Family History

Descendant contact great grand daughter: Rochelle

During the years that both families emigrated, Poland was not a sovereign nation. From the mid 1600's, the country had been occupied mostly by Russia, Prussia, Germany and Austria, with the exception of a few years during Napoleon's French reign in the early 1700's. Often it was split into three with a different foreign country occupying each section. Both Anton and Kate had been born in an area then occupied by Germany.

These occupying countries continually used the resources and men of Poland to support their own countries' needs and armies, leaving most of the native residents impoverished, ill-educated and with little hope for positive future changes. Many waves of Polish immigrated to the U.S. during the second half of the 1800's and into the first decades of the 1900's, using very scarce funds gathered by all the working members of families. It was traditional for children to be full time workers by age 10.

Anton "Tony" Kryzanek was born in Poland on April 23, 1867. At the age of 14 he immigrated to the U.S in 1880. He lived in Pennsylvania where he met Katarina Hartwik/Hartwick and they married in 1887. Katarina (Kate) Hartwik had been born in Poland October 16, 1872. Her parents were Jacob and Magdalene (Marcie) Hartwick. The Hartwick family came to the U.S. in 1882 when Kate was 10 years old. They settled in Pennsylvania. Kate's mother Magdalene was living in Unity, Westmoreland, Pennsylvania with a married daughter's family, Lena (Peter) Shensky, in 1930 at the age of 95.

According to the children's places of birth, the Krzyzaniak (later Kryzanek) family moved frequently before settling in Mountain, Oconto County, Wisconsin. For many years before settling into general farming at Pine Stump in town of Armstrong (now Mountain), Anton was a day laborer who competed each day for a day's work and pay. There is some question as to how many children Kate and Anton had. The total number in various written material ranges from 17 to 23 births. The first child, John, died in 1888 within his first year while they were in Pennsylvania. Helen was born the year of Johns death and another child was added to the family each year for a total of 5 born in the first 5 years of marriage. Some of the places the family lived during this time included Harrisburg and Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania.

Mother Kate had begun her career as a Midwife to help with income and because of her innate need to help the poor families they lived near; a career that was active until one year before her own death.

Three more children were born, now every other year, in Pennsylvania before the family moved to Hoffa Park, Wisconsin, in 1896 just before another child, child number 9, was born there. Their stay in Wisconsin this time was short, for children number 11and 12 were born in Pennsylvania in 1898 and 1900. Kate had worked steadily throughout this time to supplement Anton's income in supporting this large family.

By the 1910 census Kate had given birth to at least 15 children, with 12 still living with two more were still to come by 1920, although 18 have been found and family lore gives as many as 23 children to the couple. Kate, Anton and family moved to town of Armstrong, now town of Mountain, Oconto County, Wisconsin in 1908, living in a log house on Tar Dam Road in an area called Pine Stump. Various census entries spell their last name Krzyzanik, Kryzysman or Krzyzaniak.

Kate continued for years as a local midwife and her youngest daughter, Madge, wrote an essay about her mother's work and life for the family. Part of her essay is found starting on page 75 of Mountain Memories - Babies Were Her Business . Sons Lawrence died in 1909 at age 18 and Peter Kryzanek died in 1924 and, according to Kate's obituary (see below), that same year Anton left home, never to be heard from again. Katherine died in 1936 and is buried with three of her children in the Mountain cemetery (formerly Armstrong Cemetery).

Anton "Tony" Krzyaniak/Kryzanek
    b: April 23, 1867 in Poland
    immigration: 1880 from Poland to USA at age 14
    occupation: day laborer, farmer
    d: unknown
(notes about Anton Krzyaniak/Kryzanek: immigrated to the USA at age 14;)
+ Katarina (Kate) Hartwik -   wife of Anton
   b: October 16, 1872 in Poland
   parents: Jacob and Magdalene (Marcie) Hartwick
    immigration: 1882
    occupation: midwife
    d: February 9, 1936

.KRZYZANIAK - KRYZANEK.

also Hartwik/Hartwick

Descendant contact great grand daughter: Rochelle

Madeline Kasperek