Merry Christmas, cousin! And greetings to your famly. Yes, we are the same family. I would very much like to exchange information with you. You have much perspective that would fill in gaps.
Michael was actually uncle to my father Anthony, but they were close in age, Michael only 4 years older. So they lived in the same area and spent time together. My dad admired Michael greatly, always calling him "Uncle Michael", and was considered our "family attorney", in matters of family.
I am Gloria, daughter of Anthony, the third son of Miecz. We moved from Michigan in 1955 to southern California. My father was estranged from Miecz, and I being quite young then, have almost no personal recollection of the older or extended family.
I have been told the family story, but some details are different. . . We should compare notes, if you are willing and open to family lore.
It threw me for a minute. . . "Matther" meant to be Matthew. I have found that some knew him as Matthew and others as Mitchell. The actual translation of Mieczyslaw is Mitchell (according to Polish lists), which is what my dad knew him as. Polish "Matthew" is quite different. But eldest son Walter also wrote Matthew on the death certificate.
Immigration records show Jan and Jozefa entered the country in 1900 along with Wladislav/Walter (7) and Harry (11 mo). So, if Walter had a twin who died so young, she must have died in Poland. Do you know her name?
You say your grandmother Jozefa "moved back to Poland" to divorce first husband Jozef. Before moving back, when did she first come here? And where was she staying before moving back? I find no prior record, except as noted. I find her/them in later census, but not prior.
Fascinating to hear of more history of twins in the family! My father's sister Genevieve was a twin to Karoll. He died in infancy. It appears our twins are all fraternal, rather than identical. Because of the gap in birth-years, Zygmond would have to come after Genevieve and before next child Clara, or circa 1912.
Walter did go by Gaston (census 1920 Michigan), with wife Lottie and son Walter Jr. After he died, Lottie remarried to a man named Okshea (ok - shay) -- a purely phonetic translation of the unreadable Polish, and moved to southern California. I don't know when Walter Jr. died, but second son Edward was "shell-shocked" during WWII and was institutionalized. Michael appointed my uncle Ed - second son of Miecz (who had moved to southern CA in early '50s) his legal guardian and looked after him until his death. In her old age, Lottie also was under Uncle Ed's guardianship in the same care facility until her passing.
My father also died in 2002 in June, and I spoke with your family at that time. I sent a box of photos in December, hopefully for Michael to identify, only to find Michael died also. I am hoping to retrieve the photos, if the family has no use for them.
For the sake of privacy, I am not using names (but I think I know who you are). Personnaly, I don't mind. I have become deeply involved in genealogy and would like to correspond. Since you have found us here at Ancestry, perhaps you are interested too.
Oh, if you have any photos of your grandparents, could you share? After all, your grandmother was my great-grandmother. But, we can talk about that later . . .
Please email me Gloria Guest Frazier:
G.Guest@roadrunner.com