This week’s photo is of my grandfather, Richard Zalewski, and his friend Jenny Strelka. There is no year mentioned, but Richard looks to be maybe 4 or 5 years old, so I would guess 1924-25. I’m assuming it’s also in Milwaukee, Wisconsin since Richard grew up there. I don’t see a Jenny Strelka in my family tree f ile, but I’m assuming it may be my grandfather’s cousin since his aunt Martha Zalewski had married John Strelka.
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.
Ran across an article in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel this morning about new burial options at some of the area’s largest cemeteries, Natural (or Green) Burials.
According to the article:
All burials in this area will include a biodegradable coffin, or a shroud and other container, and no toxic embalming or concrete vaults. No individual markers will be used, but names and dates will be engraved on large boulders in the 3-acre cemetery, planted in native prairie flowers and grasses.
Currently, it’s being offered at Forest Home Cemetery (which I posted about earlier) and Prairie Home Cemetery in Waukesha, Wisconsin. For us genealogists, don’t worry about not being able to find a loved one.
There’s one other new twist on age-old burial practices: Anyone visiting the prairie cemetery will get a GPS device and help finding the grave.
As a genealogist, I would miss the headstone and other things that are so helpful to photograph for your research, but you can get a photo of the engraved stone.
I do find it interesting and I love that it’s better for the environment. I’ll have to keep an eye on it around this area. I know they’ve been doing it around the country for awhile now.
[ Article Link ]
This is a photo from my wife’s family tree. The boy on the right is her grandfather, Keith Moran. The other boys are listed as being Ralph and Lyle, who I assume are family but I don’t have all of the information. There is another photo of these three boys making more faces. The location is somewhere is southwestern Wisconsin where Keith grew up.
So, it looks like I’m running low on headstone photos. Darn you, Tombstone Tuesday. I’m going to start posting headstones from my wife’s family research.
This week’s headstone is from her great-great grandparent’s Gustave Ferdinand GYRION and his wife Josephine FRANCOIS. Gustave was born in 1858 in Belgium and passed away in 1934. Josephine was born in 1870 in Door Co., Wisconsin and passed away 21 Feb 1950 in Cook Co., Illinois. They are buried in Plover Cemetery in Plover, Portage Co., Wisconsin.
Sorry. Been busy doing other things and due to my short attention span, sometimes I get involved in other things and lose interest in the other stuff quickly. Though, that does mean I come back into genealogy more often and usually with a lot of interest. Here’s is my family history for the week of May 3 – 9.
May 3
1905 – Born – Clarice CORRIGAN – Clarice is my great-great aunt on my father’s side. She was born in Sanborn, Ashland Co., Wisconsin where most of the other Corrigan children were born, including my great-grandfather. She passed away in July 1995 in Iron Mountain, Dickinson Co., Michigan.
May 5
1849 РBorn РPaulina Henrietta (THOMPSON) FIRMENICH РPaulina is my great-great-great grandmother. She was born in Granville, Milwaukee Co. Wisconsin which is part of the Brown Deer area now (not far from where I live.) Her parents were William Henry THOMPSON and Claude-Fran̤oise QUINET. She married Mathis Balthazar FIRMENICH on 11 Feb 1867 (his birthday) in Holland, Brown Co., Wisconsin. She passed away 3 Jun 1910 in Morrison, Brown Co., Wisconsin. She is buried with her husband in Ashland, Ashland Co., Wisconsin where he lived the rest of his life.
May 6
1888 – Died – Peter MUHM – Peter is my 3rd-great-grandfather on my mother’s side. He was born 18 May 1848 in Hanover, Germany to Friedrich MUHM and Sophia Elizabeth STRASSMAN. He married Ida SCHAVANDIE on 18 Apr 1870 in Germantown, Washington Co., Wisconsin. He passed away at the young age of 40 in Langlade Co., Wisconsin.
May 9
1860 – Died – Mary (CRONIN) MCCANN – Mary is my 4thg-great-grandmother on my father’s side. She was born in 1797 in Ireland, parents unknown. She married Thomas MCCANN, with whom she had 4 children before emigrating to Ontario, Canada.
This weeks photo is that of my great-great-grandparents, Joseph & Mary Philomene (LAURENT) DEBROUX. The stone is located in St. Joseph’s Catholic Cemetery, Norwood, Langlade Co., Wisconsin. Joseph DEBROUX was born 1864 in Grand Chute, Outagamie Co., Wisconsin to Desire and Desiree DEBROUX. He married Philomene LAURENT on 8 Sep 1891 in Langlade Co. She was born 1866 in Wisconsin to Jean Baptiste LAURENT and Olivine Marie ST. LOUIS.
This week’s tombstone is that of my grandfather, Richard Zalewski. Richard passed away on April 18th, 1999. His death (along with a newspaper article) spurred my interest in genealogy and here we are today. Unfortunately, my Zalewski line is one of the toughest to research and he may have had information I could have used. He is buried at St. Francis-Borgia Cemetery in Cedarburg, Ozaukee Co., Wisconsin.
Sorry, I haven’t been posting recently. I had other things going on and I was also not doing much research. But, I will get back on the horse today. Happy Easter.
April 12
1923 – Married – Maurice CORRIGAN and Agnes BRAATZ. My great-grandparents were married in Iron Mountain, Dickinson Co., Michigan. Maurice and Agnes grew up somewhat near each other in Ashland, Wisconsin which is where they probably met.
April 14
1856 – Died – Jacobus Franciscus KREBBEKX. Jacobus is my 4th-great-grandfather on my mother’s side. He was born 1 Mar 1818 in Hoofdplaat, Zeeland, Netherlands. He married Maria Sophia SCHALLOIR in 1819.
April 15
1895 – Born – Frances Dorothy ZALEWSKI. Frances is my great-great-aunt on my father’s side. She was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She married Edwin G CYBELA in about 1916. She passed away on 18 Jul 1965 in Milwaukee.
April 17
1867 – Born – Frank F BRAATZ. Frank is my great-great-grandfather on my father’s side. He was born in Germany to Wilhelm & Marie BRAATZ. He married Margaret K STEARNS in 1891. He passed away on 10 Jul 1948 in Ashland, Ashland Co. Wisconsin and is buried there at Mt. Hope Cemetery.
April 18
1870 – Married – Peter MUHM and Ida SCHAVANDIE. Peter & Ida are my 3rd-great-grandparents on my mother’s side. They were married in Germantown, Washington Co., Wisconsin. Their third child is my great-great-grandmother, Minnie M MUHM.
1892 – Married – Thomas J CORRIGAN and Emma Jane FIRMENICH. Thomas & Emma are my great-great-grandparents on my father’s side. They were married in Sanborn, Ashland Co., Wisconsin. This was Thomas’ second marriage and Emma’s first. Their first child, Maurice CORRIGAN, is my great-grandfather.
1999 – Died – Richard Joseph ZALEWSKI. Richard is my grandfather. He was born 9 Dec 1921 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and married my grandmother, Mary Jane CORRIGAN, on 11 Oct 1947. He lived part of his life in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and then settled down in Cedarburg, Ozaukee Co., Wisconsin for the remainder of his life. His death was one of the reasons I got into genealogy and one of the reasons I wish I would’ve got into it sooner.
