I am originally from Toledo, Ohio and currently researching my family and the Kuschwantz neighborhood of Toledo. Researching these family names: Mierzejewski, Plenzler, Przybylski, Rochowiak, Dauer, Aumiller. Have traced a branch of my mother's family as far as my ggg-grandparents in Poznan, Poland.

Some of the photos/graves I have posted here are somehow related to me, not most. If you are related or interested in the memorials, ask and I'll probably transfer. The only ones I will retain are direct lineage (parents, grandparents, great-grandparents).

I ask that you be patient with requests for edits and updates. I often work 50 hour weeks and do not yet have the pleasure of retirement yet. I also travel frequently, so my time here is somewhat limited. I do respond, but often times, not immediately. Weekends are your best bet to hear from me.

PLEASE refrain from posting scans of death certificates, burial records, obits etc. on any memorial I manage. Eventually, I would like to see many of these memorials to go family members or friends, and when you post genealogical scans here, you are a) duplicating information we probably already have, b) using limited photo spaces if someone would truly like to make a memorial, or c) may be violating copyright laws and/or privacy of survivors with posting scans of obits (or even typing them in verbatim). Just my opinion, but I find it tacky and unthoughtful. Photos of the deceased person are great--as long as you have permission to post them. Thanks.

Just as added information, you may see words on Polish graves that may appear as if they are part of the person's name. They are not. Here is a list of some common words and their translations:

Zona: Wife
Maz: Husband
Ojciec: Father
Matka: Mother
Droga/Drogi: "Dear" (as in mother, father, sister, daughter, etc.)
Corka: Daughter
Syn: Son
Brat: Brother
Siostra: Sister
Buszia, Babusia, Babszka, Babcia: affectionate terms for grandmother
Dzaidza, Dzaidz, Dziadek: affectionate terms for grandfather
Ciocia or Ciotka: aunt
Wujek or wuj: uncle
Tu. Sp.: Here lies (name)
Nasza Matka or Nasza Ojciec: Our Mother or Our Father
Prosi O Zdrowas Marya: Hail Mary or Mary Pray for Me

-EGO: Polish grammar, asks question of "whose grave?" or "who lies here" (you'll see this suffix at the end of a name, for example: PRZYBYLSKI EGO). The -EGO is not part of the name.

If you're looking for a female Polish ancestor, a tip would be to search using the female derivative of the surname. Poles use female and male surnames. So, if your grandfather's name was KOWALSKI and you just can't find your grandmother, try searching on KOWALSKA. This nomenclature is not in wide use any longer in the United States, but was commonly used during peak periods of immigration from Poland and is still in use today in Poland. The names are the same, but Poles use a form for the male and a form for the female.

Here are two websites that can help you identify the first names of Poles:

http://www.behindthename.com/namedays/country/pol
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~polwgw/namelist.html

I do use these photos on my genealogy blog (www.dmcmanus.biz). I realize that these photos may show up on ancestry.com. Feel free to link to them via Ancestry if they are indeed in your tree and useful to your research, after all, the genealogical community is one of the most generous and helpful I have ever been in, particularly those of Polish ancestry. But please, do keep in mind, that I hold the copyright on my own creative works--as you do for your own! I will credit you if I use your work, please reciprocate. The photos may be used for non-profit use and may NOT be altered. There is a watermark on nearly all my photos that will identify me. I keep the watermark small and it includes my full name, and will never, ever obscure the view of the photo. Feel free to email me. I am not active on this site as much as I'd like to be due to other commitments and obligations. Thanks!

I am originally from Toledo, Ohio and currently researching my family and the Kuschwantz neighborhood of Toledo. Researching these family names: Mierzejewski, Plenzler, Przybylski, Rochowiak, Dauer, Aumiller. Have traced a branch of my mother's family as far as my ggg-grandparents in Poznan, Poland.

Some of the photos/graves I have posted here are somehow related to me, not most. If you are related or interested in the memorials, ask and I'll probably transfer. The only ones I will retain are direct lineage (parents, grandparents, great-grandparents).

I ask that you be patient with requests for edits and updates. I often work 50 hour weeks and do not yet have the pleasure of retirement yet. I also travel frequently, so my time here is somewhat limited. I do respond, but often times, not immediately. Weekends are your best bet to hear from me.

PLEASE refrain from posting scans of death certificates, burial records, obits etc. on any memorial I manage. Eventually, I would like to see many of these memorials to go family members or friends, and when you post genealogical scans here, you are a) duplicating information we probably already have, b) using limited photo spaces if someone would truly like to make a memorial, or c) may be violating copyright laws and/or privacy of survivors with posting scans of obits (or even typing them in verbatim). Just my opinion, but I find it tacky and unthoughtful. Photos of the deceased person are great--as long as you have permission to post them. Thanks.

Just as added information, you may see words on Polish graves that may appear as if they are part of the person's name. They are not. Here is a list of some common words and their translations:

Zona: Wife
Maz: Husband
Ojciec: Father
Matka: Mother
Droga/Drogi: "Dear" (as in mother, father, sister, daughter, etc.)
Corka: Daughter
Syn: Son
Brat: Brother
Siostra: Sister
Buszia, Babusia, Babszka, Babcia: affectionate terms for grandmother
Dzaidza, Dzaidz, Dziadek: affectionate terms for grandfather
Ciocia or Ciotka: aunt
Wujek or wuj: uncle
Tu. Sp.: Here lies (name)
Nasza Matka or Nasza Ojciec: Our Mother or Our Father
Prosi O Zdrowas Marya: Hail Mary or Mary Pray for Me

-EGO: Polish grammar, asks question of "whose grave?" or "who lies here" (you'll see this suffix at the end of a name, for example: PRZYBYLSKI EGO). The -EGO is not part of the name.

If you're looking for a female Polish ancestor, a tip would be to search using the female derivative of the surname. Poles use female and male surnames. So, if your grandfather's name was KOWALSKI and you just can't find your grandmother, try searching on KOWALSKA. This nomenclature is not in wide use any longer in the United States, but was commonly used during peak periods of immigration from Poland and is still in use today in Poland. The names are the same, but Poles use a form for the male and a form for the female.

Here are two websites that can help you identify the first names of Poles:

http://www.behindthename.com/namedays/country/pol
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~polwgw/namelist.html

I do use these photos on my genealogy blog (www.dmcmanus.biz). I realize that these photos may show up on ancestry.com. Feel free to link to them via Ancestry if they are indeed in your tree and useful to your research, after all, the genealogical community is one of the most generous and helpful I have ever been in, particularly those of Polish ancestry. But please, do keep in mind, that I hold the copyright on my own creative works--as you do for your own! I will credit you if I use your work, please reciprocate. The photos may be used for non-profit use and may NOT be altered. There is a watermark on nearly all my photos that will identify me. I keep the watermark small and it includes my full name, and will never, ever obscure the view of the photo. Feel free to email me. I am not active on this site as much as I'd like to be due to other commitments and obligations. Thanks!