Silesians to Central Minnesota
Villages Where Central Minnesota Silesians Emigrated From
The majority of Silesians who settled in central Minnesota primarily came from the parishes north of the City of Opole in Upper Silesia. The parishes were Falkowice, Stare Siolkowice and Dobrzeń Wielki (then known by their German names of Falkowitz, Alt Schalkowitz and Gros Döbern). A smaller number of Minnesota Silesians immigrated from Pokoj, and Bakowice.
Fałkowice (German – Falkowitz)
Fałkowice is a small village in the administrative district of Gmina Pokój, within Namysłów County, Opole Voivodeship in south-western Poland. It is 21 miles north of the regional capital Opole. The population of he village in the 2011 census was 323.
FaŁkowice parish
The parish at Fałkowice included the villages of Domaradz (Damratsch), Lubnów (Liebenau), Zawiść and Dambrówka Dolna. The Catholic church in Fałkowice is St. Stanislaus Church.
Names of St. Stanislaus Parishioners who died while serving in WWI
– Translation of headings in the St. Stanislaus document
FamilySearch Church Records – There are many baptism, marriage and death records for St. Stanislaus Church in Fałkowice, some dating back to the 1600s. FamilySearch obtained these records from the State Archives in Warsaw and from the Diocese of Opole. 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.
St. Stanislaus Church in Fałkowice (Photos by Mike Stodolka)
Stare Siołkowice (German – Alt Schalkowitz)
Stare Siołkowice is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Popielów, within Opole County, Opole Voivodeship. It is about 12 miles northwest of the regional capital Opole. The population of the village was 2,033 in the 2011 census.
Stare Siołkowice Parish
The Stare Siołkowice parish included the nearby villages of Popielów (Poppelau), Chróścice (also known as Rutenau and Chrositz) and Kaniów (Hirschfelde).
The Catholic church in Stare Siołkowice is St. Michael the Archangel and the current building is the third church structure on this site. It is assumed that the first and second church buildings perished in fires. The church is a central point in the village landscape.
The links below provide some background on the church. A translation tool is needed but there are also photos.
Church and Civil Records
FamilySearch obtained records from the State Archives in Warsaw and from the Diocese Archives of Opole.
FamilySearch Church Records for the Stare Siołkowice parish show baptism, marriage and death records starting from 1751 into the 1920’s.
FamilySearch Civil Records include records for the years 1874-1884.
Some of the records are available online from your home, some are only available online at an LDS affiliate location (the Hoffman Research Library is one of them), and some are available only at the LDS Family History Library in Salt Lake City.
Dobrzeń Wielki (German – Groß Döbern)
Dobrzeń Wielki is a village in Opole County, Opole Voivodeship, in south-west Poland and is about 8 miles north-west of the regional capital Opole. It is the seat of the Gmina Dobrzeń Wielki, which has been officially bilingual in Polish and German in 2009. The population of the village in the 2011 census was 4,445.
Dobrzeń Wielki Parish
The Dobrzeń Wielki parish included the villages of Ladza (Salzbrunn) and Kup (Kupp). The original church in Dobrzeń Wielki was the Church of St. Roch. It is a wooden structure and was originally built in 1658, then rebuilt in 1752. The land was originally a cemetery for those who died of the plague and was located in a forest outside of the village. Dedicated to St. Roch, patron of the sick, the church now belongs to the Parish of St Catherine of Alexandria, established in 1933.
In 1898 Kup became a parish and Kaniow and Ladza became a part of the Kup parish.
FamilySearch Church Records
The FamilySearch church records include baptism, marriage and death records that are available for the Dobrzeń Wielki parish starting in 1681.
FamilySearch Civil Records
The FamilySearch civil records includes records for the years 1874-1884.
FamilySearch obtained the records from the State Archives in Opole and the Diocese Archives of Opole. Some of the records may be available online from your home, some are only available online at an LDS affiliate location (the Hoffman Research Library is one of them), and some are available only at the LDS Library in Salt Lake City.
