Valentin Kaczmarek

Descendants of Valentin Kaczmarek and Ignatz Janicki families

Compiled by Jean Colette

File updated Jan 14, 2004

My great-grandfather, Valentin Kaczmarek (1852-1896), was the son of Andrzej (Andreas), a shepherd, and Eva Weilweska (Wolf) from Brzezno (Briesen), Prussia/Poland. Brzezno (Briesen) is on the Kamienka river about 10 miles east of Schwetz (Sweicie) on the Vistula. Eva and Andrzej were married June 8,1810.

Andrzejand Eva’s Children were:

1.Marianna B March 3,1840

2 Katrazyna(Catherine) B September 18,1842 D March 19,1914

3 Stanislaus B October 27,1844

4. Felise July 14,1847

5. Joseph August 02,1850

6 Valentin B. August 14,1852 D. September 03,1896

The family story is that Katrazyna was the eldest surviving child of Andrzej and Eva Kaczmarek and that all the other children born between Katrazyna and Valentin died. The family was told that if an older sister or brother would be the baptismal sponsor the child would live. Valentine did live and there were apparently no more children. The church records do not name Katrrazyna as a sponser, Stanislaus Kaczmarek was a witness to Valentin’s marriage in 1878 and I have found no death records for the other children so the story is questionable.

Valentin married Caecilie Helwig, daughter of Ludwig Helwig , a shepherd, and Josephine Marks, a midwife, from Schwetz, on Jan 29,1878 in Schwetz. Valentin was an apprentice mason with Ceacilei’s father in Schwetz. Valentin and Caecilie left Europe from the port of Bremen to come to the US via the USS Hermann. They arrived at the port of Baltimore on June 23,1881. With them were their 2 daughters, Franciska (b.Nov.28 1878) and Brunislawa (b.Sept 29 1879). Caecilie must have been pregnant during the voyage because a son, Michael, was born October 18,1881 in Chicago,IL

Valentin and Caeclia’s children were :

1 Franciska 1878-1883 4 Othelia(Tillie)1883-1906) m Frank Foessler no known children

2 Bronislawa 1879-1883 5 John Valentine (1885-1907) m. Rose Neckermann (1888-1972) October 23,1907 in Chicago

3 Michael 1881-1882 6 Hedwig Josephine(1890-1940) m Gottfried Granhold

Valentin and Caecelie lived in Chicago the rest of their lives. He continued his trade as a mason /contractor and built first a cottage and then an apartment house at 3222 Wallace Street. The family owned this until 1954.
Unfortunately all 3 of the older children died by 1883. Valentin himself died of typhoid fever Sept.6, 1896. He is burried at St Mary’s cemetery in Chicago.

John Valentine and Rose’s children were

1 Paul Valentine (1912-1996) m Genevieve Johnson(1913-1996) 6 children,17 grandchildren, 21great-grandchildren

2 Rosemary (1914-1994)m Arnold Vandersee m Charles Mattison 1child, 2 grandchildren 2 great-grandchildren living

Hedwig Josephine and Goetfried Granhold’s children were

1.Rita(1916-1986) M Paul Harding 6 children

2.Joseph Granhold (1918-1986)

Cecelia married again to Stanislaus Zubinski(aka Stanley Stevens), the son of Mathias and Barbara Zubinski, farmers from Otis, IN and had one more child Angela Caecilie(1906-1954) who was handicapped and never married. All three are buried in the same plot as Valentin in Chicago.
Stanislaus’s parents and brother Mathias are also buried at St. Mary’s in Otis IN.

Katarzyna Kaczmarek (1842-1914),Valentin’s sister, married Ignatz Janicki November 19,1864 in Breisen(Brzezno)Poland.
They came to the US in 1873 from the port of Hamberg They first settled in Elmira, New York but moved to In 1876 Otis Indiana to be with a Polish community.

Katarzyna and Ignatius Children were
Brono, Walerka, Stanislaw, Mary (Sr. M.Selpicja), Frank (Buffalo,NY), Julia (Sr.M.Cyprin), Peter, Anna (m Anthony Satkoski), Steve (m Barbara Dreyer Otis,IN), Antonette (m Frank Przybylinski)
Katarzyna and Ignatius are buried at St. Mary's cemetery in new Durum Township in La Porte County, IN. Also buried there are Andrew Kaczmarek, his wife Mary and a son Wladslaw. Another Kaczmarek, Edward is also buried there. I still need to determine if and how these people related
In 1907 the Janicki and Zgubinski farms were adjacent to each other.
The name is spelled multiple ways ( Kaczmarek,Kaczmarcek and Katzmark) on Valentin’s US documents but Kaczmarek is the only way it appears on Prussian/Polish documents. It is possible that he change to Katzmark to make himself seem more Greman thereby giving him better status in the construction industry. His only living son, John, settled on Katzmark after his father died
Article submitted by: Jean Colette

Return to LaPorte County Biographies