Koschneiderei

Alternatively, the villages of this area were called the "Koschnaewjerdörfer" in German

The Koschneideri (in Polish "Kosznajderia") is a distinct cultural area southeast of the city of Konitz, West Prussia, that was settled by ethnic Germans at the time of the Teutonic Knights (officially the "Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem," "Ordo domus Sanctæ Mariæ Theutonicorum Hierosolymitanorum," or "Orden der Brüder vom Deutschen Haus St. Mariens in Jerusalem" Wikipedia article) at the of the 14th Century A.D.

View a map (abt. 1900) of the Koschneiderei here.

The residents of this area retained a distinct language and culture for hundreds of years. While much of West Prussia became Lutheran, this area remained Catholic. Ethic Poles and ethnic Germans attended the same parishes, resulting in considerable intermarriage.

Some emigrants from the Koschneiderei regard themselves as ethnic Poles and others as ethnic Germans. In either case, descendants of the Koschneiderei settlers are working together to document its history and families.

= Parishes of the Koschneiderei =

The extant Catholic parish registers for the Koschneideri are being extracted and may be searched (pick your flag to change languages) at the Pomeranian Genealogical Association website.


 * Damerau - Dabrowka. Google Maps. FHL Catalog.
 * Frankenhagen - Silno. Google Maps. FHL Catalog. See also Osterwick parish records in the FHL Catalog.
 * Görsdorf or Gersdorf - Ogorzeliny. Google Maps. FHL Catalog.
 * Lichnau - Lichnowy. Google Maps. FHL Catalog. Includes Granau. History of Lichnowy Parish (in Polish).
 * Osterwick - Ostrowite. Google Maps. FHL Catalog.

Additionally, there were five churches affiliated to the above parishes:


 * Deutsch Cekzin - Ciechocin. Google Maps.
 * Schlagenthin - Slawecin. Google Maps.
 * Obkaß - Obkaz. Google Maps.
 * Groß Zirkwitz - Duza Cerkwica. Google Maps.
 * Mosnitz - Moszczenica. Google Maps.

= Civil Records of the Koschneiderei =

The civil records at the Family History Library (FHL) are very limited. For more information about Polish civil records and how to obtain records not in the FHL, see the Poland Civil Registration- Vital Records page.


 * Frankenhagen (Kreis Konitz) - Silno. Google Maps. FHL Catalog.
 * Groß Paglau (Kreis Konitz) - Pawlowo. Google Maps. FHL Catalog. Includes Granau, Lichnau.
 * Groß Zirkwitz (Kreis Flatow) - Duza Cerkwica. Google Maps. FHL Catalog. Includes Damerau.
 * Osterwick (Kreis Konitz) - Ostrowite. Google Maps. FHL Catalog. Includes Deutsch Cekzin.
 * Wordel (Kreis Flatow) - Orzelek Google Maps. FHL Catalog. Includes Obkaß.

= Koschneiderei books =

Note: If you have trouble viewing these books on the web, find link in lower right corner: "You can view this publication in different way. Try others! More..." and click on the "More."

= Koschneiderei on the web =


 * Die Koschneiderei at glischinski.de (in German).
 * Die Koschneiderei at koschneiderei.de (in German).
 * Kuchenbecker-Ahnen database in English.
 * Wikipedia article (in German).

= Individuals researching the Koschneiderei =


 * Kurt Matthia, Pleasant Grove, Utah, his website.
 * Peter Pankau, Heikendorf, Germany, his website.