Kosmatka Background

The Kosmatka surname has been subject to different spellings inrecords.  A surname project was commenced to permit others whose roots areKosmatka along with its many different spellings in the records to collaborateand discover relationships.  Many of these Kosmatka misspellings have beenretained.   For example at least one branch is Kosmatak.  Abranch of Kosma or variant spellings of Kosmatka  may have different origins.    

The Kosmatka surname may belong to a population group whose ancient origins may trace to Bulgaria in the early days or before B.C.  In Poland the use of family names spread from nobility and upper class to other social groups by the end of the 17th century to then peasantry and finally the Jewish population.  By the late 1700s it appears the Kosmatka surname was appearing in Catholic parish records in the Poznan Province of Poland.

About 1990 the largest numbers of Kosmatka were located in the province of Bydgoszcz (107), Pila (59), and Skierniewice (222).  The first two are north and west of centralPoland and Skierniewice is just west of Warsaw.

See this link whose date is unclear.  http://www.moikrewni.pl/mapa/kompletny/kosmatka.html

"In Poland there are 562 people with the surname Kosmatka."

Surname 'Kosmatka' occurs most frequently in:

1.     m. Skierniewice(87)

2.     Lowicz(78)

3.     Naklo n.Notecia (58)

4.     m.Bydgoszcz (45)

5.     Skierniewice(44)

6.     Saw (27)

7.     Wągrowiec(26)

8.     Warsaw(25)

9.     m. Poznan(20)

10.   Hawthorns(19)

One significant center of Kosmatka families in the 1800s waswithin the Bydgoszcz area.  Some of that wasin and around Kcynia and neighboring parishes. There is another center of Kosmatka in Skierniewice. 

Family locations in several areas of Poland may indicate some internalmigration within Poland.  In particular it'snot clear if those in Skierniewice and Bydgoszcz are a result of the history ofPoland.  That is, if these centers ofKosmatka families were a result of relocations in the 1700s, 1800s, or 1900s. Generally,however, it might be wise to  assume the"Kosmatkas" were resident in these areas much earlier. 

DNA testing of additional Kosmatka men should reveal if these groupings are genetically distinct and/or when they might have shared common ancestors. 

The Kosmatka diaspora emigrated from Poland but not apparently to other parts of Europe but primarily to the U.S. There was a sizeable emigration to the U.S. in the late 1800s.  A current 2017 search indicated only two Kosmatka are found in Canada.   In the U.S., communities with Kosmatka are not surprisingly located in areas with significant numbers of Polish families.  For example Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota,and what started as homestead families in North Dakota.  Over time, Kosmatka families are now located in much more diverse locales.   

A current 2017 search of U.S. White pages indicates the following numbers. Arizona 11, California 27, Colorado 5, Florida 3,Illinois, 35, Indiana 27, Kentucky 3, Massachusetts 1, Michigan 17, Minnesota 29, Missouri 5, Nebraska 2, New Hampshire 3, North Dakota 34, Ohio 15, Oregon16, South Dakota 3, Texas 5, Washington 7, Wisconsin 88.

Genealogy Research.  Polish parish and civil records, and U.S. Census records, provide some of the earliest records on heads of household.  Traditional records for births/baptisms are generally available for Kosmatka ancestry research back in the 1800s in Poland.  Research on Poland records in the 1700s has been made.  In the U.S. beginning in the 1870s Kosmatka appears in the U.S.  However,good records for Kosmatka was not available before the 1880 Census.  However, that Census did not record immigration year.  Wojciech Kosmatka was one of the first found immigrating in 1872. That is in part the decade when other Kosmatka immigration occurred.  The immigration year to the U.S. was recorded in the 1900 Census and in ship passenger lists.

The first good identifications of Kosmatka in the U.S. begins with the 1880 Census. 

Wojciech (George) Kosmatka who immigrated in October 1872 was initially in Pennsylvania before moving west and finally settling to homestead in NorthDakota.   

A Xavier Kosmatka appears on a 1872 ship passenger list. He was the first Kosmatka,  identified as age 13, coming to the U. S. in May 1872.  The location he was recorded as Stotengyn.  This location is still undermined.  Where he ended up is unknown.  Whether a miss-recording or a name change might have occurred for other early arrivals remains unknown.  A number of Kosmatka were enumerated under several different spellings in U.S. records but they can usually be resolved.  A number of early recordings appear to have been later corrected to the Kosmatka spelling. 

DNA Contributions.  The Kosmatka DNA Surname project has been established to allow the Kosmatka  surname participants from around the world see if they are related to each other and through a common ancestor. 

DNA testing and results will permit comparison with other Kosmatka participants to determine genetic relatives and relationships. This can be done by direct comparison and otherwise to determine genetic distance, the use of the concept of Time to Most Recent Common Ancestor (TMRCA),and in finding genetic cousins.

With additional Kosmatka participating in DNA testing, Y-DNA testing may be able to identify more specifically the genetic homeland of individuals and groups of related Kosmatka's in Poland and how far back they/weare likely to share a common ancestor. Autosomal DNA testing will additionallycontribute to identify genetic relatives who share a common descent back about five generations.

Concept: The idea is to sort the DNA participants into related groups by looking for close genetic matches.  When participants join the project and DNA results are provided, participants should include in their kit membership their family surnames and the oldest known ancestor and location. With enough participants and genealogy research, we should be able to determine the recent and more ancient origins of individuals and for each Kosmatka group.  And, as a result we gain a deeper appreciation of our family history.  The best results for the Kosmatka surname study are expected to come from male Kosmatka Y-DNA participants.

Joining:  Those with Kosmatka ancestry are encouraged to test and jointhe project.  The process is to register with FTDNA with a test order or to transfer your results from another company. If you already have Kosmatka relationships and have Y-DNA, mtDNA, X-DNA,and autosomal DNA test results, you should feel welcome to join and participate in the project.  Someone with what appears to be a variant spelling, if not immediately recognized as Kosmatka should consider testing and would be welcome to join.  We can then determine after testing if and how they are genetically related to other members.

Results:

Results will be posted at this Family Tree DNA web site.  https://www.familytreedna.com/public/Kosmatka/