Kocanda Family

[lkocanda]

ISO any information about Fabian Kocanda ( middle name may have been Robert)
Birth 15 Aug 1894 in Poland
Death May 1960 in Burbank, Cook, Illinois, United States

Come to US 1st time May 15,1912 but got detained(

http://search.ancestry.com/iexec/?htx=View&r=an&dbid=7488&iid=NYT715_1862-0878&fn=Fabrian&ln=Kocanda&st=r&ssrc=&pid=4037345421)
Came to US 2nd time June 29 1920 from Dunzig and remained..
May have served in WW1 and WW2.found draft cards..

[Ute]

I had an uncle in Chicago, Pjotr 'Peter' Bryjak, from Dlugopole who was married to Rozalia Matyja from Odrowaz. Rozalia’s obituary of 1975 listed all of her surviving family, including a sister Angeline Koconda. I think her last name is misspelled and the correct name is Kocanda. Angeline’s husband’s first name wasn’t given in the obituary, but perhaps there is a connection to the Fabian Kocanda you are researching.
Ute

[Shellie]

Fabian may have been detained, but looking at the manifest from 1912, it appears that he was admitted into the US. Here is the manifest showing his arrival in 1912 with a note about why he was detained. He is listed as Fabian Kocandaj on line 25.
http://www.ellisisland.org/EIFile/popup_weif_5a.asp?src=%2Fcgi%2Dbin%2Ftif2gif%2Eexe%3FT%3D%5C%5C%5C%5C192%2E168%2E100%2E11%5C%5Cimages%5C%5CT715%2D1862%5C%5CT715%2D18620834%2ETIF%26S%3D%2E5&pID=104819010921&name=Fabian%26nbsp%3BKocandaj&doa=May+15%2C+1912&port=Bremen&line=0025

He was going to see his father Jan Kanty Kocanda on 19th Street in Chicago. This manifest lists his birthplace as Pieniazkowice (this village is right next to Odrowaz).

His WWI draft card confirms that he was in Chicago in 1918. This document lists his birth place as Nowy Targ. And this Fabian is the same man who is on the 1920 manifest. The address on the draft card matches the address of his father John Kocanda who was listed on the 1920 manifest at his destination in Chicago. The 1920 manifest lists his birthplace as Zaluczne.

Fabian indicated on the ship manifest that Chicago was his home, and the Polish gov’t was paying his passage. It appears that Fabian served during WWI, but I’m not sure whether it was for the US or for Poland - but he most likely served with Haller's Army. The ship he arrived on was the USS Mercury, which was a US Navy transport ship during WWI. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Mercury_(ID-3012)
There are some nice photos of the ship here: http://www.navsource.org/archives/12/173012.htm


Pieniazkowice, and Zaluczne are only a few miles apart, with Odrowaz in between. Nowy Targ was the largest town nearby and he probably gave this as his birthplace to indicate the region he was from, rather than a specific birthplace.

This is probably the Fabian Kocanda that you are looking for. Having his father’s name is a big plus. Search for other Kocanda passengers on the ship manifests from Zaluczne, you'll probably find some cousins or siblings.

[lkocanda]

Hi Thanks for all your help.. I have found Fabian's father death record and got some info but was wondering if you could help me on something..
His name was jan Kanty Kocanda
Born:Dec 2,1859
Died : Jan 16,1927
Has his wife listed as Marie Kocanda..

Could you see if you can find any record of their marriage ?
Also are there any links that you have that I might find usefull??
Thanks,Lisa

[Shellie]

Are you sure that you located the right death certificate? I think that Fabian’s mother was named Annie and his father may have gone by Kanty. I have attached census records – Click on the image to view a larger image --- the street address matches the addresses on Fabian’s draft cards.

Also, check the Ellis Island database for Anna Kocanda, age 40, arriving 23 NOV 1905 on the ship The Rhein. She was traveling with her daughter Aneila and several people from Odrowaz and nearby villages. Her destination was Chicago, to be with her husband Jan Kanty Kocanda.

I don’t have marriage information for Kocanda, but if you can locate Fabian’s death certificate from 1960, it might have his mother Annie’s maiden name. You can check death records for the state of Illinios between 1916-1950. You'll have to order the certificate. I've done it before and it takes between 2 and 5 weeks: http://www.ilsos.gov/GenealogyMWeb/idphdeathsrch.html

Search Dziennik Chicagoski Death Notice Index 1930 – 1971.. Both Fabian and Jan Kanty Kocanda are listed here. http://www.pgsa.org/dzien3071.php

I started a thread about the village Zaluczne here: http://forum.polishorigins.com/viewtopic.php?t=385

On that thread, I mention that 2 young men created a website about Zalucane. One of the young men who created the site has the surname Kocanda. They give their email addresses on the site, so perhaps you can email him in English and see if he responds.

Here is a link to other resources: http://www.deathindexes.com/illinois/cook.html

Keep us posted on your progress!

[lkocanda]

While looking at the census closer I noticed that they have a Nellie (age 6) was listed as a daughter for the 1910 but in 1920 there is no Nellie But a Anna(age 16) as a daughter...So could they be the same person??

[Zenon]

All other family members names and ages are the same so I think that with great probability this is the same person.

[Shellie]

Fabian Kocanda probably served in Haller's Army.

The 1920 manifest for Fabian was for the ship called Mercury. The Mercury transported soldiers from Haller's Army back to the US on 28 JUNE 1920 - the exact date of Fabian's record.

The The Polish Genealogical Society of America holds some recruitment records for Haller's Army, but I don't think their records are complete. Fabian does not not show up in thier records.

Article about Haller's Army: http://pastprologue.wordpress.com/2008/07/15/hallers-army/
Another article: http://creativegene.blogspot.com/2007/06/hallers-army-troops-returning-to-us.html
Yet another: http://www.poloniatoday.com/haller1.htm
Here's a great book about Haller's Army: http://www.polishroots.com/Resources/PolishRootsRecommends/tabid/279/Default.aspx

Link to the Ellis Island ship manifest (Fabian's page, see passenger #11): http://www.ellisisland.org/search/shipManifest.asp?MID=18913217400000707776&LNM=KOCANDA&PLNM=KOCANDA&first_kind=1&last_kind=0&RF=26&pID=605133130041&lookup=605133130041&show=%5C%5C192%2E168%2E100%2E11%5Cimages%5CT715%2D2788%5CT715%2D27880972%2ETIF&origFN=%5C%5C192%2E168%2E100%2E11%5CIMAGES%5CT715%2D2788%5CT715%2D27880973%2ETIF

[Shellie]

Hi Lisa, I think we found Fabian in Haller's Army!

I recently had a conversation with Dr. Paul Valasek, an expert on the subject of Haller's Army and author of the book Haller's Polish Army in France

Dr. Valasek has been researching Haller's Army for several years and I asked him whether Fabian Kocanda showed up in his records. He confirmed a Fabjan Kocanda in his records and I believe that this is the same man in the 1920 ship manifest from the Mercury.

Dr Valasek told me that he would be delighted to hear from you and discuss how Fabian's records can be obtained.

Here is a link to his book http://www.polishroots.com/Resources/PolishRootsRecommends/tabid/279/Default.aspx
and an email address: hallersarmy@aol.com

I look forward to hearing about what you find!

[lkocanda]

Good Morning Shellie;
I was wondering is there any census that might show Fabian or his family when he lived in Poland and before he came to the US??
Thanks

[Shellie]

The information that you want is probably in the Polish national archives. There was a census around 1880 for Odrowaz and this info is in the archive. I only know this because another PolishOrigins member had census info about his family that a cousin received from the Archives in Krakow about 20 years ago. You have some compelling information to indicate that Fabian came from the Podhale area, but there is still some question about his actual birth location - Pieniazkowice or Zaluczne. I do not know if either of these villages also had census - but 1880 is too early for Fabian. Perhaps his father would be included.

I am curious what you have found so far - have you had any luck finding death certificates or death announcements for Fabian or his father John (Jan Kanty) in the Dziennik Chicagoski Death Notice Index 1930 – 1971? Did you receive any info about Fabian and his Haller's Army enlistment with Dr. Valasek? Since Fabian came to the US not long before he enlisted, the information that he provided at that time might be more reliable than what is on his death certificate (where the info was provided by someone else, like his child who may not have known the name of Fabian's birthplace).

I believe there was a Kocanda who served as parish priest in Odrowaz. I'll check on that and see what I can find for you. Quite possibly a relation to Fabian........?