Picturing Grandma: Apolonia (Wykowska) Gonsewski & Her Kids

My father saw his grandmother Apolonia Gonszewski for the first time last week. She would have been 131 years old this year, so he didn't see her in person. Instead, he saw a picture of a framed portrait of her that a long-lost cousin sent me via a text message to my iPhone. Our story is just one more example of how technology is making it easier to connect with family members and trace your roots.

Apolonia Gonszewski (maiden name Wykowski) was born in Stara Kubra in northeastern Poland. 

I first found my second cousin Melanie, the daughter of my dad's cousin Barbara, a year or two ago through Ancestry, a family history website that most people are familiar with now that they advertise on television. I didn't even know Melanie existed because my father had lost touch with her mother over 50 years ago, but she had a small family tree on the website that connected with mine because we both knew the names of our  great-grandmother (Apolonia) and great-grandfather (Konstanty) and their five children. My dad's father Eugene and her mom's mother Melania (also known as Mildred or Millie) were brother and sister. Once we connected and exchanged e-mails, we also "friended" each other on Facebook so we could see photos of each other's children and keep in touch.

Thanks to Facebook, Melanie remembered that I would probably want to see Apolonia's portrait when she saw a post from me. We were visiting Charlotte, North Carolina, and Melanie had just visited there the weekend before that! Too bad we have never been in the same place at the same time and met in person yet, but maybe we will one day .... Melanie had helped her father move out of his house several weeks ago and had found a large framed portrait that her mother, who passed away in 2007, had kept in the house. I don't know if it had been put it up in the attic or had been on display in the house, but this was the first I had heard of it. It turns out that Apolonia's name was written on the back of the portrait along with something that had taken me years of searching for documents to find out for myself - her birthplace. It noted that Apolonia was born in Stara Kubra in northeastern Poland. I am so happy that this fact is now verified :)

My father had lost touch with Melanie's branch of the family way back when he was in high school in Chicago. His father had a falling out with his sisters Mildred and Stephanie (according to my mother who started dating my dad at that time) because he was an alcoholic and they did not want him to come around anymore. Also, it makes sense that my father never saw a photo of his grandmother (or does not remember if he did) because she died in 1924 when his father Eugene was 16 years old.

Apolonia Gonszewski (maiden name Wykowski) was usually called Pauline once she came to the United States. She arrived at Ellis Island on June 2, 1899 at the age of 20. She married my great-grandfather Konstanty on Feb. 14, 1900 in Scranton, Penn.They had their first child there (Bronislaw, who was called Bruno) in November 1901. Family stories tell us that Apolonia and Konstanty left Scranton because Konstanty was injured in a mining accident,although I have not found any documents to back that up. They moved to Chicago sometime before having their second child Boleslaw

Boleslaw (which translates to William) was born in Chicago in January 1904 . The rest of the Gonszewski children were also born in Chicago: Walter in May 1906, Eugene (my dad's father) in August 1908, Melania (Millie or Mildred) in October 1910, and Stefania (Steffie or Stephanie) sometime in 1912 (she is the only one that I have not found a definite date of birth for yet).

Sadly, Boleslaw died of diphtheria in November 1910. How I learned about him and what he died of will be the subject of another post. I had only been told of the five surviving Gonszewski children when I started my genealogy research. I have never seen a photo of Boleslaw, but I did finally get to see a a portrait of the five Gonszewski children for the first time last week, thanks again to cousin Melanie.

We think that this portrait was probably taken in 1912 or 1913 because the baby in the picture is Stephanie. My dad's father Eugene, sitting to the right of the baby, is dressed in a young boy's suit with a full lace collar. He is about 4 or 5 years old. Mildred is about 2 or 3 and the two older brothers, Bruno and Walter, dressed in suits with bow ties, are about 11 or 12 and 6 or 7 respectively.

Children of Konstanty and Apolonia Gonszewski: (From left to right) Bruno and Walter (standing), Melania, Stefania, and Eugene (sitting). Circa 1912-13 

Unfortunately, we also do not have any photos of my great-grandfather Konstanty even though he died much later than Apolonia. Konstanty (who also known as Gustav, at least that was the name listed on his death certificate) was born March 10, 1879 in Stanislawowo (as per his Declaration of Intention, most likely the town by that name that is near Bialystok in northeastern Poland) and died on June 5, 1940 in Bremen Township (Cook County), Illinois after battling pulmonary tuberculosis for 6 months.

Perhaps one day soon we will see a photo of Konstanty. But at least now we can finally hold a picture of Apolonia in our hands.