One for the Price of Two

 

When supposed relatives don't quite fit into the family tree the way we thought, we can sometimes find ourselves building out what turns out to be two trees. In the case of "Uncle" Anton Laskowski and his "niece" Annie Gramlewicz, I may have to do twice the amount of work, just to figure out how she was related to Anton's mother, Elżbieta Gramlewicz. It may turn out that, for my answer, I'll get one tree—but for the price of two.

According to the 1900 census, Annie, who was born in New York, was living with her parents in Brooklyn. She remained in the New York City area until her immigrant parents, Mieczyslaw and Jozefa, decided it was best for them to return to their homeland. Annie may have reluctantly acquiesced to her parents' request that she go back to Poland with them, but it wasn't long until she came back to the place where she was born. The most likely reason? Shortly after appearing in the 1915 New York State census in Anton Laskowski's household, she was married.

Tracing Annie's family back in Poland meant finding the parents for Mieczyslaw Gramlewicz. Tentatively, I've found a likely couple: Lorenz Gramlewicz and Marianna Laskowska. But how Lorenz connects with Anton's mother and her Gramlewicz roots, I have yet to discover. Mieczyslaw's mother's Laskowski roots are also tantalizing, but I've yet to figure out how—or if—Marianna is related to Anton's own Laskowski line.

Looking at FamilySearch.org is often helpful—and often the only recourse for English-speaking researchers seeking Polish documents—because of the huge number of international records accessible through their website. However, for records located in what used to be the region known as Posen in Prussia, there is a Polish website which may come to my rescue. We'll take a look at that resource tomorrow.