Two pics

This week I would like to show two pictures.
First one is a group photo taken in 1930-ies. I am not sure what organization it was - the caps seems different than student caps which can be seen in previous posts. At least I suppose so ;). Maybe someone can help. My grandfather (mom's dad) is marked with a cross over his head.

Second is a typical family photo taken in 1938. My mom is two and looks like a boy because of her short hair. It changed in a year - look at her in 1939 in some previous posts. And I like this photo.

My dad's mom

I do not know too much about my dad's ancestors. Mainly names and dates of birth and death. Mainly because I have never met most of them, also there are no documents in family archive. Two posts ago I presented a picture of my granfather. Now something about his wife.
My grandmother Michalina Bednarek was born in 1900. She had two sisters and four brothers. I met only two of them.
I also met my grandmother. When my parents were working, she spent with me a lot of time. She lived with us. But she died when I was less then a year old. And I do not remember her. At all.
When she was young she married colonel of the Polish Legions. Unfortunately both her husband and their daughter died because of tuberculosis. I have one picture of my grandma in widows weeds, taken probably about 1930.

I also have a membership card of her brother Wladyslaw, issued in 1925

and pictures of her, probably youngest brother Jozef, in corporal's suit. These pictures were taken in 1938, when he was 22. He and his sister Jadwiga, who died in 2009 were just the only I remember.

Happened in 1943

Few days ago I went, with my son Michal, to pay my respect to my granddad Jan Zawislak at his grave in Popkowice, small village, where he lived (see one of my first posts). In the same cemetary I found a grave of 12 men died in 1943 in a near village Skorczyce. I took its picture

It would be one of many such stories which happened during the WWII. But my grandparents and my mom (which was 7 years old) lived there and then and my mom still remember the story. It was a typical nazi revenge action - partizans killed a nazi in the village - he lived in a brewery in Popkowice. Probably he was a problem for people. But nazis took a revenge, very not fair one. They set a fire to a building in the nearby village Skorczyce and when villagers came to help, nazis shoot them down.

People made a  great funeral to the victims. Many people from Skorczyce and Popkowice came, also my grandparents with my mom. Though the priest was afraid of nazis, he was also forced to come to make the funeral in a Christian way. Here are two photos taken then, in September 1943.

A month break  - sorry. I had some new activities in my life which took all my notice. Just a new job.

Now let's take a break in my mom's family. As stated aside of the blog I have very few pictures from my father and decided to present them in next few posts.

My father's dad, grandad Wladyslaw (Vladislav) was born in 1888 (wow). His father Stanislav (my great grandfather) moved to Lublin together with his father (my great great grandfather - I do not know his name). They both were specialists in sugar-mill building and there was a sugar-mill being build in Lublin then (it was closed a year ago).

And I did not find a lot about them and their family. All I know is that my granddad had 3 bros and one sister. One of his brothers moved to Canada in the begining of 20th century. Some people say he had to escape. But why I still try to find. Anyway the family lost any contact with him. - he sent only one postcard in 1940's without his address.

I found in the web that Stanislav married Aleksandra Zbikowski in 1885 (and my grandfather was born 3 years later) in Krasne when the family lived then. And a year later his brother Valentin was also married with Marianna. He moved to US with 5 USD as can be seen on the document found in the web, with a destination of Buffalo. Also in this case the family lost any contact.

Walenty as item 2

It is really a great moment to find a document like that.

I have one picture of my grandpa I really like - it was taken about 1915 so he is 27. He is in a suit of Don Cossack Regiment. I remember that when I was young (he died when I was eight and he lived with us) I loved his evening stories about his service in Cossack Regiment.

Missed glimpses - part II

This week walking pictures. The weather forecasts looks great for the Easter time this year. I will take my family for a walk to take some walking pictures, but then there is always someone missing - me - the photographer ;-)

Year 1932 - my grandma left, with a friend. I cannot find out the place. I suppose we see the entrance to the Jewish quarter, completly wiped out during WWII

And 1934 - my grandma first from the left, in the background we see the monument (of Polish - Lithuanian Union) still  standing in the center of Lublin. Let's keep smiling

February of 1935. Grandma is right. The guy following her was a husband of Lucyna, her sister, thus I suppose it is Lucyna in the back. Keep smiling

May of 1936 - my grandma. And the girls are looking at this picture taking, also a guy and some other people. I am curious why. It is 1936 and 'walking pictures' is very popular then. What was so unusual then?

1937 - grandma is left. Let's walk. Keep smiling

Missed glimpses - part I - Feliksa

I still find some old pictures or left them as they did not fit any of my previous posts.
I will present them now.

All three pictures here come from the early 1930s. First one is the walking picture of four ladies.
I like it: different hats and so different and nice ladies' faces. My grandma is second from the left.
I intend to do some postprocessing to this picture in the future.

 And below two pictures taken in 1933. My grandma with her friends. Great time of being young ;-).

Feliksa is standing second from the right

And here Feliks on her knee

It is short this week. Hope to find more time in the future for better posts.

My mom Iza - part IV

So we came to hot summer of 1939, last days before WWII. The international situation was getting hot and my grandpa Jozef was called-up to the army. He moved his family near their family town Lublin to a village Ostrow (or it was rather a very small town). He left his wife and daughter with her sister Lucyna (see the post from January 25th). 

The first picture shows both sisters with their daughters - left is Feliksa with my mom, right is Lucyna with Hanna, born 1938. As I wrote in the previously mentioned post Hanna, my aunt, resembles her mother very much.

From the left: grandma Feliksa, mom Iza, my aunt Hanna and her mother Lucyna

Left Hanna, right Iza

In front of the village house - first from the left is Lucyna's husband, sitting in the middle Lucyna with Hanna,
sitting at the bottom my mom and Feliksa. I do not know the other people.

And here my grandpa Jozef already in the army suit - suppose last moment before he left his wife and daughter.
My mom seems sad that dad is leaving. Grandpa is smiling. What was behind? Real soldier or just a smile for good memories in any bad case? Nobody can tell now.