My husband Tim’s mother, Helen, is another crazy genealogist after my own heart! When I married Tim, I got her permission to continue her work on the family tree. If you understand how excited I was, you’re reading the right blog!
Most of Tim’s ancestors were from Germany or Eastern Europe. His parents used to tell stories from past generations about these places. One thing they always repeated was something Tim’s great aunt, Leona Meydam Littlefield, used to say. “We’re not Polish, we’re German.”
At first, I didn’t understand what this meant. Why did she feel the need to say this at all? Then I began digging deeper into the German ancestry research on the Meydam line. Using copies of old family documents and online resources such as Ancestry.com, FamilySearch, Archion.de, as well as various Pommeranian databases, I was able to trace the Meydam family back to the mid-1700s in northern Poland. “Aha! So, they are actually Polish!” I thought. It turns out, it wasn’t so straightforward.
At the time, the country was a part of West Prussia. The family moved around a bit. They lived at times in Danzig (Gdańsk, Poland), and to the north around the village of Putzig (Puck, Poland). Tim’s great-great-grandparents got married in St. Mary’s church in Danzig. His great grandfather went to school in Danzig before the family immigrated to the United States in 1883.
Because the family was from a region in Poland, I imagine Tim’s great aunt wanted to clarify that the family was not Polish, but ethnic German. The region switched back and forth between Polish rule and German rule several times throughout history. As a result, the population fluxed. In reality, though, ethnic Germans and ethnic Poles regularly intermingled and intermarried. I even found a few Meydam marriages to ethnic Poles.
To test the “We’re not Polish. We’re German.” theory further, I ordered Tim an Ancestry DNA test. Sure enough! He’s a bit Eastern Europe, which makes us wonder if the Meydams are a little less German than they like to admit (the family’s handwriting was definitely old German though).
A couple of years ago, Tim and I went to Gdańsk to see where the Meydams came from. It was an incredible journey! To see the streets where they walked. To find the church where Tim’s great-great-grandmother got baptized and eventually married his great-great-grandfather. A powerful way to connect to the past that I recommend if you ever have the opportunity.
Tragically, World War II destroyed most of Gdańsk. Afterward, it was under Soviet control for decades. Since then, the Polish government has made great efforts to beautifully restore Old Gdańsk to its former self.
I’m sure Tim’s ancestors would recognize it as the city where they came from, be it Polish or German. In fact, the way Tim puts it, “Polish or German doesn’t really matter. I’m American!”
Image credit: Photos by Janet Meydam
