The Spiraling Chains: Kowalski - Bellan Family Trees
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Assessment of 2013 Genealogy Goals

12/31/2013

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On January 1, 2013, I wrote a blog post listing my family research goals for 2013.  Today, I have decided to go back to that list and see how I have done with my goals.

1.) Small bookshelf for my binders.  This was actually one of the first goals that I accomplished in the new year, and here is the blog post about it.  Actually, after I wrote this post, I purchased a third shelf because I had to create even more binders, which is a good thing!  It's hard to believe that, a year ago, my binders were just in stacks on the floor in a corner of our bedroom.  Definitely an improvement.

2.) Organize and subdivide the family files on my computer's hard drive.  This goal was intimidating to me, but it ended up not being as difficult as I thought it would be.  Now, I pretty much have separate folders on my desktop computer's hard drive for each surname in my and my husband's family trees.  I also have sub-folders within those surname folders for each family unit within that surname. So, for example, within the folder for my husband's great-grandfather are sub-folders for his grandfather AND each of his grandfather's siblings.

3.) Finish posting my husband's family tree documents on the website I set up for his side of the family (http://schroeder-tumbush.weebly.com). When I set this goal for myself, I was in the process of uploading all of my genealogy findings onto this website, organized by surname.  I had NOT completed my husband's grandmother's line, which included some very large German and French Catholic families.  Don't get me wrong, I was happy that I was able to find so much information on these families, but I wanted to have all that information on the website, so that other researchers could find it an access it.  Well, I accomplished this goal, at least for the ancestors who immigrated to America; I still have some work to do for the generations prior to immigration. And because I list each individual's documents chronologically on the website, doing this also helped me get more of a 'timeline' view of each of their lives, and it helped me visualize the gaps in my sources.

4.) Utilize my membership to the Ohio Genealogical Society (OGS).  I feel like I did accomplish this goal, because I attended the OGS annual conference in Cincinnati this past spring.  It was my first experience at a genealogy conference and I had a great time.  I wrote about the highlights of the conference here.  During this conference, I also experienced my first on-site research session at the Cincinnati Public Library.  I was able to find a few of my husband's 19th century immigrant ancestors in some of the records in the library's genealogy section, so that was exciting.

5.) Find my great-grandparents' gravesites in Cleveland's Calvary Cemetery.  I called the cemetery's front office and obtained plot information for the graves.  (I actually had to call on a few separate occasions, because the worker always seemed annoyed to have to look up the plots.)  I posted the plot information on the Find A Grave memorials I had created and, thanks to a kind volunteer, I now have photos of their graves.

6.) Use Family Tree Maker (FTM) 2012 software more.  Here is one goal that I did NOT meet this year.  I never caught on to FTM and I found that I do not really like it.  So, I have downloaded the free version of RootsMagic 6 and will see if I do any better with it.

Other Accomplishments:

- I purchased 'cloud' space on which to backup not only my genealogy research, but also my family photos and other important documents.  It doesn't matter how many computers or external hard drives I have my data on - one house fire would take out all of it. So, I have budgeted for cloud space and it gives me more relief and peace of mind than you could ever imagine.

- I have started to scour non-indexed online databases on FamilySearch. FamilySearch has a nice collection of probate records for the State of Ohio, and I've been able to find wills and estate records for several of my husband's ancestors. These records, in turn, helped me verify some of the other documents I have found AND even solve some mysteries, such as what the married names of daughters had become.  FamilySearch also has some great 19th century naturalization records for the State of Ohio that haven't been indexed yet.  I was able to find some of my husband's ancestors' Declarations of Intention in this database.

- I visited the Cuyahoga County Archives in Cleveland, Ohio.  I was able to obtain my great-grandfather's naturalization papers as well as tax appraisal records for another great-grandfather's house/business. This experience helped me to realize that there really are so many 'non-conventional' records that can help us learn about our ancestors' lives, aside from the regular old census, birth, marriage, and death records.

- I started research on a whole 'new' matrilineal line in my husband's tree, the Wilkens family.  This line was simply one that I had almost 'forgotten' to pursue in the past, but I am so glad that I devoted some time to it in recent months.  It reminded me of all the excitements found within new family discoveries and following leads and solving mysteries.  Sometimes, when you always seem to be working on brick walls and problems, the research almost becomes redundant and boring, but working with a new family has reminded me why I enjoy doing this so much.

- I wrote and posted 97 blog posts.  The topics of these posts included census records, immigration, obituaries, education, tombstones, occupations, old family photos, online genealogy resources, and personal editorials concerning the world of genealogy. 

- Creating a 'genealogy wall' in my home.  I used the knowledge I had gained through my family history research and translated it into a display in our home showing where our ancestors came from, what they did for a living, how they got to America, where they settled, etc.  Here is my blog post about that accomplishment.

Disappointments:

- My mom and I put in a request for her parents' Office Military Personnel Files (OMPF) at the end of May. As expected, we received a notice that my grandfather's Army records had been destroyed in the 1973 fire.  However, we still expected to receive my grandmother's Coast Guard files at some point.  Unfortunately, nothing has yet arrived, and I'm starting to wonder if it ever will.

- Ohio Genealogy Society online resources.  The OGS conference I attended, as mentioned above, was wonderful; however, I don't live in-state and I am unable to visit their main library.  Unfortunately, the group's online resources leave much to be desired.  I will not be renewing my membership with the group this year.  For me, it seems like it is only worth it if I plan on attending the conference, which I don't think I will be able to do this year.
 
- My Local Family History Center.  I ordered several microfilms to be sent to my local family history center.  I had to meet the woman in charge of the center at our local library, because the microfilm machine at the center was broken.  Then, about a week after our first meeting, I tried to call her to set up another meeting and the number she had given me had been disconnected.  I kept trying the number, but to no avail, and I suspect the films have been sent back without me getting a chance to look through all of them. Next time I try to order microfilms, I will have them sent to a different family history center, one that is, perhaps, a little more organized and prepared.


©2013, copyright Emily Kowalski Schroeder
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Dominik Kowalski's Certificate of Citizenship

12/29/2013

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One of my paternal great-grandfathers, Dominik Kowalski, first came to America from Poland in 1912.  HOWEVER, a few months ago, I found a couple of 1929 ship manifests in which Dominik is also listed.  He is on a United Kingdom incoming passenger list from 14 Jun 1929, in which he is listed 'In transit to Gdynia."  He returns to New York on 27 Aug 1929.  It was a short trip back to Poland, and I noticed on the U.K. list that he was accompanied by a couple with the surname of Balicki, which was his wife's maiden name.  (Click on images for larger versions.)
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Dominik Kowalski in June 1929 U.K. Incoming Passengers List
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Dominik Kowalski in Aug 1929 New York Incoming Passengers List
So, why did he go back?  Was he just accompanying some in-laws for the trip, or was there another purpose?  Did a close family member pass away, perhaps?  I may never figure out the answer, but since he was not yet a citizen in 1929 when he re-entered the country, a visa file should have been opened for him. (Between 1924 and 1944, visa files were created for every immigrant entering the U.S.)  Visa files often contain more information that what is just simply listed in naturalization papers, so I was eager to obtain them, if indeed they did exist.

I went on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Genealogy website and ordered an index search for Dominik Kowalski.  The search is supposed to return all file numbers for the immigrant in question.  My search returned a C-File number for Dominik, but no visa file number. The C-File includes a person's citizenship papers, such as the Declaration of Intention and Petition for Naturalization.  I already had copies of these documents for Dominik, but I went ahead and ordered a copy of his C-File anyway, in the hopes that maybe some visa documents would be found in his there as well.  I recently received Dominik's C-File documents from the USCIS, but unfortunately, no visa documents were included.  I did, however, get a copy of his Certificate of Citizenship, which I did not previously have and which included a nice photo of him.  I do have a couple of photos of him as a senior citizen, but this one was taken when he was much younger.  
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Dominik Kowalski's Certificate of Citizenship (1932)
So, while I didn't get any visa documents, going through the whole process was worth it for a copy of his Citizenship Certificate.  I'm not sure why he didn't have a visa file - maybe it was because he had already been living successfully in the U.S. for 17 years, and had filed his Declaration of Intention to become a citizen back in 1925 before this trip to Poland.  I AM pretty confident that he had to fill out some paperwork in order to take this trip (and be able to come back), but, at this point, I'm not sure how to go about finding it.  Will take further digging, I'm sure.

©2013, copyright Emily Kowalski Schroeder
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A Necklace For A Genealogist

12/27/2013

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I am usually a very difficult person to shop for when it comes to birthday and Christmas gifts.  I am not into any of the 'typical' things women usually like to receive: perfume, jewelry/accessories, clothing, etc.  Usually, I like to receive books (or gift cards to buy books), which gets a little old and isn't very exciting. However, my mom and my sister found a great little necklace for me this year that ties into my family history hobbies.  It is a simple silver-toned necklace with a pendant about the size of a dime.  The front of the necklace looks like this:
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Front of Necklace
Under this little tree, is a second disk that has writing on both sides of it.  It says, "Like branches on a tree we grow in different directions yet our roots remain as one."
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I love the simplicity of the necklace; it is something that I can wear everyday.  The saying means a lot to me because I admit AM different in many ways from most of my other family members.  It's all right, though; diversity is good.  The necklace is manufactured by Premier Designs, and if you click on this link, you can get in touch with a representative near you (No, I do not work for them, but I just think this is a great gift idea for anyone you know who does family history research or preservation.)

©2013, copyright Emily Kowalski Schroeder
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The Kowalski Kids, Christmas 1958

12/20/2013

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My Dad (on the far left) with his brother and sisters, Christmas 1958.
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The Kowalski Kids, Christmas 1958
©2013, copyright Emily Kowalski Schroeder
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Tombstone Tuesday: Christopher and Catherine Magoto

12/9/2013

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Christopher Magoto and his wife, Catherine Humbert Magoto are buried in Darke County, Ohio's Holy Family Cemetery.  They are my husband's 4x great-grandparents through his paternal grandmother's line.  Christopher and Catherine were born in the town of Hannonville-sous-les-Côtes, which is located in the Lorraine region of northeastern France.  In 1852, they left France with six of their children and sailed to America, entering the country at New York City and subsequently making their way to the small French Catholic communities located in the northeastern portion of Darke County, Ohio.  Like most other French and German immigrants in the area, they lived on a farm, grew crops, and raised livestock.  Catherine passed away in 1861 at age 49, while Christopher lived until 1892, when he passed away at age 80.  He did not remarry after his wife passed away.

When I found both Christopher and Catherine's French civil birth records, I noticed that the ages at death as inscribed on the gravestone were incorrect (fairly common, esp. for immigrants).  Also, like most French immigrants in this area, the family changed their surname from 'Magotaux,' which is how it is spelled on Christopher's birth record, to the more phonetic and easily-spelled 'Magoto.'  I do love that Catherine's maiden name is included on the gravestone; if only all of our female ancestor's had theirs on their stones - tracing female lines would be so much easier!
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Gravestone of Christopher and Catherine (Humbert) Magoto.
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Close-up of Christopher Magoto engraving.
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Close-up of Catherine Magoto engraving.
Photos courtesy of Find A Grave.  Photographed by Bubbysgal and Jenni Monnier

©2013, copyright Emily Kowalski Schroeder
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Census Sunday: The Drees Family, 1850

12/8/2013

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Today's census schedule show the family of Johann Michael Drees, my husband's great-great-great grandfather through his paternal grandmother's branch.  In 1850, Johann Michael, or John Michael, was living in Minster, Ohio and working as a blacksmith.  (Click on image for a larger view.)
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The John M. Drees Family, 1850 U.S. Census
John Michael was 38 years old and living with his younger second wife, Catherine.  His first wife, Christina Elisabeth Schemmel, passed away on July 30, 1849 and he was married later that year toMaria Catherine Wellerding.  The five children listed on this census form are Christina Elisabeth's children. My husband's great-great grandfather, J.M. "Mike" Drees was not born until 1851.  Also living with John Michael is his younger brother, Henry, also a blacksmith, who later goes on to become a Catholic priest (and actually the head of his order in the United States - good topic for another blog post).  The 44-year old woman, 'Agnes Swelerding,' is likely Catherine's mother.

After researching this family more, I discovered that Johann Michael Drees is actually somewhat of a 'celebrity' in the history of Minster.  He was one of the founding members of the town and served as the town's first mayor.  His was the subject of a short biographical sketch in The History of Western Ohio and Auglaize County, by C.W. Williamson (published in 1905):
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Biography of Johann (John) Michael Drees, The History of Western Ohio and Auglaize County, pages 838-839.
Here is a photo of John Michael Drees that was published in Pilgrims All: A History of St. Augustine Parish, Minster, Ohio, 1832-1982.  Personally, I see a pretty good resemblance between John Michael and my father-in-law (his great-great-grandson), especially considering there are four generations separating them.
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©2013, copyright Emily Kowalski Schroeder
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Veronica Bodziony's High School Yearbook and Diploma

12/6/2013

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My paternal grandmother, Veronica Bodziony Kowalski, graduated from Cleveland's John Hay High School in 1936.  I was recently able to find her yearbook online through the Cleveland Public Library Digital Gallery.  There she is in the second column, third from the top.
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John Hay High School 1936 June Class Yearbook
The 1940 U.S. Census asks respondents their 'highest grade of school completed.' Using this information, I've deduced that Veronica was the first high school graduate in her family.  Her parents were Polish immigrants, and, according to the census, her father completed the 8th grade and her mother only made it to the equivalent of 2nd grade. She had two older siblings, but neither finished high school.  She also had two younger sisters, both of whom did graduate from high school also.

Here is her high school diploma and final report card:
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©2013, copyright Emily Kowalski Schroeder
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Matrilineal Monday: Mary Wilkens Drees

12/2/2013

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Over the past couple of weeks, I have had the opportunity to do something I have not done in awhile: research a branch of my husband's family tree almost from scratch.  I have been able to trace most of my husband's branches back to the point at which they came to America in the 19th century - some lines even further back, but until recently, I had not earnestly tried researching the family of my husband's great-great-grandmother, Mary Wilkens Drees (1857-1942).  Why didn't I?  Part of the reason lies in the fact that she married into the Drees family - a large, influential family in the area - so I had always been preoccupied with collecting information and documents pertaining to THAT branch of the family, and she sort of got placed on the back burner.  Another reason is because, when I did try to dig further back in time, I now know that I was going off of false parentage information that was listed in her obituary and on her death certificate, so even when I did a quick search, nothing relevant seemed to come up.
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Mike and Mary (Wilkens) Drees with their youngest daughter, Frances (my husband's great-grandmother)
For awhile now, I've had Mary's obituary and death certificate.  She married J.M. "Mike" Drees sometime around 1880-1881, after Mike's first wife passed away.  In her obituary, her parents are listed as 'Theodore Wilkens' and 'Mary Fortman,' and in her death certificate, they are 'Theodore Wilkens' and 'Catherine Fortman.' While searching through documents, I found that there was no Theodore Wilkens anywhere in the area old enough to be her father, BUT in the 1880 Census, I do find a Theodore Wilkens living with his parents, J.H. and Elizabeth Wilkens AND a sibling named Mary Wilkens.  The family lives just over the county line, very close to where her future husband is living.  Mary's age is a couple of years off from the 1857 birth date listed on her death certificate, but this is as good of a lead as I've had, so I just go with it.

Along with Theodore and Mary, there are six other children in the household, so I begin to research these siblings of Mary Wilkens.  Almost right away, I find Theodore's death certificate on FamilySearch.org and his obituary in The Minster Post newspaper archives, both of which list his parents as Henry Wilkens and Elizabeth Fortman.  I use these websites to look up the same documents for a couple other of Mary's siblings.  The parents' names agree with those of Theodore, AND Mary is actually listed as a sibling in a couple of the obits. Now, I know I have the right family in the 1880 census.  

Theodore's 1916 obituary states that his father, Henry, died in 1908.  One of my favorite pieces of information to search for with regard to a deceased person is his/her will, and luckily, FamilySearch,org has an extensive collection of probate records from Shelby County, Ohio during this time period.  I almost-too-easily find the will of John Henry (J.H.!) Wilkens, and in it, he listed all of his children, including the married names of his daughters. Golden.  AND based on the date of the will, I went back to the old issues of The Minster Post and found John Henry's (Johann Heinrich's) obituary, too:
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Not only does this obituary list John Henry's children, but it also lists his age at death, where he was born in Germany (Twistringen, Hanover), his year of marriage, the year of his wife's death, where he lived prior to Shelby County, Ohio, and that his parents also made the trip over from Germany.  In the 1900 U.S. Census, John Henry is living with his son, Theodore.  That census form states that he immigrated to America around 1830, so I know he has spent most of his life in America.  I then am able to find him, his wife, Elizabeth, and their children in the 1860 and 1870 census forms, living with John Henry's parents, John Henry and Catherine Wilkens.  Quite serendipitous, really, and it helped that the family stayed in the same county and township for so many decades.  It appears that the elder John Henry passed away sometime between 1870 and 1880, because Catherine is listed as a widow living with her son and grandchildren in the 1880 census.

Just a couple of days ago, I was looking through another of my favorite collections on FamilySearch: Ohio, County Naturalization Records, 1800-1977.  I was able to find the elder John Henry's Declaration of Intention to become a citizen from 1844.  But what is interesting about this document, is that it is actually a replacement of the original document, and it recounts an important event in this family's life that I probably would have never known about otherwise (see my transcription below:)
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"John Henry Wilkins of the county aforesaid makes solemn oath that he made his declaration of intention to become a citizen of the United States seven years ago, in the Court of Common Pleas of Miami County Ohio, that he received at that time a certificate of the clerk of said court of that fact: But that six years ago last spring his house was consumed by fire, and said certificate was consumed in it."

So, the fire would have occurred around 1838, and they probably would have been living in Miami County, Ohio, which is one county south of Shelby County.  By the 1840 Census, he is living in Shelby County.  Would he ever have picked up and moved to Shelby County if not for the fire?  I'll probably never know for sure, but it has really made me think about how a family's future (and not just the immediate future, I'm talking generations down the line, as well) can be changed by events such as these.

©2013, copyright Emily Kowalski Schroeder
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    Emily Kowalski Schroeder

    Emily Kowalski Schroeder

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