Michael E. Byczek


Detailed Genealogy and Historical Information

Michael E. Byczek's lineage in Chicago, IL is one of the oldest in the city's history dating back to 1835.

He and his parents have conducted extensive historical and genealogical research to preserve these family chronicles since the early 1990s. As an attorney, Michael E. Byczek advocates verified and accurate genealogy through moral-based analysis and ethical historical research. The Byczek family has published their genealogical narratives online for almost 30 years. Their websites are common knowledge throughout various branches, easily found, and numerous relatives have first-hand knowledge of this accurate source of document-based genealogy and analysis.

View a ten-generation interactive family tree or a tabular chart showing the exact lineage for each ancestor.

Michael E. Byczek has compiled extensive genealogical and historical biographical documentaries in PDF format. An HTML-based platform is under development with some archives currently available.

1x-great-grandparents

2x-great-grandparents

3x-great-grandparents

4x-great-grandparents

5x-great-grandparents

6x-great-grandparents

Specialized Documentaries

Large-scale HTML-based Online Archives

Highlights of Genealogy Research

Michael E. Byczek has begun to verify documents for his 7x-great-grandparents. His goal is to fully identify and compile biographies for all ancestors, at least, up to that generation level. For instance, we all have:

2 parents
4 grandparents
8 great-grandparents
16 2x-great-grandparents
32 3x-great-grandparents
64 4x-great-grandparents
128 5x-great-grandparents
256 6x-great-grandparents
512 7x-great-grandparents

This represents a total of 1,023 individuals that span from Michael E. Byczek himself through all of his 7x-great-grandparents. It further represents over 500 individual families and their children.

Rooney Research in Chicago, IL and Counties Tipperary and Kilkenny in Ireland

Michael E. Byczek registered a federal copyright for a 362-page documentary of his 3x-great-grandparents William and Julia Rooney titled The Biographies of William Rooney and Julia Phelan - Old Settlers of Chicago (TXu002469190) in 2024.

Michael M. Byczek registered an earlier copyright in 2012 (TX0007522662) titled "Michael M. Byczek Family Genealogy".

A 116-page collective documentary was compiled about William and Julia Rooney's daughter Kittie A. Rooney and her husband Edward H. Talbot (2x-great-grandparents).

Talbot Research in Chicago, IL; Taunton, MA; and County Tipperary in Ireland

Extensive research was conducted into Edward H. Talbot's (2x-great-grandfather) business ventures as a Chicago real estate promoter with a 104-page comprehensive documentary.

Historical analysis of records from Co. Tipperary in Ireland has revealed the most likely Talbot lineage going back to Michael E. Byczek's 6x-great-grandparents.

Flanagan Research in Chicago, IL; Port Huron, MI; and Counties Mayo and Westmeath of Ireland

Review of church records has identified Collinstown, Co. Westmeath in Ireland as the most likely origin of the Flanagan family prior to settling in Port Huron, MI (United States).

A 135-page collective documentary explains the Flanagan lineage in the United States and Ireland (Co. Mayo and Co. Westmeath).

Byczek Research in Chicago, IL and Subcarpathian Voivodeship of Poland

Martin Byczek and Maryanna Dudek (great-grandparents) were both from the Subcarpathian Voivodeship of Poland.

Bykowski Research in Chicago, IL and Kuyavian-Pomeranian, Warmian-Masurian, and Greater Poland Voivodeships of Poland

Roman J. Bykowski (grandfather) was born in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland. His lineage includes the Kuyavian-Pomeranian, Warmian-Masurian, and Greater Poland Voivodeships of Poland. The lineage of Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship dates back to a time when the area was part of Prussia.

Murzyn Research in Chicago, IL; Podlaskie Voivodeship of Poland; and Alytus County of Lithuania

Frank Murzyn/Marynowski and Rose Sidor (great-grandparents) were both from the Podlaskie Voivodeship of Poland. Their lineage extends to both Poland and Lithuania.

Military Research

Large-scale HTML-based archives were compiled for Martin J. Flanagan's (great-grandfather) service during World War I with the 23rd Engineers in France and Michael S. Byczek (grandfather) in World War II with the 81st Division Wildcats in the Pacific.

Chicago Research

A 242-page documentary was compiled about the Rooney, Talbot, and Flanagan families in Chicago through their entries in the City Directories (1839-1928).

Online Genealogy Trees

Michael E. Byczek has created two comprehensive family trees through online genealogy platforms.

His ancestry.com profile has the username "byczek" with a tree identified as Michael E. Byczek Lineage. The genealogy for this account is DNA-verified for as many generations back as genetic data was available for comparative analysis.

This is an accurate and verified source of genealogy that cannot be modified by other users, including third-parties.

Michael E. Byczek's decision to submit a DNA test was not for genealogy, but as an attorney to intervene across all branches of his lineage. In the autumn of 2024 he was alerted to widespread propagation of false claims about his living immediate family and deceased direct blood ancestors. His intention was to promote accurate genealogy.

All genealogy and social media platforms pose a risk of cyber-bullying, identity theft, fake images/documents (i.e. AI-generated), scams, "bait", social engineering, slander/libel, spread of misinformation, and other inappropriate online user conduct. Numerous instances of inaccurate or deceptive genealogy were identified, such as false claims about marriage, children, nationality, employment, immigration, religion, and burials. In the most egregious circumstances, Michael E. Byczek sought immediate removal of offensive content.

It is well-documented, such as complaints described in user-forums, that popular genealogy platforms have design flaws that allow third parties to create tens, or even hundreds of thousands, of profiles derived from large data sets (i.e. all individuals buried at a particular cemetery or baptized at a certain church). A common problem, personally experienced, are third parties who refuse to cooperate with direct descendants and act as if online genealogy is a race to create profiles on a first-come basis to effectively lock and block family access. Michael E. Byczek appears to have been the first descendant on any bloodline who took concrete steps to stop undue influence from sources other than direct blood descendants of common ancestors. Unfortunately, there are multiple instances of third parties who still think they have the right to block direct descendants from their own genealogy. Another common problem are users who think timestamps determine who can control all future narratives.

Michael E. Byczek has extensively contributed to the familysearch.org online genealogical platform under the username "michaelbyczek". However, the Family Search platform is community-based where only one profile is allowed per deceased individual. This model allows anonymous third-parties to delete, edit, and modify accurate information (i.e. disruptive editing). Users are advised to carefully review information to verify and validate details, such as reviewing the timestamp activity log for usernames. Michael E. Byczek has proposed that direct descendants assume shared responsibility for monitoring accuracy of these community-based genealogical profiles.

There is an antiquated view that the dead don't have rights. As an attorney, Michael E. Byczek provides legal advice about the digital afterlife and ways to protect the deceased.

Information is available at byczeklaw.com/digital_afterlife.html. A four minute video is available on the Byczek Law YouTube Channel with username @byczeklaw.

The proposed direct-descendant administered genealogy framework is a good solution to protect the rights of deceased common ancestors.

"Blood only" does include immediate family (i.e. adoption, spouse, parent, etc). However, there is a natural and traditional pedigree status that should be observed with respect. Those who are verified blood direct descendants are at the very top. Next in priority are family who are not blood. Third parties are at the absolute bottom. If a third party does have useful genealogical information, proper decorum requires permission from direct descendants. It was far too common to find non-family third parties who thought they outrank direct blood descendants. Third parties are always welcome to send a message. They should not create, upload, edit, or manipulate official genealogical profiles, especially anonymously. In this regard, online genealogy can be viewed as the difference between authorized and unauthorized biographies. Furthermore, just because a biography is authorized (originating from a direct blood descendant) does not mean it's accurate.

Each deceased individual has a unique profile on Family Search with an assigned identifier, such as those for Michael E. Byczek's four grandparents:

Michael S. Byczek (GRRG-GMV) and Marie C. Flanagan (G5C8-1C2)

Roman J. Bykowski (GRG3-BXS) and Antoinette A. Murzynowicz/Marynowski (GRRG-XBB)

As an accurate source of data, Michael E. Byczek uploaded a Pedigree Resource File (GEDCOM format) to Family Search titled "Michael E. Byczek Lineage" (username of michaelbyczek) to show an outline of his direct-blood ancestors. This information cannot be modified by other users, but the content is displayed in accordance with Family Search parameters (i.e. not all details are publicly visible). The tree can be accessed by searching for the Submission ID: 2:2:2:MMKK-J2F under the option for user-submitted genealogies.

Grave Memorials

The online platform findagrave.com is dedicated to burial memorials with a model that is similar to Family Search. Only one memorial is allowed per deceased individual. However, the platform grants only one user with administrative control. As a result, this model is also susceptible to anonymous third-parties (i.e. cyber-squatting). Michael E. Byczek undertook extensive efforts to create dozens of memorials and regain family administration of others that were under third-party control.

His Find a Grave profile provides a link to all memorials under his administration.

Military Memorials

The fold3.com platform is dedicated to military records and allows users to create a memorial for deceased veterans. Michael E. Byczek has created memorials for his grandfather Michael S. Byczek (World War II) and great-grandfather Martin J. Flanagan (World War I).

Observations

A time-tested genealogy proverb states to never believe anything you read, let alone hear. Slander, libel, and defamation are serious legal issues for both living and dead. There are two sides to every story.

Genealogy platforms have become AI-driven DNA-based spider webs that interweave content, true and fake, from any source into a centralized repository that links all direct descendants of a common ancestor without their consent or knowledge. Saliva-based DNA results are not 100% accurate. These sites have limited data science functionality. The ancestry.com DNA test generated about 10,000 genetic cousins. It was virtually impossible to determine relationships due to lack of meaningful information to make an informed assessment, such as degree of kinship. A large number of users do not even identify themselves, have blank profiles, or block their content.

An example of unreliable DNA test results is a distant Swedish origin in the lineage. Michael E. Byczek does not recognize the accuracy of this conclusion without more information. The Swedish "deluge" of the 17th century into Poland was a painful historical event to the Polish identity. There is a possible bias in the AI-driven analysis that may mistakenly identify those of Polish descent as having trace amounts of Swedish DNA.

The Byczek family respectfully give tribute to their lineage through accurate and verified historical chronicles. Where uncertainty exists, such conclusions are based on balance of probabilities, whether it is more likely than not, and highly plausible to be true. The narratives are also evaluated on the basis of logic, reasonableness, and common sense in the context of reliable historical analysis.

A series of facts and events must reconcile to be true. Mistaken identity and coincidences are common in genealogy. Just because records may exist with the same or similar names, does not mean these families are the same people.

Michael E. Byczek and his parents did not participate on the user-uploaded side of genealogy websites prior to the autumn of 2024, other than occasional interaction for limited and specific purposes. They did their own research posted to personal websites under their complete administrative control, and even declined to undergo DNA testing as it was not a suitable substitute for analysis of actual records. Suspicious activity was then detected that raised a concern such websites now needed to be thoroughly reviewed.

It was shocking to discover the number of third parties and relatives who were actively promoting false, even anti-family, genealogy. It was equally surprising that some blood relatives knew this was happening and did not act. Michael E. Byczek immediately became one of, if not the only descendant, on a particular branch who fully identified himself in the quest for accurate genealogy.

There was a noticeable absence of actual written narratives (as opposed to drop-down menu options) with words such as family, marriage, wedding, mother, father, son, daughter, brother, or sister. More efforts were spent accusing the deceased of adultery than tributes to their marriages. The magnitude of alleged marital misconduct and maliciously labeling children as illegitimate on ancestry.com rivaled what is expected on sites like Facebook. At the same time, the greatest accomplishments of particular ancestors were nowhere to be found. Some ancestors did not have a single compassionate comment about them or their family.

There are certain vital facts and events in a person's life that any such omission is an instant red flag. Likewise, there are documents that are so easy to find (transcription and/or digitized) that an absence would appear intentional. Particular documents offer very little opportunity for alternative conclusions. These include attorney-prepared title searches, legal documents (i.e. estate plans), newspaper articles, census records, land ownership documents, city directories, obituaries, and grave locations. The existence of such documents itself are facts that cannot be denied. Yet, it was common for users to ignore these types of historical records without any mention or reference, as if to deny existence.

For instance, obituaries are one of the most important, easy to find, and go-to sources for genealogy. The Byczek family has highlighted obituaries on their websites for decades. Yet, by the end of 2024, Michael E. Byczek was one of, if not only, descendant on entire bloodlines to even acknowledge that obituaries exist. A large percentage of false claims could be instantly refuted simply with obituaries. One can only speculate the reason why both relatives and third parties ignored the very existence of obituaries was to deny marriages and children listed in these crucial resources. Obituaries are just one example of records that take mere seconds to locate and verify.

Michael E. Byczek, as a real estate broker, has emphasized genealogical analysis of residential and commercial properties for his entire professional career. Yet, he is one of the only descendants to even acknowledge where his ancestors lived (i.e address and/or neighborhood), use the word "real estate", or analyze land ownership maps and records. As an attorney, he was the first descendant on any genealogy platform to provide legal commentary. Catholic church records (baptism, marriage, and death) along with cemetery burial records addressed the vast majority of remaining false claims. Michael E. Byczek was one of the only descendants who accurately identified each son and daughter born to their mother and father across his entire pedigree.

False claims included invalidating marriages, changing the number of children born to their parents, refusal to acknowledge actual records, rewriting Irish Catholic families as English Protestant, altering where individuals lived, bigamy, spousal/child abandonment, and accusing married women of having adulterous affairs resulting in pregnancy. Multiple instances of disrespect directed at gravesites were found. All should agree that dead babies/children must be off-limits from any form of disregard, yet it was common practice. Instead of using genealogy to build solidarity through kinship, some members of particular lineages decided to start a feud with fact and fiction as the two sides. Direct blood descendants must always take precedence over third parties without exception.

These remarks are not intended to imply that all users uploaded fake genealogy. Those who did represent a small minority of the total user base of these websites. However, it only takes one anonymous user to create discord and irreconcilable differences where none existed. Certain ancestors and branches had more false claims than others. It is possible that some claims were the result of honest mistakes.

Michael E. Byczek's father has undergone treatment for prostate cancer for the past two years, as of November 2025, along with several instances of skin cancer over the past few decades. Instead of time better spent, valuable resources were needed to stop the spread of genealogy-related misinformation about the Byczek-Bykowski family lineage that should never have happened.

Michael E. Byczek, in a short amount of time, compiled over 2,500 pages of very detailed biographical documentaries from his family's research over the past 30 years just to counteract the negativity on user-uploaded genealogy websites. At the worst of this problem, he was engaged in daily combat with third parties around the world who thought they could write and upload anything they wanted. Not one relative stepped forward, at the time, to openly condemn fake genealogy. The task entirely fell upon the shoulders of Michael E. Byczek without any help.

If the Byczek family had been informed that fake genealogy had become so common, they would have done something much sooner. Michael E. Byczek, as an attorney, is who he says he is and means what he says he means. He is fiercely loyal to the direct bloodline (past, present, and future) and fully understands the intersection of law and technology as it relates to genealogy. It took an attorney with a background in computer engineering to find and implement a solution. Hopefully, these efforts will motivate others to focus on positive and accurate genealogy.

All relatives are encouraged to make their own conclusions, but please do so respectfully. Emphasis must be placed on the dangers of AI, which is often unable to tell the difference between fact and fiction. Genealogy sources are being used to train AI models and irreversible damage could take root. It is not practical for any single, or even group, of relatives to monitor and protect data on every genealogical website. There is always a threat, from relative or third party, for havoc upon the truth. A legal perspective was important to protect family history. It would have been a breach of ethical responsibility for an attorney to ignore defamation against the deceased on websites meant for their tributes.

Direct descendants may arrive at different conclusions or derive varying historical insight of their common ancestors. Two people can review a document with different interpretations. Blood relatives don't have to agree with each other about their research. However, there is a difference between discord and pure fiction. Genealogy is not an opportunity to rewrite history or test the limits of online free speech.

The only genealogy that is approved by Michael E. Byczek and his parents is the content on their own personal family websites, and what is verified to have originated from them on user-uploaded platforms. All instances where their names or identities are used in any context other than accurate genealogy will not be overlooked. This actually happened, such as directly naming them on ancestry.com in an offensive manner and twisting their research to promote third-party false claims. It even appeared that users had targeted the Byczek-Bykowski family as if to undermine their credibility.

While it is always pleasant to hear from relatives, such as exchanging old photographs, the Byczek family does not have much time for genealogy. Nor can they arrange any type of genealogical reunion in the near future. Cancer treatment is a serious, expensive, and time-consuming family matter.

Michael E. Byczek's father is Michael M. Byczek ("Mick"), mother is Betty A. (Bykowski) Byczek, and sister is Katherine S. Byczek ("Katie"). Messages may be sent to michael@byczek.pro for genealogy.

Main Genealogy Page