[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Medyn/Medynk/Medyk

[Jerry Frank]

Lots of stuff to sort through in your posting, Christine.  Here are 
some comments.

1.  It is quite possible that Wilhelm moved from Grabowo to Kownaty 
where Jan would be born.  My grandfather's birth record had not been 
discovered for many years until I researched a neighbouring parish 
where the family had moved for about 6 years before returning to 
their original location.   In what parish did you look for Jan's 
birth record?  Closest I can see on my map are at Jedwabne, 
Dobrsyjalow, Olszyny, and Lomza.

2.  The border between Russian Poland and East Prussia in this area 
ran in a roughly SW-NE direction a few km north of both Kolno and 
Szczuczyn.  It did not change between 1815 and WW I.   The family 
certainly could have migrated from East Prussia but they were not 
living there in the time frame you mention.  See the Szczuczynski map 
at http://www.pgsa.org/PowiatMapList.pdf

3.  You would want to keep your options open about a possible origin 
in Rypin but there does not seem to be any evidence for that at this time.

4.  Religion - What religion was your family upon arrival in North 
America?  That is typically what they would have been in Russian 
Poland.  I assume that the church in Lachowo where you found the 
record was Catholic.  The churches at this time kept the Civil 
Records on behalf of the government so a Lutheran (in Europe the same 
thing as Evangelical) might register at a Catholic Church if the 
distance to the Lutheran Church was too far.

5.  There was a significant sized Lutheran Parish in Lomza with a 
small affiliate at Szczuczyn.  The latter had services in the Polish 
language due to the strong Mazurian influence in the area.  My source 
does not list the villages where these Lutherans lived.


Jerry Frank - Calgary, Alberta
FranklySpeaking at shaw.ca



At 08:04 AM 22/02/2007, Christine Dowd wrote:
>Hello Listers,
>
>  I seemed to have reached somewhat of a brickwall in my research for my
>Medyn ancestry and am looking for some guidance.
>
>My great grandfather, Jan Medyn/Medyk/Medynk was a manager of the estate at
>Ciemianka, just north of Stawiski, Kolno. The papers (manifest,
>naturaliztion, marriage) of my grandfather Piotr (Jan's son) list his home
>as Lachowo, Grabowo, or Golanki, all just miles west of Ciemianka.
>
>Jan's death certificate states his father - my great, great grandfather -
>was Wilhelm, which seems like a German name to me, otherwise, wouldn't he be
>Bolesl~aw?  He died in 1946, and the record states he was 90 years old,
>making his birth around 1856.
>
>The church organist in Lachowo sent me written information regarding my
>grandfather's birth certificate. (he has no copier, the records for Lachowo
>have not been filmed for this time period - 1882). He stated that Jan was
>from Kownaty, par. Dobrzyjal~owo, gmina Pia~tnica. I have looked at filmed
>records from this parish and can find no Medyn/Medyk/Medynks.
>
>I DID though find a Wilhelm Medynk in Grabowo as father in birth records for
>1850, 1852, 1854.  Since the films for Grabowo include births through 1870,
>if this Wilhelm were my gg grandfather, the birth of Jan, about 1856 should
>have been located here. I found no birth record for Jan.
>
>I also found Ludwik Medynk in Poryte, with children born between 1858 and
>1870, no Jan among them, some children spelled Medyk and some Medynk.
>
>I also found an Emil Medyn arriving Philadelphia from Glowinsk (near Rypin)
>as well as a Meding family from Rypin.
>
>Finally, kind souls on this list suggested the name could have been Meding
>in German, Medynk in Polisk, and a cousin from Poland thought that the
>family could have come from East Prussia.
>
>So my questions are:
>
>Were Ciemanka/Lachowo/Grabowo/Golanki ever in the area of East Prussia? I
>found various maps, and it appears the border was close...(how close?) but
>wondering if they were ever actually in East Prussia itself. Can anyone
>suggest a good map?
>
>Does it make sense that family have could have come from Rypin?
>
>After reading all the posts, I am wondering if the family was originally
>Lutheran or evangelical? Any thoughts?
>
>I have traced my other three grandparents rather successfully, but this
>family is the thorn in my genealogy side.  Any help/suggestions would be
>appreciated.
>
>Thank you!
>Christine Dowd
>Rochester NY
>