Zalewski Family Genealogy

No, not a last name, the name LAST. You should see how difficult it is to do any sort of search on this surname. Typing in “last surname” or just “last” into search engines usually gets me a lot more than I need. Sometimes it gives me “Did you mean ‘last name’?” It’s even tough on genealogy sites like Ancestry, since some records put in “Last” if the person’s surname was unknown.

The LAST surname first shows up in my tree from my great-grandmother on my maternal side, Madora Martha Louisa LAST, who married Arthur THIELKE. Madora was one of 16 children! She was the tenth child for Charles Carl LAST and Augusta Johanna LUEDTKE, born in Grafton, Ozaukee Co., Wisconsin. Charles was born in Doeringshagen, Pommerania, which is located in present day Poland. His parents were Johann W G LAST (a Civil War veteran) and Charlotte STRASSMAN. Charles has immigrated to Wisconsin with his parents in 1857 and shows up in the 1860 Census in Wisconsin.

According Ancestry’s surname information page, LAST was most common in Wisconsin in 1880. Also, they note it to mean a metonymic occupational name for a porter, from Middle High German last; German Last or Yiddish last ‘burden’, ‘load’. A porter is more than likely someone who was in charge of a door or a gate (similar to a doorman.)

There are many LASTs in this area, most of which probably descend from Augusta & Charles and their 16 children. Augusta not only had 16 children, but she lived to be 100-years-old. Now comes the part when I need to research back in Poland.

June 21

1891 – Married – Johann THIELKE & Wilomene C RATHKE – Johann and Minnie are my great-great-grandparents on my mother’s side. They were married in Milwaukee Co., Wisconsin. Minnie was previously married, as I found out in the census and passenger lists, to man named Frank HOLZ. I think this was Johann’s first marriage. I’m  only aware of them having one child, my great-grandfather Arthur.

1931 – Born – Robert John ZALEWSKI – Robert is my great uncle on my father’s side. He was born in Milwaukee as my great-grandparent’s last child. I know I met him at some point in my life, but I don’t remember him too much. He lived in the Balitmore, MD area. He passed away a few months after my grandfather in 1999.

June 23

1809 – Born – Sophia Elizabeth STRASSMAN – Sophia is my 4th-great-grandmother on my mother’s side. She was born in Wahmbeck, Hanover, Germany. She married Friedrich MUHM in 1844 in the state of New York. She passed away on 23 Nov 1869 at Germantown, Washington Co., Wisconsin and is buried nearby at Christ Evangelical Cemetery in the unincorporated Dhiensville, Washington Co., Wisconsin.

1873 – Born – Emma Jane FIRMENICH – Emma Jane is my great-great-grandmother on my father’s side. She was born at Wrightsown, Brown Co., Wisconsin to Mathias & Pauline FIRMENICH. She married Thomas CORRIGAN on 18 Apr 1892 and together they had 9 children. She passed away on 28 Apr 1941 in Ashland, Ashland Co., Wisconsin and is buried there at St. Agnes Cemetery.

June 24

1678 -Married – Leonard PAILLARD & Marie Louise VACHON – Leonard and Marie are my 9th-great-grandparents on my mother’s side. They were more than likely married in Quebec, Canada because my notes indicate, “June 24, 1678, he signed his marriage contract in front of the Aubert notary. He married (Marie) Louise Vachon. From this union were born eleven children, six boys and five girls.”

June 25

1716 – Born – Joseph Robidas MANSEAU – Joseph is my 6th-great-grandfather on my mother’s side. He was born in Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, Canada. He married Catherine LaFond MONGRAIN in 1774. He passed away on 30 Jun 1776.

June 26

1929 – Died – Wilomene C (RATHKE) THIELKE - Minnie is my great-great-grandmother on my mother’s side. She was born 1 Sep 1857 in Pommerania, Prussia. She married, her second, my great-great-grandfather on 21 Jun 1891. She passed away in Wisconsin and is buried near where I live at St. Peter’s Cemetery in Grafton, Ozaukee Co., Wisconsin.

May 10

1716 – Died – Jean LaFond MONGRAIN – Jean LaFond is my 9th-great-grandfather on my mother’s side. He was born about 1646 in Trois-Rivieres, St. Maurice, Quebec, Canada. His parents had immigrated from France to this area. He married Catherine SENECAL and passed away in Batiscan, Champlain, Quebec, Canada.

May 11

1809 – Married – Phillipus Jacobus Bernardus VAN PARIJS & Anna Theresia JUNIS – Phillipus wins the award for the most “us” names. Besides that, Phillipus and Anna were married in Hoofdplaat, Zeeland, Netherlands. They are my 5th-great-grandparents on my mother’s side. They had three children: Jacobus, Anna, and Johannes.

May 12

1725 – Born – Maria TRUIJEN – Maria is my 7th-great-grandmother on my mother’s side. She was born in Genk, Limburg, Belgium to Peter TRUIJEN and Christina WAEBEN. She married Paulus VAN CRAYBECK in about 1748. She passed away at the age of 63 in 1789.

May 14

1833 – Died – Jacoba KNUDDE – Jacoba is my 6th-great-grandmother on my mother’s side. She was born about 1759. She married Pieter JUNIS and was passed away in Hoofdplaat, Zeeland, Netherlands.

1898 – Born – Madora Martha Louise LAST – Madora is my great-grandmother on my mother’s side. She was born in Grafton, Ozaukee Co., Wisconsin to Carl F H LAST and Augusta LUEDTKE. Madora married my great-grandfather, Arthur THIELKE, in 1919. She passed away only months from my birthday on 10 Sep 1979 and is buried at St. Paul’s Cemetery in Grafton.

Peter THIELKE was my 3rd-great-grandfather on my mother’s side. Peter came to America with his wife Marie (maiden name unknown) sometime between 1854 and 1856. I figured this since their son Charles “Fritz” was born in 1854 in Germany and their son Herman was born in Wisconsin in 1856. Their second son, Johann, was my 2nd-great-grandfather. They settled in Grafton, Ozaukee Co., Wisconsin and lived there for the rest of their lives. Peter and his wife Marie are buried at Union Cemetery in Port Washington, Ozaukee Co., Wisconsin.

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