Forum | PolishOrigins :: View topic - Where did our Polish ancestors live after immigration?

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valeriebgonzalez

Joined: 26 Apr 2012
Replies: 11

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Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2012 1:52 pm Post subject:

My ancestors lived in Fay st. in Chicago I have a couple different addresses both on Fay St one is 646 and I dont remember the other..I cannot find this on google maps could this have been part of the "Back of the Yards"? If not how do I find out where Fay St. Was? everything says it should be in Chicago

valeriebgonzalez

Joined: 26 Apr 2012
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Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2012 1:56 pm Post subject:

oops that was 676 sorry

Ute
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Joined: 13 Dec 2009
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Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2012 2:37 pm Post subject: Where did our Polish ancestors live after immigration?

valeriebgonzalez wrote under the "Back of the Yards" topic:
My ancestors lived in Fay st. in Chicago I have a couple different addresses both on Fay St one is 646 and I dont remember the other..I cannot find this on google maps could this have been part of the "Back of the Yards"? If not how do I find out where Fay St. Was? everything says it should be in Chicago.

valeriebgonzalez wrote under the "Back of the Yards" topic:
oops that was 676 sorry

Ute responded:
Valerie,
I don't believe this! My grandparents lived at 686, Fay Street, Chicago, Ward 17! I found the 686, Fay Street address in the birth certificate of my grandparents' third child, Antonina Wiktorya Roll, who was born March 26, 1914. Our families we neighbors!
My grandfather had several other addresses in Chicago (according to the family records I found). He ran a roofing business in Chicago and I assume these were business addresses. Bill Rushin made a map of my family's residences in Chicago for me some time ago. He said that Fay street was not on the map any more.
See http://polishorigins.com/forum/files/uteschicagomap_120.jpg
Ute

***
Valerie’s question posted under the "Back of the Yards" topic if Fay St, Chicago could have been part of the “Back of the Yards”, my response that my grandparents lived at Fay St too, and our search for this street started a discussion about Polish neighborhoods in Chicago with interesting comments and maps around this subject.

I thought this subject is worth discussing further.

Since we got a mixture of messages that were a little off topic for the "Back of the Yards", Bill suggested to start a new thread and to transfer all comments and maps that are off topic for the Back of Yards into this new thread. And that's what we did!

So, let's start a new thread on where our Polish ancestors lived after immigration to the United States, which parish they attended, and what their life and that of their children was like back then.

Ute

Last edited by Ute on Sat May 05, 2012 12:05 am; edited 6 times in total

Hussar

Joined: 06 Oct 2011
Replies: 35

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Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2012 3:51 pm Post subject:

You have to look at a copy of a pre-expressway-era map of Chicago to find the street.

valeriebgonzalez

Joined: 26 Apr 2012
Replies: 11

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Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2012 5:55 pm Post subject:

I didnt think about Freeways taking out houses, that's so sad. Ute.. That is amazing! I See my family at Fay St in the 1920 census and in 1930 They were on Laddon or Faddon St (hard to read if its a F or L) and they now Owned their house (amazing for the American Dream to come true for them!) In 1920 my Great Great Grandfather was a Trucker at a Freight House (could be Trasher not sure) and in 1930 he was a Laborer at a Coal Yard too bad he didnt work with him

Magroski49
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Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2012 7:25 pm Post subject:

For those of you who had ancestors living in Chicago. Until few years ago it was possible to view every and each house in all Chicago (or the whole IL state, I don't remember). Now that website seems to have restricted the information only to the proprietaries, because a number of PIN is asked. The link is http://www.cookcountyassessor.com/

Gilberto

Ute
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Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2012 11:31 pm Post subject:

valeriebgonzalez wrote:

Valerie,
I think Fay Street was near St. John Cantius Church, Carpenter Street. St. John Cantius Church still exists, but I vaguely remember reading somewhere (just don't remember where ...) that many houses where torn down west of the church when John F. Kennedy Expressway was built around 1960.
Ute

Bill Rushin
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Joined: 14 Dec 2009
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Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2012 12:15 am Post subject:

[quote="Ute"]

valeriebgonzalez wrote:

I think Fay Street was near St. John Cantius Church, Carpenter Street. St. John Cantius Church still exists, but I vaguely remember reading somewhere (just don't remember where ...) that many houses where torn down west of the church when John F. Kennedy Expressway was built around 1960.
Ute

It's been awhile since I made the map Ute mentioned, so I made this quickie map. The red circles are where they removed many houses to change the direction of the expressway. It was supposed to follow the black line. As Hussar mentioned earlier Rep. Dan Rostenkowski who was in the predominantly Polish 32d Ward in what was then known as "Polish Downtown" for twenty-four years had the highway moved westward so the Polish neighborhood he was from wasn't torn down. (click on map to enlarge)

Fay st location before I-94.png

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Ute
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Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2012 11:54 pm Post subject:

valeriebgonzalez wrote:

Valerie,
I found an article on the history of St. John Cantius Church at PGSA that mentions the changes in the parish and the tearing down of the old neighborhoods in the 1950s. I assume Fay Street was among the streets that were destroyed to make room for the Northwest (now John F. Kennedy) expressway.

Here is an excerpt: ” …In 1951, Father Grabowski was appointed pastor of St. Mary of the Angels Church and Rev. Stanley Duda, CR was named pastor of St. John Cantius Church. Like his predecessors, he witnessed the profound changes in the parish which resulted when families moved to other residential districts. In the 1950s, thousands of homes were razed to make way for the Northwest (now the John F. Kennedy) expressway. This massive construction project deeply affected St. John and neighboring parishes. …”

Source: http://www.pgsa.org/ArchChiPolPar/archchicago_descr.php?pageID=33

Ute

Last edited by Ute on Sun Apr 29, 2012 12:08 am; edited 1 time in total

Ute
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Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2012 11:57 pm Post subject:

Quote:

Thank you, Bill! Your maps are always very helpful!
Ute

Ute
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Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 12:06 am Post subject:

Magroski49 wrote:

Thank you, Gilberto! It really seems that you need a pin number now to log on. What a pity, would have been interesting!
Ute

Ute
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Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 12:14 am Post subject:

Hussar wrote:

You have to look at a copy of a pre-expressway-era map of Chicago to find the street.

Hussar,
Thank you. I was trying to find an old Chicago street map online, but couldn't find one. If someone can provide a pre-expressway-era map, I would greatly appreciate it.
Ute

Cheri Vanden Berg
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Joined: 16 Oct 2011
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Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 6:55 am Post subject:

[/quote]
Thank you, Gilberto! It really seems that you need a pin number now to log on. What a pity, would have been interesting!
Ute[/quote]
http://cookcountyassessor.com/Property_Search/Property_Search.aspx
This is a slightly different link. If you scroll down a little, you can search by address.

Magroski49
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Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 7:01 am Post subject:

Cheri,

I have tried searching by address, but after filling the fields out it still asked me for the PIN number.

Gilberto

Ute
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Joined: 13 Dec 2009
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Location: Germany
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Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 9:49 am Post subject:

Ute wrote:

Valerie,
I don't believe this! My grandparents lived at 686, Fay Street, Chicago, Ward 17! I found the 686, Fay Street address in the birth certificate of my grandparents' third child, Antonina Wiktorya Roll, who was born March 26, 1914. Our families we neighbors!
My grandfather had several other addresses in Chicago (according to the family records I found). He ran a roofing business in Chicago and I assume these were business addresses. Bill Rushin made a map of my family's residences in Chicago for me some time ago. He said that Fay street was not on the map any more.
See http://polishorigins.com/forum/files/uteschicagomap_120.jpg
Ute

Valerie and Bill,
I should have been doing other work today, but the question kept bothering me where Fay Street was! I think I found it on an old Chicago map of 1880 that was online
http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~30505~1140032?id=1-1-30505-1140032&name=Chicago
I'm attaching a screenshot. FAY is written vertically right above the M of the line that says Milwaukee. I saw several other familiar street names that I came across while doing my research.

Fay Street, Chicago, 1880.jpg

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Last edited by Ute on Mon Apr 30, 2012 12:57 am; edited 2 times in total

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