Wojciech Dobroch in the Old Country
In “From George Dobro to Wojciech Dobroch: Discovering an Original Polish Name,” the evidence showed that George Dobro‘s original Polish name was Wojciech Dobroch. American records said that he arrived about 1912, he was born 6 April 1889, and he came from the Sandomierz area of Russian Poland. My maternal ancestors were from that area, and I share DNA with several Dobroch descendants.
Wojciech Dobruch left Antwerp on 2 November 1912 on the ship Vaderland. He was 24 years old, unmarried, a farm laborer. His nationality was Russian, although he was ethnically Polish. This is because the country of Poland did not exist in 1912. The place he was born, Piekary, was then in the Radom province of Russia. His final destination was Buffalo, New York.
Wojciech left behind his father Michał Dobroch in Piekary, Sandomierz, Radom.
Wojciech Dobruch arrived at the Port of New York 13 November 1912. He was going to a friend at 482 Fillmore in Buffalo, New York.
Wikipedia says:
Piekary is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Obrazów, within Sandomierz County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, in south-central Poland. It lies approximately 4 kilometres (2 mi) west of Obrazów, 12 km (7 mi) west of Sandomierz, and 72 km (45 mi) east of the regional capital Kielce.
The Roman Catholic Church in Obrazów is Parafia Świętych Apostołów Piotra i Pawła w Obrazowie, Saints Peter and Paul Church.
Luckily, the records of Obrazów have been indexed and are found online. Wojciech Dabroch‘s birth record shows he was born 6 April 1889 in Piekary and baptized in Obrazów the next day. His parents were Michał Dobroch and Katarzyna Chochnowska. They are in Russian because this part of Poland was occupied by the Russian Empire.
#49 Piekary, Wojciech Dobroch
Birth registered and child baptized in Obrazów on 26 [March]/7 April 1889 at 5 o’clock in the afternoon.
Declarant/father: Michał Dobroch, age 26, peasant colonist [>settler] from Piekary
Witnesses: Jan Gręda, age 32, and Kazimierz Sędrowicz, age 50, peasant colonists from Piekary
Newborn boy: “born in the village of Piekary on 25 March/6 April of the current year at ten o’clock in the evening to his lawful wife Katarzyna née Chochnowska, age 25”, at the baptism administered on this day by father Józef Seltorski, this child was given the name Wojciech
Godparents: Jan Gręda from Piekary and Agnieszka Król
1889 Birth abstract, Wojciech Dobroch, Piekary, Obrazów, Sandomierz, Radom, Congress Poland, Russia
Wojciech‘s parents Michał Dobroch and Katarzyna Chochnowska were married 5 June 1888 in the village Kleczanów, Sandomierz, Radom, Congress Poland, Russia.
Took place in the village Kleczanów on May 24th/June 5th, 1888 at 11 o’clock in the morning. We announce that today, in the presence of witnesses Franciszek Sieradzki, 30 years old, and Kazimierz Mazur, 33 years old, both servants, living in the village Zdanów, a religious marriage union was concluded between Michał Dobroch, widower, 23 years old, son of deceased parents Kazimierz and Marianna, nee Dyba, married couple Dobroch, born and living in the village Piekary of Obrazów parish, and Katarzyna Chuchnowska, maiden, 25 years old, born and living with parents in the village Zdanów, daughter of Tomasz and Katarzyna, nee Skrok, married couple Chuchnowski. This marriage was preceded by three marriage banns in the parishes of Kleczanów and Obrazów churches on May 20th, 27th, June 3rd of the current year. The newlyweds stated that they did not conclude a prenuptial agreement. The religious wedding ceremony performed by priest Klosiński. This act was read aloud to the illiterate present and then signed only by Us.
1888 marriage, Michał Dobroch and Katarzyna Chochnowska, Kleczanów, Sandomierz, Radom, Congress Poland, Russia
Michał Dobroch and Katarzyna Chochnowska had six children indexed in the Polish database Geneteka—Wojciech, Jan, Józefa, Marianna, Józefa, and Ludwik, all born in Piekary.
Sadly, both Józefas and Ludwik died as children.
The records of Obrazów and Kleczanów can tell us more about Wojciech Dobroch‘s ancestors.
Dobroch Family
Michał Dobroch, son of Kazimierz Dobroch and Marianna Dyba, was born 8 Aug 1864 in Piekary, Obrazów, Sandomierz, Radom, Congress Poland, Russia.
Date of record: Obrazów, 8 August 1864, noon
Father: Kazimierz Dobroch, farmer, age 48, residing in Piekary
Witnesses: Jan O___, age 48, and Szymon K___?, age 30, farmers residing in Piekary
Child: male named Michał born in Piekary on 8 August this year at 4 and baptized by Father Józef Kamiński?
Mother: Marianna Dyba, age 42
Godparents: Łukasz Gołąbkowski? and Franciszka Wójcik from Bilcza
1889 Birth abstract, Michał Dobroch, Piekary, Obrazów, Sandomierz, Radom, Congress Poland, Russia
Kazimierz Dobroch was born in Obrazów in 1820 to Szymon Dobroch and Marianna Bartosik.
Marianna Dyba was born in Obrazów in 1823 to Szczepan Dyba and Teresa Lach.
Chuchnowska Family
Katarzyna Chuchnowska was the daughter of Tomasz Chuchnowska and Katarzyna Skrok.
Tomasz Chuchnowska and Katarzyna Skrok were married on 24th November 1856 in Kleczanów, Sandomierz, Radom, Congress Poland, Russia.
Married in Kleczanów on 24th November 1856
1856 marriage abstract, Tomasz Chuchnowski and Katarzyna Skrok, Kleczanów, Sandomierz, Radom, Congress Poland, Russia
Witnesses- Jan Sawinski, 28 and Jakób Chuchnowski, 38 ( does not mention if he is related to the groom) both peasant farmers residing in Zdanów .
Groom – Tomasz Chuchnowski , peasant , bachelor , aged 23 , son of Franciszek deceased and Franciszka née Miśkiewicz , spouses Chuchnowski . Born in Gołębiów but residing in Zdanów since being a child occupation servant.
Bride – Miss Katarzyna Skrokowna ( Skrok ) , 22, daughter of Józef and Anna née Gładysz , the already deceased spouses Skrok . Born in village of Dobrocice but has residing in Zdanów since childhood , occupation servant.
The marriage was preceded by the announcement of three banns 9th,16th and 23rd current month and year in this parish . No objections to the marriage. The newlyweds confirmed that they had no prenuptial agreement.
Ancestors of Wojciech Dobroch
DNA Relatives
My mother’s father was Jan Skrok, so I recognized the name Skrok. Jan‘s grandfather was Łukasz Skrok. Katarzyna Skrok, daughter of Józef Skrok and Anna Gladysz, had a brother named Łukasz Skrok born in Dobrocice, Wilczyce, Radom, Congress Poland, Russia on 16 Oct 1824, but I am not sure it is the same man. If so, that would make JI and me fourth cousins. Fourth cousins share an average of 35 centiMorgans, with a range of 0-139, which is in line with the 40 centiMorgans JI and I share.
I was able to cluster my Ancestry DNA matches, and several of my DNA matches on my Skrok line–MK, BJ, JP, JI, DR, JI, and JS–also match RS, with whom I share 32 centiMorgans of DNA across 2 segments. RS‘ mother was Anna Chuchnowska, born 26 Jul 1887 in Russian Poland. Anna married Andrzej Chodała in Buffalo, Erie, New York, on 3 Nov 1915, and then Andrzej Podlesiński in Buffalo, Erie, New York, on 14 Oct 1919. Andrzej Chodała was from Dobrocice, Wilczyce, Radom, Congress Poland, Russia. Andrzej Podlesiński was from Rożki, Obrazów, Radom, Congress Poland, Russia. They were all from the same area of Poland!
Sources
- Wikipedia contributors, “Piekary, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Piekary,_%C5%9Awi%C4%99tokrzyskie_Voivodeship&oldid=772702441 (accessed May 5, 2021).
- Wikipedia contributors, “Obrazów,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Obraz%C3%B3w&oldid=973646850 (accessed May 5, 2021).
- By Agastasiak – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4466613
- “Polskie Towarzystwo Genealogiczne,” database, Polish Genealogical Society, Geneteka (geneteka.genealodzy.pl: accessed 4 May 2021), 1889 49 Wojciech Dobroch Michał Katarzyna Chochnowska Obrazów Piekary; citing church records or Urząd Stanu Cywilnego (Civil Registry Office).
- Genbaza, “Genbaza,” database, Polish Genealogical Society, Genealodzy (Metryki.GenBaza.pl: accessed ), 1889 49 Wojciech Dobroch Michał Katarzyna Chochnowska Obrazów Piekary; citing Urząd Stanu Cywilnego (Civil Registry Office).
- “Genealogical Translations,” database, private Facebook group, Facebook (facebook.com: accessed 4 May 2021), #49 Piekary, Wojciech Dobroch.
- “Passenger Lists,” database, The Statue of Liberty – Ellis Island Foundation, Ellis Island (www.libertyellisfoundation.org: accessed 4 May 2021), Wojciech Dobruch; citing ship manifests.
- United States, Selective Service System, “United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918,” database, National Archives and Records Administration (online : accessed 2 May 2021), George Dobroch.
- “U.S. Naturalization Records Indexes,” database, National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C., (ancestry.com : accessed 8 May 2021), Wojciech Dobroh; Index, 1906-1966 Petitions for Naturalization, U.S. District Court, Western Dist. of New York, M1677.
- Geneteka, 1864 90 Michał Dobroch Kazimierz Marianna Dyba Obrazów Piekary.
- Genealodzy, GenBaza / AP_Kielce / AP_Sandomierz / Obrazow / 1864 / _13150.JPG.
- Geneteka, 1888 5 Michał Dobroń Kazimierz, Marianna Zdyba Katarzyna Chuchnowska Tomasz, Katarzyna Sierop Kleczanów.
- Geneteka, 1820 54 Kazimierz Dobroch Szymon Marianna Bartosik Obrazów.
- Genealodzy, GenBaza / AP_Kielce / AP_Sandomierz / Obrazow / 1820 / _11041.JPG.
- Geneteka, 1823 209 Marianna Dyba Szczepan Teresa Lach Obrazów.
- Genealodzy, GenBaza / AP_Kielce / AP_Sandomierz / Obrazow / 1823 / _11234.JPG.
- Geneteka, 1856 6 Tomasz Chuchnoski Franciszek, Franciszka Miśkiewicz Katarzyna Skrok Józef, Anna Gładysz Kleczanów.
- Genealodzy, GenBaza / AP_Kielce / AP_Sandomierz / Kleczanow / 1856 / _03365.JPG.
- Facebook, Tomasz Chuchnowski , Katarzyna Skrokowna.
- Geneteka, 1820 203 Szczepan Dyba Sebastian, Marianna Skrzyńska Teresa Lach Ignacy, Cecylia Plachciak Obrazów.
- Geneteka, 1828 2 Franciszek Chuchnowski Franciszka Miśkiewicz Goźlice.
- Geneteka, 1816 147 Józef Skrok Maciej, Rozalia Satłaszczonka Anna Gładysz Marcin Malice Kościelne.
My Family History Research 