What's New

Tom Kravitz provided me with additional background information on the Kravitz Family (Burial locations & Occupations) that I have used to update the Stanley J. Krawiec (Kravitz), Sr webpage.

Barbara Gromniak Frazier sent along a set of photos of Peter Gromniak, Tony Gramsky and Joe Gromniak.  Also Tom Kravitz sent me a photo of the headstone for Peter & Anna Gromniak which I added to their webpage.

I received some important family information today on the marriage record for Jan Ziola and Marianna Walenga (parents of Josephine Ziola Krawiec).  They were married 17 October 1859 at Zasow Parish in Galicia which was then an Austrian Crown Colony but is now part of Poland.  (Galicia is a region that overlaps what is now Poland in the west and the Ukraine in the east).  Additionally, the marriage record  lists the parents of Jan Ziola as Bartlomiej Ziola and Maria Durolek and the parents of Marianna Walenga as Kazimierz Walenga and Jadwiga Kulas.  This information was generously offered by Dennis Benarz.  He assists with maintaining a website with additional information about Zasow Parish that can be found at Parafia Zasow.  Thanks Dennis!

Also, Tom Kravitz has identified the birthplace of Stanley Krawiec (Kravitz) as the village of  Nedjavada (spelled Niedzwiada), now located in eastern Poland.  

This website describes the village of  Niedzwiada and surrounding area: Lubelskie - The Lublin Region

Tom is still coming up with Family History Source documents and Family photos.  I have added the death certificates for Catherine and Amelia Krawiec. They can be found on the Krawiec Source Documents webpage.  These two aunts died as young women in the 1920's from tuberculosis.  I have started researching the White Haven Sanitarium where they received help with their illness and hope to some day tell the story of how this terrible scourge took its toll in the first half of the 20th century.

This website was extensively updated on 15 June 2003 using information researched by Tom Kravitz over the past 25 years.  We are greatly appreciative of his generosity in supporting this family history project.  Any errors are the responsibility of the webmaster.  Added new pages for Stanislaw Krawiec and Jan (John) Ziola.  The page for Stanley F. Kravitz was also extensively updated.

Cousin Tom Kravitz from Baltimore has supplied us with more family photos and copies of documents, including a headstone photograph for Jan Gromniak (died 1918), Peter Gromniak Obituary, Anna Kravitz Gromniak Obituary, Stanley Kravitz Obituary, Josephine Ziola Obituary and misc Gromniak Family Photographs.   Thanks again Tom!

Tom Kravitz from Baltimore sent along some headstone photographs that I have finally had the time to add to the website.  They can be found here Stanley & Jola Krawiec and Vincent and Petronella Gromniak (St. Martha's Cemetery).  Thanks Tom!

The 1930 Federal Census for Luzerne County, Pennsylvania lists Stanley Kravitz (Krawiec), age 59, wife Josephine, age 56 and the following children: Stanley Jr., age 17; Frank, age 15 and Helen, age 13 living at 68 Coal St, Plymouth PA.  Stanley is listed as owning the house valued at $1500.  He reports that he was born in Poland as were both his parents.  Likewise for Josephine.   Stanley reported that he had immigrated to the United States in 1894, which matches with the Ellis Island records.  Josephine reports that she immigrated in 1896.  Both claimed to be naturalized citizens.

Doing a bit of simple math, it can be derived that he and Josephine were married sometime after April 1898.  This is interesting because previously it had been assumed that they met and were married in Poland.  Stanley was then age 27 and Josephine was age 22.

Front of 2002 Easter Card

Interior of 2002 Easter Card

Translation of text for 2002 Easter Card

Pat Bargowski is still our top family researcher.  She recently met with George Gromniak, Jr, his mother and the rest of the family.  George was able to add some important documents to the family search:

Vincent Gromniak Naturalization Declaration of Intent, 1920

George S. Gromniak Sr:  U.S. Army Enlistment Record, 1926

George S. Gromniak Sr:  U.S. Army Discharge Record, 1929

George Gromniak Sr: Miner License, 1933

George S. Gromniak Sr:  Naturalization Certificate, 1938

Isabella Kupinewicz Baptism Certificate, 1910

Anthony Gromniak Baptism Certificate, 1913

I received a copy of the Death Certificate for Petronella Gromniak from the
Pennsylvania Department of Vital Records today.  Turns out she died on
November 24, 1943 around 3:10 in the afternoon.  My Mom gets the award since
she was the only one who said November.  Also, her tombstone may be
incorrect since she died in 1943 vice 1944.

Anyway, some good information (provided by Peter Gromniak) at the time of
her death.  Her birthday was 4 May 1871 in Poland.  Her parents were John
Terapata and ? Frances? Terapata, both of Poland.  She died of a cerebral
hemorage (no medical care).  At the time of her death she had lived in the
US for 35 years which corresponds with her 1909 immigration.  It also notes
that she had lived in the Fairmont Springs Community (specifically the rural
neighborhood of Cambra) for 21 years suggesting she had moved to the farm in
1922. She was 72 years, 8 months, 16 days old when she died.

Also, I created a webpage for the Terapata portion of the family

I recently requested copies of death certificates for Stanley Kravitz, Josephine Ziola Kravitz, Vincent Gromniak and Petronella Gromniak from Luzerne County, PA.  SO far I have received them for Stanley and Vincent allowing me to update their respective pages with updated information.  Added three additional photos to the Kravitz Family Photographs page including Joseph Kravitz, Frank & Josephine Kravitz and a group shot of Stanley, Anna, Helen and Jodku Kravitz.

Added a photo of Bernadine and Jack Gromniak as children to the Gromniak Family Photos Page..  Added a photo of the S.S. ARGENTINIA to the Joseph William Gromniak page.  This was the steamship that brought Jan and Joseph Gromniak to Ellis Island in 1914.  This information was also found on the Ellis Island website.

I visited the new Ellis Island Records Webpage and was able to find immigration records for Stanislaw Krawiec (arrived 21 Feb 1896 onboard the Steamship HAVEL), Wicenty Gromniak (arrived 7 Nov 1906 onboard the Steamship PRINCESS IRENE) and Antoni Gromniak, who I think is "Tony Gramsky" (arrived 20 Aug 1907 onboard the Steamship FINLAND).  The website even contained photographs and information about the ships on which they arrived.  I searched but was not able to find information about any other family members including Josephine Ziola Krawiec who according to the 1900 census immigrated in 1897 although not necessarily through Ellis Island.  Interestingly, the Ellis Island records indicate that Stanislaw Krawiec arrived as a single man contradicting past belief that he and Jola were married in Poland.  Of course, the Ellis Island records could be wrong on this point. 

Added photo of Pennsylvania Coal Breaker boys to the homepage.  This photo is from the Lewis Hines collection of the Library of Congress.  Lewis Hines was a crusader against the use of child labor in the United States in the first half of the 20th century.  There are no members of our family in this photo but it represents very closely the world where Piotr Gromniak worked as a child.  I first saw this photo on the cover of my favorite book on this subject, "Growing Up in Coal Country" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti.  You should buy it if you have not already.

Added Gromniak Family Photographs and Kravitz Family Photos provided by Barbara Gromniak Frazier.

Added a Gromniak Family Memory of Vincent Gromniak from Bernadine Gromniak Kennedy

Added a large collection of Krawiec Family Photos.  These are photos are in the possession of Barbara Gromniak Frazier and originally belonged to her Mother.  The annotations on the photos were made by Anna Amelia Krawiec Gromniak before her death in 1986.  The photos are "thumbnailed"; click on the photo to see the full size image.

Fixed broken links and added missing branches on family trees. 

Added following Peter Gromniak documents to Gromniak Source Documents page:

Peter Gromniak Naturalization Certificate (Front)

Peter Gromniak Naturalization Certificate (Back) Legal Name Change

Peter Gromniak Miner's License

Peter & Anna Gromniak Marriage Certificate (1929 Original)

Peter & Anna Gromniak Marriage Certificate (1938 Copy)

Peter Gromniak Final Mining Paycheck 1958

Reworked the Homepage to make it load faster and require less scrolling.  Added a large number of Links.

This website represents the work of many but most without a doubt it would not have been possible if not for the work of Pat Bargowski, especially her efforts to record our family's history when nobody else had thought to try.