My Family History Research

In 2021, I matched DNA on 23andMe with HK and JK, with 28 centiMorgans in common with each of them. HK identified one of his ancestors as John Barch, an Americanized version of Jan Barczykowski. Several descendants of my great grandparents Marcin Szczepański and Anna Kalinowska were identified as our relatives in common. How were we related?

In the same DNA cluster were BS and AS, with whom I shared 29 centiMorgans of DNA. Their ancestors used the name Stevens. The Polish given name Szczepan is a variant form of the Polish Stefan, equivalent to the English names “Stephen” or “Steven.” The surname Stevens was a clue that their original name may have been Szczepański. Was this the same family?

My paternal grandmother’s birth name was Marya Szczepańska (the feminine form of the name). Her parents were Marcin Szczepański and Anna Kalinowska, who immigrated to Buffalo, New York, about 1881. While I knew that some of Anna’s Kalinowska‘s relatives had migrated to Chicago, including some Klugiewicz descendants, Marcin Szczepański‘s relatives also immigrated to Chicago, Illinois, including his first cousins Franciszek Szczepański and Jan Szczepański.

Franciszek Szczepański in Chicago, Illinois

Franciszek Szczepański married Elżbieta Główczewska in Chicago in 1892. He was a member of St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, so his marriage banns were read there. Franciszek was młodzieniec, a young man, 24 years old. He had been in Chicago six years and lived at 377 Elston Street. He was the son (syn) of Franciszek Szczepański and Justyna Kaniecka, and had been born (urodzony) in Szönbruck, powiat Grudziądz, in Prusy Zachodnie, West Prussia.

Elżbieta Główczewska was panna, a young unmarried woman, 19 years old, had been in Chicago ten years, and lived at 1059 Robis Street. She was the daughter (córka) of Antoni Główczewski and Rozalia. Elżbieta was born in West Prussia, and was a parishioner at Świętej Jadwigi, St. Hedwig’s Church, on Hoyne Avenue in Chicago.

After the banns were read on October 9, 16, and 23rd, a certificate was issued, and the marriage took place at St. Hedwig Church on 24 October 1892. Elżbieta‘s mother’s name was Rozalia Zble[w]ska.

Tomasz Szczepański and Franciszek Lipski were witnesses.

Franciszek Szczepański and Elżbieta Główczewska‘s daughter Jadwiga Szczepańska was born 8 Jan 1894. Her baptism record at St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, Chicago, Illinois, on 9 Jan 1894 listed her name in Latin/German as Hedwig.

Jadwiga Szczepańska married Jan Barczykowski on 13 Jan 1917 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.

Name: Jadwiga Szczepauska
Age: 20
Gender: Female
Birth Year: abt 1897
Marriage Type: Marriage
Marriage Date: 13 Jan 1917
Marriage Place: Chicago, Cook, Illinois
Spouse Name: John D. Barczykowski
Spouse Age: 22
Spouse Gender: Male

abstract, marriage Jadwiga Szczepańska and John D. Barczykowski, Chicago, Cook, Illinois

Jadwiga Szczepańska and Jan Barczykowski‘s daughter Virginia Barczykowska was born 24 Jul 1918 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.

Name: Verginia Barczykowski
Birth Date: 24 Jul 1918
Birth Place: Chicago, Cook, Illinois
Gender: Female
Father: Jan Barczykowski
Mother: Jadweger Szczepawski

abstract, birth Virginia Barczykowski, Chicago, Cook, Illinois

This family, who shortened their name from Barczykowski to Barch. were the ancestors of my DNA matches HK and JK.

Jan Szczepański in Chicago, Illinois

Jan Szczepański married Monika Śmieszkoł at St. Stanislaus Kostka Church in Chicago 16 Oct 1888. He was młodzieniec, a young man, 24 years old, in Chicago two years, living at 377 Elston Street. He was the son (syn) of Franciszek and Justyna Kaniecka, and was born (urodzony) in Szombruk.

Monika Zmieszkoł was panna, a young unmarried woman, 18 years old, had been in Chicago six years, and lived on 4?7 Elston Street. She was the daughter (córka) of Jan and Agnieszka Waczławczyk. Elżbieta was born (urodzony) in Wielkie S?.

The witnesses were Paweł Rąk and Franciszek Kalinowski.

Jan Szczepański and Monika Śmieszkoł‘s son Józef Szczepański was born 14 Dec 1900 and baptized 16 Dec 1900 at St. Stanislaus Kostka Church in Chicago, Illinois.

Józef Szczepański‘s baptism record was stamped Jun 11 1925, when his baptism was verified for the sacrament of marriage.

Józef Szczepański married Wanda Burkowska, daughter of Stefan Burkowski and Katarzyna Chodkiewicz, in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, on 21 Jul 1925.

Name: Joseph Szczepanski
Sex: Male
Age: 24
Birth Year (Estimated): 1901
Spouse’s Name: Lucille Wanda Burkowski
Spouse’s Sex: Female
Spouse’s Age: 22
Spouse’s Birth Year (Estimated): 1903
Marriage Date: 21 Jul 1925
Marriage Place: Cook, Illinois, United States

abstract, 1925 marriage Joseph Szczepańska and Lucille Wanda Burkowski, Chicago, Cook, Illinois

Józef Szczepański used the name Joseph Stevens and Wanda was called Lucille Stevens. Their descendants were BS and AS.

Third Cousins

Jan and Franciszek Szczepański were brothers, so their great-grandchildren BS and HK are third cousins. Their common ancestors were Franciszek Szczepański and Justyna Kaniecka.

Szembruk, West Prussia

I recognized the names Franciszek Szczepański and Justyna Kaniecka from my research of my great-grandparents Marcin Szczepański and Anna Kalinowska. They were baptized and married in the Roman Catholic church, Kościół św. Bartłomieja (St. Bartholomew) in Szembruk. Although Szembruk is now Szembruk, Grudziądz, Kujawsko-Pomorskie in north central Poland, in the 1800s it was, in German, Groß Schönbrück, Graudenz, Marienwerder, Westpreußen, Preußen.

Franciszek Szczepański and Justyna Kaniecka were married in Groß Schönbrück on 15 Nov 1857, when he was 26 years old and she was 22 years old. The witnesses were Michał Krok and Michał Gronowski.

They were from the little village Klein Schönbrück, which is Szembruczek in Polish. I wrote about finding the place of my ancestors in “Finding Szembruczek.”

My great-great-grandparents Jan Szczepański and Franciszka Kaniecka were married in Groß Schönbrück on 22 Nov 1852, when he was 26 years old and she was 22 years old. They were from Klein Schönbrück. The witnesses were Jan Studzinski and Jakób Szczdun.

Although we are not yet certain how Jan Szczepański (born ~1831, husband of Franciszka) and Franciszek Szczepański (born~1826, husband of Justyna) were related, Franciszka and Justyna Kaniecka may have been sisters, daughters of Andrzej Kaniecki and Marianna Paczka. It is not surprising that their descendants match one another with DNA!

Sources

• Hoffman, William F. Polish Surnames: Origins and Meanings. Chicago, Illinois : Polish Genealogical Society of America. 1993, Second Edition, Revised 2001. Third Edition, Revised 2012.
• LDS Family History Library, “Szembruk (Grudziądz),” database, Kościół rzymsko-katolicki. Parafja, Family Search (familysearch.com: accessed 6 September 2021), Franciszek Szczepanski, Justina Kaniecka; citing Germany, Preußen, Westpreußen, Groß Schönbrück – Church records.
• Library, Family Search, Marianna Szczepanska.
• Illinois, Cook County, Illinois Death Index, 1908-1988, Death, Thomas Szczepanski, 2 November 1921;Division of Vital Records, Springfield, Illinois.
• Illinois, State Deaths and Stillbirths, Death, Monika Szczepanski, 7 April 1939; Division of Vital Records, Springfield, Illinois.
• Illinois Marriage Records, (: accessed 5 September 2021), Francizik Szczepanski, Elzbieta Glowczewska.
• St. Stanislaus Kostka RC Church (Chicago, Illinois), , Marriage banns 1892-1898, 52, Franciszek Szczepański, Elzbieta Główczewska banns; FHL microfilm familysearch.com, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-D1P9-KHK?i=45&wc=M665-M68%3A40375501%2C40914501&cc=1452409.
• St. Hedwig RC Church (Chicago, Illinois), , Marriages 1889-1915, 31, Franciszek Szczepański, Elzbieta Główczewska marriage; FHL microfilm familysearch.com, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6XPS-2JP?i=26&wc=M66P-NZ9%3A39965201%2C39692901&cc=1452409.
• 1900 Federal Census, Illinois, population schedule, Chicago Ward 14, Cook, Illinois, enumeration district (ED) 0420, Page: 14, Frank Szczepanski; digital images,  (online : accessed 5 September 2021); Twelfth Census of the United States.
• 1910 Federal Census, Illinois, population schedule, Chicago Ward 16, Cook, Illinois, enumeration district (ED) 0772, Page: 20B, Frank Szczepański; digital images, various (online : accessed 5 September 2021); Thirteenth Census of the United States.
• Illinois Cook County, Illinois Death Index, 1908-1988, Death, Entry Number 49359, Frank Szczepanski.
• St. Stanislaus Kostka RC Church, Chicago, Illinois, Deaths 1902-1911, 241.
• St. Stanislaus Kostka RC Church, Chicago, Illinois, Deaths 1902-1911, Number 378.
• St. Stanislaus Kostka RC Church, Chicago, Illinois, Baptisms 1900-1905, page 198.
• Illinois Cook County, Illinois Death Index, 1908-1988, Death, Joseph P Stevens.
• Chicago Tribune, Chicago, Illinois, 24 January 1962, Page 25.
• Illinois, Marriage Records, Joseph Szczepanski.
• Illinois Cook County, Illinois Death Index, 1908-1988, Death, Lucille Wanda Stevens.
• St. Stanislaus Kostka RC Church, Chicago, Illinois, Baptisms 1893-1900, page 19, number 314.
• Illinois, Marriage Records, Jadwiga Szczepauska, John D. Barczykowski.
• 1940 Federal Census, Illinois, population schedule, Chicago, Cook, Illinois, enumeration district (ED) 103-2051, Number and Letter: 9A, John J Barch; digital images,  (online : accessed 17 September 2021); Sixteenth Census of the United States.
• Social Security Administration, “U.S. Social Security Death Index,” database, Social Security Applications and Claims (online : accessed 5 September 2021), Marie Thresa Barch [Marie T Mueller] [Marie Mueller], 322072824, November 1936.
• Illinois, Cook County Birth Registers 1871-1922, Birth, Chicago, Cook, Illinois, Richard Henry Barczykowski, 19 January 1922; Division of Vital Records, Springfield, Illinois.
• Illinois Cook County Birth Registers 1871-1922, Birth, File Number: 6007853, Harriet Barczykowski.
• Family History Library, “Szembruk (Grudziądz),” database, Kościół rzymsko-katolicki. Parafja, Family Search (familysearch.com: accessed January 2018), Franciszka Kaniecka; citing Germany, Preußen, Westpreußen, Groß Schönbrück – Church records.
• Library, Family Search, Franciszka Kaniecka.
• Library, Family Search, Jan Szczepanski, Franciszka Kaniecki.
• LDS Family History Library, “Szynwałd (Grudziądz),” database, Kościół rzymsko-katolicki. Parafja, Family Search (familysearch.com: accessed March 2018), Joannes Szczepański; citing Germany, Preußen, Westpreußen, Groß Schönwalde – Church records.