Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 6:49 pm
Post subject: Mlynarski Cousins in Oswiecim needed before September 2010
Hello,
I'm helping a cousin that is going to Oswiecim Poland in September 2010.
We are hoping to find some distant cousins that still live there, and maybe some tips on making her trip successful.
My grandfather is Alex Mlynarski born 1888, her grandfather is Joseph Mlynarski born 1878. They had a brother Jakob Mlynarski born 1887, those men were born in Oswiecim and came to the US and settled in Chicago. Their father Michal Mlynarski did visit the US in 1890, 1902 and 1907.
Staying back in Poland was my grandfather's sister Joanna, might also be known as Jadwiga, and my grandfather's mother Zofia Szczerbowski (Michal's wife).
We know nothing else about the family that stayed in Poland other than the Mlynarski's that settled in the US sent care packages to Mlynarski's in Poland. We do know there are indeed cousins, but we have no names or addresses. We've all tried to find old letters and no luck. The older family members do remember sending an outfit for a young Mlynarski boy making his communion. There are also stories about receiving letters during WWII to Chicago from Poland.
Does anyone have an ideas on how to find the right Mlynarski's decedents of Michal Mlynarski and Zofia Szczerbowski from Oswiecim.
And any advice for my cousin who has about 1 to 2 days to visit Oswiecim this fall. We only have Alex's baptism record that showed he was baptized there, no other church records.
And does anyone know if cemeteries in Oswiecim are "term" graves, is it possible she can find some old graves?
I've research the Mlynarski's for the past 10 years, but only in Chicago and haven't done anything in Poland.
I've posted a few photos on my website, take a look and see if you can help us locate the children and grandchildren of these folks.
http://www.pineneedlepottery.com/pnp/family.html
Unfortunately, we don't speak or read Polish.
Any advice or suggestions are appreciated.
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ZenonPolishOrigins Team Leader
Joined: 28 Apr 2007
Replies: 1515
Location: PolandBack to top |
Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2010 8:17 am
Post subject:
Hello Gwendeanne,
Do you anything about any other children of Michał Młynarski and Zofia Szczerbowski?
Do you know until what year the packages were sent to Polish family? Are you sure they were sent to Oświęcim? Are you sure they were sent to Młynarski family, not to Szczerbowski or any other family?
I checked phone book of Oświęcim and found there 3 Młynarski and 29 Szczerbowski living currently or not long ago in Oświęcim. However, without more specific knowledge what happened with the family it can be very hard to find any relation between you and any of them..
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Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2010 11:46 am
Post subject:
Hello Zenon,
Thank you for responding, and the timing is good because a cousin called me yesterday with some information, although I don't feel any of it is useful. This cousin Dorothy lives in Illinois, USA. Her mother was the oldest of the 8 children of Alex Mlynarski. All children were born in Chicago IL, but this oldest Betty, spoke some Polish. Betty died a few years ago. According to Dorothy, her mother Betty had nothing in the house such as old letters or an address book, and many photos were missing. Dorothy thinks because the basement flooded they might have been thrown out.
Dorothy said that Betty was in touch with the relatives in Poland as recent as 1980. Dorothy said it took Betty a long time to write the letters and eventually as the older relatives died, and the younger ones grew up and lost touch. Dorothy also said that she remembers crates with packaging hay and nice crystal coming in from Poland. The US Mlynarski's sent money and clothes to Poland. This is the first I heard of the Poland Mlynarski's sending items to the US Mlynarski's. Dorothy remembered a child in Poland learning the violin., probably in the 1950s or 1960s. As you see Dorothy didn't give me anything helpful. She's not an open person, but I believe her when she says there is nothing with an address or name.
I have one aunt left. She has Dementia, and doesn't remember anything, but years ago, I'm sure she said her father Alex Mlynarski and his family were from Oswiecim, I have Alex's baptism from there. I can't say whether they stayed there. I'm pretty sure the aunt told me they lived their during WWII.
To answer your question. I'm pretty sure it was the Polish Mlynarski's that were corresponding with the US Mlynarski's. To be more specific, I believe that Joanna Mlynarski, married someone and had children and those were the people that wrote back and forth sending packages to the US Mlynarski's.
I don't know Johanna's married name, so thinking about it now, the last name probably isn't Mlynarski, but that would have been Joanna's maiden name.
I know it's a long shot to find someone, but I thought maybe someone out there was familiar with this family, or a way to trace back from Michal Mlynarski and Zofia Szczerbowski, then to this Joanna Mlynarski that stayed in Poland and got married.
To my knowledge and according to Michal and Zofia's son Jakob's Chicago obituary he had only 3 siblings Jozef, Alex, and Joanna. I feel like if he had more, even if they were in Poland they would have been mentioned especially since Joanna was mentioned and she was not in Chicago. Unless other siblings died before Jakob.
Other than the photos I posted on the website, I don't have any other information on them.
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Posted: Wed Jun 30, 2010 7:12 pm
Post subject:
I just wanted to update my post. My cousins have been found!!!! Yea!
Someone on genforum found them, and they didn't move to far. I think the photos on my website with the stamps and names on the back were helpful. Now we are finding a lot of great stuff about our family in Poland and my cousin is currently making plans to meet them.
Gwen
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ZenonPolishOrigins Team Leader
Joined: 28 Apr 2007
Replies: 1515
Location: PolandBack to top |
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I wish your cousin to have unforgettable visit to Poland and meeting with relatives 
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