Geneology

     Sabastian Dudzinski, aged 27 years, married Katarzyna Jakubowska, aged 19 years, on November 25, 1840 in Poland at Gtuszynan in County of Pozen.

They are the parents of Szymon (Samuel or Simeon), Jan (John), and Walenty (Valentine), and perhaps William and Joseph.

Szymon (Samuel) Dudzinski is the oldest of the known children of Sebastian to come to America (through New York).  He was born July 23, 1849 or 1848, but his parents were married in 1840 so perhaps at least two children were born before Sam, perhaps daughters.

Szymon and Catherine Kenonchk (Spelling?), born November 25, 1856, were married in Poland in 1871.

The story goes that at one time Catherine (Katie) went to visit her sister.  Her sister's baby son was alone in the home crying.  Katie took care of the baby, waiting with him until evening when she took the baby home with her.  His mother was never seen or heard of again.  A soldier had been seen in the area and so no one dared ask questions or investigate her disappearance.  Katie kept the baby.  The original name of this baby is unknown.  It may have been Florian Czech.  Samuel came to America before the family and earned money to pay for their passage.  Florian was given the option of staying in Poland or borrowing passage money which he would have to work off after he came to America.  He opted to come to America.  If he had come over under his own name he would have had to pay full passage for a single person; if as a member of a family the cost was much less.  His age coincided with a break in the ages of Katie's own children, and Katie claimed him as her son in order to get the reduced rate.  For this reason he entered America under the name of Dudzinski.  He was known at different times by the names of Florian, Fritz or Fred and Dudzinski, Zick, Zeke, Sikorski, Shikowsky or Shikoski.  He is buried in Dartford Cemertary in Green Lake under the name of Fred Shikoski.

Anton Wozniak (1838-1935) married Katarzyna (Catherine) (1840-1909) in Poland.  They had a daughter Appolonia born in Poland.  After her birth Katarzyna suffered from "female trouble."  They wanted to come to America like their friends and relatives were, but they were afraid that because of the continuing issue of blood Katarzyna was suffering, she would not survive the rigors of crossing the ocean.  Eventually she made a pilgrimage to a Marian shrine in Poland, where she experienced a miraculous healing.  They then came to America where they had other children who were much younger than Appolonia (Pollesck).  Her family called her Polish (pronounced like "Polish the furniture", not like "someone who came from Poland.")  Polish was a mid-wife and delivered many of her own grandchildren.

About ten years ago, more or less, there was a Wozniak family reunion in Fond du Lac.  A Wozniak man was telling of another one who had been invited.  He had said something like this, "Why do you  want a Wozniak reunion?  Do you think you are Wozniaks?  You are not Wozniaks!  Wozniaks were peasants.  The peasants did not have the money to come to this country.  Only the princes and upper classes had the money to come, but they weren't allowed to leave because they would take their money with them.  So they assumed the name of peasants and escaped that way, but they had to be richer than the peasants to make it out of the country."  Whether there is anything to this story or not I do not know.

Valentine (Walenty) Dudzinski was born in 1856 in Poland.  He married Polish (Appolonia or Pauline).  They had twelve children; Mary, Maggie, Catherine, Steve (Stephan), John, Joe (Joseph), Jacob, Frank, Ted (Theodore), Anastasia, Susan and Agnes.

Fred Shikoski married Mary (1885-1904), the eldest child of Polish and Valentine Dudzinski.  To them was born a boy on March 17, 1904.  He was named Carule (Carl).  It was a difficult birth and a doctor was called in for an instrument delivery.  "Child-bed fever" set in and Mary died March 19, 1904.  Six months before Ted had been born to Polish and she was still nursing him.  When Mary died her mother took Carl and nursed him with Ted.  Carl entered school under the name of Carule Sikorske.  A teacher told him that "Charles" was the American form of his name and since then he was known as Charles or Charlie.  He is buried in Dartford Cemetery in Green Lake under the name of Charles Shikoski.

In June, 1904, Fred Shikoski married Maggie, the second eldest child of Polish and Valentine Dudzinski.  She was born in 1886 and given a Polish name which I do not know.  Her family and friends all knew her as Maggie, until someone told her that "Margaret" was the American form of her name, and for a short time she used the name of "Margaret".  Then some one told her that "Magdalene" was a more correct translation of her name.  Thereafter she called herself "Magdalene" and is buried in Dartford Cemetery under the name of Magdalene Shikoski.  Fred and Maggie had six children; John, Mary, Agnes, Anna, Eleanor and Dorothy.

Names can be a headache.  One of the census records lists the children of Fred and Maggie.  "Eleanor" is not named but does name "Nora" with Eleanor's correct age.  Charlie who was older than Eleanor stated very emphatically that she was never called "Nora".  On the other hand some names are used in the same family over and over again and it is hard to separate the people called by the same name.