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| Vitebsk & Mogilev Regions of Belarus |
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The earliest record pertaining to the Galinovsky
surname dates back to the year 1724. The origin of the surname has been traced to the regions and cities of Vitebsk
and Mogilev of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, now located in present day Belarus. The commonwealth was formed by
the Union of Lublin in 1569 that united the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
The city
of Vitebsk is located North-East of Minsk, the capital of Belarus. It is said to be one of the oldest settlements in
Europe. There is some question as to when Vitebsk was actually established. Legend says it was settled
in 974, while existing town chronicles say it was settled in 1021.
The city of Mogilev, present day Belarus, is located East
of Minsk, the capital of Belarus. It is not clear when and how Mogilev
was actually established. There are several theories regarding this question. Mogilev became part of
the Great Duchy of Lithuania in the 14th century. Vitebsk and Mogilev have played major roles in the history of
the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Polish-Lithuania Commenwealth and the Kingdom of Poland over the centuries.
| Central Europe 1772, Prior to Polands Partitioning |
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| Eastern Europe 1795, After Polands Partitioning |
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During the second half of the 18th centruy
the Kingdom of Poland included territories of present day Lithuania, Belarus and half of the Ukraine. Between 1772 and
1795 the Kingdom of Poland was divided (partitioned) between Prussia, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Imperial Russia.
After the final partitioning in 1795, Poland ceased to exist as an independent state until after World War I. (Note:
In reference to the maps of Central Europe, the Kingdom of Poland is in white, Imperial Russia in green, the Austro-Hungarian
Empire in yellow, Prussa in purple, the cities of Vitebsk and Mogilev in blue and present day boundaries in red).
The regions of Vitebsk and Mogilev were annexed by Imperial
Russia in 1772 during the first partitioning of Poland. They remained under
the direct influence and control of Imperial Russia until the end of World War I, 148 years. The Russian influence had a
major impact on all aspects of life. For example; the surname "Galinowki", Polish spelling, is spelled "Galinovsky"
in Russian. As a side note, the Polish alphabet does not contain the letter "V", but the letter "W" is pronounced like
a "V" as in vat.
| Tverskaya Oblast, Russia |
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| Tul'skaya Oblast, Russia |
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Though there has been no evidence of
connections of the Galinovsky/Galinowski surname to Polish nobility, however, there are connections to the nobility of
the Russian Empire. The surname "Galinovskii" is listed as a nobleman with documented references to the Russian
provinces of Tul'skoi and Tverskoi Russia, present day oblast (regions) of Tul'skaya and Tverskaya. As you
can see by the associated maps of Tul'skaya and Tverskaya the distance between the cites of Vitebsk and Mogilev, the two provinces
and Moscow is not that far and it adds some credence to the connection between Poland and Russia and the role it apparently
has played in the Galinovsky heritage.
In addition, Catherine II, queen of Imperial Russia
from 1762-1796, had a book published "VIth (6th) Book of the Most Ancient Nobility in Russia". The
book listed all the families who had been recognized as Russian nobles at least 100 years before 1785, and the Galinovsky
surname is listed there (source Genealogies in the Collection of T.F. Boettger - Russian Empire).
The following information is based on copies
of three documents from the National Archives, Saint Peterburg Russia. The first document is dated 1844 and the
second is dated 1857. The third document has a signature date of 1 Aug 1879 by the provincial marshal of the nobility;
and has a stamp and signature date of 1 May 1896 by the Mogilev District Court. Note that only the 1879/1896 document
has been translated from Russian to English. There is only a brief summary in English of the 1844 and 1857 that was
provided by the source. An attempt has been made to have these two documents translated, but due to fact that the documents
are handwritten in 19th centruy Russian using legal terms of the day has made it difficult to translate the entire docments.
The purpose
of these documents were to prove the nobility status of the Galinovsky family to the Mogilev Assembly of Deputies of Nobility
and register their noble pedigree so that they would be recognized as belonging to the gentry. This was required of all
Polish noblmen who wanted to be registered and lived in the regions annexed by Imperail Russia as part of the partitioning
of Poland.
| Portion of 1844 Document |
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In 1844, a document was written
by the head of the Mogilev Noble Counsel, Mogilev Gubernia, Rogachev province. The document addressed the nobility status
of Ivan Galinovsky, son of Pavel Galinovsky and Anton Galinovsky, son of Varfolomyi Galinovsky. They insisted that they were
direct descendants of Stepan Galinovsky, son of Pavel Galinovsky (The Galinovsky Surname Family Tree). Ivan and Anton also stipulated that their common relative (degree of relationship was not disclosded) Iosafat Galinovsky,
son of Stavislav Galinovsky was bestowed a noble on 10 March 1792 by the Mogilev Gubernia Noble Council. They also claimed
that their relative Ilia Galinovsky, son of Petr Galinovsky was enrolled to the noble class on 28 November 1835. Ilia
was named as a second cousin of Iosafat Galinovsky. The head of the Nogilev Gubernia Noble Council sent this document
to the temporary Governmental Noble-Revision Office. This document also indicates that the Šeliga (Szeliga) had been adoped as the families coat-of-arms.
| Szeliga - Polish Coat-of- Arms |
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| Simplified Version |
The Šeliga (Szeliga) is a classicl and ancient Polish coat-of-arms and has been
shared by several families. There are several variations of the Šeliga. Some are very simple while others are very fancy. However,
they all have several things in common. The "field" is always red, the "charge" always depicts the cross joined at the
center of the cresent. The cross and crescent are always in gold. The crescent is lying on its back, tips upward.
the helmet has a coronet of nobility with peacock feathers. The symbolism of the coat-of-arms depicts Christianity over
Islam. The source regarding the details of the Šeliga
can be found on the Acknowledgement page of this web site.
| Village of Gorodenskaya (Gordenki), Tusla Russia |
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| Portion of 1857 Document |
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In the 1857 document, Iosafat
Galinovsky, son of Stavislav Galinovsky, writes to the Noble-Revison Office. He requested that the higher authorities
of the Imperial Russian Empire rgister the family coat-of-arms in the Coat-of-Arms register. He also mentions that he
resides in the province of Tverskoi on an estate named "Marinino" located in the village of Gorodenskaya. According
to the state archives of Tverskaya province, Iosafat's family owned the Marinino estate until the Russian Revolution (1918-1919).
Note, I have not found the location of Gorodenskaya; however I have found a village with a similar spelling "Gorodenki"
in the Tul'skaya Oblast. Whether this is an error in translation of the document or not is not known at this time.
The 1879/1896 docuement describes why Pavel Galinovsky
was granted his nobility and attempts to document the lineage of Pavel Galinovsly. Refer to the The Galinovsky Surname Family Tree for details.
To summarize, the Galinovsky surname is intertwined with the
history of Poland, Lithuania, and Russia. Depending on were born a family member may have been born appears to
dictates how the surname may be spellled. As of 1990, there were only 35 known citizens i Poland with the Galinowski
surname. Indicating that it is not a ery commmon name. For all intent and purpose, the Galinovsky and Galinowski surnames
are part of the same family tree and will continute to be treated as such until proven otherswise.
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, Tusla Russia)
