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Mazovian RootsThe Jendrzejewski family lived in the central part of present day Poland now known as Mazovia (Mazowze), which includes Warsaw. The family lived and worked about ten miles south of Ciechanow in the villages of Nowa Wies, Gutkow and Radziwiloborz. These villages are just west of Sona River and north of where it drains into the Wykra, which in turn drains into the Wisla (Vistula) River. Ciechanow are about 40 miles northwest of Warsaw. The area consisted of land good for farming and forestry.Nowa Wies is the earliest village that I can associate with this Jendrzejewski family. By the end of the nineteenth century it had 25 houses, 230 people and a folwark (manor farm owned by the petty noble Krasinski). |
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An overview of the family nest marked with a red dot in relationship to Ciechanow and Warsaw. |
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This map shows a detailed view of my Polish family “nest”, which lies about 10 kilometers south of Ciechanow. Nowa Wies, Walenty Jendrzejewski’s birthplace, is in Lopacin Parish. Albina Maruszewska, his bride to be in Pittsburgh, was born only a few kilometers to the east in the village named Gasocin. The village had a railway station between Warsaw and Ciechanow and further up Gdansk. |
Lopacin ParishBesides farming in Nowa Wies, the village of Lopacin was the focus of much of their lives. It had a church, St. Leonard's, the parish seat, which also had a folwark, a large manoral farm located about 10 kilometers south of the ancient castled town of Ciechanow. In the late 19th century Lopacin had about 19 houses and a windmill. The Church and the village lie along the Sona River. The church was once made of wood, but the date of its erection is unknown. It was restored in 1859. In front of the church stands a statue of the Virgin Mary sculpted by Henry Kucharewski. The parish served a total of 1094 souls at the end of the 19th century. It baptized, married and buried people of the parish for generations. This this church was the origin of all known records for this family from about 1770. |
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Approaching village of Lopacin today, the church tower just peekingabove the trees of the village in the background. Photo taken by Chris Jend |
Armies of the Lithuanians, Swedes, Prussians, French, Russians, Nazis, and the Soviet Union over the course of centuries trampled this part of the great corridor of plains that separate the Russian East from the European West. Even Napoleon with his guard stayed in Lopacin on Christmas Eve, 1806. While all these invasions brought misery to lives of the people of Nowa Wies, death to their children, and rarely hope, they also encouraged strength, resilience and resolve of a Polish people. |
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Exterior views of the Lopacin church showing wonderful curved walls, crenalations and a statue of the Virgin Mary sculpted by Henry Kucharzewski Photos taken by Chris Jend |
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Interior view of the Lopacin church. Jendrzejewski ancesters were baptized, married and buried at this church for at least two centuries. Photos taken by Chris Jend |
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© Copyright: This information is presented only for genealogical purposes and may not be copied in any form without written permission by the author. |
How to contact me: Andrew Jendrzejewski Ajend2@me.com |