The following text was written by Jim Sobieski in Sept, 2013 to the family. It is a comprehensive history of the family on Grandmother Agnes Resheske Zelinske. The attachments mentioned in this letter are identified in the Zelinske family photos.
Franciszek Ryszewski (Frank Resheski) immigrated to the United States at age 20. He arrived in New York aboard the ship City of Brooklyn on April 18, 1876. He traveled with his parents, Jan and Ewa Ryszewski, brother Teofil, brother Jan, and sister Julianna. (Ship manifest attached (A)).
The Ryszewski family appeared to be headed for their Splitt cousins in Green Lake County. John Splitt immigrated in 1867 and his brother Louis Splitt immigrated in 1873.The Splitt brothers, both with families, were farming in Green Lake County, according to the 1880 census. John and Eva Ryszewski, with most of their family, were living next door. (Search 1880 census under Splitt and/or Roshedka)
Frank Ryszewski’s home village was first identified in 2002 after reading the “Declaration of intention to become a citizen”, made by his brother Teofil Ryszewski in 1888. Teofil declared he was born in Marotchin. Conversion of that phonetic spelling turned up the village Mirucin, Poland.
The marriage record of Frank’s parents was found in LDS film 0072033. (Marriage record attached (B)). Roughly translating the Latin, “On 10 January 1847 Jan Ryszewski married Ewa Balzer in the village of Mirucin”. All their children were born in Poland.
On November 5, 1878, Frank Resheski completed his “Declaration of Intention to become a citizen”. Frank together with John, his father, and John, his brother, filled out consecutive declarations on the same day in Fond Du Lac County. (C – Declaration attached.)
Seven years after his arrival, Frank Ryzsewski married Catherine Plencner at St. John the Baptist Church in Princeton.
Katarzina Plenzler (Catherine Plencner) was born April 7, 1862 in the village of Wiorek in Poland (LDS film 1191623, Birth # 43 in 1862). She was the first born of parents Jan Plenzler and Maria Kedziora. ( D – Birth record attached.).
Catherine’s mother Maria died Feb 12, 1876 about one month after the birth of her fourth child. That child was born Jan 1, 1876 and died March 5, 1876. Catherine’s father, Jan Plenzler (John Plencner) married Paulina Apolonia Andrzejewska on March 7, 1876. (LDS film 1194617, Marriage # 7 in 1876) (E – Marriage record attached.)
Jan Plencner, without his family, arrived in New York March 28, 1881 aboard the S S Suevia.
The rest of the family arrived a year later. Paulina Plencner, her three children and three stepchildren, arrived in New York May 2, 1882 aboard the S.S. Belganland. The oldest of these was Catherine, age 20. Tekla, the youngest child, was age seven months. (F – Ship manifest attached.)
Catherine Plencner and Frank Resheski were married April 11, 1883. (G -Marriage record attached.) Five children were born to this couple by 1894.
Five children were also born in Princeton to Catherine’s father and stepmother, John and Paulina Plencner. The last birth, Thomas, was in 1894. On December 2, 1894 two of their children, Anton and Thomas, died. Two days later John Plencner died. The Princeton Republic published Dec 6, 1894, reported that John’s children had died of “diptheretic croup”. (H – The Princeton Republic page attached.)
John Plencner was born in Wiorek Feb 2, 1837 and died in Princeton on Dec 4, 1894. He is buried in St John’s Catholic Church cemetery. (I – Tombstone photo attached.) .
(J – John Plencner church death record also attached.)
His widow, Paulina Apolonia, married Joseph Pytlak Jan 16, 1899. One child, Joseph, was born in Princeton. (Petiok spelling used in 1900 census.) Joseph and Paulina Pytlak were both still living in Princeton in 1920. (Pyttack in 1920 census spelling) Paulina died April 1, 1941.
Catherine’s grandfather and step grandmother, Lukasz Kedziora (Lucas Kendzora) and Anna Andrzejewska Kedziora, also traveled from Wiorek to Princeton. Lucas and Anna were both listed in the 1895 Princeton census. (Search for Fengorra.) and also the 1900 census. (Search for Caryouna.) A photo of Lucas and Anna Kendzora is attached (K).. Lucas was born in 1812 and died 25 July 1905 in Princeton. Anna was born July 25, 1821 and died Jan 3, 1909 in Princeton. (L – Church death records attached. M – Photo of burial site is attached.)
Lukasz Kedziora’s first wife (Catherine’s grandmother) was Katarzyna Cichowska. They were married November 25, 1838. Three children were born to this couple including Maria, who eventually became Catherine Plencner’s birth mother.
Katarzyna died at age 25 on October 7, 1843. She was survived by two of her three children. Lukasz subsequently married Anna Andrzejewska January 2, 1844.. Anna Andrzejewska, Catherine’s step grandmother, was a half sister to Catherine’s stepmother, Paulina Apolonia Andrzejewska.
Lukasz and Anna Kedziora gave birth to seven live children in Poland but only one child survived beyond age six. That was Jan Kedizora who was born May 2, 1846 and married Maria Aumuller in Wiorek on September 20, 1868.
Jan and Maria Kedziora also made the journey to Princeton from Wiorek together with their children. Two more children were born in Princedton in 1883 and 1885 according to the 1900 census. (Kenjora census spelling). The family moved to Chicago in about 1887. Four additional children were born in Illinois betwwen 1887 and 1898. Several of these grandchildren (and great grandchildren) of Lucas and Anna would often travel from Chicago to visit the Resheski Princeton farm and the Redgranite area.
Lukasz Kedziora’s sister and Catherine’s great aunt, Cecylia Kedziora Aumuller, also made the journey from Wiorek to Princeton, arriving at the port of New York aboard the S.S. Waser on April 20, 1884. She traveled with the Simon Niemier family. Her daughter Marianna Aumuller, cousin of Catherine, had married Simon Niemier in Wiorek. Simon himself arrived a year earlier aboard the ship Rhynland on Feb 26, 1883. According to the 1900 census, the Niemier family lived two places from the Frank Resheski family. (Spelling in 1900 census was Rashske.)
Cecylia was the resident mother-in-law to the Niemiers in the 1905 census. Cecylia Aumuller died December 8, 1906 and is buried in St. John’s cemetery. (N – Church death record attached.) Simon and Mary Niemier are also buried in St.John’s cemetery. (O -Tombstone photo attached.)
Franciszek Wrzesinski (Frank Wrzesinski) and his family emigrated from Wiorek and landed in the port of Baltimore on the ship Gera April 1892. The ship manifest shows Frank with his wife and two young children going to Wisconsin. Franciszek Wrzesinski (Frank Wrzesinski) had married Apolonia Kedziora in Wiorek. Apolonia was a second cousin of Catherine Plencner, now Catherine Resheski. In the 1900 census the Frank Wrzesinski family was living three places from the Frank Resheski family.
Frank’s wife, Apolonia, died on November 27, 1899. Cause of death was childbirth, according to the Green Lake death records. Frank married Rozalia on Jan 3, 1900 and provided a stepmother for his young children. Rozalia’s first husband was W. Mashuda who died Dec 7, 1894. She then married in 1895 to Matt Heller (Hela) whose first wife had died Oct 25, 1894. Matt Heller died July 9, 1899. Rozalia’s maiden name was Mroz. She was born April 2, 1846 and died April 30, 1920.
Frank Wrzesinski with his daughter Kathy and her stepmother Roszalia are pictured in the attached photo ( P ). Frank Wzesinski was buried in Princeton in St. John’s cemetery in 1829.
Martin Kedziora, brother of Apolonia Kedziora, and Catherine’s second cousin, also immigrated to Princeton from Wiorek. He arrived on 29 Aug 1893 aboard the ship Scandia. The ship manifest listed his destination as Princeton Wisconsin and his brother-in-law Frank Wrzesinski. (Q – Ship manifest attached.) Martin was living on the Frank Resheski farm in the 1910 census (Search for Ryzewski).
Frank Resheski died December 3, 1927. Catherine Resheski died in 1939. The Resheski tombstone in St. John’s uses the original spelling Ryszewski. (R -Tombstone photo attached.)
Frank and Catherine’s six children were Martin, John, Agnes, Stanish, Anna, and Pelagia. Baptismal sponsor’s for these six children included, among others, Frank’s brother Teofil Resheski, Catherine’s sister Mary, Mary’s husband Anton Mendyk, Catherine’s half brother John Kendzora and Catherine’s half sister, Tekla Plencner.
Two photos of the Resheski family are attached. One was taken about 1904 and one in the 1920’s(S1- S2).
Surnames of their grown children included Resheski, Zelinske, Wrzesinski, and Dudzinski. A photo is attached showing Resheski brothers and sisters with their spouses (T).
Ackowledgement: This report was prepared with the assistance of Tom and Shirley Resheski of Princeton. Tom’s grandparents were Frank Resheski and Catherine Plencner Resheski. This report would have not been possible without the generous assistance of Robert Mitchell of Madison who provided most of the information and records of John and Paulina Plencner in Princeton. Robert Mitchell is a descendant of that Plencner couple. Rosalie of St. John’s helped us to obtain some of the valuable church records used in this report.