The Old Country
All of Lena and Lawrence's ancestors came from Poland, or at least what we refer to today as Poland. Poland has had a tumultuous past, and her borders have changed numerous times over the years as various countries split her apart and ruled over her. For a period of over 120 years, Poland did not even exist at all as a country. Additionally, provinces, districts, and communities within Poland also changed borders and were renamed according to the whims of the ruling country at the time. All of this makes researching Polish ancestry rather difficult. Depending on the locality, records might be found written in Polish, German, Latin, or even Russian.
Poland's border changes in maps
Poland Today
So, just where in Poland did our ancestors come from?
The chart below breaks it down by branch giving the geographical names from today and from the 1880's, which is around the time they began emigrating from Poland to the United States. The village listed is the last residence in Poland of that branch of the family before emigrating. Click on the family name to explore the origins of each branch of our family.
| Jankowski | Lewandowski | Zielinski | Brodzinski | |||||
| 1880's | Today | 1880's | Today | 1880's | Today | 1880's | Today | |
| Village (gmina) | Charlub Hauland | Charlub | Nikolaiken | Mikolajki Pomorskie | Gross Waplitz | Waplewo Wielkie | Szucie | Szucie |
| Catholic Parish | Emchen | Mchy | Schonweise | Krasna Laka | Altmark | Stary Targ | Skrwilno | Skrwilno |
| County (powiat) | Schrimm | Srem | Marienwerder | Stuhm | Marienwerder | Stuhm | Rypin | Rypin |
| Province (voivodeship) | Posen | Wielkopolskie | West Prussia | Pomorskie | West Prussia | Pomorskie | Polen | Kujawsko Pomorskie |
| Country | Germany | Poland | Germany | Poland | Germany | Poland | Russia | Poland |
The map below shows where each branch of our ancestors resided in relation to each other. Note that the Zielinski's and Lewandowski's resided in very close proximity to each other. It is not known if the families knew each other in Poland. This map is from Gray's Atlas and it depicts Prussia (Germany) as it looked in 1873. Note that at this time in Poland's history, The Jankowski's, Zielinski's, and Lewandowski's were actually subjects of Prussia (Germany), while the Brodzinski's were subjects of Russia. Even though "Poland" is depicted on the map, during this time it was ruled by Russia. These borders were in affect when our ancestors emigrated, and would remain basically unchanged until after World War I.
Click on the family name on the map to go to a family-specific page for more information on that family.
You can also click here to see a larger version of the map.
Ancestral Towns
The chart below lists all the significant towns or villages of our ancestors in Poland, arranged alphabetically by the name used during their lifetime. In many cases, this was the German name, which was changed back to a Polish name after World War I. From 1795-1918, Poland did not exist, having been divvied up between Germany, Russia, and Austria-Hungary. The chart shows which of our ancestors lived in each town and when. The dates shown are only the dates which have been proven. Most date ranges are likely shorter than actual, but the proof is not there yet.
| Town Name | County (Powiat) Name | Province (Voivodeship) Name | Country | Catholic Parish | ||||
| 1880's | Today | 1880's | Today | 1880's | Today | 1880's | Today | |
| Altmark | Stary Targ | Marienwerder | Sztum | Westpreussen | Pomorskie | Prussia | Poland | Altmark |
| parish church for Gross Waplitz | ||||||||
| Charlub Hauland | Charlub | Schrimm | Srem | Posen | Wielkopolskie | Prussia | Poland | Emchen |
| home of: Constantin Jankowski/Barbara Frackowiak (1858-1889) | ||||||||
| Czarkowo | Czarkowo | Gostyn | Gostyn | Posen | Wielkopolskie | Prussia | Poland | Punitz |
| home of: Joseph Jankowski/Constantia Roszynski (1795-1845), Lucas Jankowski/Anna Kazmierczakow (1761-1835), Chrysostomo Frackowiak (1797-1820) | ||||||||
| Drzewce | Drzewce | Gostyn | Gostyn | Posen | Wielkopolskie | Prussia | Poland | Punitz |
| home of: Chrysostomo Frackowiak/Marianna Ottowna (1820-1835) | ||||||||
| Ellerbruch | Olszowka | Marienwerder | Sztum | Westpreussen | Pomorskie | Prussia | Poland | Schonweise |
| home of: John Zielinski/Elizabeth Witkowski (1863-1869 or later), Frank Lingnowski/Marianna Zielinski (1863-1870) | ||||||||
| Emchen | Mchy | Schrimm | Srem | Posen | Wielkopolskie | Prussia | Poland | Emchen |
| parish church for Charlub, Sebastiano | ||||||||
| Franciszkowo | Franciszkowo | Gostyn | Gostyn | Posen | Wielkopolskie | Prussia | Poland | Punitz |
| home of: Joseph Jankowski/Constantia Roszynski (1845-1854) | ||||||||
| Gola | Gola | Jarotschin | Jarocin | Posen | Wielkopolskie | Prussia | Poland | Jaratschewo |
| home of: Ignatz Antoniewicz/Jozefa Grzeskowiak (1856-1881), Anton Antoniewicz (1863-1889) | ||||||||
| Gross Waplitz | Waplewo Wielkie | Marienwerder | Sztum | Westpreussen | Pomorskie | Prussia | Poland | Altmark |
| home of: John Zielinski/Elizabeth Witkowski (1881 or earlier-1885) | ||||||||
| Niemcowizna | Niemcowizna | Rypin | Rypin | Kingdom of Poland | Kujawsko Pomorskie | Russia | Poland | Skrwilno |
| home of: Nicholas Brodzinski/Marga Klonowska (1863-1865) | ||||||||
| Nikolaiken | Mikolajki Pomorskie | Marienwerder | Sztum | Westpreussen | Pomorskie | Prussia | Poland | Schonweise |
| home of: Joseph Lewandowski / Regina Kwelowna (1780-1824), Anton Lewandowski / Eva Barkowna (1798-1854), John Lewandowski/Anna Pawlikowski (1828-1868) | ||||||||
| Panienka | Panienka | Jarotschin | Jarocin | Posen | Wielkopolskie | Prussia | Poland | Panienka |
| home of: Michael Antoniewicz/Marianna Banaszak (1814-1837) | ||||||||
| Pestlin | Postolin | Marienwerder | Sztum | Westpreussen | Pomorskie | Prussia | Poland | Pestlin |
| parish church for Portschweiten, Wilczewo | ||||||||
| Portschweiten | Pierzchowice | Marienwerder | Sztum | Westpreussen | Pomorskie | Prussia | Poland | Pestlin |
| home of: Johann Zielinski/Elizabeth Pawlowski (1825-1840) | ||||||||
| Punitz | Poniec | Gostyn | Gostyn | Posen | Wielkopolskie | Prussia | Poland | Punitz |
| parish church for Czarkowo, Drzewce, Franciszkowo, Rokofsowo; home of: Joannes Roszynski/Marianna Sniezeska (1809-1816) | ||||||||
| Rokofsowo | Rokosowo | Gostyn | Gostyn | Posen | Wielkopolskie | Prussia | Poland | Punitz |
| home of: Joannes Roszynski/Marianna Sniezeska (1796-1809) | ||||||||
| Schonweise | Krasna Laka | Marienwerder | Sztum | Westpreussen | Pomorskie | Prussia | Poland | Schonweise |
| parish church for Ellerbruch, Nikolaiken, Tillendorf | ||||||||
| Sebastiano | Sebastiano | Schrimm | Srem | Posen | Wielkopolskie | Prussia | Poland | Emchen |
| Hedwigla Jankowski shows born here (1873) | ||||||||
| Skrwilno | Skrwilno | Rypin | Rypin | Kingdom of Poland | Kujawsko Pomorskie | Russia | Poland | Skrwilno |
| parish church for Niemcowizna, Skrwilno, Szucie, Zatorowizna | ||||||||
| Stuhm | Sztum | Marienwerder | Sztum | Westpreussen | Pomorskie | Prussia | Poland | Stuhm |
| Szucie | Szucie | Rypin | Rypin | Kingdom of Poland | Kujawsko Pomorskie | Russia | Poland | Skrwilno |
| home of: Marga Klonowska (1838-1858), Nicholas Brodzinski/Marga Klonowska (1865-1878), Margaretta Brodzinski (1871-1887) | ||||||||
| Tillendorf | Tulice | Marienwerder | Sztum | Westpreussen | Pomorskie | Prussia | Poland | Schonweise |
| home of: Joseph Zielinski/Anna Kryniewska (1833-1842) | ||||||||
| Wilczewo | Wilczewo | Marienwerder | Sztum | Westpreussen | Pomorskie | Prussia | Poland | Pestlin |
| home of: Frank Lingnowski/Marianna Zielinski (1870-1874), many other Zielinski who may or may not be related | ||||||||
| Zatorowizna | Zatorowizna | Rypin | Rypin | Kingdom of Poland | Kujawsko Pomorskie | Russia | Poland | Skrwilno |
| home of: Jozef Brodzinski/Malgorzata Arantowicz (1795-1848), Nicholas Brodzinski (1833-1858), Nicholas Brodzinski/Marga Klonowska (1858-1863) | ||||||||