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Beginners => Family History Beginners Board => Topic started by: summitwood on Tuesday 05 March 19 05:55 GMT (UK)
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I am at a dead end. I think my father's surname is not spelled correctly. Iwan Hoderewski born in Lomza, Poland. He was born Oct 14, 1917 in lomza, had 2 sisters and 2 brothers. I have lots of information but without the correct spelling, I'm not sure where to look. I have street addresses and cities where they lived and he was in the Russian cavalry in 1941. Captured and a Pow in Germany. Anyone had any luck with finding the correct spellings of names? Any information would be helpful.
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Welcome to rootschat summitwood. :)
I think there are some people who will be able to advise you whereabouts to look for Polish records, but generally if we find a lot of alternatives or suspect a name change for a surname, we might try searching via first names alone, or by birth dates. Depending on what databases are available for Polish births, deaths and marriages, you may be able to find your family that way?
Depending on whereabouts in the world you are and where your father ended up, he may have been naturalised, and perhaps those records may give you another surname to search?
Added: If you have street addresses perhaps you could contact the church closest to that address to ask if there are any records of the family which survive?
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I have no idea if this might lead you somewhere:
https://jri-poland.org/town/lomza.htm
It seems to tell you which records are available on which LDS films.
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I will look into it. He was not Jewish or Catholic but Orthodox which complicates things. I have his birth date 1917 (which seems to be a year that may be Polish or Russian) and only the year of birth for his parents. No dates for his brothers and sisters. I am told Hoderewski is not Polish but then what about Paderewski ? (Polish) He considered himself Polish but was taken into the Red cavalry. So many contradictions. I will also be looking into his mothers maiden name either Djubina or Dubina (Ukraine). Thank you for any guidance.
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It may or may not help you, but have you considered taking an autosomal DNA test?
My DNA results show many Eastern European ‘matches’, so lots of seem to be taking the tests - you might get lucky and find a surname that keeps cropping up? :-\
I suppose despite being born in Lomza the families may have come from elsewhere prior to that. I always thought that generally surnames ending with ‘ski’ were Polish, though I don’t know if that is correct. ‘Hoderewski’ may have been an angicised interpretation of their surname. Who told you it was not a Polish surname?
Not very helpful I’m afraid. :-\
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I have been thinking of taking a DNA test. Just wasn't sure which to take. I will look into "autosomal". I haven't heard of that term. Yes, I also believe that ski was Polish and sky was Russian. Although, my father said he was Polish, I believe his main language was Russian growing up because his mother was Ukrainian. (Didn't know that) My mother said they had fun interpreting meanings while getting acquainted. I have a questionnaire he filled out for entrance to the US. He had no original papers since he was a POW for 4 years. Hammelburg, straubing and Hammelburg again. Try looking up stalag 13 which was a real POW camp and you get all the movies instead. UGH. In Linz Austria, where he ended up, the different offices just typed what they wanted and there were y's and O's instead of the ere. I think he was too afraid to ask for changes so he let things go. The most I knew, was that he was born in Lomza, and he had 2 brothers and 2 sisters. It's been a journey. Wish they would have told me more but i believe he could not speak out loud about it. Thank you for your interest. I'll continue to plug away.
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are you related to Nina Hoderewski ?
https://www.facebook.com/hnian
also
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/name-origin?surname=hoderewski
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Most people seem to be taking the Ancestry DNA test, and seem to be getting decent numbers of matches. https://support.ancestry.com/s/topic/0TO150000004cAiGAI/ancestrydna
I took the FTDNA one, which is called "FamilyFinder" https://www.familytreedna.com/products/family-finder.
You can upload your raw data to other sites which should give you additional matches. Loads of advice available if and when you require it.
If your father ended up in the USA was he naturalized? His certificate may reveal something.
I may be wrong, but I think there might be lists of prisoners of war on one of the pay sites.
I don't know if this would be of any help:
https://www.icrc.org/en/doc/resources/documents/misc/57jnwv.htm
No idea if there is anything here either:
https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=18229
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The only way to find the right spelling is to look at the original records.
The records for Lomza are in the Staatsarchiv in Leipzig.
http://archiv.sachsen.de/archiv/bestand.jsp?guid=97b19b08-3592-495a-9ee2-eb57c6bf3ccd
click on - 18.02 Polen, Kreis Lomza
Number AS 3511-2 has birth records for
1840 - 1845, 1900, 1903 - 1904, 1906 - 1911, 1916, 1919 - 1924 (no records for 1917)
There are also numerous records for:
Eheschließungen - Marriages
Geburten - Births
Sterbefälle - Deaths
Bestattungen - Burials
The Archiv does not take on any research requests. You have to go there personaly or hire a private researcher.
http://www.archiv.sachsen.de/recherchedienste.html
The nearest one to Leipzig is Delitzsch
Dave
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Hi summitwood and welcome to Rootschat :)
Suggested spelling: Chodorowski
Can you give us Iwan's parents' names and their birth years please.
Do you know if the family was Russian or Greek Orthodox?
Kind regards
Gaie
Added: You may find more information by applying to the International Tracing Service:
https://www.its-arolsen.org/en/information/request-for-information-on-victims-of-nazi-persecution/
I was able to corroborate information supplied by my family and discover more by using this service. I am not sure what their turnaround time is, you may have to wait weeks/months, but they do their best to help you.
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Thank you all. I will be checking into everything given to me. I have a family tree started in family search and have been roaming ancenstry (free account) and the LDS. Yes my dad is naturalized but records are taken from Linz Austria where he was processed through the international refugee organization and approved for the US. I have lots of info when he was in Camp Austin and glowing recommendations on his work ethic there and a witness statement to certify he was a POW. But...there is nothing directly from Poland. I have tried changing his name to cyrilic but nothing pops up. I also might look into his brothers or sisters but I have no dates for them. Problem is they want the last name and that is what I have to confirm first. I have the streets and years from his birth as to where they lived but not the house number.
Lomza, Sluzk Russia, Perm Russia back to Lomza then he was in the cavalry. Captured went to POW camps Hammelburg, straubing, hammelburg Wels and lastly when freed to Camp Austin Linz. They were so greatful to make it to America. I also have the Ellis Island info. So much info but....
Yes Nina is my brothers daughter ( my niece). I met her when she was a tiny baby and visited us. Everyone in the US with the last name of Hoderewski is connected.
Anyone have luck with a private researcher and willing to share their name and contact?
I was approached by one but would rather have someone who has used one.
Thanks Dave for your info. I will check. I sent an Email to Lomza offices. They said they would forward to the correct Lomza office but did not tell me where the request went. Then I got an Email saying to check Catholic churchs even though I said Orthodox. I will check your recommendation in different years. What are the chances I will find something for a brother!
Thank you, thank you all.
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Hello Gaie,
Fathers name is alexsander born 9/2/1882 lomza Bialostok, Poland Died 1935 in a concentration camp??
Mothers name is Anna maiden name is Djubina 5/3/1885
There is a reference to a Stephan and a Ksenja Djubina and a Jefim Hoderewsky not i. Remember these were all typed and not so easy to correct so I believe anytime there was a misspelling, it was left and not corrected. There are papers with an I instead of O and a y instead of e but my father always spelled his name Hoderewski.
The form this is on is a Baptisimal certificate that my father had to have to marry my mother who is Catholic. It was done in Linz Austria.
He filled out a life history form so that is how I have information.
He went to mittelschule in SLuzk 1924-1933, F.S.U. (?) Perm spezialschule 1933-1934
Thank you
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I have signed in on ITS (International tracing services) and they accepted my information. This site can take up to 12 months to return any info they find. They are located in Germany so I gave them the information that Davecapps gave me on Kreis Lomza. I asked if they could locate any of the seven first names , find connected last name that comes close to my family's last name. Hoping they can. I also gave them a life history of my fathers family. Also sent for an Ancestry DNA kit.
Dave, do you (or anyone) know of some private researcher that is willing to go to Staatsarchiv in Leipzig? I may wait until I hear from ITS. Still researching with what I have in the hopes that our name is spelled correctly. Thank you all!
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The Staatsarchiv in Leipzig have the following private researchers on their website
http://www.archiv.sachsen.de/recherchedienste.html
As i said in my post 8#, the nearest one to Leipzig is
Maria Rausch
04509 Delitzsch
E-Mail: genealogierausch@web.de
Dave