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How My Interest in Genealogy Began

Stories from my Father

Tim Firkowski

Thursday, 14 July 2016

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As genealogists we are often asked how we got started & when our interest in researching our family began. I almost always tell the story of how I met Łukasz Firkowski on the internet in 2002. Our research together uncovered over 3,000 in my paternal namesake line.

The truth is, I think my interest began way before that when I was 20 years old. I joined the Army in 1983 and found I would be stationed in West Germany after I completed my Basic Training & AIT (Advanced Individual Training). Before I left for West Germany, I sat down with my father to see what he remembered about his time in Germany during and after WWII. When my father was about 6 months old, my grandparents took him & my aunt and left Oswiecim, Poland in about 1943 and made their way to southern Germany via the Tatry Mountains.

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My Aunt Anastazja & father in Gartenstrasse, Uffenheim, Germany, 2 October 1948My father was very young of course, but surprisingly he did have some memories of places he had been. They spent much of their time in DP camps, but did eventually find a place to live outside the camps. My father told me all he remembered and drew maps of the places he lived to the best of his memory. One of the places he remembered best was a town called Uffenheim, so I decided that when I was in Germany, I would try and find this place. My father told me about the little girl he would play with & people in the neighborhood.

It was the summer of 1984 when I finally had the chance to go exploring for Gartenstrasse (Garden Street) in Uffenheim. Gartenstrasse was a small "square" or dead end road with number of homes according to his memory. I took the train to Uffenheim and was the only one to get off at the train station just outside of the town. I walked into town and began my search of this street by only using the map my father made. I never had to ask for directions, my fathers memory was very good & I FOUND IT! I was so excited, that I called my father using a payphone (Yes, I called the States via payphone! :) ). My father was excited and I had tears in my eyes. The next step was to see if I could find the little girl he used to play with. he had marked the home that he remembered she lived. I went to the home and knocked on the door. I was met by a teenage girl, who spoke broken English. With my Broken German & her broken English we were able to communicate. She called to her parents and they came to the door. I explained what I was looking for and they said they had recently bought the house, but there was an older couple living across the street that had been there forever and would ask. We walked across the street and they talked to the couple. I was invited in and we sat at the kitchen table. They were excited to hear my story, because they remembered my father. The word got around the neighborhood VERY quickly and people were filing into this small kitchen to hear the story. The son of the shoemaker my father remembered actually closed his shop & came over. People were bringing little gifts for me and my bags would be filled on my return trip back to the base.

The most interesting part of this story, was that not only did the older couple remember my father, but they knew where the little girl (Erica) lived that he played with as a boy. In fact, the old woman had her telephone number & gave her a call and told her my story. Erica was in total disbelief as I talked with her on the telephone. We exchanged contact information and eventually I would later meet her & her husband who were living in Treuchlingen, Germany.

I think this really was the beginning of my interest in exploring my family history. After I made this contact with Erica, my father maintained contact with her & eventually met her in Germany in 1996. That is a completely different story to be told.

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About the author

Tim Firkowski

I have been doing genealogy research since 2002 & have worked full time as a Professional Genealogist since 2008. I specialize in Polish and American-Canadian Genealogy. As a member of APG, I was the 2010/2011 President of the New England Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists (NEAPG). I have Certificates of Completion for studies in "Foundations of Forensic Genealogy" and "Advanced Forensic Genealogy Techniques". I have been a volunteer librarian at the local Family History Center, and a genealogy research consultant at “Ask the Expert” Ancestry Road Shows. I have traveled to Poland numerous times & researched in churches and archives. At conferences and special events, you may find me dressed up in my Sherlock Holmes outfit, or my Kujawy (the folk costume from the region in Poland where my ancestors came from).

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Comments 2

Guest - Mark Kus on Thursday, 14 July 2016 06:13

Very nice story. Similar to my original experience when looking into my mother's history and discovering her grade 1 class pictures while in Santa Rosa Mexico on line...printing them up and driving over to see her...I still have the same goosebumps ever time I speak about it...it has generated a new spark in her life seeing these images of herself almost 80 years later

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Tim Firkowski on Thursday, 14 July 2016 06:20

Mark, I know how you feel. My whole genealogy adventure has given me goosebumps more than once & many tears. Glad that it brought back memories for her!

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