My Family History Research

You never know from where a clue will come.

My grandmother’s cousin Maryanna Witoń married Józef Solowski at Corpus Christi Roman Catholic Church in Buffalo, Erie, New York, on 26 Jan 1915. I wrote about the “Family of Maryanna Witoń Solowski,” but we did not know much about the origins of Józef Solowski.

In 2022, letters to Maryanna Witoń Solowska were found in the papers of Josephine Wronska Szczepanska by Josephine‘s daughter. These were scanned by Maryanna‘s Wronski grandson and shared with family members. I wrote about “Aniela Witoń Wilk, Sister of Maryanna Witoń Solowska” and Maryanna‘s Witoń family of Gnieszowice, Koprzywnica, Sandomierz, Świętokrzyskie, Poland.

Two of the letters to Maryanna Solowska were from Józef Solowski‘s family. Genowefa Dojutrek signed her letters as Gienka, a diminutive for her given name Genowefa, the Polish form of Geneviève.

There were several clues in these letters, but the return address was probably the most important. Genowefa Dojutrek wrote from the village (wies) Piotrków in the powiat Bychawa in the voivodeship (województwo) Lublin of Poland. In Polish, it is województwo Lubelskie.

The Polish gazetteer Skorowidz Królestwa Polskiego shows the Roman Catholic parish for Piotrków was in Krzczonów. The Lublin Roots genealogy site Lubgens has indexed records for Krzczonów and the database shows that the name Solowski and the feminine form Solowska were well represented there. It also listed a few possible variant spellings, most likely the result of transliteration from Russian records.

Genowefa wrote “Jestem córką Andrzeja Solowskiego.” In English, it means, “I am Andrzej (Andrew) Solowski’s daughter.”

A search for Andrzej Solowski in the records of Krzczonów shows that Andrzej was born in 1898 to Wojciech Solowski and Agnieszka Ziętek in Piotrków, Lublin, Congress Poland, Russia.

322 Piotrków

Took place in the village of Krzczonów on 17/29 November 1898 at 3 o’clock in the afternoon. Appeared in person Wojciech Solowski, peasant, 45 years old, residing in the village of Piotrków, and in the presence of the witnesses Benedykt Solowski, age 50,and Kacper Ziętek, age 60, both peasants, residing in Piotrków, he presented to Us a child of male sex stating that this child was born in the village of Piotrków on 16/28 November of the current year at 9 o’clock in the morning to his lawful wife Agnieszka, née Ziętek, 43 years old. At the Holy baptism performed on this day by priest, local vicar, Tomasz Stachowicz this child was given the name Andrzej and his godparents were Benedykt Solowski and Elżbieta Ziętek. This act was read aloud to the illiterate people present and signed only by Us.

1898 birth of Andrzej Solowski in Piotrków, Krzczonów, Lublin, Congress Poland, Russia

Andrzej Solowski, son of Wojciech Solowski and Agnieszka Ziętek, married Katarzyna Podsiadła, daughter of Paweł Podsiadło and Elżbieta Małek, on 12 November 1924 in Krzczonów, Lublin, Poland.

#114 Piotrków

Married in Krzczonów on the 12th November 1924 , 2 o’clock in the afternoon .

Witnesses – Andrzej Poleszak , 40 years old and Wladyslaw Kus , 26 years old from Piotrków

Groom – Andrzej Solowski, a bachelor , 26 years old , born and residing in Piotrków , the son of Wojciech and Agnieszka nee Ziętek .

Bride- Miss Katarzyna Podsiadła , 22 years old , the daughter of Paweł and Elzbieta nee Małek , born and residing in Piotrków .

Marriage was preceded by the announcement of three banns on 12th 19th and 26th October 1924 .

There were no objections to the marriage and the newlyweds stated that they had no prenuptial agreement

Abstract, 1924 marriage of Andrzej Solowski and Katarzyna Podsiadła in Krzczonów, Lublin, Poland

Sadly, Katarzyna Podsiadła Solowska died in Piotrków in 1938.

#14/1938

It happened in Krzczonów on February 01, 1938 at 8 am. Appeared Andrzej Solowski, husband, age 40, and Jan Pawelec, age 38, both farmers from Piotrków and the declared that that on January 30, current year at 7 a.m. died in Piotrków, Katarzyna Solowska, married, farmer, 35 years, 4 month and 21 days old. She was born and living in Piotrków, daughter of Paweł and Elżbieta nee Małek, married couple Podsiadły. She left behind her husband Andrzej. After seeing her death firsthand this act was read to the present and signed by the priest/ civil registrar.

1938 death of Katarzyna Podsiadła Solowska in Piotrków, Krzczonów, Lublin, Poland

Older sons born to Wojciech Solowski and Agnieszka Ziętek included:

• Józef, 1885, #71
• Stanisław,1887, #120

These Solowski brothers immigrated to Buffalo, Erie, New York, where Józef married Maryanna Witoń in 1915.

Józef and Andrzej Solowski were brothers, and Genowefa was the daughter of Andrzej Solowski, so Józef Solowski was her uncle and Maryanna Witoń Solowska was Genowefa Solowska Dojutrek‘s aunt by marriage. The letters were retrieved from the papers of Josephine Wronska Szczepanska by her daughter and scanned and shared by the son of Edmund Wronski and Stella Solowska.

Genowefa Solowska Dojutrek wanted to receive correspondence from America, so she wrote to her aunt Maryanna Witoń Solowska. These letters were clues to the origins of the Solowski family in the old country.

Sources

• Edytorzy Wikipedii, “Krzczonów (województwo lubelskie),” Wikipedia, wolna encyklopedia, //pl.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Krzczon%C3%B3w_(wojew%C3%B3dztwo_lubelskie)&oldid=64017365 (dostęp kwiecień 12, 2022).
• Lublin Roots, “Lubgens,” database, Lubelskie Korzenie (regestry.lubgens.eu: accessed 24 March 2022), Solowski Andrzej Krzczonów 322 1898 O.Wojciech, M.Agnieszka Ziętek.
• Szukaj w Archiwach, “Szukajwarchiwach,” database, Narodowe Archiwum Cyfrowe, Szukajwarchiwach (https://szukajwarchiwach.pl: accessed 11 April 2022), Solowski Andrzej Krzczonów 322 1898 O.Wojciech, M.Agnieszka Ziętek; citing State and other Archives in Poland.
• Genealogical Translations, “Genealogical Translations,” database, private Facebook group, Facebook (facebook.com: accessed 13 April 2022), Solowski Andrzej Krzczonów 322 1898 O.Wojciech, M.Agnieszka Ziętek.
• Lublin Roots, “Lubgens,” database, Lubelskie Korzenie (regestry.lubgens.eu: accessed 11 April 2022), Solowski Andrzej Podsiadło Katarzyna Krzczonów 114 19.
• Krzczonów, “Poland, Lublin, Krzczonów (Bychawa), Zivilstandsregister, 1908-1950,” database, LDS Family History Library, Family Search (familysearch.com: accessed 11 April 2022), Solowski Andrzej Podsiadło Katarzyna Krzczonów 114 1924; citing Poland, Lublin, Bychawa, Krzczonów – Civil registration.
• Genealogical Translations, “Genealogical Translations,” database, private Facebook group, Facebook (facebook.com: accessed 12 April 2022), Solowski Andrzej Podsiadło Katarzyna Krzczonów 114 19.
• Lublin Roots, “Lubgens,” database, Lubelskie Korzenie (regestry.lubgens.eu: accessed 19 April 2022), Solowska Katarzyna Krzczonów 14 1938 O: Paweł, M: Elżbieta zd. Małek, zd. Podsiadły, mąż Andrzej.
• Krzczonów, “Poland, Lublin, Krzczonów (Bychawa), Zivilstandsregister, 1908-1950,” database, LDS Family History Library, Family Search (familysearch.com: accessed 19 April 2022), Solowska Katarzyna Krzczonów 14 1938 O: Paweł, M: Elżbieta zd. Małek, zd. Podsiadły, mąż Andrzej; citing Poland, Lublin, Bychawa, Krzczonów – Civil registration.
• Genealogical Translations, “Genealogical Translations,” database, private Facebook group, Facebook (facebook.com: accessed 19 April 2022), Solowska Katarzyna Krzczonów 14 1938 O: Paweł, M: Elżbieta zd. Małek, zd. Podsiadły, mąż Andrzej.
• Lublin Roots, “Lubgens,” database, Lubelskie Korzenie (regestry.lubgens.eu: accessed 12 April 2022), Solowski Józef Krzczonów 71 1885 O.Wojciech, M.Agnieszka Ziętek.
• Lublin Roots, “Lubgens,” database, Lubelskie Korzenie (regestry.lubgens.eu: accessed 12 April 2022), Solowski Stanisław Krzczonów 120 1887 O.Wojciech, M.Agnieszka Ziętek.