UNCOMMON SWAP(P)S
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Below you will find selected correspondence regarding our family. It's not too organized yet, but you will find some interesting stuff included. I'd be happy to include *your* Swap(p) Family info, too! Also, if you have corrections or additions to the info you see here, please send them to SSS@DDS.NL!
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From Steven Ether Swapp in Washington, Utah (SSS@DDS.NL):
There once (in the late 18th Century) was a seafaring man from Scotland whose son carried his name, William Swap (one "p"), and who remained behind near Toronto, Canada, when his father went to sea (later settling in Massachussets with a new wife and children) and left his namesake with a fellow Scottish family by the name of Hill. The boy was raised by this Hill family, who were among the first converts to the Mormon Church when Joseph Smith sent Parley P. Pratt on the first Mormon mission outside of the United States. The whole family, including William, moved to the Mormon gathering place of Nauvoo, Illinois, on the banks of the Mississippi River. Somewhere along the way, and extra "p" was added to the name Swapp and William married and had five children.
After the Mormons arrived out West, three of the Swapp brothers settled in Kanab, in Southern Utah not far from the Grand Canyon, and two of them ended up in the Mormon settlement of Overton, in what they thought was Utah but later turned out to be Nevada. Overton, the birthplace of my father, is near the spot were the Virgin River flowed into the Colorado River, but that area has been flooded ever since the construction of Hoover Dam in the 1930s.
I grew up in St. George, in Southern Utah, and in Las Vegas, Nevada. Our family moved back and forth so many times that we consider that we own that 115-mile stretch of I-15! (In fact, the road construction company my father worked for built the famous Virgin River Gorge highway, at the time the most expensive highway per-foot in the entire U.S.!)
I've always been interested in intercultural communications and have ended up living in many places: Alaska, Hawai`i, Germany, Mexico, and Japan. My heart is in the Islands, but I am currently living in Germany again. I teach language classes and do translation work. I also have experience with HTML and publishing and helped to set up the electronic publications of the East-West Center in Honolulu.
By the way, some in my family suspect that the ancestors of that Scottish William Swap may have been Germans from Swabia (Schwaben in German) fleeing the awful potato famines of the early 18th Century or possibly coming to Scotland even earlier with William the Conqueror. Recently released Scottish records show the Swap(p) Family in Scotland since at least 1630. Have any of you heard such stories in your families?
The most unusual Swapp I have ever heard of once called my great-uncle, who lives in Hawai`i, to tell him the story of his growing up in Tahiti! The man only speaks French!
Aloha,
Steven Ether Swapp
E-mail: SSS@DDS.NL
Homepage: http://www.oocities.com/TheTropics/1426
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From Tom in San Diego, California (tomswapp@perfectpages.com):
Date: Sun, 16 Jun 1996 21:32:54 -0700
hmmm! interesting. my side of the swapps are from no. dakota-minn. my brother & sister were born in no. dakota. don't think we were ever on the mormon side. when a paul swapp help off the feds about a decade ago
i had a lot of friends kidding me about it. i lived in cancun for 3.5 years from the late 70's to the early 80's. did two timeshare projects for a mexican developer out of d.f. & proteca out of monterey. my brother is
currently living in las vegas. all of this must be sheer coincidence, or fate. met a lot of mormon folks down in the yucatan, studying jesus's arrival in the "new" world. not that it matters, but we're on the catholic
side. have helped a mormon bishop or two in real estate here in s.d. county. struggled through the book on mormon for the heck of it, interesting. i know d.f. pretty well, where are you living there, and what are you doing? if you can say (just kidding)-i was born in san diego in '44-currently doing bmw's & real estate-pls. write again.
To Tom from Steve:
I wonder. Ever heard of any of your ancestors living in Missouri or Illinois in the last century? How long have they been in No. Dakota? Are there many Swapps up there? Have you ever heard stories about where the family came from originally in Europe? There *must* be a connection between us somewhere!
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From Jordan Swapp in Utah:
Well.....Hmmm.....My Name is Jordan Swapp.....Living in Utah.. A Morman... But not from the roots that the other swapps took...
Im Morman because of my mother(last name Sayers).
My Grandfather(Which died While i was young) Don Swapp.. His Son or my father Nathan Ezra Swapp and me Jordan Ezra Swapp.
I was Wondering ... Is Ezra a Common Swapp Name?
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Tue, 9 Jul 1996
From Stephen Swap in Washington State (sthasw@u.washington.edu):
My Grandfather was not one to talk much about himself so what little I know is just second and third hand. We still spell our name with one "P".
My Grandfather was born in Minnesota in about 1880. His father had come from Canada. I do remember my Aunt talking about ancestors in Jamaica. I also remember hearing that our family originally came from Germany and Scotland. I don't know the chronology of the migration. I do know that my Great Grandfather came from a large family in Canada and some of his brothers were early western pioneers. One of my aunts has a decent history of our branch and your query has gotten me interested. I will check with her and get back to you.
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From Al Swapp in Anacortes, Washington (yodel@halcyon.com):
Good morning Steven. My name is Al & I am a Swapp. My grandfather came from Manchester, England. in the early 1900's. He was from Scotland & my grandmother from Manchester. The old family bible is currently missing. I'm rather rusty on my family background, but I have a cousin that is rather into it. I'll pass a copy of your email to her. A lot of what you've said matches a great deal of our family - except that this branch of the Swapp family (western Washington) is not Morman.
I know that there are still relatives in Manchester. Before my aunt died, she had a visitor from there. There was a group from Manchester
To Al from Steve:
>>This is all rather fascinating! I find it interesting that some Scottish Swaps (one "p") came to Canada almost 200 years ago and *then* added an extra "p", and that some Swapps in Great Britain currently have two
p's...
>>Yes, there are still some Swaps in the Glasgow area, too, according to my relatives who visited there once.
Mela Swapp This is Ken's wife & he is my son.
BENE@CARSON.U.WASHINGTON.EDU
Robert T Swapp This is a cousin who's
father was a Mt Lake Terrace, Washington
brother of my father.
102365.1173@Compuserve.Com
There is a young lady named Hydi Swapp, 3039 Hwy 283 N., Quincey, WA 98848. She is also doing Swapp family research. She is junior in high school. Her grandfather gave her a book titled "The World Book of Swapps" & it has peaked her interest. You might drop her a note. She doesn't appear to have email.
HOME of the SOLID BRASS BASENJI BUCKLE
Yodelaire Basenjis & SunSpun Creations
AL & Sue Swapp w/ 7 B's (14 1/2 to 2)
Anacortes, WA
yodel@halcyon.com
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From Al Swapp:
The address for "The Book of Swapps" is The book of Swapps, c/o 3687 Ira Road, Bath, Ohio 44210.
I've not ordered one but I really think that I should.
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From Mavin Swapp in Phoenix, Arizona (mavin@paloverde.com):
I received your message here at work, and sent it on to my home (mavin@paloverde.com), where I hope to find time to write a long reply. I am very interested in what you are doing and would like to help out.
My Dad, Cliff Swapp was raised in Kanab, Utah the same town where I was born. I was raised in Fredonia, Arizona just 7 miles south of Kanab. I have a son Laron Swapp who is now on a mission in Ohio, that you list on the net through ASU.
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From Mavin Swapp in Phoenix, Arizona (mavin@paloverde.com):
I was excited to get your e-mail (Uncommon Swapps). From the information that you gave, we may have the same Ancestor, one William Swapp born 30Aug1820 in Nontreal, Quebec, Canada and died 30 July 1876 in Kanab, Utah. Kanab, Utah is my place of birth.
My genealogy
William Swapp, (by my records), born 1797 in Scotland, died 14Feb1849
Newburyport, MS. [From Steve: Is that not MA, Massachusetts?]
William Swapp, born 30Aug1820 Montreal, Canada, died 30Jul1876 Kanab, UT.
James Hill Swapp, born 10May1853 Salt Lake City, Utah, died 17Jan1922 Kanab, Utah.
James William Swapp, born 19Apr1879 Glendale, Utah, died 27Aug1928 in Cedar
City, Utah.
Cliff Swapp, born 26May1916 in Kanab, Utah.
Mavin Cliff Swapp, born 9Jul1939 in Kanab, Utah.
Your date of birth for the first William Swapp (1797) is different from mine, also the number of children that he had. Please send any information you may have on him and his father.
I have that William Swapp born in 1797 , married Agnes (Nancy) Hill 6Apr1817 in Glasgow, Scotland. Nancy died in 1825 in Ireland.
I have two children, John F.and William Swapp. A 2ND wife was Elmire Leach but I have no information about any children of this marriage.
I grew up in Fredonia, Az. and left there to go to school at ASU in Tempe, Arizona. in 1957, other than the two years I spent in Australia on a mission I have remained in the Phoenix area. I have been an equipment design engineer at Motorola for 31 years and I also have a business on the side, Telonics Inc. that makes equipment for tracking animals. My wife's name is Linda and we have two sons, one 20 years old on a mission in Ohio, and one 14 years old, a sophomore in High School.
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From Steve to Mavin and Linda:
I also have this info about his wife and ancestors:
Wife: Elizabeth HILL, b. 17 Sep 1818 in Johnstown, SCOTLAND; d. 4 Jul 1891
Father: William SWAP, b. 1 Aug 1795 (I assumed in Scotland); d. 14 Feb 1849
Mother: Nancy Agnes HILL, d. 1826/1830
Father's parents: William SWAP and Janet (no further details)
>William Swapp, (by my records), born 1797 in Scotland, died 14Feb1849 Newburyport, MS.
Is that not Newburyport, Massachusetts (MA)? "MS" is Mississippi. This looks like his father, although I have him born two years before your date.
>James Hill Swapp, born 10May1853 Salt Lake City, Utah, died 17Jan1922 Kanab, Utah.
Looks like we divide lines in the children of William (1820), as I suspected. Your Kanab line comes from James Hill Swapp, and my Overton line comes from John Addison Swapp. This is my line:
John Addison Swapp (b. 1855 in Salt Lake City, UT)
Alexander Swapp (b. 1878 in St. George, UT)
Alex Ether Swapp (b. 1901 in Tropic, UT)
Glen Ether Swapp (b. 1933 in Overton, NV)
Steven Ether Swapp (b. 1962 in San Francisco, CA)
I'd like to get the family's travel chronology down right. It seems that William (1795) married Nancy Agnes in 1817, their son William was born in Montreal in 1820, and then Nancy Agnes died in Ireland in 1825. Hmmm...
how did all that happen? Nancy Agnes must have been in Canada for a time in order for her son to be born there...
(BTW, this also indicates that the extra "p" was added to Swapp for the first child born in the New World. Interesting that one of the other Swapps I contacted recently has Swapp relatives (with two p's) still living in the UK, and there are some Swaps (with one p) living in the U.S. in places as diverse as Washington, No. Dakota, and New York! And they say they are not Mormons. Hmmm... must be that there were other immigrations from the UK to the USA, unrelated to our own! One person specifically told me his grandfather, a Scot, came from Manchester, England in the early 1900s.)
William (1820) was apparently the one who lived with the Hill Family near Montreal and was baptized into the LDS Church with them. I assume this Hill family was probably relatives of his mother, Nancy Agnes Hill, since they all seem to have come from Scotland. Hmmm... Parley P. Pratt's mission would have been about 1830+, right? So William would have been about 10-12 years old? Any way to find out who actually baptized these people? I wonder if it was Bro. Parley himself...
Interesting that William (1820) married a Hill girl who was born two years before him, but in Scotland. So his mother and his wife were both Hills. His marriage took place in 1845 in Nauvoo, less than two years before the
immigration to the Great Basin began. Since they joined the Church so early, I also wonder if they spent 1830-45 with the Saints in places like Palmyra, Kirtland, and Independence...
Your James Hill (1853) and my John Addison (1855) were both born in Salt Lake City, so our family was also among the first Latter-day Saints to reach Deseret.
I get more confused with my family's more recent wanderings. My great-grandfather Alexander was born in St. George (1878), but I think his parents may have already been living in the Muddy Mission (now Overton, NV). (Even today, people in Overton have their babies in the hospital in St. George.) He and his wife were living only for a few years in Tropic, Utah (in the bottom of Bryce Canyon) when my grandfather and a couple of other siblings were born, but they soon returned to Overton, where most of the 12 children were born. (Unfortunately, only six of the children made it to adulthood. The youngest is now about 73-74, my great-uncle Wylie who has lived in Hawai`i and taught at BYU-Hawai`i since the Church College of Hawai`i opened in the early 1950s.)
My father, Glen (1933), was born and raised in Overton. I was raised in Las Vegas and St. George mostly. And then the wandering really begins!
Here is the brief summary of where I have lived in my 34 years of life:
1962-68 Las Vegas, NV
1968-69 Cedar City, UT
1969-70 Las Vegas, NV
1970-76 St. George, UT
1976-79 Las Vegas, NV
1979-81 St. George, UT (short stints in Oregon
and California)
1981-83 Mission in GERMANY (6 locations)
1983-85 Las Vegas, NV (short stint in Phoenix)
1985-86 Laie and Honolulu, HI
1986 Heidelberg, GERMANY
1986-87 Provo, UT
1987-88 Honolulu, HI
1988-89 Mexico City, MEXICO
1989-91 Kailua, HI
1991-92 Hikone, Kyoto, and Wakayama, JAPAN
1993-95 Honolulu, HI
1996 Washington, UT
1996 Mexico City, MEXICO
1997 Duisburg, GERMANY
1997-98 Washington, UT
(Gulp! Have I really moved more than 30 times in my short life??!!)
Speaking of wanderings, our family has a traditional song that we sing at family reunions and funerals, called "Wandering Home." The author and origin appear to be shrouded in mystery. Have you heard of this song in your part of the family?
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Wed, 1 Jan 1997
From Eric J. Swapp (eric_swapp@wdi.disney.com):
Subject: Genealogy: James Hill Swapp
This is from an article written by Barbara Pyles in the Southern Utah News, December 4, 1996:
Take a walk into the past: The James Hill Swapp Home
Writers note: This article is the second in a series featuring historic homes in Kanab, and the pioneers who lived in them. Each home is something from the past that is precious to the present. These households are not open to the public. Please respect the privacy of
the owners. Thanks to Jo Smith and Beth Martin for their help.
Cool weather had returned, but the house was nice and comfy. "Better hurry!" Margaret called. "It's ready." In a burst, James and several of his children rushed into the kitchen. They rubbed their palms and fingers with butter. The taffy was ready to pull. Among many
interesting homes in Kanab is the James Hill Swapp home. This one-and-a-half story hall and parlor house, designed in the Second Empire style, was built between 1890 and 1894. It is chiefly identified by it's stylish mansard roof that gives a fashionable appearance to this
otherwise plain brick building. It is one of four Second Empire style homes in the small town of Kanab. One could almost see children running in and out and hear Margaret shout, "Don't let the door bang."
As were many dwellings in that period, the Swapp house was made of adobe brick from the soil of the lot. The bricks were taken off-site to be fired. Although there aren't any distinctive decorative brick or wood on this dwelling, it is an appealing house.
The front door and windows are arranged symmetrical--with the door centered by two long narrow windows, one on each side of the door. The windows in the mansard roof are double hung sash, one over the other.
It is well known that Swapp was an expert with a scythe and cradle. On his many trips to Beaver, he would work along the way, earning money. It's theorized that this is how he bought the window on the south side, and other materials for the house.
Although the architect is not known, the builder is though to be Frank Rider. Swapp's talents didn't lie in carpentry, maybe that's the reason the upper floor wasn't completed until about 1910.
Swapp was born in Salt Lake City on May 10, 1853. The L.D.S. Church called his parents, William and Elizabeth Swapp, to help in the colonization of "Dixie" when he was about eight. The family lived in St. George where they endured the hardships of pioneer life. It was
there that the younger son, Alexandra, was scaled to death by falling into a hot tub of homemade soap.
At the age of fifteen, Swapp and his family traveled to the isolated Muddy Mission in Nevada to help further the work of the Mormon pioneers. The Indians resented these settlers, and the small community was under constant fear of an uprising. Besides that, the conditions under which they lived were almost unbearable. The weather was hot and stifling. Pioneers had to soak their sheets with water to get a few winks of sleep in this remote desert area. When released from their labors, the Swapp
family moved to Glendale in Long Valley.
Swapp was a man who did things. He carried the United States Mail from St. George to Callville with his brother William. As a young man, this courageous man helped in several Indian uprisings, always trying to
bring peace between the Indians and the pioneers. Later, Swapp was appointed road supervisor, and served as Kane County Sheriff for twelve years. He was also engaged in farming and stock-raising in Kanab.
James H. Swapp married Margaret Brinkerhoff on
November 22, 1875. Like other couples, they traveled to Salt Lake City in a covered wagon to be married. As a bride, Margaret knew the tasks required of a pioneer
wife. Like other women who lived in that era, she wasn't afraid to get dirt under her fingernails.
The newlyweds returned to Glendale, and after a time, moved into a large home. In 1891, Swapp relocated to Kanab to help rebuild the dam. James and Margaret would live in this beautiful town the rest of their lives.
Now lets talk about Margaret Brinkerhoff Swapp, the second daughter of James and Rebecca Hawk Brinkerhoff. In 1863, when Margaret was only 4, her family received a call to live the life of a pioneer in St. George.
Taken from her family history: "The family lived in
St. George for 6 years, and worked to gain the comforts of pioneer life. Their home was of sawed dirt blocks, built with mortar. Later, a board floor added a
new luxury. Wool and cotton were carded, spun, and dyed to make clothing.." One doesn't even want to think about how they tackled laundry.
"The first school was held in a tent...There, sitting on a rough pine bench, equipped with a slate and crayon, Margaret began the mastery of the 3 R's."
In 1869, her family moved to the Muddy Mission where survival was the name of the game. Painted Indians visited the family often demanding bread from her mother. The Indians threatened to kill all pale faces if refused. The Indians got the bread and Margaret and her siblings wet to bed hungry. This had an indelible impact on the small pioneer.
A year later, the family returned to St. George. A year after that, the Mormon Church called them to Long Valley. The clan moved into the old log fort and began to lock in an the necessities of life. Like other pioneers, Margaret endured many difficulties.
But life wasn't all hardships. Both Margaret and James danced on dirt floors to the tune of Homer Bouten's bass fiddle and Jim Watson's violin.
When the call came to move to Kanab, Margaret didn't want to leave her beautiful home in Glendale. With the promise of a new home in Kanab, she went.
Swapp was an honorable, trustworthy man, and a good citizen. He died January 12, 1922. Margaret, an outstanding homemaker and mother died February 6, 1932. The marriage produced twelve children.
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Mon, 23 Sep 1996
From AL Swapp (yodel@halcyon.com):
Your brother & I had a great talk the other night. I had forgotten all about the crest that I have. If my memory is correct, the compy of the crest came from a group that travels County Fairs. They have a huge data base of names & claim that they have an accurrate Crest for each family listed. As I told Mike, I had forgotten all about the crest until the phone call. I'll look & see if I can find it again. It has been several years since I've even seen it.
>You know, I would also be *very* interested in getting a copy of that, whether on paper or via e-mail as a scanned graphic file, to use on the Uncommon Swapps webpage. Do you really have such a crest? Does it come
from Scotland, or where? How did you obtain it?
I'll gladly scan it & send you a copy just as soon as I find it again. I still find it amazing that your side of the family arrived on this side of the pond when it did & that my grand parents arrived after 1920.
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From Dave Swap (xjt48@dial.pipex.com and 106652,362@compuserve.com):
Currently researching my SWAP surname. Would like to hear from anyone who has come across this name,or SWAPP, for any period anywhere in the world. I am from England, Huddersfield, and have a large amount of information on the SWAP & SWAPP families in England & Wales. Origins are from Aberdeen, Scotland 17th C.
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Tue, 06 May 1997
From Dave Swap (xjt48@dial.pipex.com and 106652,362@compuserve.com):
My name is Dave Swap and I live in Huddersfield in the U.K. I am currently researching the origins of my family name of SWAP. It is an extremley uncommon name, and the surname of SWAPP is, I believe a derivative of SWAP.
I got your e-mail address from an e-mail look up with one of the search engines and I hope you do not mind me sending you this message.
I have taken my own family tree back to the marriage of a John Swap and Margery Thomson in the area of Old Machar in Aberdeen in Scotland in 1703, and I can`t seem to get any further back than that.
I know that quite a few SWAP(P)`s emigrated in the last century to various parts of the world, and I am trying to find connections between the Swap`s that are dotted about the globe.
From the contact that I have had from other Swap`s on the Internet, I gather that you are a mormon, and are interested in the family name of SWAP(P) and would very much like to hear from you.
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From Ross Swap in Havelock North, New Zealand (swappy@inhb.co.nz):
Date: Fri, 04 Jul 1997 12:48:58 +1200
Hello Steven - kia ora from New Zealand. I received a copy of your original "US" from my son David (dave@ourhouse.demon.co.uk) of whom you asked the question - is your family Scottish ?. Yes and no ! His wife is Scottish but he is a genuine Kiwi although he has lived in Edinburgh Scotland for the last ten years. My name is Ross Swap, born in 1928, with a grown up family of four, My wife and I live in the small town of
Havelock North in the North Island of NZ. I spent 26 years in the Royal New Zealand Air Force as an education officer/flying instrutor/administrator and on retirement taught at the local high school.My grandfather John and his older brother Joseph came to NZ in the 1880's from Scotland. I had a sketchy knowledge of the family tree
back to my great grandfather but your "US" wetted my appetite to find out more. I have used the local LDS Family Historical Centre to find that most of the pre-1800 Swaps came from the city of Aberdeen or Old Macar a district close to Aberdeen or the port of Montrose.As yet I have found no common ancestor as your links go back to Montrose while mine go back to Old Macar. I have found references to a Swap family on the island of Grenada; have been contacted by another David Swap who has given me great detail on the Yorkshire Swaps who came from Old Macar via Glasgow and was highly delighted to find that the Personal Ancestral Files dated Feb 1996 took your links back a further 3 generations ! I can provide you with details of these if you are interested. As your original US indicates that you were unaware of the latter I will give the bare bones of the PAF information.
William Swap b 1797 m 1817 Nancy Agnes Hill (3 other spouses)
to William Swap b 1748 m 1776 Janet Gilmore
to John Swap b 1711 m 1735 Mary Stephenson
to William Swap b 1684 m 1701 Isobel Lyons/Lyell
The location is Montrose.
In the short time I have been delving I have formed a theory that the Swap/Swapp spelling has resulted from mis-spelling rather than a conscious effort to change the name. I base this on the fact that many of our ancestors would have been illiterate - in my grandfather's case the family listing gives him as Swapp whilst his brothers and parents are Swap. One early family has the father given as Swap, Swapp and Swape whilst the wife's surname is given as Ronald,Rannald and
Ranald.And finally my lifetime has been punctuated by shop assistants, first time acquaintances, etc wanting to spell my name with 2 p's !
My wife, Gretchen and I live in the town of Havelock North (population 10 000) near the cities of Hastings and Napier in the North Island of New Zealand! We have a grown family of four-David , aged 40,Edinburgh, married to Anne who is Scottish . Diane, aged 39, Wellington , a Lieutenant Colonel in the Royal New
Zealand Nursing Corps. Debbie aged 36, Hastings only 10 minutes drive from where we live, married to Chris,children Katy 12 yrs and Stuart 10 yrs. Jo (Joanne) ,aged 33, nursing in Christchurch in the South Island of NZ. I spent 26 years in the Royal New Zealand Air Force as a pilot, instructor and administrator and on retirement was a math teacher at the local high school.
Most of the Stateside Swaps trace their Scottish ancestory from:
William Swap, m Janet ?, a Scottish seafarer.
William Swap, b 1795,d 1849, m Agnes Hill in Lanark 1817
William Swap b 1820, Montreal, m Elizabeth Hill b 1818, they had 5 sons and this is where the Swap(p) USA connection started.
In the early 1900's there was an infusion of Swaps from, Manchester England but these were also originally from Scotland.
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From John Swapp in Clinton, Utah (JOHNSWAPP@cccorp.com):
Date: Wed, 13 Nov 1996 16:39:28 -0700
As you are probably aware there are not a lot of Swapps around the world. I am interested in genealogy. Please let me know something about you. If you are from Utah, I can probably connect us within 3 generations. I have always believed we originated from Germany with an
original name of Swaipe or Schaap.
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From Richard Swacen in Rochester, New York (Dick_Swacen@msn.com):
Date: Mon, 2 Dec 96 00:37:35 UT
My nephew John Swapceinski who lives in Monterey Ca just sent me the attached email. I was very pleased, more like astounded to see your Uncommon Swapps webpage.
I would love to speak directly. I will try to phone you asap. [He did call me in Mexico City!] My current version of the family is spelled Swacen.
We have one child, Kathryn Rose Anna Swacen, age 13.
Szwabczynski was my Grandfather Peter's baptismal name as recorded in the Catholic church in Poland, Districtus: MIELEC, Palat: KRAKOW, Dioecesis:
TARNOW, Decanatus: RADOMYSL, Parochia: PRZECLAW.
Cut/paste from Family Tree Maker notes on Dad, Jan Michael Szwabczynski:
The metal box also contained Grampa Peter's baptismal record (from his Polish parish of Przeclaw, Decanatus of Radomysl, Diocese of Tarnow, "Palat?" of Krakow, District of Mielec). Since this was dated, stamped and sealed in Poland on Jan 8, 1925, I assume that Grampa Swaps requested these papers from Poland relative to the divorce proceedings.
After much renewed and recent (1996) examination of this and related douments by me and Polish experts, we have finally (after 53 years of my life anyway) concluded that the correct spelling of our surname is SZWABCZYNSKI. Dad's dog tags and main military records were under the name JAN SZWABCZYNSKI, rather than the name SWAPCEINSKI. This latter version apparently was originated by an immigation official or clerk. I assume this was at Ellis Island during the massive middle-European emmigrations around turn of 19th Century. Though the spelling SWAPCEINSKI was probably by mistake or misinterpretation by the immigration service, I surmise that Grampa Peter Swaps temporarily adopted it for convenience. I'm told that hopeful immigrants considered it unwise to contradict or otherwise offend officials who had the power to deport them.
I believe that though Grampa Peter initially used the name for convenience, since it was probably difficult to correct immigration papers or to insist on any correct name spelling without fluency in English, he may have wanted Dad to have the correct, historic spelling. I've not yet located Dad's birth certificate, but must assume that SZWABCZYNSKI appeared on whatever documents
which the US Army considered official.
Dad married in 1938, with John, Barb and I arriving in 1939. 1941 & 1943 respectively. We all have SWAPCEINSKI on our birth certificates. Dad must have informally adopted this spelling during his youth even though later
documents showed it to be in error. He went into the service using the new "Ellis Island" version and come out using the correct historic one. These "correct" or more historic records include those in the family parish in Poland from which Grampa Peter's Birth/Baptism transcript which was mailed here in 1925.
For whatever reasons, though he entered the Army in 1944-45 using the name SWAPCEINSKI, he came out at war's end in 1945 as JAN SZWABCZYNSKI and continued using that more correct or historic name since. After the service, his important, or perhaps most, of his records (such as all his 20 year plus job service at Twin Coach/ Twin Industries Aircraft corporation, and some or all social security records) were under his apparently official/legal (and perhaps his birth/ baptismal) name of Jan Szwabczynski. The historic spelling appears also as the only version on his Social Security Death Benefit record also.
At times in my youth I found this a problem, such as after seeing hospital papers when I had a hunting accident in Feb 1955. I was injured and just coming out of the miserable dream state of anesthesia and surgery when I read hospital papers hanging from my bed which indicated that I was "Richard Swapceinski, adopted son of Jan Szwabczynski". Certainly news to me then, and
not at an optimal time for an 11 year old, hurt and alone in a big city hospital, to read this.
I'm sure this and other things played a part in my and Martha's future and joint e decision before our 1980 marriage to shorten the surname to SWACEN. I liked the brevity of what I thought then was a Polish-looking abbreviation of Swapceinski. I now regret the fact that I wasn't aware of the accuracy of the Szwabczynski spelling. Things might have gone differently. Oh well...."
Would be nice if we are related. I believe the connection would be through the root Schwaben or Schwab which may connect to the migrations during the potato famine in Schwaben or Schwabia to Poland and perhaps to Scotland and elsewhere. The maps of Europe were always being redrawn and prior to Bismarck's unification of Germany, Poland with it's great land resources and
greater unity at that time, could have been a haven for immigrants from poorer nation-states/city-states (?) such as Schwaben (not sure I'm spelling it correctly).
My first cousin Jean (Felong) Zembaty Rawa discussed our surname with her Polish Professor at the U of Buffalo. They concluded that Szwabczynski is derived from the Polish slang? word "szwab" which is/was apparently a
pejorative term for immigrants to Poland from Schwaben.
There usually seem to be 3 spellings of everything from the Polish perspective:
1. Latin, due to influence of the Catholic church and further fact that the
church was often the official record keeper, rather that government.
2. Polish - my Grandfather Peter Swaps' (every generation for the past 4 have at times used the nickname "Swaps" with or without the final "s" - I will use it as generic for any combo of the many variants of the names of his descendants) four generation-tracing baptismal certificate sent to him from Poland about 1924 uses both Latin and Polish spellings of first names.
Obviously(?), there is only one spelling of surnames.
3. English or primary/native language of nation to which our ancestors emigrated. The spelling often imposed by immigration or other officials of the country to which our ancestors migrated was often a hit-or-miss attempt to convert Polish pronunciation to that of the new nation.
I believe that Gramps Swaps emigrated around 1900 - 1908, probably knowing little English at that time. In the busy turmoil of the massive turn-of-century European immigrations, some immigration clerk (or other official in the process of Gramps Swaps arriving in the US) pinned on the name "Swapceinski" as an attempt to phonetically spell, in English, my Gramps' pronunciation of his surname. Since our name has at least one diacritical mark, there was no direct alphabetical translation.
I am also told that it was considered unwise to offend any clerks or officials due to risk or fear of deportation. For expediency, they all let some fairly wide changes stand.
Grandfather Peter Szwabczynski Swapceinski Swapcenski (or Grampa Swaps) Birth/Baptism Document - Dated January 8, 1925
This official-looking document, with seal, stamps, etc., is copied below almost verbatim except for question marks ("?") which are my insertions indicating transcription difficulty and therefore possible inaccuracy. Hand-written portions are in quotes and pre-printed part of form is without quotes; upper and lower case are preserved verbatim, with the exception of Polish language diacritical marks which appear above the "n" in Szwabczynski and elsewhere, especially in location names:
Nr "25 " Respublica: " Polonia" Districtus: "Mielec"
"Palat: Krakow" Dioecesis: "Tarnow" Decanatus: "Radomysl
Parochia: "Przeclaw
TESTIMONIUM ORTUS ET BAPTISMI
"Tubbro?? mietrices??" natorum et baptisatorum Parochiae: "Przeclaw"
"destinato??" pro "pago Blonie" tom "II" pag. "88"
Anno Domini millesimo "octingentesimo nonagesimo h.e. 1890"
mense "Decembris" die "octava (8)" in "Blonie"
nat."us" est, baptisat "??" vero "?? cadeus???"
Nomen Baptisati: PETRUS (PIOTR PETER
Nrus domus: "24". Religio: "rom.cath." Sexus: "Masculini"
Thori: "legitium" legitimate?
Baptisavit: "Jan Bienek cop. l. ??
Obstetrix: " Mariana Sroth? Groth?"
Extractum hunc cum Originali concordari, sigillo ecclesiae parochialis et
propria manus subscribtione
coroboratur.
"Przeclaw" die "8 Januarii 1925e.
This doc contains names of Gramps Swaps Parents, grandparents (all four, including maiden names), and
Godparents: Petrus Piotr Psztyk and Catharina Katarzyna Madro
See family pages for Parents and Grandparents names. The cerfificate contains at least four stamps for 10 oplata each plus some other seal(s).
The saddest document was his father's divorce papers from about 1924; official legal douments which awarded Grampa Peter Swaps custody of his only son and only surviving child. In these the judge described something like extreme cruelty by his Mother Anna (or Annie) toward Dad, beyond that of the abandonment.
There was a major flu epidemic in the US (and maybe worldwide) following World War I. Perhaps this had some bearing on the deaths of Dad's sisters. Or perhaps his assessment was true. Very sad, and very telling of Dad's later emotional and alchohol-exacerbated problems.
The metal box also contained Grampa Peter's baptismal record (from his Polish parish of Przeclaw, Decanatus of Radomysl, Diocese of Tarnow, "Palat?" of Krakow, District of Mielec). Since this was dated, stamped and sealed in Poland on Jan 8, 1925, I assume that Grampa Swaps requested these papers from Poland relative to the divorce proceedings.
After much renewed and recent (1996) examination of this and related douments by me and Polish experts, we have finally (after 53 years of my life anyway) concluded that the correct spelling of our surname is SZWABCZYNSKI. Dad's dog tags and main military records were under the name JAN SZWABCZYNSKI, rather than the name SWAPCEINSKI. This latter version apparently was originated by an immigation official or clerk. I assume this was at Ellis Island during the massive middle-European emigrations around turn of 19th Century. Though the spelling SWAPCEINSKI was probably by mistake or misinterpretation by the immigration service, I surmise that Grampa Peter Swaps temporarily adopted it for convenience. I'm told that hopeful immigrants considered it unwise to contradict or otherwise offend officials who had the power to deport them.
I believe that though Grampa Peter initially used the name for convenience, since it was probably difficult to correct immigration papers or to insist on any correct name spelling without fluency in English, he may have wanted Dad to have the correct, historic spelling. I've not yet located Dad's birth certificate, but must assume that SZWABCZYNSKI appeared on whatever documents
which the US Army considered official.
Dad married in 1938, with John, Barb and I arriving in 1939. 1941 & 1943 respectively. We all have SWAPCEINSKI on our birth certificates. Dad must have informally adopted this spelling during his youth even though later
documents showed it to be in error. He went into the service using the new "Ellis Island" version and come out using the correct historic one. These
"correct" or more historic records include those in the family parish in Poland from which Grampa Peter's Birth/Baptism transcript which was mailed
here in 1925.
For whatever reasons, though he entered the Army in 1944-45 using the name SWAPCEINSKI, he came out at war's end in 1945 as JAN SZWABCZYNSKI and continued using that more correct or historic name since. After the service, his important, or perhaps most, of his records (such as all his 20 year plus job service at Twin Coach/ Twin Industries Aircraft corporation, and some or all social security records) were under his apparently official/legal (and perhaps his Birth/ baptismal) name of Jan Szwabczynski. The historic spelling appears also as the only version on his Social Security Death Benefit record also.
At times in my youth I found this a problem, such as after seeing hospital papers when I had a hunting accident in Feb 1955. I was injured and just coming out of the miserable dream state of anesthesia and surgery when I read hospital papers hanging from my bed which indicated that I was "Richard Swapceinski, adopted son of Jan Szwabczynski". Certainly news to me then, and
not at an optimal time for an 11 year old, hurt and alone in a big city hospital, to read this.
I'm sure this and other things played a part in my and Martha's future and joint decision before our 1980 marriage to shorten the surname to SWACEN. I liked the brevity of what I thought then was a Polish-looking abbreviation of Swapceinski. I now regret the fact that I wasn't aware of the accuracy of the Szwabczynski spelling. Things might have gone differently. Oh well....
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From Jennifer Swap in Mandan, North Dakota (Siouxfa@aol.com)
Date: Wed, 23 Jul 1997 23:36:54 -0400 (EDT)
I will tell you a little about myself. My name is Jennifer Lynn Swap. I am 23 years old. I graduated from college last year and am employed with a
record label as a publicist. I live in Mandan, North Dakota, USA and work in Bismarck, North Dakota, USA.
My father's name is Arthur Swap. He is 56 years old and was born in Madison, Wisconsin, USA (I think). He grew up in the state of Minnesota. His mother's name is Marjorie and his father, who will turn 80 next month, is
Everett Swap.
My father married my mother Dorothy Schwartzbauer on April 4, 1964.
My father has 4 brothers in Minnesota, USA. They are Charles (Chuck), Steve, Kenny and Scott. He also has one sister named Julie. I think that Chuck is
about 46 and Julie is 33.
From Steve to Jennifer:
>When did the North Dakota Swaps arrive there from elsewhere in America or Europe? Do you know if your family traces its roots back to the Scottish Swaps in the 17th and 18th Centuries?
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From: trumpet@jaws.greatwhite.com
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 19:24:26 -0600
To: AlohaKid@webtv.net
Subject: Re: Lost your two messages!
Hi Steve,
Sorry it has taken me so long to return you e-mail. I have been very busy with work. As you probably know I am a band director in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The past few weeks as well as the next few are full of festivals,
concerts, contests and major spring trips. We will be leaving in a couple of weeks with 300 high school students to a competition in San Antonio Texas.
My family has enjoyed your web page a great deal. Before my mother's stoke two years ago she enjoyed doing genealogy and it has been interesting to see what some of the other Swapps are doing.
As to the questions of Swapps in New Mexico - there are actually quite a few. The small town I grew up in was settled by Swapps in 1882 who came from Utah. We have been here since and will probably never leave!
Take care,
Neil Swapp
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From: AlohaKid@webtv.net
Date: Mon, 30 Mar 1998 22:19:40 -0700
To: bluegene@ix.netcom.com
Subject: The Swap Family in Minnesota?
I was fascinated to see Adelia Swap married to a Kapphahn on your list in 1890. I run a website for Swap(p) Family members, and although my branch of the family is from Nevada and Utah (originally Scotland), I
have learned that there is a group of the family in Minnesota and North Dakota.
What can you tell me about this Adelia, her ancestors, and how the Swaps got to the Midwest? I'd appreciate anything you know about it or any hints about where to get the answers.
Aloha from Southern Utah,
Steven Swapp
http://www.oocities.com/TheTropics/1426/swapp.htm
Hi Steven
I tried looking at the pages I sent to you and they didn't make much sense to me , so I don't think they will to you.
I don't have a lot on Emeline Adelia Swap but if you give me you snail mail address I can send down a couple reports from Family Tree Maker. According to the 1900 Census, Volume 11, Enumeration district 36, sheet 6, line 94, Hudson Township, Douglas County, MN Emma was born 1870 in Humboldt, Allen County, Kansas.
We are hoping to come to Salt Lake City in November with a group of genealogists!
Karen Kapphahn
bluegene@ix.netcom.com
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