This is what makes it feel very rewarding with what Catherine and I are doing to help others find their families. I hope you all have the same success. Tina
From: Omagrooman@aol.com
To: PolandBorderSurnames-L@rootsweb.com
Date: February 11, 2003
Hello to all my helpful friends,
I am here to offer words of encouragement and advice to those of you who are researching ancestors in perhaps the most complicated part of the world. I have been pursuing genealogical research for 23 years. I was looking for paternal grandparents in Germany. Surprise. I needed to be researching Poland. (I am probably the only German name on this wonderful list.) In the last few months I've had great success. Perhaps some of my story will help you.
I will begin at the end. When I finally found a SS# for my grandfather, which was not on the SS Death Index, I paid for a copy of his application. There was the true place of his birth. Orlowo, Lipno, Poland. The internet and encouraging friends led me to the Archium Panstwowe w Toruniu, Oddzial we Wloclawku. I had heard horror stories of Archives taking your money and not coming up with anything, but I gambled. I'm so glad I did. Researchers in Archives went above and beyond my request, and found more material than I had dared hope for. I paid $35 for their initial research. They sent me a list of names and dates they had found and included price list for whatever documents I wanted copied.
I sit here telling you I have 16 pages of documents pertaining to my grandfather, his father, and his grandfather. (Of course I need translations, but that's the least of my worries.) I'm on cloud nine. What brought me to this euphoric state? Persistence. I'm not qualified to tell you what websites to search. I was led to a particular site, sent a letter of inquiry, received a note outlining what documents were available, and
instructions for forwarding money for research. It worked.
Steps I followed. I went to my local bank. The Archives had requested $65 for all the information they had. The bank wrote a check with proper reference to Archive account. I paid bank $65. No fee. Two months have passed. I have my documents.
Regarding correspondence to Archives. I read somewhere the Archives accepts letters written in English but will respond in Polish. True. I sent my request using format for Polish request. I also included a note in English asking if they could tell me where to write for records re my paternal grandmother. (I also told them how much I appreciated what they had done on my behalf. I believe thank-you is appreciated in any language.)
In today's mail I received copies of my documents, as well as a typewritten letter telling me where I can write for records pertaining to my paternal grandmother.
Some of you have questions regarding cost, time, accuracy, etc. I am here to say that when I started research so many years ago it was reaasonable to spend $5 for copy of a document, if you were fortunate enough to know where the document should come from. This recent sucess of mine cost me a total of $100 which is not to be sneezed at. On the other hand I have been spending much more than that in reviewing microfilm I have rented simply because it sounded as though it might be from an area of the world I was researching.
How did I come to this success? I signed on to many lists, found great support with PBS, listened to Tina, checked out websites, and here I am. I, personally, cannot offer you more advice. I encourage you to check out websites, read your mail, and keep going. If this Prime Timer can succeed, anyone can. There is light at the end of the tunnel.
Barbara Grooman
Researching Heise, Schirmer, Duve, Manthei
From: millersbr@cox.net
To: PolandBorderSurnames-L@rootsweb.com
Subject: [PBS] Thanks!
Date: Mon, 11 Mar 2002 08:22:04 -0600
Good morning Tina -
I wanted to say thanks to you and the folks on this webline who have been incredibly helpful and fast with their responses.
I signed onto the webline only this past Saturday morning. By that evening, I already found someone in France who helped me decipher my Polish grandmother's baptismal record.
Just last evening, I located someone in the UK who was fluent in both Russian and Polish and they helped me decipher some inscriptions on a photo of my mother's godmother.
With just a little more luck and time, I hope to track down some information on my grandfather (Jan Szymanski).
Thanks again and regards,
Dick Miller
From: aparadowski@hotmail.com
To: PolandBorderSurnames-L@rootsweb.com
Subject: [PBS] Success Story and Church records
Date: Wed, 01 Aug 2001 13:10:42 -0300
Hi everyone, I've been a member of this list, off and on, for a few years. I've been searching for relatives of my grandfather, Jozef Paradowski, living in Poland. After a year of searching I decided to create a web page (http://personal.nbnet.nb.ca/akpara) about my grandfather and all the information that I had gathered hoping that someone in Poland would someday come across it.
Well after three years I am happy to say that on July 20, 2001, I received an unexpected email from a cousin, who was asked by her mother to search for their "lost relatives" in Canada. She found my site and contacted us. Turns out the mother is my fathers 1st cousin. We have been exchanging email and family history as well as many family photos.
I would like to thank the many people on this list for the help they have provided me in my search for our family in Poland. My search however, is not over. I plan to create a similar page for my grandmother, Krystyna Zwolinski from Poznan, who also came to Canada after WWII. With luck and more research I hope to have continued success.
Thank you all,
Adam Paradowski
From: Klmdw5@aol.com
To: po_family@hotmail.com, surnames_pbs@hotmail.com
Subject: Thank you
Date: Sun, 18 Mar 2001 15:53:04 EST
Tina and Catherine,
I want to let you know that because of the Poland Border Surnames website you maintain, we have been reconnected to a part of my husband's family. A member of the family from Warsaw found the site by accident and reviewed the names. Much to his surprise, he found the family name and our e-mail address in the United States. He contacted us immediately and we have since exchanged names and information. It turns out the family split around 1800, with some going to the south of Poland (his side of the family) and the other half staying in central Poland (my husband's side). So he is a distant cousin, but still a direct descendant, and the only other person my husband has ever met with the same last name.
Thank you for the website and for all the hard work you put into it.
Karen Dunin-Wasowicz
Record: 14
Date: Sat Mar 10, 2001 7:57pm EST
Host: 63.11.166.184
Comment: Thanks to this site I have finally found a connection to my paternal heritage. Thanks a million! I do enjoy reading all the interesting searches.
Record: 12
Date: Thu Mar 8, 2001 9:33pm EST
Host: 12.77.144.73
Comment: There is no way I could've traced my Polish ancestry if this site didn't exist. Thank you, Tina, for all of your hard work.
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