Wisnefske Family History & Genealogy

Summary

This particular spelling of the last name in my research has been only found in those individuals emigrating from Prussia in an area near modern day Wejherowo and settling in Central Wisconsin.

History

The name Wisnefske is likely to be a German or anglicized version of Wisniewski (Wisniewska). there are many different spellings of this surname but they all seem to lead back to a similar region of Poland.

Name Origin

Wiśniewski (Polish pronunciation: [viɕˈɲɛfskʲi]; feminine: Wiśniewska, plural Wiśniewscy) is the third most common surname in Poland (111,174 people in 2009). The name roughly translates to "from the town of the cherry tree". House of Wiśniowiecki, a Polish princely family of Ruthenian-Lithuanian origin (

Spellings & Pronunciations

Wisnefske, Wisnefski, Wisniefske, Wisniefski, Wisniewske, Wiśniewski, Wisniewska, Wiśniewska, Wisniewski, Wisnieski, Wisneski, Wischnewski, Wiśniowski, Wisnoski, Vishnevsky, Vishnevetsky, Vyšniauskas,

Nationality & Ethnicity

The family tradition would trace their descent to the Gediminids, but modern historians believe there is more evidence for them to have descended from the Rurikids.[1] According to the Gediminids relation theory, the ancestor of the family was Duke Kaributas (Ruthenian: Dymitr Korybut),[2] a son of the Grand Duke of Lithuania, Algirdas. Kaributas was stripped of the Duchy of Severia and transferred to Volhynia and Podolia where he was given to govern cities of Vinnytsia and Kremenets, while Zbarazh as a private estate.[2] At first Zbarazh was inherited by Ivan, but in 1434 it was passed on to the second son of Korybut Fedor of Nieśwież.[2] The latter became a progenitor of such princely families like Porycki, Woronecki, Zbarazski.[2] In the 15th century Wiśniowiecki family split away from House of Zbaraski.[2]

The family place was city of Wiśniowiec (now Vyshnivets).[1][2] At first Wiśniowiecki estates were located predominately in Volhynia, but since 1580s also included on the left-bank Ukraine in a region around Lubny, Romny, others that in the past belonged to the princes Glinski and Daumantas.[2]

From their days as Ruthenian nobility, they held the title of Kniaz (prince). By the late 16th century, the family converted from Orthodox to Catholicism and became Polonized.[1] They gained much importance in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, with vast possessions in the 16th to 18th centuries on the territories of today's Ukraine, particularly the town of Vyshnivets (Wiśniowiec). Their estates were so vast and their position so powerful that they were known as the most powerful of magnates – the "little kings" ("królewięta"). Their ancestral seat was the Vyshnivets Castle.

The family's golden age was the 17th century, when its members accumulated much wealth and influence, held numerous important posts within the Commonwealth.[1] Likely the most notable members of this family were Michael I, king of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1669 to 1673,[1] and his father Jeremi Wiśniowiecki.

Current Populations within Poland:
Wiśniewski: 1st in Warmia-Masuria (7,994),
Wiśniewski: 1st in Pomerania (7,446),
Wiśniewski: 2nd in Mazovia (21,940),
Wiśniewski: 2nd in Kuyavia-Pomerania (18,410),
Wiśniewski: 3rd in West Pomerania (6,284),

Famous People named Wisnefske

Andreas Wisniewski (born 1959), German actor and dancer
Connie Wisniewski (1922–1995), American baseball pitcher
David Wisniewski (1953–2002), British children's author
Edgar Wisniewski (1930–2007), German architect
James Wisniewski (born 1984), American ice hockey player
John S. Wisniewski (born 1962), American politician
Jonathan Wisniewski, French rugby player
Keith Wisniewski (born 1981), American mixed martial arts fighter
Leo Wisniewski (born 1959), American football player
Paul Wisniewski (born 1949), British radio broadcaster and television reporter
Stefan Wisniewski (born 1953), German member of the Red Army Faction
Steve Wisniewski (born 1967), American football player
Adam Wiśniewski, Polish handballer
Adam Wiśniewski-Snerg (1937–1995), Polish science fiction author
Jacek Wiśniewski (born 1974), Polish footballer
Jan Wiktor Wiśniewski, Polish footballer
Janek Wiśniewski, fictional name for Zbigniew Godlewski (1952–1970), Polish demonstrator
Janusz Leon Wiśniewski (born 1954), Polish writer and chemist
Józef Wiśniewski, Polish ice hockey player
Łukasz Wiśniewski, Polish volleyball player
Michał Wiśniewski (born 1972), Polish pop vocalist
Piotr Wiśniewski (born 1982), Polish footballer
Wiesław Z. Wiśniewski (1931–1994), Polish astronomer
2256 Wiśniewski, an asteroid named in his honour
Zenon Wiśniewski (born 1959), Polish politician
Ania Wiśniewska (born 1977), Polish pop singer
Ewa Wiśniewska (born 1942), Polish actress
Jadwiga Wiśniewska (born 1963), Polish politician
Joanna Wiśniewska (born 1972), Polish discus thrower
Lucyna Wiśniewska (born 1955), Polish politician
Marta Wiśniewska (born 1978), Polish dancer and singer, also known as Mandaryna
Maria Pasło-Wiśniewska (born 1959), Polish politician
Maryan Wisnieski (born 1937), French footballer
Anke Wischnewski (born 1978), German luger
Hans-Jürgen Wischnewski (1922–2005), German politician
Siegfried Wischnewski (1922–1989), German actor
Łukasz Wiśniowski (born 1991), Polish racing cyclist
Michal Wisniowski (born 1980), Polish artist
John Wisniowski (born 1978), American Businessman and Level III Sommelier
Ethan Wisnoski (born 1997), American Welder

Early Wisnefskes

These are the earliest records we have of the Wisnefske family.