Polish Heraldry may seem simple; its rules were much less rigid than the rules developed in Western Europe. Without the maintenance of an institution of heralds, which disappeared during the 15th century, without heraldic visitations (conformations), and with the disintegration of the clan system in the 16th century, the Polish Heraldry System degenerated. The old Polish terminology was eventually forgotten and foreign influences were introduced without control.  As a result of the tribal (clan) system, which influenced all the countries of the Polish Commonwealth, the nobility, now consists of more than forty thousand families who use about seven thousand different arms, including those [coat of arms] of Western origin. A second result of this system was that homonymous families (Kozniewski - Kuzniewski), with surnames derived from estates with identical names, can bear different arms depending upon the clan to which they belong. In other words, heraldry can be an interesting aspect of genealogy in the 21st century, but it really has no major significance. (Klec-Pilewski, Dr. Bernard J. A European Armorial. Pinches & Woods, 17)

The Virtuti Militari Medal It is documented that two members of the Kuzniewski family were awarded the "Virtuti Militari" medallion. Kasper and Szymon Kuzniewski received the Polish Order of the Virtuti Militari on August 19th, 1831 during the uprising against the Russian occupying forces in Poland that year. They were both in the 8th Infantry Regiment.  There was also a Kuzniewski in Kosciuszko's Polish Army in 1794. The Polish order of the Virtuti Militari was established 200 years ago by King Stanislaw August Poniatowski as the highest military decoration for gallantry the Polish nation bestows upon it's soldiers for acts of heroism above and beyond the call of duty. It is equivalent to the American Medal of Honor or the British Victoria Cross. In addition, the Encyclopedia of the Polish Nobility (Polska Encyklopedja Szlachecka) confirms that there was a Kuzniewski who served as an officer in the Polish Army in the Insurrection of 1831, a very important cause in Polish history.

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Mazovia (Mazowsze)

Mazovia was incorporated into Poland in the early days of the Piast rule.  It became of central importance to the Crown when two Polish kings, Wladyslaw Herman and Boleslaw Krzywousty, had their seat in Plock (1079-1138).  Mazovia became one of several rival principalities when King Krzywousty divided the country between his sons.  Kazimierz Wielki regained control over the region, though it was ruled by Mazovian dukes until the last of the line died without an heir in 1526.

Map of Poland, 1814. Published by Mathew Carey, Philadelphia. Although not very detailed, this map,gives a good general sense of the traditional boundaries of Mazovia..

Historical Timeline of Mazovia 1079 ~ Polish kings, Wladyslaw Herman and Boleslaw Krzywousty, had their seat in Plock, Mazovia 1373 ~ Parish of Koziebrody founded by Bother Jakub, first church constructed there. 1420 ~ St. Jakub's Church reconstructed after a fire 1529 ~ The Duchy of Mazovia is incorporated into Poland 1596 ~ Warsaw becomes the capital of Poland 1793 ~ During the Second Partition of Poland the western part of Mazovia is seized by Prussia 1794 ~ Kuzniewski's fight in Kosciuszko's Polish Army 1795 ~ The rest of Mazovia and the city of Warsaw is taken by Prussia 1807 ~ The Duchy of Warsaw is formed and includes Mazovia 1815 ~ Becomes the Congress Kingdom of Poland and is now under Russian rule until the First World War 1831 ~ Kasper and Szymon Kuzniewski are awarded the Polish Order of the Virtuti Militari,during the uprising against the Russian occupying forces in Mazovia 1918 ~ Poland becomes an independent country once more and Warsaw is reinstated as the capital 1939 ~ World War Two breaks out and Warsaw is occupied by the Nazi regime for five years 1945 ~ WWII ends and Poland becomes an independent country 1975 ~ The province of Warsaw is divided into four smaller provinces: Ciechanow, Ostroleka, Plock, and Warsaw 1999 ~ The provinces of Radom and Warsaw, along with parts of Ciechanow (most), Lomza (most), Ostroleka (most), Plock (most), Siedlce (most), and Skierniewice (small part), are combined to form the new province of Mazowieckie

Mazovia (Mazowsze in Polish) lies in the center of present-day Poland in the great central plain between the Warta and the Vistula Rivers.  The boundaries of this region reach from the former provinces of Lodz, Wroclawek and Brodnica in the west, to the Belorussian border in the east, with Warsaw in the middle.  This land was originally inhabited by two Western Slavic tribes, the Mazovians and the Kuyavians.  The Mazovians occupied the land between the Bug and Vistula Rivers.  During  the 15th and 16th centuries this tribe migrated to the forests of western Lithuania, particularly to Podlaskie, and some others settled in the Duchy of Prussia, which was the Mazurian Lakes district, located to the north of Mazovia. The dance of Mazovia is known as the Mazurka.

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Region Around Koziebrody, Plock Palatinate, Poland Left: Map by J. Arrowsmith, London. Published February 15th, 1842. Right: Roadside Shrine, Mala Wies, 2003. Courtesy of Gosia Kuzniewski. Thanks to the research of Ed Morofsky, we know that a large concentration of Kuzniewski's were historically in the Koziebrody area. Koziebrody proper tends to be the focal point of the earliest records of the Kuzniewski family due to the Roman Catholic parish church there, Saint Jakuba, founded in 1373. See more historic maps of this region at the Map Page.

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History of the Koziebrody Parish Church, Saint Jakuba
The following is a brief history of the parish from the Saint Jakuba Parish website:

 
The Koziebrody Parish (erygowana) was founded (permanently) on the 12th July in 1373.  The official Founding Act commissioning its construction has disappeared, but a copy existed as early as the 31st of December of 1420, which states...

"We have hereby commissioned the present document to be proof of public faith in the City of Plock from this day forward, and upon this resulting document we have placed our Greatest Seal this 12th day of July  in the Year of our Lord 1373"

This separate agreement for the creation of the new Parish of Koziebrody was by persuasion of the local Lord, who was motivated to do so due to the great distance and poor roads to the nearest parish in Drobin.  Probably, there already existed some structure that served as the court chapel. The new parish church had been built in order to replace this former structure thanks to its decline due to it being made of wood from the local forests.

Polish Baroque Sw. Jakuba Church, Koziebrody, Poland

"Having finally endured a fire, the parish church had declined severely.  So, its rebuilding was commenced on the 13th of December of 1420. The present church structure, which was built in 1880, is therefore either the second or third actual church on the site. It has been remodeled many times over the years. One previous version was without a steeple and had a very flat roof over the original nave . Peter Kwiatkowski was the priest responsible for the construction of the present church structure. The Chapel of the Holy Family was expanded several times by the priest Alexander Kasiskiego, in both 1902 and in 1909. The present presbytery was built in 1925, the year when there was a priest named Stanislaw Krzywkowski, who was at the parish from 1921 to 1936. In the church there are five altars. Above the main one, which is made of marble, there is a 1938 copy of the celebrated graceful image of the Madonna from Czestochowa painted in 1711. They are also some valuable 18th century silver embellishments that were restored in 1962.   Also restored were the baroque lateral altars that hold two sculptures and 18th century images of St. Michael, the Mother of God, the Crucifixion, and of St. John from the 17th century. In 1973 the new Pluciski Polychrome was executed as the Church had become a place of pilgrimage in Koziebrody. Numerous pilgrims arrive to observe the solemnity of September 8th. The is parish priest  is presently Wladyslaw Majewski. The patron saint of the Church is of parish holy Saint Jakub who's Feast Day is July 25th, his holy birthday, and September 8th is the Feast of Our Lady Mary at the Church. The Church is built of stone".

 

History of Koziebrody from Bazagmin.Pl Website

The Koziebrody Parish, a region of sanctuary know to be devoted to the Cult of the Virgin Mary.  Therefore, September 8th is an important holiday in the Parish, marking the birth of Mary of Holiest Ladies.  The faithful from the entire Diocese of Plock make an annual pilgrimage to the Church of Saint Jakuba at this time. At one time, the Parish, and the village, belonged to the Earls of Koziebrodzkich. 1376 is the accepted date of foundation by "Brother Jakub" from the Parish on the 16th of July (erygowa) of the Parish.  [ bp Dobieslaw Bolesty Koziebrody ~ Canon of Plock ~ with Mikolay Kuchar ]. The church as it is presently constructed, was erected in the year 1880, and was expanded in the beginning of the 20th century. In the Church is placed on the main altar, a copy of the eternal image of the Mother of God from Czestochowskiej (c.1711). Silver sheet metal ornamentation in the church has been dated to the end of the 18th century (Sukienka). Koziebrody is the largest town in the area, being on the crossroads of the road between Racic and Sierpc, and between Siemitkowo and Koziebrodzkie.

Kuzniewski church records from Koziebrody courtesy of Pan Edward Morofsky:

No. 4 Budy Koziebrody... Dzialo sie w Budy Koziebrody... 7 Luty 1843 o 10:00 am ... Antony Kuzniewski 60 letni i Antony M... lat 34? wyrobniej obydwoj w Budy Koziebrody zamieszkali i oswiadczyli 2e w dniu wczorajszym o godz 7:00 rano na Budy Koziebrody zmarla Katarzyna z Dobralskich (Dobra ?) Kuzniewska lat 60 zona pozostalego Antoniego Kuzniewskiego z sie ....mojaca Piotr Kwiatkowski (proboszcz)

No. 8 Budy Koziebrody... Dzialo sie Koziebrodach 30 Kwietnia 1843 ... 8:00 am. Stanislaw Antony Kuzniewski, lat 63 - wyrobnik i Antony M... lat 30 gospodarz zo mieszkali NA Buda Koziebrodzkie powiedzieli ze w dniu wcsonajszym o godz 10 przed poludniem w BK umarl Piotr Kuzniewski lat 90 (syn?) Antoniego i Katarzyny Kuzniewskich NA Budy Koziebrody (zanieczkoly). .... Piotr Kwiatkowski (proboszcz)