Christening Dress, 1951

Marty's Christening was in the early summer of 1951.  Look, there he is, the cutest Mr. Magoo ever, obviously, in the lap of his great-grandmother Victoria Zdrojewska.  To their left are his grandparents, John and Eleanor.  To their right are his great-grandfather Ludwig and Dad, our EJZ.  Directly behind them is his Mom, our CAMZ, with corsage.

Marty's Christening gown has ruffles in plenty, as well as blue ribbons; you can see blue ribbon on Great-grandmother Victoria's lap, right next to the gown.

                                     
What a fine day!  They photographed 4 generations of Zdrojewski gents.

Clara made that Christening gown.  After the big day, she packed it up in a box, labeled it, and put it away.  It stayed put away for more than 60 years.

Marty last summer brought it over here to the Historical Preservation Society HQ, where I've finally brought it into the photographic studio so we can take a look at it. You ready?

The overdress of gauzy material, ornamented, is worn over a plain, sleeveless undergown of white satin.

A piece of white satin gives shine and substance to the upper part of the overgown yoke; lace borders that part, as well as the collar and cuffs.  White satin bows attach the satin ribbon streamers, two blue and two white, on each side.

Now let's examine the gauzy overdress by itself, followed by a few details.

Clara handstitched lace to satin collar band.

The satin underdress is collarless and sleeveless, with plain yoke and a couple of buttons at the back.  Both pieces have a great big vertical slit in the back, for uninstalling and reinstalling Marty in greatest possible comfort to him as well as ease to the installer.  That is way better than having to draw both long garments over his head.  I hope you are grateful for that considerate detail, Marty.

The box has a top of heavy, textured paper; it is dirty and uncleanable from sitting in attics all those decades.  But not only did it keep the gown quite clean, it also is the original box, which is something, and to top that off, it is labeled in Mom's handwriting.  So we keep the gown in its box.

I've had it hanging around here for a few weeks, so now I am going to miss the sight of it.  Come visit me here at Hx HQ and we can get it out again to give it  more study and admiration.

Zdrojewski Geneologic Detail - A Little Guide to Recent Comments by Elzbieta Nowak

The Eugeniusz photo post  has a comment of 02/28/17 by Elzbieta Nowak, correcting the spelling of "Eugeniusz."

The post "Poznań Zdrojewskis: From the Old Country, Part 3" features nieces and nephews Teresa, Zdziszek, Renia; Stawek; Pawełek; Marija; Alinka.  Pani Nowak has supplied in the comment translations of the inscriptions on the photos, as well as biographical details of individuals.

"European 'Official Papers'" includes the Abzugsattest of Ludwik and Wiktoria Zdrojewski as they left Lęg (Leng, Ling) in late C19.  Again Pani Nowak supplies biographical detail for them, for brother Franciszek, and their descendants.

"Uncle Joe, Aunt Julia, Joseph Jr." discusses them in America and includes a photo of Ludvik and Wiktoria.  Elzbieta Nowak's comment on this post concerns not them, but further data about Franciszek in Poland, his wife Helena, and their children Sabina and Edmund. And here is an interesting puzzle solved:

That comment begins with Poznań Zdrojewskis: Od Starego Kraju, część 8.

I had wondered if that was a book title, but now I believe it to be a reference to my own post!  Assuming typing error consisting of 8 for the correct 3,  that is simply a Polish translation of "Poznań Zdrojewskis: From the Old Country, Part 3".  This took me long enough to figure out, but heyhey, I think we have arrived safely in port at last.

We therefore have, thanks to Elzbieta Nowak, data on family from Ludwik and Wiktoria, on through Sabina and Edmund (of whom we heard the grownups speaking when we were children in the 1960s) and their children. Many thanks to Pani Nowak.

Gumption, Frugality, Family Feeling, and Fabulous Neckwear

We kick off the season of Thanksgiving with recipe study and a particular family photo.

"Grandpa Ludwig," Ludwig Zdrojewski, is pictured here with "Grandma Victoria," Victoria Zdrojewska, and their sixth son, Stanley, who was named after Ludwig's own uncle.

The elder Stanley Zdrojewski came to America in 1893, worked, saved, and paid the passage for Ludwig and Victoria and their first son, John Peter, in 1897. Thank you, Great-great-Grandfather Stanley.

Update: John Zdrojewski notes that "their second son, Francis, also made the nautical journey from Hamburg with them."

Thank you, John.

Martin Zdrojewski

Happy Birthday, Marty!

Here is the happy scene in 1951, with Zdrojewski menfolk Ludwig, John Peter, Eugene John, and Martin.  Marty seems content, nestled in the arms of his great-grandfather.

Ludwig is holding something in his fingers.  It looks like a ribbon.  Oh, I bet it's Marty's cap, the little bonnet of the Christening outfit.

Check out the gents' ties.  These men were cool before it was cool.

And those glasses are coming back into style, aren't they?

Who dusted those Venetian blinds?

So here's Marty in 1953 most likely.  It looks like a studio portrait, but I bet JPZ did the whole thing at home.  I wonder what he suddenly held up to catch the lad's attention before tripping the shutter.

And what's not to love about those bells on the shoes??

I would be delighted to post birthday posts for all the grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  It's up to you, dear readers, to send in your chosen photos and the complete birthdate.

Stolat!

Janek and Julia and Eugeniusz and Casimir

These two are the same lady, posed and photographed by the same photographer:

The face, features, and expression are the same, to my eyes.  As for the other changes, I could easily see them as the work of time and placek.  I mean no disrespect to my Grandma, here; au contraire, I fantasize about having conversations with this grandmother I never met in which we confide and laugh about many subjects.  But to go on . . .

Here she is again.  I think.

My current skill set allows us to zoom in this much:

Shape of face, nose, and mouth encourage me to run with this some more.  Let's say these are Julia, Victoria, Ludwig, Frank, and the young Casimir.  Why not?  Gene is at Orchard Lake and Casey basks as the only child at home.  Here he is a little closer in:

Surely this is the same cute kid, with the same cute ears and all, a couple of years later:

Gene and Casey on the front porch. The college man and the young teen. This is May Street in Buffalo, right?

If we accept this chain of evidence we no longer need feel we must search NYC for long-lost relatives.  We can still wonder quite entertainingly what-all Frank did on those trips to the City, besides take pictures.

Uncle Stanley and Eugene - closeup

Uncle Stanley, his parents, and his nephew Eugene

Ludwig and Victoria Zdrojewski had six sons; the youngest was Stanley.

Notice the double shadow behind Ludwig, cast by the hefty array of floodlights, set up no doubt by JPZ for this formal family Christmas portrait.

If we zoom in to the mirror on the wall behind them, we see a partial reflected image of the Christmas tree across the room.  Below the mirror, on the mantel, we see one of those little green toy Christmas trees, the bristly kind, with white paint splashed upon it, for snow.  They usually had a little red wooden pot, or disc, as a base.  In front of the tiny tree is one of the Magi, in that reverent pose as he approaches the Infant in the Manger.  So there is a Nativity scene set up on the mantel.

But it isn't always snowing in Buffalo!  Here in the back yard on May Street, important matters are receiving proper attention.  What's Gene using to trim Stanley's hair?  Grass trimmers?  Sheep shears?

Interesting shape of bottle: short and fat, maybe 16 ounces.  Can't read the label.  I'll have to fire up PhotoShop in my spare time.

Na zdrowie!
Julie

Poznan Zdrojewskis: From the Old Country, Part 7

We last saw the parents relaxing in the summer countryside by the forest, in 1973, in Poznan Zdrojewskis: From the Old Country, Part 6.  In the fall of that year the father died.

"Mammusia jedsie w samochdnie."
"Mama goes to the car."

Looks like Edmund with Mama.

Dissident movements were building in the 1970s.  How many of these people eventually became active?  That little girl is in her forties now in 2012; what could she tell us?  How could we find her?

We see another glimpse of the vast plain of north central Poland; the priests' robes flutter in the wind.

". . . mego ojca Franciszka Zdrojewskiego"
". . . my father Francis Zdrojewski"

Is he the Franciszek from the household identity paper from the early twentieth century?  Is he the Franciszek born in Chrosno in 1900?  

Is he brother to Ludwig?  That would make his daughter Sabina and JPZ first cousins, whereas Sabina addressed him as "Uncle."

Is he nephew to Ludwig?  That would make Ludwig his uncle, and his daughter Sabina and JPZ would be second cousins once removed.  She could address him as "Uncle."

That would make the three sons of JPZ second cousins to Sabina and Edmund.

That would make the children of the three sons - my generation -  third cousins to any children of Sabina and Edmund.

Julie

Poznan Zdrojewskis: From the Old Country, Part I

A cache of photos fell out of a manila envelope onto the work table upstairs.  These had been mailed over the years to May Street by Zdrojewskis in or near Poznan.

Enough of them had names or dates noted on the back that it was possible to sort them by decade and by event.

The first two photos may show the link between Buffalo and Poznan Zdrojewskis.  Are the couple in the left photo pair related to the people in the right photo?  If so, how?

The two portraits below are unlike any other in the envelope.  They are older; I would say turn of the century, or end of the 19th. Note the Germanic name of the photographic studio; this is late C19 partition time, perhaps, or at least it is prior to the exodus of German-speakers from Poland in 1939.  Is the man Ludwig at a young age? Looks like him. Or is he a brother who stayed in Poland? Is the lady Victoria?  Or a sister? - they look so similar.

The two photos had been pasted into a photo album, then torn out.  Did "Alina" or "Sabina," ladies in the later Poznan pictures, mail photos to JPZ of JPZ's parents who went to America?  Or of his aunt or uncle in Poland?

The poses look like identity-paper mug shots, don't they?

 Below is the household roster from partition times.  If you click to enlarge, you can see that there was a household member named "Franciszek" who was born in 1900.

The family portrait below is the one of the earliest in the set, being dated 1947.  Is the gentleman with the eyeglasses Franciszek?  He looks like he could be 47 years old in the photo.

Is he a nephew of Ludwig?  If so, he is first cousin to the six sons of Ludwig and Victoria, and his descendants are cousins to their descendants.

The reverse shows that the photo was printed on postcard stock.  Someone noted the place and date: Poznan´ dnia (day, date) 30th July 1947.  

These individuals, plus others, will feature in subsequent posts on Poznan´ Zdrojewskis.

Julia Mostkowska Zdrojewska

There's a photo over the fireplace in the main office of the Coot Hill Family Historical Preservation Society.

                 

                          The elk antler is from Wyoming, but the photo is from Buffalo, New York.

The frame is of wood, carved to resemble braided leather, I would say.  This is a scan of the framed photo, glass and all.  The ghostly appearance of the image is appropriate to the fact that this is my paternal grandmother, whom I never met, but after whom I was named.

The backing came off easily.  Here's the straight scan.  From the clothing can we guess a date around 1920?  Note the round collar in velvet, and the belt that sits low on the hips.

She married JPZ, John Paul Zdrojewski, in - what year??  JPZ, my Dziadzi, told me that the proposal went like this (in what language was not specified):

He: "Julia, do you think you might marry me?"

She:  "Well, I think I like you well enough to marry you."

The color changes a bit toward the red when I click "Enhance" in IPhoto.  That's not the true color of the print, but it does lighten it up to show more clothing detail.

She and JPZ had Eugene in 1923, and Casimir  (what year, please??), and Melania.  Melania died at about age 12, most probably of scarlet fever.

Nowadays, photos of the lost first wife and the lost daughter would remain on display, honored by both the husband and the second wife.  But in those days, they put everything away and never spoke of it.  I've never seen a photo of Melania.

The photo was printed on postcard stock, then addressed, but not franked.  Somebody  decided to keep it and frame it instead.

Remember this photo from the earlier post, "Zdrojewski Identification Contest"? (Click on that; it's a link.) I think the lady on the left is Julia.  The top photo in that post is Julia also.  Look closely, and you will see she is wearing the same coat and hat.  I think my friend Laurie Harvey is right, and the noses clinch the identification.  I think that Grandpa Ludwig stands here with his daughter-in-law Julia Mostkowska Zdrojewski, and perhaps a sister of Julia's.

She looks that same as she does on the boat in the Orchard Lake graduation film.

My Grandma Julia died of a heart attack in 1943.  My Dad, Eugene, was away from home, in Army boot camp in Fort Benning, Georgia.  I never heard that they let him come up for the funeral.