The Lena Web

Poland - Lena and Lawrence's ancestors all came from Poland, immigrating to America in the late 19th century. They came from three different areas of Poland: Posen, Plock, and West Prussia.

• Posen(Poznan) - a province and a major city in the heart of Poland. Today the province is known as Wielkopolskie. Our Jankowski ancestors hailed from these villages:
  • Charlub - a small village in the county of Srem, province of Posen, where the Constantin Jankowski family resided before coming to America.
  • Mchy (Emchen) - Catholic Parish at which the residents of Charlub, Sebastiano, and other neighboring villages worshiped.
  • Czarkowo - birthplace of Constantin Jankowski and home of his parents, Joseph and Constantia Jankowski.
  • Drzewce - birthplace of Barbara Frackowiak and home of her parents, Chrysostomo and Marianna Frackowiak.
  • Poniec (Punitz) -Catholic Parish at which the residents of Czarkowo, Drzewce, and other neighboring villages worshiped.
  • Kornaty - a small village in the county of Wreschen, where some possibly related Zielinski's resided.
  • Ostrow Koscielne - Catholic Parish at which the residents of Kornaty and other neighboring villages worshiped
• Plock - a province in central Poland, currently part of the province of Mazowieckie. Our Brodzinski ancestors came from this area.
  • Szucie - a small village in the county of Rypin, province of Plock where the Nicholas Brodzinski family resided before coming to America.
  • Skrwilno - Catholic Parish at which the residents of Szucie and other neighboring villages worshiped.
• West Prussia - former German province in what is now Pomorskie Province in northern Poland along the Baltic Sea.
  • Stuhm - a region and larger city in West Prussia, formerly in Gdansk province. Our Zielinski and Lewandowski ancestors came from these villages in Stuhm:
  • Gross Waplitz - now known as Waplewo Wielkie, home of the John Zielinski and Elizabeth Witkowski family in the 1880's until immigrating to America.
  • Tillendorf - now known as Tulice. Home of the Joseph Zielinski and Anna Kryniewska family from 1832-1858.
  • Altmark - now known as Stary Targ, Catholic Parish at which the residents of Gross Waplitz, Tillendorf, and other neighboring villages worshiped.
  • Ellerbruch - now known as Olszak, the John Zielinski and Elizabeth Witkowski family as well as the Mary Zielinski and Franz Lingnowski family lived here for a time in the 1860's.
  • Nikolaiken - now Mikolajki Pomorskie, home of the Lewandowski branch for most of the 1800's, and the birthplace of Rosalia Lewandowski, Lena's mom!
  • Schonweise - now known as Krasna Laka, Catholic Parish at which the residents of Ellerbruch, Nikolaiken, and other neighboring villages worshiped.
  • Wilczewo - home of several possibly related Zielinski families during the 1860's and 1870's.
  • Portschweiten - now known as Pierzchowice, home of the Jan Zielinski and Elizabeth Pawlowski family during the 1840's and 1850's.
  • Pestlin - now known as Postolin, Catholic Parish at which the residents of Wilczewo, Portschweiten, and other neighboring villages worshiped

...and where did they go to?

United States of America

• Wisconsin
  • Langlade County
    • Antigo, WI - Mike Jankowski went to Antigo upon his arrival in America to work and send money back to the family.
    • Rolling, WI - the Jankowski's settled in Rolling, just south of Antigo, purchasing 320 acres of land which they turned into farmland
  • Portage County
    • Stevens Point
  • Winnebago County
    • Menasha - the Zielinski, Lewandowski, and eventually the Brodzinski branches all ended up in Menasha
      • a short history of Menasha
      • 631 & 635 Fifth Street
      • St. John's
      • Menasha Maps
      • Milwaukee PBS TV show "Around The Corner" visits Menasha - Feb 2020 (25 minutes long)
    • Neenah
    • Oshkosh
    
    
• Michigan - Our Brodzinski ancestors settled in Michigan upon arriving in the U.S. Some of them eventually ended up in Menasha, but others remained in Michigan.
  • Dickinson County
    • Iron Mountain - Joseph Brodzinski (Lawrence's uncle) initially settled in Iron Mountain, Michigan, before relocating to Menasha, Wisconsin.
  • Menominee County
    • Menominee - Albert and Frank Brodzinski (Lawrence's uncles) initially settled in Menominee. Albert remained there his entire life. Frank relocated to Menasha, Wisconsin within a couple years.
  
  
• Georgia
  • Chatham County
    • Savannah - The John Lewandowski family settled in Savannah, Georgia immediately upon arriving in the U.S. After a couple years there, they moved to Menasha, Wisconsin.
    
    

Favorite Research Tools

Ancestry.com	Ellis Island.org	Karte des Deutschen Reiches	Poznan Project
Antigo Genealogy Gopher	English-Polish Dictionary	Latin Word List	Relationships Chart and definitions
Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites	Family History Library	mapa.szukacz.pl	Roots Web
DeAnna's Langlade Co. Genealogy	Family Tree Maker	Osada World	Social Security Death Index
Digital Libraries of Wielkopolska	FEEFHS	Oshkosh Public Library - City Directories	Wisconsin GenWeb - Winnebago Co.
EEGS - East European Genealogical Society	Jans Digs	Polish Roots	Wisconsin Historical Society
		My Research	Tidbits