Tatry Mountains from Gubałówka MountainGot some sleep despite the partying going on right outside the window of the Hotel, but we knew that being at a Hotel right smackdab in the middle of the town we would get some noise. We started our day with a breakfast in the hotel.After breakfast...
Typical Home in ZakopaneToday we went to Zakopane. On the way there we drove by Będzin Castle which I have visited before, so I did manage to capture a snapshot for everyone to see. A drive to Zakopane from Kraków should only take about 1 1/2 hours but with it being...
Wawel CastleBecause we returned home late last night from Żarki and it was Sunday, everyone slept in late, except for me, I still woke up at 5:30 am. That was OK, because it gave me some time to work on my blog posts. In order to keep on blog posts about...
Cooling OffToday's post may seem out of place, but since it was going to be one of the hottest days, there was no plan for any touring today. In the heat it would not be smart to exert oneself too much. Today it will get up to 96-97 degrees here with...
Silesian Insurgents' Monument in KatowiceAfter returning home from Oświęcim we had some lunch consisting of bigos, pork roast & kopytka (small potato dumplings) (sorry no food photos.... JUST KIDDING!) and then relaxed at home to stay out of the heat of the day. On Saturday we will be going to Jan &...
A Typical Polish BreakfastThe day began with what you may find as a typical breakfast, which consisted of coffee or tea, sliced meats & cheese, bread & butter, tomatoes, a vegetable salad,and some eggs (in the photo they are deviled eggs with a dill filling). Normally they will make an open...
After a non-eventful flight I safely arrived in Poland on Thursday. My cousin Łukasz and his wife Ania met me at the airport inKrakow. We stopped to pick up their son Jakub & went to his parents home in Dąbrowa Górnicza where a wonderful meal was waiting to be consumed. his...
I am leaving today for one month visit to Poland & Czech Republic to see family and take in the sites. I have tried to Blog before with poor results, but despite that I will again make an attempt to allow you to follow my adventures. Posts may be short with...
Online documents are great, but if you don't know how the name was spelled, how can you search online? Online databases are indexed by human beings, not some magical force. People come from all number of countries and differences in their languages introduce spelling variations in official documents in addition to...
My grandfather William D BondThis Blog post is the culmination of a long search for my biological grandfather, and the results are so wonderful. For those that have not followed this story of my search for my mother's biological father, you can read the full series of 11 Blog Posts here. As...
As you read in my last Blog Post, my mother finally was able to connect with family from her biological father! You may be wondering why I had not written a post when this happened before Memorial Day. There is a good reason for that as you will soon learn.I sent...
GREAT NEWS! My mother has finally been able to connect with family from her biological father!It had been a while since I have made a post, but that's what happens when you are busy. I had to take some time to write this Blog Post as a follow up to my...
HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY! My father was born in Poland and I have Polish ancestry, but today I am going to be Irish. Given the fact that it is St. Patrick's Day, I thought i would share a story about my discovery of a real 4 leaf clover when...
While at Rootstech, a woman asked me for some help with a problem in her research. I took a look at what she had and although her question was related to finding a newspaper. I thought it would be good to see the documentation she had on the person in...
If you have been stuck in the house with all the snow we have had in the northeast, March is the time to get out and attend some free Polish genealogy presentations.FINDING THE FAMILY: Problems, Successes & RewardsTim FirkowskiPOLISH TRADITIONS CUSTOMS and SUPERSTITIONSAleksandra KacprzakMarch 7th, 10am - Noon at the Kennebunk...
Well, after a number of delays flying to Salt Lake City, Utah from Manchester NH, I finally arrived in Salt Lake City for the FGS/RootsTech conference on February 10th. It was my hope to be able to make Blog posts while the events were happening, but along with...
Its that time of year again and I am headed to the RootTech genealogy conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. RootsTech is now the largest genealogy conference in the world and it is estimated that there will be well over 10,000 people in attendance. This year FGS is having its annual...
I was writing my 2014 Christmas cards and I was remembering my first learning experience about the world. When I was a boy, I had discovered the joy of Philately (Stamp Collecting). At the time, I was fascinated mostly with the graphics and variations of stamps from around the world, but now...
Last week my father Eric Walter Firkowski passed away and for this weeks Blog, I thought it was appropriate to share this story which he wrote 10 years ago of his memories returning to Poland after being away 62 years. I had the opportunity to record some of the stories from my father...
From L-R: My Father - Eric Firkowski, Grandmother - Zofia, Grandfather - Wladysław (Walter), Father Walenty Waloszek & Aunt - Anastasia in Ludwigsburg, Germany 13 March 1950Who was Father Walenty Waloszek and why is he important to a family's genealogy? He is important to my family history because he was the...
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