Silesians to Southern Minnesota
It is well known that Silesia had boundary changes over time. Depending on the year the information or maps were documented, these villages could be found either in the Province of Silesia or in the Province of Poznan. Sometimes there wasn’t reference to the villages in either province. Part of the province of Silesia was changed to the province of Poznan and was returned to Poland after World War I.
Villages Where Faribault County Silesians Emigrated From
The first Silesian immigrants in Faribault County, Minnesota came to the Wells area. They emigrated from the villages of Trębaczów, Syców, and Perzów, all in the regional area of Lower Silesia. Later immigrants in Wells came from Laskowice, Budkowice, Biscupice, Blotnik, Dziadowa Kloda, and Nowa Wieś Ksiażéca.
Those Silesians who settled in Easton, Faribault County, came from Marianka Mroczénska, and Nowa Wieś Ksiażéca. These two Silesian villages are about three miles from each other.
Early Silesians who settled in Minnesota Lake, Faribault County, came from Nowa Wieś Ksiażéca and Trębaczów. These two Silesian villages are three miles from each other.
Trębaczów (Trembatschau in German)
The village of Trębaczów is currently located in the adminstrative district of Gmina Perzów in Kępno County, Wielkopolskie (Greater Poland) Voivodeship, Poznan and the population is 840 residents. Historically, the village was called Trembatschau, Schlesien, Germany.
Emigrants from Trębaczów settled in Wells and Minnesota Lake in Minnesota.
Trębaczów Parish
The church in Trębaczów is the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
FamilySearch has many baptism, marriage and death records for this church in Trębaczów dating from 1669 to 1948 (at that time, they were in the Diocese of Opole, which has now been merged into the Diocese of Kalisz). Some are available online from home, some are available at LDS Affiliate locations (the Hoffman Research Library is an affiliate) and others are only available at the LDS Family History Library in Salt Lake City.
Syców (Groß Wartenberg in German)
Syców is a village 30 miles northeast of Wroclaw in the administrative district of Gmina Miedzybórz within Oleśnica County in the Lower Silesia (Dolnoślaskie) Voivodeship of south-western Poland. The population of Syców today is 10,397.
Emigrants from Syców settled in Wells, Minnesota.
Syców Parish
The Catholic Church in Syców was the Church of St. Peter and Paul, which was originally in the Diocese of Opole, and is now in the Diocese of Kalisz. The church was established in the late 13th Century and rebuilt several times due to fires and other damage. The most recent building was built in the 1800s and fully renovated in 1905.
FamilySearch has records of births, marriages and deaths for the church from 1717 to 1920. However, you cannot access them online from home. Some are available at LDS Affiliate locations (the Hoffman Research Library is an affiliate) and others are only available at the LDS Family History Library in Salt Lake City.
Nowa Wieś Ksiażéca (Neudorf in German)
Nowa Wieś Ksiażéca is 45 miles east of Wroclaw, the historical capital of Silesia and Lower Silesia. It is currently in Gmina Bralin, within Kępno County of the Greater Poland (Wielkopolska) Voivodeship in west-central Poland. The current population of Nowa Wieś Ksiażéca is 722.
Emigrants from Nowa Wieś Ksiażéca settled in Wells, Minnesota Lake, and Easton, Minnesota.
Nowa Wieś Ksiażéca Parish
The Catholic Church in Nowa Wieś Ksiażéca is the Church of the Holy Trinity and it is still present in the center of the village. FamilySearch originally obtained the records for this parish from the State Archives in Warsaw, the Archdiocesan Archives in Wrocław and the Diocesan Archives in Opole. The church is currently in the Diocese of Kalisz.
FamilySearch has birth, marriage and death records for this parish from 1747-1949. However, you cannot access them online from home. Some are available at LDS Affiliate locations (the Hoffman Research Library is an affiliate) and others are only available at the LDS Family History Library in Salt Lake City.
Marianka Mroczénska
Marianka Mroczénka is a small village in the administrative district of Gmina Baranów, within Kepno County, in Greater Poland (Wielkopolska) Voivodeship in west-central Poland. It lies approximately 4 miles south-west of Kepno, and 92 miles south-east of the regional capital Poznań. Catholics from this village likely attended the parish in Nowa Wieś Ksiażéca, which is about three miles away.
Emigrants from Marianka Mroczénka settled in Easton, Minnesota.
Perzów (Perschau in German)
Perzów is a village in Kepno County within the Greater Poland (Wielkopolska) Voivodeship in west-central Poland. It is the seat of the administrative district called Gmina Perzów. It lies 7 miiles west of Kepno and 86 miles south-east of the regional capital Poznań. The population in 2006 was 3,925.
Emigrants from Perzów settled in Wells, Minnesota.
Turkowy Parish
While documentation has not been found to verify, Turkowy is one mile away from Perzów, and is assumed to be where the Catholics from Perzów attended church. The church is in the Archdiocese of Poznań.
FamilySearch has transcripts of births, marriages and deaths obtained from the State Archives in Poznan (from the years 1704-1889) for Türkwitz, Schlesien, Germany, which is now Turkowy (Kępno), Poznań, Poland. However, you cannot access them online from home. Some records are available at LDS Affiliate locations (the Hoffman Research Library is an affiliate) and others are only available at the LDS Family History Library in Salt Lake City.
Dziadowa Kłoda (Kunzendorf in German)
Dziadowa Kłoda is a village in the adminstrative district of Gmina Dziadowa Kłoda in Oleśnica County of the Lower Silesia (Dolnoślaskie) Voivodeship in south-western Poland. It is located 30 miles east of the regional capital of Wroclaw. The current population is 4,515.
Emigrants from Dziadowa Kłoda settled in Wells, Minnesota.
Dziadowa Kłoda Parish
The church in Dziadowa Kłoda is Immaculate Conception of Mary, built in 1869. The church website is in Polish but includes pictures of the interior and exterior of the church. Parishioners include people from nearby villages of Dalborowice, Gronowice, Radzowice and Stradomia Dolna.
Biskupice (Bischdorf in German)
Biskupice is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Syców in Oleśnica County (Powiat) of the Lower Silesian (Dolnoślaskie) Voivodeship in Poland. Prior to 1945, it was part of Germany. It is four miles northwest of Syców and 30 miles northeast of the regional capital of Wroclaw. The current population of the village is 260.
Emigrants from Biskupice settled in Wells, Minnesota.
BisKupice Parish
The Catholic church in Biskupice is the Church of St. Hyacinth, built in 1784, currently in the Catholic Diocese of Opole. It was originally the Protestant church in Biskupice until it was converted to a Catholic parish in 1946, so there are not any historic Catholic church records in FamilySearch from this church. Likely, any family who lived in this village would have attended the church in Syców.
