Information, tips, and other interesting finds on this personal journey
If you have any ancestors that lived in the Greater Milwaukee area from 1884-2007, you're in luck. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's website has access to search and view newspapers from its history, specifically: The Milwaukee Journal from 1884-1995 Milwaukee Sentinel from … [Read more...]
This is a photo from my paternal Milwaukee line. I don't know the names of everyone in the photo, but there are a few I know. My great-grandmother, Emily (TROKA) ZALEWSKI, is at the top-left. Her mother, Clara (SZULTA) TROKA, is right below her. Clara's mother (and my 3rd-great-grandmother), … [Read more...]
I thought I would write a post on how to convert one of your ancestor's Land Records into an actual physical location. Right now, I only have the information on how to do this in Wisconsin with the resources that they have available. Other states may have these items available too. Your mileage may … [Read more...]
I started using the Google Maps system to plot some of my family's locations awhile back, but I never got around to finishing it. Recently, I plotted most of the major Milwaukee locations for my family and it's interesting to see how it looks once you know where things are. I've always had an idea, … [Read more...]
Fat Tuesday around here in Milwaukee, home to a large Polish heritage, is celebrated as Pączki Day. The most popular local bakery in the area, National Bakery and Deli, expects to sell 45,000 of them. A pączki is a deep-fried piece of dough shaped into a flattened sphere and filled with … [Read more...]
I tried, but I couldn't come up with a joke for that. "Polish Flats" are common here in the Milwaukee area. I've recently been exploring the area where my great-great-grandfather, Frank Zalewski, and his family resided when they immigrated to Milwaukee in 1891. Frank and his family's first house was … [Read more...]
I know it sounds like a show on National Geographic, but it's not. I'm not sure why I didn't this earlier, but it's never too late to try. After finding my ZALEWSKI family's passenger record, I originally decided to see if I could find them in Baltimore city directories since it seems like they … [Read more...]
This is a photo of my great-great-grandparents, Joe & Clara (SZULTA) TROKA on their 50th wedding anniversary. The date of this photo would be somewhere around 29 Jan 1944 since they were married in 1894. They were married at St. Hedwig's Church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. There is a very nice … [Read more...]
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