Dear fellow List members
I am searching for information on my maternal great grandparents MICHAEL GOY
and KATARZYNA ZYLINSKE. What I know is:
* my mother JANET ZAKRZEWSKI, was born 12 July 1908 at Peterswalde,
Sturm, Germany and died on 20 April, 1990, Sydney, Australia
* my maternal grandmother, MARIA MAGDALENA GOY, was born 20th August
1884, at Peterswalde, Sturm and died on 30th January 1952 in Graudenz,
Germany
But I have no information on Maria Magdalena Goy's parents, MICHAEL GOY and
KATARZYNA ZYLINSKE beyond their names. I would appreciate any assistance
anyone can offer me on:
* their dates and places of birth and death.
* any information on their parents
* whether they had any other children other than MARIA MAGDALENA
I am particularly intrigued by the origin of the name GOY. Who were the
GOY's? What is the historic derivation of this name, which in Hebrew means
non-Jewish peoples, or nation.
When I went to Israel in 1986 or 1987, I visited the Museum of the Diaspora
in Tel Aviv, and was told by one of their historians that he thought that
there could have been a pogram in the Petersvalde, Stuhm area of Germany
(now Gdansk and Gydnia of Poland), and Michael Goy's father's family may
have had their identification papers stamped GOY, as they may have told
officials there at the time that they were not Jews, in order to survive.
Much appreciation and best wishes
Therese Kutis
Sydney, Australia