What is not recorded is not remembered. ~Benazir Bhutto
When I was young and asked my parents about our ancestry, I was told that we had German, Polish, and Russian roots. And why would anyone of us question this. My great-grandparents spoke these languages, were taught them in school. Truth of the matter is that our roots were all Polish, though, the earliest of our American immigrants were under German rule and the later, Russian rule. As one can only imagine, finding records for Polish ancestors can be quite a challenge. The churches in Poland offer the best chance for tracking down genealogical records. However, two World Wars took their toll on many of the churches where records existed. German-ruled Poland has proved to have more recorded information on my ancestors, or are more forthcoming or less destructive than are the Russians.
While I have always loved old family photos and stories, it wasn't until 1997 that I began the hunt for my ancestors. Prompted by the death of my grandmother, the beginnings of research given to my dad by his cousin Wayne, and the knowledge that upon the death of another cousin, years of research had been tossed, I began my quest. Unlike my husband's family who seemed to have saved every picture, letter, Bible (a Protestant thing, it seems), and newspaper article, I had a whole lot of nothing. Where to start? I attended a workshop at Joliet Public Library conducted by researchers from the local LDS Family History Library. Under their tutelage, I started making progress. Progress led to starting a web page in order to share what was learned. Sharing was the best idea ever. It has led us to some amazing people who have added their knowledge in the form of shared research, letters, photos, and family stories. This added information helps us create a more dimensional image of those that came before us and gives us all a better understanding of who we are today.
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| My gram and grampa |
10. Before attempting my own research, my husband and I went through his family treasures. One of my favorite finds was a box of letters written by my husband's grandmother and cousins from March 1918 through December 28, 1928. In 1999 we compiled the letters and contacted possible relations of the cousins. When we found them, we sent them the compiled letters. They informed us that one of the cousins was deaf and could not use the phone, so letters and postcards were the way she received and shared news.
9. There is nothing more exciting or more challenging than finding the boat that brought them to the USA. And every find is a cause for celebration. Everyone came through New York-- not. I have found direct family on passenger ships so few times as to make each one remarkable. On September 24, 1903, the SS Brandenburg left from Bremen carrying Marianna Kwiatkowski, my great-great grandmother, her son, Anthony, his wife, Katherine, my great-grandparents, and their children, Sofia, Helen, Marianna, and Jadwiga. Passage was paid for by Anthony's sister, Agnes Golusinska. The family arrived in Baltimore on October 8, 1903.
8. On March 25, 1903, Dominik Skorupa, my great grandfather, disembarked from the SS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse in Liverpool, and boarded the SS Friesland. He arrived in the US at the Port of Philadelphia. Dominik was a 20 year old laborer with $3.00 in his pocket. His last home was Suchy Grunt, Poland which is just north of Skrwilno. His final destination in the US was his brother Jakub's home at 4314 Cressan Street in Philadelphia. Jakub paid passage for Dominik. Later, Jakub and Dominik would move to Chicago where they lived out their lives.
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| Dominic and Aleksandra- my great grandparents |
7. From there they traveled to Chicago to join Agnes at 1084 Sacramento Avenue. The SS Rhein left from Bremen carrying Aleksandra Gurewicz (Skorupa), my great-grandmother, age 15 years and her nine year old sister, Franciska. They arrived in Baltimore on June 22, 1906.
6. On July 24, 1915, 844 people died when the steamship Eastland went down in the Chicago River, between LaSalle and Clark Streets. Thomas Wielgos and Paul Kalka, nephew and uncle, so close in age as to be the best of friends; Tom, age 17 years, lost his life on the
Eastland while Paul survived. We always knew that part of the story, but since it was "not to be spoken of" much of the tale had to be put together in bits in pieces years and years later.
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| Tom Wielgos |
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| Paul Kalka |
5. Sheila and Tracy from the LDS Family History walked me through so many new processes and were as excited as I was with every find. Sheila also was a tremendous help when it came time to translate church documents that were mostly written in Latin. If not for their patience and help, my research would probably be a third of what it is.
4. Finding long, lost Kalka Family Cousins, Bonita Lamich (Julia Kalka Lamich), Dorothy Johnson (Vera Kalka), Henry Gransee (Anastasia Kalka) and Sandy and Barbara Bayr (Philomena Kalka and Michael Wielgos) who shared family stories, photos, and their own research. Finding long, lost Kwiatkowski Cousins, Sue Abrahamson and Tony Kwiatkowski who shared family stories, photos, and put me in touch with even more distant cousins who shared their research. Finding long, lost Wielgos cousins Chris Alesi (Franciska Wielgos) who shared family stories, photos, and her own research. Finding long lost Mincheski/Mancheski cousins, Mari Matulka (William Mancheski) who shared family stories, photos, and her own research. Cousins Leonard Klarkowski and Debby Porter who helped identify people in old photos.
3. The many, many unnamed cousins who have contacted me over the years with corrected information, current information, and more family stories, letters, and photos. Each contact is so exciting and renews interest in further research.
2. Distant cousin Ron Goral spent hours tracking down records for me at Wisconsin Division of Health, Vital Records and at Wisconsin Historical Society in Madison. He was one of my first contacts through our web page (I've never actually met him) and what a treasure he was!
1. Wayne Wielgos started the Wielgos Family Tree sapling. From little acorns do mighty oaks grow. Oh, yes! They do.
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| Bobbi and Wayne Wielgos |
www.kinson.org
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