A Tale of Three Sisters

Today I’d like to tell you a story about three sisters, Mary, Anna, and Filomena.  They are the daughters of Jozef and Antonina (nee Nowicka) Inda, my great grandparents.  Much of this information was told to me by my mother, Loretta Kolodzinski (nee Szostek).

Mary, my grandmother, the 3^rd child and oldest of the girls, was born in March of 1894.  Anna, the 5^th and middle child, was born in 1897.  Philomena (later called Minnie), the 8^th child and youngest daughter, was born in 1906.

As all young girls of that era, the Inda daughters were taught “woman’s work” by their mother.  Mary was taught to crochet.  Anna learned the delicate art of tatting.  Minnie was taught how to knit.  They all were shown how to do embroidery.  Antonina herself knew how to do all of these things.

The three sisters were also different in looks. Mary had beautiful auburn hair (her daughter, Loretta, had found a braid of Mary’s hair in a cedar chest).  Anna, I’m told, was a darker blonde in her early years, while Minnie had warm brown hair.  Later in life all three sister’s hair turned a light silvery gray.

Anna, Minnie and Mary

Mary fell in love with a very handsome man, John Bochyniak, when she was just 18. The couple married in November of 1913 at St. Hedwig’s Catholic Church in Chicago. What a wonderful day for the happy couple! Their joy continued and in October of 1915, a baby boy, Edward, entered their life. The happiness of this couple was not to last.  In January of 1917, John was killed by a train. Mary was left alone with a young son to raise. The family had many relatives, friends and coworkers who tried to help during this terrible time. One of them, Stanley Szostek, had loved Mary but had never said or done anything, knowing she was married. I don’t know if Mary did fall in love with Stanley or not, but he did love her. The couple married in September of 1918.  Stanley pledged to Mary that he would raise Edward as his son.  He loved the child and soon adopted him as his own. The couple added three more children to their now happy family. Monica (called Phyllis), was born in 1919, Loretta, my mother, born in 1921, and Helen, born in 1928. 

Anna did not marry as quite as young as her sister, Mary. She fell in love with John Bross. They married when Anna was 22, about 1929. The couple never had children but spent many happy times with Mary and Stanley’s family.  Anna and John had many happy years before John died at the young age of 55. Anna lived in their same apartment they had shared for the rest of her life. She enjoyed playing bingo at various Church carnivals and functions. I think of her independence and how forward thinking she must have been. She is fondly remembered attending all of our family events.  

Minnie was the youngest sister. Minnie grew up on her parents “farm” in Franklin Park, IL.  She married Stanley Jagielski when they were both 18. The couple waited a couple of years to enlarge their family. In 1930, a daughter, Dolores (called Dolly), was born. Two years later their son, Donald (called Sonny) was born. The couple eventually moved to Elmwood Park, a Chicago suburb.  I will always remember the squirrel monkeys and other animals they kept as pets! They enjoyed many happy years together until Stanley died at the young age of 51. It was some years later that Minnie moved to Arkansas with Dolly, Sonny and both of their families.

Minnie Jagelski, Mary Szostek, Anna Bross 1949

DNA: What Does It Mean For Your Research

DNA: What Does It Mean For Your Research

Having your DNA tested can help further researching your family tree but it is necessary to find out what you are hoping it will tell you. Testing DNA does not take the place of a thoroughly researched family tree. You will be disappointed if this is what you expect to find. There are three types of DNA tests you can have run, so decided beforehand what you are looking to find. Some companies do just one type of test, others do all of them.

Our DNA is stored in our chromosomes. We inherit 50% of our DNA from our each of our parents, they in turn inherited 50% from each of their parents. This goes back in time to the origins of man. One thing, just because we have inherited 50% of our father or mother’s DNA does not mean we inherited 25% of each grandparents’ DNA. We may inherit 10% our out maternal grandfather’s DNA and 40% of our maternal grandmother’s DNA. The inheritance does not have to be equal which is why siblings will have different DNA results and why, when we go back to 3rd cousins or further, we may not show any match. As an example, I have a confirmed 3rd cousin who does not show in my DNA matches.

There is something we find in DNA results which has been termed NPE, short for Non-Parental Event. It does happen, adoptions are not always told to children and sometimes, well, two unmarried people develop an attraction with the results that a child believes his father is his biological father but finds this is not true. Be aware of this result just in case the results are not what is expected.

Now we should talk about the various types of DNA testing which can be run. Autosomal DNA testing will give you information pertaining to the DNA you inherited from ALL your direct ancestors. It is the broadest of all the types of DNA tests. One caution, once you receive results for cousins, those who rank further back than a 4th cousin (someone who shares a 5x great grandfather with you) may be a couple of generation matches one way or the other. In other words, someone who shows up as being a 5th cousin could really be a 4th or 6th. This is one reason having a thoroughly researched tree is necessary. Also, double check the connection when you find it, be sure the other person’s tree has been reached and not just assumed or copied from a third or fourth party. This is a great test and can connect you with cousins who are will to share information, family stories and pictures. If your results show many matches without a tree they may be adoptees searching for their biological families. Some companies will also provide health information which shows up on DNA results. There are also companies who will give you (for a nominal fee) this information if you upload your raw DNA results to their website.

Another type of DNA test is the y-DNA test. Fewer companies do this type of testing. It will give you information on your direct paternal line. Only males can do this type of DNA test, females do not have y-DNA. It will show a man’s father, his father, his father on back to the direct paternal line’s haplogroup (the male clan or ancestral connection and migration).

Another type of DNA test is the Mitochondrial DNA or mt-DNA test. Fewer companies do this type of testing. It will give you information on your direct maternal line. It will show your mother, her mother, her mother on back to the “Daughters of Eve” which shows how this direct maternal line’s haplogroup (your female clan or ancestral connection and migration). Mt-DNA is only pasted done through females to their offspring. Men inherit their mother’s mitrocondrial DNA but cannot pass it down to their children.

This is very basic information on what the various DNA tests do for you. Check out the various company websites for more information but remember their objective is to sell their test. I encourage to check out various genetic genealogy blogs online and/or groups on Facebook.

After you receive the DNA test results the analyzing will need to begin before you add the information to your tree. You may need to set up your own system for adding the information to your genealogy program. I did and will explain my system for keeping track of new DNA cousins in a future post.

Holiday Memories

It has been quite a while since I last posted. Research into my family tree and that of friends has continued but there is something about the Holidays and the many memories shared with my family which is helping me to get back to writing.

Love of family and love of Holidays seem to go hand in hand. The memories help carry us through times, both good and bad. As an only child, my cousins were surrogate siblings in my heart. We share many fond memories of growing up in the Chicago area. I was born in raised in what is called the “Little Warsaw” area of Chicago. It was in the northwestern area of the city, consisting of Bucktown, Logan Square, Albany Park and many other surrounding neighborhoods.

My immigrant ancestors originally settled in the Bucktown area which received its name from the goats owned by the Polish families of the neighborhood (a male goat is called a buck). It is the descendants of these immigrants, my aunts, uncles, cousins and me who moved our families to other areas but the “Little Warsaw” area remains predominately Polish. As late as 1994, when I attended my Aunt and Uncle Mitchell Wegrzyn’s 50^th Anniversary, some store clerk only spoke Polish. I remember shopping in a local delicatessen (wędlinę which stands for meat in Polish) and the cashier having to call all around the store to find someone to translate the cost of my purchase from Polish to English. Alas, I never learned my ancestors mother tongue, a regret I have to this day.

My paternal grandparents died well before my parents married. My maternal grandfather died when I was 5 years old. I still remember his joy and excitement when the Holidays approached. I will carry his love for family and Holidays in my heart forever. My maternal grandmother died when I was 26. When this happened our families no longer celebrated the Holidays together, but the memories will always be with all my cousins and with me. 

Szostek & Kolodzinski Family Gathering

My only regret is not having their stories to share with future generations. Oh, sure I remember some of them, but time has passed and the sharpness of memories fade. I wish I  would have recorded some of what my grandparents and parents shared, either by writing them down or recording their voices as they reminisced about their parents and life in Poland.

This Holiday Season, along with creating new memories be sure to share family memories of days past. Treasure the stories of those in your family who have enjoyed more Holiday memories than you have. Write down or record (with their permission, of course) the stories for those too young or not yet born. In this way their love will never be forgotten. Don’t forget to share your memories, too, you are an important part of the Holidays!

The First Inda Immigrants - Settling in Arkansas and Oklahoma

Ten branches of the Inda families have been identified emigrating from Poland to the United States.  All had lived within 40 miles of each other while living in Poland.  All seemed to have left family, parents, siblings and cousins, behind in the old country.  They had lived in an area of Poland that was part of Prussian Empire. 

The first to group to immigrate did so in 1868.  They were Peter, Frances (Peter’s wife), and Josepha (Peter’s sister).  Peter was about 29 years old.  He had married his wife in Grylewo, Poland in 1866.   Their marriage record shows Peter was living in Golancz and Frances in Rybowo.  Frances was about 5 years younger than Peter.  The following is a copy of their marriage register (top of page).

Sailing across the vast Atlantic Ocean on the S.S. Marco Polo, they arrived at the Castle Garden Immigration Center in New York City on the 1^st of June in 1868.

  What brave souls they were, arriving in a new country, not believed to know anyone there.  They came to find a better life, to find freedom, freedom for themselves, freedom for their children and freedom for their grandchildren. The USA ended the Civil War three years previously.  President Johnson had been impeached and Ulysses S. Grant was new President. 

Peter and Frances first settled in Michigan.  The couple had five children born to them there, sons Joseph Stanley in 1870, Michael Lawrence in 1872, John Andrew in 1873 and Valentine in 1878  Their first daughter, Johanna, was also born in Michigan but her birth is recorded in Wyandotte in 1876.  The next record found on the family is in Arkansas in 1880, it is the birth of their son, Casmier Nickolas who was later known as Jasper.  The couple also had a daughter, Pauline, born about 1884.  It is possible there were more children but no records have been found at this time.  Peter believed in his new county and became a US citizen in 1872.

It is with their daughter Pauline’s family, that Peter and Frances spent the rest of their lives.  They are buried in the Immaculate Heart of Mary Cemetery in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Joseph would marry Catherine Ang Blockowiak in 1899.  They would give birth to two daughters, Frances and Louise.  They raised their children and grew old together in Pulaski County, Arkansas. 

Michael would marry Bridget M. Masham about 1909.  Mihael would be found living in Colorado before 1918 but by 1930 the couple would be living in Grant, Custer, Oklahoma.  Here they would settle.  Both are buried in the Anthon Cemetery in Custer County, Oklahoma.

John would marry Agnes Victoria Makowski in 1900. They would live with Agnes’ parents for a short time prior to moving to Oklahoma.  In 1910 they live in Bales but by 1920 they would have placed roots in Guthrie.  This is where the couple raised their three children, Frank, Floyd and Margaret.  John and Agnes are buried in Saint Theresa's Catholic Cemetery in Harrah, Oklahoma.

Johanna would marry John J. Yanniger in 1893.  They would continue to live and raise their three children, Joseph, George and Louise, in Little Rock, Arkansas.  Johanna, who also went by Jane, and her husband are buried there.

Valentine or Vall, died at age 28.  It is believed he had not married.

Jasper would be living in Oklahoma by 1905.  It is here we find his marriage to Louise C. Drew.  The couple have five children, Theodore, Louis, Cecelia, Constance and Josephine before Louise died in 1942.  In 1944, Jasper married Katie B. Whittington in Arkansas.  It was here he would live until his death in 1965.  Jasper was well loved by both of his wives.  He is buried next to Katie in the Memorial Park Cemetery in Pine Bluff, Arkansas but he also has a headstone next to Louise in Calvary Cemetery in Shawnee, Oklahoma.

Pauline married Michael Peter Wilkiewicz.  The couple stayed in Arkansas and had five children, Thaddeus, Frances, Louise, Constance and Sylvester.  Pauline and Michael are buried in Calvary Cemetery in Little Rock. 

So far, no further record has been found of Peter’s sister, Josepha Inda.  She was born about 1847.

Tales of Christmas Past

Prior to my grandfather’s death in 1955, my family would gather at my grandparents, Stanley and Mary Szostek (nee Inda), home at Springfield in Chicago.  It was here we would celebrate Christmas. The tree would have been lovingly trimmed by my dziadek (grandfather in Polish).   The picture below was taken on my first Christmas at dziadek and grandma's home.

The wonderful smells of Holiday cooking and baking would fill the air.  All of my maternal uncles, aunts and cousins would arrive, bundled up on this cold Chicago day.  The atmosphere would be warm with the joy of another joyous Holiday together.  After some talk, we would all sit down at the table and share the opłatki.  

Opłatki is the first food of the Christmas vigil.  It is a wafer normally rectangular in shape.  The wafer is similar in texture, thickness and taste to a Communion Wafer.  They are about 4” by 6”.  Each has an different embossed picture on it, such as the Nativity or the Three Kings.  The opłatki is normally blessed by a Priest prior to bringing it home.

 

At the Christmas dinner, the eldest person offers the opłatki to the next oldest, wishing them good health and the fulfillment of their heart’s desires.  If there is any strain between these two people, forgiveness is also asked for now.  At the conclusion of the eldest person’s wishes, the next oldest person expresses their thanks and breaks off a corner of the opłatki. The eldest person then repeats this offering with each individual at the table in the same manner.  After the eldest has shared the opłatki and wished with the youngest person, the second eldest repeats the process starting with the eldest and ending with the youngest.  This continues, each having their turn, until the youngest has offered wishes and shares the opłatki with everyone present in the same manner.  Everyone has an opportunity to say a few words and share wishes since each person in turn offers the opłatki to the others present.   

After everyone shares the opłatki, the dinner begins.  Wine was served, usually a sweet one by Mogen David.  The first course was homemade chicken soup with kluski noodles.  After that was finished the rest of the meal would be placed one the table.  Food was shared family style.  It was passed on huge platters or in large bowls.  Included would be chicken, beef, polish sausage with sauerkraut, mashed potatoes and gravy, browned potatoes, at least two vegetables a selection of breads. We would eat and eat and then eat some more!  Seconds, thirds and sometimes fourths!  Do not forget the dessert!  Pies, cookies and ice cream would be following soon.  It was a wonder anyone could rise from the table!

After the wonderful dinner was finished, everyone moved into the living room where the Christmas tree was shining brightly.  Of course, this was the time my cousins and I were waiting for, time to open the presents!  They were all so beautifully wrapped!  My Aunt Phyllis always had the prettiest bows on the packages her family gave to others.  She would use yards and yards of curling ribbon that was done in a big poof of curls!  Someone was usually chosen as the "mailman", the one who pulled the present out from under the tree and delivered it to the proper person.

  

Afterwards my dziadek would bring play his concertina and we would sing Christmas carols.  (Below is a picture of my dziadek's concertina)

We would visit with each other for a time then head home with bellies stuffed with food, arms laden with gifts and memories to carry with us throughout our lives.