PolishOrigins

Personal Page: Gail

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All surnames Sekula, Janusz, Romanek, Swies, Krok, Barnasienicz
All places Nowy Sacz, Biala Wiznia, Konclowa, Grodek, Siolkowa, Ponikwa, Ptaszkowa, Laskarzew, Sobolew, Warszawa
Research notes I know that Julian Sekula came over on a boat fromNowy Sacz,  Poland either  escape fighing in a war/fued( as he was a peasant) or to work in the mines as his older brother did.  He either stowed away on a boat as per my Uncle Larry or he was sent money from older brother John Sekula in Shenandoah, Pa/Scranton, Pa area to come over and he worked in the mines there until he left with his Inlaws the Janusz family and came to Zanesville, OH and then on to Waterford Pa and farmed on Comer Rd after losing first farm in the depression. 

John Sekula his brother told his daughter that in order to eat meat in Poland, his father Laurentius Sekula who was a nightwatchman for a wealthy land owner in Poland would have to kill a rabbit at night, clean cook and eat and bury it before daylight so as not to be in trouble with owner.  His job was to keep the wild boar out of the area where the houses were.  They were very poor. His wife died and he remarried a women who was hard of hearing or very mean so all the children left for america. There were 5 of them. Boys came first then the girls-John, Julian, Stephen, Anne, Catherine Sekula.  All came to Shenandoah, PA.

My grandma Mary Janusz Sekula's family knew the Sekula family in poland. They were from the same area of Nowy Sacz.  Grandpa was about 8 years or more older than her. She was born in Shenandoah, Pa and they met and married in  Pa.  While yet a young girl her mother Domicella Ptaszkowski/ Grybel who married Simon Janusz in Poland decided she did not like it here.  Simon might of had a drinking problem. They had 4 children my grandma-mary, and Stephen who were barely teens and Walter and john who were younger.  She wanted to go back to poland and left with the 2 younger children leaving my Grandma and brother Stephen  here with relatives in New York.  She was gone for 3 years and then came back and stayed with Simon. They had another daughter Ann in 1911.  Can you image taking a boat 3 times over the sea's to America/poland and twice with small kids???  WOW!!!

On my Grandma Mary Janusz Sekula's side of the family there was a relative in Poland who was like a mayor of a village/city.  When the nazi's came into town they took 7 of the most prominate people and they shot them in cold blood.  Then they told the people if they did not do what they said they would do the same to them.  Then they told the people to bring them their floor grinders so they could not make bread.  My relative had 2 of them. one worked and the other was broke. She gave them the broken one and secretly ground wheat berries so folks could make bread.  I can't remember the name of the man that was shot but when one of the Janusz family came to  Poland to find family he went to a village to inquire of the name and everyone in the 1980's when he went still knew and remembered that event .  Rick my relative was amazed to find out what had happened as he only had a last name and d