Posts Tagged ‘smoliw’

In my last post I stated that I was going to search out information about my grandmother and great grandmother because I was running out of options/data regarding my grandfather but, at that time, I didn’t know where or how to start because I didn’t have much information about either of them.

However, thanks to the Polish Ancestry Researcher, Lucjan Cichocki, and the municipal clerk in Lutowiska, Poland I may have received the church record of my grandparents marriage.

marriage record

There are a few inconsistencies that I need to resolve and explain.  But if this is the true record of my grandparents marriage then it helps in explaining other data I received.  One of those was about my grandmother’s maiden name.  Some time ago when I was first starting my family research and while my father was still alive, I starting asking him the basic questions; i.e. what was your mother’s maiden name, what was your father’s name, etc.  It was this time that my father told me that he never knew his father because he passed away when he was a baby.  I acquired a copy of my grandfather’s death record confirming that he died when my father was just a baby, less than a year old.  The death  record listed my great grandparents as Basilius and Anna Iwaniw.  Well, that didn’t help me with my great grandmother’s maiden name.  I already knew that my great grandfather was named Wasyl (Basilius) and my great grandmother’s name was Anna from my father, but I didn’t know my great grandmother’s maiden name.  According to the marriage record my great grandmother’s maiden name was Stefanow

Now, where did the Shubish come from?  If you look at the record at the information regarding Matrona’s mother you’ll notice one of the surnames referenced is Skubycz.  Could this be where my father got the surname from?  Lucjan was kind enough to send me his translation of the information on the marriage record.

Here’s the translation:
no. 15
date 7/22/1902 (this is a Greek Catholic church record, there was no civil registration in the Austrian-controlled part of Poland back then)
house no. 26
the groom: Michael Iwanow, single, a son of Basilius Iwanow and Anna nee Stefanow, farmers in Lutowiska, a Greek Catholic aged 25
the bride: Matrona Iwanow, single Greek Catholic woman aged 19, a daughter of Maria Smolij [who was] a daughter of Gregorius [and this Maria Smolij was] 1st married [to a man named] Skubycz [and then] 2nd married [to a man named] Iwanow, [Matrona and/or her mother was] from Michniowiec [I am not 100% positive about the place name]
witnesses: Michael Iwanow, Joannes Iwanow, farmers of Lutowiska
The translation/record raises more questions.  When it comes to the bride’s lineage it does seem a bit confusing.  Trying to put things together logically, I would presume that Matrona’s parents were Gregory and Maria Smolij.  From here things seem to get a bit confusing.  The narrative isn’t very clear.  But my logic would dictate that Maria was married in the following chronological order:
  1. First married to Gregory Smolij
  2. Then married a man named Skubycz
  3. Finally married to a man named Iwanow.

But what was Maria Iwanow’s maiden name?  The record doesn’t say.  I could leave things as is because Matrona’s family line is not a surname that I am trying to research.  Its purpose is to help me connect to others that are researching their family history that may be connected to mine.  I’ve written to Lucjan for further clarification and explanation of the information in the record.

I had already updated about locating my grandfather’s death record and confirming his date of death and the fact that he passed away while my father was an infant. What that research uncovered was that records from my father’s village are extremely limited, both church and civil records.

My Great Grandmother

The church death record listed my great grandfather’s name as Wasyl (Basilius, in Latin) and my great grandmother’s name as Anna.  However, I know my great grandfather’s surname was Iwaniw as was my great grandmother’s married surname.  But I don’t know what her birth name was. It’s not referenced on the death record.  So, now I have to determine the best method to find my great grandmother’s birth name and details.  Without actual records I’ll have to estimate dates and events and search from there.  More or less trial and error.  Were they married in Lutowiska?  Or did they move from another location?  If I can find their marriage record it will give a wealth of information.

My Grandmother

My grandmother’s name that I have is Matrona Smolii/Smoliw.  There are 2 different spellings because my father used both spelling on different documents.  His displace person registration record lists his mother’s name as Matrona Smolii.  He lists her name as Matrona Smoliw on his SS-5 (Social Security application) and this spelling is used on his death certificate.  I’m also search the different genealogy web sites (Ancestry, Family Search, and My Heritage) for a Matrona Smolii/Smoliw and have cone up empty.  To me this means that there is no one else researching the Smolii/Smoliw family line.

So, to this end I’m going to be searching out the marriage record/certificate for my grandparents.  This should give me information of my grandmother and, hopefully, both of my great grandparents.  I was also thinking about finding my grandfather’s birth record/certificate but this would only give me information pertaining to him and I believe the records are limited in date range.  But this will be alternative research path.