Journal Entry:   Friday, June 27, 2003   (Southern 
                                                                                                                     Poland Trip)

     We awoke and went down to breakfast (at the inn).  Today we had mostiwo made by Janek.  (This is a white sauce topped with “squarkie” or little pieces of salt pork or bacon.  Dad usually put a big pat of butter in it and said Gramma’s “squarrkie” were much bigger -- and fattening, too!)  We dipped it up with pieces of bread.  I have suspected for some time that Janek and Danuta were health conscious about food (with exception of the fried chicken filets), so the mostiwo was a rare, fattening meal.  There was also a new “pressed” cheese mold, which was mild and delicious, with the slices of meat, cucumber and tomatoes (usually served).

     Our project today was genealogy research, starting at the Ulcie Gorlicke
Courthouse, which housed all the municipal offices and the mayor.  Halina was hoping the secretary in charge of the old records would be out of the office, as she had been uncooperative to them in the past.  While we waited in the hallway, we saw a tourist information board with a great map of the area, showing hiking and bike trails and ski slopes.  We asked Andrew to get one of these maps for us.

     We were ushered into a conference room with the old books of birth records from Snietnica and Stawisza , but the dates were too late, starting in the late 1890’s (I think).  Unfortunately, I began to realize I would be needing the genealogy info we left at home (or the copies we had already given to cousins, Anna and Marisha).  Halina told us the birth, marriage and death records were listed first by year, then chronologically month and day, but also by house #.  She said once we found one person on our list, we could find the others by quickly scanning the house # column.

     The only year I remembered for sure was Gramma’s (1885) and even Julia at 9 years younger would be 1894 -- so the records at this courthouse were useless.  Andrew went to ask about the books the priest had mentioned that went back to the 1860’s.  In the meantime, we were introduced to the mayor of Ulcie Gorlicke, who Halina proudly informed us was a “Lemko” -- the first one elected in quite a while!

     (I forgot to mention that Rich took this day as his opportunity to ride bike with Paul -- a ride he’ll never forget!)
     Andrew found out the earlier books were kept at an archives building in SKOLYSZYN, a town about 1 hour drive away.  We decided to go.

     We arrived at a very severe-looking building on a dirt road off the main street in town.  We had to be “buzzed” in and immediately met up with a “Gestapo witch” who was definitely in charge.    Andrew and Halina were sweet-talking her . . . I’m sure without a word of “Lemko” -- and making reference to us as traveling from America just to see these records.  (It was interesting on our drive to this place that Halina made several comments to the effect that these documents “belonged to the people,” and we had a “right” to see them . . . As though maybe this was a new concept to them.)

     The woman was being difficult and asked if we had our passports.  Luckily I had neglected to remove mine from my purse, so I was the one chosen to see the books. (Only 2 or 3  people were allowed in the room with the books at a time - - a rule she made up that day, I’m sure.)  We filled out the forms that were required and the “witch” unhappily went to retrieve the books from “God knows where.”

     Halina and I sat down and saw that indeed the books were the correct dates and the one from Snietnica was well organized and in good shape.  We began in the 1885 looking for Alexandra, but had to go back a year 1884 to find her!  I can’t explain how I felt to place my hands on a page filled out by a priest that day Gramma was born!!!  I nearly shrieked with excitement.

     The house # was 52 -- so we went forward to find:  
          Ignatius (Mike)   1887
          Gregorius            1890 +(cross symbol)   maybe died at birth?
          Alexander            1892 
          Julianna               1896
     Going back we found:
          Euphrosinia         1883 +   (died at birth?)
          Andreas               1880
          Cirillus                1878
          Methodius           1875

     Then a surprise -- another birth for house #52:
          Gregorius            1873    by mother, Eudocia Chomiak (maiden name)
                                               Father, Stephanus Korbycz
Gramma’s mother, Eudocia, was apparently married before  she married Theodorus Basalyga (our great-grandfather)!   … more on this later …

     I also had a little personal surprise:   The person listed on the next line after Julianna was named “Claudia” - - the only one we saw while scanning the pages.  Maybe Claudia is a “Lemko” name afterall . . .

     Halina told me at this point that we could make Xerox copies, but it would cost $4.00 each!  I had my camera in my purse, so I motioned to Halina and she shook her head yes, but we knew it was a risk.  Two men were seated at another table, and after the 1st photo, they smiled in agreement.  After 2 more photos, we heard the “witch” coming down the hall!  She may have seen the flash through the window in the door.  She stomped in and asked if we needed any help (right….), but we hid the camera under my skirt and she went away.  (The photos didn’t turn out very good, as I had to focus very quickly -- but it’s nice to have them as a reminder.)  

     Time was running out as the office closed at 2:00.  We started on the stack for Stawisza, which was a jumble of birth, marriage and deaths for both Snietnica and Stawisza.  We were very fortunate to stumble across “Isidorus” in the first stack and Halina immediately suspected this was the formal name for Sedor (Sidor).  The year was 1881, which I then remembered was correct, and the parents in house #100 were Mysliwyj - Joannes and Anna (which Halina said was often nicknamed Natza, as we had learned from Violet’s records.)  WOW!    We found Grampa’s father -- what a discovery -- and a relief -- after what we had begun to suspect about the name Sedor.

     We wrote down the names quickly of the other family members (2 more generations back) and found the name Koropczak.  Andrew’s mother’s maiden name was Koropczak - - maybe some relation??

     Anna (Natza) was the daughter of Antonia Boczniowicz (Bochnovich?) -- related to John Basalyga’s mother, Stephania??? … very possible and very interesting.

     Well, time was up and we told the Gestapo witch we wanted to come back the next day.  Oh yes, she agreed to let Dad and Kathy come in quickly to see what we had found and we marked the pages with post-its.  Dad was very excited to find his father’s father!!  … it’s what he came for … and also about his grandmother’s previous marriage.

     On the ride home Andrew joked about being related to Dad thru the Koropczak’s and started calling him “Uncle Bob.”   Dad joked back with Andrew saying “now that we are relations, we don’t have to pay!…)

     Back at the inn we had an early dinner (4:00) since we had had no lunch.  We dined on boiled potatoes with herbs, a yellowish green bean, and a very interesting meatball … either ground beef(veal) or pork wrapped around a piece of boiled egg and a piece of dill pickle.  I couldn’t tell how it was cooked, maybe baked or boiled … as it was not browned on the outside.  There was a gravy and the same plum juice.  Also a cake of some sort -- one of the few desserts we were served … kind of dry … I guess healthful.

     Rich and Paul came in about 5:00 and we heard all about their “bike ride from Hell!”  (They got lost in the woods, endured a hailstorm and were thoroughly exhausted!)

     Earlier, I had mentioned I wanted to walk up the hill (small mountain) behind the inn.  Halina and Andrew said they would come back after dinner and walk with us.   Everyone went except Dad and Janek (who was busy making a table for our last cook-out).  Even Rich couldn’t bring himself to admit how tired he was.

     We started thru the hayfield following the tractor tracks … then on the steeper slope thru the grass and wildflowers.  We began  to find wild alpine strawberries and bilberries (a wild blueberry).  We picked and ate while we climbed higher.  Finally, we stopped and looked behind us at the view!  I gave Julia (Halina’s niece) the binoculars which fascinated her for quite a while.  Janek’s youngest son (name?) kept picking blueberries until his mouth, teeth and fingers were dark purple.  

     At the very top the trees began.  A short distance into the woods there was a cemetery from WWI where about 70(?) Austrian soldiers were buried.  The graves were unmarked.  At one time, however, they apparently were marked to some degree, as we were told a story of a German/Austrian soldier who came across the grave of his father there during WWII.

     We sat in the grass at the hilltop for quite a while, joking that we could make our beds there, until Halina asked if we would ever be ready to leave …