Tag: Bannach

Categories52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

The Papermaker

Posted on 4 May 2014by Brian Zalewski

The twelfth ancestor on my 52 week challenge is my wife’s great-great-grandfather on her maternal side, Alexander Felix BANACH (or sometimes BANNACH.)

He was born on 26 August 1869 in, what is today, Åšliwice, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship in north-central Poland. His baptism is listed on the wonderful Pomeranian Genealogical Association’s PomGenBase website. In April 1891, he left his home in Poland and set out on a ship from Hamburg, Germany as mentioned in the Hamburger Passagierlisten database. We’re not exactly sure when or where he arrived, but in 1894, he married Mary WOYAK (or sometimes WOJAK) in Polonia, Portage County, Wisconsin. Portage County, along with Milwaukee, was a major hub for Polish immigrants in Wisconsin.

According to census and other documentation, Felix, as he was usually called, and Mary had 12 children altogether from 1895 to 1921. The second child born was my wife’s great-grandfather, Julius, in 1897. Sometime between 1920 and 1930, the family moved to Waukegan, Lake County, Illinois, possibly due to Felix’s jobs, as he was a papermaker. Paper companies were a big industry in central Wisconsin along the Wisconsin River.

On Halloween 1943, Felix passed away. He is buried with his family at Ascension Cemetery in Libertyville, Illinois.

This post is 12 of 52 in the “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks” Challenge” begun by Amy Johnson Crow.

CategoriesWeekly History

Weekly History: August 22nd – 28th

Posted on 22 August 2010by Brian Zalewski

Weekly History for our family for this week. As always, you can find any date on the Dates & Anniversaries page.

Nathaniel Shannon
Nathaniel Shannon's Headstone in Boston. Click for larger.

August 23rd

1714 – Married – Nathaniel SHANNON & Abigail VAUGHAN – Nathaniel and Abigail are my wife’s 8th-great-grandparents on her mother’s side. Nathaniel was born in Boston, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts in 1689. Abigail was born in Portsmouth, Rockingham Co., New Hampshire in 1683. They were married at Ipswitch, Essex Co., Massachusetts. Nathaniel passed away in 1723 in the West Indies. It is not known why he was there exactly, maybe on business. Abigail lived much longer and passed away in 1762.

August 26th

1869 – Born – Felix BANNACH – Felix is my wife’s great-great-grandfather on her mother’s side. He was born in German Poland, in what is now probably Poland. He married Mary WOJACK in 1894 in Portage Co., Wisconsin. Felix passed away on 31 Oct 1943 in Waukegan, Lake Co., Illinois.

August 27th

1723 – Died – Nathaniel SHANNON – Nathaniel is my wife’s 9th-great-grandfather on her mother’s side. He is the father of the Nathaniel mentioned above. He was born around 1655 in Londonderry, Ulster County, Ireland. In around 1688, he married a woman named Elizabeth, surname unknown. He is buried at the famous Old Granary Burial Ground on Tremont Street in Boston, Massachusetts; burial location of people such as Samuel Adams and John Hancock.

1778 – Born – Jonathan WARNER – Jonathan is my wife’s 5th-great-grandfather on her mother’s side. He was born in Pittsford, Rutland Co., Vermont. He married Anna RIPLEY sometime before 1802. Together they had 7 children. It is unknown when Jonathan passed away.