, 27 January 1856; FamilySearch film no. 1958428, Item 3.

[39] There is no clear match in Geneteka for a death record for Jan Podkówka. An online conception date calculator indicates that Agata Podkówka would have been conceived between 20 April 1851 and 27 April 1851. That suggests that Jan Podkówka died between 20 April 1851 and 26 January 1856.

The only death for a Jan Podkówka in Małopolskie that comes close is that of Jan Podkówka, who died in Maniów on 1 December 1851. He was age 52, which suggests a birth circa 1799, consistent with his age at the time of his marriage to Małgorzata (Warzecha) Liguz, but he was reported to be the husband of Katarzyna, not Małgorzata. If this death record is the correct one for Jan Podkówka, husband of Małgorzata, then it’s curious that Agata Podkówka’s baptismal record from February 1852 did not mention that her father was deceased. However, it’s noteworthy that Jan and Małgorzata’s marriage record, and the birth record for their son Tomasz, indicate that he was living in house number 34 in Maniów. Agata’s birth record (presumably made after Jan’s death) indicates that she was born in house number 19 in Maniów, consistent with the prediction that Małgorzata would have had to move in with other family members after Jan’s death.

[40] Polskie Towarzystwo Genealogiczne [Polish Genealogical Society], Geneteka, database, (http://geneteka.genealodzy.pl/ : accessed 17 March 2025), search result for Antoni Slowik in Małopolskie, Deaths, 1864, no. 4, Antoni Slowik, parish: Szczucin, place: Borki, remarks: house no. 33, 58 years, husband of Malgorzata Warzecha, died 4 April 1864; source: parish archive, indexed by Marc68.

[41] Ibid., search result for surnames Slowik and Warzecha in Małopolskie, Births, 1857, no. 5, Katarzyna Slowik, daughter of Antoni and Malgorzata Warzecha, parish: Szczucin, place: Borki, remarks: house number 33, date of birth, 14 February 1857, source: parish archive, indexed by Marc68.

[42] Roman Catholic Church, St. Mary Magdalene Parish (Szczucin, Małopolskie, Poland), “Akta stanu cywilnego Parafii Rzymskokatolickiej w Szczucinie,” Ksiega Aktów Zgonów od 1890 – 1913 [Book of Deaths from 1890 – 1913], p. 184, Delastowice, 1902, no. 2, Catharina Lasak, died 25 April 1902; digital image, Szukaj w Archiwach (https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl : accessed 17 March 2025), reference code 33/630/0/-/3, scan 96 of 123.

[43] Polskie Towarzystwo Genealogiczne [Polish Genealogical Society], Geneteka, database, (http://geneteka.genealodzy.pl/ : accessed 17 March 2025), search result for surnames Slowik and Warzecha in Małopolskie, Births, 1859, no. 11, Ignacy Slowik, son of Antoni and Malgorzata Warzecha, parish: Szczucin, place: Borki, house no. 33, remarks: house no. 33, date of birth, 28 July 1859, source: parish archive, indexed by Marc68.

[44] Ibid., search result for Ignacy Slowik in Małopolskie, Deaths, 1937, no. 7, Ignacy Slowik, parish: Szczucin, place: Maniów, remarks: age 78, husband of Helena Łaska, date of death, 5 October 1937, source: parish archive, indexed by Marc68.

[45] Ibid., search result for Zofia Liguz in Malopolskie, Marriages, 1862, Wojciech Krupa, son of Walenty and Marianna Krzyzek, and Zofia Liguz, daughter of Wawrzyniec and Malgorzata Warzecha, parish: Szczucin, remarks: groom’s age, 33, bride’s age, 24; place: Borki, date of marriage, 27 July 1862.

[46] Roman Catholic Church, St. Mary Magdalene parish (Szczucin, Dąbrowa, Małopolskie, Poland), Księga Aktów Zgonów [Book of death certificates], 1890-1913, 1892, no. 1, Margaritha Liguz Podkówka Słowik nee Warzecha; imaged as “Akta stanu cywilnego Parafii Rzymskokatolickiej w Szczucinie, 1890-1932,” Szukaj w Archiwach (https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/en/jednostka/-/jednostka/19224209 : 5 April 2024), Sygnatura 33/630/0/-/3, scan 5 of 123.

From Maniów to Plymouth to Chicopee: The Family of Jan Klaus

Note: This article originally appeared in the fall 2019 issue of Biuletyn Korzenie, the newsletter of the Polish Genealogical Society of Massachusetts. It is being reprinted here with permission.

Jan Klaus was no stranger to me. I’d never met him, of course, but I’d known about this brother of my great-great-grandfather, Andrzej Klaus, since March 2013, when I first discovered his baptismal record in an index at FamilySearch. What I didn’t know was what happened to him. Until recently, I never knew for certain that he immigrated to the U.S., although I suspected it. The name “John Klaus” (or Claus, or Clouse) is sufficiently common that it’s not the kind of name one spends a lot of time chasing when it’s only a collateral line. And I certainly never knew that his descendants settled in Chicopee after his death—that is, until one day, when a DNA match brought all these pieces of the puzzle together.

The Klaus-Liguz Family of Maniów and Wola Mielecka, Galicia

Jan Klaus was born on 9 October 1860 in the village of Maniów, in the Dąbrowa powiat (district or county) of the Galicia province of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.[1] His baptismal record is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Baptismal record from the church of St. Mary Magdalene in Szczucin for Jan Klaus, born 9 October 1860. Transcription of each column is as follows: [Record number] 20, [Date of birth] 9 October 1860, [Date of baptism] 10 October 1860, [House number] 28, [child’s name] Joannes, [religion] Catholic (indicated by tally mark in the appropriate column), [sex] male (indicated by tally mark in the appropriate column), [status] legitimi, [Father] Jacobus Klaus natus Laurentio et Anna Żel, famulus, [Mother] Francisca nata Laurentio Liguz et Margaretha Warzecha, [Godparents] Adalbertus Liguz et Catharina Mamuska, hor. [hortulanus].”

jan-klaus-baptismal-record-marked

The record is in Latin, and states that Joannes Klaus, or Jan Klaus, as he would have been known among the ethnic Poles in that village, was the son of Jacobus (Jakub) Klaus, who was himself the son of Laurentius (Wawrzyniec) Klaus and Anna (née Żel) Klaus. Although it appears to be written as Żel in this document—note that the vowel looks more like the “e” in “Laurentio,” rather than the “a” in “Jacobus”—Anna’s name is more often recorded as Żala. Jan’s mother was noted to be Francisca (Franciszka), daughter of Laurentius (Wawrzyniec) Liguz and Margaretha (Małgorzata) née Warzecha. The godparents were Adalbertus (Wojciech) Liguz and Catharina (Katarzyna) Mamuska. Jan’s father, Jakub, was a servant (famulus) at the time of his birth, and his godfather was a gardener (hortulanus). Jan was baptized at the church of St. Mary Magdalene in Szczucin, the parish to which the village of Maniów belonged at the time of Jan’s birth (Figure 2).

Figure 2: St. Mary Magdalene parish in Szczucin. Photo taken by the author in July 2015.St. Mary Magdalene Church in Szczucin

Jan was Jakub and Franciszka’s oldest child. Their marriage record tells us that Jakub was a 30-year-old servant when he married 24-year-old Franciszka on 16 September 1860 in that same parish church of St. Mary Magdalene.[2] At least six more sons were born to Jakub and Franciszka following Jan’s birth: Józef in 1863, Andrzej in 1865, Michał in 1867, twins Piotr and Paweł in 1870, and then Tomasz in 1872, before finally a daughter, Helena, was born in 1875.[3] Several of these children did not survive to adulthood. Unambiguous evidence exists for the deaths of Paweł, Piotr and Helena in childhood.[4] An additional death record from 1874 exists for Józef Klaus, son of Jakub and Franciszka Liguz, but the evidence is problematic, since the record states that he was 7 years old at the time of death, suggesting a birth year circa 1867, rather than 1863.[5] Despite this discrepancy, it seems likely that this is nonetheless the death record for the same Józef Klaus who was born in 1863, which brings the number of Klaus children who died in infancy or childhood to four out of the eight documented births. Figure 3 summarizes these data in chart form.

Figure 3: Children of Jakub Klaus and Franciszka Liguz.Jakub Klaus descendants with border

The Emigrant Klauses

Of the remaining children of Jakub and Franciszka Klaus, I knew that my great-great-grandfather, Andrzej Klaus, immigrated to Buffalo, New York. I subsequently discovered that his brother Tomasz did, as well, since there is a record of the marriage of Tomasz Klaus of “Mielecka Wola, Gal.” to Wiktoria Rak in 1900 at St. Stanislaus Church.[6] The record states that Tomasz was the son of Jakub Klaus and Franciszka Słowik, not Liguz, and research is ongoing to determine if Słowik was perhaps the surname of Franciszka’s second husband, or was merely an error. The fate of Michał Klaus remains unknown, as no death or marriage record for him has yet been discovered in Polish or U.S. records. Jan Klaus similarly seemed to disappear from Polish records, and I suspected that he emigrated when I discovered a Jan Klaus on a Hamburg emigration manifest that seemed to be a good match (Figure 4).[7]

Figure 4: Extracted image from Hamburg passenger manifest showing Jan Klaus.Jan Klaus Hamburg emigration manifest marked

The manifest was from the S.S. Marsala, which departed from Hamburg on 14 September 1888. The passenger, Jan Klaus, was described as a 28-year-old Arbeiter (laborer) from the town of Mielec in the Austrian Empire. His age suggests a date of birth circa 1860, which would be consistent with the date of birth for my great-great-granduncle, and Mielec was the town closest to the small village of Maniów where “my” Jan was born. Figure 5 shows the locations of Szczucin, Maniów, Wola Mielecka, and Mielec in relation to one another.

Figure 5: Places in Poland associated with the Liguz-Klaus family. Jakub was born in Wola Mielecka, Franciszka in Maniów, and some of their children were born in each of these two villages.Map for Jan Klaus blog post

When one finds a Hamburg emigration manifest, it’s often possible to locate the corresponding arrival manifest, and it’s a good idea to seek these out, as they sometimes contain additional information beyond what’s found on the emigration manifest. Jan’s arrival manifest was no exception (Figure 6).

Figure 6: Extracted image from New York arrival manifest showing Jan Klaus.[8]Jan Klaus New York arrival manifest marked

As expected, much of the information on this manifest recapitulated the information found on the manifest recorded at the port of departure. Jan Klaus, age 28 years, was noted to be a male workman from Mielec, Austria. Some of the additional information provided on this manifest was not especially significant, such as the fact that he was marked as an alien (as expected), that he had no baggage, and that he was assigned to the main compartment aboard the ship. More significantly, it was noted that his intended destination was New York—a fact which might be useful in tracing him further in U.S. records. However, this particular manifest included the column, “Date and Cause of Death,” and the line for Jan Klaus contains the notation “11–6.” Given that the Marsala departed Hamburg on 14 September and arrived on 1 October, the significance of these particular numbers is unclear, but certainly the presence of some notation in this column suggested that the passenger Jan Klaus died during the voyage. In the light of this information, and in absence of any good matches for this Jan Klaus in records from Buffalo, where his brothers Andrzej and Tomasz settled, I accepted the tentative conclusion that Jan may not have survived, and I moved on to other research questions.

DNA Points the Way

Fast forward to December 2018. While reviewing some of my mother’s DNA matches, I came across a match to “N.F.M.” whose family tree indicated that her great-grandfather was John Klaus, born circa 1861. N.F.M was a DNA match to me as well, although we matched only as distant cousins, sharing a modest 19 centimorgans (cM) across 2 segments. I was immediately intrigued, and my excitement grew when I read that her John Klaus died in Plymouth, Pennsylvania in 1920. This fact was significant to me because my great-great-grandfather Andrzej Klaus named Plymouth, Pennsylvania as his destination when he immigrated in 1889 (Figure 7).[9]

Figure 7: Image extracted from passenger manifest of the British Queen, showing passenger Andrzey [sic] Klaus with destination as Plymouth, Pennsylvania.Andrzej Klaus manifest marked 1889

I was never able to document Andrzej in Plymouth, and since he married Marianna Łącka in Buffalo on 21 January 1891, it’s clear that he didn’t stay in Plymouth for long.[10] Neither could I find a corresponding arrival manifest for the British Queen, which should have arrived in an American port in mid-April 1889 based on its departure from Hamburg on 26 March. The arrival manifest might have stated the name of the friend or relative with whom Andrzej was staying, and lacking this information, I had no basis for further speculation about the identity or surname of this friend or relative. However, in light of this new evidence that I was genetically connected to a descendant of John Klaus from Plymouth, Pennsylvania, a missing piece to the puzzle seemed to fall into place.

An important thing to remember about autosomal DNA testing is that it doesn’t prove anything on its own. Even when there is a paper trail documenting both individuals’ descent from a common ancestor, it could still be the case that the individuals are related through some as yet undiscovered relationship which could be the source of the shared DNA segment. Nevertheless, DNA evidence can be very helpful in cases such as this, when there is a common surname involved, because it can help us identify a target individual or family for further documentary research. Since the match between my mother and N.F.M. was found on Ancestry DNA, it’s not possible to know anything about the chromosome number or specific position of the matching DNA segments. However, shared matches between my mother and N.F.M. can be examined, and the amount of shared DNA (in cM) can be considered as well.

Examination of Shared Centimorgans

If we begin with the assumption that N.F.M.’s tree is correct—a reasonable assumption in this case—then she is the great-granddaughter of John (Jan in Polish) Klaus and his wife, Mary or Marya Frankowska. Since my mother is the great-granddaughter of John Klaus’s brother Andrzej (Andrew in English), Mom and N.F.M. should be third cousins, and should share an amount of DNA that falls within the normal range for that relationship. According to data gathered by Blaine Bettinger’s “Shared cM Project,” third cousins can be expected to share anywhere from no DNA, up to 274 cM, with an average of 74 cM shared DNA.[11] Since it’s possible that third cousins will not share any DNA (thanks to the random nature of DNA inheritance through recombination), the fact that Mom and N.F.M. share only 25 cM of DNA over 3 segments is not a concern, despite the fact that this amount is below the statistical average expected for this relationship. Moreover, since mom’s line of descent from Andrew was through (1) her father, (2) his mother, and (3) his mother’s father (Figure 8), we would expect that the list of shared matches between Mom and N.F.M. would include additional paternal cousins of Mom’s who were known to be documented descendants of Jakub Klaus and Franciszka Liguz.

Figure 8: Relationship chart for Mom and N.F.M. Since their great-grandfathers (Andrzej and Jan) were siblings, their grandmothers (Genevieve and Mary) were first cousins, and their late fathers (John Frank and John Henry) were second cousins. Some data have been redacted to protect the privacy of the living.Relationship chart for Mom and Nancy Foster Mulroy

Evaluation of Shared Matches

In fact, that’s exactly what we find. For example, Mom has a paternal first cousin, M.D., whose mother was John Frank Zielinski’s sister. This means that M.D. would also be a documented third cousin of N.F.M, although they may or may not share any DNA. As it happens, Ancestry reports M.D. as a shared match between Mom and N.F.M., as predicted. Although it’s not possible to know how many centimorgans of DNA are shared between M.D. and N.F.M. or where those matching segments are located, we know that M.D. and N.F.M must match at the level of 4th cousin or closer, based on Ancestry’s cut-offs for reporting shared matches.

Although M.D. is the only one of Mom’s known cousins who also matches N.F.M., additional DNA evidence can be found in Mom’s match list on Ancestry. Further examination of Mom’s DNA matches revealed a match to R.D.S, who is another great-granddaughter of John Klaus and Mary Frankowska, just like N.F.M. While N.F.M. was descended from John and Mary through their grandson, John Henry (see Figure 8), R.D.S. is descended from them through John Henry’s sister, Mary Catherine. Examination of the shared matches between R.D.S. and Mom produces two of Mom’s documented second cousins, R.S.L. and D.M.R., both of whom are descended from Genevieve Klaus’s sister, Anna Klaus Gworek.

Back to the Paper Trail

At this point the DNA evidence strongly supports our hypothesis that John Klaus of Plymouth, Pennsylvania, husband of Mary Frankowska, is, in fact, the same as Jan Klaus, brother of Andrzej and son of Jakub Klaus and Franciszka Liguz. Although neither N.F.M. nor R.D.S. had done any research in Polish records, R.D.S.’s tree provided further documentation to add to the growing body of evidence: John Klaus’s death certificate stated his parents’ names as Jakub Klaus and “Frency Bigus” (Figure 9).[12]

Figure 9: Death certificate of John Klaus of Plymouth, Luzerne, Pennsylvania, showing parents’ names.John Klaus death certificate marked

The informant on the certificate was John’s wife, Mary, and it’s easy to see how “Franciszka Liguz” might have been transformed into “Frency Bigus” in a moment of grief, given that she’d probably never met her mother-in-law.

Coming back full circle now to that passenger manifest for Jan Klaus from the S.S. Marsala in 1888, it appears that it was the correct manifest after all. John reported in the 1910 census that he arrived in the U.S. in 1889, which is reasonably consistent with that October 1888 arrival.[13] Moreover, the record of his marriage to Mary “Fratzkoska” [sic] on 21 January 1890 confirms that he was in the U.S. by that date.[14] It may be that New York was his intended destination upon arrival, as recorded on the manifest, and he decided to settle in Plymouth at a later date. Perhaps the numbers written in the “Date and Cause of Death” column had some other obscure significance, since it’s clear that Jan Klaus did not die on the voyage to America. However, the  general agreement between the date of arrival, the passenger’s name, his date of birth, and his origin in Mielec all support the conclusion that this is probably Jan’s passenger manifest, in spite of the discrepancies.

Epilogue: Mary Frankowska’s Story

Following their marriage in 1890, John and Mary went on to have ten children, all born in Pennsylvania, according to the 1910 census. However, only 6 of these children—Thomas, Frances, Mary, Katherine, John Jr., and Leon—were still living in 1910, so there are four more children whose births and deaths might be documented through baptismal records from the church they attended in Plymouth. The oldest son, Thomas Klaus, left Plymouth and was living in Southwick, Hampden, Massachusetts as early as 1914 when he married his wife, Florence Phillips.[15] Frances, Mary, and Katherine Klaus all eventually followed suit and moved to Western Massachusetts, along with their brother Leon. (John Klaus, Jr. settled in Jersey City, New Jersey.) After John Klaus (Sr.) died in Plymouth, Pennsylvania in 1920, his widow Mary (née Frankowska) followed her children to western Massachusetts, where she died in Chicopee in 1923.[16]

When I started researching Jan Klaus’s family for myself, I became curious about Mary Frankowska’s origins. As mentioned, neither of the DNA matches, N.F.M. and R.D.S, had done any research in Polish records, and Mary’s parents’ names were not known. The 1910 census reported that she was born in Austria, and I wondered if perhaps she was from the same part of Galicia as her husband. I decided to check the FamilySearch database, “Poland, Tarnów, Roman Catholic Diocese Church Books, 1612-1900” for her baptism. The name of this database is a bit misleading since it indexes only baptismal records, rather than containing any marriage or death records whose inclusion might be implied by the use of the term “Church Books.”[17] Nevertheless, it can be a good starting point for researching immigrants who are suspected to have originated in the Tarnów region. Interestingly, the search produced a baptismal record for Marianna Josepha Frankowski, daughter of Josephus Frankowski and Anna Dachowski, born 5 August 1863 in—drumroll, please!—“Maniów, Maniów, Kraków, Poland.”[18] This is the same Maniów where Jan Klaus was born, and the year of birth, 1863, was consistent with the year of birth suggested by Mary Klaus’s age as reported on the 1910 census and her marriage record. If this was, in fact, her birth record, then Mary Klaus and her husband John were actually from the same village in Poland—not an uncommon situation, but a delicious bit of research serendipity nonetheless.

Mary’s death certificate was the linchpin needed to confirm this hypothesis. I requested a copy from the city clerk in Chicopee, and bingo! The parents of Mary Klaus were Joseph Frankowski and Anna Dachowska, a perfect match to the birth record in the FamilySearch index (Figure 10). According to the certificate, Mary died on 30 December 1923 at the age of 60, suggesting a birth year of 1863. Consistent with expectations, the certificate states that she was the widow of John Klaus, was living at 220 School Street, and had been a resident of Chicopee for one year prior to her death. The informant was her daughter Catherine Klaus who was living with her, and Mary was buried in Calvary Cemetery in Chicopee on 2 January 1924.

Figure 10: Death certificate of Mary (née Frankowska) Klaus of Chicopee, Hampden, Massachusetts, widow of John Klaus.Marya Klaus death 1923 cropped marked

More research can still be done in both Polish and U.S. records to flesh out the history of John and Mary (née Frankowska) Klaus and their descendants, but the outline of the story has been firmly established. The paper trail tells the story of Jan’s emigration aboard the S.S. Marsala in 1888, his residence in Plymouth, and his marriage to Marianna Frankowska, a young woman from his home village, in 1890. We know of their 10 children, and we can trace the lineages of some of those children into the present day. Their descendants carry a legacy in the form of bits of DNA which allow us distant cousins to identify each other as fellow descendants of Jakub Klaus and Franciszka Liguz. With every connection we make, our understanding of the family’s history deepens and grows. Who knew that this Buffalo girl had family connections to Chicopee? I do now.

Sources:

[1] Roman Catholic Church, Sanktuarium Matki Bożej Fatimskiej – Różańcowej (Borki, Szczucin, Dąbrowa, Małopolska, Poland), “Ksiąg Metrykalnych,” 1860, births, #20, record for Joannes Klaus, born 9 October 1860.

[2] Roman Catholic Church, St. Mary Magdalene parish (Szczucin, Dąbrowa, Małopolskie, Poland), “Księgi metrykalne, 1786-1988,” Akta małżeństw 1786-1988, Maniów, 1860, 16 September 1860, marriage record for Jacobus Klaus and Francisca Liguz, FHL Film no. 1958428, Items 7-8.

[3] Roman Catholic Church, Sanktuarium Matki Bożej Fatimskiej – Różańcowej (Borki, Szczucin, Dąbrowa, Małopolska, Poland), “Ksiąg Metrykalnych”, 1863, baptismal record for Josephus Klaus, born 26 February 1863; and

Roman Catholic Church, Sanktuarium Matki Bożej Fatimskiej – Różańcowej (Borki, Szczucin, Dąbrowa, Małopolska, Poland), “Ksiąg Metrykalnych”, 1865, births, #37, record for Andreas Klaus, born 25 November 1865; and

Roman Catholic Church, Sanktuarium Matki Bożej Fatimskiej – Różańcowej (Borki, Szczucin, Dąbrowa, Małopolska, Poland), “Ksiąg Metrykalnych”, 1867, #20, baptismal record for Michael Klaus, born 1 September 1867; and

Roman Catholic Church, Sanktuarium Matki Bożej Fatimskiej – Różańcowej (Borki, Szczucin, Dąbrowa, Małopolska, Poland), “Ksiąg Metrykalnych”, 1870, #18, baptismal record for Paulus and Petrus Klaus, born 28 May 1870; and

“Podkarpackie,” database, Polskie Towarzystwo Genealogiczne, Geneteka, (http://geneteka.genealodzy.pl), Search result for Klaus births in Podkarpackie, 1872, #23, Tomasz Klaus, son of Jakub Klaus and Franciszka Nygus (sic), parish Ksiaznice-Wola Mielecka, born in Wola Mielecka on 3 September 1872, source, parish archives, indexed by Krzysztof Gruszka, accessed 3 August 2017; and

“Podkarpackie”, database, Polskie Towarzystwo Genealogiczne, Geneteka, (http://geneteka.genealodzy.pl), Search result for Klaus births in Podkarpackie, 1875, #23, Helena Klaus, son of Jakub Klaus and Franciszka Nygus (sic), parish Ksiaznice-Wola Mielecka, born in Wola Mielecka on 25 September 1875, source, parish archives, indexed by Krzysztof Gruszka, accessed 3 August 2017.

[4] “Podkarpackie”, database, Polskie Towarzystwo Genealogiczne, Geneteka, (http://geneteka.genealodzy.pl), Search result for Klaus deaths in Podkarpackie, 1879, #7, Pawel Klaus, son of Jakub Klaus and Franciszka Liguz, parish Ksiaznice-Wola Mielecka, died in Wola Mielecka on 14 March 1879 at the age of 8 years, source, parish archives, indexed by Krzysztof Gruszka, accessed 3 August 2017; and

Roman Catholic Church, Sanktuarium Matki Bożej Fatimskiej – Różańcowej (Borki, Szczucin, Dąbrowa, Małopolska, Poland), “Ksiąg Metrykalnych”, 1870, #18, baptismal record for Paulus and Petrus Klaus. Note: There is a cross next to Petrus’ name which indicates that he died 22 July 1870; and

“Podkarpackie”, database, Polskie Towarzystwo Genealogiczne, Geneteka, (http://geneteka.genealodzy.pl), Search result for Klaus deaths in Podkarpackie, 1878, #28, Helena Klaus, daughter of Jakub Klaus and Franciszka Liguz, parish Ksiaznice-Wola Mielecka, died in Wola Mielecka on 15 August 1878 at the age of 3 years, source, parish archives, indexed by Krzysztof Gruszka, accessed 3 August 2017.

[5] “Podkarpackie”, database, Polskie Towarzystwo Genealogiczne, Geneteka, (http://geneteka.genealodzy.pl), Search result for Klaus deaths in Podkarpackie, 1874, #4, Józef Klaus, son of Jakub Klaus and Franciszka Liguz, parish Ksiaznice-Wola Mielecka, died in Wola Mielecka on 12 January 1874 at the age of 7 years, source, parish archives, indexed by Krzysztof Gruszka, accessed 3 August 2017.

[6] Roman Catholic Church, St. Stanislaus parish (Buffalo, Erie, New York, USA), Marriages, 1900, #77, record for Tomasz Klaus and Wiktorya Rak, 20 November 1900, accessed as browsable images, “Church records, 1873-1917,” FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS4N-64QV-L?i=1468&cat=23415: http://familysearch.org : 7 August 2017), image 1469 of 1979.

[7] “Hamburg Passenger Lists, 1850-1934,“ Ancestry, (http://ancestry.com : 31 July 2019) S.S. Marsala, departing 14 September 1888, p 338, line 197, Jan Klaus, citing Staatsarchiv Hamburg; Hamburg, Deutschland; Hamburger Passagierlisten; Microfilm No.: K_1738, Volume 373-7 I, VIII A 1 Band 062 B.

[8] “New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1891,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVSL-CV45 : 17 December 2018), S.S. Marsala , arriving in New York on 1 October 1888, passenger no. 197, Jan Klaus, 1888; citing NARA microfilm publication M237 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

[9] “Hamburg Passenger Lists, 1850-1934,” Ancestry, (http://ancestry.com : 7 August 2019) S.S. British Queen, departing Hamburg 26 March 1889, p. 361, line 4, passenger Andrzey Klaus, citing Staatsarchiv Hamburg; Hamburg, Deutschland; Hamburger Passagierlisten; Microfilm No.: S_13155, Volume: 373-7 I, VIII B 1 Band 077.

[10] Roman Catholic Church, St. Stanislaus parish (Buffalo, Erie, New York, USA), Marriages, 1891, no. 26, record for Andrzej Klaus and Marya Łączka, 21 January 1891, accessed as browsable images, “Church records, 1873-1917,” FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS4N-64SL-7?i=1407&cat=23415 : 7 August 2019), image 1408 of 1979.

[11] Blaine Bettinger, “August 2017 Update to the Shared cM Project,” The Genetic Genealogist, https://thegeneticgenealogist.com: posted 26 August 2017).

[12] Pennsylvania Death Certificates, 1906-1966,” database, Ancestry, (http://ancestry.com : 7 August 2019), Plymouth, Luzerne, Pennsylvania, no. 60801, certificate for John Klaus, died 13 May 1920, citing  Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission; Pennsylvania, USA; Pennsylvania, Death Certificates, 1906-1965; Certificate Number Range: 058501-061500, record for John Klaus, citing Pennsylvania (State). Death certificates, 1906–1963. Series 11.90 (1,905 cartons). Records of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Record Group 11. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

[13] “1910 United States Federal Census” (population schedule), Plymouth Ward 5, Luzerne, Pennsylvania, Enumeration District 105, Sheet 5A, John Klaus household, Ancestry (https://ancestry.com : 12 December 2018),  citing NARA microfilm publication T624, roll 1369.

[14] Clerk of Orphans Court of Luzerne County, Marriage License Docket, license no. 7356, John Clause and Mary Fratzkoska, married 21 January 1890, accessed as digital images,”Pennsylvania County Marriages, 1885-1950,” FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org :  19 December 2018), DGS no. 004268759, image 292 out of 625.

[15]“Massachusetts, Marriage Records, 1840-1915,” database with images, Ancestry (https://ancestry.com : 19 December 2018),  record for Thomas Klous [sic] and Florence Phillips, June 24, 1914, Southwick, Hampden, Massachusetts.

[16] Chicopee, Hampden, Massachusetts, no. 177 [?], death certificate for Marya Klaus, 30 December 1923; Chicopee Town Clerk’s Office, Chicopee, Massachusetts.

[17] “Poland Tarnow Roman Catholic Diocese Church Books – FamilySearch Historical Records Coverage Table,” FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Poland_Tarnow_Roman_Catholic_Diocese_Church_Books_-_FamilySearch_Historical_Records_Coverage_Table : 10 August 2019).

[18] “Poland Tarnow Roman Catholic Diocese Church Books, 1612-1900,” Marianna Josepha Frankowski, baptized 5 August 1863, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X5HQ-G5J : 10 August 2019).

© Julie Roberts Szczepankiewicz 2019

Where Were Your Ancestors in 1857?

Genealogists often think in terms of family timelines, tracing one particular family line through many generations. However, it occurred to me that it might be interesting to examine my family tree in cross section. That is, what was happening in each of my family lines in the year 1857? I chose that year because I wrote recently about my 3x-great-grandparents’s marriage in Roding, Bavaria in 1857, and that got me wondering what my other ancestors were doing in that same year, and where they were living around the world. It turns out this is a pretty useful (and fun!) exercise. I gained new insights into each family group, and it also served to point out deficiencies in my research, and families that I’ve neglected, that I should perhaps plan to spend more time on in 2018. Here, then, is a summary of my ancestral couples who were alive at that time. Although the map in the featured image is not “clickable,” you can use this link to explore that map in greater depth, if you’d like.

Maternal grandfather’s line

In 1857, my 3x-great-grandparents, Michał Zieliński and Antonia (née Ciećwierz) Zielińska, were living in the village of Mistrzewice in Sochaczew County in what was at that time the Królestwo Polskie or Kingdom of Poland, which officially had some autonomy, but was in reality a puppet state of the Russian Empire. They’d been married about four years, although I don’t know the precise date of their marriage because 19th century records for Mistrzewice prior to 1859 were largely destroyed. Michał and Antonina had one daughter, Zofia, who was about 2, and Michał supported his family as a gospodarz, a farmer who owned his own land.1

Meanwhile, in the nearby village of Budy Stare, Sochaczew County, my 3x-great-grandparents Roch Kalota and Agata (née Kurowska) Kalota welcomed their (probably) oldest daughter, my great-great-grandmother, Marianna Kalota, who was born circa 1857. Again, the destruction of records has been a problem for researching this line, but available records tell us that Roch Kalota, too, was a farmer.2

In the south of Poland in 1857, my 3x-great-grandparents on my Klaus line had not yet married. Jakub Klaus was the son of Wawrzyniec (Lawrence) Klaus and Anna Żala or Żola. He was a young man already 27 years of age, but he did not marry his wife, Franciszka, until 1860.Franciszka Liguz was the daughter of Wawrzyniec Liguz and Małgorzata Warzecha, age 21 in 1857. Both Franciszka and her husband-to-be, Jakub, lived in the village of Maniów in Dąbrowa County in the Galicia region of the Austrian Empire, and Jakub was described as a famulus, or servant.

Still further south in what is now Poland, my 3x-great-grandparents Jakub Łącki and Anna Ptaszkiewicz were 4 years away from their eventual wedding date.4 In 1857, Jakub was a 22-year-old shoemaker from the village of Kołaczyce in Jasło County in the Austrian Empire, and Anna was the 23-year-old daughter of a shoemaker from the same village.

Maternal grandmother’s line

Heading further north again in Poland, back into Sochaczew County in Russian Poland, my 2x-great-grandparents Ignacy and Antonina (née Naciążek) Zarzycki were about 8 years into their marriage, raising their family in the village of Bronisławy. By 1857, they had three children for whom birth records have been discovered, Marianna,5 Paulina,and Tomasz.7 Ignacy was a land-owning farmer who was born in the nearby village of Szwarocin,8 but his wife Antonina’s place of birth remains a mystery.

Moving west now, in 1857 my 3x-great-grandparents Stanisław and Jadwiga (née Dąbrowska) Grzesiak were living in Kowalewo Opactwo, a village that was located in Słupca County at the far western edge of the Russian Empire, within walking distance of the border with Prussia. Ages 51 and 41, respectively, they were already parents to 12 of their 13 children. Stanisław was usually described as a shepherd or a tenant farmer.9

In the nearby town of Zagórów, my 3x-great-grandmother, Wiktoria (née Dębowska) Krawczyńska was living as a 53-year-old widow, having lost her husband Antoni Krawczyński 10 years earlier.10 Antoni had been a shoemaker, and he and Wiktoria were the parents of 8 children, of whom 4 died in infancy. By 1857, the surviving children ranged in age from 27 to 14 — the youngest being my great-great-grandmother, Marianna Krawczyńska.

Paternal grandfather’s line

Meanwhile, in Detroit, Michigan, my 3x-great-grandparents Michael Ruppert and Maria Magdalena Causin were newlyweds in 1857, having married on 12 May of that year.11 Michael had immigrated to the U.S. just four years earlier, at the age of 19, with his parents and siblings.12 The Rupperts were from the village of Heßloch in the Grand Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt, or what is now Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.13 Michael was a carpenter, and he and his family had already begun to use the surname Roberts.14 His wife Maria Magdalena Causin/Casin/Curzon is a bit of a mystery, and will likely be the subject of future blog post, because she doesn’t show up in the records until her marriage in 1857, and her parents’ names are not on her marriage or death records.

In 1857, my 3x-great-grandparents Henry and Catherine (née Grentzinger) Wagner and were also living in Detroit, had been married for 2 years and were parents to their first child, John Wagner.15 Henry was a teamster who had arrived in Detroit about 3 years previously along with his parents and siblings, all immigrants from the village of Roßdorf in the Electorate of Hesse, a state within the German Confederation.16  This was a first marriage for Henry, but a second marriage for Catherine, since she was a young widow after the death of her first husband, Victor Dellinger or Dalmgher.17 In addition to burying her husband some time between 1850-1855, it appears that both of Catherine’s children from that first marriage 18 also died young, since they were not mentioned in the 1860 census in the household of Henry and Catherine Wagner. Catherine herself was an immigrant from Steinsoultz, Haut-Rhin, Alsace, who came to Detroit with her parents and siblings some time between 1830 and 1834.

Across the border and some 225 miles to the east, my 3x-great-grandparents Robert and Elizabeth (née Hodgkinson) Walsh made their home in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. In 1857, Elizabeth Walsh was a 39-year-old mother of 5, pregnant with her 6th child, Ellen, who was born in December of that year.19 Elizabeth was the granddaughter and great-granddaughter of United Empire Loyalists, so her family were among the first settlers in St. Catharines. Her husband, Robert Walsh, was a 49-year-old tailor from Ireland whose family origins have proven to be more elusive than his wife’s.

Also living in St. Catharines were my 3x-great-grandparents, Robert and Catherine Dodds. In 1857, Robert was a 40-year-old immigrant from England, usually described as a laborer or farm laborer. Nothing is known about Robert’s family of origin. He married his wife, Catherine, circa 1840, and by 1857 they were the parents of three daughters and three sons.20 Catherine’s origins, and even her maiden name, are unclear. There is evidence that she was born circa 1818 in Martintown, Glengarry, Ontario to parents who were Scottish immigrants or of Scottish extraction, but no birth record or marriage record has yet been discovered for her.

Paternal grandmother’s line

Jacob and Catherine (née Rogg or Rock) Böhringer, my 3x-great-grandparents, were German immigrants from the Black Forest, having lived in the village of Gündelwangen in the Grand Duchy of Baden21 prior to their migration to Buffalo, New York in 1848.22 By 1857, Catherine and Jacob had already buried three of their seven children, including oldest daughter Maria Bertha, who was born in Germany and apparently died on the voyage to America. Jacob was a joiner or a cabinet maker.23

In 1857, my 3x-great-grandparents Joseph Murre and Walburga Maurer were still about 5 years away from their eventual wedding date. They were born and married in Bavaria, Germany, although I have yet to discover their specific place of origin. I don’t know the names of the parents of either Joseph or Walburga. Joseph was a woodworker who was employed in a planing mill in Buffalo, New York in 1870 24 and was later listed as a carpenter in the Buffalo city directory in 1890. He and Walburga arrived in New York on 3 April 1869 with their children Maria, Anna and Johann.25

In October 1857, my 3x-great-grandparents Johann Meier and Anna Maria Urban were married in the parish church in Roding, Bavaria.26 Their first child, Johann Evangelista Meier, was born out of wedlock two years previously although the father was named on the baptismal record with a note that the child was subsequently legitimized. Johann and Anna Maria would go on to have a total of 10 children, 3 of whom migrated to Buffalo, New York.

In 1857, my 4x-great-grandparents, Ulrich Götz or Goetz and Josephine Zinger, were living somewhere in Bavaria and raising their 4-year-old son, Carl Götz, who was my 3x-great-grandfather. Almost nothing is known of this family, including where they lived in Bavaria or the names of Carl’s siblings. Carl grew up to be the second husband of a much older wife, Julia Anna Bäumler, who was already 19 in 1857. Julia had at least one child from a previous relationship, a son, John George Bäumler, who was born in 1858. Julia and Carl married in Bavaria circa 1875, a development which may or may not have influenced John Bäumler’s decision to emigrate from Bavaria to Buffalo, New York in 1876.28 Julia gave birth to her only child with Carl, Anna Götz (my great-great-grandmother), in 1877, and the Götz family eventually followed John Bäumler to Buffalo in 1883. Julia Götz’s death record states that she was born in “Schlattine, Bavaria,” which suggests the village of Schlattein in Neustadt an der Waldnaab, Bavaria, but further research is needed to confirm this location.

So there you have it: a summary of where my ancestors were in the world, and in their lives, in the year 1857. But what about your ancestors? Where were they living, and what were they doing? Is there a more interesting year for your family than 1857? Choose a different year, and tell me your ancestors’ stories!

Selected Sources:

Akta stanu cywilnego parafii rzymskokatolickiej w Mistrzewicach, Polskie Towarzystwo Genealogiczne, Metryki.genealodzy.pl, 1875, Małżeństwa, #2, record for Zofia Zielińska and Piotr Malinowski, accessed on 10 November 2017.

2 Akta stanu cywilnego parafii rzymskokatolickiej w Mlodzieszynie, Polskie Towarzystwo Genealogiczne, Metryki.genealodzy.pl, Księga zgonów 1889-1901, 1895, #59, death record for Wojciech Kalota, accessed on 10 November 2017.

Roman Catholic Church, St. Mary Magdalene parish (Szczucin, Dąbrowa, Małopolskie, Poland), Księgi metrykalne, 1786-1988, Akta małżeństw 1786-1988, Maniów, 1860, 16 September, marriage record for Jacobus Klaus and Francisca Liguz, Family History Library film # 1958428 Items 7-8.

Roman Catholic Church, St. Anne’s Parish (Kołaczyce, Jasło, Podkarpackie, Poland), Śluby, 1826-1889, Stare Kopie, 1861, #11, marriage record for Jacobus Łącki and Anna Ptaszkiewicz.

Roman Catholic Church, St. Bartholomew’s parish (Rybno, Sochaczew, Mazowieckie, Poland), Księga urodzeń 1845-1854, 1850, #48, baptismal record for Maryanna Zarzycka.

Roman Catholic Church, St. Bartholomew’s parish (Rybno, Sochaczew, Mazowieckie, Poland), Księga urodzeń 1845-1854, 1853, #60, baptismal record for Paulina Zarzycka.

Roman Catholic Church, St. Bartholomew’s Parish (Rybno, Sochaczew, Mazowieckie, Poland), Księga urodzeń, 1855-1862, 1856, #48, baptismal record for Tomasz Zarzecki.

Roman Catholic Church, St. Bartholomew’s Parish (Rybno, Sochaczew, Mazowieckie, Poland), 1828, #34, baptismal record for Ignacy Zarzycki.

Akta stanu cywilnego Parafii Rzymskokatolickiej Kowalewo-Opactwo (pow. słupecki), 1832, marriages, #14, record for Stanisław Grzesiak and Jadwiga Dąbrowska, Szukajwarchiwach, http://www.szukajwarchiwach.pl/, accessed 17 November 2017.

10 Roman Catholic Church, Zagórów parish (Zagórów (Słupca), Poznań, Poland), Kopie księg metrykalnych, 1808-1947, 1843, #137, death record for Antoni Krawczyński.; FHL film #2162134, Item 1, Akta zgonów 1844-1849.

11 Roman Catholic Church, St. Joseph’s parish (Detroit, Wayne, Michigan, USA), “Marriages”, 1857, #15, marriage record for Michael Ruppert and Magdalena Causin.

12 New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 (index and image), record for Franz, Catherine, Michael, Arnold, and Catherine Rupard, S.S. William Tell, arrived 4 March 1853, http://ancestry.com, subscription database, Microfilm Serial: M237, 1820-1897; Microfilm Roll: Roll 123; Line: 51; List Number: 146, accessed 17 November 2017.

13 Roman Catholic Church (Heßloch (Kr. Worms), Hesse, Germany), Kirchenbuch, 1715-1876, 1834, baptismal record for Michael Ruppert, FHL film #948719.

14 1860 U.S. Census (population schedule), Detroit, Wayne, Michigan, p. 142, Michael Roberts and Frank Roberts households, http://ancestry.com, subscription database, accessed 17 November 2017.

15 Michigan, County Marriages, 1820-1940, database, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, FamilySearch, (https://familysearch.org), database with images, 1855, #11, record for Henry Wagner and Catherine Dellinger, accessed 17 November 2017.

16 New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 (image and transcription), record for Henry, Cath., August, Johnny, Gertrude, and Marianne WagnerS.S. Erbpring Luidrich August, arrived 29 September 1853 in New York,  Microfilm Serial: M237, 1820-1897; Microfilm Roll: Roll 132; Line: 12; List Number: 1010,  http://ancestry.com/, subscription database, accessed 17 November 2017.

17 Michigan, County Marriages, 1820-1940,  (images and transcriptions), Wayne County, marriage certificates, 1842-1848, v. B, #1733, marriage record for Victor Dellinger and Catherine Grenzinger, 3 February 1846,  FamilySearch, https://familysearch.org, accessed 17 November 2017.

18 1850 U.S. Federal Census (population schedule), Detroit, Wayne, Michigan, page 156B and 157, Victor Dalmgher household, http://ancestry.com, subscription database, accessed 17 November 2017.  

19 Census of 1861, database, Library and Archives Canada, St. Catharines, Lincoln, Canada West (Ontario), Robert Walsh household, item number 2721097, accessed 17 November 2017.

 20 Census of 1861, database, Library and Archives Canada, Grantham, Lincoln, Canada West (Ontario), Library and Archives Canada, Robert Dodds household, Item number 1884852, accessed 17 November 2017.

21 Roman Catholic Church, Gündelwangen parish (Gündelwangen, Waldshut, Freiburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany), Kirchenbuchduplikat, 1810-1869, 1847, baptisms, #4, record for Maria Bertha Rogg, p. 165, with addendum on page 171, Family History Library film #1055226.

22 Passenger and Immigration Lists, 1820-1850,  record for Jacob Behringer, Catherine, and Marie Behringer, S.S. Admiral, arrived 4 November 1848 in New York, http://ancestry.com/, subscription database, accessed 17 November 2017.

23 1860 United States Federal Census (population schedule), 7th Ward Buffalo, Erie, New York, p. 77, Jacob Barringer household, http://familysearch.org, accessed 17 November 2017.

24 1860 United States Federal Census (population schedule), 7th Ward Buffalo, Erie, New York, p. 73, Joseph Murri household, http://familysearch.org, accessed 17 November 2017.

25 Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 (image and transcription), record for Joseph, Walburga, Anna, Marie, and Johann Muri, S.S. Hansa, arrived 3 April 1869 in New York,  Microfilm Serial: M237, 1820-1897; Microfilm Roll: Roll 308; Line: 38; List Number: 292. http://ancestry.com/, subscription database, accessed 17 November 2017.

26 BZAR, Roman Catholic Church, St. Pancrus parish (Roding, Cham, Oberpfalz, Germany), Marriage record for Johann Maier and Anna M. Urban, 27 October 1857, Vol. 27, page 3 MF 573.

271900 United States Federal Census (population schedule), Buffalo, Erie, New York, E.D. 107, Sheet 16B, Charles Goetz household, https://.ancestry.com, subscription database, accessed 17 November 2017.

28 1900 United States Federal Census (population schedule), Gainesville, Wyoming, New York, E.D. 122, Sheet 9A, John Baumler household, https://.ancestry.com, subscription database, accessed 17 November 2017.

© Julie Roberts Szczepankiewicz 2017