More cousins to look for.

I finally found the set of photos I’d asked my Mom to identify for me – and I finally really looked at them. While I knew there were distant cousins named Jankowski in Chicago, I hadn’t paid attention to another family of cousins named Polcyn.

On his arriving New York passenger list, my great grandfather Schipp indicated his destination to be Chicago. Probably to the Jankowski relatives there.  I don’t know how long he stayed in Chicago before settling in St. Paul, MN.

But who are the Polcyns??? 

Of course I went straight to census records to look for clues. That lasted one afternoon because I decided that it would be better to put this search off for a while.   I’ll get back to them when I get stuck again on my current searches. 

What's Next?

I’ve recovered from the worst cold I’ve had in ages.  It really took its toll for a few weeks; sapping all energy and motivation. So now I’m picking up where I left off on my research but I’m not sure where that is.

I’ve found my ancestral villages – at least the places where my great grandparents married and began their families. It was exciting finding their records on LDS microfilm.  But these were church sacramental records because civil records were not kept at that time.  With rare exception, they’re not indexed which means that you must know where to look and that can be a problem. So I feel that I’ve arrived at another brick wall. 

Do I try chipping away at the bricks trying to trace ancestors back into the early 1800’s? Looking for a needle in a haystack?  Just how far back can you trace Polish peseants?

Or do I take a break from that aspect, and focus on the family after they arrived in the US?

Or do I tackle another family line? 

Think I’ll take a few more days to plot my next move.,