.CZEKAJ.
(also: Checki,
Czekay)
Researched and contributed by: Roy
Czekay
Please click
on Roy Czekay's name, above, to make direct e-mail contact.
Are you of Polish ancestery and trying to trace
your roots back to your homeland like I am?
Well, just maybe we can help each other out.
Surnames that I am
currently researching are: Adamek, Checki, Czekaj, Czekay, Dudy, Mikrut, Pawlak,
Szeli, Vogel and Weber.
 |
My name is Roy Czekay and I am a second generation Polish American. My grandfather, Joseph Czekaj, immigrated to America from Krakow, Poland, in 1888 and settled in Mt. Pleasant, Pennsylvania.
For the past few years I have been doing research to find other relatives in
Poland. I would like to make contact with anyone who could help me with my
quest.
 Frank Adamek (maternal grandfather) |
Marie Vogel |
Adamek - Vogel
Emigrated to America from Liegnitz, Gernany in 1890 according to the 1900 Taylor
County, Wisconsin census. His wife, Marie Vogel arrivied in 1892. However, his
declaration of intent papers filed in Wells county, North Dakota, September 24,
1892, states his arrival date as February 1892 at the Port of New
York. He received his Certificate of Naturalization July 1, 1902, in Medford,
Wisconsin while living in Rib Lake, Wisconsin. Worked as a laborer in a tannery
in Rib Lake until his death on December 25, 1904.
Frank Adamek (maternal grandfather)
Born - Liegnitz, Germany October 7, 1865.
Died - Rib Lake, Wisconsin December 25, 1904.
Wife: Marie Vogel.
Born - Liegnitz, Germany November 14, 1877.
Died - Milwaukee, Wisconsin, April 6, 1936.
Children:
Anna:
Born - Chicago, Illinois May 8, 1897
Died - Milwaukee, Wisconsin July 30, 1988.
Frieda:
Born - Rib Lake, Wisconsin June 22, 1899.
Died - Milwaukee, Wisconsin November 15,1995
Mary:
Born - Rib Lake, Wisconsin July 20, 1904.
Died - Rib Lake, Wisconsin August 6, 1906.
Other Family Members:
Dudy, Otto.
Half brother of Anna and Frieda Adamek.
Son of Marie Vogel.
Wife: Adele.
Weber, Ed.
Born - October 1, 1901, Died June, 1979.
Half brother of Anna and Frieda Adamek.
Son of Marie Vogel.
Wife: Esther.
Children: Ed, Jr., James.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Emigrated with his wife Julia, (nee Szeli), to America from the Krakow area of
Austria-Poland in 1888. Settled in Mt.Pleasant, Pennsylvania and worked in coal
mines there until 1902. [source:1900 Westmoreland County census.] After
developing lung problems, his doctor advised him to leave the mines, so he moved
his family to Lena, Wisconsin and homesteaded a farm there in 1902. Farming was
his vocation in Poland, so he had no problems getting started in Lena. He died
August 17, 1922.
Joseph Czekaj (paternal grandfather)
Born - near Krakow, Poland 1860.
Died - Lena, Wisconsin August 17, 1922.
Wife: Julia Szeli. Birth and death dates unknown.
Children:
George Czekay:
Born - Mt.Pleasant, Pennsylvania July 3, 1892.
Died - Milwaukee, Wisconsin May 24, 1964.
Andrew Checki:
Born - Mt.Pleasant, Pennsylvania July 20, 1900.
Died - Green Bay, Wisconsin December 8, 1987.
Pauline Czekaj, Rose Czekaj:
Birth dates and death dates unknown at this time.
The variation in the spelling of the surname Czekaj, can be attributed to the fact that upon arrival in America, the people interviewing the emigrants at Ellis Island in New York, often wrote the names down in phonetic spelling, due to the fact that the immigrants quite often were illiterate and weren't able to spell their own names, even though they were fluent in their native tongue.
The same is true of the census takers in the early 1900's. They were also lax in compiling the exact dates about births and other important facts. They couldn't have cared less at the time if they got their facts correct. Now, we have to unravel all the data in order to get back to our roots. But it can be done! It can take years, but with determination and a lot of patience and fortitude, our mission can be accomplished.
Checki, Andrew.
Born - Mt. Pleasant, Pennsylvania July 20, 1900.
Died - Green Bay, Wisconsin December 8, 1987.
Son of Joseph Czekaj, but spelling of surname changed to Checki while
attending grade school.
Wife: Helen, nee Mikrut.
Children: Stanley, Marcella. Married Louis Pawlak.
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