[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Stawiszyn Poland

[Edelgard Strobel]

Hi Ruth

The information about the cholera epidemic I have found in Eduard Kneifel's
book about the Augsburg-evangelical parishes in Poland, which was mentioned
in this list in September. I've got it on CD-ROM from a distant cousin. I'ts
difficult to read, because I have to open every page with Imaging. Pastor
Kneifel wrote that the Stawiszyn area was colonized by German Lutherans in
the second half of the 18th century. In 1775 Zbiersk-Holendry came into
being, Jarantow in 1778, in 1786 Zamety and Danowiec. The immigrants came
from the Poznan-area, Silesia, Saxonia and Prussia. The evangelical-lutheran
parish of Stawiszyn was founded on Febr. 2. 1777. The first Pastor was Carl
Franz Hoenicka. He wrote the first church book which started on Nov. 12.
1780 and was preserved in the parish archive of Wl/adysl/awow. The first
entry was the baptism of Eleonore Mieling from Birschker Hauland in 1777. Up
to now nobody could tell me if this book still exists. The Mormons
predominantly have filmed the copies of the parish records in the Polish
archives, which were made in Prussia since 1809. In 1782 Hoenicka left
Stawiszyn and went to Graetz. His successor was Carl Jeremias Callmann.
It was a hard life in Poland, some of the first settlers lived in
earthhouses with grassroofs. Infos about the climate, the land and the life
in Poland I have got from my mother, who was born in the village of Piskory
in 1921 and fled after 6 months forced labour on Polish farms to Germany in
1945.
The climate: continental climate with hot summers and cold winters
The land: sandy soil, heath, moorland (they used turf for heating), forest
of birchs and pine-trees, full of mushrooms (chanterelles, cepes etc.) and
game.
A lot of fish in the river Czarna Struga.
The life: no electricity, petroleum lamps, water from the well, toilet
outside, wooden or stone-houses with straw roofs. A relative told me, that
they have got electricity in Piskory about 12 years ago. He visited Blizanow
and Piskory this summer again. They had no shower, everything was very dirty
and when he went outside in the night, it was very, very dark, because there
is no street lighting. The people are poor but very hospitable and you have
to drink a lot of Wodka. But be careful, the postman was killed, because
they hoped to find money in his case. Unfortunatly he had hidden it
elsewhere and now the old people have to go to the office in Stawiszyn to
get their pension. That's the situation on the land and I believe it is a
little bit better in the towns. I've got a picture of the old wooden
schoolhouse of Piskory and I can email it to you, if you are interested.

Greetings from Germany,

Edelgard

From: <Yamkin66 at aol.com>
To: <ger-poland-volhynia at eclipse.sggee.org>
Sent: Saturday, October 19, 2002 5:26 PM
Subject: [Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Stawiszyn Poland


> Hi Edelgard
> I saw your response to a question recently where you mentioned Stawiszyn
> Poland.  My grandparents were born there in the 1860s.  I have not been
able
> to find any information on the town. You mentioned cholera, heavy snow
fall
> etc.  Where can I find information on the town?  Also, they came from the
> village of Dluga Weis.  Now that I have found their birth and marriage
date
> from an FHL  microfilm, I would like to find out about life in the town.
> Ruth
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