Radziejow Parish
Radziejow was one of the parish churches for many of the small villages that the Spitzer families lived in while in Russian Poland. Here are pictures the town of Radziejow (and my thumb):
Here is a map showing Radziejow in the context of the several other early German settlements in Russian Poland:
After the second partition of Poland in 1794, the Prussians conducted a land census for all of their new acquisitions. On the above map, you will note at least three villages where the Spitzer families lived in 1794 within the Radziejow Parish. These are all southwest of Radziejow; they are Przewoz, Mielnica, Gross Ruczko and Kozki/Smolnik/Schmollnik. This census data is from Reuben Drefs website; it is augmented with data from SGGEE.
1. Przewoz: We find two Spitzer families listed in Przewoz. One was that of the village head (Schultz in German) whose Christian name we do not know; the other is the Gottfried Spitzer family. Here is a list of all those families in Przewoz in 1794:
Spitzer, village schultz (village head)
Farmers:
Busse, Daniel (wife Rosine Schmeichel)
Dobberstein, Christoph (wife Christina Wolter)
Drewes, Gottfried (wife Anna Catherine Tucholke)
Drewes, Johann (wife Anne Rosine Freiter)
Ganas, Bartholomeus (wife Marianne Drews)
Mahnke, village kruger (innkeeper)
Neumann, Andreas
Neumann, Christian
Neumann, Jacob
Rachui, Jacob (wife Anne Rosine or Elisabeth)
Spitzer, Gottfried (AKA Friedrich) (wife Anna Elisabeth Albrecht)
Vergin (Fergin), Gottfried
Click here to see the 1794 Przewoz Census record.
2. Mielnica
: Another Gottfried Spitzer family lived in Mielnica. Residents include:Bartz, Johann
Bausch, Johann
Beschke, Erdtman
Boes, Johann
Dahlcke, Michael
Fercho, Casimir
Gericke, Mathias
Goczkowski, Thomas
Hayek, Johann
Idler, Joseph
Jahn, Gottlieb
Kriszczinski, Stanisl.
Krueger, Michael
Kutzmann, Erdtman
Kutzmann, Martin
Lichtefeldt, George
Nuerenberg, Christoph
Nuerenberg, Michael (Marianne Ziegenhagen)
Reiter, Johann
Runke, Christian
Schtz, Michael
Solanowski, Thomas
Spitzer, Gottfried
3. Gross Ruczko: This village is named Rudzk (Ruczko in German). There were two Ruczkos in the census, Gross (Large) and Klein (Small). Note the presence of Johan Spitzer in the former Gross Ruczko following:
Albrecht, Martin (wife Anne Rosalie)
Cremer
Drews, Christoph (Wife Anna Klingbeil)
Franciskowa, Wittwe (widow)
Friedrich, Christoph (wife Katherine Seidlitz)
Friedrich, Michael (wife Rosine Drews)
Froelich
Glowinski
Henke, Martin (wife Marianne Siede)
Klingbeil, Christian (wife Anna Catherine Nickel)
Marcks
Moller (Mueller?), Johann
Ritter, Andreas (wife Anna Catherine Stephan)
Schmidt, Johann (wife Christine Tucholke)
Schultz, Johan Gottfried (wife Anna Catherine Behnke)
Spitzer, Johann (wife Anna Rosine Giese)
Stibbe, Johann (wife Elisabeth)
Tucholke, Andreas (wife Anne Marianne Hennig)
Klein Ruczko
Angowski, Felix
Busse, Martin
Chonzinski
Froeher
Germasinen Wife
Jaysczak, Peter
Josephowa, Wife
Krakowitzki
Racziniewski, Wawrzon
Racziniewski, Wife
Raczinjewski, Matthias
Schafler
Szcepanski, Simon
Szewczik
Thomkin, Wife (Tomm?)
4. Schmollnik, Hollandry: The Lorenz Spitzer family lived in "Schmollnik, Hol." in 1794 (Hollandry implies the right of village self-governance). The 1794 Land Census only list 3 family in that village:
Kruger, Math.
Richter, Andreas
Spitzer, Lorentz (wife Anna Rosina Falk)
Three people sounds like a pretty small village but additionally there are 13 people in Kozki/Smolnik (The German Schmollnik is a reasonable alternative Polish Smolnik). Here are the residents:
Erdmann, Christoph
Erdmann, Friedrich
Erdmann, Jacob
Erdmann, Martin
Erdmann, Michael (wife Marianne Meller)
Friedrich, Martin
Hiefke, Matthias
Mueller, Michael
Reske, George
Reuss, Christoph
Reuke, Andreas
Roloff, Stanislaus
Schmidt, Johan
Which is the correct 1794 village for the Spitzer family of Volhynia. The patriarch Andreas Spitzer's eldest son Michael was listed as having been born in "Schamanika." That is the closest in spelling to another village named Schamaniek and not very close to option 4 Schmollnik.
Please send any queries to Bill Remus at
May 29, 2009
