Księgi metrykalne chrztów Kościoła rzymskokatolickiego dekanatu białostockiego z II połowy XIX wieku: treść i struktura metryk: alfabetyczne spisy imienne Cz. 1, Rok 1875

Abstract

The aim of the book is to show: -content and structure of the notations in the original birth certificates of the Roman-Catholic Church in the Bialystok deanery in the period of the Russian Partition of Poland (1875-1915); -changes in names and surnames of the Catholic parishioners of the Bialystok deanery due to introduction of duty to keep Catholic birth certificates in Russian language by tsarist authorities. Since the year 1849, the content and structure of the birth certificates in Russian language in comparison to Polish versions were not changed significantly as their creation had been controlled by the Church. The notations in the original birth certificates show that Russian language had the greatest influence on the amount of changes in names and surnames of the Catholic parishioners of the Bialystok deanery in the period of the Russian rule. Cultural and language differences between Polish and Russian brought different types of changes: -Polish first names, which had some Orthodox equivalents, were written down in this way, e.g.: Иван (Iwan) instead Jan, Осип (Osip) instead Józef, Викентий (Wikientij) instead Wincenty, Екатерина, Катерина (Jekatierina, Katierina) instead Katarzyna, Софья (Sofia) instead Zofia, Павлина (Pawlina) instead Paulina; -It was used to replace consonant h on g (г), e.g. Галицкая (Halicka), Гриневицкая (Hryniewicka), Головня (Hołownia). -It was used to replace Polish rz on r (р) i ż (ж) or only r, e.g. Вержбицкiй (Wierz­bicki), Грибовская (Grzybowska); -The vowel groups em, om, on were introduced instead of Polish nasal vowels ą, ę, e.g. Голембевскiй (Gołębiewski), Домбровскiй (Dąbrowski), Гонсовскiй (Gąsowski); -Russian endings -skij, -skaja were introduced, e.g. Рудницкiй (Rudnicki), Гурская (Górska); -Russian anthroponimic three-word names were used: surname, first name and patronymic, e. g. Лагодовичъ Юзефа Матвеевна, Люль Катерина Войтеховна, Савицкий Викентий Петровъ, Сохонь Андрей Андреевъ. The edition of alphabetical personal registries of parishioners born in 1875 was also one of the main purpose of this work. The duty of featuring such records in certificate papers was introduced in the Bialystok deanery exactly in the mentioned year. Manuscript registries containing surnames and names of parishioners (at times also father’s name) were issued in print in tables in the original Russian version (e.g.: Духновскiй Осипъ Яковлевъ, Косинская Эмилiя Викентьевна, Децъ Иванъ, Дроздовна Марьянна). It was likewise essential to reinstate the Polish version of names and surnames. They were included in tables altogether with the certificate number (e.g.: Duchnowski Józef syn Jakuba, Kosińska Emilia córka Wincentego, Dec Jan, Drozdówna Marianna). The material of analysis comes from the personal records kept in the Bialystok Diocesan Archive. In 1975 the Bialystok deanery included 17 parishies. According to the personal paper of the parishioners they were in order: Białystok, Goniądz, Supraśl, Jasionówka, Trzcianne, Dolistowo, Knyszyn, Turośń, Choroszcz, Giełczyn, Juchnowiec, Kalinówka, Niewodnica, Dobrzyniewo, Suraż, Uhowo, Zabłudów. Publishing the alpabetical personal registries of parishioners born in the mentioned parishies should simpify the excerption of such manuscript references that is unfortunatelly usually arduous and time-consuming. The edition of sources ought to bring some tangible results above all for onomastic investigators. It is closely linked to the need of provision an anthroponymy of Podlachia of the 19th century. Such a venture has not received much attention so far due to some significant difficulties associated with material excerption.