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Paternal Family History

Siarkowicz      Bochnak     Uram     Kus

Ed Siarkowicz Statue of Liberty ellis Island

"Window to Freedom"

The Statue of Liberty from the Immigrant Holding Room, Ellis Island, New York.

     History is our greatest teacher. Being a student of history helps us to understand our present and it can give us valuable insights for our future. Family history, and understanding how world events have shaped the choices and behaviors of our ancestors, can give us a sense of placement in this world and it can help us to reconcile family environments that have molded and shaped our lives. My personal journey in family research began in 1999 when I began to ask one very important question -  "Why?"  Why did some people behave the way that they did? Why have I made some of the choices that I've made? It's been an interesting path full of revelations and surprises and it has all lead to the conclusion that there is no end, only better understanding. Each section of this page will forever be under construction because there is always more to learn. Check back often for updated insights and connections, and feel free to contact me with information and questions. Make sure to view my water reflections images on my homepage. 

Siarkowicz

Jan Mary Emelia Joseph Edward Siarkowicz

Jan and Marya Bochnak-Siarkowicz with children

Emilia, Joseph, Edward G. circa 1920

Edward G. Siarkowicz Helen Uram

Edward G. and Helen Uram-Siarkowicz

circa 1944

Edward J. Siarkowicz Karen Schulde

Edward J. and Karen Schulde-Siarkowicz

circa 1966

The following surnames have married into the Siarkowicz family since the early 1600s:

+ Known Family Relationships.

* 23andMe DNA Family Connections.

Bochniak+, Adamowska+, Uram+, Kus+, Kurcab, Kurcaba, Sliwa*, Barszcz, Sitek, Waclaski, Fialkoski, Mrozek, Fabis, Jankowski, Sakowska, Kordyl, Salinska, Kosiba, Fega, Augustyn*, Kuk*, Opiela, Korczak, Boczon, Wawrzniec, Lewinska, Kolaski, Wachoski, Waynar, Kozik, Piotrowska, Weydig+, Salisbury+, Stankewicz+, Jagodzinski+, Czarnecki+, Wisniewski*, Barankiewicz, Sierkowa, Wasielewska, Lasota, Slurfinska, Mastalerz, Duda, Gonciarz, Wasielkowicz, Reczycka, Tylkowska, Sopor, Kostecki, Petronela, Czerwinski*, Tokarz*

Ed Siarkowicz Immigration

     The earliest records of the Siarkowicz family in my research dates back to 1718 in Pinczow, Poland. In a general sense, the family originated in Lodzkie and followed a migratory route that went through Swietokrzyskie, and into the Malopolskie region of south-central Poland, settling in the towns of Strozowka, Gorlice, Ropica, Olpiny, and Plesna-Lichwin - all of which fall under the Catholic Parish of Gorlice. While I have many loose ends to investigate relating to their origin and the placement of early families, the definitive beginning for my family is in the village of Strozowka with the marriage of Stefan Siarkowicz to Jozefa Adamowska in 1885. From that would come a son, Jan, born on 02.15.1887. Jan Siarkowicz came to the United States in 1906 arriving in the Port of Baltimore, settled in Brooklyn, New York, and worked at a sugar manufacturing factory. He would marry Mary Bochnak, from Dominikowice, Kobylanka Parish, Poland and they would have children, Emilia Siarkowicz-Czarnecki, Joseph and Edward G., the latter of which would marry Helen Uram. During World War II, Edward G. Siarkowicz was initially stationed at Stewart Airfield in Upstate New York where he served as an Aviation Mechanic and Ground Crew Chief for the West Point Military Academy Pilot School. He would later be transferred to Northwest Airfield, Guam, where he served as a Staff Sergeant Ground Crew Chief for B-29 Bombers making Japanese oil refinery bombing runs and flying rescue missions to POW camps in the Philippines. Edward G. and Helen Uram-Siarkowicz had two children, Arlene Siarkowicz-Weydig and Edward Joseph. Edward Joseph Siarkowicz married my mother Karen Schulde in 1966, and in 1967 I arrived, followed by my sister, Kristin, in 1973.

     In 2018 I made contact with Marek Siarkowicz living in Strozowka, Poland. His Great Grandfather Ludwik Siarkowicz (10.08.1895 to 02.08.1954) shares the same parents as my Great Grandfather, Jan Siarkowicz. They were brothers!

Poland's Mineral Deposits

Ed Siarkowicz Poland Mineral Deposits

     Polish surnames are formed much in the same way that surnames are assembled the world over. They reflect a person's characteristics, geographic point of origin, parental lineage, and occupation. Steven Johnson was indeed "John's Son" Steven. The Baker family, at some point, were "bakers of goods", the Shoemakers at one point were "Cobblers", and so on.

     The name Siarkowicz is derived from the word "Siark", the Polish word for Sulfur. Depending on the source of Polish surname development you read, the ending "owicz" can mean either "son of" or "house of". The combination of the two literally translates into "Son of Sulfur" or "House of Sulfur", or as one Polish surname expert indicated, the combination can also mean "Brimstone" or "Fiery" when describing an individual or family's disposition and personality. Taking a look at the above mineral deposit map of Poland, the red circle indicates sulfur deposits that have been mined for centuries. In that same area there is also a Siark River that travels south into the Malopolskie region. Whether or not the early Siarkowicz family members were miners of sulfur may be lost to history. I can, however, attest to the fact that the two generations of Siarkowicz men prior to me had "brimstone-like" personalities. Perhaps it is all tied together. Nevertheless, the concept is fascinating. 

Lineage and Loose Ends

     Below is the family line of my Great Grandfather Jan Siarkowicz who came to the United States in 1906 from Strozowka, Poland. Recently obtained information about Jan's parents  reveals that his father Szczepan (Stefan) Siarkowicz married Jozefa Adamowska in 1885 in Gorlice, Poland. Jozefa's mother's maiden name was Wawrzniec. Presently I have over 40 Siarkowicz families from the 1700s and 1800s that have not yet been assigned to this family tree. They incorporate many of the surnames that were listed at the beginning of this section. Through the DNA research company 23andMe, I have connected to DNA relatives Sliwa and Wisniewski that make appearances in some of  the 40 families. If one of the names above is in your family tree, send me an email at DrEd32080@yahoo.com and we'll figure out how we're related.

Loose Ends

Siarkowicz Genealogy

Present Day Siarkowicz Locations

Siarkowicz Genealogy
Siarkowicz Genealogy

Siarkowicz Gallery

Bochnak

Mary Bochnak Jan Siarkowicz

Mary Bochnak and Jan Siarkowicz

Leopold and Maria Bochnak

Leopold "Piotr" and Maria Bochnak

Mary bochnak-Siarkowicz, Jan Bochnak, Caroline Bochnak-Gunsorek (Gasiorek)

Siblings Mary, Jan, and Caroline

The following surnames have married into the Bochniak family since the late 1500s:

+ Known Family Relationships.

* 23andMe DNA Family Connections. 

Siarkowicz+, Gasiorek+, Gunsorek+, Szurek++, Prokop+, George+, Szmer, Dziuna, Saksa, Fesz, Jedrzysik, Ziebro, Ozog, Drabic, Gajda*, Mazur, Kowalczyk, Gorniak, Pietka, Jaworek, Zuchowicz, Jasiek, Kaminska, Skrzydlo, Perek, Smigielska, Galus, Goralczyk, Jablonka, Seliga, Kosmala, Bartosik, Baranska, Zaremba, Zareba, Dolinski, Stempinska, Kutas, Janiak, Gorezynski, Szczepanska, Mikolajczyk, Wydra, Szydlowska, Wysocka, Liberacka, Pomykala, Cichomska, Seliga, Baj, Tatar, Szezopia, Baranska, Jaranowska, Lesniewszczanka, Trzeciak, Waliska, Bartosik, Florek, Filupa+, Bosnack+, Naporski+, Oswald+, Saxson+, Mooney+, Martineau+, Fitzpatrick+, Gilligan+, McCarthy+, Dedona+, Sinan+, Wasko+, Marlowe+, Horne+, Frey+, Rea+, Hill+, Elbanna+, Steffen+, Rykowski+, Kram+, Hulerch+, Ficarella+, Saksa+, Golec+, Morrison+, Friedrich+, Ginter+, Estes+, White+, Cannone+, Gray+, McTire+, Helmick+, Savage+, Gazdik+, Norris+, Soos+, Grubick+, Lippe+, Gouvia+, Baka+, Bakos+, Noyes+, Esterly+, Caldwell+, Sansbury+, Mallory+, Matusicky+, Lichtler+, Czarnecki+, Jagodzinski+, Flannigan+, Bosas+, Riccobono+, Stankewicz+, Uram+, Weydig+, Siller+, Salisbury+, Vivona+, Czerwinski*.

Bochnak Genealogy

     The surname Bochnak is derived from a geographic location that described where this family line had its roots. Just like "Bostonian" describes someone from Boston, Massachusetts, Bochnak describes a group of people that began in the town of Bochnia, juest east-southeast of Krakow. One thing that can be said of Bochnaks is that there were a lot of them and they seemed to be almost everywhere - as evidenced by the blue circles on the map above. The earliest on record in my research date to 1680 in Malopolskie Province. The first appearance of my father's father's mother's family of Bochnaks in the United States occurred in 1903 with the arrival of  Jan. Following not too far after was his sister Karolina, and brother Franz, followed by my Great Grandmother, Marya, in 1911.  Jan Bochnak and Marya Bochniak-Siarkowicz would remain in Green Point, Brooklyn, New York City. Karolina would marry George Gasiorek (Gunsorek) and move to Adena, Ohio, and Franz would move to Western Pennsylvania.

     In all, there were 9 Bochnak children born to Ludwik Bochnak and Wiktoria Prokop: Franz 1879-1921, Jozef 1881-1930, Jan 1883-1969, Marianna 1886-1888, Karolina 1889-1964, Leopold "Piotr" 1892-1950, Marianna 1895-1971, Eleonora 1897-?, and Stanislaw 1899-1975. Each had their own lives filled with success and tragedy. Franz was killed in 1921 while enroute to New York from to pick up a sister to help take care of his 14 children following the death of his wife. The first Marianna would pass at the age of 2. Of particular note is Leopold "Piotr", a veteran of WWI. In October of 1921 he would marry Maria, the daughter of Tadeusz Miczka, Head of the Gorlice Elders and Gorlice Judge. He would then progress through Military rank and take a Professorial position at the Jaegellonian University in Krakow, having one child, Anna Daszkiewicz. With the onset of WWII in 1939, Leopold would rise to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Polish Underground-Resistance Armii Krajowej, playing an instrumental role in Operation "Maria" under the leadership of A.K. General Boleslaw Nieczuja-Ostrowski. He would survive the war, but not Soviet Russia's post-war occupation. The Communist backed MUBP, Polish Secret Police, hunted down nearly all Patriot Polish Independant-State Army Krajowej members. Leopold was arrested in 1949, tortured extensively, and murdered by the MUBP in 1950. He was promoted to Colonel posthumously in 1952. General Ostrowski was a pallbearer at Leopold's funeral. In the graveside photograph at the link below are his wife Maria and his brother Stanislaw. Read more of his story, in his own words:

 

http://www.24ikp.pl/skarby/ludzie/rp1944/bochnak_leopold/art02.php

Lineage and Loose Ends

     Below is the family line of my Great Grandmother Mary Bochnak-Siarkowicz who came to the United States in 1911 from Dominikowice, Poland. There are 4 pages and it is currently in the process of being updated from information obtained from family in Ohio, West Virginia, and New York. Through the DNA research company 23andMe I have connected to DNA relatives Gajda that married into one of the Bochniak families in 1820. The above list of names affiliated with the Bochnaks is only partial. The process of getting them all down on paper is lengthy but will eventually be completed. If one of the names above is in your family tree, send me an email at DrEd32080@yahoo.com and we'll figure out how we're related.

Bochnak Genealogy
Bochnak Genealogy
Bochnak Genealogy
Bochnak Genealogy

Present Day Bochnak Locations

Bochnak Genealogy
Bochnak Genealogy
Bochnak Genealogy
Bochnak Genealogy

Bochnak and Gunsorek Gallery

Uram

Ludwik Uram and Stanislawa Kus

The Wedding of Ludwik Uram to Stanislawa Kus

The following surnames have married into the Uram family since the early 1600s:

+ Known Family Relationships.

* 23andMe DNA Family Connections.

Siarkowicz+, Kus+, Sliwa*, Kaminska, Kochajacy, Oberc+, Oberz+, Gorecka, Tylawsa, Hynek, Hyziak, Grondal, Jarek, Gredola, Michalski, Kowalski, Dachowka, Michalezyk, Gronek, Barna, Keasowicz, Dysak, Pecak, Spica, Spilka, Spiwak, Niznajowska, Harhay, Tryszczak, Zryszczuk, Friszczun, Smoley, Artymiak, Dudko, Onamalia, Wybryk, Smarz, Rudawski, Slec, Hanas, Zeleniak, Chanas, Kadylak, Serniak, Zulia, Warholko, Koncz, Eredyk, Romanczak, Macellaro+, Argentino+, DeJoseph+, Lucia+, Vitale+, Weydig+, Salisbury+, Polaski+.

Uram Immigration
Uram Coat of Arms

     It was my Great Grandfather, Ludwik Uram that came to the United States from Gorlice, Malopolskie Province, Poland January 23, 1914. At the time Gorlice was a center of trade with Hungary, exchanging goods, most especially with the making of shoes. It is no surprise that on his Ellis Island Ship Manifest Record, Ludwik Uram is listed as a Cobbler. It is also no surprise that before Poland, the Urams had a long history in Hungary. The history of the Uram name is even more involved than that. The first Urams originated as a Celtic tribe in Cornwall, England. Under the older spelling of the name, Urien, the family held a long term County Seat in the area, culminating in the "Crowning Glory" of the family name with the 6th Century King, Urien of Gorre - of King Arthur of Camelot fame. Their path across Europe began with England's invasion of Ireland and then a trek to conquer Hungary. Settling in Green Point, Brooklyn, New York City, Ludwik Uram would marry an American-Born Stanislawa Kus, and spend his working life as a Cobbler in Brooklyn.

Ludwik Uram Cobbler

Ludwik Uram, New York Shoe Factory

Lineage and Loose Ends

     Below is the family line of my Great Grandfather Ludwik Uram who came to the United States in 1914 from Gorlice, Poland. The above list of names affiliated with the Urams is only partial. The process of tracing them into Hungary and then back to Ireland and England will be both challenging and exciting. If one of the names above is in your family tree, send me an email at DrEd32080@yahoo.com and we'll figure out how we're related.

Uram Genealogy

Present Day Uram Locations

Uram Genealogy
Uram Genealogy
Uram Genealogy

Uram Gallery

Kus

Stanislawa Kus-Uram

Stanislawa Kus, New York City

The following surnames have married into the Kus family since the late 1500s:

+ Known Family Relationships.

* 23andMe DNA Family Connections.

Uram+, Macellaro+, Argentino+, DeJoseph+, Lucia+, Vitale+, Siarkowicz+, Weydig+, Wanatowicz+, Murowski+, Rizzo+, Bielinda+, Sharrocks+, Trobridge+, Greaney+, Oberlander+, Dysard+, Staszewski+, Russo+, Tripaldi+, Cardone+, Schneider+, Davis+, Gellman+, Jassey+, Harrington+, Gould*, Gluchowka, Ligus, Rozpudziak, Kusiokowka, Kishin, Kowalczykowka, Postowska, Rapsten, Nowok, Krzykawski, Kaspruchinska, Kasprzyk, Siurdziaka, Gagalanowa, Fisierin, Koryciarz, Karnowa, Olszowska, Grigsowa, Halucka, Borowska, Gawliczek, Swietek, Nykiel, Kuter, Ziolek, Pogodzionka, Kokot, Jenkner, Groborz, Kaniowa, Pogodzionka, Musiol, Ciurzik, Koryciorz, Drozdz, Gawliczek, Tomecka, Janaz, Filipczyk, Koczubik, Pissula, Hrabia, Zakonnik, Pogoda, Nyklow, Dul, Zdunowna, Kurpiczwianka, Szkutnik, Dziewanowski, Zarebka, Nidrych, Postek, Majchrzak.

Kus Immigration
Kus Immigration

     The origin of the Kus name, pronounced "Koosh", is in Mecklenburg, Germany. The earliest appearance of Kus families in Poland is in the late 1500s in the province of Pomorskie. There is then a migration pattern into the provinces of Mazowieckie in 1610, and then Lodzkie, Swietkokrzyskie, Malopolskie, and Podarpackie. Stanislawa "Tessie" Kus-Uram was the American-Born daughter (1901) of Michael Kus (1871-1931), and Johanna Kus-Jasiorels (1877-1939) who were married in the United States in 1896. According to U.S. Census Records, Michael Kus came to the United States in 1895 from Poland. While there are an extraordinary number of Kus families in Poland, Michael as a first name is uncommon. After the examination of close to a thousand birth records throughout the entire country of Poland, the only record that matches birth year U.S. Census Records is that of a Michal Kus born in 1871 in the village of Nieporet in the province of Mazowieckie - located near the "o" of Maziwieckie on the colored map of Poland above. There is not a 100% level of confidence that this is the same Michael Kus. The confusion comes from the U.S. Immigration Records of Barbara Kus, age 5, and Apolonia Kus, age 19, who in 1899 are listed as coming to brother Michael Kus in Brooklyn, New York. Their town of origination is Lusrenska, Poland. A search for Lusrenska in Poland comes back with negative results, instead, Lovrenska, Slovenia comes back as a result which also held a large number of families with the Kus last name. It is entirely possible that Barbara and Apolonia were coming to a Michael Kus different than our own - a mystery that may or may not resolve itself over time. What is most important is that we had Tessie Kus-Uram with us for so long. Born in 1901, she passed away in 1981 at the age of 80.  She had an incredible sense of humor and her recipes for pierogie and black mushroom soup keep her spirit alive with us at the holidays. 

Lineage and Loose Ends

     Below is the family line of my Great Grandmother Stanislawa Kus-Uram who was born in the United States in 1901. The number of Kus families in Polish church records is very large. If you do not see your family name above message me and I can search to see if I can find our link. If one of the names above is in your family tree, send me an email at DrEd32080@yahoo.com and we'll figure out how we're related.

Kus Genealogy
Kus Genealogy

Present Day Kus Locations

Kus Genealogy
Kus Genealogy
Kus Genealogy
Kus Genealogy
Kus Genealogy
Kus Genealogy
Kus Genealogy
Kus Genealogy
Kus Genealogy
Kus Genealogy

Kus Gallery

DNA Family History

DNA History
DNA History
DNA History
Under Construction
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