pok_en

A somewhat more comprehensive albeit in some details outdated presentation that also contains a pedigree has been published (in German) in 1994:

Hans J. Seybusch und Nikolai v. Pock, Die Slepowron-Pokrzywnicki – eine familiengeschichtliche Skizze. In: Verein für Familienforschung in Ost- u. Westpreußen, Hamburg (Hg.), Altpreußische Geschlechterkunde – Familienarchiv Bd. 16 (1994) S. 43-73.

This family's ancestral seat is the village Pokrzywnica Wielka near Mława in Masovia, not far from the East Prussian district of Neidenburg. Its earliest known member as mentioned by Uruski is Jan Pokrzywnicki, who must have been born around 1450 (Uruski, Seweryn hr.: Rodzina – Herbarz szlachty polskiej. Warszawa 1904-38; vol. 14 (1917) p. 177-178).

A branch of this family is said to have come to East Prussia around the year 1650. The exact time and circumstances are not yet known. The first certain data show Friedrich von Pokrzywnicki as squire of Thymau (Kreis Osterode in Ostpr.) at the beginning of the year 1675. The family remained in southern East Prussia until 1945.

The family bears the Polish coat of arms Jastrzębiec. Yet, the Prussian branch adopted a modified coat of arms of its own in the in the second half of the 18th century:

– the family's original coat of arms –

Jastrzębiec odmiana

("Ślepowron odm." or "Lubicz [odm.]")
– coat of arms used by its Prussian branch –

Unfortunately, we do not know much about the Polish main line of the Pokrzywnicki family. Thus, the known family history really only begins in East Prussia, where it comprises nearly 300 years.

The von Pokrzywnicki family belonged to the small landed gentry, thus they dedicated their lives to agriculture. Family members owned among others the following estates in the district of Osterode/East Prussia: Marienfelde and Thymau as well as in the district of Neidenburg: Dietrichsdorf, Frankenau, Lomno, Malschöwen, Thalheim (Dziurdziau).

In the 18th and early 19th century, several family members also served in the Prussian army. In the year 1775, one of those officers was approached by king Frederick the Great during a military review and was given the name “von Bock” by him, whereupon that name was assumed by all officers from the family, while in East Prussia it still remained “von Pokrzywnicki”. From this family, Johann Michael von Bock (born in Frankenau on 4.10.1742, died in Berlin on 23.2.1812) became Royal Prussian major general.

Today, those family members who came from East Prussia to West Germany in 1945 almost all bear the name “von Pock”.

POKRZYWNICKIANA
A site dedicated to researching szlachta families of the name Pokrzywnicki, especially the von Pokrzywnicki (since 1775 also: von Bock) family that came to East Prussia in about 1650.
If you have any questions, corrections or addenda, please do contact the author, Nikolai von Pock (olim Pokrzywnicki), at: pokrzywnickiana@yahoo.de (in English, auf Deutsch, en français)
You are here: home > Pokrzywnicki h. Jastrzębiec	last revision: June 27, 2004


Jastrzębiec – the family's original coat of arms –	Jastrzębiec odmiana ("Ślepowron odm." or "Lubicz [odm.]") – coat of arms used by its Prussian branch –
Description: On a blue shield a silver horseshoe, opened to the top, that contains a silver chevalier’s cross; on the helmet with blue-silver coats a hawk, turned to the right and soaring up, with golden bells on its claws, and holding the shield's picture in its raised right claw.	Description: On a blue shield a silver horseshoe, opened to the bottom, that contains a silver chevalier’s cross (the latter is missing in some branches of the family); on the helmet with blue-silver coats a sitting raven, turned to the right, with a golden ring in its beak.

Notes on the History and Genealogy of the Pokrzywnicki (Bock) Family