Earliest Mention of the Village of Przechówko

[1608, Abraham Ortelius, Description of Prussia]

Perhaps the earliest mention of the village of  Przechówko appears in a bishopric census of Cuyavia-Pomerania, compiled by Bishop Hieronim Rozdrażewski.  In the parish Przysiersk, near Świecie, we find a village called Brzechomko, listed immediately before Conopath.  Brzechomko is almost certainly a corruption of the name Przechówko.  For the year 1597-98, there were 6 farms in the village, paying tithes to the parish in the form of rye and oats.  However, no mention is made of the presence of Mennonites.  Certainly, if Mennonites had been in the village at that point, this would have been noted.

[“Visitationes Archidiaconatus Pomeraniae Hieronymo Rozrażewski Vladislaviensi et Pomeraniae : Episcopo Factae. (Vol 2).”  Towarzystwo Naukowe w Toruniu; Fontes 2 (Torun 1898). p. 354.]

According to Dr. Michał Targowski, a detailed tax register for the year 1570-71 does not include  Przechówko at all, leading us to conclude that the village was only founded in the last years of the 16th century.

The Mennonites had not arrived yet in 1597-8, but likely arrived very soon thereafter.  The first known land contract for the village started in the year 1640.  A very common arrangement for these leases was a 40-year term.  Therefore, we could conclude that the known lease, beginning in 1640, was actually the second contract for Mennonites in the village.  The first probably was established in 1599 or 1600, and then was renewed in 1640.

The full text of Visitationes Archidiaconatus Pomeraniae Hieronymo Rozrażewski can be found here: https://kpbc.umk.pl/dlibra/publication/2326/edition/3100/content

Przechówko Family Trees

These family trees are based only on information found in the Przechówko Church Records (https://mgr.mennonitegenealogy.com/prussia/Przechowka_Church_Register.html).  For instance, much additional information has been added to the churchbook information by modern researchers and that information is not included here; information at GRanDMA will be much more complete.  Warning: the information here is not always accurate.

Further, the information here only only extends until approximately 1804 by which point many of the Przechówko congregants had/were leaving for Volhynia.  The church records included much information for earlier daughter congregations (Jeziorki, Neumark) but did not include daughter settlements in Volhynia.  At the point migrations occur, generally speaking, gaps appear in family records.

Pre-1804 also means that families joining the group after that point are not included.  For instance, Schröder Family is not included since there were no Przechówko prior to 1804.

Finally, I've made family trees for the 21 largest families only.  

(hint: to open a larger version of a tree, right-click and open link in new tab, then zoom)

Przechówko History Timeline

It can be extremely helpful to place events on a visual timeline in order to see how circumstances changed over time, how particular episodes influenced outcomes, and how a small village could fit into a bigger world history.  These timelines track Przechówko village, in a very general way, from establishment until current times.