Piłsudski's father as godfather. Sorokpol, 1865
In spring 1865 at Zułów near Vilnius the younger brother of our great-great-grandmother Zofia was born. His godfather was Józef Piłsudski, father of the future Marshal. Two years later the godfather's own son was born on the same estate. He was also named Józef.
The historical background
Two boys named Józef from one estate.
When Józef Wincenty Piłsudski took over Zułów in 1863, the estate was in debt. That same year, in the January Uprising against Russia, he served as a commissioner of the rebel government. The Tsar's courts sentenced at least 669 people to death for the uprising and sent at least 38,000 into exile.
The man from the manor stood as godfather in the parish more than once. In December 1866 he stood at the font of the same church in Sorokpol for another noble family of the parish. The godmother of our Józef was Miss Julia Piłsudska, most likely his sister.
He was full of ideas. He loved music and composed. At Zułów he built a distillery, a mill, a brickworks, a tar works and a small turpentine factory. Almost all of it lost money. His son Bronisław wrote in his diary that his father was ruining himself and the family. After the manor burned down the family moved to Vilnius.
He died of pneumonia in Saint Petersburg in 1902. Sixteen years later his son Józef led a free Poland.
Documents shown in the film
These are the real archive scans you see in the film. Each one has its archive reference, so anyone can check the source.
Józef's entry is the third row from the top. The godfather, “Іозефъ Пилсудскій”, is written in the last column on the right.
Original text (Russian): Тысяча восемь сотъ шестьдесятъ пятого года Апреля девятого дня въ Сорокпольскомъ Римско-Католическомъ Костелѣ окрещенъ младенецъ по имяни Іозефъ Ксендзомъ Томашемъ Волинскимъ съ совершеніемъ всѣхъ обрядовъ Таинства. Дворянъ Томаша и Маріанны урожденной Долматувны Валентиновичовъ Законныхъ Супру: Сынъ родившійся сего года 3 Апреля въ Зуловѣ Сорокпольскаго прихода. Воспріемниками были Дворянъ Іозефъ Пилсудскій съ Юліею Пилсудскою дѣвицею.
In English: In the year one thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, on the ninth day of April, in the Roman Catholic church of Sorokpol, Father Tomasz Woliński baptised an infant named Józef with all the rites of the sacrament. He is the son of Tomasz and Marianna née Dołmat, the noble Walentynowicz couple, lawful spouses, born on the 3rd of April of this year in Zułów in Sorokpol parish. The godparents were the nobleman Józef Piłsudski with Miss Julia Piłsudska.
Józef Piłsudski's entry is the top row, just below the printed table heading. The columns on the left give his birth on 23 November and baptism on 3 December.
Original text (Russian): Тысяча восемь сотъ шестьдесятъ Седьмого года Декабря третьяго дня въ Костелѣ Римско-Католическомъ Сорокполь Окрещенъ младенецъ по Именамъ Іозефъ Клеменсъ Ксендзомъ Томашемъ Волинскимъ Настоятелемъ тогожъ Костела съ Совершеніемъ всѣхъ обрядовъ таинства. Благородныхъ Іозефа и Маріи урожденной Биллевичевной Пилсудскихъ Законныхъ Супруговъ Сынъ, родившійся сего Года Ноября 23 дня въ Мызѣ Зуловѣ Прихода Сорокполя. Воспріемниками были Благородные: Іозефъ Марциновскій съ Констанціею Рогальскою.
In English: In the year one thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, on the third day of December, in the Roman Catholic church at Sorokpol, Father Tomasz Woliński, parish priest of this church, baptised an infant with the names Józef Klemens with all the rites of the sacrament. He is the son of the nobly born Józef and Maria née Billewicz, lawful spouses Piłsudski, born this year on 23 November at the manor of Zułów in Sorokpol parish. The godparents were the nobly born Józef Marcinowski with Konstancja Rogalska.
Maria's entry is the top row. Her surname, Валентиновичева, is written in the left margin.
Original text (Russian): Тысяча девятьсотъ пятнадцатаго года Января десятаго дня, въ фольваркѣ Подворникахъ скончалась Марія изъ Долматовъ Валентыновичева отъ старости, бывшая пріобщена Св. Таинъ. Дворянка имѣвшая отъ роду 75 лѣтъ, вдова по мужу Антону Валентыновичу, оставила дѣти, сына Осипа, дочерій Зофію, Стефанію, Аполонію, Казимиру и Анну, прихожанка Сорокпольскаго Костела. Тѣло ея похоронилъ Настоятель Ксендзъ Станиславъ Щемирскій на Сорокпольскомъ приходскомъ Кладбищѣ двѣнадцатаго Января сего года.
In English: In the year one thousand nine hundred and fifteen, on the tenth day of January, at the manor farm of Podworniki, Maria Walentynowicz née Dołmat died of old age, having received the holy sacraments. A noblewoman, she was 75 years old, the widow of her husband Antoni Walentynowicz. She left children: a son Józef and daughters Zofia, Stefania, Apolonia, Kazimiera and Anna. She was a parishioner of the Sorokpol church. Her body was buried by the parish priest Father Stanisław Szczemirski in the Sorokpol parish cemetery on the twelfth of January of this year.
Narration
The father of the man who freed Poland
was a godfather in our family.
We found this in old records while searching for our ancestors.
This is our family tree.
Here
is our grandmother Alina.
And here is our great-great-grandmother,
Zofia.
Spring,
1865.
Zofia's parents have a son,
her younger brother.
They take him to be baptized.
The boy is named Józef.
His godfather
is the master of the manor at Zułów.
His name is Józef too.
Józef Piłsudski.
Two years earlier
he had married the heiress of Zułów.
In the January Uprising against Russia
he served as a commissioner of the rebel government.
Taking part
meant risking death
or exile to Siberia.
Two years after this baptism
a second Józef is born at Zułów.
The godfather's own son.
The same priest baptizes him in the same church.
He is the future Marshal.
The Marshal's father built a distillery,
a mill
and a brickworks at Zułów.
They left him in debt.
Then
the manor burned down.
He died in Saint Petersburg in 1902.
He never lived to see the free Poland his son would win.
Our Józef outlived his
godfather.
In 1915
his mother's death record still names him.
Who were you named after?
Tell us in the comments. Ex Archivis.
We find out where your family comes from.
Sources
- Sorokpol parish baptisms, 1865, entry 23 (Lithuanian State Historical Archives in Vilnius, 772/1/7)
- Sorokpol parish baptisms, 1867, entry 53 (Lithuanian State Historical Archives in Vilnius, 772/1/8)
- Sorokpol parish deaths, 1915, entry 3 (Lithuanian State Historical Archives in Vilnius, 772/1/15)
Scenes marked “Staged scene” are reconstructions. The documents are real.
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