- Anna Jachymiak was born on 25 Mar 1880 in Krauszow house 76. Before she immigrated to the US, she and her sister Catherina took a photo circa 1903 (Photo 1). She immigrated to the US approximately 1904 and returned to Poland in 1907, then immigrated again from Bremen to New York (Ellis Island) from 27 Oct 1909 on the SS Kronzprinz Wilhelm. The next time I find Anna in the records, she is living with her sisters Magdalena, Victoria, and Leona in 1910 at 4523 S. Laflin St in Chicago. They are all working as canners in the packing house of the stock yards. (a canner is someone who puts the meat into cans) This would have been difficult work, standing for long
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hours and low wages. But, this was a typical job for Polish people who had just come to America, and they would save their money to make a better life.
Anna was multi-talented and had several different jobs during her life. She was a midwife and a massage therapist. She also lived with a doctor's family as a live-in chef for many years. One of Anna's great-nieces remembers that Anna made the best applesauce. She was very successful and was able to save money. However, she never married. She was always helping out everyone in the family, acting like a surrogate mother to all the Jachymiaks who were in Chicago. She would pass out small packages of gum to her nieces and nephews whenever there was a family gathering.
Anna was naturalized as a US citizen on 19 Jan 1939. She continued to work for many years in a variety of jobs. When her sister Catherina became ill and was close to death, Anna went to Resurrection Cemetery to buy two plots, one for each of them. Anna's nephew Elmer Papes was with her at the time, but he stayed in the car while Anna went into the office.
A few years later, Anna became ill, and she lived with Elmer Papes' family for a few months before her death. She died on 1 Jan 1966 and is buried in Resurrection Cemetery next to her sister Catherina.
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