Here is a little bit about the family that I am researching:
The surname I have been researching is von SZYMEROWSKI (variations include: Schymerowski, Schimerowski, and Szemierowski).
Some time after 1928, my great-grandfather, Konstantin Andreas Miroslav von Szymerowski, (he later changed his name to simply Andry Schemers), wrote down his family history has he remembered it. It was believed the family originated in the village of Schimmerwitz, Kreis Lauenburg. Around the 1700's Jakob von Szymerowski was said to own a portion of this village. This Jakob von Szymerowski's son Jakob Ignatz von Szymerowski, was said to be an officer in the Army and fought during the Seven Years War. Quite some time after the war, Jakob Ignatz married Anna Poblocka and lived in the town of Oppalin, Kreis Lauenburg where he had one son and one daughter who were baptized in the Parish of Tillau. This son, Joseph Ignatius Jakob von Szymerowski became a schoolteacher and later moved to Sobiensitz, Kreis Putzig, West Prussia where he married Marianna Zelewski. Anna and Jakob had seven children in the village of Sobiensitz including my great-great-grandfather, Konstan! tin.
My great-great-grandfather, Konstantin, also became a school teacher and lived with his wife, Marianna Bolda, and five children in the village of Gnesdau, Kreis Putzig. It is in this village, Gnesdau, that my great-grandfather, Konstantin Andreas Miroslav was born. My great-grandfather eventually became a Tailor and lived in the village of Tupadel, Kreis Putzig, West Prussia. Here he married my great-grandmother, Augusta Joanna Budzisz. They had their first son, Paul, in 1897. Prior to the birth of their 2nd son, Clemens, my great-grandfather left for the United States. It was his plan to send for his wife and two children after he had secured a place to lived and saved enough money. He settled in Detroit, Michigan, where he continued his trade as a Tailor. Unknown to him, his landlord set aside a portion of his rent to bring my great-grandmother and children to the US earlier than he would have been able to manage on his own. My great-grandfather officially became a US ci! tizen on October 30, 1913. In 1928, he legally changed his name to simply Andry Schemers. Andry and Augusta eventually had a total of twelve children. Many of their descendants still live in the Detroit-Metropolitan Area today.

As of this date, I have confirmed much of my great-grandfather's "story" about our family, (up to the birth of Joseph Ignatz Jakob in 1783). Additionally, I have researched two other branches of the Szymerowski family, but I have yet to connect them to my own. However, it is quite clear that the families seem to be converging in the direction of Schimmerwitz. Recently, I discovered an early marriage in the parish of Lusin, Kreis Neustadt where the Szymerowski name and the village of Schimmerwitz are connected for the first time. The marriage was between "Nobl. Mathias Szymierowski de Szymierwice" and "Nobl. Anna Zielewski." Who exactly is this Mathias Szymierowski in relation to my family (or the other two branches), I have not yet determined. Perhaps he is the brother of Jakob Szymerowski. I only know I am growing more confident that my great-grandfather's family "story" might just be true.

Some additional information regarding the village of Schimmerwitz...I was given some information from a Polish Researcher. It is as follows:
"The village of SIEMIROWICE was the home for the SIEMIROWSKIs family, crest of KOSS. In 1800s the name of village was changed to SIEMIROWO. The name of village originated from SIEMIR, which originated from SWIEMIR - an old Slavonic first name. The Germans called it Schimmerwitz."
Source of this information:
"Nazwy geograficzne Pomorza Gdanskiego z sufiksem -ov-" by Urszula Kesik
(Gdansk Pomeranian geographical names with the "-ov-" suffix); issued in Gdansk in 1976; no ISBN#.)

So is my family, perhaps, part of the SIEMIROWSKI family?
I am hoping future research might answer that question!

Mary Kay Anderson

Macomb Township, Michigan