No birth record. No death record. No sign of him in the census either.

How do I know Michal BORUCKI existed? I’ll explore the unconventional approaches that led to identifying my 4th great-grandfather and perhaps more importantly the rest of his family. (Note: Michal is the Polish spelling for the name Michael.)

Not A Typical Brick Wall

This was a bigger genealogy mystery than others, and it really required getting creative with the investigative process. One of the tricky elements was the fact I have yet to lay eyes on a birth record or marriage record for Michal’s daughter Marianna BORUCKA, and this is critical – it’s my leap from her to him to begin with.

Don’t worry. I’ve cleared that hurdle. DNA evidence made it overwhelmingly clear that Marianna was a sister of multiple BORUCKI/BORUCKA children born to a couple Michal BORUCKI and Karolina LIS, all of which came to Buffalo, New York, like my Marianna. Some of their birth records have been found, and more recently, thanks to the volunteers at Geneteka, there’s an 1865 Marianna baptized at Ludomy Parish in Wielkopolskie to that couple. Bingo. That matches what Buffalo church records say for her origin (Ludomy).

That alone – there we have it – Michal existed. But why is he so elusive? Here’s what else I know about him, even though there’s a lot I don’t know:

Michal Married Twice

Michal BORUCKI married Marianna MICHALSKA on 18 October 1846 in Oborniki. They had five children.

After Marianna passed away, he married for a second time to Karolina LIS on 12 February 1860 in Lukowo. A witness to this marriage was Franciszek BORUCKI (keep that in mind, we’ll come back to this!). They had 11 children.

(I believe Michal was born about 1826 because of the age he’s listed on these marriage records.)

The DNA Evidence is Overwhelming

Not only does the BORUCKI side match up as expected, there are connections on the LIS side that line up nicely. Two of my great-aunts have DNA tested on Ancestry, and that’s where we see those really nice links.

Being able to triangulate different branches, including maternal family lines is critical.

The Paper Trail: Godparents and Witnesses

This is where we need to utilize the evidence available to make reasonable conclusions that reach the genealogical standard for proof.

If this sounds familiar, you may be a long time reader on my blog! I used godparents and witnesses once before to tear down a brick wall.

A Franciszek BORUCKI witnessed his 2nd marriage to Karolina LIS and was the godfather of one of his children, Katarzyna. An evaluation of local records (parishes in the area) reveals that this Franciszek was a son of Jakub BORUCKI and Franciszka SOLSKA.

Jakub and Franciszka themselves lived in Bablin, Oborniki Parish – the same place my Michal lived in 1846. They’re the only BORUCKI family in this area at this time. Their other children: Justyna (died at age 12 in 1832), Marianna, Magdalena, Stanislaw, and Andrzej. (Andrzej’s wife was also from Bablin, and her father witnessed Franciszek BORUCKI‘s wedding; plenty of family events tied to these BORUCKIs of Bablin).

Previously Jakub and Franciszka belonged to Kiszewo Parish where they married in 1817. Kiszewo’s baptism records don’t start until after the approximately 1826 time period when Michal is expected to have been born.

Did He Immigrate… Or Not?

The immigration record for his son Stanislaw BORUCKI in 1902 identifies his father as Michal BORUCKI of 27 New St., so it appears he did immigrate.

But he is not found on the 1900 U.S. census. And no burial or death record has ever been found for Michal.

There is a stone that says “Michal and Karolina Borucka,” Rodzice (Parents) at Holy Mother of the Rosary Cemetery in Cheektowaga. No years are provided and the early records for that cemetery have been lost.

Going Further Back

Regardless, this line actually goes back a generation further from his father Jakub.

Not too long ago, I found Jakub’s baptism record, matching up to his parents’ names that were listed on his marriage record and the age matched up too: Bonawentura Jakub BORUCKI, born 14 July 1796 in Baborowo, baptized at Samter Parish. He’s a son of Franciszek BORUCKI and Magdalena CIBOREK. It appears he went by his middle name.

His parents Franciszek and Magdalena married on 21 October 1792 in Cerekwice, just 25 kilometers from the city of Poznan.

So while he remains an invisible man to some extent, he’s not totally invisible. Maybe time will bring a lucky discovery or two about Michal and his life.