The Spiraling Chains - The Spiraling Chains: Kowalski - Bellan Family Trees

Going To The Chapel and We're Gonna Get Married...and Baptize Our Firstborn

4/14/2017

I have finally had the chance to parse through all of the records I gathered during my trip to RootsTech and the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. I was fortunate to find records relating to the Rolfes family who came from Spreda, Germany, a small agricultural community about a half-hour walk from Langförden, which is where the nearest Catholic church was/is located.

My husband's 5th great-grandparents were Johann Henrich Rolfes and Maria Elisabeth Stüve. Johann Henrich and Maria Elisabeth were married in Langförden on 9 Jul 1805, which you can see on the second entry in the image below. (Here the surname is spelled Roelfes.)

Marriage Record of Johann Henrich Ro(e)lfes and Maria Elisabetha Stuve

I started looking through baptism records, and I found that the couple's first child, Maria Elisabetha, was born just a few days before, on 5 Jul 1805. The baby was christened on the same day they married: 9 Jul 1805.

Baptism Record of Maria Elisabetha Ro(e)lfes

In my research, of course, I have encountered situations in which a marriage was no doubt due to an impending birth. However, I've never encountered something like this. Did baby come earlier than expected? Was the couple not able to get a dispensation to speed up their nuptials? I don't know, but actually, this process of marrying couples and baptizing their children all at once has become more common in the modern day, with more and more couples having children before marriage, and with the prevalence of more and more blended families. Perhaps we can just say that Johann Henrich and Maria Elisabeth were ahead of their time!

Image source: FHL film 911504, Langförden

©2017 Emily Kowalski Schroeder

Wedding Wednesday: Beljan-Benički Wedding

2/11/2015

Recently, I found a marriage record for which I had been looking for a long time. My great-grandparents, George and Ursula Bellan were Croatian immigrants who immigrated to the U.S. in 1893 and 1898, respectively. My great-grandmother indicated on her 1898 passenger ship manifest that she was going to her 'husband,' but the 1900 U.S. Census indicated that they had only been married 1 1/2 years.

So which one was correct? Had they been married in Croatia before George left for America, or did they wait until Ursula arrived in America? Well, a couple of years ago, I visited the Cuyahoga County Archives in Cleveland, Ohio, and they were NOT able to find a county marriage record for George and Ursula. The researcher did warn me that there may have been just a church wedding, so it may not have been recorded at the county level.

Recently, I conducted a search for the record on FamilySearch.org, and wouldn't you believe it, there was the record, nice and indexed for me plain as day! It always pays to go back and look at databases you've already searched! Here is the record (click for larger image):

Marriage Record of Juraj Beljan and Ursula Benicki

The wedding took place on 29 May 1892 in Podstene, Primorje-Gorski Kotar, Croatia. Juraj, son of Franjo and Rozalija Beljan, was 19 years old and resided in Sela, Brod Moravice. Ursula, daughter of Mate and Ursula Benički, was 18 years old and from Doluš. The witnesses were Miko Brajdić and Anton Benički. Anton was probably Ursula's uncle. Brajdić was the maiden name of Juraj's mom, so Miko is likely a maternal uncle or cousin of Juraj.

About a year later, Juraj (soon to be George), left for America, not to see his wife for five years. According to his Petition for Naturalization, George arrived in America on 5 Jun 1893.

©2015, Emily Kowalski Schroeder

Marriage Record Source: FHL microfilm 2099984. Marriage, Podstene, Primorje-Gorski Kotar, Croatia. p 70, Vjencani 1858-1913, Hrvatskog Drzavnog Arhiva, Zagrebu.

A 70th Wedding Anniversary

8/26/2014

Today, my husband's paternal grandparents, Walter and Naomi (Grilliot) Schroeder are celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary. They were married 26 Aug 1944 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in McCartyville, Shelby County, Ohio. Both the bride and groom were 19 years old.

The following is an account of the ceremony from the September 1st issue of The Minster Post:

The matron of honor listed, Mrs. Lawrence Jones, was Norma Mary Schroeder, Walter's sister. The maid of honor was Naomi's sister Ruth, and Norma's husband was the best man. (Walter, who had acquired the nickname 'Chub,' didn't have any brothers.) Here is a photo; it's a copy of a copy, so the quality isn't great, but I love using the descriptions in the newspaper article to get a better mental image of the clothing and flowers.

The weather nerd that I am, I went to the National Climatic Data Center online and looked up what the weather was like at the nearest observation location, which was just north of Sidney, Ohio. It looks like it was a relatively "cool" day for late August; The high temperature was 74F and the low temperature was all the way down to 44F, which makes me believe that it was likely mostly clear and sunny. There was no rain.

Walter and Naomi have lived in Sidney, Ohio during their entire marriage. They have six children; five girls and one boy. Grandpa is a WWII Army veteran and Grandma still makes the best cookies and enjoys crocheting blankets for her many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

They probably won't see this blog post, but I just wanted to let the world know that all of us in the family feel blessed to be a part of the family that they started 70 years ago.

©2014, copyright Emily Kowalski Schroeder

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Wedding Wednesday: Pierre Francois Burtcher and Marie Celestine Voisinet

6/17/2014

This past Sunday, I posted the 1850 U.S. Census of Pierre François and Marie Celestine (Voisinet) Burtcher (also spelled Bultechert), my husband's 4x great-grandparents. Today, I am posted their marriage record. They were married on 12 May 1846 in Évette, Belfort, France. (Click images for larger views.)

Civil Marriage Record, Pierre Francois Burtcher and Marie Celestine Voisinet, May 1846

Pierre François was the son of Joseph Burtcher and Anne Claire Jardot. Marie Celestine was the daughter of Georges Voisinet and Marie Rose Jardot. Both fathers were farmers. Six months (yep!) after the wedding, the couple welcomed their first child into the world. Marie Rose Julie Burtcher was born 13 Nov 1846 in Évette. She was the couple's only child that was not born in America. They came to America shortly after she was born.

Civil Birth Record, Marie Rose Julie Burtcher, Nov 1846

For reference, the village of Évette is located near the larger city of Belfort, which is located in northeast France in the Territoire de Belfort.

Marriage and Birth Record Source: http://www.archives.cg90.fr/?id=etat_civil
Évette, Births, Deaths, Marriages 1803-1869

©2014, copyright Emily Kowalski Schroeder

Wedding Wednesday: Joseph Bodziony and Sophia Golonka

6/3/2014

During my recent trip to the Family History Library, I was able to find some family records for part of the Polish side of my family. The image below shows a marriage record for Joseph Bodziony and Sophia Golonka, who were my great-grandfather Michael's parents. They were married 22 Sep 1863 in the village of Brzezna, which was also Sophia's place of birth. (Click for larger image.)

Marriage Record of Joseph Bodziony and Sophia Golonka, parents of Michael Bodziony

The record lists the name of the bride and groom, as well as the names of their parents, including their mothers' maiden names. (Can't ask for much more as a genealogist!) The groom, Joseph Bodziony, age 31, was the son of Vincent Bodziony and Marianna Janor. The bride, Sophia Golonka, age 18, was the daughter of Joseph Golonka and Anna Bawotek. In the last column, the record states that the male witnesses were Joannes (Jan in Polish or John in English) Mordarski and Mattheus (Matthew) Iwanski.

As you can see, there is Polish writing underneath the names. Notes like these were not present in every marriage record on the microfilm, so I naturally wondered what it meant. I posted the image in the 'Polish Genealogy' group on Facebook, and asked if anyone could help me read and translate it. A very kind member did so, and I learned that the statement is basically the father of the bride, Joseph Golonka, consenting to the marriage. I also learned from one of the translators that the age of consent in Galicia in the 1860s was 21 years, so Sophia was too young to formally consent on her own.

Below is a map showing the location of Brzezna, in what is now southern Poland. After their wedding, Joseph and Sophia went to live in the nearby town of Swiniarsko, which is where all of their children, including my great-grandfather, Michael, were born.

As a quick but related aside, when I first started researching this line of my family a few years ago, the only thing I knew about my great-grandfather was his name, Michael Bodziony. Through naturalization papers and his immigration ship manifest, I was able to trace his birth back to Swiniarsko. Thanks to these highly informative baptism records listing both parents AND grandparents, I've been able to trace this line back a couple more generations. I am VERY thankful for the Family History Library's microfilmed records, and even MORE grateful for some of the indexing they have done on these records. If not for the indexing, I would have had to look through records for all the little towns and villages around Swiniarsko one-by-one; BUT, because they were indexed, I was able to find Joseph Bodziony and Sophia Golonka right away in Brzezna. Thank you, indexers!

©2014, copyright Emily Kowalski Schroeder

Wedding Wednesday: Grilliot-Drees Wedding

2/25/2014

Frances M. Drees and Bernard O. Grilliot

Bernard Otto Grilliot and Frances Marie Drees were married on May 31, 1921 in Sacred Heart Catholic Church in McCartyville, Ohio. They are the parents of my husband's paternal grandmother, Naomi Grilliot. Here is a wedding photo and below is the description of the wedding from one of the local newspapers, The Minster Post. (Click on images for larger view.)

The female attendants are Eleanor Drees, the bride's sister, and Ursula Hilgefort, who was the daughter of Frances's much-older half-sister, Katherine. Even though Ursula was technically her niece, she and Frances were nearly the exact same age, so they were probably more like sisters. Cletus and Magloire Grilliot were Bernard's younger brothers.

During this time, the family used the 'Grillio' spelling of the surname instead of 'Grilliot,' because that made it easier for people to pronounce it correctly. Bernard's father, Nicholas, ran a local general store as well as a farm implement business. Bernard started his own farm implement business in the 1930s.

Bernard and Frances had ten children - seven girls and three boys. They were married for 58 years. Bernard passed away in 1980 and Frances in 1988.

Bernard and Frances were married by Fr. Edward Lehman, a familiar name to Catholics in the area even to this day. The main Catholic high school that serves the area around Sidney and Piqua, Ohio was named after Fr. Lehman in 1970.

©2014, copyright Emily Kowalski Schroeder

Wedding Wednesday: Jean Nicholas Grillot and Marie Anne Aubry

2/18/2014

This is the Darke County, Ohio probate record of the marriage of Jean Nicholas Grilliot and Marie Anne Aubry, my husband's 3x great-grandparents through his paternal grandmother's line. Jean Nicholas and Marie Anne were both French immigrants whose families had immigrated to western Ohio in 1838 and 1840, respectively. Even though their birth villages were only a couple of kilometers apart in northeastern France, Jean Nicholas and Marie Anne probably did not know each other before settling in Darke County. At the time of the marriage, Jean Nicholas was 28 years old and Marie Anne was 18 years old.

Darke County, Ohio Probate Marriage Record for Jean Nicholas Grillot and Marie Anne Auby.

Jean Nicholas' surname is spelled 'Grillot,' which is indeed his birth name spelling. Somewhere along the way, an extra 'i' was added, making it 'Grilliot,' which is how it is spelled in his will. Marie Anne's surname at birth was spelled 'Aubry,' but 'Obry' is seen in many of her family's American records.

This marriage record, as well as a couple of other other Grillot marriage records from 1852 to early 1853, state that the marriage was solemnized by a Justice of the Peace, NOT a Catholic priest. In fact, simply paging through the probate marriage records for these couple of years, it seems that the mention of a solemnization by a Catholic priest is rare, even for couples who are definitely French (and definitely Catholic). I am guessing that the small French community in the area had to go through longer periods without the presence of an ordained priest - perhaps they shared a priest with another community that was quite some distance away? Perhaps if that one priest suddenly passed away, they would have to wait even longer for a replacement. Whatever the case, the next step for me is to try to track down (if they exist) Catholic church records from the small parishes in this area of Darke County, to see if there ever was a church marriage for these couples who were 'officially' married by a Justice of the Peace.

Darke County, Ohio Marriage Records can be at FamilySearch.org at this link.

©2014, copyright Emily Kowalski Schroeder

Wedding Wednesday: Tumbush - Brunswick Marriage Record

1/28/2014

This past Sunday on the blog, I shared a 1940 census schedule listing my husband's maternal grandmother, Rita Brunswick. At this point in her life, Rita was living with and working for a minister's family in Fort Recovery, Ohio. Two years later, Rita married Frank Tumbush at St. Paul Church in Sharpsburg, Mercer County, Ohio. Below is a copy of their marriage license application (top) and marriage certificate (bottom), as kept within the Mercer County Probate Records. (Click on image for larger view.)

Mercer County, Ohio Probate Marriage Record for Frank Tumbush and Rita Brunswick, 1942.

Here is a short description of the wedding service from the November 27, 1942 issue of The Minster Post. Alvera Wimmers is Frank 's first cousin and Melvin Brunswick is Rita's older brother.

The Minster Post, 27 Nov 1942, Page 4, Column 3

Below is a photo of St. Paul's Catholic Church. Like many of the older Catholic churches in this area of Ohio, St. Paul's is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building was designed by Anton DeCurtins, a Swiss immigrant who helped design and build many Gothic-style churches in Mercer County. Those who are not from this area of western Ohio or who have never visited are often surprised to learn about the area's many beautiful Gothic-revival churches that were erected in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It is often called the "Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches."

St. Paul Catholic Church, Sharpsburg, Ohio (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

©2014, copyright Emily Kowalski Schroeder

Happy 40th Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

9/1/2013

My parents, Terry and Jennifer (Bellan) Kowalski were married on September 1, 1973 at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Parma, Ohio. To commemorate the day, I've created a special online photo album of their wedding pictures. The album can be found at this link: http://kowalski-bellan.weebly.com/kowalski-bellan-wedding-album.html

The one "story" we (the kids) always hear about that day is how HOT it was. The church was not air-conditioned - it wasn't even air-conditioned after it was turned into our school gymnasium in the 1980s - BUT the reception hall thankfully was air-conditioned. Since I know the places in which to obtain historical weather information, I decided to look up the weather details of that day. I found two Cleveland observation stations not too far from Parma. Here are their temperature observations for September 1:

The average high temperature for September 1st in Cleveland is around 79F, so yes, that's pretty warm, and it was likely quite humid, too. Several observations stations mostly east of Parma recorded some precipitation for the day, likely due to smaller "pop-up" thunderstorms. (The second column shows rainfall for September 1, in inches.)

©2013, copyright Emily Kowalski Schroeder

Wedding Wednesday: Family Photos at Weddings

7/2/2013

Today is my and my husband's ninth wedding anniversary. I thought about just posting some wedding photos from that day, but recently I've been trying to write more family history blog posts that attempt to help other family historians and give them tips about researching and archiving. So, today I'm going to share some photos that (I think) should be mandatory at every wedding. My husband and I didn't realize it during the reception, but our photographer went to every table and took a photo of the guests seated there. I remember getting the proofs back, seeing these photos, and saying to myself, "What a great idea!" Now, almost a decade later, I look back at these photos and I am extremely grateful that our photographer did this for us. A few of these family members have passed away and it's great just to see smiles on their faces. Some are family members who we didn't get to see very often, so it's great to have photos and be able to show my kids, "That's your great-great aunt." or "Those are Grandma K's godparents." The kids in the photos - oh my goodness, the kids have grown up SO much!. So, if you or someone you know is getting married anytime soon, suggest that they ask their photographer to do this and I guarantee they will thank you for it! (These are just a few of ours!)