ShannonCreedon
Joined: 14 Jan 2026
Replies: 9
Location: CaliforniaBack to top |
Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2026 6:05 pm
Post subject: Jozefeks and Wesolys from Niebieszczany
Crossposted in Villages and towns of our ancestors' origins
Hi,
First time poster, long time searcher.
From what I know of my grandfather's side of the family, his father came from Niebieszczany, a small village in Sanok, Subcarpathian Voivodeship.
First, I’m looking to find information about my great-grandfather, Jozef Jozefek. He was born in Niebieszczany, on or around 17 September, 1880, and died (maybe) between 1942 and 1945. The only evidence I have of his death is that in 1945, his wife is listed in the white pages as a widow.
Information I know about Jozef:
Father: Maciej/Matfei/Mearcin? Jozefek
Mother: Katarzina Kuchaveska
Possible Siblings (All dates are estimates): Jan (b.1883), Maryanna/Michalina (b.1884), Charles (b.1885), Stanislaw (b.1886), Wojciech (b.1887), Andrzej (b.1893)
Immigration to US: 1904
Spouse: Anna Wesoly/Wesola/Wesota
The rumors about him that I heard growing up were that he made several trips back to Poland after coming to the U.S. which are possible. I have a couple of ship manifests that show a Jozef Jozefek from Niebieszczany, with at least one listed as final destination being where he settled. It seems likely that if there was another trip to Poland, it might have been between 1913-1920 as there were no children born during this time. He is also not listed on the census in 1920 with the rest of the family, though he could have been elsewhere in the US. I don’t know the next time he arrived in Poland, though it could be any time after 1927. He’s listed as “head of house” on the 1930 US census, though listed as “absent.” In the 1940 census, he’s not listed at all, and his wife, Anna, is listed as “head.”
One story alleges that he was conscripted into the Russian Army, possibly during WWI, though I have no evidence to support that, nor do I know where to start looking to find out. It seems that he died in Poland, but, as it seems to be during WWII, I don’t know that I’ll be able to find how, when, or where it happened. There were also rumors that there was a second family in Poland.
Next, I’m hoping to find any information about his wife, Anna Wesoly/Wesola.
Birth: 17 March, 1886, possibly in Niebieszczany. Most records show Austria Poland.
Father: Anna’s marriage certificate says John , which I believe would be Jan, unless there’s another name that could be anglicized as John.
Mother: Mary Orzech/Orzeck
Immigration: 1904
Possible Siblings:
Joseph Wesoly - b. 12 June, 1878. Parents listed are Jan Wesoly and Sofia Ksczera (Ksezera?,)
Victoria Wesoly - b. 12 Dec 1880. “John” and Sofia Koczara
Pawel Wesoly b. 1 Nov 1888. Parents listed are “John” Wesoly and Catherina Zieminski
Frank (Franciszek Jan) Wesoly b. 1890
Jan Wesoly b. Dec 1895
If that information is in fact correct, that would mean that Jan Wesoly married several times. Once before 1878, once between 1880 and 1885, and possibly after 1886.
Anna and Jozef immigrated separately and settled in New Bedford, MA.
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BarbOsloPO Top Contributor
Joined: 19 Nov 2022
Replies: 1617
Location: NorwayBack to top |
Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2026 7:04 pm
Post subject:
Hi,
Welcome to the forum. Unfortunately, there is not much material available from the parish of Niebieszczany. I found the birth record of Andrzej / Andreas, who was the brother of your great-grandfather. He was born on April 2, 1893 in Niebieszczany, and was probably the youngest of the siblings. Based on this, I know the following. See attachment.
Regards,
-Barb
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BarbOsloPO Top Contributor
Joined: 19 Nov 2022
Replies: 1617
Location: NorwayBack to top |
Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2026 7:38 pm
Post subject:
...and here is the Wesoly family. Franciszek was born on April 1, 1890 in Niebieszczany.
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SophiaPO Top Contributor
Joined: 05 Oct 2014
Replies: 1533
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Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2026 7:52 pm
Post subject: Re: Jozefeks and Wesolys from Niebieszczany
| ShannonCreedon wrote: | Crossposted in Villages and towns of our ancestors' origins
Hi,
First time poster, long time searcher.
From what I know of my grandfather's side of the family, his father came from Niebieszczany, a small village in Sanok, Subcarpathian Voivodeship.
First, I’m looking to find information about my great-grandfather, Jozef Jozefek. He was born in Niebieszczany, on or around 17 September, 1880, and died (maybe) between 1942 and 1945. The only evidence I have of his death is that in 1945, his wife is listed in the white pages as a widow.
Information I know about Jozef:
Father: Maciej/Matfei/Mearcin? Jozefek
Mother: Katarzina Kuchaveska
Possible Siblings (All dates are estimates): Jan (b.1883), Maryanna/Michalina (b.1884), Charles (b.1885), Stanislaw (b.1886), Wojciech (b.1887), Andrzej (b.1893)
Immigration to US: 1904
Spouse: Anna Wesoly/Wesola/Wesota
The rumors about him that I heard growing up were that he made several trips back to Poland after coming to the U.S. which are possible. I have a couple of ship manifests that show a Jozef Jozefek from Niebieszczany, with at least one listed as final destination being where he settled. It seems likely that if there was another trip to Poland, it might have been between 1913-1920 as there were no children born during this time. He is also not listed on the census in 1920 with the rest of the family, though he could have been elsewhere in the US. I don’t know the next time he arrived in Poland, though it could be any time after 1927. He’s listed as “head of house” on the 1930 US census, though listed as “absent.” In the 1940 census, he’s not listed at all, and his wife, Anna, is listed as “head.”
One story alleges that he was conscripted into the Russian Army, possibly during WWI, though I have no evidence to support that, nor do I know where to start looking to find out. It seems that he died in Poland, but, as it seems to be during WWII, I don’t know that I’ll be able to find how, when, or where it happened. There were also rumors that there was a second family in Poland.
Next, I’m hoping to find any information about his wife, Anna Wesoly/Wesola.
Birth: 17 March, 1886, possibly in Niebieszczany. Most records show Austria Poland.
Father: Anna’s marriage certificate says John , which I believe would be Jan, unless there’s another name that could be anglicized as John.
Mother: Mary Orzech/Orzeck
Immigration: 1904
Possible Siblings:
Joseph Wesoly - b. 12 June, 1878. Parents listed are Jan Wesoly and Sofia Ksczera (Ksezera?,)
Victoria Wesoly - b. 12 Dec 1880. “John” and Sofia Koczara
Pawel Wesoly b. 1 Nov 1888. Parents listed are “John” Wesoly and Catherina Zieminski
Frank (Franciszek Jan) Wesoly b. 1890
Jan Wesoly b. Dec 1895
If that information is in fact correct, that would mean that Jan Wesoly married several times. Once before 1878, once between 1880 and 1885, and possibly after 1886.
Anna and Jozef immigrated separately and settled in New Bedford, MA. |
Hi Shannon,
Welcome to the forum! I see that Barb is already looking for records. I have only one detail to contribute at the moment. It may very well be true that your Jozef served during World War I. There is a website for the archives of the city of Vác in Hungary, which has a listing for a Jozef Jozefek whose details seem to match what you have provided above. Using my browser's translation tool unfortunately does not do a good job of rendering the Hungarian into English; however, it appears that this man was being treated in Vác for a ruptured eardrum, in 1914. I believe it is also listing the battalion and company that he served with:
https://www.vacarchivum.hu/ivh-name/JozefekJozef(Josef)_2702
Edit: I am not able to get the link to post properly! Sorry for the technical difficulty. I am including a screenshot below, of what it needs to look like in your browser.
Do you think this is him? Had you already found this Vác archive website?
Best of luck in your search,
Sophia
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SophiaPO Top Contributor
Joined: 05 Oct 2014
Replies: 1533
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Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2026 8:12 pm
Post subject:
Let me see if I can put up screenshots of the entire entry, which is one very wide table.
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SophiaPO Top Contributor
Joined: 05 Oct 2014
Replies: 1533
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Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2026 5:42 am
Post subject:
Hi Shannon and Barb,
Looks like we now have a death year for Jozef Jozefek: 1932.
The PGSA (Polish Genealogical Society of America) has some searchable databases. I include a screenshot showing the results for the surname Jozefek.
From this, you can see various members of the family were mentioned in church jubilee books for St. Casimir's church in New Bedford, Massachusetts, and there is an additional mention of Jozef in the Holy Trinity church in Lowell. While you can ask PGSA, for a fee, to give you copies of the jubilee book pages, it is probably not worth it since it may only be their name listed on a page with no further info about them. However, you most certainly may want to pursue getting copies from PGSA of the PRCUA insurance claim files. Jozef's claim date is November 2, 1932 and Jacob's is in 1949 if you are also interested in him. I suggest you go to the PGSA website and read up on what they say about the PRCUA insurance files. For some, they have nothing, but for others they have the entire insurance application which can be rich in genealogical info.
An added thought: November 2, 1932 is the date of the claim on the insurance, not necessarily a date of death, but it should narrow down when you should look for death records. Also, given what you said about him being listed in the 1930 census as not present, there is a possibility that he was missing and then declared dead by a court so that his wife could access his life insurance. I don't know about researching those type of records, but you might explore Massachusetts court records to see what you can find.
Sophia
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ShannonCreedon
Joined: 14 Jan 2026
Replies: 9
Location: CaliforniaBack to top |
Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2026 11:59 am
Post subject:
Barb and Sophia,
You are amazing! I cannot believe how quickly you found this information!
Barb, I am so thankful to have this information and to be able to go back another generation, for both the Jozefeks and the Wesolys. I will definitely be exploring them more, now that I have a bit of a lead!
Sophia, the information you found on Jozef in Hungary during WWI is invaluable! I am so glad to have a little more information on him. Because he was absent during much of my grandfather's childhood, he was never talked about much with my mom, and my grandfather died when I was to young to ask questions myself. I know my mom and her siblings will be so grateful to have a bit more information about this!
As far as the Jozefek in Lowell, I will say that I'm not entirely sure that this is him, as I have found other records that overlap. To make things more complicated, there is a second Jozef Jozefef (b. about 1888 in Poland) who lived in the New Bedford/Acushnet MA area that was married to Agata Jozefek (nee' Wesoly). I *think* that he is the son of Stanislaw Jozefek (possibly a brother of Maciej), making him my great grandfather's cousin. I've attached a screenshot from Ancestry about this branch of the tree. There may still be some errors, as I have to cross reference information, but I have it there to remind me.
[/img]
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SophiaPO Top Contributor
Joined: 05 Oct 2014
Replies: 1533
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Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2026 4:54 pm
Post subject:
| ShannonCreedon wrote: | Barb and Sophia,
You are amazing! I cannot believe how quickly you found this information!
Barb, I am so thankful to have this information and to be able to go back another generation, for both the Jozefeks and the Wesolys. I will definitely be exploring them more, now that I have a bit of a lead!
Sophia, the information you found on Jozef in Hungary during WWI is invaluable! I am so glad to have a little more information on him. Because he was absent during much of my grandfather's childhood, he was never talked about much with my mom, and my grandfather died when I was to young to ask questions myself. I know my mom and her siblings will be so grateful to have a bit more information about this!
As far as the Jozefek in Lowell, I will say that I'm not entirely sure that this is him, as I have found other records that overlap. To make things more complicated, there is a second Jozef Jozefef (b. about 1888 in Poland) who lived in the New Bedford/Acushnet MA area that was married to Agata Jozefek (nee' Wesoly). I *think* that he is the son of Stanislaw Jozefek (possibly a brother of Maciej), making him my great grandfather's cousin. I've attached a screenshot from Ancestry about this branch of the tree. There may still be some errors, as I have to cross reference information, but I have it there to remind me.
[/img] |
Hi Shannon,
Just a few details. You'll want to go with the spelling Katarzyna Kucharska (as Barb has written it). Males in that line will be Kucharski. Your Anna's surname will be spelled Wesoła and males in that line will be Wesoły. The fact that you know about a second Jozef Jozefek does complicate things. It may mean that the PRCUA file is not his, which would re-open the whole question of when and where he died. Regarding his time serving in WWI, I spent a bit more time looking at that record from Vac and it shows not only a ruptured eardrum but also the more serious problem of having a concussion. He was being treated at a Red Cross hospital in Vac. I would not interpret this to mean that he was in any battle in Vac or that he served with any unit that was from Vac, simply that he was taken well back behind the lines for medical care. Hope this helps.
Have a wonderful time sharing what you've learned so far with your family!
Sophia
P.S. There is a monument in Niebieszczany to those who were killed during the second world war. The monument has names carved on it. Follow this link, then look at the various views of the monument and you will see the Wesoly name there (4 men) and on another face of the monument, although extremely hard to see because of the sunlight, is the Jozefek name (a woman, Katarzyna) as well:
https://fotopolska.eu/Niebieszczany/b405174,Pomnik_Parafianom_ktorzy_zgineli_w_latach_1939-1947.html
Here is a transcription of the names on the monument:
https://sites.rootsweb.com/~polwgw/archives/niebieszczanywm.html
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BarbOsloPO Top Contributor
Joined: 19 Nov 2022
Replies: 1617
Location: NorwayBack to top |
Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2026 5:55 pm
Post subject:
| Sophia wrote: | | ShannonCreedon wrote: | Barb and Sophia,
You are amazing! I cannot believe how quickly you found this information!
Barb, I am so thankful to have this information and to be able to go back another generation, for both the Jozefeks and the Wesolys. I will definitely be exploring them more, now that I have a bit of a lead!
Sophia, the information you found on Jozef in Hungary during WWI is invaluable! I am so glad to have a little more information on him. Because he was absent during much of my grandfather's childhood, he was never talked about much with my mom, and my grandfather died when I was to young to ask questions myself. I know my mom and her siblings will be so grateful to have a bit more information about this!
As far as the Jozefek in Lowell, I will say that I'm not entirely sure that this is him, as I have found other records that overlap. To make things more complicated, there is a second Jozef Jozefef (b. about 1888 in Poland) who lived in the New Bedford/Acushnet MA area that was married to Agata Jozefek (nee' Wesoly). I *think* that he is the son of Stanislaw Jozefek (possibly a brother of Maciej), making him my great grandfather's cousin. I've attached a screenshot from Ancestry about this branch of the tree. There may still be some errors, as I have to cross reference information, but I have it there to remind me.
[/img] |
Hi Shannon,
Just a few details. You'll want to go with the spelling Katarzyna Kucharska (as Barb has written it). Males in that line will be Kucharski. Your Anna's surname will be spelled Wesoła and males in that line will be Wesoły. The fact that you know about a second Jozef Jozefek does complicate things. It may mean that the PRCUA file is not his, which would re-open the whole question of when and where he died. Regarding his time serving in WWI, I spent a bit more time looking at that record from Vac and it shows not only a ruptured eardrum but also the more serious problem of having a concussion. He was being treated at a Red Cross hospital in Vac. I would not interpret this to mean that he was in any battle in Vac or that he served with any unit that was from Vac, simply that he was taken well back behind the lines for medical care. Hope this helps.
Have a wonderful time sharing what you've learned so far with your family!
Sophia
P.S. There is a monument in Niebieszczany to those who were killed during the second world war. The monument has names carved on it. Follow this link, then look at the various views of the monument and you will see the Wesoly name there (4 men) and on another face of the monument, although extremely hard to see because of the sunlight, is the Jozefek name (a woman, Katarzyna) as well:
https://fotopolska.eu/Niebieszczany/b405174,Pomnik_Parafianom_ktorzy_zgineli_w_latach_1939-1947.html
Here is a transcription of the names on the monument:
https://sites.rootsweb.com/~polwgw/archives/niebieszczanywm.html |
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BarbOsloPO Top Contributor
Joined: 19 Nov 2022
Replies: 1617
Location: NorwayBack to top |
Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2026 5:58 pm
Post subject:
Hi,
I will write some more tomorrow. I will first look at your photo from Ancestry and my notes I made today.
-Barb
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SophiaPO Top Contributor
Joined: 05 Oct 2014
Replies: 1533
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Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2026 7:37 am
Post subject:
Going back to the topic of the PRCUA insurance files that are held by the Polish Genealogical Society of America, I have good news, bad news and confusion.
I am attaching a screenshot of what they show for Jozef Jozefek. As you can see, it shows he belonged to society #1078. This is the good news, because society #1078 was in New Bedford. That gives some hope that this date of 2 November 1932 may in fact be connected to your Jozef Jozefek, rather than the Lowell fellow (the society number for Lowell was 658). The bad news is that the listing of missing files includes the time period of April 1931 through August 1934 and that would seem to indicate that his file will not be accessible to you. Here is the confusing part: the files which are missing 1931-34 are claim numbers 22615 through 26999. Jozef Jozefek's claim number is 1812, clearly not part of that range of claim numbers. Oddly, there are no claim numbers in their listings that go any lower than 4668 (back in 1913). That makes me think there is a typo in the record of Jozef Jozefek for his claim number. I would encourage you to contact the PGSA and ask about this. If there is any chance that his claim was started at an earlier date but only closed in 1932, then maybe they actually have his file (eg what if his claim number was 21812 which they do have a copy of).
https://pgsa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/PRCUA-Files.pdf
I had also mentioned to you that PGSA has a PRCUA file for Jacob Jozefek, who was also from society #1078 however his claim number and year of death are definitely not in their files, as it is too late, they have nothing after 1947. Also, I don't know how Jacob fits into your tree.
Sophia
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BarbOsloPO Top Contributor
Joined: 19 Nov 2022
Replies: 1617
Location: NorwayBack to top |
Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2026 1:43 pm
Post subject:
Hi,
I studied the Wesoly and Jozefek families for several hours yesterday and today. I compared what you wrote, the Ancestry image you shared, and my own notes.
The Jozefek family was easier to confirm because Jozef’s parents match in all three sources. I do not see the same match in the Wesoly family.
You say that in Jozef and Anna’s marriage record, Anna’s parents are listed as Jan Wesoly and Maria Orzech. I did not find the surname Orzech in Niebieszczany in the records I could access.
You also mention three possible marriages for Jan Wesoly. I found two that could fit:
Jan Wesoly and Zofia Kuczera
Jan Wesoly, first married to Katarzyna Ziemińska and later to Katarzyna Hac
These names do not match Anna’s marriage record, which I find more reliable.
Could you share the passenger manifest and the marriage record? Are there any naturalization records?
-Barb
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BarbOsloPO Top Contributor
Joined: 19 Nov 2022
Replies: 1617
Location: NorwayBack to top |
Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2026 11:29 am
Post subject:
Hi Shannon,
I don’t know if this is new information for you, but I don’t see it in your Ancestry tree. Your great-grandfather, Józef Józefek, had an older brother named Michał. He was born on September 16, 1877, in Niebieszczany.
Michał married Rozalia Baran (born on January 25, 1883) in February 6, 1906.
Together they had the following children:
stillborn child 21.06.1906 – 21.06.1906, baptized by his mother with the name Stanisław
Jacek 11.18.1907 – 29.08.1907
Julian 09.01.1909 – 27.04.1909
Jadwiga 11.10.1910 – 26.11.1911
Agata 20.10.1912 – 21.08.1949
Mikołaj 04.12.1915 – 06.03.1916
Józef 13.08.1918
Stanisław 01.12.1921
-Barb
Ps. Sofia helped me find the wedding record and Manifest.
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BarbOsloPO Top Contributor
Joined: 19 Nov 2022
Replies: 1617
Location: NorwayBack to top |
Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2026 12:30 pm
Post subject:
Hi again,
I managed to obtain the marriage record of Maciej Józefek and Katarzyna Kucharska. Based on the ages given in this record, I know that Maciej was born around 1850 and Katarzyna around 1851. In addition, I know that the father of Barbara Kucharska (née Biodrowicz) was Maciej Biodrowicz, and that the father of Marianna Józefek (née Fall) was Andrzej Fall.
-Barb
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ShannonCreedon
Joined: 14 Jan 2026
Replies: 9
Location: CaliforniaBack to top |
Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2026 1:02 pm
Post subject:
Thank you so much for all of this information!
It's been a busy few days and there is so much to sort through, which is wonderful! I'm attaching the copy of the marriage record that I have. Because of the discrepancies in names and spellings in American records it does make it more difficult. Also, I have encountered times where nicknames are used in some records, and in others where someone is referred to by their middle name. i'm not positive that's what is happening here.
So far, I've been unable to find a ship manifest with Anna on it, but I have found information regarding her A-file with the US Immigration department, and have contacted them to see if I can get any more information. The basic information I've been able to access so far is also attached. I've found aa few WWI draft cards of Wesolys in New Bedford, MA, but unfortunately only one of them has any information about next of kin (his wife). I've been unable to access Franciszek Jan's marriage certificate so far to see what are listed regarding his parents. He is the only confirmed sibling, based on the headstone.
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