Forum | PolishOrigins :: View topic - Franciszek Penksa and Helen Lojas

Author

Message

Ute
PO Top Contributor

Joined: 13 Dec 2009
Replies: 599
Location: Germany
Back to top

Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2012 10:54 pm Post subject: Franciszek Penksa and Helen Lojas

Quote:

Bill wrote: OMG- I found Helen and Franks passport records. This is the first time I found a record with photographs + there was a letter attached from Szaflary written in 1922! And a bonus, August Lojas was a witness to it all. I sent it all to your private email.
Ute wrote: Bill, thank you so much! You are GREAT! The letter from Szaflary, written in 1922, is especially interesting. I assume it was written by Helen Lojas-Penksa's father Jan Lojas from Szaflary. I have more information on the family that I'm going to post separately to keep the two Penksa families apart.

Here is what I know so far about the Franciszek Penksa - Helen Lojas-Penksa family:
Helen(e) Lojas emigrated to the US on board of the steamship “Amerika” that left Hamburg, Germany on December 10, 1908 and arrived in New York on December 22, 1908. She was 15 years old at the time, farm hand, able to read and write. Her ethnicity was Polish, her last residence abroad was with her mother Maria Lojas in Szaflary, her final destination was Chicago, where she was going to join her father Jan Lojas who lived at 4306, Honore Street, Chicago at the time. She was accompanied by her brother Jan Lojas who was 10 years old in 1908.

Helene Lojas married Franciszek (Frank) Penksa on November 13, 1913 in Chicago.

According to her 1922 US passport application, she was born on July 15, 1894 in Nowy Targ, was 27 years old at the time, her occupation was housewife, her residence was 4831, So. Marshfield Ave., Chicago. She had resided in the US for 13 years (from 1908 to 1922).

Helena Penksa, 27 years old, returned to the US on March 23, 1924 on board of the steamship ‘Mongolia’ via Antwerp. She was accompanied by her children Emily (9 years old in 1924), Albin (7 years old in 1924); Stella (5 years old in 1924), and Angela (3 years old in 1924). They are listed as US citizens and are all going to 4834, S. Marshfield Ave [misspelled S. Nashville Ave.), Chicago.

Helen Penksa, nee Lojas died on Aug. 3, 1939 at age 45 years in Chicago. According to the death certificate, her parents were Jan/John Lojas and Agnes Gasperic [Kasperek?].

Franciszek Penksa was born on Sept. 9, 1891 and died on January 22, 1966. According to his wife’s passport application of 1922, he was born in Bialka in the district of Nowy Targ.

Franciszek Penksa (misspelled Peksa) emigrated to the US on board of the steamship ‘Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse’ that left Bremerhaven, Germany on June 27, 1906 and arrived in New York on on July 5, 1906. He was 15 years old at the time, farm laborer, able to read and write. His ethnicity was Polish, his last residence abroad was Bialka, his final destination in the US was an uncle in Chicago [could be Jan Oblazny (misspelled ‘Oblezuy’) from Bialka, who emigrated to the US on board of the steamship "Kaiser Wilhelm II" that left Bremen, Germany on June 28, 1904 and arrived in the US on July 5, 1904. Jan Oblezny was 17 years old at the time (born 1887) and going to join his brother-in-law Jozef Peksa in Chicago].

Franciszek Penksa's residence was at 4831, So. Marshfield Ave., Chicago when his wife applied for a passport in 1922 which had been his residence for the last 15 years (from 1906-1922).

Frank Penksa naturalized on December 29, 1921 at the Circuit Court, Chicago.

Frank J. Penksa died on January 22, 1966 at age 73 years. The obituary appeared in the Chicago Tribune on January 29, 1966. According to the obituary, Franciszek and Helen Lojas's children were Emily [Walter] Kusek, Albert [Margaret] Penska, Angeline [Edward] Bik, and Loretta [Joseph] Fox. His last residence was at 5125, S. Hermitage Av., Chicago.

Franciszek (Frank) Penska was godfather to my grandmother’s sister Anna Szot-Leonas’ daughter Helen Leonas, and Helen Penksa, nee Lojas was godmother to my grandmother’s sister’s daughter Sophia Helen Leonas when she was baptised at St. John Cantius church in Chicago in May 1914, so there must have been a close relationship between the families.

Last edited by Ute on Tue Apr 10, 2012 11:06 pm; edited 2 times in total

peachescg

Joined: 06 Apr 2012
Replies: 8

Back to top

Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 9:05 am Post subject:

Helen Lojas-Penksa's brother Jan/John is my husband's grandfather. My mother in law was named after Helen.

Ute
PO Top Contributor

Joined: 13 Dec 2009
Replies: 599
Location: Germany
Back to top

Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 12:51 pm Post subject:

peachescg wrote:

Helen Lojas-Penksa's brother Jan/John is my husband's grandfather. My mother in law was named after Helen.

Hello peachescg,
Welcome to PolishOrigins! I'm glad to hear from you! In the meantime I created a temporary Penksa family tree with all the information I collected up until now, which makes it a little easier to keep an overwiev over all the names and how the families are connected to each other. Although the family tree has been growing very quick, I have not found an answer to my question if Franciszek Penksa and Helen Lojas were related to the Szot-Ascolani family by blood or marriage or if they were just close friends. I also don't know much about your husband's grandfather Jan/John Lojas yet, apart from the fact that he and his sister Helen immigrated to the US in 1908. Can you and your husband help solve the mystery about how the Penksas are connected to the Szot-Ascolani family in Chicago and the confusing Lojas-Penksa name changes?
Ute

peachescg

Joined: 06 Apr 2012
Replies: 8

Back to top

Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 7:23 pm Post subject:

Hello Ute,
Thank you for the welcome. I was excited when I found this post! I have never heard of the Penksas or Szot-Ascolani families. I had the pleasure back in 1986 of speaking with one of my mother in laws cousin's. She told me that when the Lojas' came to America, the girls kept the Lojas name and the boys changed their name to Kosla and later on to Koslo. Her father was Stanley Lojas/Koslo. Most of the documentation I have has both the Lojas name and the Koslo name. My husband did not know much about the family due to them never talking about anyone. He didn't even know that his mother had 3 older siblings that passed before they were teenagers, until we spoke to the cousin. His mother Helen passed away when he was 5 years old, so I only have what her cousin told me to go on.

Peaches

Ute
PO Top Contributor

Joined: 13 Dec 2009
Replies: 599
Location: Germany
Back to top

Posted: Sat Apr 07, 2012 2:10 am Post subject:

peachescg wrote:

... My husband did not know much about the family due to them never talking about anyone. He didn't even know that his mother had 3 older siblings that passed before they were teenagers, until we spoke to the cousin. His mother Helen passed away when he was 5 years old, so I only have what her cousin told me to go on.
Peaches

Hello Peaches,
I think that's the way it was in many immigrant families, including my own, that the parents didn't talk much (or not at all) about the family history and their life in the "old country" and that the children never thought to ask about it while they still had the chance. That's why genealogy message boards are filled with people who are looking for their roots and trying to find the pieces to the puzzle to fill out the family tree.

Originally I was only interested in finding out how the Lojas-Penksa family was connected to the Szot-Leonas family. I found it confusing to find both last names, Lojas and Kosla/Koslo, or even the double name Lojas-Kosla/Koslo for the Lojas children. Helen Lojas' (your husband's grandfather Jan's sister's) church marriage record indicated that her parents were Joannis (Jan) Lojas and Agnes Kasperek. I'm attaching the record for you. I haven't seen Jan Lojas' church marriage record, but if he was really Helen's brother, his parents' names should be the same.

It looks like it, because when Helen and Jan immigrated to the US in December 1908, they indicated that their destination in the for US was their father JAN LOJAS who lived at 4306, Honore Street, Chicago at the time. However, they said that their last residence and contact in the country they came from was their mother MARIA Lojas in Szaflary. Helen and Jan were very young when they came to the US (Helen was 15 and Jan was only 10 years old), and I'm wondering if perhaps a Kosla family took care of them or even adopted them, if their mother was remarried to man with the last name Kosla or Koslo, if Helen and Jan were perhaps half-siblings and had different mothers, or ....

I created a temporary Penksa-Lojas family tree because I was curious to find an answer to these questions. If any of the following names are on your family tree, please let me know (many of the families lived in "Back of the Yards" in Chicago): BAFIA, BIK, CAPIAK, CHALUPA, CISON, DEIBERT, DICKOW, DRAIS, FUCHS (FOX), JGASPERIC (KASPEREK); GRIGLAK, HAJNOS (HAYNES), KIEBLES (KEBLESH), KULACH, KUSEK, LOJAS, LOJAS (KOSLA, KOSLO), LUBERDA, MAJEWSKA/ MAJEWSKI, MAREK, Mc DAID, MORAN, MROWCA, NAWIASZ, PARA, PENKSA/PENKSKI.

UPDATE:
In the Ellis Island database I found TWO Lojas families from Szaflary who emigrated to the United States (I have not looked up details on other Lojas emigrants from the district of Nowy Targ who came from Poronin, Harklowa, Zubsuche, Zakopane, and so on and may be related to the Szaflary Lojas families):
There was a JAN LOJAS family, wife Agnieszka (born abt. 1863), with four children: Marya, b. abt. 1891; Helene, b. 1893; Jan, b. abt. 1898; and Jozef, b. abt. 1903; and a JOZEF LOJAS family, wife Anna (b. abt. 1862), with three US born children: Wladyslaw, born abt. 1895; Gustav; born abt. 1900; and Aniela, born abt. 1901.

PENKSA-LOJAS church marriage 1913-1.jpg

Description:

Filesize:

650.84 KB

Viewed:

19685 Time(s)

Last edited by Ute on Tue Apr 10, 2012 11:38 am; edited 1 time in total

peachescg

Joined: 06 Apr 2012
Replies: 8

Back to top

Posted: Sat Apr 07, 2012 3:52 pm Post subject:

Hi Ute,

I do believe Helen Lojas and our John Lojas Koslo have the same parents. I have his death certificate and it names his parents as John Koslo and Agnes Kalata, I do believe the mothers last name is wrong due to the information being given from medical records. I know grandpa John changed a lot of things about himself. When I spoke to cousin Anne Koslo Chmelik in 1986 she stated that there were 5 children that she knew about. Stanley, which was her father, Maria, John, Helen and Joseph. She did state that she did not believe that Maria ever came to the US. She also had told me that the father was a widower and that he visited the US often and the last time he came over he married a much younger woman and that they had 1 or 2 children together and that after his death, during Hitler's take over of Poland, that the families never heard from her or her children again.

I do have our John's marriage license, but not church record.

As far as the other names you mention the only other surname familiar to me is the Bafia's. The Bafia's handled the funeral services for the family. It was the Stanley W. Bafia and son funeral home. And all of the Lojas/Koslo's that I know of are buried in Resurrection Cemetery in Justice ILL.

Peaches

peachescg

Joined: 06 Apr 2012
Replies: 8

Back to top

Posted: Sat Apr 07, 2012 4:01 pm Post subject:

UPDATE:
In the Ellis Island database I found TWO Lojas families from Szaflary who emigrated to the United States (I have not looked up details on other Lojas emigrants from the district of Nowy Targ who came from Poronin, Harklowa, Zubsuche, Zakopane, and so on and may be related to the Szaflary Lojas families):
There was a JAN LOJAS family, wife Agnieszka (born abt. 1863), with four children: Marya, b. abt. 1891; Helene, b. 1893; Jan, b. abt. 1898; and Jozef, b. abt. 1903; and a JOZEF LOJAS family, wife Anna (b. abt. 1862), with three US born children: Wladyslaw, born abt. 1895; Gustav; born abt. 1900; and Aniela, born abt. 1901.[/quote]

My mother in laws birth certificate states fathers place of birth as Szaflary, poland. And that seems to name f 4 or the 5 children that I knew about.

Ute
PO Top Contributor

Joined: 13 Dec 2009
Replies: 599
Location: Germany
Back to top

Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2012 1:22 am Post subject:

Quote:

UTE WROTE: UPDATE: In the Ellis Island database I found TWO Lojas families from Szaflary who emigrated to the United States (I have not looked up details on other Lojas emigrants from the district of Nowy Targ who came from Poronin, Harklowa, Zubsuche, Zakopane, and so on and may be related to the Szaflary Lojas families):
There was a JAN LOJAS family, wife Agnieszka (born abt. 1863), with four children: Marya, b. abt. 1891; Helene, b. 1893; Jan, b. abt. 1898; and Jozef, b. abt. 1903; and a JOZEF LOJAS family, wife Anna (b. abt. 1862), with three US born children: Wladyslaw, born abt. 1895; Gustav; born abt. 1900; and Aniela, born abt. 1901.
PEACHES wrote:
My mother in laws birth certificate states fathers place of birth as Szaflary, poland. And that seems to name f 4 or the 5 children that I knew about.

Hello Peaches,
I found church marriage records for four Lojas children who were indexed in the Marriage Index for Polish Parishes in Chicago through 1915:

Name Spouse Date of Marriage Church
Lojas, Frank Kroll, Antonina 11-9-1913 St. Ann Church
Lojas, Maria Bucina(Buczyna), Thomas 7-2-1911 Sacred Heart Church
Lojas, Victoria Mieckkula, Joseph 1-19-1913 St. Joseph Church
Lojas, Wladyslaw Schleichert, Maria 10-25-1915 Sacred Heart Church

LOJAS, Franciszek (Frank) married KROLL, Antonina on Nov. 9, 1913 at St. Ann Church, Chicago. His parents were Szymon LOJAS and Katarzyna CHOWANIEC; her parents were Jozef KROLL and Katarzyna LOS or LAS. Witnesses were Jan ORAWIEC and Agnieszka STANCZIK.
According to his naturalization record of July 6, 1923, Frank Lojas (family name is indexed as Kosla (Lojas), given names as Franciszek Lojas (Frank), was born July 8, 1891 in Poland and immigrated to the US on Nov. 13, 1906. His residence was 15357, 8th Ave., Phoenix, Illinois at the time.
See https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-20825-26582-61?cc=1838804
Source Citation: "Illinois, Northern District Naturalization Index, 1840-1950," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XKGW-398 : accessed 8 April 2012), Franciszel Lojas Or Frank Kosla Or Lojas (1923).

He died March 10, 1945 in Harvey, Cook, Illinois at age 52, Birth Date: 08 Jul 1892 in Poland, Estimated Birth Year: 1893, Father: Simon Lojas, Father's Birth Place: Poland, Mother: Catherine, Mother's Birth Place: Poland, Occupation: laborer, Residence: Phoenix, Cook, IL, Spouse: Antoinett, Burial Date: 15 Mar 1945, Burial Place: Calumet City, Cook, Illinois, Cemetery: Holy Cross. Source: Illinois, Deaths and Stillbirths, 1916-1947.
See: https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/N347-MQQ
Source Citation: "Illinois, Deaths and Stillbirths, 1916-1947," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/N347-MQQ : accessed 8 April 2012), Simon Lojas in entry for Frank Lojas (1945).

LOJAS, Maria married BUCZYNA, Thomas on July 2, 1911 at Sacred Heart Church, Chicago. His parents were Andreas BUCZYNA and Joanna KASPEREK; her parents were Joannes (your JAN?) LOJAS and Agnes KASPEREK. Witnesses were Felix ZATEK or LATEK and Helena BUCZYNA.

LOJAS, Wiktorya married MIECKULA, Joseph on Jan. 19, 1913 at St. Joseph Church, Chicago. Her parents were Szymonis LOJAS and Katarzyna (last name not given, most likely CHOWANIEC as above -- see Frank's parents); his parents were Antoni MIECKULA and Rosal. (probably Rozalia, last name not given). Witnesses were Franciskus LOJAS and Helena LOJAS.

LOJAS, Wladislaw (Ladislaus in the church book) married SCHLEICHERT, Maryanna on 25 Oct. 1915 at Sacred Heart Church. His parents were Josephus LOJAS and Anna KASPRZYK (Kasperek?); her parents were Franciszek SCHLEICHERT and Elisabeth BASTA. Witnesses were Stanislaw TRANOWSKI and Angela LOJAS.
So LOJAS, Frank and LOJAS, Wiktorya were (most likely) siblings and the children of Szymon LOJAS and Katarzyna CHOWANIEC;
LOJAS, Wladislaw was the son of Joseph LOJAS and Anna KASPRZYK (Kasperek?); and
LOJAS, Maria was the daughter of Jan LOJAS and Agnes KASPEREK.

I also found information on Joseph Lojas or Kosla, Death Date: 23 Feb 1943, Death Place: Chicago, Cook, Illinois, Age: 76, Estimated Birth Year: 1867, Father: John Lojas. Digital Folder Number: 4152268, Image Number: 1150, Film Number: 1953846, Volume/Page/Certificate Number: cn 5997. There's no death record or any other information. He could be Wladislaw's father.
See: https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/NQ1P-ZS8
Source Citation: "Illinois, Deaths and Stillbirths, 1916-1947," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1

For Jan Lojas I couldn't find a marriage record, but I found one for Jan Kosla-Lojas, son of Simonis Kosla, mother's name not given, who married Angela Kalata, daughter of Joseph Kalata (mother's name not given), on Feb 1, 1903 at SS Cyril and Methodius, Hermitage Ave, Chicago. Witnesses were Jan Buc and Joanne (Jan?) Kosla. The church marriage states that he was from Poronin (not from Szaflary).

I downloaded all the church marriage records; if you would like to have them, please let me know.
Happy Easter Holidays, - Ute

peachescg

Joined: 06 Apr 2012
Replies: 8

Back to top

Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2012 10:00 am Post subject:

Hello Ute,
It appears that the Maria Lojas Buczyna would be our John's sister. John married Helen Grela 24 April 1918. https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/N789-XJQ

I do have a hard copy of the death certificate, they originally sent me the wrong one, for John L Lojas alias Kosla son of Simon Lojas and Katherine Howanier husband of Angela. DOB 15 August 1884, DOD 26 Feb 1953.

I remember cousin Anne telling us there was a lot of family with same names but I didn't realize how many.

I would love to have the marriage records. Thank you so much for your help.

Happy Easter to you too. Peaches

Ute
PO Top Contributor

Joined: 13 Dec 2009
Replies: 599
Location: Germany
Back to top

Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2012 11:46 am Post subject:

peachescg wrote:

Hello Ute,
It appears that the Maria Lojas Buczyna would be our John's sister. John married Helen Grela 24 April 1918. https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/N789-XJQ

Peaches,
According to the marriage licence, John Koslo and Helen Grela were married on 24. Apr. 1918 at Old St. Stephen's Church, 923 W. Ohio Street, Chicago. Unfortunately, only baptisms and marriages, 1869-1915, are available online for Old St. Stephen's Church.
But I found Mary Bucina's obituary that appeared in the Chicago Tribune on 1963-12-11
Mary Bucina, nee Koslo, devoted wife of Thomas; dear mother of Caroline Kolar, Helen Organiscak, Frank, Louis, Mary, Pavlik, John, Thomas, Angeline Droba, Dr. Eugene, and Andrew; ... sister of Joseph and John Koslo ...
Source: 1963, Chicago Tribune, Record Number: 19631211dn051.
I'll send you the full text of the obituary along with the marriage records tomorrow.
Ute

peachescg

Joined: 06 Apr 2012
Replies: 8

Back to top

Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2012 1:52 pm Post subject:

Ute wrote:

peachescg wrote:

Hello Ute,
It appears that the Maria Lojas Buczyna would be our John's sister. John married Helen Grela 24 April 1918. https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/N789-XJQ

Ute,

I found birth records for the 5 oldest children this morning. I'm looking forward to seeing the full obituary and the marriage records. Thanks again.

Peaches

Ute
PO Top Contributor

Joined: 13 Dec 2009
Replies: 599
Location: Germany
Back to top

Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2013 8:02 am Post subject: Łojas – Kośla from Poronin

peachescg wrote:

Peaches,
I just found this referring to Franciszek Łojas – Kośla from Poronin:
http://www.google.de/imgres?start=976&hl=de&client=firefox-a&sa=X&tbo=d&rls=org.mozilla:de:official&biw=1280&bih=578&tbm=isch&tbnid=uUO8TpeKhQcWgM:&imgrefurl=http://www.parafiaporonin.o12.pl/ze-zbior%25C3%25B3w-F-Kosli.php&docid=m9XGMnvslXiycM&imgurl=http://www.parafiaporonin.o12.pl/images/KOSLA/ko9.jpg&w=329&h=387&ei=1o0bUdCLKfD64QTWrYGYCA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=535&vpy=204&dur=12534&hovh=244&hovw=207&tx=126&ty=75&sig=114382755874454157288&page=35&tbnh=161&tbnw=169&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:96,s:900,i:292

peachescg

Joined: 06 Apr 2012
Replies: 8

Back to top

Posted: Fri May 24, 2013 5:51 pm Post subject:

Hi Ute,
We just got back from another visit to Chicago, this time we got to go to Resurrection Cemetery in Justice, IL and found my husband's mother, gfather and gmother's grave sites. None of them have head stones, so was quite a task, we went two times. What I noticed when I was going through photos of the head stones was, I took one of Walter Malek and I noticed his name on one of the listings you sent me. Also reading back I found this post:
Bill wrote: OMG- I found Helen and Franks passport records. This is the first time I found a record with photographs + there was a letter attached from Szaflary written in 1922! And a bonus, August Lojas was a witness to it all. I sent it all to your private email.
Ute wrote: Bill, thank you so much! You are GREAT! The letter from Szaflary, written in 1922, is especially interesting. I assume it was written by Helen Lojas-Penksa's father Jan Lojas from Szaflary. I have more information on the family that I'm going to post separately to keep the two Penksa families apart.

Would it be possible for you to send me in a private email a copy of the letter Jan Lojas wrote?

Hoping all is well with you.

Thank you,

Peaches

Ute
PO Top Contributor

Joined: 13 Dec 2009
Replies: 599
Location: Germany
Back to top

Posted: Sat May 25, 2013 8:44 am Post subject:

peachescg wrote:

Hi Peaches,
It is good to hear from you again and thanks for the new info. 'Misty', the granddaughter of Mary Lojas Bucina, contacted me not too long ago, and I sent her the information I had on the Lojas/Penksa families so far, including the link to Frances Lojas Kosla, author, playwright, and poet from Poronin that I posted at PolishOrigins.

She just sent me a thank you message saying that she contacted him and that they are related. She said: "My great-grandfather and his John Lojas born 1863 were brothers."

Perhaps I can get you in contact with her. Unfortunately, I don't have her e-mail address, she contacted me via Ancestry.com.

It might take a few days until I have time to send you a copy of the letter Jan Lojas wrote. I have more info and records on the Lojas-Koslo/Kosla families, including a family tree that I created in the hopes to find the connection to my Szaflary-Banska ancestors (with no success yet). I still haven't added all the records and information I have to the family tree I made, my husband and I have both had a number of health problems over the last several months and I couldn't continue. Hopefully I'll be able to go on with it soon and to share with you what I have so far.
Ute

peachescg

Joined: 06 Apr 2012
Replies: 8

Back to top

Posted: Sun May 26, 2013 9:34 am Post subject:

Hi Ute,
Yes it would be great if I could get in contact with "Misty". I did exchange emails last year with a great grandson of Mary Lojas Bucina, Angelina's grandson, but they too are not willing to give me any family history. My husband's mother stood up for Angelina when she got married and I know there is a wedding photo that I would love to have a copy of, but like I said they are not willing to talk to me. Maybe if "Misty" and I connect we could exchange a lot of photo's and info.

I do believe that John born 1863 was my husband's great-grandfather, but still not positive.

Hope you and your husband are better now. When ever you can send me what you have and possibly get "Misty" in contact with me would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you so much Ute,

Mary (Peaches)

PolishOrigins Forum