DNA Cousins: Ancestors from Strasburg, Marienwerder, Westpreußen
It is great when one of your DNA matches is also interested in researching family history, and you match his mother who also tested her DNA on both Ancestry and 23andMe. Even though I only shared 16 centiMorgans on chromosome 16 with each of them, DC‘s mother’s maternal grandparents Józef Kruszyński and Julianna Furmańska had immigrated from Prussia to Illinois, where their daughter Anna Kruszyńska was born in 1903, and from there to Oregon.
I knew it was likely some of our ancestors came from the same places. DC had a good clue. Documenting his grandparents, DC wrote “Claude & Anna’s Marriage Cert. says Strassburg, Germany.”
My father’s paternal ancestors were from the Brodnica area of West Prussia, which was called Strasburg when under German occupation in the 1800s. The database Kartenmeister shows that Strasburg was both a place and the name of the kreis, similar to a county. The Strasburg kreis included other towns and villages, and it was the Standesamt, or Civil Registry, for many local records.
One of the events registered in Strasburg was the marriage of Anna Kruszyńska‘s parents Józef Kruszyński and Julianna Furmańska, who were married in nearby Mszanno, Strasburg, Westpreußen, Preußen, in 1896.
#4
? Mszanno on July 25, 1896
Today appeared at the signed registrar for the purpose of marriage:
1. laborer Joseph Kruszynski catholic, born in Chojno Buda (Schöndorf) district Strasburg on September 4, 1875, residing in Chojno Buda (Schöndorf) district Strasburg
Son of the already in Schöndorf deceased laborer Mathias Kruszynski and his still alive wife Catharina nee Witkowska now married Ziolkowska in Schöndorf
2. the unmarried Julianna Furmańska, catholic, born on July 9, 1872 in Neuheim district Strasburg residing in Mszanno
Daughter of laborer Jakob Furmanski and his in Neuheim deceased wife Marianna Krause in Mszanno
page 2
witnesses:
3. Johann Lewandowski, 53 ys. old in Schöndorf
4. Franz Osmanski, 41 ys. old in Mszanno
Abstract, 1896 Marriage, Józef Kruszyński and Julianna Furmańska
From this and other records, ancestors of Anna Kruszyńska are listed here.
The Kruszyński, Witkowski, Furmański, and Krause families all lived in places near my father’s Maciejewski, Trojanowski, Lewandowski, and Torzewski paternal families, so those are likely our DNA connection multiple generations back.
Mateusz Kruszyński and Katarzyna Witkowska
Józef Kruszyński‘s parents Mateusz Kruszyński and Katarzyna Witkowska of Zgniłobłoty were married in Bobrau, Strasburg, Westpreußen, Preußen, in 1858.
The permission section reads “Groom born in Zgniłobłoty, he has no parents. Bride was born in Milewo/Mieliwo parish Lipinki, she has no parents. Consent of the judge in Lubawa provided a certificate of announcements (banns) of Wrocki, when had formerly lived in Cieszyny.”
Bobrau, Strasburg, Westpreußen, Preußen is Bobrowo in Polish. I was familiar with the villages of Zgniłobłoty and Bobrowo because my grandfather “Antoni Maciejewski was born in Zgniłobłoty and baptized in Bobrowo” in 1883.
The children of Mateusz Kruszyński and Katarzyna Witkowska were:
- Marianna Kruszyńska (1861-)
- Franciszek Kruszyński (1863-)
- Ludwika Kruszyńska (1867-)
- Weronika Kruszyńska (1869-)
- Antoni Kruszyński (16 Apr 1873-)
- Józef Kruszyński (Sep 1875-19 Oct 1935)
Mateusz Kruszyński was born in 1827 in Zgniłobłoty to Jan Kruszyński and Marcianna Szymakowska and baptized in Bobrau, Strasburg, Westpreußen, Preußen.
Jan Kruszyński and Marcianna Szymakowska married in Bobrau, Strasburg, Westpreußen, Preußen (Zgniłobłoty) 12 Feb 1816. Their children were:
- Katarzyna Kruszyńska (1816-)
- Andrzej Kruszyński (1818-)
- Jan Kruszyński (1821-)
- Marianna Kruszyńska (1824-)
- Mateusz Kruszyński (1827-)
Jakub Furmański and Marianna Krause
Julianna Furmańska, daughter of Jakub Furmański and Marianna Krause, was born in Niewierz and baptized in Mszanno, Strasburg, Westpreußen, Preußen, in 1872.
I researched some DNA matches whose Krause ancestors were from this area and wrote about “Krause DNA Cousins in Chicago.” We do not know if these Krause families are related to each other, although several of their descendants are related to me.
Marianna Krause married widower Józef Witkowski in Mszanno, Strasburg, Westpreußen, Preußen, in 1861.
Józef Witkowski must have died, because widow Marianna Witkowska married Jakob Furmański in Mszanno, Strasburg, Westpreußen, Preußen, in 1867.
These are the children of Marianna Krause with her husbands Józef Witkowski and Jakób Furmanski:
Marianna Krause (1836-abt 1877)
Children of Marianna Krause with husbands Józef Witkowski and Jakób Furmański
+Józef Witkowski (1816-abt 1867)
. . . . Jan Witkowski (1862-27 Apr 1862)
. . . . Józefa Witkowska (1863-)
+Jakób Furmański (1841-)
. . . . Antonina Furmańska (1868-)
. . . . Anna Furmańska (1870-)
. . . . Julianna Furmańska (9 Jul 1872-17 Dec 1943)
. . . . Antoni Furmański (1874-)
After the death of his first wife, Jakub Furmański married Marianna Danielewska in 1877.
The Polish indexing website Geneteka lists the marriages of the Furmański family in Mszano and Brodnica.
Fohrmann > Furmański > Fuhrmann
On 29 February 1904, the Furmański family requested changing their name to Fohrmann, as noted on Jakub Furmański‘s 1877 marriage record.
Antoni Furmański‘s 1895 marriage to Marianna Schultz also shows notation of the 1904 family name change to Fohrmann.
Jakub must have died, because his widow Marianna Danielewska Fuhrmann married Jan Chmielecki in Mszanno, Strasburg, Westpreußen, Preußen, in February 1901.
Places in the Old Country
DC, his mother, and I have not found common ancestors, but we have found common places where our ancestors lived.
- Strasburg in German, called Brodnica in Polish
- Mszanno in German, called Mszano in Polish
- Schöndorf in German, called Budy in Polish
- Choyno in German, called Chojno in Polish
- Neuheim in German, called Niewierz in Polish
- Griewenhof in German, called Grzybno in Polish
- Bobrau in German, called Bobrowo in Polish
- Königsmoor in German, called Zgniłobłoty in Polish
Sources
- “Polskie Towarzystwo Genealogiczne,” database, Polish Genealogical Society, Geneteka (geneteka.genealodzy.pl: accessed 25 April 2022), 1816 Jan Kruszyński Marcjanna Szymakowska Bobrowo; citing church records or Urząd Stanu Cywilnego (Civil Registry Office).
- LDS Family History Library, “Bobrowo (Brodnica),” database, Kościół rzymsko-katolicki. Parafja, Family Search (familysearch.com: accessed 26 May 2022), Joan Kruszynski, Marianna Szymakowska; citing Germany, Preußen, Westpreußen, Bobrau – Church records.
- Library, Family Search, Marcianna Szymakowski.
- Geneteka, 1816 Katarzyna Kruszyńska Jan Marianna Szymakowska Bobrowo Zgniłobłoty.
- Geneteka, 1827 56 Mateusz Kruszyński Jan Marianna Szymakowska Bobrowo Zgniłobłoty.
- Library, Family Search, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSZ5-1BKV?cc=4111605.
- Genealogical Translations, “Genealogical Translations,” database, private Facebook group, Facebook (facebook.com: accessed 7 May 2022), Mateusz Kruszyński , Katarzyna Witkowska.
- Geneteka, 1858 6 Mateusz Kruszyński Katarzyna Witkowska Bobrowo.
- Library, Family Search, 1858 6 Mateusz Kruszyński Katarzyna Witkowska Bobrowo.
- Geneteka, 1863 8 Franciszek Kruszyński Mateusz Katarzyna Witkowska Lembarg Górale.
- LDS Family History Library, “Mszano (Brodnica),” database, Kościół rzymsko-katolicki. Parafja, Family Search (familysearch.com: accessed 7 May 2022), Anton Kruszyński; citing Poland, Mikrofilm aufgenommen von Manuskripten in Berlin-Dahlem und Stadtarchiv Augsburg.
- Geneteka, 1896 4 Józef Kruszyński Julianna Furmańska Brodnica (gmina) USC.
- “Archiwum Państwowe,” database, Genealogia w Archiwach (www.genealogiawarchiwach.pl: accessed 23 April 2022), 1896 4 Józef Kruszyński Julianna Furmańska Brodnica (gmina) USC; citing Urząd Stanu Cywilnego.
- “Polskie Towarzystwo Genealogiczne,” database, Polish Genealogical Society, Geneteka (geneteka.genealodzy.pl: accessed 24 April 2022), 1867 11 Jakub Furmański Marianna Witkowska Mszano; citing church records or Urząd Stanu Cywilnego (Civil Registry Office).
- LDS Family History Library, “Mszano (Brodnica),” database, Kościół rzymsko-katolicki. Parafja, Family Search (familysearch.com: accessed 24 April 2022), 1867 11 Jakub Furmański Marianna Witkowska Mszano; citing Poland, Mikrofilm aufgenommen von Manuskripten in Berlin-Dahlem und Stadtarchiv Augsburg.
- Geneteka, 1868 40 Antonina Furmańska Jakub Marianna Krause Mszano Niewierz.
- Geneteka, 1877 12 Jakub Furmański [Inne nazwiska: Fohrmann ] Marianna Danielewska Brodnica (gmina) USC.
- Geneteka, 1877 22 Jakub Furmański Marianna Danielewska Brodnica św.Katarzyny.
- “Archiwum Państwowe,” database, Genealogia w Archiwach (www.genealogiawarchiwach.pl: accessed 29 April 2022), Jakub Furmański and Marianna Danielewska; citing Urząd Stanu Cywilnego.
- Genealogical Translations, “Genealogical Translations,” database, private Facebook group, Facebook (facebook.com: accessed 1 May 2022), 1877 12 Jakub Furmański [Inne nazwiska: Fohrmann ] Marianna Danielewska Brodnica (gmina) USC.
- Geneteka, 1870 43 Anna Furmańska Jakub Marianna Krause Mszano Niewierz.
- Geneteka, 1888 5 Walenty Tykarski Anna Furmańska Brodnica (gmina) USC.
- Genealogia w Archiwach, 1896 4 Józef Kruszyński Julianna Furmańska Brodnica (gmina) USC.
- Translations, Facebook, Józef Kruszyński and Julianna Furmańska.
- Geneteka, 1895 6 Antoni Furmański [Inne nazwiska: Fohrmann, ] Marianna Schulz Brodnica (gmina) USC.
- Geneteka, 1899 9 Michał Maranowski Franciszka Furmańska Brodnica (gmina) USC.
- Lubawa to Cieszyny Google map: https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Lubawa,+Poland/Lipinki,+Poland/Mieliwo,+Poland/Bobrowo,+Poland/87-326+Zgni%C5%82ob%C5%82oty,+Poland/Wrocki,+Poland/Cieszyny,+Poland/@53.3305058,19.3137207,10.42z/data=!4m44!4m43!1m5!1m1!1s0x471d6ccfda397b25:0x672b1df01ee466f7!2m2!1d19.7520301!2d53.50316!1m5!1m1!1s0x471d3a2ea034e673:0x8b2203e19e09eb71!2m2!1d19.3170308!2d53.4686699!1m5!1m1!1s0x471d24a19861e161:0x20bf1d6ae1e23c23!2m2!1d19.3114412!2d53.3649853!1m5!1m1!1s0x471d214bdeafc0c7:0xee69c6500a03bd24!2m2!1d19.2704357!2d53.285457!1m5!1m1!1s0x471d26c47951975b:0xc0b17996f667c852!2m2!1d19.2324493!2d53.2799066!1m5!1m1!1s0x471cd8bc2aff5a2f:0x946998bc7a59f834!2m2!1d19.1792842!2d53.2130343!1m5!1m1!1s0x471cd8b4a3418e81:0x971bd20c47f7d706!2m2!1d19.2041603!2d53.2081068!3e0
My Family History Research 