Bąk / Bonk
Anton Bąk / Bonk:  A Shepherd from Silesia
by Janet Dawson Ebrom

Anton Bąk was born around 1823 in Silesia to Jakob and Anna Bąk.  When Anton was about 28 years old, he married Caroline Hunsa.  The couple was blessed with three children in close succession:  Marianna (ca. 1852); Joseph (ca. 1853); and Francisca (ca. 1855). Anton was a shepherd whose family resided in the village of Zębowice which lies about 20 miles east of the regional capital of Opole in present day southwestern Poland.   As members of the Wniebowzięcia NMP parish, their sacramental records from the 1800s were destroyed during wartime, so the exact dates of births, baptisms, and marriage cannot be documented. 

With a wife and three young children, Anton decided to register with an immigration agent named Julius Heinrich Schüler who toured Silesia gathering people to tell about Texas and offering to arrange their transportation.  Fortunately, the Schüler Agency’s detailed application, dated March 6, 1856, reflected the names and ages of the Bąk family before they left their motherland:  Anton “Bunk,” age 33; Caroline Hunsa, age 32; Marianna, age 4; Joseph, age 3; and Franciska, only eleven months old (passengers 152-156).  Anton’s occupation was listed in German as a “shäfer” [shepherd] who departed from Silesia with his family on April 1, 1856.  They crossed the Atlantic Ocean and set foot on Texas soil in Galveston in pursuit of a new life.

Anton and Caroline initially settled with their three children in Karnes County among other Silesian immigrants.  In the springtime, two years after leaving Silesia, Caroline gave birth to twin daughters and named them Catharina and Monica.  A day after their birth, the Texas-born twins were proudly presented to the parish priest in Panna Maria and baptized on April 11, 1858. Rev. Anthony Rossadowski, the second pastor of Immaculate Conception of the BVM Catholic Church, recorded Anton’s surname as “Bąk” and Carolina’s maiden name as “Honza” (entries #56 and #57).

Sometime between this young immigrant family’s departure from Silesia and the 1860 census, they experienced the death of their only son, Joseph Bąk.  This is significant not only as a family tragedy in losing a little boy but also as the end of the family’s surname in Texas. 

By 1859, Anton was taxed in Karnes County on two head of cattle worth $12 and hogs valued at $11.  Anton made the transition from herding sheep in Silesia to acquiring Texas stock soon after his arrival.  On July 28, 1860, the census taker enumerated the family in Panna Maria, Karnes County, Texas,  as: A. Bonk, age 38; Caroline, age 36; Mary, age 9; “F” [Francisca], age 5; and the twins Katrina [Catharina] and Mariana [Monica], age 3 (dwelling #1127).

Following this census, two more daughters were born to Anton and Caroline; Josephine was born about 1861, but her baptism record has not yet been located.  Four years later, Barbara was born on December 1, 1865, and baptized in Panna Maria the next day (entry #276).

After almost thirteen years of labor coupled with ambition, Anton was able to realize his dream of owning a Texas homestead.  On January 4, 1869, he purchased 215 acres from John Pawlik. The land bordered the property of Joseph and Catherine Kirish on the west bank of the Cibolo Creek (Karnes County Deed, Volume B, p. 128).

With their six daughters settled in the family’s new home, Anton and Caroline were visited by the census taker on August 20, 1870.  They were listed as:  “Antone B.,” Caroline, age 45; Mary, age 18; Frank [Francisca], age 15; “Cathran,” age 12; Monika, age 12; Josephine, age 8; Barbara, age 5 (dwelling #5).

Their oldest daughter, who had been only four years old when she left Silesia, announced her intention to marry another Silesian immigrant.  On September 12, 1871, Mary Bąk married Laurence Mutz in the Panna Maria church (entry #61).

Eight days after the wedding, Anton exercised his right as a 48-year-old citizen of the United States when he registered to vote at the original Karnes County Courthouse in Helena (p. 393).  Later his creatively designed cattle brand was recorded on October 10, 1873 (Karnes County Marks and Brands, Vol. 1, p. 3, #1040). The base letter “A” was supporting a horizontal “B” as shown.

A summer wedding took place in Panna Maria when one of Anton and Carolina’s twin daughters, Monica, married Anton Sekula on June 12, 1877 (p. 4, 1^st entry).  This was the final Bąk family celebration in the Immaculate Conception Church because a new parish in Cestohowa was formed.  The founders of the parish bearing the name of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary included Anton Bonk (Texas Pioneers from Poland: A Study in the Ethnic History. Jacek Przygoda, p. 51). On February 10, 1878, the Cestohowa church was dedicated (The First Polish Colonies of America in Texas, Rev. Edward J. Dworaczyk, p. 130).  This church was the setting for the nuptials of Francisca Bąk and her bridegroom Emanuel Esparsa on November 12, 1878 (p. 257, entry #1).
 

By the time of the 1880 census, three of the Bąk daughters had been married.  On June 12, 1880, the family was recorded:  Anton Bonk, age 58; Caroline, age 57; Kate, age 21; Josephine, age 18; and Barbara, age 14 (dwelling #68). On August 9, 1881, Josephine Bonk married John Szczepanik in Cestohowa (p. 259, 3^rd entry).  This was the last time Anton would give a daughter in marriage.

According to witnesses, Stephen Titzman and John Brysch, “A short time before he died…while his hand was trembling in the throes of death…,” Anton Bonk signed his last will and testament.  He sold his youngest daughter Barbara 215 acres including the farm and house for $600.  Barbara was still single, and her dying father requested that she “…keep my wife Karolina Bonk her mother by her and cloth [clothe] her and give her free meals to her last hours of her life.”  Anton added that he would like for his daughter to give Karolina “…a respectable funeral.”  The will also specified that each of the other daughters would receive $100 except for Mary, the oldest daughter, who had already gotten her share.  Anton left his wife Karolina $150 and three stock horses (Karnes County Probate Records, Vol. I, pp. 310, 313-315).  At the approximate age of 62, Anton died on July 10, 1882, and was buried the following day in the Cestohowa parish cemetery (p. 345, 1^st entry).

Four months later, Anton and Caroline’s daughter Catharina married a young man from St. Hedwig, Texas. Simon Kolonko and Catharina’s wedding was celebrated on November 28, 1882, in Cestohowa (p. 262, 1^st entry).  The following year, on November 27, 1883, Barbara, the youngest Bonk daughter, married Joseph Kotara in Cestohowa (p. 264, 3^rd entry).

After all six of her daughters were married, Caroline remained on the family homestead with her daughter and son-in-law, Barbara and Joseph Kotara.  On December 11, 1884, Caroline Hunsa Bonk, the family matriarch, passed away and was laid to rest next to her beloved husband Anton (p. 348, 1^st entry).  Even though Anton and Caroline left no male descendants with the Bonk surname, most of their daughters married Silesian men. The Bonk Polish ancestry will go down in history through the maternal side of these families.

Spelling variations: 

·                    Surname:  Bąq, Bonk, Bunk

·                    Maiden name:  Hunsa, Honza, Hondza, Chondza

Reference Notes: 

         ·      Anton Bąk’s family is listed in the “Ravaged by War” section (p. 241) of
                  Silesian Profiles II:  Polish Immigration to Texas 1850s-1870s.

         ·      The in-law families who have been fully profiled in the Silesian Profiles books are:
                Mutz and Sekula (Vol. I) and Kolonko, Kotara, and Szczepanik (Vol. II)

Jędruś – Jendrusch
Anton Jendrusch
by John and Kathy Korus Beard
                                 
In the spring of 1856, Anton Jendrusch made arrangements to emigrate to the United States with his young wife Marianna Brysch and their baby Victor.  A contract was made with the agency of Julius Schüler to provide transportation from Upper Silesia, Poland, to the State of Texas.  For Anton, the agency listed the village of Osiecko as his home.  This village is part of the parish of Wniebowziecia NMP (Assumption of the BVM), and it is located halfway between Olesno and Dobrodzień, just west of the highway between the two towns.  The occupation indicated for Anton is einlieger, or free agricultural laborer.  Since he is described as 30 years of age and his wife 22 years, Anton would have been born in the year 1825 and Marianna in the year 1833.  The sacramental records of their parish were among those destroyed when the Red Army passed through the area in World War II, so all of the European information about the Jendrusch family came from the Schüler Agency.¹ 

After crossing the Atlantic, the Jendrusch family arrived in Galveston, Texas, in mid-1856.  Just over a year later on August 26, 1857, a son Louis was born and baptized the same day in the Immaculate Conception of the BVM Catholic Church at Panna Maria.²  Records do not provide the answer to the question of when Anton and baby Louis lost their wife and mother, nor have any additional records of young Victor Jendrusch been found.   

Two years after his wife died, Anton remarried.  On November 22, 1859, Anton Jendrusch was united in matrimony with nineteen-year-old Catharina Kowalik, daughter of Melchior and Anna Kowalik, at the Immaculate Conception of the BVM church in Panna Maria.  Church records list the parents of Anton as John and Catalina Jendrś.³  Interestingly, the Kowalik family was registered on the Schüler list right after Anton and his first family.   Kadłub Wolny is the home village listed for the Kowaliks, and it is immediately to the south of Osiecko, the village listed for Anton.

Anton and Catharina had eleven children, and their births⁴ and marriages,⁵ including two sets of twins, are listed below:

Like in Poland, agriculture was the primary endeavor of the Jendrusch family in Texas.  In 1866 Anton registered a “JA” cattle brand at the courthouse (see left).⁷  Four years later, Anton appeared in the 1870 census of agriculture with 8 improved acres of land, 14 woodland acres, 1 horse, 4 milk cows, 3 working oxen, 21 other cattle, 8 swine, and 14 bushels of corn.⁸ 

On November 26, 1869, Anton appeared at the courthouse in Helena with fellow Silesians in order to declare his intention of becoming a citizen of the United States.⁹  Citizenship was granted on November 20, 1876.¹⁰  Just over a year later, Anton spent a day performing jury duty for the February term in Karnes County and was compensated $1.75.¹¹   

In 1883 Anton acquired 500 acres of land that is part of the F. Carillo Survey and is situated on the east side of Cibolo Creek, just west of the present-day road between Cestohowa and Pawelekville.  The land was purchased from Jan Pawlik, Jr., for $675.  Eighteen years later, Anton and Catharina sold their property in equal parts to five of their children.  The four surviving sons, Frank, Anton, Adam, and Alexander, each paid $250, and the only daughter unmarried at the time, Helena, paid $10.¹²   

By 1890 Anton was taxed $18.14 for a wagon worth $40, five horses and mules valued at $55, forty head of cattle at $5 a head, twelve hogs worth $12, miscellaneous property worth $5, and 700 acres of land valued at $2235,¹³ a substantial increase in twenty years time.  The federal census of 1900 indicated that Anton and Catharina owned their farm free of mortgage. 

Catharina Kowalik Jendrusch is called Kate in the 1880 and 1900 federal censuses¹⁴ and in deed records, but she signed her name in those deeds with the Polish spelling “Katarzyna.”  Both Anton and Catharina enjoyed long lives.  Ten of their children reached adulthood and appear to have remained in the area, although their half-brother Louis moved to Laredo to work with baker Emanuel Rzeppa.  Louis married Emanuel’s daughter Mathilde on June 6, 1880;¹⁵ they owned and operated the Lion Bakery¹⁶ many years. 

Anton Jendrusch lived to the age of 78 and passed away on January 23, 1903.  He was laid to rest the following day.¹⁷  In the period after Anton’s death, the 1910 federal census reveals that Catharina lived with her youngest son Alex and his family.¹⁸  Catharina Jendrusch, Anton’s companion for 43 years, died twelve years later on December 29, 1915, and was buried the next day in the Cestohowa parish cemetery not far from their homestead.¹⁹  The joint tombstone reflects their heritage; the marker is engraved in the Polish language, as is the family’s name in their sacramental records, “Jędruś.”²⁰   

References:

All Panna Maria church records are from Immaculate Conception of the BVM Catholic Church, LDS Microfilm #0025335, and all Cestohowa church records are from Nativity of the BVM Catholic Church, LDS Microfilm #0024960.  All references except the first are from the State of Texas. 

     1.  Silesian Profiles Committee.  Silesian Profiles II:  Polish Immigration to Texas 1850s – 1870s.  Panna Maria, Texas:  Panna Maria Historical Society, 2004, pp. 239 – 240.  The Schüler Agency list was made available by the late Professor Karol Jonca of Wrocław University.

     2.  Panna Maria Baptism Records, entry #26

     3.  Panna Maria Marriage Records, pp. 7 – 8, entry #16

     4.  Panna Maria Baptism Records provide birthdates for Cecilia (#132), Stanislaus (# 238), Elisabeth (#239), Anton (#278), Peter (#332), Julia (#442), Adam (unnumbered page, first entry), and Maria (p. 21, third entry).  Cestohowa Baptism Records provide the birthdate for Helena and Alexander (p. 9, entry #38). 

     5.  Karnes County Marriage Records, Volume 1, contains documentation for Cecilia (p. 120), Stanislaus (p. 134), Elisabeth (p. 164), Anton (p. 189), Julia (p. 255), Frank (p. 332), and Adam (p. 434).  Marriage Records, Volume 2, contains documentation for Maria (p. 56) and Alexander (p. 387).  Cestohowa Church Marriages Records provide information for Helena (p. 301, second entry) and a different marriage date, 10 February 1897, for Adam (p. 290, second entry).

     6.  Panna Maria Church Burial Records, p. 3, entry #12

     7.  Karnes County Marks and Brands, Volume 1, p. 1, #130, April 28, 1866

     8.  U.S. Agriculture Census of Karnes County, 1870, p. 5, line 5

     9.  Karnes County Commissioner’s Court Minutes, Volume A, p. 70, entry #220

   10.  Karnes County County Court Minutes, Volume 1, p. 15

   11.  Ibid, p. 62

   12.  Karnes County Deed Records, Volume I, pp. 32 – 33; Volume Z, pp. 176 – 179, 572 – 574; Volume 28, pp. 345 – 346; Volume 47, p. 211

   13.  Karnes County Tax Assessments, 1890

   14.  U.S. Population Census of Karnes County, 1880, p. 12; 1900, p. 239B

   15.  Brown, Angel Sepulveda and Gloria Villa Cadena.  Sacramental Records of the Catholic Church of San Agustin at Laredo, Texas, Volume II, p. 320

   16.  Laredo City Directory, 1900, p. 56

   17.  Cestohowa Church Burial Records, p. 368, second entry

   18.  U.S. Population Census of Karnes County, 1910, p. 227B

   19.  Cestohowa Church Burial Records, p. 10, fifth entry

   20.  Nativity of the BVM Parish Cemetery, Cestohowa 

Additional references available:

1.      U.S. Population Census of Karnes County, 1870, p. 13

2.      Karnes County Tax Assessments, 1862, Polander Poll No. 1 

3.      Karnes County Marks and Brands, Volume 1, p. 236, #2071, January 16, 1878, hog mark 

Melchior Kowalik
An Original Silesian Immigrant to Texas
by Janet Dawson Ebrom 

A man who left few clues about his life has become prominent through his legacy of determination.  Melchior Kowalik was born about 1814 in Silesia where he grew up in the parish of Wniebowzięcia NMP (Assumption of the BVM) in present-day Zębowice, Poland.  The records of the Kowaliks’ parish church were destroyed during World War II, so Melchior’s baptism and marriage cannot be documented precisely.  He was a young groom of about 23 years when he married Anna around 1837. Without sacramental records, her maiden name cannot be confirmed. The couple resided in Kadłub Wolny where their eight children were likely born: Franz (ca. 1838), Catharina (ca.1840), Johann (ca.1842), Marianna (ca.1847), Johanna (ca.1849), Thomas (ca.1852), and twins, Joseph and Josepha (ca.1856).  

Tragedy must have befallen this vibrant family after the twins were born.  It is highly possible that Melchior’s beloved wife Anna died in childbirth or shortly thereafter.  When a German transportation agent named Julius Heinrich Schüler was working in the Opole area of Silesia in 1856, Melchior stalwartly arranged with him to take his family to America.  Their contract included a list of the family members with their ages, so the approximate years of birth above are based on these ages that Melchior must have recited to Mr. Schüler: “Malcher Kowolik” [Melchior Kowalik], age 42; Franz, age 18; Catharina, age 16; Johann, age 14; Marianna, age 9; Johanna, age 7; Thomas, age 4; Joseph and Josepha, infants whose names have not yet surfaced in any other records. Melchior’s farming occupation was noted in German as “freigärtner” which translates literally as “free gardener.” Some of the children’s names also reflected German spellings as written by Schüler. Melchior’s wife, the mother of his eight children, is noticeably absent from the agent’s list indicating a terrible hardship for this courageous family. They left Europe in April of 1856 destined for Galveston, Texas. Imagine the older children on board ship crossing the Atlantic Ocean helping to care for the younger ones who missed their mother.  It was this resilience in the face of difficulties that the Kowalik family brought to Texas—a strength that would manifest itself in their new Texas home. 

From a tiny Silesian village to a fresh beginning in Panna Maria, this family persevered.  Finally, a cause for celebration came with the wedding of Melchior’s eldest daughter.  Catalina [Catharina] Kowalik married Anton Jendruś [Jendrush] on November 22, 1859. Their Immaculate Conception of the BVM marriage record translated from Spanish gives the names of the bride’s parents as Melchior and “Ana” with her mother’s name very hard to read.  It has sometimes been misinterpreted as “Eva” (entry #16).  Next, John [Johann] Kowalik married Anna Dziuk on January 16, 1866 (entry #34).  The following year, Melchior’s oldest son, Francis [Franz] Kowalik, married Eva Jarząbek [Jarzumbek] on October 18, 1867.  The groom’s parents are clearly given as Melchior and Anna Kowalik with Latin endings on their names (entry #40). Maria [Marianna], who was only nine years old when she made the voyage, got married in Panna Maria to John Wiatrek on January 12, 1869 (entry #47).  At the end of that year, Anna [Johanna], who was seven when she left Silesia, married John Moczygemba (son of Thomas) on November 16, 1869 (entry #51).  Both of these 1869 marriage records in Latin confirm the names of the brides’ parents as Melchior and Anna Kowalik. The last wedding of Melchior’s children was celebrated on July 13, 1875, when Thomas Kowalik married Hedwig Czerner (p.1, 2^nd entry).  

It is uncertain how many of his children’s weddings Melchior attended since his name in Texas records has been limited to the marriage documents of his daughters and sons.  If Melchior had been present for the last wedding in 1875, he would have been about 61 years old. He would have witnessed the newlyweds, Thomas and Hedwig Czerner Kowalik, moving in to the lovely little rock home that still stands as a testament to a family with endurance.  The house and land where the youngest Kowalik couple settled has remained in family hands for over a century. It is now owned by Betty and George Kowalik, the great-great grandson of Melchior, the family patriarch.      

Reference Notes: 

Franz Król [Kroll], an Immigrant from Zębowice
by Mary Ann Moczygemba Watson

A humble man whose surname translates to “king” emigrated from Silesia to Texas in 1856.  On February 28, Franz Król contracted with agent Julius Heinrich Schüler for passage to America scheduled to depart Bremen, Germany, on April 1, 1856, bound for Galveston, Texas. 

Franz was from the village of Zębowice in Upper Silesia.  On the Schüler Agency List, Franz declared in 1856 that he was 33 years old, determining his birth year circa 1823, and that he was an einlieger by occupation [free agricultural laborer].  The sacramental records for his parish were destroyed during World War II, so his birth date cannot be confirmed.

Though documentation is not available, the wedding of Franz Król and Anna Respondek was probably celebrated around 1849 when Anna was about 20 years old.  Two children were born to this union and later cleared for travel to America with their parents:  Anton, age 6 [born circa 1850] and Maria, age 1 7/8 [born circa 1854].

The Król’s first Texas-born baby was named Josepha, and when eight days old, she was baptized on September 21, 1856, in Panna Maria at the Immaculate Conception of the BVM Catholic Church (entry #22).  Next, a son Joseph was baptized on March 12, 1859 (entry #84). 

In 1859, Franz appeared in the tax records of Karnes County.  His miscellaneous property was listed as 6 hogs valued at $6, and he paid a poll tax of $1.  Franz and Anna experienced their dream of becoming property owners on December 27, 1859 (Volume B, p. 488, Karnes County Deed Records).

The 1860 census enumerated the Franz Król family in Karnes County with personal property valued at $300.  In this same year, the Król’s fifth child Jadwiga was born.  She was baptized on October 7, 1860 (entry #128).  In 1862, tax records of Karnes County verified ownership of five acres of land appraised at $10 and seven head of cattle valued at $42. The following year, another daughter Francisca was born on September 8, 1863, and baptized three weeks after her birth (entry #233). 

 In the new year of 1866, Franz registered his cattle brand on January 6 in Karnes County.  Life in Texas appeared promising for this growing family. 

On November 20, 1866, a baby son Francis was born. He was baptized on November 25, 1866, in Panna Maria with a tragic notation added to his baptismal record (entry #301).  The priest recorded in Latin that the child was the son of Anna Respondek and Francisci Krol “qui obit die septima Octobris hujus anni” [who died October 7 this year].  The child was obviously named in memory of his recently deceased father. A tombstone in the Panna Maria cemetery engraved with the name “Franc Krol” marks the final resting place of the Król progenitor.

Anna appears as head of household in the 1870 Karnes County census, but by 1880, Anton, her oldest son, had assumed this role. Anna, with three of her children, Josepha, Francisca and Francis, were listed as residing with Anton and his young family.  Anna celebrated the marriages of six of her children:

Anton:  married Anna Kowalik, daughter of John Kowalik, 31 January 1876, Immaculate Conception of the BVM Catholic Church, Panna Maria, Texas (p. 2, 2^nd entry).  

Mary:  married Felix Gabryś, son of Gervas Gabryś, 19 November 1878, Immaculate Conception of the BVM Catholic Church, Panna Maria, Texas (p. 5, 4^th entry).

Josepha:  married Francis Bronder, son of Caspar Bronder, 3 February 1885, Nativity of the BVM Catholic Church, Cestohowa, Texas (p. 267, 2^nd entry).

Joseph:  married Mary Pruski, daughter of Jacob Pruski, 9 February 1886, Nativity of the BVM Catholic Church, Cestohowa, Texas (p. 268, 3^rd entry).

Jadwiga/Hedwig:  married Alexander Gabryś, son of Gervas Gabryś, 11 February 1890, Nativity of the BVM Catholic Church, Cestohowa, Texas (p. 276, 1^st entry).

Francisca:  married Thomas Grier, son of Robert Grier, 13 December 1881, Immaculate Conception of the BVM Catholic Church, Panna Maria, Texas (p. 8, 1^st entry).

Franciscus/Francis:  died 30 June 1889 and was buried on 1 July 1889 at the Nativity of the BVM Catholic Church Cemetery, Cestohowa, Texas (p. 351, 1^st entry).

According to the sacramental records of the Nativity of the BVM Catholic Church in Cestohowa, Anna died on November 10, 1898, and was buried at the parish cemetery the following day (p. 363, 6^th entry).  She was recorded as 70 years old at the time of her death.

Spelling Variations:  Król, Krol, Kroll, Krull

Reference:  Franz Król’s family is listed in the “Ravaged by War” section (p. 241) of Silesian Profiles II:  Polish Immigration to Texas 1850s-1870s.

Note:  The in-law families of Franz Król who have been fully profiled in the Silesian Profiles books are: Bronder, Gabryś and Kowalik (Vol. I), and Pruski (Vol. II). 

Franciszek and Katarzyna Lyssy
by John and Kathy Korus Beard 

In the middle of the nineteenth century, Franciszek and Katarzyna Lyssy and nine children, ranging in age from a toddler of two to an adult of twenty-one, left the village of Pruskow in Upper Silesia Poland on a journey to the New World which was measured in months and thousands of miles.  This tremendous undertaking began when an arrangement was made with travel agent Julius Schüler for passage of the family to Galveston, Texas.  Written in German, the 1856 Schüler Agency List describes the Lyssy family as Franz, 50, hausler (farm worker who owned a cottage), Catharina from the family of Krull (Kroll), 42, Johann, 21, Jacob, 18, Catharia, 15, Woitek, 8, Johanna, 7, twins Thomas and Joseph, 4, Franz, 2, and Franciska, 20.  Because some of the sacramental records of their parish of Wniebowzięcia were destroyed during World War II, the information on this 1856 list constitutes the only known European documentation linking the Lyssy family to Silesia Poland. 

Within a year of the arrival of the family in Texas, daughter Franciska Lyssy married Joseph Kolodziej.  The marriage was recorded September 16, 1857, in San Antonio at the San Fernando Cathedral (entry #87).  The couple had three children baptized in Panna Maria, but Franciska passed away only ten years after her arrival in Texas (Burial Records, Immaculate Conception of the BVM, Panna Maria, LDS Microfilm #0025335, entry #1).

The spelling of the family surname in Texas records is both Lysy and Lyssy, but Frank is almost always the given name used for the father.  On December 27, 1859, Frank purchased ten and one-half acres of land in Panna Maria from Father Leopold Moczygemba for $45 (Karnes County Deeds, Vol. C, p. 311).  The Karnes County tax rolls for both 1859 and 1860 list the property owned by Frank Lyssy as fifteen head of cattle worth $90 and oxen worth $30, and in both years Frank paid $1.00 poll tax and $1.30 combined state and county tax (p. 11, #13 and p. 13, #49). 

The Frank Lyssy family appears in the 1860 U. S. Federal Population Census as residents of Panna Maria.  When the census taker visited their home on July 28 of that year, Franciska was the only child not still part of the household.  Frank was listed as a laborer with a personal value of $800, and sons John and Jacob were enumerated as farmhands.  Woitek had become known as Albert. 

During the Civil War, sons Jacob and Albert must have caused their parents great concern.  To begin with, the two young men were drafted into the 24^th Texas Cavalry of the Confederacy.  Later, Jacob joined the 31^st Texas Cavalry, and Albert, the 6^th Texas Infantry.  Jacob remained in the Confederate army, but Albert was captured at the Battle of Arkansas Post in January, 1863, and was among those prisoners allowed to join Union regiments.  Albert served as a Union private for a year in the 16^th Illinois Cavalry before being captured by the Confederates and held as a prisoner of war for almost a year.  At the time of his capture, Albert was shot in the hip and arm; his injuries were not properly cared for while he was a captive, so after the war he was unable to return to his former occupation as a carpenter (The First Polish Americans:  Silesian Settlements in Texas, T. Lindsay Baker, pps. 72-74).

The cattle brand of Frank Lyssy (see left) is depicted as a letter "J" beside an open numeral "6" on page 77 of the 1865 Jackson and Long publication, The Texas Stock Directory.

By the time the 1870 census was taken, Frank was enumerated as a farmer.  His sons John and Jacob were also farmers, but son Albert was described as a teamster.  The record shows that the family was now living in Helena, the original county seat of Karnes County.  When the census taker visited the Lyssy household again ten years later, Frank and his wife, now called Kate, were living with the family of their son Thomas and his wife Agnes.  Frank was still listed as a farmer, whereas Thomas was described as a blacksmith and his brother Frank, a stock herder.

The Lyssy children are listed below with their birthdates, the names of their spouses, and the dates of their marriages.  The birthdates are calculated from the ages noted on the Schüler Agency List.  LDS Microfilm #0025335 contains the Panna Maria marriage records of John (entry #19), Catharina (entry #23), Thomas (first entry), and Frank (p. 10, first entry), whose record of marriage to the widow of his brother was accompanied by a dispensation from Rome.  Volume B of the Karnes County Marriage Records contains the dates for the marriages of Jacob (p. 3), Albert (p. 86), and Anna (p. 51), and Volume 1 contains the date for Joseph (p. 9).  The marriage record of Franciska is listed above.        

After a long life, Frank Lyssy passed away on October 5, 1880.  He was buried in the Panna Maria Cemetery (Immaculate Conception of the BVM Burial Records, p. 12, fourth entry), and his tombstone is inscribed in Polish.  Kate lived seventeen years after the death of her husband Frank; she passed away on November 6, 1897, at the age of 84, and was buried in the Panna Maria Cemetery (Immaculate Conception of the BVM Burial Records, p. 28, sixth entry).  Her tombstone, like her husband’s, is inscribed in Polish and bears the name Katazina.

Reference:  The family of Frank Lyssy is listed in the "Ravaged by War" section (p. 240) of Silesian Profiles II:  Polish Immigration to Texas 1850s - 1870s. 

Note:  The in-law families of Frank Lyssy who have been profiled in Silesian Profiles (red book) are Czerner, Kolodziej, Moczygemba, and Sklorz (Skloss) and in Silesian Profiles II (blue book) are Keller and Mzyk.

Silesian Profiles:  Polish Immigration to Texas in the 1850s
Silesian Profiles II:  Polish Immigration to Texas 1850s-1870s
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In 1856 Julius Heinrich Schuler arranged travel to Texas for a large group of Silesians. He recorded significant details about the emigrants, including names, ages, professions for the men, names of home villages, etc. Among the emigrants were  two young adults who left their families in Silesia and set off for a new life in Texas—Joseph Schmialek, a 26 year-old zimmerman, or carpenter, from Knieja, and Christian Cholewa, aged 20, from Radawie. Because Schuler recorded no profession next to Cholewa’s name, it is likely that the first name was misspelled and the entry was for a woman named Christina.  

Entering Texas through the port of Galveston, many of the Silesians journeyed to Panna Maria.  Hired by Fr. Anthony Rossadowski, Joseph was put to work on the new church and he built the pulpit, communion railings, and choir loft and, later, erected a small bell tower to hold a bell from Silesia (Baker 1975:28). The new church became the setting for the Joseph’s marriage to 21-year-old Christina on September 27, 1857. While Silesian baptism records are lacking due to the destruction of the Knieja and Radawie parish records during World War II, the parents’ names of the young couple were recorded in the marriage record at the Immaculate Conception of the BVM Church. Joseph’s parents were Nicolajs and Marianna Schmialek and Christina parents were Stephan and Marianna Hollewa [Cholewa].  

A few details of their brief life in Panna Maria, 1856-ca. 1864, were recorded in church records as well as in the 1860 census. On October 27, 1858 Joseph and Christina welcomed a daughter they named Maria [Mary]. Two years later, the census taker listed the young family and recorded Joseph’s profession as a laborer. On November 15, 1860 another daughter, Carolina, was baptized and on June 27, 1862, a son, Jacob, was born. Joseph and Christina can also be found in the parish records as sponsors for baptism and wedding ceremonies of other members of the community. Deed records are lacking for the Schmialeks, and it is likely they were leasing land or had other living arrangements with fellow immigrants. Besides working as a carpenter, Joseph owned a small herd of cattle and one horse (Karnes County Tax Rolls, 1859, 1862).  

By the summer of 1864, the Schmialeks were in Victoria, where a second son, August, was born on August 14. Sponsors were Frank Gawel and Joseph and John Kutchka. Joseph paid taxes on 10 head of cattle in 1866 and died sometime after that. A burial record has not been located and it’s possible that he died during the yellow fever epidemic in 1866 and 1867 (Silesian Profiles 1999: 178-179).  Around this time, Sebastian Gawel [Gavel, Garvel], father of Frank (see above), was also widowed when  his third wife, Francisca Obstuj, died. In mid-January, 1868, Sebastian sold 61 ½ acres of land on the Garcitas Creek to Christina for $100 (Victoria County Deeds, Vol. 9, p. 439, date of instrument, 13 Jan 1868). Three weeks later, on February 4, Christina became Sebastian’s fourth wife, with the marriage recorded at St. Mary Catholic Church in Victoria. Frank Gawel was one of the witnesses.  

By 1870 Christina and five-year-old August were no longer living with Sebastian, but were in a separate residence near Frank Gawel and his family (Karnes County Census, 1870). Jacob had apparently died and Carolina, aged 10, was working as a domestic servant in the household of photographer, Johann Schmidt, and his Silesian-born wife, Johanna Rzeppa. Mary may also have been living temporarily with another family. On October 26, 1870 Christina gave birth to Charles Gawel who was baptized a few weeks later on November 5. Christina and the infant died shortly after the baptism took place because probate records indicate that Christina was deceased by the end of the month and little Charles was not mentioned in records related to the guardianship of her other children. 

In just a few years, the Schmialek children had lost both parents, as well as brothers Jacob and Charles, and they would have been homeless had it not been for a neighboring family. Prussian-born Alfred Farrer and his family lived near Sebastian and Christina (Victoria County Census Records, 1870).  On November 23, 1870 Alfred applied “as temporary administrator of the estate of the Mary, Caroline, and August, orphans under the age of 14 and heirs of Christina Gavel, deceased” (Victoria County Probate Records, Guardianship, Vol. A-3, #123, pp. 253, 270-271, 347, 476, and 481, filed November 23, 1870). A few years later, in mid-1874, Alfred’s widow, Lucinda Farrer became guardian of August and Mary, while school teacher W. H. Allen was named guardian of Carolina (Victoria County Probate Records, Guardianship, see above). William and Sarah Allen probably provided a stable home life for Carolina for a few years, but by 1880 she was no longer living with them (Victoria County Census Records, 1880).

In the 1880 census 22-yr-old Mary was listed as “adopted” in the Lucinda Farrer household; in addition, 21- year-old Anton Garvel, one of Sebastian’s older sons, was living with the Farrer family. Two years later Carolina sold her half interest in 61 ½ acres of land to her sister, Mary, for $30.75 (Probate Records, Guardianship, #123, pp 248-350, 358-360, 403-405, April, 1882); this was the original plot of land that Christina bought from Sebastian Gawel prior to their marriage. August was not mentioned in this transaction and it is assumed he had died. On January 18, 1887, Mary married Anton Garvel, son of Sebastian and his third wife, Josefa Samol, at St. Mary Catholic Church in Victoria and, for many years, they lived in Inez. Information regarding the fate of Carolina was not located.  

Reference Notes: 

Jacob Joschko / Yosko Family
from Radawie, Silesia
by Janet Dawson Ebrom

Jacob Joschko [Yosko] was born over 200 years ago in 1808, yet his name lives on in Texas.  He was from the village of  Radawie in Upper Silesia.  Radawie was then part of the Zębowice parish where sacramental records of the 1800s including those of the Yosko family were destroyed during World War II.                                      

Around 1827, Jacob was wed to his first wife Mary, but without their marriage record, her maiden name remains unknown.  Mary was the mother of five known Yosko children born in Silesia: Franz (ca.1828), Joseph (ca.1832), Jozefa (ca.1838), Marianna (ca.1841), and Agnes (ca.1848). After the loss of his beloved wife Mary, Jacob married again; his second wife was Marianna Scholz. Jacob fathered three more Yosko children:  Christianna (ca.1851), Matilda (ca.1854), and Gregor (1855) before leaving his motherland.  In 1856, the German travel agent, Julius Schüler, documented  this large family bound for Galveston, Texas:  Jacob Joschko, age 48, a “gärtner” [gardener] from Radawie followed by his wife who was 18 years younger,  Marianna Scholz, age 30, and Jacob’s eight children:  Franz [no age given], Joseph, age 24, Josepha, age 18, Maria, age 15, Agnes, age 7, Christianna, age 5, Mathilde, age 2, and Gregor, an infant.

When Jacob’s family arrived in Texas, they settled in Karnes County where three more Yosko children were born to him and Marianna:  Peter (1858), Franciska (1860), and Tecla (1863). The two girls were baptized at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Panna Maria (entries #126 and #234). 

Jacob began paying taxes in 1859, and the family was included in the 1860 census of Karnes County as: J. “Joskee” age 55, Mary, age 36, “Jos” age 24, Mary, age 20, Agnes, age 13, “M” [Matilda] age 8, “Greger” age 5, and Peter, age 2.  By 1863, Jacob realized his dream of owning land in Texas when he bought acreage 2 ½ miles east of Helena on the east bank of the Ecleto Creek from Joseph Kutzka (Karnes County Deeds, Vol. A, pp. 80-81). On March 8, 1866, Jacob registered his cattle brand at the Karnes County Courthouse (Marks and Brands, p.11, #91) where he made his Declaration of Intention to become a US citizen on November 22, 1869 (County Court Minutes, Vol. A, p. 67).  

The father of eleven known children, Jacob Yosko died on September 30, 1876.  His second wife, Mary Scholz Yosko, died on May 6, 1891.  Their funeral Masses were offered in Panna Maria (p. 9, entry #44 and p. 20), and they were buried in the parish cemetery with tombstones inscribed in Polish—Jakob and Mary Josko.

Reference Notes: