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Archiver > POSEN > 2004-04 > 1081444019


From: "Dianne Erickson" <>
Subject: Re: [POSEN] Surname: Converski
Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2004 12:07:11 -0500
References: <000001c41d7f$16f31ce0$6501a8c0@vnnyca.adelphia.net>


Thank you, Joe and Diana.

The priest told me he had found a record for Matthias Popenfus and Michelina
Converski in the records of St. Mary's Catholic Church. I do not know what
type of record it is; since the records are not filmed, I have been trying
to be careful about how much I request.

This marriage date you found occurred in the same year the Popenfus family
stepped off the boat and landed in New York Joseph Popenfus, Mary
Schmiegel's and Michael's son was born in Wisconsin July 20, 1884; Joseph
appears to have had a twin, Anna, who we think did not survive to adulthood.
One witness is "Matt. Pappenfuss." (St. Mary's baptism records). As none
of Michael's and Mary's sons are old enough to have married in 1884 (oldest
son, Anton, born in 1874), John or perhaps Johann Mattias appears to have
been a brother to Michael.

Since Matthias shows up in Wisconsin marriages, I can order that marriage
certificate and contact Father and perhaps resolve a long-standing mystery:
who is the mother of Michael? This should be there on this 1884 marriage
certificate. It seems to me that Mike and John? Johann Mattias? would be
the sons of Matthew Popenfus (1812-1894, buried in Tomah--no wife on stone
with him; death records not found for Matthew nor any wife he might have
brought).

I am so glad I asked about this. Thank you so much. I have been stuck for
two decades or more. Wow. Let's just hope the mother's name is there on
the record, and that John is family, although in 1884 in Tomah, Wisconsin,
how many unrelated Popenfuses can there possibly be? This just goes to
show: ask a question on the list ...

Dianne


----- Original Message -----
From: "Jay and Diana" <>
To: "'Dianne Erickson'" <>; <>
Sent: Thursday, April 08, 2004 10:35 AM
Subject: RE: [POSEN] Surname: Converski


> Dianne: If this family is Polish, the name has been changed, or at least
> the spelling. No V exists in the Polish language, but a W sounds like a
> V to an English speaking person and this may be what happened. It is
> certainly indexed with a V on Ancestry, and looks like a V on the 1880
> census.
>
> This family had a daughter, Michilien (as spelled on the census) age 12
> in 1880. The last child born in Germany is 7 and the first child born in
> the U.S. is 6, so the family immigrated approximately 1873-1874.
>
> Does this fit with the marriage info you have? It appears so.
>
> Wisconsin marriages shows: Name: JOHN POPPENGUSS; Spouse: MECHELINOR
> CONVERSKI; Marriage Date: 13 Nov 1884; County: Monroe; State: WI
>
> Ages aren't given, but Michilien or Mechelinor would be 16; old enough
> at that time.
>
> I found no Converski on www.herby.com.pl, but 734 Konwerski in Poland
> 1990, the majority in the Warsaw and Ciechano~w areas. It would not be
> the first time a K was changed to a C. Many of our ancestors did not
> read or write, so whomever was taking the information spelled what they
> heard.
>
> Diana Grzelak Needham
>
> There is always a song for those who wish to sing
>
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Dianne Erickson [mailto:]
> > Sent: Thursday, April 08, 2004 7:49 AM
> > To:
> > Subject: [POSEN] Surname: Converski
> >
> > The La Crosse archdiocese archivist surfaced another name in Tomah for
> a
> > wife of one of the Popenfuses. He found a Matthias Popenfus married
> to a
> > Maryanna or Michalina Converski. I am trying to figure out who
> Matthias
> > is, but even more puzzling, I get just about nothing trying to track
> the
> > surname Converski. I found only this family in Tomah, Wisconsin:
> >
> > http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/frameset_search.asp
> >
> > I realize the census states they are from Germany, but my ancestors
> are
> > usually listed this way, too, and they are from Posen. Therefore, the
> > Converski family could be from Poland, as held by Germany.
> >
> > I tried changing it to "Conversky" but this did not bring up much.
> >
> > Anyone have a clue? Is there a misspelling or is it just an unusual
> > surname? The Converskis would not have come over with the Popenfus
> > family, but appeared to have come somewhat earlier.
> >
> > Thanks for any help.
> >
> > Dianne
> >
> >
> > Researching: Surdyk, Popenfus, Schmiegel, Converski--mostly from
> Posen
> > area.
> >
> >
> > ==== POSEN Mailing List ====
> > === Help us create a complete towns database. No special knowledge
> needed.
> > Look up data at one site, paste it into ours.
> > http://www.posen-l.com/CatholicDbBrowse.html
>

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