Looking for Lapica, Lapic, Lapitowski etc

[Denbob55]

Hello all.

I've enjoyed reading about the family searches which has inspired me to do the same.

I don't pretend to know how to do this, so I've decided to try to locate my father's family first. What I've discover, that you all probably already know, is that the only thing consistent in searching in this part of the world is that nothing is consistent.

So far, if I've come to realize that it is true that Ellis Island officials truely did write whatever the heck they wanted to. Our name is now Lapic, but relatives I've located from ship manifests have their names written as Lapitowski, Lopitowski, Lapica and more. There's even one entry where the name Lapica is written and then overwritten as Lapitowski. The more I search the more variations I find. Unfortunately, I've found everybody on the manifests but my grandfather. I suspect that his name is nowhere near any of these spellings since he was one of the earliest immigrants.

As for the towns, I've found several possible spellings. Some are Austrian names, and others appear to be phonetic spellings of Ukraine names or at least near spellings. Here's some of the town names of the various relatives. A Jendrzej Lapica, who may be the brother of my grandfather, Michael Lapica, is listed on a manifest as being from a town that appears to be Zsidowicze or Zristowscze, Austria. These town names are from a 1907 document.

Other town names I've come across are Radowice Austria, for a woman that may be a great aunt named Anastasia Lapitowski. Her's was the name that was overwritten on the name Lapica. In another place the town is spelled Ratowice.

I've got other names and towns, but I was hoping that I could at least get one town located before I move onto other towns for other relatives. I once found a map on line that had towns in the Lviv area from the Austrian area when Lviv was called Lemburg. But I still couldnt locate any of these towns on that map let along the correct surnames.

I'm starting to ramble, but if anyone recognizes these surnames or towns, I would greatly appreciate it. And yes, I would love to visit in the coming years.

Thanks in advance for any help

Dennis

[IreneLviv]

Zhidowice is a village near Peremyshliany - Lviv region,
Radowice - in Volhynia

[Denbob55]

Irene

Thank you so much for your help. I was able to locate Peremyshliany, but not Zhidowice, nor could I find Radowice. Is Volhynia an Oblast?

I have a lot to learn about Ukraine and our culture. Can you suggest a good primer?

Thanks

[bm-21Lemko]

Originally Posted by Denbob55

Irene

Thank you so much for your help. I was able to locate Peremyshliany, but not Zhidowice, nor could I find Radowice. Is Volhynia an Oblast?

I have a lot to learn about Ukraine and our culture. Can you suggest a good primer?

Thanks

Yes sort of. Volhynia is a region. But I think modern context of an oblast is an administrative division. Other regions in Western Ukraine include Galicia and Transcarpathia.

Volhynia and Galicia are regions in modern day Poland and Ukraine.


As for culture and history, do you have any Ukrainian or Carpatho-Rusyn societies where you live?
Maybe somebody can suggest a good Ukrainian history book. There is a website that is good but I dont remember what it is. ill come back and post it.
Stay on the forum if you would like.

[Hannia]

Dennis,

No offense, but you are scrambling.

Michael (Myhajlo/Myhaly/ Mykhal???) settled specifically WHERE upon immigration? Appx when? What was his ethnicity? What religion did he practice? Was he married before or after immigration? What was Grandmother's maiden name? Were they naturalized?

Did Grandfather Myhajlo have a Social Security card? Do you know for sure that he had siblings in USA? What were their given names?

Are there any documents hidden away in some relative's attic?
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Good resource in general, not just for Galician descendants. Start w/FINDING YOUR VILLAGE!!!
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For the time being, forget about all these surname variants. Work with the one Grandfather used. How is it pronounced? Do an AUTOCONVERT for your surname. I found more viable variants Lapych/Lapach. The IC sufffix could be pronounced like CH in CHURCH??? It could also be pronounced LA-PITZ???
UA Translit - Ukrainian Transliteration and Spell Checker

[Denbob55]

Hannia

No offense taken. Many of my questions probably seem infantile to you, but all my relatives who spoke the language are gone and while they were with us I was a self centered young man who had no interest in my family's culture.

So the process of finding my heritage now seems to be insurmountable. It reminds me of when my daughter and I once went to Japan to visit my son. One stop we made on a train was where there was no interaction with English speakers. There were no dual language signs, no English anything, and no help what so ever.

I and my daughter stepped into a very small restaurant where, by using very simple hand gestures, we were able to order food. It was only because I was very hungry, and a stranger was kind enough to work with me was I fed.
.
So, I do very much appreciate your help and everyone else's help.

[Hannia]

Dennis,

Genealogy is not as complicated as you might think.

Stay w/the basics. Start w/yourself and work back. You were baptized in a church, so was your father. Your father's metrikal info like Baptism and Marriage may be very helpful in telling us where BOTH his parents originated. Bare in mind that many Immigrants took spouses originating from the same districts or the same regions as they did. It served as comfort for them. They also lived among their own in neighborhoods. Additionally, some Greek Catholic Churches and Christian Orthodox Churches kept very detailed church registers.


Please go thru the questions I asked and see what you can answer. Take your time and do your best. You probably know more than you think.

Forget about all the WHAT I DIDN'T DO. What is important here is that you are interested in your heritage and we will try to help you.

AND make sure to go thru the link I provided you. It will give you an idea as to what records are available to you.
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Dennis are you a winemaker? How did you become interested in oenology? I have a slight suspicion your Grandfather might have been from the Carpathian Mtn region???? If you are from the wine making family, the immediate area you reside in has/had a heavy concentration of Carpatho-Rusyn/Ruthenian descendants.

As per Ellis Isand Records:

Mihaly Lapach arrived 11/1/1902, 25 yrs old, naturalized 3/30/37, emigrating from Seredne > Hungary (today Zakarpatska Ukraine), heading to his brother's (Janos=John) in Connellsville??? PA. This fellow was born in appx 1877.

Mihaly Lapuch, 16 yrs old, arriving 6/18/1904, from Dubroka (Dubrivka> Zakarpatska Ukraine), heading for brother in law's (Georgi/George Spontak) in Vanderbilt PA. This kid was born in appx 1888.