The Odyssey of the Royal Surname Gulgowski
Co-written and researched by Commodore Dr. Paul W. Count Gulgowski-Doliwa, CStS
and
Dame Heide Anna Maria Countess Gulgowski-Doliwa, DStS © 2000.
Today, we know just how little we knew about our own noble Austrian, Hungarian, Polish, Prussian, Russian and Silesian ancestry, when we first undertook the Herculean effort to get better acquainted with our forefathers and -mothers. Over the last ten-plus years, we have rectified this most regrettable discrepancy. It was indeed an odyssey, which by definition is long, arduous and travels in unanticipated, crooked lines.
To begin with, the surname Gulgowski is not a very common name in Poland or elsewhere in the world. Of the total count of 127 individuals, the majority of 48 reside in Gdansk County, 25 in Bydgoszcz, 7 in Poznan, 6 in Bielski, 5 in Lodz, 5 in the United States of America, 6 in the Federal Republic of Germany, 1 in Sweden and 1 in France.
(51)
For the benefit of our readers, we have decided to list the synopsis first and not last, which would have been the logical progression, because we did not wish the suspense of
waiting for the final result be too long and drawn
out.
I. Synopsis:
The astute reader of this treatise will hopefully respect the guarded and tightly constrained quality of this writing. If objective, any justified critique hereto is welcome and will be utilized in any future improvement of this genealogical study.
We strongly maintain that the spelling of our last name appearing, completely or partially, in church books, on maps and in the cited literature, i.e. Glogowski, Glugowski, Glogovac, Gol~gowski, Golgowski, Gólgowski, Gul’kovskii, Gulkowski or Gulgowski does not in the slightest jeopardize our claim to the Szlachta history of our ancestors.
To alleviate any possible reservations in this regard, we can cite the name situation of the noble Pomeranian family of Wentoch, who, at various points of their history were known as Vandoch, Wantoch, Wotoch and Woytoch. And how about the Wrycz family, just staying in the “W” category, they went on to be called Czapiewski, Wrycza, then Fritzen, Frischen, Ruetzen, Ritz, and finally Rutz. And so, as may be appreciated, hesitation in this area of concern would totally be without foundation or justification.
Our findings are presented under:
Fortunately, the transformation of our surname has not made as many twisting turns as that of many other noble families nor has its evolution necessarily followed the chronological sequence indicated above and its linguistic developments have probably started much earlier than 1660, as mentioned in the Polska Encyklopedia Szlachecka. (46) In the “battle of the names,” Gulgowski versus other variants of the same name, even in modern times, will probably never be over.
| Webmaster's Notes:
 This Polish Doliwa Arms is from Herby Rodow Polskich [Polish Coats of Arms] as printed by Orbis Books Ltd, London, 1990. These same colors are described in Armorial General by J.B. Riestrap, Vol. I A-K, 2003, p. 548. As you can see this is like the "red" Doliwa, except for the colors. Margaret Odrowaz-Sypniewska, B.F.A. |
In essence, the following references, beyond any reasonable doubt, associate the noble surname Gulgowski with the Szlachta Clan of Doliwa. (5) (12) (20) (21) (31) (40) (45) (53) (59) (61) (62)
[to see these titles, click on "IV. Resources Used" above]
Beyond that, references (8) (12) (71 A) (72 A) (73 A) and (74 A) clearly prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that the Royal Surname Gulgowski was listed and respected among the Counts of The Holy Roman Empire.
Despite any reservation anyone could possibly voice in this regard, on a higher plateau, our ancestors would be proud and delighted to recognize in us people, who have worked and lived by their values and ethical standards and to have maintained in everyday life the noble traditions of their legacy. At a minimum, they will thank us for having unearthed the long-forgotten beginnings of their name and thus have rescued their identity from becoming oblivious in the centuries of the past.
Mankind acquires at birth, through heredity, a biological constitution, which we must consider firm and unalterable. Consequently, our ancestors have entitled us to be proud of what we are today.
