Re: Bartodziej

Hi: My mother has asked to me find what I can about her ancestral names. She was born in 1919 in Chicago; her surname at birth was Bartodziej, later changed by her father to Barth. Her father was born in the U.S.; his parents were from Poland. She is not sure about the city in Poland from which her grandparents emigrated, but thinks it may have been Poznan (Pilsen) or Gdansk (Danzig).

My mom has always assumed her ancestors were Slavic. Based on several Google searches this evening, I'm beginning to suspect that Bartodziej is actually Germanic. I note, for example, that the leader of the German Minority Party in the Polish parliament is Sen. Gerhardt Bartodziej.

I hope this helps you in some way, and that you might provide any info you have about the Bartodziej ancestry. Thanks and best wishes!

John Wold