The verdict. The Markowicz family, 1819
A landowner called the Markowicz family runaway serfs. The church registers called them nobility. In 1819 an office in Vilnius decides, using a village census from 1795.
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.
Narration
Runaway serfs or nobility?
In 1819, an office in Vilnius decides.
The landowner wrote: runaway serfs.
The priest wrote: of noble rank.
The office goes back to a village census from 1795.
Ten houses of free people.
Three houses of nobility.
Not a single serf.
In house number eleven: Bartłomiej Markowicz with his sons.
On December 16, 1819, the verdict comes: native and ancient Polish nobility.
Among those recognized: Stanisław and Ignacy, sons of Bartłomiej.
Everything points to the same runaway serfs from the newspaper.
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Ex Archivis.
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Sources
- Decree of the nobility commission, Vilnius, 16 December 1819 (LVIA 391/8/2596)
- Census of the village of Niemenczynek, 1795 (LVIA 515/15/23)
- “Kuryer Litewski” 1816, no. 26, page 6 (Polona)
- Baptism register, Janiszki parish, 1810 (FamilySearch, film 1426345)
Scenes marked “Staged scene” are reconstructions. The documents are real.
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