Dzieje wybranej linii rodu Skutników ze Świerklańca na tle zmian narodowościowych na Górnym Śląsku
The History of a Selected Line of the Skutnik Family from Świerklaniec Against the Background of Ethnic Changes in Upper Silesia

Summary/Abstract: The aim of this article is to describe, based on available materials discovered by the author, the fate of a selected line of the Skutnik family from Świerklaniec. The limitations of this project resulted from limited access to sources, but also from the author’s initial research assumption, namely, to limit himself to describing families directly related to the author’s great-grandfather, Wilhelm, the founder of the Siemianowice-based branch of the family, from which the author also descends. Wilhelm came to Siemianowice Śląskie from Świerklaniec, where he was born, and his distant relatives remained there. The first mention of the family dates back to the first half of the 18th century, when the surname Skutnik first appears in the Żyglin parish. The author found no direct connection between these individuals and the family’s progenitor – Gregor, from Orzech, who married Marianna Szołtysikówna from Stare Chechło in 1779. The story of this family unfolds against the backdrop of historical changes occurring in Silesia at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. The author describes not only the fates of individual individuals, but also the impact these changes had on their lives. The end of the 19th century marked the industrial era in Upper Silesia, with relocations due to job searches. Wilhelm Skutnik moved with his mother to Siemianowice Śląskie, and from then on, further genealogical research focused on him and his descendants. The history of this family reveals the difficult choices some Skutnik family members faced simply to survive and support their families. The wars of the 20th century constituted a background for the fates of families. Unsure whether they were German or Polish they had to make difficult, and not always good, decisions. The issue of optants was addressed, among other things. Many of the notes were included in the so-called Skutnik family’s Stammbuch, kept since Wilhelm Skutnik’s marriage to Hedwig Mzyk in 1905. The author devotes considerable space to the fate of Wilhelm and Hedwig’s children, particularly to his grandfather, Richard, and grandmother, Margherita. The history of Richard, who served in the Wehrmacht during the war, was sent to the Eastern Front, and captured by the Soviets is particularly moving. He managed to escape from a transport carrying German prisoners to Siberia and return home to his family. The article continues with a description of the family’s fate in the second half of the 20th century, from the communist era to the present day. The work concludes with information about the Skutnik family members still living in Poland and Germany.

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