P olish Genealogical Soc iefit NTWsLffiof Mfi,rncsota VOLUME 8 AUTUMN2OOO NUMBER 3 Flo'vrz Mar,rq Cousir.rs Wef,le ln llm thfls ilssue q q q Ycnlr Sth Grabc Oass? How Many Cousins Were In Your 8th Silesian Polish setdement in south central Minnesota Grade Class? Silesian Polish settlement in south central Minnesota...........page 1 by Jeanette Bias <Jeanette.Bias @UNISYS.com> President's Letter........ .....-..p.2 The Bulletin Board.... ..........p. 3 I grew up in the f'arming community of Wells, Minnesota in Attention members with e-mail Faribault County. The Catholic population was predominantly Mark your calendars of Polish descent and many were lrom the same small villages Membership data in Polarnd near Syc6w.l Letters to the Editor:...... ....p. 4 A good book about the Kashubs! Approximately 200+ individuals immigrated from Poland to German Military Record? Wells, Baston, Minnesota Lake, and Mapleton in south central Traveling in Poland? Minnesota.2 These towns are located in Faribault and Blue Where is Rutzenwalde?....................p. 5 Earth Counties with extended settlement in Freebom County.3 international o<change...........p. 6 These 200 individuals have many thousands of descendants and Youth they are scattered across the United States from New York to E-mail from Poland! Califomia and Alaska and even overseas. The Bulletin Board, continued..............p. 6 Extra contributions The first immigrants to the Wells area were the three Sonnek Corrections: brothers from Trembatschau (Trgbacz6w) in the Province of Seeking anecdotes Silesia in what was then Prussia. They immigrated in approxi- Panna Maria Historical Society mately 1851 to Mayville, Wisconsin where they worked on What did that word mean?...............p. 7 t'arms and did tailoring. The Sonnek brothers desired to farm on A Slavic Holiday their own. This desire motivated them to move to Minnesota in Cousins, continued.. ...........p. 8 going 1859 and 1860. It was slow by oxen to their new land Table of Immigration Information: southwest of Minnesota Lake. They homesteaded 160 acres Silesian Polish setdement in south each.4 This was an improvement in their fortunes as an average .........p.12 size farm in the old country was 40 acres. central Minnesota From Slownik geografic zny : St. Mary's Church of Wesner's Grove near Easton, Minne- The Homeland of the Polish Pioneers sota was the first Catholic Church in Faribault County. In 1866 of Wells: Syc6w and selected nearby the Catholic community built the log church and named it St. villages..... .....................p. l4 Mary's, although it was commonly known as the Wesner's Library Corner....Book Reviews.........p. t9 Austrian Map Seies of Middle Europe Cousins, continued on page 8 Mapa Topogaficzna Polski Gnesen and Rice Lake: lSee maps on pages l0-11. A Postscript....................................p. 20 Origins of the Magryta surname........p. 22 2I derivecl this nurnber from my Family History database of over 7100 The Recovered Territories..................p. 23 individuals and "finding'r eyeryone born in Silesia. Surname Indoring Project..................p. 24 3s"" rr"p on page 8. Missing Branches:.. ..........p. 27 4Sonnek Family History from Roben Sonnek, 1977. Autumn2000 Society of Minnesota Page2 Polish Genealogical Potisl Gneahgical SocietY oifMinnesota A Branch of the Minnesota Genealogical Society 5768 Olson Memorial HwY' Golden ValleY MN 55422 http://www.mtn. orglmgs/branches/polish'htm I t ttprTl***.tootsweb.com/-mnpolgs/pgs-m n'html Tbrry Kita Officers/Board of Directors: President's Letter by (512-927-07t9) President:..... .Terry Kita Our recently updatecl membership list shows 285 dues- > < terry.kita @federalcartridge'com ouuinn of which 150 have a listed email address. president................. ...........Vacant *"*t6rr, Vice Wiril;;ilbership was fairly constant, the members with a Secretary................M"ry Ellen Bruski (763-588-3801) by 40 fiom last year' Those (7 63- 493-8465 listed email addreis increaseh T.earurer................Barbara Rockman they use for genealogy' pt.tia""t.'.."...Greg Kishel <gfkl@cornell'edu> *t feisonal computer, which F"tt "-tt"r" " Director...........'.'..G enny Zak Yieley (7 63 - 42 4 -37 47 ) knowthebenefitstheyderivetromit'whetherthe}'useltto (651 their data, or have a genealogy Director......... "...". John Radzilowski -604-0210) G"p ,"r"u..h notes, organize a Trembley (9 52-9 47 -057 4) are many programs available. many Dire ctor................. -...'Lis ;ft'*;. program.-can-be Theie of which previewed for free' Committee Chairs: The personal computer can also be used, via an intemc't Library & N ewsletter........P aul Kulas (7 63 - 427 - 45 23) conneciion, to acces; the many data banks available for (612-927.-07t9) (icnea- Mernbership Terry Kita senealogical research. PGS-MN' via the Minnesota pio*"*........ Kishel < gfk1@cornell'edu> can ". " "'..Greg L__ni"if Societv, maintains a website' with which one (6t2-929 - 4534) Eckman at i \ I o re Research................'.Michael ;oirli ur hi storic allgenealosic al int orm on' Ellen Bruski <bruski@voyager'net> ;;?;;lir; Website.....Mary un,i*o.. archival ancl publiJrecorda, such as hirth. death. ;;;;ty records, plat maps' etc.,.aae b.eing 9ad9 availahle Po lish Ge n e a logi ca I So c i e ty ;t g;;;'ilental entities, univers ities' indi v iclu al s' antl o1fMi n n e s o ta Ne w s le tte r genealogical organl zatlons. Newletter Staff: An intemet connection is fairly economical' at a cost t'f personal t-'quip- Editor.......... .Paul Kulas (763-427-4523) p";h^"pt $i0 per month. There are minimum should have to properll usc. the Assor;iate Editor.........' -'.-"Greg Kishel I""ni i"quirements which one personal computen C.;;trib;ti"g Editor................. " "'w' Kornel Kondv intemet,^but most recently purchased inremet aiiltrr Contributin[ Editor.. ".'.. ".....'.... " John Sd.zifowski ;;;;iil.""b;;;*"'fr-iliar requirements.-Those who use rhe Printing.......' '...."""'Gen-ny Zak[Qeley with information searches throu gh Trembley ;;;k Labels........... ........"""""Lisa even those who are novices can soon lind the Kishel tri Maili rrg....'....'..........Ge nny Zak lfueley, Greg "iu.ii"".il;;;";;v r't"f"r- My wife is a good case in point' It is lir''. else, in that once started, practice ancl a pur- Polisb Genealogical Socicty of Minncsota *"J *Vtttil-rg The for maximum benefit' Neusletter rs published quarterly in Spring, Summer, po." ut" t"qu'ired Autumn and Winter. Subscription to the Newshtter ma-v-never be is included with membership. f)ues are $15'00 per Many historical ancl genealggiq{ records (Se" on the advertising insert)' ancl it will not soon replace the ,r"u.' arrrrlicatit>n form uuultuUi" on the intemel, Items srrtmitt"d for publication are welcome and uoor..',*i"roticheandmicrofilmeclrecordsavailablethrough encouraged. Deadlines h>r inclusion are: March 15, tn" tOS and other organizations' It will continue to be used Dec' 15 respectively' Articles' the intemet June t5,'Sept. 15 and u.-u tuppf.mentary ,"lout.". My favorite use of booi news items, queries, ad copy' sources I ietters, t.ti.*t, is not tbr the record; that I can access, but for the etc. should be sent to: Cortu"t via email. Email operates via the intemet' and Paul Kulas, PGS-MN Newsletter "* rhar 2 person-s have intemet email addresses r,. River Road ;4ff;;;;1y 12008West with each other. ChamplinMN 553t6-2145 communicate or to e-mail: kkulas@ties'k12.mn'us Whilelcanaccessgenealogicalrecordsviatheintemt:':: Genealogi."l Mi* a certaiil @ 2000 Polish t="V "f is when I contact u voiont""t,-who specializes in Autumn2000 Polish Genealogical Society of Minnesota Page 3 area or farnily, via email, that I unearth a mother lode ly send messages to members, sometimes on short of information, and "speak" to yet another enthusiast. notice, about a particular prograrn or event. This re- F'or me it is preferable to the phone, and at times to an quires that we design, print, label and mail the notice-- in-person discussion. It is tast, allows one to keep all of which takes time and money. The same notice, printed records, and to reflect when answering a ques- sent by email, requires the design and electronic send- tion. I find that archivists, such as those I contact regu- ing to be considerably faster and less expensive. We larly in northeastem Wisconsin, enjoy discussing re- will set up such a system for those who have email ad- quests for information via email. It is via email that I dresses, while using US mail for those who do not yet am able to juggle simultaneously the search fbr ances- have email. Our membership records are computer- tors scattered around Europe, and quickly pass this in- ized, allowing us to contact members with email formation back and forth among my interested rela- easily. It is important that members help us to maintain tives. It is very stimulating to contact someone whom their current, correct email address. you have never met, in another part of the world, but with the same interest. It is much less personal than a If you are not yet connected to the intemet, it is pos- "blind" phone call, and is therefore preferable for me. sible to preview it at your local library, or at a friend's house. Once you begin to use email, whether for gene- Besides the individual's use of the intemet and alogical research, or personal use, it is like entering a email fbr genealogical research, there is an advantage new dimension. from an organizational standpoint also. We periodiCal- Mark your calendars: o We have reserved the meeting room on the lower aout'., level of the MGS Library in Golden Valley for FUTURE MEETINGS on the following dates in 2001: February 24, April28, October 13, and November 10. In addition, the PGS-MN will again participate with The Bulletin Board several sessions in MGS's annual "Branching Out" meeting on March 24,2W.