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Sherlock's Genealogical Adventures

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Piwczyk Family & Parish Cemetery in Chrzanów

Poland Traditions & Interest

Tim Firkowski

Wednesday, 15 February 2017

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After spending a fantastic weekend with the Ciuk family in Sosnowiec, it was on to visit with my grandmother's Piwczykrelatives living in Chrzanów, Poland.

I met my father's first cousin Bronek Piwczyk & his wife Zofia with their son Radek after the short drive from Sosnowiec. A delicious meal was ready and waiting for my arrival. Radek's daughter (my second cousin once removed) has been in the States for almost 2 years working as a nanny & left her dog "Biscuit" with them to take care of. This is the second time I was able to say hello to Biscuit for her.

After a nice lunch, Bronek, Radek & I took a walk to the cemetery which is only a few blocks from their apartment. The parish cemetery is on one side of the road and the municipal cemetery is on the other side of the road. Both cemeteries have Plot maps at the entrance. There are some wonderful memorials and decorative graves in this cemetery and it is not as compact as some other cemeteries I have been to in Poland. There are a few graves of some famous Polish people buried there and they were pointed out to me, but I can not remember them. A thunderstorm was rolling in and we had to cut the visit short to get back to the safety of the apartment.

In the evening my second cousin Marek arrived with his wife and we all spent a wonderful evening visiting and reminiscing about our past visits. We actually had the opportunity to meet for the first time in 2006 when my father, brother and I traveled to Poland.

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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).