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INTRODUCTION Reading newspapers and magazines of various kinds, surfing the Internet, listening to the radio and watching television, sometimes we come across a familiar name -
Wilczewski. Some of the bearers of this family name are known to us - they are our close relatives. But in many cases they are people we do not know personally, they are total strangers. But, are they really total strangers? Since they
have the same family name, there might be something that we have in common, although we are not aware of that. We do not have a present-day connection but common roots from the past might connect us. That was the reason that we felt the need to get to know these people. But how to do that without knowing their mail or e-mail addresses, or telephone numbers? We have
decided to create something like contact place for all bearers of Wilczewski family name that are willing to join, so it will facilitate getting acquainted and recreate our genealogical connections. An additional impulse for us was the
"Genealogical Tree of the Wilczewski Lineage” developed in 1970s by the late Zbigniew from Jelenia Góra and his brother Brunon from Lublin. Based on the possibilities provided by the use of computers, a small information base was
created about the Wilczewski family, whose documented roots go back to the fourteenth century, when one of the family members received nobility status from Gedymin, Prince of Lithuania, for his merits in the war with the Order of the
Teutonic Knights. It contains about 450 people, mostly from the past, but also from the present. Data we have about our
ancestors often is limited to only the first and last name. In most cases there is no information where they lived and the course of their lives. We are not working alone on "development" of our genealogical tree. We have
found a few other souls who are passionately fond of this activity and inexhaustible patient researchers: Janusz from Starogard Gdański, Aleksandra and Sebastian from Gdańsk, as well as other family members from Małopolska, Lower
and Upper Silesia and Pomerania. We need to mention here the late Henryk from Gliwice – researcher of family genealogy. His efforts were also used. We are counting on all Wilczewskis who visit "their" web page and are willing to learn about their roots. Very interesting contacts were made with Wilczewskis
in United States and in Russia. In the course of the history among the Wilczewskis, one could find not only those having keeping the posts of the Justices of the Land, chamberlains and castellans, but also senators and members of the
parliament, including the electors of kings - John Casimir, John III Sobieski, Augustus II and Stanislaus Augustus Poniatowski. The winds of history were "dispersing" our ancestors throughout the entire world, to the West at
the beginning of the XIX century - "for bread", and at the same time to the East – in kibitkas. Later historical
upheavals have had considerable influence on these migrations. Among the Wilczewskis were soldiers of the September 1939 battles, perished in Northern Poland, and those fighting in the General Anders Army on Western frontline. There
were secret service agents, dropped-in to occupied Poland and those deported to Donbas in 1945. In later years, also those leaving their homeland, forced by the situation in the mid-1980s. The majority live in their homeland, and we
are counting on their willingness to help in creation of the broad family chronicle. Maybe, following the example of other families,
we will be able to make a family reunion in Wilczewo near Sztum, which, according to the sources, is a documented cradle. We cannot do this alone, so we invite you to our web page. Please contact us with any information, supplementary
information or correction of information contained in the family tree.
To end with introduction we want to instruct our quests which invite this website with one of the Wilczewski's
legends. The Legend is hand down to posterity. Seemingly over the whole Wilczewski family take care the good ghosts called Zempatis and Szalajtis. If somebody from Wilczewski's will harmed, the ghosts punish
a wrong-doer during his life. In the Photo Gallery we presented the most interesting photos from our "Sentimental voyage" to
Podole in September 2002. We have found old graves of Wilczewski family members on parish cemeteries in Minkowce and Kuzelowa Wielka. The graves even from the year 1849 are still preserved. The photos of old manors, where our
grandfathers and great-grandfathers lived before bolshevik revolution in 1917 are also published here. A warm welcome and best regards to all visitors of our web page.
-Krystyna Wilczewska-Hajdukiewicz
-Juliusz Wilczewski |
