Re: Chmielewski, Poland or Ukranie?
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In reply to:
Chmielewski, Poland or Ukranie?
Ivana Chmielewski 6/01/02
It is a Polish name.However, at one time the city of Lwow was part of Poland and many of the residence where ethnic Poles.In 1945 Poland's borders were moved westward and eastern Poland became part of the Soviet Union and part of Germany became Poland.The Polish Roman Catholic parishes were closed and the altars shipped to churchs in the new western Poland such as Wroclaw/Breslau.My great uncle was born in Poland and when the Nazis invaded he left home and joined the Polish Army in Russia.He married a Ukranian widow and after the war settled in Dresden, East Germany.Ivana is a Ukranian name.Another great uncle was Karol Iwanowski.All names translate (but in some case we don't know how to).Iwanow is Ivan's town, ski is from.Most people didn't have last names as late as the 1800's.So they took the name of their village - Chmielew means hops as in the beer ingrediant.Usually you can tell Poles and Ukranians apart by the "v" or "w".Polish has no "v".Bottom line - Ivana Chmielewski really looks like it is originally Polish but more recently Ukranian.
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Re: Chmielewski, Poland or Ukranie?
Peter Paluch 8/28/04