Objects

Birth and baptism certificate of Marta Józefa Olchawa (born Bauer) issued by the Parish Office in Skomorochy Stare (Lvov Diocese) on 1 January 1942 – official document, single-page, handwritten, in Latin. Stamp at the top edge: “Roman Catholic Parish Office | IN SKOMOROCHY STARE”, document number: “18a/942” and title below. In the centre of the page, there is a table with the contents of the document. Below, on the left, a round stamp of the Parish Office in Skomorochy Stare (Lvov Diocese, Brzeżany District, during the German occupation the locality formed part of the District of Galicia); to the right of the stamp, there is the date of issuance. In the bottom left corner, there is information on the template: “G. 11796 – 22 7 42”.

The date of birth given on the certificate is 12 December 1941. The “Parentes […]” (Parents) section is filled in with the name of Stanisława Katarzyna Olchawa, daughter of Jan and Katarzyna née Joniec. Stanisława Olchawa became a foster mother to Marta Bauer, rescued from the Lvov ghetto. The girl’s biological parents, Ernestyna née Kutin and Izydor Marek Bauer, left her under the care of Stanisława Olchawa; they both died in the Holocaust. The section “Patrini […]” (godparents) is filled in with the name of Henryka Malarska, who also took care of Marta Olchawa as her godmother. The birth certificate and the baptism certificate both mention the child’s middle name – Józefa. Marta Olchawa was most likely baptised after the war, on 15 June 1949 in Opole. The certificates dated 1942 were issued to save the child from the Holocaust. | Text by Monika Harchut