Category Archives: Zalozce/Zaliztsi

A visit to Założce, my grandmother’s hometown

Posted on November 2, 2014 by johnkowal

The highlight of my two-week trip to Poland and Ukraine this summer was a visit to the small town where my grandmother Katarzyna Bosakowska (1889-1966) was born. She knew the town by its Polish name, Założce (pronounced za-WOYZ-tseh). You’ll find it … Continue reading →

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A (cadastral) map quest in Lviv

Posted on October 26, 2014 by johnkowal

This past August, I traveled to western Ukraine to visit the small town where my grandmother Katarzyna Bosakowska (1889-1966) was born. On the way, I stopped in the beautiful city of Lviv to see if I could get my hands … Continue reading →

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Preparing to visit my grandmother’s home town

Posted on August 3, 2014 by johnkowal

When I started my family history project nearly four years ago, I knew I had a Polish immigrant grandmother but I had no idea where she came from. Now I’m getting ready to visit her birthplace: Zaliztsi, Ukraine – which she knew by … Continue reading →

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Six immigrant ancestors and the fault lines of World War I

Posted on July 15, 2014 by johnkowal

To the day they died, I’m sure my immigrant ancestors remembered where they were when they learned of the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, one hundred years ago. That calculated act of terrorism plunged the countries of their … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Line - Agin, Family Line - Bosakowski, Family Line - Kowal, Family Line - Sabol, Germany, Kharucha Vel'ka, New Jersey, New York City, Slovakia, Zalozce/Zaliztsi | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Betting on a better life back home

Posted on March 30, 2013 by johnkowal

In earlier posts, I pieced together the story of the chain migration of Bosakowski family members from Założce, Austria to New York City between the years 1905-1921. About 20 Bosakowski family members emigrated during that period – all descendants of … Continue reading →

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Sailing in the Titanic’s wake

Posted on April 16, 2012 by johnkowal

One hundred years ago today, my grandmother Katarzyna Bosakowska arrived at the dock in Cuxhaven, Germany where the S.S. Kaiserin Auguste Victoria was taking on passengers for the journey to New York. After a 900 mile trip overland from her … Continue reading →

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One more generation in the Bosakowski family tree

Posted on February 6, 2012 by johnkowal

When I started out this family history project, I could only name one great-grandparent. Now, with a little sleuthing, I have been able to go back multiple generations in my American, Slovak and Polish family lines. I find I can … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Line - Agin, Family Line - Bosakowski, Family Line - Sabol, New Jersey, Slovakia, Zalozce/Zaliztsi | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The final chapter in the Bosakowski immigration story

Posted on January 16, 2012 by johnkowal

In a series of earlier posts, I described how my grandmother Katarzyna Bosakowska was one of over a dozen family members who came to America in the early years of the 20th century in a classic chain migration. Katarzyna’s older … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Line - Bosakowski, New York City, Zalozce/Zaliztsi | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Christmas cards from behind the Iron Curtain

Posted on December 30, 2011 by johnkowal

I remember that my father had a small stash of Christmas cards from relatives in Poland. After a bit of searching, I was finally able to track them down. The cards, dating from the 1950s and 1960s, were mostly addressed … Continue reading →

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The laboriosus who became an oppidanus

Posted on December 4, 2011 by johnkowal

Bazyli Bosakowski, my great-great-grandfather, was born the son of peasants in a village called Milno in the far northeastern corner of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. By the time he was 24, he left that all behind and moved to the much … Continue reading →

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