6 Jan 2020 A Fresh Start

Katarzyna Joblonska

Piotr Jablonski

When I think of a fresh start, I think about my Polish ancestors.  My great grandparents were the first to immigrate to America from Posen.  Great grandfather  Piotr/Peter Jablonski married at age 24 to a 15 year old girl name Katarzyna/Katherine Gic in 1865 at the Catholic church in Znin.  I am not sure why they left Poland, but historically Poland was in a difficult economic time, and many young Poles were being conscripted into the Prussian army.  I think Peter left the country first, leaving his pregnant young wife and two children, Marianna and Michael.  I have yet to locate his immigration records, but Katherine arrived at Castle Gardens, NY in 1873 with the two children.  My grandfather Frank was a first generation child, born later that year in Detroit, MI.

Not only did the Jablonski family face the hardship of travel, of leaving their families, they also faced the language barrier.  Although Detroit had a large Polish population and several Polish neighborhoods, they still had to face the city at large.  But they persevered and eventually they were the parents to 13 children.  The 1880 census showed only Marianna and Frank, Michael; any other children born by then were not listed. The 1900 census listed Mary, Frank, Eva and Mickey. Mickey was too young to have been the Michael listed on the immigration record.  The other children were John, Annie, Rose, Peter, Stanley, Chestley, Martin and Catherine. Of the 13 children, I know that John, Annie, Rose, and Michael died as  children.  Eva, Martin, and Chester along with my grandfather Frank reached adulthood.  I have not found records on the others. At the time of Eva's death in 1949 only Martin (Who changed his name to Martin Burke) and Chestley (Who changed his name to Chester Oblin) were still living.  Peter had been a farmer in Poland, but in Detroit he was listed as a laborer.

In 1893 Peter and his family left Detroit to purchase a farm in Romulus, MI, where the family stayed for about 100 years.   Farm life was hard, but eventually the Joblinski (Note the spelling change) family had a thriving farm and apple orchard. My grandfather Frank inherited the farm, then my Uncle Bruno. The apple orchard operated until illness and age forced Bruno to retire.  His son Tom sold the property in the 1990's.

Judging by the Polish history I have read, to own a large thriving farm and orchard would not have been possible for my GGP's in Poland.  Their fresh start led to a life they only could have imagined, and other than the loss of their children, life was probably pretty good.  Unfortunately Dad didn't talk about his aunts and uncles on his paternal side, although he did talk about and keep in touch with his maternal side. Never really found out why he didn't. By the time I thought to question it, it was too late. Peter was a stern looking man, but Katherine looked less so.  My Dad Allie remembered his grandmother with fondness. His grandfather died before Dad was born.  They left a legacy in Romulus and many people reminisce about visiting the farm to buy apples and grain.

I do regret that in becoming Americanized the family lost a lot of knowledge about the culture and cooking of Poland. But Dad always cooked fresh kielbasa for after Midnight Mass on Christmas and Easter. (With plenty of horseradish and mustard).

The farm on Eureka Rd, Romulus MI.  My great grandparents would be grieved by the condition of their homestead.

 The kielbasa, keiska, and golumbkis that we had were about the extent of our heritage saved.  I wish we had more.