Fantastic Find: FamilySearch Poland Genealogy Wiki

By the time I discovered the FamilySearch website our family tree was well established and it was clear that all but one of my ancestral lines had arrived in what's now the United States well before the American Revolution* so I never felt a need to look into what other assistance FamilySearch site provides.

But this summer when I agreed to help a German man** who is trying to find out more about his father's family in Silesia, I knew I needed help and FamilySearch didn't disappoint. (First of all I learned that Silesia is (mostly) located in what's now southwestern Poland, although in the past it's been claimed by Germany.)

[FamilySearch.org]

When DA and I sat down together and opened FamilySearch's Poland Genealogy wiki, the online tutorials looked like the best place to start.

Sonja Nishimoto has done a  impressive job of introducing the subject in her webinars. I wasn't sure how committed my DA was to the process but he watched the whole thing, taking copious notes, and I think he may well follow through.

His son the astrophysicist*** has recently expressed an interest in his heritage and DA was looking forward to sharing what's he's learned about researching Polish records.

And I learned that I should consider FamilySearch as a source for other things besides all those unindexed probate records!



*The only exception being my maternal grandfather Slater's lineage--his Yorkshire-born great grandfather William T. Slater applied for citizenship in 1818.
**Let's call him "DA"
***Yes, really!



© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Book Shelf: "Danzig Chronik eines Jahrtausends" [Danzig Chronicle of a Millennium] by Hans Georg Siegler

I think that the George Hartley who applied for this 1794 Seamen's Protection Certificate in Philadelphia is likely a brother of Solomon Hartley.  If George was born in Dantzig, Poland, and was the "son of George Hartley labourer of Dantzig" then I think it is likely that labourer George is also possibly Solomon's father.  Solomon's three sons all considered Solomon Hartley to be foreign-born, either from Poland or Germany.  Solomon had "Pitsborough" [Pittsburgh] as his birthplace in his Seamen's Protection Certificate, I know not why at this point.  George Hartley Mariner, 3 July 1794, Proofs of Citizenship Used to Apply for Seamen's Certificates for the Port of Philadelphia, 1792-1861, NARA M1880, Roll 1; digital image, search for "George Hartley" on Ancestry (http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1928 : accessed 18 Jul 2017).

Since it is possible that my earliest known Hartley ancestor Solomon Hartley (1775-1815) was born in Gdansk/Danzig/Dantzik, Poland, based on what I've been able to gather so far, I think I need to concentrate my research efforts in that area, around that time (I also need to research in Amsterdam around 1794, which is where the above George Hartley came from on his journey to Philadelphia).

"Dantzik" closeup from "Carte de la Mer Baltique" (1773) by Jacques Nicolas Bellin, from the David Rumsey Map Collection.

Finding information on that particular time period (about 1775) on Gdansk online, however, has proven to be more difficult than I originally expected.  I will need to consult books, and apparently most not in English, if I am to get a better understanding.

To that end, I ordered "Danzig Chronik eines Jahrausends" by Hans Georg Siegler as a start to building my knowledge.  It's written entirely in German, but I have Google Translate to help:

The whole book is an account, year by year, of happenings in Danzig/Gdansk, from roughly the 900s to 1990.  I need to check the FamilySearch catalog and WorldCat to find more works on the area in the 1700s.  I am assuming at this point that most of these works will not be English.

Ideally I would pay a specialist in Polish/German history to give me an overview of the situation in the 1770s, and some ideas on where to start for records (and then do that research for me), but that would cost more than I can afford at this point in time.

If there are any descendants of Solomon Hartley who would be willing to pay a professional for this search, that would be great! If anyone ever does that and finds some answers, please let me know if I am at least on the right track (and maybe who Solomon Hartley's mother was?).




© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.