Surname Saturday #19: Gotowy

The Gotowy family had been a struggle for me for a very long time, until I stumbled upon the  Poznań Project, a few years ago. Thanks to that wonderful website, I was able to determine where in Poland my Gotowy ancestors came from. Here is what I know:

1. Agnieszka (Agnes) Gotowa
b. 07 Jan 1869, Daszewice, Poznań, Poland
d. 25 Oct 1917, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
m. Martin Domagalski; 26 Oct 1885, St. Mary's Church, Medina, Orleans County, New York
*Josephine Domagalski, 04 Sep 1886, Medina, Orleans County, New York
*Ignacy Domagalski, b. 01 Mar 1888, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
*John Domagalski (later Smith), b. 23 Dec 1889, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
*Lucy Domagalski, b. 11 Dec 1891, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
*Clara Domagalski, b. abt Oct 1893, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
*Wladislaw Domagalski, b. 16 Jun 1896, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
*Eleanora Domagalski, b. 15 Jan 1899, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
*Frank S. Domagalski, b. 05 Feb 1901, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
*Edward Domagalski, b. 10 Apr 1903, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
*Roman Domagalski, b. 15 Feb 1904, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
*Cecilia Agnes Domagalski, b. 22 Nov 1906, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
*Helen A. Domagalski, b. 06 Dec 1908, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois

2. Stanislaus Gotowy
b. 07 May 1840, Daszewice, Poznań, Poland
d. 14 Nov 1919, Medina, Orleans County, New York
m. Jozefa (Josephine) Leśniewska; 24 Nov 1867, Głuszyna, Poznań, Poland
*Agnieszka Gotowa, (above)
*Apollonia Gotowa, b. 04 Feb 1871, Daszewice, Poznań, Poland
*Michal Gotowy, b. 23 Aug 1872, Daszewice, Poznań, Poland
*Marianna Gotowa, b. 04 Jan 1874, Daszewice, Poznań, Poland
*Katarzyna Gotowa, b. 06 Feb 1876, Daszewice, Poznań, Poland
*Jozef Gotowy, b. 14 Feb 1877, Daszewice, Poznań, Poland
*Cecelia Gotowa, b. 22 Oct 1881, Daszewice, Poznań, Poland
*Thomas J. Gottovi, ba. 14 Dec 1884, St. Mary's Church, Medina, Orleans County, New York
*Stanislaus Gottovi, ba. 18 Apr 1886, St. Mary's Church, Medina, Orleans County, New York
*Catherine Gottovi, ba. 06 Nov 1887, St. Mary's Church, Medina, Orleans County, New York
*Edward M. Gottovi, b. about 13 Apr 1887, Medina, Orleans County, New York
*Anthony Gottovi, ba. 24 Nov 1889, St. Mary's Church, Medina, Orleans County, New York
*Anna M. Gottovi, b. Oct 1890, Medina, Orleans County, New York
*Ellen A. Gottovi, b. 13 Apr 1892, Medina, Orleans County, New York

3. Kazimerz Gotowy
b. 25 Feb 1811, Daszewice, Poznań, Poland
d. 20 Mar 1882, Daszewice, Poznań, Poland
m. Marianna Leżałka; 21 Oct 1832, Głuszyna, Poznań, Poland
*Eva Gotowa (twin), b. 15 Dec 1833, Daszewice, Poznań, Poland
*Eva Gotowa (twin), b. 15 Dec 1833, Daszewice, Poznań, Poland
*Tomasz Gotowy, b. 13 Dec 1834, Daszewice, Poznań, Poland
*Agnieszka Gotowa, b. 09 Jan 1837, Daszewice, Poznań, Poland
*Szymon Gotowy, b. 06 Oct 1838, Daszewice, Poznań, Poland
*Stanislaus Gotowy, (above)
*Agata Gotowa, b. 22 Jan 1842, Daszewice, Poznań, Poland
*Michal Gotowy, b. 24 Sep 1843, Daszewice, Poznań, Poland
*Marianna Gotowa, b. 29 Jun 1846, Daszewice, Poznań, Poland
*Jakub Gotowy, b. 30 Jun 1850, Daszewice, Poznań, Poland
*Wojciech Gotowy, b. 02 Apr 1853, Daszewice, Poznań, Poland

4. Wojciech Gotowy
ba. 20 Apr 1766, Daszewice, Poznań, Poland
d. 24 Oct 1830, Daszewice, Poznań, Poland
m. Marianna Mądrzonka/Mądry; none found
*Jozef Gotowy, ba. 20 Mar 1791, Daszewice, Poznań, Poland
*Piotr Gotowy, ba. 30 Jun 1793, Daszewice, Poznań, Poland
*Katarzyna Gotowa, b. 15 Nov 1795, Daszewice, Poznań, Poland
*Agnieszka Gotowa, b. 06 Jan 1799, Daszewice, Poznań, Poland
*Konstancja Gotowa, b. 06 Apr 1801, Daszewice, Poznań, Poland
*Andrzej Gotowy, b. 20 Nov 1803, Daszewice, Poznań, Poland
*Wojciech Gotowy, b. 14 Apr 1806, Daszewice, Poznań, Poland
*Kazimerz Gotowy, (above)

5. Maciej Gotowy/Cauponis
b. unknown
d. unknown
m. Marcjanna Piduscianka; 12 Nov 1758, Głuszyna, Poznań, Poland
*Stanislaus Kostka Gotowy, ba. 23 Nov 1760, Daszewice, Poznań, Poland
*Katarzyna Gotowa, ba. 20 May 1764, Daszewice, Poznań, Poland
*Wojciech Gotowy, (above)
*Marianna Gotowa, ba. 29 Mar 1768, Daszewice, Poznań, Poland
*Anna Gotowa, ba. 29 Jul 1770, Daszewice, Poznań, Poland
*Agnieszka Gotowa, ba. 03 Jan 1773, Daszewice, Poznań, Poland

Surname Saturday #11: Domagalski

This has been one of my most dead-end lines up until a few years ago, thanks to the Poznan Project. This is the family of my 2nd-great-grandmother, Josephine Domagalski:

1. Josephine Domagalski
b. 04 Sep 1886, Medina, Orleans County, New York
d. 14 Nov 1958, Manteno State Hospital, Manteno, Kankakee County, Illinois
m. Joseph Adas; 11 Oct 1903, St. Joseph Church, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
*Anna Adas, b. 26 Jul 1904, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
*Thomas L. Adas, b. 19 Dec 1905, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
*Joseph Vincent Adas, b. 27 Oct 1907, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
*Lawrence Adas, b. 01 Sep 1909, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
*Edward Robert Adas, Sr., b. 14 Apr 1911, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
*Raymund Adas, b. 18 Aug 1913, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois

2. Martin (also Marcin) Domagalski
b. abt 1861-1865, Poland
d. 05 May 1917, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
m. Agnieszka Gotowa; 26 Oct 1885, Medina, Orleans County, New York
*Josephine Domagalski, (above)
*Ignacy Domagalski, b. 01 Mar 1888, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
*John Domagalski (later Smith), b. 23 Dec 1889, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
*Lucy Domagalski, b. 11 Dec 1891, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
*Clara Domagalski, b. abt Oct 1893, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
*Wladislaw Domagalski, b. 16 Jun 1896, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
*Eleanora Domagalski, b. 15 Jan 1899, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
*Frank S. Domagalski, b. 05 Feb 1901, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
*Edward Domagalski, b. 10 Apr 1903, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
*Roman Domagalski, b. 15 Feb 1904, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
*Cecilia Agnes Domagalski, b. 22 Nov 1906, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
*Helen A. Domagalski, b. 06 Dec 1908, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois

3. Wojciech Domagala/Domagalski
b. abt 1814-1817, Poland
d. aft 1876, Buffalo, Erie County, New York
m1. Margarita Bogaczyk; 25 Oct 1841, Słupy, Gmina Szubin, Bydgoszcz, Poland
m2. Marianna Gadacz; 14 May 1853, Brzyskorzystew, Gmina Żnin, Bydgoszcz, Poland
m3. Magdalena Welniak; 31 Jul 1865, Słupy, Gmina Szubin, Bydgoszcz, Poland
*Jan Domagala, b. 29 May 1842
*Michael Domagala/Domagalski, b. 03 Aug 1843
*Jakub Domagala, b. 22 Jul 1846
*Franciszka Domagala, b. 15 Aug 1849
*Franciszek Domagala, b. 29 Aug 1852
*Anna/Antonia Domagala/Domagalski, b. 16 Jul 1857
*Jozefa Domagala, b. abt 1857
*Martin/Marcin, (above)
*Martina, b. abt 1863

4. Jan Domagala
b. unknown
d. bef 31 Jul 1865, Poland
m. Marianna
*Wojciech Domagala, (above)

(Not So) Wordless Wednesday

Marcin (Martin) Domagalski & wife Agnieszka (Agnes) Gotowacirca 1898

This picture is of my 3rd-great-grandparents, Martin Domagalski and wife Agnes Gotowa. This couple had been a brick-wall for me for so many years, when I first began my research. I knew so little about their beginnings and where they came from prior to moving to Chicago. Lack of finding any information continued to make them more and more of a mystery over the years, which drew me to them even more. It didn't hurt that their headstone in Resurrection Cemetery in Justice, Cook County, Illinois, was huge and absolutely beautiful! It was and still is, the first place I stop every single time I go to this cemetery.. even if I'm doing look-ups for people not related to me. I always stop at their grave.

A few years ago, I finally cracked a piece of the brick-wall down and found that they had moved to Chicago from Medina, Orleans County, New York. Their first child, Josephine, whom I descend from, was the only child of theirs that was born in Medina. Sometime during the 1 1/2 year gap between the birth of Josephine and their next child, they moved to the "Back Of The Yards" area of Chicago. I believe they went to join Martin's sister Anna/Antonia Domagalska, married to Peter Paluszek. Along with Martin and Agnes, came the sister of Agnes and her husband: Apolonia Gotowa and Michael "Asher" Popiolek. Apolonia and husband Michael are buried in the plot to the south of her sister Agnes and husband Martin. They have an equally beautiful stone, although not as large.

After moving to Chicago, Martin and Agnes had eleven more children.. eight of them surviving (not including Josephine) to adulthood. Martin died rather young, at the age of 52, on 05 May 1917. The cause of his death is listed as "chronic interstitial nephritis", with a contributing cause of "Broncho pneumonia". Five months later, Agnes passes away, too. Her cause of death is a bit tragic and upsetting to even think about: "Shock and injuries jumped out of window", with a contributing cause of "temporarily insane". As sad as this is, I like to believe it was grief and caused by the death of her husband, five months earlier. A tragic but romantic ending.

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun: Ancestral Name List Roulette

1) How old is one of your grandfathers now, or how old would he be if he had lived? Divide this number by 4 and round the number off to a whole number. This is your "roulette number."

2) Use your pedigree charts or your family tree genealogy software program to find the person with that number in your ancestral name list (some people call it an "ahnentafel"). Who is that person?

3) Tell us three facts about that person in your ancestral name list with the "roulette number."

4) Write about it in a blog post on your own blog, in a Facebook note or comment, or as a comment on this blog post.

5) If you do not have a person's name for your "roulette number" then spin the wheel again - pick a grandmother, or yourself, a parent, a favorite aunt or cousin, or even your children!


I used my maternal grandfather for this exercise, his name is Thomas Thurman Rodgers (born in 1928). My whole number comes out (when rounded up) to 21 and my ancestor that fits that number is my 2nd-great-grandmother Josephine Domagalski.

A few years ago, I knew practically nothing about Josephine nor had ever seen a picture of her. Today, I have two.. maybe three.. pictures of her and I know much much more about her! :)

Fact 1: She is the only child (and the eldest) out of her eleven siblings to have been born in Medina, Orleans County, New York. The rest of her eleven siblings were born in Chicago.

Fact 2: According to the 1930 census, she was living with her family at 6019 S. Fairfield Avenue, Chicago, Illinois.

Fact 3: She died in the now closed and supposedly haunted Manteno State Hospital in Kankakee County, Illinois.

Tombstone Tuesday - The Domagalski's

This is the headstone for my 3rd-great-grandparents, Martin Domagalski and Agnes Gotowa. I'm not sure about most of Martin's origins, but I do know where his parents were married in Poland. I'm not sure when he came to America.

Agnes came to America in 1883 with her mother Josephine (Lesniewski) Gotowy from Gluschin, Posen. Agnes was one of eleven children! The Gotowy's settled in Medina, Orleans County, New York, where a lot of descendants can still be found today.

Martin and Agnes were married in Medina and had their first child, Josephine (my 2nd-great-grandmother) there in 1886. Sometime before March of 1888, they moved to Chicago with relatives and remained there until they both passed away in 1917. They're buried in Resurrection Cemetery in Justice, Cook County, Illinois. They had a total of 12 children.

Monday Madness - Martin Domagalski

This Monday, I decided to talk about my 3rd-great-grandfather, Martin Domagalski. He has been the most difficult of my ancestors to trace and find.

Information on his birth and beginning is very confusing. What I do know, according to his marriage record, is that he is the son of "Alberti Domagalski et Maria Anna Yatak". I've been corresponding with a fellow Domagalski researcher who descends from an Antonia, daughter of Adalbert Domagalski and Marianna Gadacz. I believe Martin and Antonia are siblings. If you pronounce Yatak and Gadacz out-loud they sound pretty much the same. Also, the St. Mary's church parish records in Medina, NY, where Martin Domagalski was married, was infamous for misspelling nearly all the Polish surnames in the parish. An example is in Martin's wife's (Agnes Gotowa) family. Her mother is listed as "Josepha Vaselineska". Her mother's name was Josephine Lesniewski.

I had found a great resource called the Poznan project, and I found Martin's parent's marriage record. Adalbert Domagala and Marianna Gadacz were married in 1853 in Birkenfeld, Kreis Znin, Posen. Birkenfeld is now known as Brzyskorzstew, Bydgoszcz, Poland.

Anywho.. I have multiple birth date information for Martin. In the 1900 census he listed his birth month and year as August 1864. In the 1910 census he was listed as being born about 1863. His birthdate on his headstone is 18 Nov 1859. His birthdate on his death certificate was 22 Feb 1865. As you can see from the last two sources, VERY different birth dates from reliable sources. The most probable birthdate is taken from his death certificate; the census records agree with this.

Martin Domagalski and Agnes Gotowa had a total of 12 children:

1. Josephine, born 04 Sep 1886, Medina, NY
2. Ignacy, born 01 Mar 1888, Chicago
3. John, born 23 Dec 1889, Chicago
4. Lucy, born 11 Dec 1891, Chicago
5. Clara, born abt Oct 1893, Chicago
6. Wladislaw, born 16 Jun 1896, Chicago
7. Eleanora, born 15 Jan 1899, Chicago
8. Frank, born 05 Feb 1901, Chicago
9. Edward, born 10 Apr 1903, Chicago
10. Roman, born 15 Feb 1904, Chicago
11. Cecilia, born 22 Nov 1906, Chicago
12. Helen, born 06 Dec 1908, Chicago

Three of the children died young: Wladislaw, Eleanora and Edward.

Martin and Agnes both died in 1917 in Chicago. Martin died on May 5th, and Agnes died five months later on October 25th. Something interesting about Agnes, is that her death certificate lists that she was temporarily insane, and jumped from a window. A newspaper clipping from the Chicago Tribune on October 26th states: "Mrs. Agnes Domagalski, 49, died yesterday at the Englewood hospital from injuries caused Oct. 3 when she fell from a third floor window of house at 2417 West Fortyfifth street."

As for where Martin was born, I don't know. His death certificate didn't list his place of birth, nor did any other vital record of his or his children. His naturalization documents have yet to be found, although I know he was naturalized in Orleans county, New York on 09 Oct 1884. I do not know when he immigrated either. Without his naturalization papers, I won't know that information. I petitioned to the Gov't using the FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) requesting Martin's naturalization records, stating they were in Orleans county, New York, but received nothing from this request. They found nothing.. or didn't bother trying. I have a feeling a thorough search in the Orleans county court house will yield his naturalization papers.