"What is your country of citizenship?" It is important to note that the first two of these answers could have more that one meaning each. In the latter part of the 18th century, Poland was divided up and taken over by the three great surrounding powers: Austria, Russia, and Prussia (Germany). After the completion of this division in 1795, there was officially no longer a country named Poland. However, as can be seen on the 1890's ship records, many people still responded that their country of citizenship was Poland. Interestingly, these responders were probably 3-4 generations later than their ancestors who had been alive when Poland’s breakup was completed 95 years earlier. Obviously, a strong nationalistic message was making its way down through the generations. (Of the 96,699 immigrants that make up this index, 60% said "Austria", 39% said "Poland", and 1% said "Galicia"). The "Poland" response could imply that they came from three different regions of the original country: Austrian (southern) Poland, a region also known as Galicia; Russian (eastern) Poland; or Prussian (western) Poland. "Austria", on the other hand, could mean Austria itself, Austrian Poland (Galicia), or other parts of the Austrian Empire (Bohemia, Moravia, Bukovina, Transylvania, etc.).
In the case of the Wislocki family, they listed their country of citizenship as Austria though the town they are from is considered in Poland today. Interestingly enough, Eva Wislocki Bednarski listed her country of citizenship as first Galicia then Austria only. Clearly, the Wislocki clan ancestry once was from what was considered Poland before the three super powers of its time took over in 1795 because our ancestors spoke the Polish language and were Catholics.
The question now is "why did the Wislocki clan leave Czarnawoda?" Was there political unrest in the region as there was in Germany? Was there a water shortage as indicated in some research articles that stated water was disappearing from the lakes causing a severe water shortage in the Czarnawoda canal? Why would an entire family consisting of brothers & at least one sister leave behind their homeland in search of a new unfamilar homeland so far away where their language was not spoken?
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