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Posted By Julie Zdrojewski to Gene & Clara's at 1/29/2012 10:26:00 AM

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Uncle Joe, Aunt Julia, Joseph Jr.

Celine's birthday party, about 1947, correct? John was born in late 1947, so this is maybe 1948?  Next to the birthday girl is Paul Zadner, then his mother Cecelia, then Aunt Julia.  Julia is married to Joseph Zdrojewski, and maybe Uncle Joe is taking the photo.  Their son, also Joseph, sits in Julia's lap.  Next we have Eleanor Zdrojewski and her son John, aka "Electronics, Johnny."

Standing, back left, is Paul's and Celine's Daddy, Casimir.

Uncle Joe and Aunt Julia at their son Joseph's Christening.
Joseph Zdrojewski was the fifth son of Ludwig and Victoria.

What did Joseph do for a living? Answer:  see JFZ's Comment. Is this photo taken at Joseph's house, or on May Street?  I like Ludwig's snazzy tie.  And vests on gentlemen are  sexy, aren't they?  Sort of Bat Masterson-ish.

This isn't Joe at all, but rather Johnny, "JFZ," with his godfather, Uncle Stanley, and his godmother,  Emily.
See JFZ's Comment, below.

This is uncle Joe's house, Paul Zadner tells me.  Let's see:  Joseph Jr. in the rocker.  Check out those white shoes. My mother put bells on my brother Marty's white shoes.  Was it for fun, or to know where he was?  Delightful, anyway.  (Hey, I didn't get bells!)  Celine, looking dazed.  Aunt Julia, hands on rocker.  Eleanor and Johnny. The beautiful Cecelia, mother of Paul and Celine.  Paul in cowboy shirt.  Grandma Victoria with star at throat of her dress; Merry Christmas, dear.  Casimir by the window? Nope, JFZ says that's Uncle Joe.  Grandpa Ludwig, looking pretty happy.  Nice wallpaper and cabinetry:  look, joinery in the room divider, and a glass-fronted cabinet, all built into the house.  Even modest homes in those days had the work of craftsmen in them.

Uncle Frank

Frank Zdrojewski, one of the six sons of Ludwig and Victoria, has been the subject of family secrets recently revealed to us, his collateral descendants.  Apparently, he was married for some time, then divorced, divorce being highly unusual at that time.  No one spoke of it.

As well, it is thought that he had a son.  None of us know his name, date of birth, fate, or descendants.  Wish we did.

May Street living room, wartime: Ludwig, Victoria, son Frank with necktie, son Stanley in uniform.

Frank Zdrojewski lived in the upstairs apartment at 175 May Street.  My brother and I only knew him as a recluse with a soft voice and a soft face.  My parents would take us to see him every year at Halloween, all dressed up in costume, as well as at Christmas.

He has his Christmas things up, but alone, alone, alone.

Mystery Photo Re-Redux: New Relatives?

Paul Zadner spoke recently with Joey, son of Joseph Zdrojewski, one of the six sons of Ludwig and Victoria:

"So I told Joey that you had been bugging me all day about people in this photo. Now Joey is the same age as  John so What he told me must have been told him by his parents. I cannot believe that my parents did not tell me this  but maybe it was of no interest to me as a child so I dropped it from my memory bank.

That is Frank's wife and that is Uncle Frank's son. I never knew that Frank had a son. Uncle Frank was probably divorced before I was ever born. Joey's Mother, Julia, was friendly with Uncle Frank's wife but after the divorce, Uncle Frank frowned on this friendship so it ended and they lost contact ."

John, aka Johnny, aka JFZ, has also weighed in with a dissenting opinion:

"This is a mystery but not without speculation. The man next to Ludwig is my Uncle Frank, the second oldest son. Now Frank was married for a short time. Logically, but not necessarily, the woman may be his wife. If so, wouldn't the boy be their offspring? Yet, I never heard they had had children. But, my father was never very open about this matter probably because of the shame of divorce,much stronger in those times. In recent years I have had other thoughts about Frank that I shared with your father and our brother Casey, as well as with Paul, but there was no consensus. Although Stanley was the youngest son, it is very unlikely that the boy is he. The person seems too young in comparison to the others for that to be true."

So, not my Daddy but my great-Uncle Frank's son?!  If that is true, then where is he?  Didn't he see his father after the divorce? Does he have descendants?  Where are they?  

If this is true, then people devoted a great deal of energy into the conversion of data into secrets.

This investigation has revealed some confusion about the birth order of the Ludwig and Victoria offspring.  Here's the birth order; thanks John.

John Peter
Frank
Anthony
Casimir Joseph
Joseph
Stanley

Mystery Photo Redux

Email has been flying around 'twixt Paul Zadner and myself;  speculation has abounded; we had a family viewing last night of the Orchard Lake sequence.  The results kept me sort of awake for another night - my thoughts were like ghosts bobbing around my bed.  I woke up this morning knowing who these people are, and knowing the identity of The Woman in the White Knitted Snood.

There are certain facts we must accept:

1.  Eugene, EJZ, was born October 7, 1923.

2.  1941 is the year of EJZ graduation from high school in Orchard Lake, Michigan, and the film sequence is clearly dated by the film director, JPZ.

3.  Julia Mostkowska Zdrojewska, first wife of JPZ, mother of Eugene and Casimir, died in 1943.  My parents told me that she died while my Dad, EJZ, was away in boot camp in Fort Benning, Georgia.

4.  Therefore, the lady in the Orchard Lake clip is not Eleanor.  It is Julia.

Foolish of me not to have figured it out before.  I'll be correcting previous Orchard Lake posts.

Further, Paul Zadner spontaneously mentioned in email that the youth in the Mystery Photo "looks about 15 years old."  That was a very helpful comment, as I had not been able to date the lad.  He just looked familiar.

Well, duh!  The photo was dated 1938.  A lad of fifteen then was born in 1923.  That's my Dad. His freshman year at Orchard Lake must have been academic year 1937-1938; his sophomore year 1938-1939. The moment of this photo could have been either.

The man next to Ludwig is Uncle Frank.  Where is younger brother Casimir?  Off taking a nap or something, or old enough to have snapped the photo? How old was Casimir in 1938?  Somebody please click the "Comment" link and let us know his birth year.

And the lady in the dress with the lace collar is Julia. This is the same lady on the deck of the lake steamer across Lake Michigan, and present at the graduation ceremonies at Orchard Lake in 1941, and the touring that followed, all in the Orchard Lake clip.

The reason Julia is so chummy with The Woman in the White Knitted Snood is because they are sisters.  That is my Dad's "Auntie Ollie."  Right at the end of the clip there is a shot of a card that says "Cast:   Dad - Mom - Ollie.  'Poor Kasio stayed home!' "  It flickers by real fast, so be ready to pause the film.

I have no idea why Kasio stayed home in 1941.  Measles?  Chemistry final?  Hot date?

But I do remember Auntie Ollie, as my Dad always called her.  She and her husband Jim visited us in Marilla, and we went to their lovely, cozy home in Buffalo a couple of times.  So I can attest that in the 1960s Auntie Ollie was just as lively and affectionate as she appears in that film.  She had curly blond hair and a glamorous style.  When she decided to laugh, she would stop everything, hold her cigarette aloft, take a deep breath, and belt out a long, sincere laugh with everything she had.  No wonder her husband so obviously adored such a fun-loving, laugh-loving woman.  I miss her myself.

Whew!  Two Mostkowska sisters recognized for their descendants to know.  Ack!  Were there any others? How will we figure them out?

At any rate, the Mostkowski family appears to have been classically-minded, naming daughters Julia and Olivia.

Juliane Zdrojewski

   (named after Julia)

Mystery Photo with Relatives and also Lingerie

If you click on the link  Familiae personae Zdrojewski - see it up there at the top of the page, under the masthead? - you will find yourself at the second page of this blog:  a list of Zdrojewski family relationships.

I would like to make it look better, but I can't figure out how to make a computer draw a vertical line.

Nevertheless, you can tell from it that Ludwig and Victoria Zdrojewski had six sons.  Presumeably two of them are in this photo.  Who is sitting next to Ludwig?

And who is the youngster, mischief in his eye, reclining for the moment in front of his elders, in 1938?  Are those stockings what they called "cotton lisle"?  Did they come all the way up into shoulder straps?  Did that style of boy undies have a weird name?  Did all boys hate those undies with vicious hatred inexpressible?
I need to know.

"My Mama done told me
When I was in knee pants
My Mama done told me,
Son . . . "


Ahem.  Anyway, next to Grandma Victoria is a lady with silk stockings and lace collar and trim.  Who is she?

Gene and Casey as Boys

Casimir John Zdrojewski in what looks like the back yard at 175 May Street in Buffalo.  Paul Zadner sent me this photo - thanks, Paul! -  and labeled it "Kasiu 1933."  So we can guess that Casimir, the "CJZ" of this blog, was born around 1930.  Can someone confirm a birth year, please?

I remember summertime parties in that back yard.  My grandfather John Peter, father of EJZ, CJZ, Melania, and JFZ, had a tomato patch and strawberry plot against the yard fence.  It was prolific.

Kasiu (CJZ) on a scooter this time, with his older brother  Genie (EJZ, Eugene John, b.1923.)  Those britches  Eugene is wearing:  are they "plus fours" or are they "plus sixes?"  Love the hosiery, in either case.  I wonder if his jacket is home-made.

Gene and Casey once more.  I remember the front entrance of the house on May Street; it was cool, dark, and quiet.  Nobody ever sat on the front porch, though, did they?

Kasiu (CJZ) on the left; is that Johnny on the right?  Schiller Park, in Buffalo.  My cousins Deb and Sharon took me swimming in the Schiller Park pool one time.  Thanks, guys.

"Casey Delaware Lake" is the caption here.  Delaware Lake?  Someone enlighten me.  I knew about Delaware Park; the Albright-Knox Art Museum is there.  I knew about Delaware Avenue as a result of two forays into that high-end neighborhood: once tagging along to Marty's orthodontist appointment, and again once to an essay contest sponsored by the Daughters of the American Revolution, at their gracious headquarters.  We sat around on brocaded chairs at little tables and wrote our essays, while our parents mingled, I guess.  Unless they snuck out for a quick drink.  Anyway, some tall curvy blonde won the contest.  Again.


So, have you tidbits of historical information, personal memoirs of the Buffalo area, or do you just want to vent about a contest you lost?  Click on the word "COMMENTS" below, and type in the little box.  It's good karma.