Piotr Kowalczyk Kowalski

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It is worthwhile to talk a little about Peter Kowalski (Catherina's second husband), since his story turned out to be very interesting. Peter was born in Lasek house 121 on 24 Jun 1874. More than likely, there was considerable pressure from his family to marry Catherina Pilat in 1899 in Klikuszowa. I believe this is true because Peter was 25 years old, but Catherina was 40. Peter's mother Anna died in 1901, and there was a settlement of the properties. It is possible that Peter received a sum of money or some property at this point. This might be how he financed his immigration to the US from Hamburg to New York (Ellis Island) from 19-31 Jan 1903. It is unclear
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if his wife knew about his leaving (if he promised to send for her), or if he left without telling anyone. Most likely, he was running away from his life in Poland. There was no such thing as divorce then, and the only way a man could leave a marriage was to run away and hope that he didn't get caught. In Chicago, he met and married Catherina Jachymiak and had 2 sons until he was caught and the marriage annulled. The next time we see Peter in the records, he is volunteering to fight in Haller's Blue Army in World War I. Even though he is not a citizen of the US, he volunteers to fight anyway. He is too old to fight, but he lies about his age so that he is young enough to qualify. He goes to Europe in 1918 to fight and returns to the US in 1920. The next time I find him in the records he is working as a coal miner in Ohio in 1930. After that, I know nothing about what happened to him. I find it very ironic that a man who would abandon his first wife would do something as brave as volunteering to face machine guns to defend his homeland at the age of 44.

Piotr married Katarzyna Jachymiak on 4 Aug 1907 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and was divorced in 1913 in Annulled. Katarzyna (daughter of Maciej Jachymiak and Marianna Handzel) was born in 23 Sep1876 in House Number 76, Krauszow, Poland; died on 20 Jun 1964 in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States; was buried in Resurrection Cemetery. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Piotr married Catherine Pilat [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

John married Tekle Juknevicius (Yuknis) on 11 Oct 1941 (Grace Lutheran Church) in Willow Springs, Cook, Illinois, USA. Tekle (daughter of Vincentas William Juknevicius (Yuknis) and Domicele Razevicius) was born on 24 Feb 1915 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, USA; died on 22 Feb 1958 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, USA; was buried in St. Casimir Catholic Cemetery, Chicago, Cook, Illinois, USA . [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Joseph married in 1941. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]