Chomyszak family

[AmyNxDx]

WOW! Thanks for all the feedback

I have some distant cousins that are in the USA also, they kept telling me its KHOMYSHAK and not CHOMYSZAK ... so now I understand what they meant!

I am not sure if both grandparents were OSTARBEITER, I will try to find out. I'm also going to check out the links that have been given, thank you.

My grandfather still has a very very thick Ukrainian accent, so it is really hard to understand him over the phone. He lives about 9 hours from me. I am going to be seeing him in the next few months. The only problem is that he gets very upset talking about everything. I think I will have my aunt help out though.

I did look through my baby book and my father had filled out some info on his side. It is as follows:

My Grandmothers Side (We called her Baba, isnt that the same as Babucia?)
Helena Chomyszak (maiden name: Labinski)*
Born: May 19, 1923 in Volozin, Ukraine.
Her mother: Maria Labinski, born 1903 in Volozin Ukraine.
Father: Harold Labinski, born 1887 Volozin, Ukraine.
*About my grandma's maiden name... My Aunt tells me that Grandma & Grandpa both had "Chomyszak" as their last name before they were married. She said they weren't related (I SURE HOPE NOT!!!) but Chomyszak was just very common.
-My grandma's parents (and close family) I was told got caught helping prisioners in the concentration camps, and were forced to dig their own graves and stood in front of them and were shot and killed. I don't know 100% the details, but apparently my grandmother watched this happen.
-Also, is Volozin in Ukraine or Poland?
-And I do have her SS# and it was issued in NY.

My Grandfathers Side (We do call him "Deedo"
John Chomyszak (I was told it was Ivan)
Born Dec 20, 1920 in Kiev, Ukraine
Mother: Maria Chomyszak
Father Andrew Chomyszak - don't know much, except he lived to be 101 and died on fathers day 1979.

Originally Posted by Serhii

Хомиша К looks like a nickname (maybe it was originally ). If your grandfather is alive - ask him more and show all variants. Maybe they changed only one letter in the end - it was a common practice at that terrible war and post war time

It is very possible they changed a letter. I am going to have to ask these questions.

Unbreakable - Thanks for checking the phone book there, I'm thinking Khomyshak is the same as my "Chomyszak" spelling!

Originally Posted by Hannia

Was your father born in USA? If so, his baptismal certificate/metryka should provide you w/exact details re Grandparents' origins. Where did Grandparents settle upon immigration?

My father was born in Gerabronn, Germany in 1944, but I think my Aunt was born here (USA). They settled in New York, some family is in Binghamton, NY and some is in Norwich, NY.

Originally Posted by Serhii

People remembered their roots - I am pleased to see the name in perfect Ukrainian ( and only in it ) on a tombstone. God bless their soles !

My father is buried in a Ukrainian/American graveyard. The fronts are in English, but the backs of everyone's tombstone says their Ukrainian last name. I love that they are on there

I know this long, and I tried to answer everything as best as I could. I really appriciate the help, it means a lot to me!

I need to ask my aunt to ask my grandfather (at least, till I get up there). I am trying to learn some Ukrainian so I can speak with him better. It kills me that I can't live near him, he's amazing, he's my favorite man alive....

[Hannia]

Father was born in Gerabronn > Schwabisch Hall District > Baden-Wurttemberg > Southern Germany. Nearest DP Camp to Gerabronn was probably STUTTGART.

excerpt from http://www.dpcamps.org/stuttgart.html

Stuttgart Displaced Persons' camp -

Germany
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stuttgart (U.S. zone) held Ukrainians, Russians, Jews, Poles, and Czech slave labor. 30,000 forced laborers were used in Stuttgart in factories, as well as agricultural and housekeeping services. Following text is computer translated from http://www.lad-bw.de/index.php

Concerning inquiries about forced labor: "The Main public records Stuttgart (HStAS) received daily inquiries to proofs about forced hard labour during the 3rd Reich. In the past year, approximately 400 letters reached us, in the first half-year 2001 about 270. Most of them come from the Ukraine and from Poland, the remainder from Russia, Slovenia etc. The documents proving forced laborer employments in Germany are incomplete, far scattered and partially unclear. In many cases are such documents are in possession of the cities and municipalities, in which hard labour took place, is it in public records to find partly also country wide. for the HStAS result in itself from the primary task, the inquiry to the responsible authority pass on usually to archives or public records Baden-Wuerttemberg and other Land of the Federal Republic, if necessary also in foreign country (e.g. after France or Poland). There can be searched for excessive quantities and proofs for individual persons. But before the HStAS can forward the request to the competent authority, it must locate the indicated place of work clearly. And that is mostly the most difficult part of the work. Often places of work are misspelled, the geographical description of the environment do not fit not together, etc.. In such cases, longer searches are and every now and then detective work is necessary, in order to identify the places exactly (e.g., "Jetzgrube" instead of ore pit, "Geidegein" for Heidenheim etc.).

Title page one of the most important reference books. Readable opinion In order to accelerate the treatment locally, with the HStAS all inquiries, which with Russian or Ukrainian deal, are translated into German, all data relevant for the search are segregated and into particularly a data sheet developed in addition registered. With this careful attention to the data, the HStAS hopes to support the searches at the source as well as possible so that the concerning must wait not for a long time for proofs of their hard labour.

Documents about "hard labour" in main public records Stuttgart: Term problem In the case of the inspection into the individual bundles a specific term problem results. During the designation "forced laborer" concerns it no source term. Rather the National Socialist linguistic usage varnished the circumstance of the hard labour, by addressing the concerning usually as "civil worker" or a "east worker". This actual conditions masking mode of expression is also otherwise, so for instance in formulations, according to which the workers became "enlisted", from the foreign country "mediated" or the work input "taken". It is thus carefully avoided to arouse the impression of an involuntary work. For the work with the sources this means frequently that a certain uncertainty arises over it whether it actually concerns forced laborers. A clarifying is possible therefore often only from the context.

Documents and existence: Basis for the available list was primary a systematic examination that as relevantly regarded Ministerialbestaende until 1945 (EBestaende of main public records). "

Stuttgart city archives:

- Das Stadtarchiv Stuttgart ist zustДndig fЭr die amtliche эberlieferung der baden-wЭrttembergischen Landeshauptstadt. Ausserdem betreut es umfangreiche BestДnde nichtamtlichen Schriftguts und Sammlungen (Fotos, GemДlde, Graphiken, MЭnzen, PlДne, Plaka
http://www.stuttgart.de/stadtarchiv

City archives: Stadtarchiv Stuttgart
Silberburgstrasse 191
70178 Stuttgart
Tel: 07 11 - 2 16 63 27
Fax: 07 11 - 2 16 44 56


http://www.lad-bw.de/hstas/
http://www.kinquest.com/genealogy/re...stuttgart.html
http://www.ghi-dc.org/guide13/
forced workers in Stuttgart, (ext in German
http://search.yahoo.com/bin/search?p...zwangsarbeiter

United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration Archives Record Group: PAG 4 Box 3: District 1: Assembly Centers and Area Teams, Heidenheim, Ulm, Stuttgart
_______________________________________________________

I was born in Stuttgart Germany in 1946 of a Polish mother and German father. Mother's name was Janina Walecyk Jaskiewicz from Chechly Poland; father was Freiderich Strahle from Kologne. I know that I lived in a town called Oberlenningen. I was able to contact the city hall and receive the information that I was born in military barracks that were used to house refugees. Is there any way to trace the camp I was in? Thank you for any suggestions. Rita Miller (Roswitha Walecyk)

4/17/05 Dear Mrs. Kaczmar:
During the time my dad's family lived in this camp, my aunt told me it was dedicated to Armenian refugees only. I am in the process of acquiring some more information about the camp in Stuttgart where my father and his family lived from about '45-'50. My aunt confirmed that the camp was located in Stuttgart. I will send you the information including pictures when I obtain them. Best wishes, John Grigorian


10/19/04 Dear Ms. Kaczmar,
I am a US-based producer for German television. We are working on a documentary about life in the post-war years in the American zone in southwestern Germany, in cities and towns such as Stuttgart, Ulm, Heidelberg, Heilbronn, Pforzheim, etc. I am in search of people who were Displaced Person in the region, and of American officers of the Occupation authorities and UNRRA representatives who were assigned to the area. I would be grateful if you could give me any leads. If I could get replys within 3-4 weeks, that would be great. Best wishes Konrad Ege

2/14/06
I am trying to find a person named Marik Danziger prison number B1149 from Poland. He was a child survivor in Auschwitz. Can you help me in any way. I am from Ireland and have been to Auschwitz in Easter 2005 and could not believe the horror of what happened. I want to try to trace him hopeing he is still alive and well. Records of the International Tracing Service in Arolsen, Germany, of which copies in the Yad Vashem Archives, show that Marek/Moshe Danziger, born in Radom on 1 May 1940 survived the war and was in the Stuttgart Displaced Persons Camp in 1946. He then went to Israel in December 1947 and lived in Tel-Aviv on till 1964 and then left Israel where to I don't know but would like to find out. He could have went to the USA. Can you help in anyway. His father's name is Shmuel who was born Radom, Kielce, Poland in 1911. Merek's grandfathers name was NOACH, his grandmother RACHEL, his other grandmother's name is ESTER MANDLEBAUM.Yours Jim.email: jimcurran43@hotmail.com

Archives of Europe: http://www.uidaho.edu/special-collections/euro1.html
________________________________________

PS> Amy, I am in the process of searching for additonal info for you.

Are you sure Baba Helena / OLENA was Ukrainian? There is a Volozhyin >Oshmiany district > Vilna Region > today Belarus. In 1923 this area belonged to Poland.

I also located a selo/village Voloshynivka in Baryshivskij raion/district> Kievska (Kiev) Oblast/Region > Ukraine. Village produces silkworm cocoons.

[AmyNxDx]

I talked to my Aunt today... we are going to talk again soon while she is with Dedo. I found out she was born in Aschenburg, Germany .. I'm not 100% sure on the spelling. She was born in 1947.

She remembers Baba talking about HALYCHYNA.

Also, she think either Baba or Dedo was born in Poland. So that could answer the question about Volozin.

She said that Dedo's parents, Andrew & Maria, came over to America back in 1912 or so, and they had my great Aunt Anna here. So Anna was always an American citizen. Andrew didn't like it here and went back.

My Aunt Stephanie also said that they came over on a boat that was called OMAR BRADLEY.

I asked her if she knew if they were OSTARBEITER or not. She said they were called OSCHLANDER (SP??) She said it's the Ukrainian word for OUTSIDER.

Hopefully this weekend I will have more information. I hate that my cell phone is my only phone and it gets horrible reception! She seemed happy to know I am trying to learn Ukrainian. She said she'd help me with anything, which is always nice

[Hannia]

I asked her if she knew if they were OSTARBEITER or not. She said they were called OSCHLANDER (SP??) She said it's the Ukrainian word for OUTSIDER.

AUSLANDER (pronounced aws-lender) is the German word for outsider. This was the name
DP's were called by the Germans after the war.

If they were slave workers in Germany, they were Ostarbeiters.
_____________________________________________________________________

As per Lenius' Gazetteer:

selo/village Voloscha > Drohobycz raion/district
Voloshyno > Peremyshlyany (formerly Bobrka) district
Voloshyanka > Skoliv district
Voloshynovo > Starosambir district

All of the above were/are in Lviv Region.

___________________________________________________

The navy transport ship, General Omar Bradley, was commisioned and memorialized in 1944.

It is very likely that it was Deedo Ivan, Baba Olena and their children who came over on this ship.