52 Ancestors #2: Anna Data Walczyk

Anna Data was my great-great-grandmother. She was the second wife of Andrzej Walczyk and the mother of my great-grandfather Gregory Walczyk (see pedigree chart).

Anna was born in Czermna (map) on 7 March 1868 to parents Jan Data and Marianna Marcisz. She was the youngest of seven children.

excerpt - Anna Data baptism, Czermna, 8 March 1868

At the age of 20, she married older widower Andrzej Walczyk. Their marriage record says he was 52, but he was actually 56 years old. Andrzej was the father of nine children from his first marriage, but I'm not sure how many were alive when he married Anna. Daughter Clara (age 15) and son Frank (age 2½) were certainly alive and up to four more children might have been living as well.

excerpt - Andrzej Walczyk - Anna Data marriage, Czermna, 16 Feb 1889

Anna (Data) Walczyk was the mother of at least six children, all born in Czermna. Son Gregory (Grzegorz) was the first born to Andrzej and Anna, on 13 February 1890. Four more followed: Mary (Marya) in 1892, Zofia in 1894, Piotr in 1896, and Bridget (Bronisława) in 1899. Unfortunately the Czermna baptism records after 1900 are not available, so there could be a few more children I haven't found. However, one more son, Władysław, born in 1905, was discovered via his siblings' obituaries.

Frank Walczyk obituary, 5 August 1968, Dziennik Chicagoski

Siblings Bronsława Kurek, Marya Nosal, Władisław Walczyk
are named at the end of last paragraph.

In 1906, Anna's husband died, leaving her a widow at the age of 38. Son Gregory was 16 and Władysław was not yet two years old.

Andrzej Walczyk had been a farm laborer, a peasant. Their life had likely been difficult even before his death, but one imagines the situation became rather grim afterwards. Anna did not remarry. All of the children worked, even the younger ones. There was not much time to spare for education. According to the 1940 U.S. Census, Gregory had only two years of school, Mary four, and Bridget five.


At least four of Anna's children emigrated. Gregory left at age 22 and settled in Chicago. Mary left at about age 19. She lived in Connecticut. Bridget left home at only 14 years of age. She lived at first in Chicago with Gregory's family and then in Connecticut. Władisław first emigrated to France. In the 1950's he came to the U.S., living in Connecticut, Chicago, and California. I don't know whether any of Anna's other children survived childhood or whether they, too, emigrated.

Anna (Data) Walczyk was still living in Czermna in 1914 when daughter Bridget left. I don't know if she remarried later in life, or if she perhaps emigrated as well. I have not yet found her death record. Did she survive World War I in Poland? World War II? I hope to learn much more about Anna. If and when I do, I will post an update here.

Below is a brief outline of her descendants in the U.S.

Anna Data Walczyk's children and grandchildren in the U.S.

1. Gregory Walczyk (1890-1965) married Sophie Wacławik (1893-1960)
   
   1. John Walle married Helen Pionke
   2. Anna Walczyk married Frank Buczak
   3. Mary Walczyk married Walter Dekiel
   4. Frances Marie Walczyk joined the Congregation of Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth
   5. Eleanor Walczyk married Harry Peszynski
2. Mary Walczyk (1892-1974) married Walter Dziekan (1890-1922) and Anthony Nosal (1894-1965)
   
   1. Edward Jackon (Dziekan) married Jean Ostrowski
3. Bridget Walczyk (1899-1983) married Peter Kurek (1894-1989)
   
   1. living daughter
   2. Joseph Kurek married Anna Mae Peterson
   3. Helen Kurek married Joseph Yerka
   4. Thadeus Kurek married Terri Lauer and second wife (living)
4. Władisław Walczyk (1905-1992) married Sophie Filipak (1907-1968) and Sophie Stojak (1906-1999)
   
   1. living daughter
   2. living daughter
   3. living son

Reference:

• Family History Library film #2058154, items 8-14. Kościół rzymsko-katolicki. Parafja Czermna (Jasło). Akta urodzeń [births] 1784-1900.
• Family History Library film #2058155, items 1-3. Kościół rzymsko-katolicki. Parafja Czermna (Jasło). Akta małżeństw [marriages] 1784-1896.

Note: The 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge started at the beginning of 2014, but we decided to join at the midpoint. Each week, we will be writing about one ancestor from our paternal side on this blog, and one from our maternal side on TreeQuest: The Truth Is Out There.

© TreeQuest: An Unexpected Journey 2014.