Villages Where MN Kociewie Poles Emigrated From
The map of the Kociewie area above shows some of the villages where MN Kociewians came from
Kociewie and the two Voivodeships where it is located.
2nd map shows Kashubia (dark green) and Kociewie (light green) next to each other.
Kociewie Villages and Parishes Where MN Poles Came From
(all are in the Pelplin Diocese, previously called Chełmno Diocese)
| Kociewie Village | Parish/Town that poles from the village likely attended | County (Powiat) | Voivodeship | WHere Settled in MN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Będźmirowice | Czersk | Chojnice | Pomeranian | Benton County |
| Borzechowo | Zblewo | Starogard | Pomeranian | Winona County |
| Czersk | Czersk | Chojnice | Pomeranian | Stearns County Steele County Trempealeau County, WI |
| Dzierżażno | Dzierżażno | Tczew | Pomeranian | Lincoln County |
| Godziszewo | Godziszewo | Starogard | Pomeranian | Lincoln County |
| Iwiczno | Zblewo | Starogard | Pomeranian | Winona County |
| Malzewo | Tczew | Tczew | Pomeranian | Lincoln County |
| Nieciszewo | Niewieścin | Świecie | Kuyavian-Pomeranian | Lincoln County |
| Niewieścin | Niewieścin | Świecie | Kuyavian-Pomeranian | Lincoln County |
| Świecie | Świecie | Świecie | Kuyavian-Pomeranian | Lincoln County St. Louis County |
| Tczew | Tczew | Tczew | Pomeranian | Lincoln County, Winona County |
| Trzechowo | Zblewo | Starogard | Pomeranian | Winona County |
| Zblewo | Zblewo | Starogard | Pomeranian | Lincoln County, Winona County |
PGS-MN Newsletter Articles about Kociewie
| Issue | Page | Title/Author |
|---|---|---|
| Winter 2022 | 10 | Finding My Korcal Family’s Village of Zblewo by Kay Freund |
| Spring 2023 | 7 | Continuing the Search for my Korcal Ancestors by Kay Freund |
| Winter 2024 | 9 | Who are the Kociewie Poles? by Paula Colwell |
Starogard County, Pomeranian Voivodeship
Note: The two maps below are courtesy of Wikipedia. The short descriptions about the towns and villages were also obtained from Wikipedia.
Photo of church below taken by Paula Colwell in 2018
Zblewo, Starogard County, Pomeranian Voivodeship
Zblewo is a village in Starogard County, in the Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. It lies 9 miles west of Starogard Gdańsk and 32 miles south-west of the regional capital Gdańsk. Starogard County is part of the area traditionally inhabited by the Kociewie ethnic group, which is next to the more prominent ethnocultural region of Kashubia. The village has a population of 3,263.
The village of Zblewo was first recorded as a tar producing and wood-processing center and was passed into the hands of the Teutonic Knights in the 14th Century. The Kociewie in the 1800s were a mix of nobility, workers, and peasants. The farms were considered to be wealthy.
Since the late 19th century, Zblewo developed further when a railroad was built between Tczew and Chojnice.
The Catholic church in Zblewo is St. Michael the Archangel, which is in the Pelplin Diocese. The establishment of the parish dates back to the 12th century. The present church structure was built in 1879-1880 and is depicted in the village coat of arms.
Some MN Poles from Lincoln County and Winona came from the nearby villages of Iwiczno, Trzechowo, and Borzechowo and were members of this church.
History of the Parish (need to use translation tool). The parish’s metric books have been preserved since 1726. The following books were collected in the Diocesan Archives in Pelplin: baptisms (1726-1892), marriages (1751-1874) and deaths (1810-1874). Newer documentation is kept in the parish office.
FamilySearch has birth, marriage, and death records for this church from 1726-1892. They also have civil records from 1874-1883. Some records are available online from home, while others can only be obtained from an LDS Affiliate location (the Hoffman Research Library is an affiliate) or at the LDS Family History Library in Salt Lake City.
In addition, the Pomeranian Genealogical Association (PTG) has indexes for this church. To learn more about how to use the PTG database, see the Kashubia section.
Godziszewo, Starogard County, Pomeranian Voivodeship
Godziszewo is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Skarszewy, within Starogard County, in the Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. It is 5 miles north-east of Skarszewy, and 9 miles north of Starogard Gdański. The village dates back to the early Middle Ages, founded in the year 1198. By 1939, 20 German families and 15 Polish families lived in Godziszewo.
The Catholic church in Godziszewo is St. John of Nepomucena which is in the Pelplin Diocese. Lincoln County, MN Poles who came from this village and would have worshiped at this church.
FamilySearch has birth, marriage, and death records for this church from 1721-1903. They also have civil records from 1874-1883. Some records are available online from home, while others can only be obtained from an LDS Affiliate location (the Hoffman Research Library is an affiliate) or at the LDS Family History Library in Salt Lake City.
In addition, the Pomeranian Genealogical Association (PTG) has indexes for this church. To learn more about how to use the PTG database, see the Kashubia section.
Świecie County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship
Note: The map that shows the Wielkopolskie/Kujawsko-Pomorskie area and the county map next to that map are courtesy of Wikipedia. The short descriptions about the towns and villages were also obtained from Wikipedia.
Świecie, Świecie County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian (Kujawsko-Pomorskie) Voivodeship
Świecie is a town in northern Poland with a population of 25,968 (2006). It is located in Świecie County in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship (it was previously in the Bydgoszcz Voivodeship), and It is 28 miles north-east of Bydgoszcz.
The Catholic church in Świecie that MN Poles likely belonged to is St. Andrew Bobola. The church was originally in the Chelmo Diocese and since 1992 has been in the Pelplin Diocese. Photos of St. Andrew Bobola Church
FamilySearch has records for the parish from 1672-1900. Some records are available online from home, while others can only be obtained from an LDS Affiliate location (the Hoffman Research Library is an affiliate) or at the LDS Family History Library in Salt Lake City.
The Pomeranian Genealogical Association (PTG) has indexed records for this church. To learn more about how to use the PTG website, see the Kashubia section of From Poland to Minnesota.
There are three other Catholic churches in Świecie that were built more recently, so would not have been a parish that MN Poles would have attended. They are:
– Christ the King – built in 1937
– St. Józefa – built in 1984
– Our Lady of Czestchowa and St. Stanislaus the Bishop – built in 1990
Niewieścin, Świecie County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian (Kujawsko-Pomorskie) Voivodeship
Niewieścin is a is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Pruszcz, within Świecie County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland. It is 3 miles south of Pruszcz and 12 miles south-west of Świecie.
The Catholic church that MN Poles from this village likely attended is Church of St. James the Apostle in Niewiescin. The church was originally in the Chelmo Diocese and since 1992 has been in the Pelplin Diocese. In later years, the nearby village of Pruszcz broke off and formed their own parish. This is also the parish that MN Poles from the nearby village of Nieciszewo likely attended.
FamilySearch has records for the parish from 1672-1900. Some records are available online from home, while others can only be obtained from an LDS Affiliate location (the Hoffman Research Library is an affiliate) or at the LDS Family History Library in Salt Lake City.
The Pomeranian Genealogical Association (PTG) has indexed records for this church. To learn more about how to use the PTG website, see the Kashubia section of From Poland to Minnesota.
Tczew County, Pomeranian Voivodeship
Note: The map of the Counties in the Pomeranian Voivodeship is courtesy of Wikipedia. The short descriptions about the towns and villages were also obtained from Wikipedia.
Tczew, Tczew County, Pomeranian Voivodeship
Tczew is a city on the Vistula River in the Pomeranian Voivodeship in northern Poland. It is the capital of Tczew County and the largest city of the ethnocultural region of Kociewie (over 59,000 residents today).
The Catholic church where Lincoln County, MN Poles would have worshiped is Church of the Holy Cross in the Pelplin Diocese. Lincoln County Poles who came from the village of Małżewo would have attended this church. There are several other churches in Tczew but are all more recently built.
History and Architecture of the Church
Parish History – need translation tool.
FamilySearch has birth, marriage, and death records for this church from 1685-1926 (some years are missing). They also have civil records from 1874-1883. Some records are available online from home, while others can only be obtained from an LDS Affiliate location (the Hoffman Research Library is an affiliate) or at the LDS Family History Library in Salt Lake City.
In addition, the Pomeranian Genealogical Association (PTG) has indexes for this church. To learn more about how to use the PTG database, see the Kashubia section.
Dzierżażno, Tczew County, Pomeranian Voivodeship
Dzierżążno is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Morzeszczyn, within Tczew County, Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. It is one mile east of Morzeszczyn and 18 miles south of Tczew.
The Catholic church in Dzierżążno is the Church of St. James the Apostle, in the Pelplin Diocese. Some Poles from Lincoln County, MN came from this village and were likely members of this church.
FamilySearch has birth, marriage, and death records for this church from 1765-1899. They also have civil records from 1874-1883. Some records are available online from home, while others can only be obtained from an LDS Affiliate location (the Hoffman Research Library is an affiliate) or at the LDS Family History Library in Salt Lake City.
In addition, the Pomeranian Genealogical Association (PTG) has indexes for this church. To learn more about how to use the PTG database, see the Kashubia section.
Chojnice County, Pomeranian Voivodeship
Note: The map of the Counties in the Pomeranian Voivodeship is courtesy of Wikipedia. The short descriptions about the towns and villages were also obtained from Wikipedia.
Czersk, Chojnice County, Pomeranian Voivodeship
Czersk is a town in Chojnice County in the Pomeranian Voivodeship, with a current population of 9,844. It is on the western border of the Kociewie, just next to the Kashubian area. Some people consider it to be part of Kashubia rather than Kociewie.
The Catholic church in Czersk is the Church of St. Mary Magdaline, in the Pelplin Diocese. Some Poles from Stearns,
Steele Counties in Minnesota and Trempealeau County, WI were from this town and were likely members of this church. In addition, some Benton County, MN Poles lived in the village of Będźmierowice and would have worshiped at this church.
FamilySearch has birth, marriage, and death records for this church from 1733-1890. They also have civil records from 1874-1939. Some records are available online from home, while others can only be obtained from an LDS Affiliate location (the Hoffman Research Library is an affiliate) or at the LDS Family History Library in Salt Lake City.