Like a cold case detective, a fresh set of eyes was needed. Could I pick up any new leads? I hadn’t really looked at the evidence in nine years.
Nine years prior, my goal was to find the names of my great grandparents…just their names would be like discovering gold. My Polish emigrant grandparents had left few clues about the parents they left behind in the Old Country. The hunt was on.
My grandparents, Franciszek and Anna, were married in Philadelphia in October, 1914. A certified copy of their marriage license was obtained from The Orphans’ Court of Philadelphia County. It revealed that Franciszek’s father was Jakob Slabik and his mother Agata Kendra. Jakob was a farmer while Agata was a housewife. It told that Anna’s parents were Stanislaw Mroz and Tekla Gornyk. Both were deceased. I had found them, my great grandparents.
Also, I looked for the church records of my grandparents’ marriage at Saint Ladislaus, a Roman Catholic Church. This Polish ethnic parish no longer existed, but its records were stored in another parish. When I received the record, lo and behold it was in Latin. The places of their baptisms were recorded, but the handwriting was difficult to read. That could be a help in locating records.
Now nine years later, I took another look at these records. What might I have missed? The witnesses to their marriage were now familiar names that I had discovered in further research. One was Catherine, whom recently I “met”, was her married sister. The other was my grandfather’s brother. (I had found his name as my grandfather’s contact in his Ellis Island records. I have never found him in any Census record.)
Why is this my favorite find? I found my great grandparents names which was a goal I had. Also, my grandparents were married with their siblings along side. They had two people who loved them to witness their marriage.
Now to crack the next set of clues: where they were baptized and what records will that information lead…just like a cold case file.
Once Upon A Lifetime: Tales And Vignettes Of My Ancestors 
My Polish ancestors were in Philadelphia, too (St. Adalbert’s though). Did you manage to decipher the Latin? If not, I encourage you to post a copy of the image on your blog. You’d be surprised how helpful “crowd sourcing” can be for information!
LikeLike
My Polish ancestors were in Philadelphia, too (St. Adalbert’s parish). Did you ever decipher the Latin? If not, I encourage you to post it in a blog post. You’d be surprised how helpful “crowd sourcing” can be to help you solve things! (PS if this comment appears twice, I apologize…having issues with my browser today)
LikeLike
Have you since translated the Latin? For me that would still be easier than the Cyrillic I have to deal with for my Polish records. New digitized Polish records do appear through the various portals from time to time…hope you find some more to help get you back another generation 🙂
LikeLike