A Concise Guide-book to the Family of Błaszczychas

Wiktoria (Victoria) Piotrowska - daughter of Błażej and Maria.
Not "Błaszczycha" (for she was not a daughter of Małgorzata - Błaszczycha).
Born on January 20, 1864.
Died as a 11 years old child on January 19, 1876.

Waleria (Valeria) Piotrowska - daughter of Błażej and Maria.
Not "Błaszczycha" (for she was not a daughter of Małgorzata - Błaszczycha).
Born on August 03, 1867.
Died as a child on July 01, 1868.

Julianna Piotrowska - daughter of Błażej and Maria.
Not "Błaszczycha" (for she was not a daughter of Małgorzata - Błaszczycha).
Born on May 20, 1869.
Died as a child on January 14, 1875.

Feliks (Felix) Piotrowski - son of Błażej and Maria.
Not "Błaszczycha" (for he was not a son of Małgorzata - Błaszczycha).
Born on January 01, 1872.
After the death of his father his curator was set his uncle father Feliks (Felix) Radwański (Roman Catholic priest). There is a court document on this dated on May 10. 1891 (the same document established his step-mother Małgorzata the curator of his half-brothers).
The uncle sent his nephew to the secondary school. This allowed him to enter the law faculty of a university that made him an educated man.
Later Feliks was (perhaps) a judge. He held a high rank (maybe of major) in the army (Austro-Hungarian) too. He deserved it during the I World War.
Married. The name of his wife perhaps (?) was Maria (Mary). They had two sons: Jerzy (George) and Stanisław (Stanislaus) and two daughters: Wanda (the same in English) and Kazimiera (Casimira). They lived in Nowy Sącz (a relatively big town in eastern Poland).
In older age he had some troubles with his wife (perhaps she had a lover) and he committed suicide by shooting at his head.
We are not in touch with Feliks' descendants and know nothing about their today's situation.

Maria Piotrowska - wife of Feliks.
We know nothing about her (but a gossip that she had a love affair that pushed her husband to commit suicide).
We aren't even sure if her name was Maria in fact.

Waleria (Valeria) Piotrowska - daughter of Błażej and Maria.
Not "Błaszczycha" (for she was not a daughter of Małgorzata - Błaszczycha).
Born on September 23, 1875.
Died as a child on February 02, 1877.

Agata (Agatha) Piotrowska - daughter of Błażej and Maria.
Not "Błaszczycha" (for she was not a daughter of Małgorzata - Błaszczycha).
Born in 1877 or 1878.
Died as a three months old child on March 09, 1878.

Jan (John) Piotrowski - the eldest son of Błażej and Małgorzata .
Born in Strachocina on September 12. 1879.
Married to Paulina in 1909 (he was 30 years old then, 13 years elder to his bride!). They had three children (sons): Stanisław, Kazimierz and Władysław.
A farmer (or rather a farm-hand at his mother's farm).
There exists only one picture of him shot somewhere about 1909. It is the picture of the Strachocina's Voluntary Fire Brigade in local national costumes. Among others there is also Jan. Rather dumpy, strongly built with enormously big eyes. According to his widow Paulina he had (just in contrary) little eyes and as he wanted to look good on the picture he kept them opened very wide during shooting the photo.
Here is his signature:
He wrote letters to his younger brothers in America. These letters have preserved (in America). They show Jan as a bright man (althought not educated) with great sense of humour.
He took part in the First World War. Died on November 21. 1915 (36 years old), killed near Hudilog, a little village in Slovenian Karst during the Fourth Isonzo Battle.
In summer 1999 his grandsons Władysław and Tadeusz visited Slovenia to find his grave. They failed. Perhaps he hasn't any. Perhaps his grave is one of vineyards in the vicinity.

Paulina (Pauline) Piotrowska, maiden name Piotrowska-Giyr. Wife of Jan (they married when she was only 17 years old, she remembered later that her husband appeared to her as an old man then).
Born in Strachocina, Poland on August 13. 1892.
Her parents were Florian Piotrowski-Giyr and Marianna de domo Romerowicz.
A housewife and a farmer.
She was only twenty three years old when she became a widow with three little children (boys) and she never got married again (lest to loose her income of a soldier's widow? - it was approx. $10 a month, a very, very big sum in that time for Polish peasant).
At the beginning of 1920s she built a new wooden house with red roofing-tile. The house survived till 1959 and some of its beams were used to build a new house that exists to this day.
She was very (perhaps even exageratedely) pious.
She ruled over her sons and later over their wives with an iron hand.
Died in Strachocina on April 24. 1968 after several years in bed (from cerebral hemorrhage - he suffered for long time from high blood pressure).

Wojciech (Adalbert) Piotrowski (in the USA he also used the name of Albert).
Born on April 18. 1882 in Strachocina, Poland.
His acquired profession was wheelwright (to learn it he was sent to Przemyśl, Poland).
From May 20. 1913 in the USA. He came there (to New York) on the vessel s/s Mauritania going from Liverpool.
He wandered about the United States and even visited (far off) California. In 1943 he worked at American Screw Products, Detroit, Michigan (occupation: 2-nd operation).
Never married.
He left in Poland an illegitimate son (Józef - Joseph Pielech). The case was treated as shameful for the family as out of its standards. We learned about it only in 1980s (!).
The girl was Anna (Ann) "Hanka" Pielech.
Józef had a share in the patrimony (11/60 of 7 morgas and 1375 sążeńs). It was necessary to buy it from "Hanka" (then already Anna Śliwiak - she got married and moved to Jaćmierz). In December 16. 1925 she was given a sum of $150. Younger brothers (living in the USA) were a big help.
From letters of Kazimierz "Casey" one can learn that they (especially just "Casey") tried urgently to take care over their shiftless and light-minded elder brother. They wanted to make him get on in life. Taking "Hanka" (and the child) to America was planned. We don't know why this plan failed.
We know very little about the case at all. Jan's son Kazimierz worked together with Józef for "Wagonówka" (Railway Car Company) in 1930s. Józef positively maintained that he was Wojciech's son. But for the family still it is not quite clear what to do with the case.
Wojciech's "Declaration of Intention" (to be an American citizen) of May 8. 1929 has preserved. We know from it that he lived then at 3405 Yeamans Street, Hamtramck, Michigan. He was 5 feet and 6 inches (about 168 cm) tall, his weight was 155 pounds (about 70 kg), had brown hair and blue eyes.
His niece Rose remembers that he always had coins in his pants pocket that would jingle and say something what would happened in the next year (in Polish, of course).
He was a very strange man - this opinion was shared by both Polish and American branches of the family. His sister-in-law Paulina remained that he was called "Dziki Wojtek" (Wild Voyteck). She prohibited his son Stanisław to give the name Wojciech to his son actually named Tadeusz - in fear that he might be "wild" too. (it seems that avoiding omen name hasn't given expected result at all - in spite of this Tadeusz, one of co-authors of this "Guidebook" is still a little bit "wild").
Wojciech died in 1949 - committed suicide. According to his niece Ann it happened when he learned from doctors that he had some very serious illness (cancer - ?).
He lived then in Detroit, Michigan, but was buried in Toledo, Ohio.

Franciszek (Francis) Piotrowski, son of Błażej and Błaszczycha
Born on December 28. 1884 in Strachocina, Poland.
His acquired profession was wheelwright. We know this from his soldier's book (Militaerpass) that has preserved to our times. He was in army from 1906 till September 14. 1909 (in Braunau at Feldjaegerbataillon no 4, 3 Feldkompagnie). In the age of 21 he was 163 cm tall (5 ft 4 in.).
Maybe he was a shoemaker too. It can be deduced from one of letters his elder brother Jan wrote to America. Jan says in it that their half-brother Feliks was complaining of Franciszek didn't make shoes for him (but left to the USA).
Since April 03. 1910 in the USA.
He borrowed a sum of 600 koronas from Mr. Rogowski (a close neighbor in Strachocina) to pay for his and Kazimierz's journey to America. The sum was returned in full only in 1917.
They came to the USA on the board of vessel s/s President Grant. Firstly they went to Altoona, Pennsylvania and visited there their cousin Andrzej Piotrowski.
On May 8. 1910 they arrived in Rossford, Ohio. They came there by train and street car. Got off at Bergin and Dixie. They found the Joe Żuchowski house on Bacon Street. Uncle Żuchowski was at work so they were sent to the glass factory (The Edward Ford Plate Glass Company, however Joe Żuchowski's daughter Angela Cornelia Zuchowski-Szychowski writes that it was Libbey Owens Ford Coompany but it seems to be an anachronism) with his lunch. Kazimierz was hired and sent Franciszek back to get a lunch. When he came back to the factory he was hired too.
Later he has a shoe business in Rossford in common with his younger brother Kazimierz.
On February 09.1914 he married Aniela Malik. They had four children: Eugene, Edward Francis, Chester and Helen.
In 1924 he moved with his family to Detroit where he bought a house for the sum of $8400. The sum was very high in these times. There is no doubt that Piotrowski brothers were rather wealthy people then (fourteen years after their arrival to America!).
Died on November 28. 1929 in Detroit, Michigan.

Aniela (Angela) Piotrowski - wife of Franciszek since 1914. Maiden name Malik.
Born on November 13. 1893.
Died on January 11. 1963. Widow since 1929.

Kazimierz (Casimir) "Casey" Piotrowski., son of Błażej and Błaszczycha.
Born on August 12. 1887 in Strachocina, Poland.
He remembered his elder half-brother Feliks tutored him when he was a boy, made him study and not let him go out to play.
He is at the picture of the Voluntary Fire Brigade in Strachocina. Young, handsome, full head taller than others.
Since April 10. 1910 in the USA.
He went there together with his elder brother Franciszek.
Got work at the Edward Ford Glass Co. on the day of arrival to Rossford, Ohio.
On May 26. 1914 he married Stanisława Tutak . The wedding was at St. Mary Magdalene church celebrated by father Celusta.
They had three children: Bolesław, Anna and Rozalia.
They lived with the Joe Żuchowski family for about two years. On October 17. 1916 Kazimierz bought a lot on Walnut street from The Edward Ford Glass Co. In 1917. he, helped by Joe Żuchowski and others built the house and it was finished six weeks later.
Kazimierz quitted working at the Ford Glass after three years to the day and then worked for the Wabash Railroad repairing wooden cars. His partner was Antoni Żebracki (perhaps from Bażanówka, Poland).
Kazimierz often walked across the frozen Maumee River to get to work. Once he fell in but managed to get out.
Later he and Franciszek planned to start a common shoe store in Detroit, Michigan (or maybe in Rossford ... ?). It is not quite clear if this plan completely failed or they had such a store. Anyhow they moved back to Rossford (or only quitted plannig to move to Detroit ... ?) in 1922 because of Stella's bad health (she had a miscarriage).
They lived in some rooms at the Mierzewski grocery store building then. A small section of the building next to the movie theater was to be used as a shoe store.
One night there was a fire in the next block and the John Dietz grocery store burned to the ground. Kazimierz told (to Rose) of how he was so tired moving that he didn't hear any commotion. The next day he made Mr. Dietz an offer of $3.000 and in a week Mr. and Mrs. Dietz left for a visit to Germany. Kazimierz built the building at 358 Dixie where he had the Rossford Shoe Store in one section and the Edison Co. in the other. Living quarters were in back. The Walnut St. house was rented by the Keatons then by the Minarcian families.
In 1924 Franciszek left to Detroit for good and Kazimierz perhaps paid (a sum of $1000 is quotted) for his share in the store. The case is unclear now. According to Rose the store ever belonged to her father solely. On the other hand there are letters typed on writting paper with letterhead: "Rossford Shoe Store" of Piotrowski Bros (see below ). It looks like a proof that the common property existed (but maybe it was only planned - ?).
Business was good until the Great Depression. Then Kazimierz did shoe repairing. He was about to lose the building and sold it out to Mike Knurek in 1942, probably for the amount owed. Moved back to the Walnut St. house.
Later he had to start to work as a carpenter.
Retired at age of 65 but continued to be active. Helped to build a house for Rose and Earl. Eight years later, at age of 73 another house for Anna and John. He was very stubborn - didn't not acknowledge that some work was for younger man, climbing up on the roof, etc.
He was active in the Polish National Alliance and was a president for one term. He was appointed to go to the Polish National Alliance conventions twice. He never failed to vote for any election and flew the American flag at any national holiday. He was "Uncle Sam" during special community functions.
Never missed Sunday mass.
His daughter Rose remembers him as always wearing a hat and tipping it as he passed St. Mary Magdalen Church on his walk to the grocery.
"Casey" as he was called by friends was well liked and a good story teller. Also a great dancer, especially the waltz. (There is a movie that shows him dancing during 50-th Anniversary of his marriage with Stella but on the picture taken then he is sitting at a table.)
Here is his signature:
There are letters dated in 1920s he wrote to his mother (Błaszczycha) and sister-in-law Paulina. These letters have preserved (in Poland). They are rather laconic and hardly show everyday life of Kazimierz's family in then America (... we are getting on as they used to get on in America ...). Letters are typed on writting paper with letterhead of Piotrowski Brothers Shoe Store: