So how do you spell Miller?

Your Mission Should you Choose to Accept It

I spent Friday in Boston at the Massachusetts Archives facility next to UMASS Boston and The Kennedy Library on Morrissey Blvd. The sole intention of this visit was to locate Alexander Miller's naturalization documents. These documents, a Declaration of Intention and a Petition for Naturalization contain lots of useful information for genealogists. Of the many facts that are recorded is the name in which the applicant entered the country with.

I had already contacted the Judicial Archivist to ensure that there was a record for Alexander. I received a positive response which also included the data that I needed to locate the record once at the archive in Boston. The staff was very helpful, took the time to show me the facility and how to look for the records that I was interested in. In less than 1 hour, I had what I was looking for....

But First, A Little History

Remember my visit with Great Aunt Stella? She told me a few things about Alexander Miller and the circumstances around which the name changed. During this visit she told me:

1. It was Alexander's father that changed the name.
2. His father was already in the states, arriving ahead of his son Alexander.
3. His father worked in the coal mines, probably in PA, before coming to Webster to work the mills.
4. There was a reference to the salt mines in Poland, the relationship at the time I did not understand.
5. Peter revealed to Stella the name Kozik prior to her accepting a marriage proposal.
   

What I had already discovered relative to Alexander:

1. In all census records available, he indicated the year of immigration as 1900.
2. From his marriage, death, and various census records I know his age at those times and the approximate year in which he was born.
3. But most importantly I know his approximate age in 1900 when he would have stepped off the boat, 24.

Shortly after my visit with Stella I performed a search for Kozik in the Ellis Island immigration records. If you recall I found an entry for an Alexander Kozik, sponsored by his father Wojiech, headed to Webster, Ma where his father lived. The year was 1900, his age 24. I was not 100% satisfied that this was Alexander and proof of our real name, but I was a bit excited to find this, and it certainly seemed more than just a coincidence.

Fast Forward to Friday

The papers did not contain that critical piece of information I wanted to see. I guess they didn't startasking for it until 10 years later, like it shows on Peter Kizior's papers. oh well.

Here's some of what was listed:

Born: Bachnia, Poland/Austria
DOB: 26 February 1876
Emigrated from: Rotterdam, Holland
Departure Date: 24 December 1899
Ship Name: The Narsam
Arrival Port: New York, New York
Arrival Date: 4 January 1900

Armed with this new information I performed a different search, this time looking at only those ships that arrived at Ellis Island from Rotterdam, Holland beginning January 1, 1900. I was looking for any passenger that had a first name of Alexander, was of Polish/Austrian descent and was 24 years old. While looking down the January 4 list I came across Alexander Kozik, from Bochnia Austria/Poland, age 24, going to Webster, Ma to be with his father who also lived in Webster. This records turns out to be the same one that I found when doing a name search.

What's interesting to note though is:
Port of departure: Rotterdam, (exact match)
Date of Departure: December 21, 1899 (close match)
Arrival Port: New York, New York (exact match)
Date of arrival: January 4, 1900 (exact match)
Residence in Poland: Bachnia (exact match)
Year Born: 1876 (exact match)
Age: 24 (exact match)

Oh, one more thing. Remember the salt mine reference from my visit with Stella? Well Bachnia is known for its salt mine. In fact it is one of the oldest salt mines in the world and is still operated today.

So when someone asks me "How do you spell Miller"?

I spell it KOZIK. How about you?