This is a photo of my great-grandfather, Joseph ZALEWSKI, and my grandfather, Richard ZALEWSKI. Date is unknown, but Richard looks to be about 2 or 3, so this is probably somewhere around 1923-25. I’m assuming it was taken in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as that was where Joseph and his family lived at the time.

This photo is of my dad and his brother at the Covered Bridge in Cedarburg, Wisconsin. This is the now the only covered bridge left standing in Wisconsin. It looks like it was still used for vehicle traffic back then, but it is now just open for foot traffic. It’s located just north of the city on (surprise!) Covered Bridge Rd. Here is a Google Street View of it.

This isn’t a direct ancestor of mine, but I’ve always like the photo. Maybe it’s her eyes. They seem to pop out compared to the rest of the photo. I don’t have any proof on this, but the photo seems to be of Margaret DeBroux, who according to my guess is my great-grandaunt (or my great-grandfather’s sister) on my mother’s side.

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This is a photo from July 1940 of my great-great-grandmother, Emma Jane FIRMENICH, on the left with her 3rd husband, George Cook. On the right is my great-great-aunt, Sadie CORRIGAN.

I’m almost positive that this is my grandfather, Richard Zalewski. It was with my grandparent’s photos and it looks like a younger version of him. I’m assuming it was taken sometime in the mid-to-late 1920s since Richard was born in 1921.

This man originally purchased the house that my grandparents lived in from 1955-2005, until I bought it. He actually wanted the brick version of the house, so he purchased another one. He is pictured here on the land where his house is being built. Way in the back is his original purchased house, my grandparent’s house..my house. It turns out that it was the first house built in this subdivision in 1955. It looks a bit different today.

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This is a photo of my wife’s great-grandparents, Fred & Norma (POWELL) MORAN and their children, Keith (her grandfather) and Vivian. The Moran men, at least for a few generations, seemed to be easily recognized by their one physical attribute, their ears. It doesn’t seem to have been passed down much further.

Joseph Troka & my Dad

This is a photo of my great-great-grandfather, Joseph Troka, and his great-grandson (my father.) It was taken in May 1959, probably at my Dad’s first communion. You will notice that Joseph liked to wear his pants very high.

Troka/Zalewski/Szulta

This is a picture of the men of the Troka, Zalewski, Szulta, and other families. The photo includes both my great-grandfather and his father-in-law, my great-great-grandfather. Also included are some great uncles and some other family members. Here are the names of everyone in the photo. Back row: Joseph Zalewski (my great-grandfather), Leo Troka (my great-granduncle), Steve Kolasinski, John Szulta (my great-great-granduncle), Roman Troka (my great-granduncle) – Front row: Barney Kuszewski, Jos. Malzewski, Joseph Troka (my great-great-grandfather), Ignatz Urmanski.