M Towns on this page - Select

Mączniki

Maczniki, a village and estate, in the Sroda powiat; the estate has an area of 1,366 morgs, 8 houses, 132 inhabitants, all Catholic, 48 illiterate. The Catholic parish church belongs to Sroda deanery. The post office, highway, telegraph and railway stations are in Sroda, 3 km. away. The village of Maczniki at one time belonged to the pastors of the Poznan cathedral, and they are probably the ones who built the parish church there; it already existed by the first half of the 15th century. It was made of wood and burned down several times; the current one was consecrated by Poznan suffragan bishop Wierzbowski in 1701. At present Maczniki and Bagrowo usually have one pastor. The Maczniki estate is now the property of Wlodzimierz Wolniewicz. Maczniki parish, of Sroda deanery, has 1,145 souls, with a branch church in Bagrowo.

Source: Slownik Geograficzny Krolestwa Polskiego - Warsaw [1885, vol. 6, p. 216].

Thanslated by William F. Hoffman, PGSA Summer 2000 Bulletin

Mala Cerkwica

In German, Klein Zirkwitz. Prior to the partition (1772) it was an estate of the archbishops of Gniezno. Size is 7209 morgs. There are 616 Catholics and 28 Lutherans. parish of Kamien krajenski.

Source: Slownik Geograficzny Krolestwa Polskiego - Warsaw 1885

Translated by Gerald R. Schmidt, Pittsburgh, PA, gshmit@PeoplePC.com (Feb 2003)

Marcinkowo Dolne

1) village in Mogilno County, 3 homes, 16 inhabitants all Catholics, 11 illiterates. Stagecoach and telegraph station in Gasawa 5 km, by macadam road 3 km. Railway station in Mogilno 23 km away.

2) Estate, 1403 morgs (unit of measurement) of land, 135 inhabitants, 4 Evangelics, 131 Catholics, 10 homes. The proprietor is Stanislaw Jasinski.

Source: Slownik Geograficzny Krolestwa Polskiego - Warsaw 1885 

Submitted by: Alice Nelsen, 2404 Belair Drive, Bowie, MD 20715 (Feb 1997)

Marcinkowo Gorne

1) village in Mogilno County, 5 homes, 42 inhabitants, 6 Evangelics, 36 Catholics, 9 illiterates. Stagecoach and telegraph station in Gasawa 2km. Railway station in Mogilno 20km or Jankowo (Asse) 11km away.

2) Estate, 1939 morgs (unit of measurement) of land, 157 inhabitants, 1 Evangelic, 156 Catholics, 66 illiterates. The proprietor is Hieronim Karski.

Source: Slownik Geograficzny Krolestwa Polskiego - Warsaw 1885 

Submitted by: Alice Nelsen, 2404 Belair Drive, Bowie, MD 20715 (Feb 1997)

Me~ciszo~w

Meciszow, part of the village of Pustkow, in Ropczyce powiat, Przeclaw parish, post office in Dabie, 1 km. to the north. Meciszow lies on a plain 187 meters above sea level, on the right bank of the Wisloka, on the highway from Debica to Rzochow. The village is built partly by the highway, partly along a road leading east to Wola Ocieska, and has 498 Roman Catholic inhabitants, of whom 22 live on the grounds of the major estate, which has buildings on a small pond, 0.7 km. north of the center of the settlement. To the southwest the terrain rises somewhat, forming small hillocks 189 m. above sea level called Ogrody [gardens], and on its northeast side, the place where the surveyor's triangle was set, there is a small rise of 193 meters absolute elevation. Its astronomical position is 39 degrees 9' east longitude from Ferro [about 21 degrees 30' by today's standard coordinates], 50 degrees 9' 30" north latitude. The soil is silt-covered, with a permeable sandy base. Meadows are plentiful but the pastureland along the riverbank is wet. The major estate, owned by Count K. Bobrowski, covers an area of 303 morgs of farmland, 41 of meadows, 130 of pastures. To the south Meciszow borders on Pustkow, to the east on Krownice and Wola Ocieska. - Mac.

Source: Slownik Geograficzny Krolestwa Polskiego - Warsaw [1885, vol. 6, pp. 274]

Translated, by William F. Hoffman, PGSA Winter 1999 Bulletin.

Michaliszki

A village in the parish and rural district of Kopciowo, Sejny county, 24 versts from the town of Sejny. In 1827, there were 7 houses and 43 residents. It was part of the Justyanowo estate. Now there are 9 houses and 92 residents.

Source: Slownik Geograficzny Krolestwa Polskiego - Warsaw [1885, vol. 6 p. 296/3].

Translated by Dorothy Leivers, Hadlow, Kent, England, Dorfleiv@aol.com (May 2004)

Mieczewo

A village in the Srem district, has about 38 houses and 455 inhabitants, all Catholic. 281 are unable to read. The manor has 228 acres. The post office and a telephone are in Kurnik. The train station is in Gadko about 17 km

Source: Slownik Geograficzny Krolestwa Polskiego - Warsaw 1885 

Submitted by: Joseph F. Martin (Mar 1999)

Mlewiec

Mlewiec, in German: Hofleben, in the administrative district of Torun. The postal office at Kowalewo. The village comprises 291 hectares of arable field & garden; 68 ha meadow; 15 ha barren, useless; 100 ha water; 275 ha altogether. and a net revenue 5650 marks. The Catholic parish is in Kielbasin and the evangelical parish is in Kowalewo. The school is in Srebrniki and the local civil records office is in Rychnowo. It has 20 cabins (hovels), 8 homes and 131 inhabitants.

In 1868 there were 97 catholics, 34 evangelists

A brickyard produces drains (drainage tiles). The people of the Dutch ancestory raise swine. Mlewiec was founded by the ancient colonist Konrad z M. (Conrad v. Lewitz) in 1282 near Lake Lom and the village of Grute.

Source: Slownik Geograficzny Krolestwa Polskiego - Warsaw 1885

Submitted by: Rosemary Chorzempa, 7904 Jackman Rd., Temperance, MI 48182 (Nov 2000)

Mocewicze

A village and manorial farmstead near the Hancza river in the parish and rural district of Kopciowo, Sejny county. It is 32 versts from the town of Sejny. In 1827, there were 12 houses and 70 residents. Now there are 13 houses and 98 inhabitants in the village and 2 houses and 10 inhabitants at the farmstead. The farmstead and village cover an area of 935 morgs of which 162 are arable, 74 meadow, 24 pastureland, 583 forest, 30 coppice, unused 62. There are 7 wooden buildings and a brick kiln. The village has 11 settlements and land of 144 morgs

Source: Slownik Geograficzny Krolestwa Polskiego - Warsaw [1885, vol. 6 p. 557].

Translated by Dorothy Leivers, Hadlow, Kent, England, Dorfleiv@aol.com (May 2004)

Modzele

Modzele-Skudosze, Modzele-Starawies, and Modzele-Wypychy, noble-owned villages in the powiat of Lomza, gmina and parish of Puchaly. As of 1827 Modzele-Skudosze had 24 houses, 124 inhabitants; Modzele-Starawies had 42 houses, 223 inhabitants; and Modzele-Wypychy had 20 houses, 119 inhabitants. This is the family seat of the clan of Modzelewski, mentioned in records from 1403. [Br. Ch., Volume 6, 57-5-576].

Source: Slownik Geograficzny Krolestwa Polskiego - Warsaw 1885

Translated by William F. Hoffman, PGSA Fall 2000. (Dec 2000)

Murczyn

Murczyn (in documents Murczino), a village in Szubin county, 2 localities: a) Murczyn, the village, and b) Murczynek, the folwark, 47 houses, 479 residents, 28 Protestant, 451 Catholic, 178 illiterate. Post office, telegraph and inn in Znin, railway station 34 km. away in Mogilno. Laski's Liber Beneficiorum (I. 150) and the Regestra pobor. 1577 r. [Pawinski, Wielk. I, 184] mention this village, which lies in Gora Arcybiskupia parish.

Source: Slownik Geograficzny Krolestwa Polskiego - Warsaw 1885

Submitted by: This translation, by William F. Hoffman, first appeared in the Summer 1996 issue of "Bulletin of the Polish Genealogical Society of America". (Nov 1998)

Muszyna

Muszyna is a small town in the county of Nowy Sqacz. It lies at the junction where the Muszynka and Szczawnika streams flow into the Poprad river. It is 458 meters above sea level, and is situated amidst a very mountainous and woody terrain. It is surrounded completely by high mountains on all its sides. Among some of the notable peaks are: Wielka Polana, 796 meters high, Magura 695 meters in height; on the west rises Skaqlka, 723 meters, and on the east Jastrzebska, 695 meters and the Zdziar, 838 meters. To the north the mountains are higher, the Kotylnicza rises 1032 meters, Czubakowska 1077 meters, and Groniek 1082 meters high. Nestled against this background, on the right bank of the Poprad, stands a beautiful old church with white and gray walls. On a bluff overlooking the Poprad river stand the ruins of a castle once very important to this area. The railroad station is located in the southern part of the town. The train route from Tarnow to Leluchow serves Muszyna. The 148 kilometer route is reportedly one of the most scenic in Poland. The village of Orlo station is a distance of 14 kilometers further. Also in the southern part of town lies the town square, and several short streets lined with wooden cottages.

In the 1890s the town was quite poor. There was no public or municipal building, except a post office and a 2 classroom schoolhouse. The town was attempting to build and staff a courthouse.

In 1883 the census listed 1852 inhabitants, of whom 1660 were Roman Catholic, 38 were Greek Catholic, and 154 were Jews. Although the town was small, it owned the surrounding woods and forests, which were reportedly worth 49,819 zlotys, and the income generated from these trees generated 3060 zlotys yearly. From this income the town maintained two policemen, two night watchmen, and a forest warden. Besides a few market stalls and inns for vis- itors, Muszyna also had a drug store and a resident doctor. Its lending bank had a capital of 4412 zlotys and there was a hospital for the poor with a capital of 1149 zlotys.

The people of this area are short in stature and rather poor healthwise, and especially plagued by illnesses of the throat. The farmers' markets and fairs were held on Mondays and the days after certain religious feast days, namely Candlemas, Assumption, St. Margaret and St. Michael's day. The wares sold were mostly the common necessities, and the foods and produce of the local farms. There were two large estates. One consisted of 226 morgen of farmland, 44 mr. of meadows, 82 mr. of pasture land, and 883 mr. of forests. The second estate covered 1117 mr. of farmland, 576 mr. of meadows, 474 mr. of pastures, and 561 mr. of forests.

In a bygone era, Muszyna was the property of the Bishops of Krakqow. In 1301 King Ladislaus of Hungary awarded the town to Bishop Muskata, as payment for the Bishop's effort in helping Ladislaus gain the royal crown of Poland. Along with the village, he received possession of the local castle built by Count Berzewicki. The Bishop colonized the area and named it Muscata after himself. It eventually evolved into the narne Muszyna.

In the dispute for the Crown of Poland between Sigismund of Luxembourg and Wladyslaw (Ladislaus) Jagiello (1377-1401), the bishops of Krakqow supported Sigismund. When the victor, Jagiello, ascended the throne, Jagiello and his queen, Jadwiga (Hedwig) confiscated the bishops' holdings. In 1397, Queen Jadwiga awarded the town of Muszyna and surrounding area, to Moscic Staniszewski for his support. He was awarded a certain amount of money (60 grzywien) along with an additional 48 grzywien annually. The town would belong to him and his descendants, until such a time as the Crown deemed to cancel these payments. Many years later, Zbigniew Olesnicki was instrumental in having Muszyna restored to the bishops of Krakow. The bishops were obligated to maintain the watch and defenses of the castle to protect the village from attacks by the Hungarians and marauders.

In 1488, there is mention of a certain Gregory as the castellan of Muszyna. He was involved in a scandal, and a bitter quarrel with a certain Stanislaw from Stara Wieqs, involving the death of his brother. In the wars of 1474 for the throne of Hungary, the castle was attacked and seized by the Hungarians in a quick battle. After the peace accord was signed in Sromowcach, it was returned to its former owners. During the reign of King Jan Kazimierz (John Casimir) 1648-1660, the castle was fortified with the addition of beams and stones which were often hurled on its attackers. Its main features were a high defense tower, and it was protected by a moat and bridge. The castle was constructed in the "mauergusswerk" fashion. Drawings and sketches of this castle may be found in a book Okolice Galicji, written by Steczynski in 1883.

For many years, the faithful attended church in a chapel located in the castle. When a parish was formed in 1676, a church was constructed and blessed in 1749. The church belongs to the decanate of Nowy Sacz, in the diocese of Tarnow. It encompassed a total of seven villages, i.e. Powroznik, Zlockie, Milik, Krynice, Andrzejowka, Zegiestow, and Wierchomle. In the 1890s there were 2222 Roman Catholics, 8843 Greek Catholics, and 203 Jews.

The closest villages to Muszyna are Milik, to the west, Zlockie to the north, and Jastrzebiki and Powroznik to the north east. The main road runs along the Poprad river valley from Stary Sacz to Krynica, where it joins the road running from Nowy Sacz to Tylicz.

The present church of St. Joseph, now in Muszyna, also serves the villages of Leluchow and Dubne, and numbers 3695 parishioners.

Names found in the Muszyna area are: ____ Baranoski, Bayer, Boguski, Bucholski, Buszek, ____ Cepa, Czupacka, ____ Drost, ____ Filowicz, ____ Gawarski, Gorecki, Gregorczyk, Gurcik, Gurski, ____ Kalucki, Kmetowicz, Krywicki, ____ Markewicz, Matuszewicz, Muralski, ____ Paluzka, Peimazek, Popek, Pyrcz, ____ Saydak, Sikorski, Szarna, ____ Tokar, Traczewski, ____ Waskowski, Wojak, ____ Zebik.

Source: Slownik Geograficzny Krolestwa Polskiego - Warsaw 1890-1900

Submitted by: Helen Bienick

Muz~yl~owice

Muzylowice, Narodowe and Muzylowice kolonia, (Ukr. name Muzhylovychi), a village in Jaworow powiat [now Yavoriv, Ukraine], 12 km. southeast of the county court and post office in Jaworow, 12 km. northwest of the train station in Kamienobrod. There is a post office in the village. To the north lie Berdychow, Podluby Wielkie, and Przylbice; to the west Ozomla; to the south Nowosiolki, Laszki, and Czarnokonce; to the southeast Tuczapy; and to the east Lesniowice (in Grodek Jagiellofnski county). Through the eastern part of the village flows a small stream, a tributary of the Hnojeniec, which flows into the Szk1o. The stream enters the village on the south, from Tuczapy, and flows southwest. On its left bank, in the middle of the village's land, are its buildings. The western part is wooded, i. e., to the south lies the forest called Krasny Zapust (with a high point of 272 meters), and to the north lies Chlopska gora.

The major estate has 10 morgs of farmland, 24 of meadows and gardens, I of pastureland, and 628 of woods; the minor estate has 1,445 morgs of farmland, 282 of meadows and gardens, 157 of pastureland. In 1880 there were 863 inhabitants in the gmina, 40 on the grounds of the estate (among them 511 Roman Catholics).

There is a Roman Catholic rectory in the village, of Jaworow deanery, Przemysl diocese. Belonging to the parish are: Czarnokonce, Laszki, and Nowosiolki. The brick church, of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin, was erected in 1749 and consecrated in 1854. There is also a Greek Catholic parish church in the village, of Sadowa-Wisznia deanery, Przemysl diocese. Czarnokonce belongs to the parish. In the village is the (Greek Catholic] church of St. Michael the Archangel, an unorganized school, and a fund for the poor, founded by Rev. Dyzma Nowotny, the former Roman Catholic priest in Muzylowice, confirmed by an 1841 provincial directive. The purpose of the fund is to support the poor. Its capital consists of 50 zloty in bonds.

This village was founded by the Muzylo family. After it died out in Muzyla, in Podolia province, in the 15^th century, the property went to the king and was attached to the Jaworow starostwo. In 1604 Stanislaw Stadnicki of Zmigrod bequeathed to the Jesuits of Lwow his estates of Muzylowice, Podluby, and others (see Arch. Bernard. we Lwowie, vol. 1 41, p. 322). After the abolition of the Jesuit congregations the Austrian government took over the village and founded a German settlement on its land, Muschelowitz. There is a large, ancient brick castle there. [Lu. Dz., Vol. 6, p. 822]

Source: Slownik Geograficzny Krolestwa Polskiego - Warsaw 1885

Translated by William F. Hoffman, PGSA Fall 2000. (Dec 2000)