Monday, January 16, 2012

Back to Bieda

This past week I noticed that I've had a lot of blog views from Poland. Particularly to the Bieda pages of my blog. It's been driving me crazy. I keep thinking "oo is it a relative?" So I thought I'd post some more stuff on the Bieda family. Or perhaps repeat some stuff. Who knows.

I have some documents that I need some help decoding. I can figure out the general stuff. Sort of. Its in Latin and Polish and the dreaded 18-1900s cursive writing.

Jakob Bieda's baptism record


So I know where Poreba Spytkowska is on a map. It's between Krakow and Tarnow and right next to Okocim. This is good. I know there are the parents listed and their parents. Also good. They're in my tree already. Don't know what the B name is under father though. And I don't know what the "Patrial" part is. Or what the stamps or signatures are.

Next up we have the marriage certificate for Jakob Bieda and Anna Klaus



Sponsas I'm guessing means parents? since... Those are the same names. Once again don't understand the box on the right.

Ludwik's Baptism record



Ok so he was born in 1902 BUT the bottom of the paper says 1913. I think it's March. That's when they got on the ship and came over to the good ole USA. So why would they wait to get the paper until then? Why wouldn't they have it on hand?


Ok next up we have a screen shot from the Ellis Island site. The ship manifest from the Kronprincessen Cecile (slightly edited in paint to point out my peeps)



Ok so this needs some translating. Luckily I know what it says. I just don't know what it means.

Jakob is on line 5. First red dot. Followed by Anna, Alex, Jozef and Ludwik

The area with the red ( and arrow is the "Whether going to join a relative or friend, if so their name and address"

It says "br. in law Wojciech Niemiec 412 Harrison St. Shamokin, Pa"

the br. in law is on 2 lines. Not sure about the numbers for the street.

Anyway, like I said in an earlier post, I did some digging and found a Wojciech and Petronella Niemiec in the same cemetery as Jakob and Anna. (Just realized "digging" may not have been the best word choice here... but it's gonna stay). Now I know, Wojciech and Petronella are such common names *eye roll*. Based on the manifest it means Petronella is either Anna or Jakob's sister. Probably Jakob's. Dunno why but that's what my brain says.

Anyone with suggestions about the documents feel free to comment because I sure wouldn't mind the help. 

And to those people from Polska looking at my blog posts... PLEASE COMMENT! If you know anything I'd love to hear it! Thanks in advance! I know you're out there somewhere.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

“He who has no fools, knaves, or beggars in his family was begot by a flash of lightning.”

 Recently I've been into castles and the UK and such. Last night and today I've been going through a list of English castles to see who I'm related to. So I reached Herstmonceux castle and read that construction began in 1441. The man behind it was Sir Roger Fiennes. Now, if you've read my previous posts, particularly the one with Bellatrix Lestrange and the Peverell family, you know I'm into Harry Potter. Just a little bit. So when I see the name "Fiennes" I think of Harry Potter. Why? Because Ralph Fiennes plays Voldemort in Harry Potter (he also plays Francis Dolarhyde in Red Dragon... you all know I majored in Forensics and LOVE Hannibal Lecter right?) 

So I see the name Sir Roger Fiennes and I think to myself... "hmmm I wonder." So I plug it into geni.com and I find out he is my third cousin 20 times removed. Very cool. I'm related to another person who lived in a castle. At the same time, I wander over to wikipedia and type in Ralph Fiennes. Usually for actors it just gives the parents but it also lists his grandfather Sir Maurice Fiennes with years for birth and death. Plug that into geni. While geni was doing its search I see that Ralph is the 8th cousin of Prince Charles of Wales. Well I'm distantly related to the Prince of Wales. So I open up another geni tab on my computer and search for Prince Charles. Then I pushed the little pin to see if Sir Roger and Prince Charles are related. Prince Charles is Sir Roger's 16th great grandson. Yadda Yadda Yadda I keep going and see that Ralph is Roger's 18th great grandson. See my brain did know there was a connection between the two! 

So Ralph Fiennes is my 16th cousin once removed. I'm related to the man who portrayed Lord Voldemort and Francis Dolarhyde. Both psychopathic serial killers. Ah I love it.

Which brings me to my next point. In every family tree there the potential for that crazy one person. Well my tree is full of them. In the WSJ article it said I was related to Charles Manson but I could't remember how. Well of course I wouldn't find the answer until AFTER the article is published. Anyway, on the online version of the article there's a video with the editor talking to a woman. She says "the one woman interviewed is related to Charles Manson" and the other woman was like... and she brags about this? Truth is... I'm a forensics nerd. I love criminal minds. I love Silence of the Lambs. I read Kathy Reichs. Bones. Murder. Love it all. 

So here are some of my creepy relatives:

Charles Manson: 18th cousin once removed

Vlad the Impaler (Dracula): first cousin 21 times removed's wife's second cousin once removed 

Countess Elizabeth Bathory (bathed in blood of the girls she killed): 12th cousin 19 times removed

Herman Mudgett (built a "castle" for torture): 12th cousin 6 times removed

Lizzie Borden (murdered father & stepmother with hatchet): 10th cousin 7 times removed

Ivan the Terrible: 8th cousin 17th times removed

I'm sure I'll find or remember more crazy people that I'm related to. But I'd say that is plenty for now.