Guiseppe "Joseph" and Angeline (nee Guardino) Bongiovi Family Group (1850s-1970s)

Overview

Francis Bongiovi, Angeline (nee Guardino) Bongiovi, and Lillian (nee Bongiovi) Easton  (Source)

Joseph and Angeline Bongiovi are my Great-Great Grandparents. Specifically, they are my paternal Grandfather's Grandparents. Their son Albert married Loretta Siggins. Albert and Loretta's son, Albert Robert "Bob" Bongiovi is my Grandfather.

Joseph and Angeline were born in Italy, probably in 1851 and 1862, respectively. The immigrated to the United States with their son Guiseppe or Joseph in 1890 and settled in Brooklyn, New York by 1900. They may have had up to six children. Joseph died on 19 February 1912 while Angeline died on 24 September 1950.

This couple has always had a special interest for me as an American. They immigrated in 1890. Their son was drafted in World War I, although the war ended before he finished training. Their Grandson served as a medic in the Army in World War II, participating in the invasion of Italy and earning a purple heart. Angeline would have seen him go off to war and return. Their Great-Grandson, who Angeline would have met since he was born 3 years before she died, retired as a Major General in the U.S. Air Force, helping develop some of the key systems that led to the end of the cold war. In addition, their children married Germans, Italians, and Irish. Their family exemplifies an American Melting Pot family.

Angeline Guardino (later Bongiovi) (Source)

Angeline Bongiovi (Source)

Angeline Bongiovi (Source)

Family Group

Guiseppe (also known as Joseph) Bongiovi
b. Oct 1851 in Italy
d., 19 Feb 1912, probably in Brooklyn, Kings County, New York
Married Angeline Bongiovi, probably between 1884 and 1886 in Italy
b. 2 Mar 1862 in Italy
d. 24 Sep 1950, at home at 86 New Jersey Avenue, Kings County, New York

1. Giuseppe Bongiovi

b. 1888 or 1889 in Italy

d. Probably before 1900, possibly from kick to the head by a horse

2. Lillian Bongiovi

b. May 1891 in New York

m. between 1910 and 1915 to Charles Easton

d. 14 July 1966

Albert Bongiovi in about 1960

3. Albert Bongiovi

b. 20 September 1894 in Brooklyn, Kings County, New York

m. 12 July 1922 to Loretta Siggins at Our Lady of Lourdes, Brooklyn, Kings County, New York

d. 9 October 1964 at Lutheran Hospital, Brooklyn, Kings County, New York

4. Francis Bongiovi

b. August 1895 in New York

5. Josephine Bongiovi

b. April 1898 in Brooklyn, Kings County, New York

m. 12 November 1918 to Nicholas Fabrizio at Brooklyn Borough Hall, Brooklyn, Kings County, New York

d. 3 August 1975

6. Martin Bongiovi

b. 1907 or 1908 in New York

History

Giuseppe or Joseph Bongiovi was born in Italy in 1851. He immigrated to the United States with his wife Angeline Guardino and their son Guiseppe arriving 30 July 1890 on the S.S. Iniziativa. They appear to have quickly settled in Brooklyn, New York where they sent the rest of their lives. Guiseppe was a cobbler or shoemaker. Not much is known about him. He died in 1912 at about 60 years old.

Angeline survived her husband by 38 years, living to be about 88 year old before her death in 1950. Like her husband, I don't know much about Angeline. My Grandfather once told me she never learned English. He said she would sit at the window of her apartment on New Jersey Avenue and what them play.

Angeline and her husband are buried at Calvary Cemetery in Woodside, Queens, New York. They are buried with what appears to be Angeline's Mother, Francis Guardino, and her sister, Mary Santangelo.

It does not appear that Guiseppe or Angeline ever became U.S. Citizens.

Interesting Finds

• A person who is related somehow through the Guardino line had photos of Angeline, but none of Giuseppe. If you have an Ancestry subscription, you can view the photos here.
• Giuseppe and Angeline appears to have lived in the same place for at least 22 years. They lived at 2037 Pitkin Ave from before the 1900 U.S. Census until after their son, Albert, was married in 1922.
• Martin Bongiovi appears as a son in the 1910 U.S. Census. There is no other record of him. Census have been known to have errors, so this may be inaccurate data.

Things Left To Do

• I've been unable to locate Giuseppe's death records
• I need to locate both Giuseppe and Angeline's birth records
• I need to figure out what happened to Giuseppe, Jr, Martin and Francis Bongiovi.

A surprise find: a picture of Eleanor Ftzpatrick Bongiovi

In today's interconnected world, sometimes you get a pleasant family history surprise. Recently, I was contacted by the granddaughter of my grandmother's adopted father. Among other things, she pointed me to an online tree that had a picture of my grandmother as a very young child being held by her adopted mother. I've shared it with my dad and neither he or his siblings have seen this before.

I've contacted the owner of the tree, but have not yet heard back from him. I have no idea how he got the photo. However, my dad thinks the older lady is his grandmother (who adopted his mother) and I see the family resemblance in the little girl, so I think it is reasonable to believe this is who the online tree says it is: my grandmother, Eleanor Fitzpatrick Bongiovi and her adopted mother, Anna Bender Fitzpatrick.

In my email exchange with my adopted cousin, she shared some stories that reminded me how special this family was. My grandmother's adopted mother, Anna Bender was first married to Frank Tscherne (or Scherne) and they had two children. My grandmother's adopted father, Charles Fitzpatrick, was also married to another lady, probably Lillian Eise, and they had one son, Charles Jr. Both of the spouses died before 1920 and Charles and Anna ended up married before my Grandmother was born in 1925. When my Grandmother's mother died soon after childbirth, Charles and Anna took her in and raised her.

This could not have been easy. Everyone in this story was first or second generation Americans living in Brooklyn, NY. According to my Grandparents, Charles was a beer truck driver. I am sure it was not easy adding another child to a family of step children in the middle of 1920s Brooklyn.

The Krupa Boys

This will likely be the last post on the Jan Krupa - Regina Bochnia family group for a while, but I want to share an interesting finding.

The 1900 U.S. Census is a fun census because the enumerators asked for a lot of information valuable to those of us who like to research of family history. In addition to the basics provided in most census, such as names, relationships, birthplaces, and occupation, this particular census asked for the month and year of birth, the number of years the couple was married, and, for the mother, the total number of children they had and how many were still living.

In Regina's case, it stated that she was the mother of nine children, but only seven were still living [1].

Portion of 1910 U.S. Census showing John and Regina Krupa and the children still residing with them [1]. Note that Regina is shown to be the mother of nine children, but only seven were still living.

Census records can be wrong for many reasons. Sometimes a neighbor or other person may be providing the information and guessing about some of the facts. Sometimes the enumerator doesn't transcribe his notes to the record copy correctly.

In this case, I had a good idea who the seven living children at the time of the 1900 U.S. Census were - Jan and Regina's daughters: Bronislawa (known as Bertha), Josephine, Frances, Mary, Antoinette, Kathryn and Anna (who is my Great Grandmother). My Grandmother, Anna's daughter, mentioned at one point that one of Jan and Regina's children, a son, had died on the boat over. But I had no other information on the ninth child, and I was not even sure he or she existed.

I got my first break when I stumbled upon the passenger list from Hamburg, Germany when Jan and Regina Krupa departed for the United States aboard the SS. Germania in March 1873 [2]. As you can see in the clipping below, Jan and Regina departed Europe with two children: Bronislawa, a daughter, and Stanislaus, a son. While we know Bronislawa survived into adulthood, I had never heard of Stanislaus before.

Johann (Jan) and Regina Krupa with children Bronislawa (age 2) and Stanislaus (age 11 months) in the S.S. Germania passenger list on departure from Hamburg, Germany on March 19, 1873 [2]

The S.S. Germania arrived in New Orleans on 19 May 1873. The entry for the Krupa family is shown below [3]. Son Stanislaus is not listed, which appears to confirm the family story that a son died on the way over to America. It isn't conclusive because the New Orleans passenger list is a copy that the port was required to make and send to the State Department quarterly, so it is possible that Stanislaus was missed when the list was copied. However, I believe that Stanislaus probably died on the voyage over.

Johann (Jan) and Regina Krupa listed in the S.S. Germania with daughter Bronislawa [3]. Son, Stanislaus, listed on the departure manifest, is not listed.

This would explain one of the two children that had passed away before the 1900 U.S. census. The explanation of the second one appears in the records of the Church of the Immaculate Conception in South Chicago, Illinois. The first entry in the Baptism records for this church is Andrew Krupa, born 25 May 1882 [4]. It lists his parents has Johann Krupa and Maria Bochnia. While this might be the son of another couple, I could not find another Johann Krupa married to a Maria in the records, so my guess is that they recorded Regina's name incorrectly. This is probably Jan and Regina's son.

Baptism Record for Andrew Krupa [4]. This list the mother as Maria Bochnia, however I believe this is probably in error and this is Jan and Regina (nee Bochnia) Krupa's son.

Unfortunately, the Immaculate Conception records also record the fate of Andrew Krupa. According to the death register, Andrew died on October 4, 1890 from diphtheria [5].

Andrew Krupa's October 4, 1890 death record [5]. It states he was nine years old and that he died from Diphtheria.

So, while not conclusive, I likely have found all nine of Regina's children as reported in the 1900 U.S. Census. The seven daughters all survived to adulthood. The two boys died as children. Stanislaus apparently died on the boat on the way to the United States, as reported by my Grandmother. Andrew died at age nine from Diphtheria.


Sources:
1. 1900, Cook County, Illinois, population schedule, Hyde Park, Chicago, Ward 33, enumeration district (ED) 1048, Sheet 1-A, dwelling 6, family 8, John Kruppa and Family; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : downloaded 5 December 2015); United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Twelfth Census of the United States, 1900. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1900. T623, 1854 rolls.
2. Manifest, S.S. Germania, 29 March 1873, Johann, Regina, Bronislawa and Stanislaus Krupa, database online with digital images, Hamburg Passenger Lists, 1850-1934, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 19 December 2015).
3. Manifest, S.S Germania, 19 May 1873, Johann, Regina and Bronislawa Krupa, database with digital images, New Orleans, Passenger List Quarterly Abstracts, 1820-1875, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 19 December 2015).
4. Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church (Chicago, Cook Co, Illinois), Baptisms, 1882-1889, FHL Film 1578587, Item 1, Page 1, Andrew Krupa, baptized 28 May 1882, born 25 May 1882; digital images, FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org/ : accessed 27 December 2015).
5. Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church (Chicago, Cook Co, Illinois), deaths 1883-1903, FHL film 1578588, item 7, page 30, Andrew Krupa, died 4 Oct 1890; digital images, FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org/ : accessed 27 December 2015).

Jan and Regina Krupa family in Chicago ~1878-1916

Jan and Regina Krupa moved to Chicago from Texas in or before 1878 after immigrating to the United States in 1873. There is not a lot of information about why they immigrated, lived in Texas, or when they moved to Chicago, but they clearly settled in a predominately Polish area in South Chicago.

The first record that Jan and Regina had moved their family to Chicago is that Baptism of their daughter, Mary, at St. Stanislaus Kostka church on the north side of Chicago in September 1878. Their next daughter, Antoinette was also baptized there in 1880.

St. Stanislaus Kostka was the first Polish church in Chicago, founded in 1867. In 1874, Father Vincent Barzynski became pastor of the parish. He was one of the founders of the Polish Roman Catholic Union of America and was a leader of American Poles who established many of the Polish Catholic Parishes in Chicago. More interestingly, he came to the Parish from the diocese of San Antonio, Texas, giving another location to search for the Krupa family.

St. Stanislaus Kostka Church in the 1890s

In May 1882, Jan and Regina’s Krupa’s son, Andrew Krupa, appears as the first Baptism in the register for the then-new Church of the Immaculate Conception in South Chicago.

This parish was founded in 1882 as a new Polish Catholic Parish. The parish shared a church with a German congregation while building their own. On Palm Sunday, 1882, a hurricane destroyed the church just as it was nearing completion. It went on to be a long-standing Polish parish that still exists today.

Immaculate Conception Church in the 1890s

In addition to Andrew, Katheryn was baptized at Immaculate Conception in 1884 and Anna was baptized there in 1886. By then, the older daughters were starting to get married. Bertha Krupa married Joseph Wysocki at Immaculate Conception in 1885 and Josephine Krupa married her first husband there in 1890. Unfortunately, Andrew’s 1890 death from diphtheria is also recorded in the Immaculate Conception deaths register.

Anna Krupa Kazmierski's Baptism Record in the Immaculate Conception register. Anna is Rob's Great Grandmother

In 1892, St. Michael’s the Archangel parish was formed to relieve overcrowding at Immaculate Conception. Jan and Regina Krupa appear to be parishioners there for the rest of their lives. Josephine’s second marriage to John Gulgowski in 1892 was at St. Michael’s, as was Frances’ 1895 marriage to Konstanty Swiontek, Antoinette’s 1897 marriage to Ignatius Granacki, Mary’s 1900 marriage to Alexander Swiontek, Anna’s 1908 marriage to Joseph Kazmierski and Kathryn’s 1911 marriage to Frank Sliwinksi. In addition, bot Jan and Regina appear in the St. Michael’s death register in 1905 and 1916 respectively.

St. Michael the Archangel Church

Joseph Kazmierski and Anna Krupa's Marriage Record in the St. Michael's Marriage Register

In 1890, Jan Krupa is reported to live at 8323 Superior Avenue (which name was changed to Burley Ave in 1916) in both a voter registry and a city directory. They appear here in the 1900 and 1910 U.S. Census and it is listed as the location where Jan died in 1905 and where Regina died in 1916. The Krupa residence at 8323 Superior Avenue is less than a five minute walk from St. Michael’s and is a 20 minute walk from the Immaculate Conception parish.

The Chicago Catholic records are freely accessible on the Church of the Latter Day Saints (LDS) genealogy website. These records have shows that the Krupa family had moved to Chicago by 1878, settled in largely Polish communities and lived there until Jan and Regina’s deaths in 1905 and 1916.

UPDATE: Jan and Regina (nee Bochnia) Krupa Family Group (1840s - 1910s)

This is an update to the original family group posting on December 27, 2015. See the revision history at the bottom of the post for what changed.

Overview

Regina and Jan Krupa

Jan and Regina Krupa are my Great-Great Grandparents. Specifically, they are my maternal Grandmother’s maternal Grandparents. Their daughter, Anna Krupa married Joseph Kazmierski. Anna and Joseph’s daughter, Irene (Kazmierski) Sejda is my Grandmother.

Jan and Regina were born in what was then Austria, but what is now Poland, in the 1840s, immigrated to the United States in the 1870s arriving in New Orleans from Hamburg. They appear to have lived in Texas for a few years before settling in Chicago before 1880. They had nine known children, one of whom appears to have died on the boat on the way to the U.S. and another who died in childhood. Jan died in 1905 and Regina passed away in 1916.

Family Group

Jan (also known as Johann or John) Krupa
b: 1842, Austria Or Poland
d: 18 Jan 1905, Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States
Married Regina Bochnia in about 1865
b: 1848, Poland (Austria)
d: 22 Dec 1916, 8323 Burley Ave, Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States

1. Bronislawa “Bertha” Krupa
   b: 1870 or 1871, Poland
   m: 5 Oct 1885 to Joseph Wysocki
   d: Nov 1951
2. Stanislaus Krupa (never married)
   b: abt Apr 1872
   d: bet 29 Mar 1873 and 19 May 1873
3. Josephine Krupa
   b: 19 Feb 1875 (?), Galveston, Galveston, Texas, United States
   m: 12 Nov 1890 to Ignatius Stupikowski
   m: 17 May 1892 to John Gulgowski
   d: 18 Jul 1934, 3003 E. 80th Street, Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States
4. Frances Krupa
   b: 29 Jul 1878 (?), Texas
   m: 22 Oct 1895 to Konstanty Swiontek
   d: 25 Jun 1964, Lutheran Deaconess Hospital, Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States
5. Mary Krupa
   b: 16 Sep 1878, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
   m: 23 Oct 1900 to Alexander Swiontek
   d: 18 Jun 1966
6. Antoinette Krupa
   b: 3 Jun 1880, Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States
   m: 1 Oct 1897 to Ignatius Granacki
   d: 7 Jul 1947
7. Andrew Krupa (never married)
   b: 25 May 1882, Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States
   d: 4 Oct 1890 from diphtheria
8. Kathryn Krupa
   b: 16 Jun 1886, Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States
   m: 17 May 1911 to Frank Sliwinski
   d: 13 Oct 1923, South Shore Hospital, Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States
9. Anna Krupa
   b: 10 Dec 1888, Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States
   m: 11 Nov 1908 to Joseph Kazmierski
   d: 6 Mar 1962, 8324 Kooy Drive, Munster, Lake, Indiana, United States

Additional details on the Jan and Regina Krupa family can be found in our research files.

Bertha Wysocki, Josie Gulgowski, Frances Swiontek, Tennie Granacki, Mary Swiontek, and Anna Kazmierski. (Source: Terry Mascenic via Tennie Granacki's Find-A-Grave memorial)

History

Jan Krupa was born in the early 1840s, probably in January 1842, in what was then Austria but is today Poland. Interestingly, his gravestone lists his birth as 1831, but I am fairly sure this is an error from other sources that list his age, such as the ship’s manifests and his death certificate. The 1900 U.S. Census indicates he married Regina Bochnia in about 1865. Regina appears to have been born in 1848, probaby on November 9th, although, like Jan, there is some discrepency in her birth date. Her gravestone indicates an 1842 birth. However, the ship’s manifests and her death certificate indicate the 1848 birth date is more likely.

Regina and Jan, with children Stanislaus and Bertha, departed Hamburg, Germany on 29 March 1873 aboard the S.S. Germania. They arrived in New Orleans on 19 May 1873, but only Bertha is listed with them. According to some stories from family members, one or two of their children died on the ship over. It appears that Stanislaus may have died since he was listed as an infant on the departure manifest but is not listed on the arrival manifest.

After arriving in the United States, it appears that Jan and Regina initially settled in Texas because two children, Josephine and Francis, were born there. I am not sure where they lived or what their occupation was in Texas. Sometime before 1880 they moved to Chicago, Illinois. Mary, Antoinette, Kathryn, and Anna were all born in Chicago. In addition, it appears they also had another son, Andrew, in 1882. Andrew appears to have died of diphtheria in 1890.

In 1884, Jan became a naturalized U.S. citizen. Under the rules in place at the time, Regina became a citizen when Jan was naturalized. By 1888, Jan appeared in the voting records, indicting that he registered and voted. It appears that Jan was a laborer but there are no specific records of what he did or who he worked for. According to census records, neither Jan or Regina could read or write and neither spoke English.

Also by 1888, Jan and Regina settled at 8323 Superior Avenue later 8323 Burley Avenue in Chicago (Superior Avenue became Burley Avenue on 30 July 1916). According to the 1900 U.S. Census, Jan and Regina owned this home.

Jan Krupa died in January 1905 in Chicago and is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Calumet City, Illinois. Regina died in December 1916 and is buried with her husband.

Jan and Regina Krupa's Gravestone at Holy Cross Cemetery, Calumet City, Illinois (Source: Lori Kotlowski via Jan Krupa's Find-a-Grave memorial)

Jan and Regina’s children had long lives except Stanislaus, who appears to have died as an infant during the voyage to America, Andrew, who died at age 8 from diphtheria, and Kathryn, who died of Hodgkins Disease when she was 34 years old.

Interesting Finds

• My Aunt gave me a box of artifacts and memorabilia, much of which contains information from this family. This includes some interesting artifacts, which I intend to add to this blog. It also contains some pictures which I will try to digitize and share in the hopes that the people in the pictures can be identified.
• Jan appears in the Voter Registration index in 1888 – and it says he cast his vote.
• I have the deed for his cemetery plot and the receipt for the gravestone, which are very unusual artifacts. I will attempt to post them sometime in the future.
• In December 2015, I found two things that I had not heard before. First, while I knew Josephine Krupa was married to John Gulgowski, I found out, conclusively, that she was married to Ignatius Stupikowski before she married John Gulgowski. Unfortunately, I don't know what happened to Ignatius. Second, it appears that Jan and Regina had a second son, Andrew, who died at age 9.

Things left to do

• Get Jan’s Naturalization paperwork. This should be easy to find.
• See if I can find where they lived in Texas between arriving in New Orleans in 1873 and arriving in Chicago before 1880. 
• Determine where in Poland they were born and identify their parents.

Revision History

27 Dec 2015 – Original post

3 Jan 2016 - Multiple changes based on research over Christmas break

1. Updated the number of known children to reflect the son who was born in 1882 and died in 1890.
2. Updated Jan's death date to 18 Jan 2015 which is confirmed by church records.
3. Added marriage dates to children from church records
4. Added second husband to Josephine Krupa based on church records
5. Updated Mary's, Antoinette's, Kathryn's, and Anna's birth dates based on church records
6. Added question marks to Josephine's and Frances' birth dates because they appear to be too late. For example, there is no way Frances could be born in July 1878 when we know, conclusively from church records, that the next daughter, Mary, was born in Sep 1878
7. Added details for Andrew Krupa, another son who died in childhood

The new Our American Melting Pot blog

Welcome to the new “Our American Melting Pot Blog.” It has been more than eight years since the last time I have posted here and those posts were really more sharing research, not stories.

I have set up this blog to share the stories of our family. I’d like to keep the posts short and more colorful. There is a link on the left to our research if you’d like to explore the details.

While family history has been a primary hobby of mine for more than 20 years, because of my work and family, I work in fits and starts. Recently, I have been cleaning up my research and focused on two family groups. The first one is my Krupa ancestors, who are my maternal Grandmother’s Grandparents. The second is Lora’s Van Treeck ancestors, who are her paternal Grandmother’s family.

Generally, I prefer to research in family groups. For example, the Krupa family I am researching is the Jan and Regina (nee Bochnia) Krupa family. I group all of my research, including all their descendants into a single research file or grouping. So, for the Krupa-Bothnia family group, that family and all of their descendants are grouped together. However, I am descendent from them through their daughter, Anna. She is included in her own family group, the Kazmierski-Krupa group. 

Why is this important? Because I plan to try to write a brief story on each family group as I research them. The first one will be Krupa-Bochnia. And I expect to do some of the Van Treeck family groups soon thereafter. You will find links to all the postings by family group and surname on the right. Then I will add posts on specific findings that I found interesting.

I’ve linked this blog to multiple places so you can follow it on Facebook, Twitter, Google, via email or by subscribing to the RSS feed. The links are on the right of the main page. Please select one.

So we will see how this goes. I don’t expect that there will be a lot of postings, but I’ll try to post once a month or so. Let me know what you think via the comments.

Jan and Regina (nee Bochnia) Krupa Family Group (1840s - 1910s)

This is the first of what I plan to be a series of family group post. This outlines the family of Jan and Regina Krupa.

Overview

Regina and Jan Krupa

Jan and Regina Krupa are my Great-Great Grandparents. Specifically, they are my maternal Grandmother’s maternal Grandparents. Their daughter, Anna Krupa married Joseph Kazmierski. Anna and Joseph’s daughter, Irene (Kazmierski) Sejda is my Grandmother.

Jan and Regina were born in what was then Austria, but what is now Poland, in the 1840s, immigrated to the United States in the 1870s arriving in New Orleans from Hamburg. They appear to have lived in Texas for a few years before settling in Chicago before 1880. They had eight known children, one of whom appears to have died on the boat on the way to the U.S. Jan died in 1905 and Regina passed away in 1916.

Family Group

Jan (also known as Johann or John) Krupa
b: 1842, Austria Or Poland
d: 17 Jan 1905 or 18 Jan 1905, Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States
Married Regina Bochnia in about 1865
b: 1848, Poland (Austria)
d: 22 Dec 1916, 8323 Burley Ave, Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States

1. Stanislaus Krupa (never married)
   b: abt Apr 1872
   d: bet 29 Mar 1873 and 19 May 1873
2. Bronislawa “Bertha” Krupa (married Joseph Wysocki)
   b: 1870 or 1871, Poland
   d: Nov 1951
3. Josephine Krupa (married John Gulgowski)
   b: 19 Feb 1875, Galveston, Galveston, Texas, United States
   d: 18 Jul 1934, 3003 E. 80th Street, Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States
4. Frances Krupa (married Konstanty Swiontek)
   b: 29 Jul 1878, Texas
   d: 25 Jun 1964, Lutheran Deaconess Hospital, Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States
5. Mary Krupa (married Alexander Swiontek)
   b: Sep 1879, Illinois
   d: 18 Jun 1966
6. Antoinette Krupa (married Ignatius Granacki)
   b: 3 Jun 1880, Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States d: 7 Jul 1947
7. Kathryn Krupa (married Frank Sliwinski)
   b: 16 Jun 1886, Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States
   d: 13 Oct 1923, South Shore Hospital, Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States
8. Anna Krupa (married Joseph Kazmierski) b: 10 Dec 1888, Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States
   d: 6 Mar 1962, 8324 Kooy Drive, Munster, Lake, Indiana, United States

Additional details on the Jan and Regina Krupa family can be found here in our research files.

Bertha Wysocki, Josie Gulgowski, Frances Swiontek, Tennie Granacki, Mary Swiontek, and Anna Kazmierski. (Source: Terry Mascenic via Tennie Granacki's Find-A-Grave memorial)

History

Jan Krupa was born in the early 1840s, probably in January 1842, in what was then Austria but is today Poland. Interestingly, his gravestone lists his birth as 1831, but I am fairly sure this is an error from other sources that list his age, such as the ship’s manifests and his death certificate. The 1900 U.S. Census indicates he married Regina Bochnia in about 1865. Regina appears to have been born in 1848, probaby on November 9th, although, like Jan, there is some discrepency in her birth date. Her gravestone indicates an 1842 birth. However, the ship’s manifests and her death certificate indicate the 1848 birth date is more likely.

Regina and Jan, with children Stanislaus and Bertha, departed Hamburg, Germany on 29 March 1873 aboard the S.S. Germania. They arrived in New Orleans on 19 May 1873, but only Bertha is listed with them. According to some stories from family members, one or two of their children died on the ship over. It appears that Stanislaus may have died since he was listed as an infant on the departure manifest but is not listed on the arrival manifest.

After arriving in the United States, it appears that Jan and Regina initially settled in Texas because two children, Josephine and Francis, were born there. I am not sure where they lived or what their occupation was in Texas. Sometime before 1880 they moved to Chicago, Illinois. Mary, Antoinette, Kathryn, and Anna were all born in Chicago.

In 1884, Jan became a naturalized U.S. citizen. Under the rules in place at the time, Regina became a citizen when Jan was naturalized. By 1888, Jan appeared in the voting records, indicting that he registered and voted. It appears that Jan was a laborer but there are no specific records of what he did or who he worked for. According to census records, neither Jan or Regina could read or write and neither spoke English.

Also by 1888, Jan and Regina settled at 8323 Superior Avenue later 8323 Burley Avenue in Chicago (Superior Avenue became Burley Avenue on 30 July 1916). According to the 1900 U.S. Census, Jan and Regina owned this home.

Jan Krupa died in January 1905 in Chicago and is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Calumet City, Illinois. Regina died in December 1916 and is buried with her husband.

Jan and Regina Krupa's Gravestone at Holy Cross Cemetery, Calumet City, Illinois (Source: Lori Kotlowski via Jan Krupa's Find-a-Grave memorial)

Jan and Regina’s children had long lives except Stanislaus, who appears to have died as an infant during the voyage to America, and Kathryn, who died of Hodgkins Disease when she was 34 years old.

Interesting Finds

• My Aunt gave me a box of artifacts and memorabilia, much of which contains information from this family. This includes some interesting artifacts, which I intend to add to this blog. It also contains some pictures which I will try to digitize and share in the hopes that the people in the pictures can be identified.
• Jan appears in the 1888 Voter Registration index in 1888 – and it says he cast his vote.
• I have the deed for his cemetery plot and the receipt for the gravestone, which are very unusual artifacts. I will attempt to post them sometime in the future.

Things left to do

• Get Jan’s Naturalization paperwork. This should be easy to find.
• See if I can find where they lived in Texas between arriving in New Orleans in 1873 and arriving in Chicago before 1880.
• Determine where in Poland they were born and identify their parents.

Revision History

27 Dec 2015 – Original post

Death Certificate for Theresa Williamson

The second item I received today was the death certificate for my natural great-grandmother, Theresa (Hambsch) Williamson. Theresa died on 12 February 1925 from complications after the birth of my grandmother. This certificate does not do more than document what I already knew, other than providing the cemetery where Theresa is buried (Holy Trinity Cemetery in Brooklyn, NY). After Theresa died, her older two daughters went to live at the St. Joseph's home for girls in Queens, NY, while my Grandmother was taken in by her Godparents.

Links to family history data and "find a grave" entries

Wow! It has been a long time since I've posted here! Sorry -- I'll try to get some of the new information up.

I did change some links on the left. First, I added a link to my family history data on "rootsweb.com". It starts in a pedigree view that should allow you to find all of Gabby and Sammy's ancestors, but note that it calls most living people by the first name "living." You can also use this link.

I also added a link to a list of all the ancestors who have entries on "findagrave.com". Many of these have photographs of their gravestones taken by volunteers. Here is the link.

Ida Siggins Birth Certificate

Ida Siggins is my grandfather's Aunt. Birth certificate provided confirmation of info I already knew, but interesting anyway.