MY BLOG

Date:: 12 Jul 2005
Time:: 11:57:16

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Two discoveries: First, one of the Gajda death certificates came. Her father was Jan Gajda (possibly Maryanna's brother???) Her mother was Magdalena Lis. Second, the tapes from the LDS Church came in. I spent about two hours there yesterday and found quite a few Gajda's from the Sokolina area, most importantly, Maryanna Gajda, born in 1872. Unfortunately it is in Russian!!! Does anyone out there read Russian? If so, there is a link on the Home Page. The mother's first name is unrecognizable to me as a name. The last name appears to be Tauda or something like that. That surname appears on some of the other Gajda reports I found yesterday.


Date:: 05 May 2005
Time:: 12:15:44

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After help from Francoise and Bernard in France, we've found out that Jan & Kaspar Jarkiewicz had a sister! Apparently Jan went back to Poland in 1933 to buy a horse for his sister. What surprising news! Since then I have found that two "Aunts" that lived in Cleveland (family had thought that they were not really aunts, just good friends) but after research, I've found that their maiden names were Gajda. I don't think they were sisters to my grandfather, but probably cousins. I've sent for their death certificates, which should give me more information. I also found one of their entries through Ellis Island. Her name was Elizabeth, but was spelled "Elrbisla". The other I may have found, but I was looking for "Victoria" and found several "Wictorya", but the cities did not match. For Elizabeth, though, the town is Charbinnice, which corresponds with Kaspar Jarkiewicz entry papers into France. Exciting!!

Date:: 06 Apr 2005
Time:: 23:10:56

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Wonderful News! Yesterday I received an email from a cousin in France. I knew that Jan's brother, Kaspar/Kasper/Gaspar had emigrated to France. I heard from his grandaughter, who lives in Grenoble. She sent me the picture of him in the car. This is very exciting news!

Date:: 30 Mar 2005
Time:: 23:58:45

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I am so excited! I just received some new photos (well, new to me!!) from my Uncle Frank. They are on the Polish Pictures page. Explanations are there....I only wish that someone, somewhere along the line had seen them sooner and asked who everyone is!!

Date:: 13 Mar 2005
Time:: 21:21:09

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Researching the Jarkiewicz/Mroz family has not been an easy task. It has actually taken several years to come up with what little information I have. I found my grandfather, Jan Jarkiewicz easily enough (twice) through the Ellis Island Website. The first time he came, he was 19 years old. He returned (date unknown) and married my grandmother, Marja Mroz. He returned to the U.S. afterwards, and, according to the ship's records, went to stay with my grandmother's sister Sophia in Chicago. The following year, my grandmother arrived with my Aunt Helen. I was only recently able to find the date and the ship because the spelling in the Ellis Island records has their name spelled Yarkiewicz, which is how it is pronounced. I had a "duh" moment when I saw that, realizing that I should have thought of that myself! I contacted Homeland Security, which now keeps the records of non-citizens during World War II and send for my grandmother's records. There was the name of her hometown - Krakow/Tarnobrzeg! I am trying to get records from there, but no luck yet. From my grandfather's death certificate, and the Ellis Island records, I was able to find that the town of Arbenowitze where he was born, is probably now Baranowitze in Belarus. My mother said that he had always said that Russia was across the street from him and there was always fighting. Now I understand why! More another time....