Dear Maria,
I received your mail- address from Vasily Kirsh.
Vasily contacted me someday via e-mail to know about an ancestor relative Jan Pulczinski/ Polczynski and since a while we exchange some information’s about our ancients.
I am in the age of 44, grown up in Germany and live now in Switzerland.
I need to tell you my story about the investigation of my ancestors.
Unfortunately I don’t speak polish so I will write you in English. I have a 16 year old son, Marcel- and a 19 year old daughter Chantal Pulczinski.
My searching begins with the death of my father. I was 11 years old and grown up in (west) Germany as he died on lung cancer. As he had his last days, he told me about my grandfather Josef Pulczinski and some places in Poland where my father himself has never been.
I promised him on the grave that I keep the family, and keep my family name in honor whatever happens.
He told me several things about the family Pulczinski.
The meaning of the name Pulczinski he could not answer. The only what he knows is, that it was an aristocratic family name from Poland. The iron curtain during the communist time did not allow deeper investigations, we lived in West Germany, and there were no polish speaking people, whom he (or later me) could ask.
Josef and Agnes Pulczinski (born Hohmann)
So far I want to begin with the story of my grandfather Josef Pulczinski.
He was born about 1899 in a small village in Poland, Malachin/District of Chojnice. His father, my great-grandfather was Carol/Karl Pulczinski/Polczynski and was married to Michaline Wisznewska.
I asked my father Bruno Pulczinski, why my grandfather Josef came to Germany. He explained me following incidents:
My great-grandfather Carol was cavalierly captain and it was told that they lived on an old manor near Chojnice/ Czersk.
They grown horses and did other farming also cheese making and milk farming. In that area they had a railroad and a small river, as well as a lot of ponds and lakes where you can go fishing, hunting and horseback riding. It must be really a nice wonderful nature over there.
Josef Pulczinski might have had brothers. Some of the siblings died, and some when my grandfather told about a brother or twin brothers who died in young years.
Someday, as a young boy all of a sudden my grandfather went home crying for pain with a lot of injuries. To the question what happened he answered that he got a penalty from the teacher; the teacher had beaten him because he was doing something wrong.
My great-grandfather went very calm…. said he will clarify that, went to school and… had beaten the teacher. His final comment in this affair was: “Nobody will hit my children other than me.…”
This action was not without consequence. The family received a big fine from the judge, and my great grandfather decided to sent my grandfather to some relatives to America.
My grandfather was upset to leave home… and run away. It must be around 1910/1911. He was 11 or 12 years old.
Somehow he ended up in the Rhine area in West Germany and began to work as a horseman for coalmine ponies. In that time the coal mining industry was using special ponies to draw out coal wagons and heavy goods out of the mines.
Somehow he survived the First World War, he was not joining the German army, and mainly I was told there were problems with the nationality. My grandfather returned to Poland 1920 for several time. Pretending for “family affairs”, whatever that would mean...
He returned back to Germany on free will.
My father Bruno Pulczinski was born 1928 and his brother Werner several years later. My grandfather worked further in the coal mine. During World War 2 it must be a difficult situation for them. As my father told me during War, my grandfather Josef Pulczinski had to spent his time in a detention camp for polish coalminers under NAZI SS command, while he had to send his sons to the “Hitler Jugend”, just to avoid worse things like deportation and for “ariazation” of a subhuman race.
So during that sad time my father had spent his time with the HJ but could stay further with his mother which was german, meanwhile my grandfather had to work further in the coal mine as a internee in the detention camp for polish coal miners.
During all the war, the houses and living quarters of the polish coalminers where undergrounded with a tunneling system , during coal-mining work they constructed this network illegally, even its said that some polish where in contact with a secret service.
Some of this “under grounders” where shot. At least the industrial area was permanently bombed from US and British air force, so far the polish miners guided their folks and families through the mining -tunneling system, to areas which were not in the crossfire. After the bombing was finished they returned at home or where integrated in other families .
My father shown me once the entrance of the tunneling system which was also existing behind a stonewall in the basement of in our house.
My grandfather knew every bombing from the British air force in advance and organized the coverage of family and friends and could save the life of his own family.
To the end of the war every young folks had to join the last German human reserves, the same as my father…by official requirement my father should join the “Volkssturm”. Escaping from the detention camp my grandfather locked and hide him in the basement and Tunneling system for several months (it must be 6 or 7) and promised him the war will be over in May or June and allied British troops will arrive and free Germany from the Nazi plaque.
My father was very very, annoyed about this private prison ship, a long time, until he was in the mid of twenty, as he understood that my grandfather saved his life.
Several months later, after war end, the people were dealing goods on black market.
My father and his friends did not like the Americans, because the American GIs treated the young German guys bad, and catched away some girls. My father was born in Germany, the Nazis classified him as non-Arian and sub-human, but now by passport and language, and after joining the HJ he was officially German.
However, during a “trial of courage” my father found a rifle in a forest and all of a sudden a shot released from the weapon and a US GI lost his Steel helmet, which was flying from his head... Fortunately the soldier was not hurt, but my father was captured and judged to get a trial to death.
Then my grandfather showed off to the responsible US Officer. After 1 or 2 hours behind closed doors my grandfather could take his son home. What a miracle.
Somehow my grandfather saved the life of my father the third time.
Josef Pulczinski in his small garden in fornt of the house; Rheinhausen, Germany
My father met my mother around 1951/52 and my grandfather was against this relationship because she was protestant and not roman-catholic. Even this was a reason for father and son to stop communication for over 3 years.
My grandfather Josef died around 1958, it was said he was in a bad condition during the time in the detention camp. The official diagnosis was a chronicle lung dysfunction because of coal dust.
My father Bruno Pulczinski died in the age of 46, because of lung cancer.
After his death a few weeks later, I received a phone call coming from New York City. I heard an older voice announcing himself like soemthing...Pauschensky… My English was not very good and I only understood that I don’t need to suffer and that I am not alone. I thought my father was standing up from grave…. After several months later I received another phone call from an old man with a broken German in strong polish accent announcing him as a Stanislaw or he was talking about a Stanislaw. I was totally under shock and in mourning because the death of my father.
and was not able to follow. But my older sister also receives a call from the same person and can confirm that. But sometimes I called to a phone number to New York I noted in the talk before, until my mother received the phone bill…. Outside county calls were very expensive during that times and I was not allowed to use the phone anymore, despite arguing from my mother: “it won`t bring back our father”.
During the time of the “iron curtain” it was nearly not possible to find something out about the ancient polish grandfathers.
In the age of 16, about 1981 I wrote a letter to the polish government to help me. Fortunately I received a message from an historic department, with the information that they found some historical records about Pulczinski in Bydgoszcz.
But the costs were enormous and I could not effort this amount, even this was an open bill with additional cost for translations and expertise etc..
Then later I was about 22, I met some polish people and asked them about my family name. One medical doctor explained me that he knows that name and told me about szlachta, and generals, and even some famous politicians and military heroes from polish side.They gave me information that my name is not the correct spelling.
After I saved some money I ordered an analyze from a professional company, but they only found out several contacts and names in USA: The distribution of the name PULCZINSKI was mainly in USA!!.... Very suspicious….i wondered what happened to ancestors or family members in Poland? What happened to my great grandfather? What happened to the rest of grandfather Josefs family?
In this report where several addresses listed in the time of 1980^s no internet established. I could find out one telephone number.
After I couraged myself to continue, and called a Nick Pulczinski in Alaska/USA. Suzy Pulczinski his wife (I hope they forgive me I called them during night because of time difference.) answered they call. At least I received a handwritten letter from his old grandmother which explained that they came from Prussia/Poland and Emigrant Ignaz Pulczinski settled in Minnesota USA.
After my uncle Werner Pulczinski died I could dig in some old papers and documents. Then I saw the miracle how the Pulczinski spelling was created.
On the birth document of my grandfather the name was documented in old German handwriting. The Z looked like a Y. The U looked like an O. Some spots and special lines over all some letters… It looked like Polczynski. In a printed document written with a typing machine, the handwritten Polczynski was turned to Pulczinski.
All emigrant names which took the ship to USA where mainly going offshore from Hamburg harbor /Germany and all records in Elis Island New York show the writing Pulczinski, even Ignaz Pulczinski is recorded in polish/church registers as Polczynski.
Even I found a record from a Josef Pulczinski who was registered for an emigrationship to USA, but this person was never registered in Elis Island, which means a Josef never arrived. That could be the records my grandfather Josef, who run away from home instead to go to his aunt and uncle to the USA.
Some historicist told me it’s the same as you can see in other spellings depending on the dialect/Area and the former writing offices or scriptoriums; it can be Polczynski, Pelczinski, Palczynski, Pulczinski. But all the same family.
So far this is a short upgrade from my investigations and family history. I am honored and very excited to receive your mail address.
I am thankful for any other information about information about of Josef and Karl (Carol) Pulczinski please let me know or any other informations of the family Pulczinski/Polczynski in general.
Even to keep the memory to my father and grandfathers for later generations I created a blog in the internet. At least I want to collect all findings on one place.
The first and only word in polish I learned from my father is :::::KONIE::::, me, myself I have a hobby, guess what … horseback riding;)))).
I would like to know which kind of horses Carol Polczynski (Pulczinski) was growing, further I would like to have evidence which was his coat of arms,( It can be Nalecz, Bochdanowicz, may be Boncza or Janta, may be Kujawa) and if are further living relatives are existing. I know that I can find may be something in old registers in Poland.
If you compare the Photographs from me, my father and famous Leon Janta Polczynski you can not deny similarity.
Even he shown the same hands like my father. My father had exactly the same fingers. Especially the forefinger. That was and is incredible for me. I could not trust my eyes as I saw it the first time.
If you know anything else about the Polczynski clan, or if somebody is today involved in horse farming business, please let me know.
I thought about to built a foundation for Pulczinski children in emergencies, as Vasily told me about you and your children’s foundation.
To close with the words of my father, nobility is not given by a king; nobility is given from god, caused on your noble acting,
with best regards & sincerely yours
Andreas Pulczinski
I received your mail- address from Vasily Kirsh.
Vasily contacted me someday via e-mail to know about an ancestor relative Jan Pulczinski/ Polczynski and since a while we exchange some information’s about our ancients.
I am in the age of 44, grown up in Germany and live now in Switzerland.
I need to tell you my story about the investigation of my ancestors.
Unfortunately I don’t speak polish so I will write you in English. I have a 16 year old son, Marcel- and a 19 year old daughter Chantal Pulczinski.
My searching begins with the death of my father. I was 11 years old and grown up in (west) Germany as he died on lung cancer. As he had his last days, he told me about my grandfather Josef Pulczinski and some places in Poland where my father himself has never been.
I promised him on the grave that I keep the family, and keep my family name in honor whatever happens.
He told me several things about the family Pulczinski.
The meaning of the name Pulczinski he could not answer. The only what he knows is, that it was an aristocratic family name from Poland. The iron curtain during the communist time did not allow deeper investigations, we lived in West Germany, and there were no polish speaking people, whom he (or later me) could ask.
Josef and Agnes Pulczinski (born Hohmann)
So far I want to begin with the story of my grandfather Josef Pulczinski.
He was born about 1899 in a small village in Poland, Malachin/District of Chojnice. His father, my great-grandfather was Carol/Karl Pulczinski/Polczynski and was married to Michaline Wisznewska.
I asked my father Bruno Pulczinski, why my grandfather Josef came to Germany. He explained me following incidents:
My great-grandfather Carol was cavalierly captain and it was told that they lived on an old manor near Chojnice/ Czersk.
They grown horses and did other farming also cheese making and milk farming. In that area they had a railroad and a small river, as well as a lot of ponds and lakes where you can go fishing, hunting and horseback riding. It must be really a nice wonderful nature over there.
Josef Pulczinski might have had brothers. Some of the siblings died, and some when my grandfather told about a brother or twin brothers who died in young years.
Someday, as a young boy all of a sudden my grandfather went home crying for pain with a lot of injuries. To the question what happened he answered that he got a penalty from the teacher; the teacher had beaten him because he was doing something wrong.
My great-grandfather went very calm…. said he will clarify that, went to school and… had beaten the teacher. His final comment in this affair was: “Nobody will hit my children other than me.…”
This action was not without consequence. The family received a big fine from the judge, and my great grandfather decided to sent my grandfather to some relatives to America.
My grandfather was upset to leave home… and run away. It must be around 1910/1911. He was 11 or 12 years old.
Somehow he ended up in the Rhine area in West Germany and began to work as a horseman for coalmine ponies. In that time the coal mining industry was using special ponies to draw out coal wagons and heavy goods out of the mines.
Somehow he survived the First World War, he was not joining the German army, and mainly I was told there were problems with the nationality. My grandfather returned to Poland 1920 for several time. Pretending for “family affairs”, whatever that would mean...
He returned back to Germany on free will.
My father Bruno Pulczinski was born 1928 and his brother Werner several years later. My grandfather worked further in the coal mine. During World War 2 it must be a difficult situation for them. As my father told me during War, my grandfather Josef Pulczinski had to spent his time in a detention camp for polish coalminers under NAZI SS command, while he had to send his sons to the “Hitler Jugend”, just to avoid worse things like deportation and for “ariazation” of a subhuman race.
So during that sad time my father had spent his time with the HJ but could stay further with his mother which was german, meanwhile my grandfather had to work further in the coal mine as a internee in the detention camp for polish coal miners.
During all the war, the houses and living quarters of the polish coalminers where undergrounded with a tunneling system , during coal-mining work they constructed this network illegally, even its said that some polish where in contact with a secret service.
Some of this “under grounders” where shot. At least the industrial area was permanently bombed from US and British air force, so far the polish miners guided their folks and families through the mining -tunneling system, to areas which were not in the crossfire. After the bombing was finished they returned at home or where integrated in other families .
My father shown me once the entrance of the tunneling system which was also existing behind a stonewall in the basement of in our house.
My grandfather knew every bombing from the British air force in advance and organized the coverage of family and friends and could save the life of his own family.
To the end of the war every young folks had to join the last German human reserves, the same as my father…by official requirement my father should join the “Volkssturm”. Escaping from the detention camp my grandfather locked and hide him in the basement and Tunneling system for several months (it must be 6 or 7) and promised him the war will be over in May or June and allied British troops will arrive and free Germany from the Nazi plaque.
My father was very very, annoyed about this private prison ship, a long time, until he was in the mid of twenty, as he understood that my grandfather saved his life.
Several months later, after war end, the people were dealing goods on black market.
My father and his friends did not like the Americans, because the American GIs treated the young German guys bad, and catched away some girls. My father was born in Germany, the Nazis classified him as non-Arian and sub-human, but now by passport and language, and after joining the HJ he was officially German.
However, during a “trial of courage” my father found a rifle in a forest and all of a sudden a shot released from the weapon and a US GI lost his Steel helmet, which was flying from his head... Fortunately the soldier was not hurt, but my father was captured and judged to get a trial to death.
Then my grandfather showed off to the responsible US Officer. After 1 or 2 hours behind closed doors my grandfather could take his son home. What a miracle.
Somehow my grandfather saved the life of my father the third time.
Josef Pulczinski in his small garden in fornt of the house; Rheinhausen, Germany
My father met my mother around 1951/52 and my grandfather was against this relationship because she was protestant and not roman-catholic. Even this was a reason for father and son to stop communication for over 3 years.
My grandfather Josef died around 1958, it was said he was in a bad condition during the time in the detention camp. The official diagnosis was a chronicle lung dysfunction because of coal dust.
My father Bruno Pulczinski died in the age of 46, because of lung cancer.
After his death a few weeks later, I received a phone call coming from New York City. I heard an older voice announcing himself like soemthing...Pauschensky… My English was not very good and I only understood that I don’t need to suffer and that I am not alone. I thought my father was standing up from grave…. After several months later I received another phone call from an old man with a broken German in strong polish accent announcing him as a Stanislaw or he was talking about a Stanislaw. I was totally under shock and in mourning because the death of my father.
and was not able to follow. But my older sister also receives a call from the same person and can confirm that. But sometimes I called to a phone number to New York I noted in the talk before, until my mother received the phone bill…. Outside county calls were very expensive during that times and I was not allowed to use the phone anymore, despite arguing from my mother: “it won`t bring back our father”.
During the time of the “iron curtain” it was nearly not possible to find something out about the ancient polish grandfathers.
In the age of 16, about 1981 I wrote a letter to the polish government to help me. Fortunately I received a message from an historic department, with the information that they found some historical records about Pulczinski in Bydgoszcz.
But the costs were enormous and I could not effort this amount, even this was an open bill with additional cost for translations and expertise etc..
Then later I was about 22, I met some polish people and asked them about my family name. One medical doctor explained me that he knows that name and told me about szlachta, and generals, and even some famous politicians and military heroes from polish side.They gave me information that my name is not the correct spelling.
After I saved some money I ordered an analyze from a professional company, but they only found out several contacts and names in USA: The distribution of the name PULCZINSKI was mainly in USA!!.... Very suspicious….i wondered what happened to ancestors or family members in Poland? What happened to my great grandfather? What happened to the rest of grandfather Josefs family?
In this report where several addresses listed in the time of 1980^s no internet established. I could find out one telephone number.
After I couraged myself to continue, and called a Nick Pulczinski in Alaska/USA. Suzy Pulczinski his wife (I hope they forgive me I called them during night because of time difference.) answered they call. At least I received a handwritten letter from his old grandmother which explained that they came from Prussia/Poland and Emigrant Ignaz Pulczinski settled in Minnesota USA.
After my uncle Werner Pulczinski died I could dig in some old papers and documents. Then I saw the miracle how the Pulczinski spelling was created.
On the birth document of my grandfather the name was documented in old German handwriting. The Z looked like a Y. The U looked like an O. Some spots and special lines over all some letters… It looked like Polczynski. In a printed document written with a typing machine, the handwritten Polczynski was turned to Pulczinski.
All emigrant names which took the ship to USA where mainly going offshore from Hamburg harbor /Germany and all records in Elis Island New York show the writing Pulczinski, even Ignaz Pulczinski is recorded in polish/church registers as Polczynski.
Even I found a record from a Josef Pulczinski who was registered for an emigrationship to USA, but this person was never registered in Elis Island, which means a Josef never arrived. That could be the records my grandfather Josef, who run away from home instead to go to his aunt and uncle to the USA.
Some historicist told me it’s the same as you can see in other spellings depending on the dialect/Area and the former writing offices or scriptoriums; it can be Polczynski, Pelczinski, Palczynski, Pulczinski. But all the same family.
So far this is a short upgrade from my investigations and family history. I am honored and very excited to receive your mail address.
I am thankful for any other information about information about of Josef and Karl (Carol) Pulczinski please let me know or any other informations of the family Pulczinski/Polczynski in general.
Even to keep the memory to my father and grandfathers for later generations I created a blog in the internet. At least I want to collect all findings on one place.
The first and only word in polish I learned from my father is :::::KONIE::::, me, myself I have a hobby, guess what … horseback riding;)))).
I would like to know which kind of horses Carol Polczynski (Pulczinski) was growing, further I would like to have evidence which was his coat of arms,( It can be Nalecz, Bochdanowicz, may be Boncza or Janta, may be Kujawa) and if are further living relatives are existing. I know that I can find may be something in old registers in Poland.
If you compare the Photographs from me, my father and famous Leon Janta Polczynski you can not deny similarity.
Even he shown the same hands like my father. My father had exactly the same fingers. Especially the forefinger. That was and is incredible for me. I could not trust my eyes as I saw it the first time.
If you know anything else about the Polczynski clan, or if somebody is today involved in horse farming business, please let me know.
I thought about to built a foundation for Pulczinski children in emergencies, as Vasily told me about you and your children’s foundation.
To close with the words of my father, nobility is not given by a king; nobility is given from god, caused on your noble acting,
To our beloved and too early gone father
Bruno Pulczinski (picture obove)
with best regards & sincerely yours
Andreas Pulczinski
Hello. I happened upon your page by googling my own name, Sadie Pulczinski. I live in Roseau, Minnesota, USA. I am very curious to know if I have relatives in Germany, Poland, Switzerland. However, I don't know alot about my background; just that my father is Steven Michael Pulczinski,JR, and my Grandfather is Stephen, SR. If we are related, which I'm guessing we are, I would love to know more about you and your family. Please e-mail me-spulcz@live.com.
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