Background
Martin Michalak had two known wives –
Agnieszka (Agnes) Sobczak, with whom he immigrated to the United States from
Poland, and Franziska (Frances) Drewicz, who emigrated from Poland to the
United States following Agnieszka’s death.
A baptismal record and a 1900 U.S.
Census entry state that Agnieszka is Theresa’s mother. The same relationship
implied in a ship’s manifest. Two records state that Theresa Michalak is the
daughter of Franziska, a 1933 newspaper article and a 1937 deed.
In spite of the direct evidence to the
contrary, the evidence strongly suggests that Agnieszka Sobczak, not Franziska Drewicz,
is the mother of Theresa Michalak.
Agnieszka
Sobczak
Martin Michalack and wife Agnes
immigrated to the United States from Poland in April 1889.
Along with them on the ship’s passenger list is a nine month old, Theresa Michalack.
The name and age of the infant would have likely been provided by Martin or
Agnes. No relationship is expressly provided; however, a parent-child
relationship may be implied.
A baptismal record for the daughter of
Martinus Michalak and Agnes Sobczak, Teresia, was recorded in Janowiec Parish,
Poland in 1886.
This is direct evidence that supports the implied relationship in the ship’s
passenger list.
The 1900 U.S. Census entry for Anges
also lists a daughter, Theresa.The
family’s surname is Mehagi; however, the household matches the known family. In
addition, the year of immigration is 1888. While this is not an exact match,
the close timeframe and passage of time are likely explanations for the
difference.
Franziska
Drewicz
In 1937, following the death of her
husband, Martin Michalak, Frances names Theresa Skalska as her daughter, among
other children in a deed.
The information contained within the deed would have been provided by Frances –
the source is original and the information on her children would be primary. Frances
would be a reliable source of the identities of her own children.
A 1933 newspaper article details an
automobile accident in which Frances is named as Theresa’s mother.
This corroborates the information contained in the 1937 deed. It is unknown who
would have provided the information on the relationship to the newspaper
article’s author. Possibilities include the women themselves, the police or
their report, or another party involved. Therefore, the relationship may have
been assumed rather than expressly stated by either of the women.
Franziska Drewicz immigrated to the
United States from Poland in 1906.
In the ship’s passenger list, the person she is to join is Martin Michalak, her
bridegroom. This is one year following the death of Agnieszka.
On the 1910 U.S. Census, women are
asked how many children were born to them and how many were still living. For
Franziska, the response is two children born, but none living. Since Theresa was born in 1886 and was
still living as late as 1937, this is inconsistent with the other sources
identifying Theresa as her daughter.
Conclusion
The parent-child relationship between
Theresa and Agnieszka is established only seven days following the birth of
Theresa in her baptismal record. Given that she subsequently immigrated to the
United States with Agnieszka and is later located in the same household some
years later provides additional support to this conclusion. Also, since
Franziska did not immigrate to the United States and marry Martin until the
year after Agnieszka’s death, when Theresa was approximately nineteen years
old, it is unlikely that she was Theresa’s birth mother. Therefore, based on
the evidence obtained to date, Agnieszka Sobczak is the mother of Theresa Michalak.
The newspaper article and deed would
have been more accurate to refer to Theresa as Franziska’s stepdaughter.
However, as Theresa’s mother died and Franziska likely immigrated to the United
States and married Martin to care for the children he still had living at home,
she may have simply referred to all the children as hers and not quantified the
relationship any further.
