My Family History

By Katy Cerwinske

Why don’t I have much info on my father’s side?

Answer:

Directly from an e-mail from my father to me

“My mom was born in Stamford CT, my Dad in Rockford Iowa. Cheryl was born 8/17...1955 I think. Walter in November...1947?, Susan in May, 1950? She was only a year ahead of me in school

I don't have any old pics...or even current pics...sorry

In looking at the stuff on the Geneology site from Germany where the name was spelled the same, maybe it didn't change...I really have no evidence of what it might have been changed from, if at all. “

Prussia Pommern is a region of Prussia and it’s capitol is Stettin, where my

great-great grandparents came from

After the 30-Years-War (1648) Pommern consisted of two areas: Schwedish-Pommern in the West under Swedish rule and the Eastern area under the rule of the Brandenburg Electors. After the defeat of Napoleon, Sweden in 1815 renounced all her claims to areas in Germany incl. Pommern. Pommern West of the Oder River was also called Vorpommern (Cis-Pomerania), East of the Oder River Hinterpommern (Trans-Pomerania). In 1938 areas from the former provinces of Westpreussen and Posen which were lost after WWI were added in an administrative reform. Hinter-Pommern was cleansed of its ethnic German population and given to Poland in 1945. The Western powers were silent on the ethnic cleansing. Stettin was renamed Szczecin.

http://users.foxvalley.net/~goertz/faq.pom.html

Joseph Cerwinske(Great-Great Grandfather)

Born: 1854  Voelschendorf-Stettin, Pommern, Pruessen

AWOL from Prussian Army and came over to America with his brother Martin

Moved to Rockford, Iowa in 1870 Married: Carolena (Lena) Belitz in 1877 Died: 1902

Carolena (Belitz) Cerwinske(Great-Great Grandmother)

Born: Oct. 8, 1857 in Veolschendorf-Stettin

Remarried: Rev. Harvey Hostettler after Joseph’s deathHostettler Massacre in PA where

Native Americans slaughtered the whole family in late 1700’s

Death: March 30, 1938 in Rockford, Iowa

Their Children

Frederick: Feb. 12, 1878 Emma: March 4, 1880 Otto: Feb. 8, 1882 Elise: Sept. 30, 1885

All born in Rockford, Iowa

Rockford, Iowa

http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/travel/dg/maps/f5/750x750_iowa_m.gif

Frederick M. F. Cerwinske(Great Grandfather aka my dad’s Grandpa)

Born: Feb 12, 1878 in Rockford, Iowa Married: Nellie Krause on August 17,

1910 Served as Justice as the Peace for

many years Farmer Died: November 1972

Frederick M. F. Cerwinske(Great Grandfather)

Nellie (Krause) Cerwinske

Their Children

Robert Gilbert Emerson (my grandpa) Herbert

Still living in Houston, Texas Wife Alceste just died in the recent years Only has 4 fingers on one hand, likes to trick

small children when they count how many fingers he has

Richard

Gilbert Cerwinske(Grandfather aka Dad’s dad))

Born: April 11, 1913 in Rockford, Iowa Married: Marion Smith (Stamford, CT) Moved East to NJ during the Great Depression to get a job with

his brother Had a college degree from Buena Vista College Worked as sports reporter for the newspaper and

teacher/principal in Iowa Worked as grocery store manager in Union, New Jersey Applied at Prudential with his brother, but only one job available

so they flipped a coin *Has another son with another woman, but don’t know anything

about it Death: November 21, 1991 in Union New, Jersey

Marion (Smith) Cerwinske(grandmother aka Dad’s mom)

Born: Nov. 6, 1918 in Stamford, CT Met Gilbert while he worked at an

ACME grocery store in Newark, NJ She shopped there with her mom Her mother Susie lived in Union, NJ

with her until her death Died: Jan. 12, 2002 in Barnegat, NJ

where she lived with my Aunt Cheryl

Susie Smith(My Grandma’s mom)

Was part of the DAR and very racist That caused my Aunt Susan to marry

without telling her parents and grandmother about it because Donald is black

My mother recalled the awkward moments of moving Susan out of the house and not having to say why

Gilbert and Marion(And Me)

Their Children

Barbara (Van Grofsky) Married: Frank Son: Tommy

Walter Married: lots of ladies from the Pacific Sons: Tommy, Michael, Scott, Craig Now a Brother’s Keeper *Interracial marriage

Susan (Gray) Married: Donald Daughter: Samantha *Interracial marriage

Alfred Daniel (my dad) Cheryl (Symes

Married: Erich Sons: Erich Jr, Greg, Drew

Cerwinske Cousins

Alfred Daniel Cerwinske(Dad)

Born: August 12, 1952 in Irvington, New Jersey

Currently Lives: Browns Mills, New Jersey

Married: Nancy Thompson (my mom) on June

1, 1974• Divorced in 1998

Lisa in May of 2005

Dad’s House

Their Children

Daniel James Born: Sept. 18, 1979 Graduate of University of Dayton, where he played soccer Lives in Hermosa Beach, California Works as a Account Representative for LA Galaxy soccer

team• That’s where David Beckham is going

Jeffrey Alan Born: Jan. 23, 1982 Currently working on Masters at University of Louisville

Speed School Lives in Louisville on 4th Street

Kathryn Ann Born: June 23, 1984

Katy Cerwinske Born: June 23, 1984 in Lansdale, PA

Moved to Oldham County, KY on February 14, 1990 (17 years ago today)

Nancy Alice (Thompson) Cerwinske

(My Mom)

Born: May 21, 1954 in Abington, PA Currently works at Camden Station

Elementary as a “paraprofessional” aka teacher’s aid in an EBD classroom

Still lives in Oldham County

Thompson Family(My Mom’s side)

The Children Gail Ann: June 15, 1951

Son: • Michael: Dec. 8, 1983

John Bradley: July 18, 1952 Married: Linda Sons:

• Andrew John: May 15, 1975• Scott: Gregory: Nov. 6, 1981

Nancy Alice (my mom) Margaret Ann: Aug. 10, 1955

Married: Joe Tomarelli Stepson: Chris

Karen Ruth: Jan. 24, 1958 Not Married: Chuck Children: Allison, Kevin and David (twins)

*No one completed college

Our Roots in PA

Gregory Laverne Thompson(Grandpa aka my mom’s Dad)

Born: Oct. 21, 1926 in Buffalo, NY Served in the military where he gained his

fascination for model airplanes Went to Drexler University in 1946 and had

his Practicum at Lansdale Tube Company in PA

Married: Margaret Morris on Sept. 16, 1950 Could not get married in the church because

Margaret was not Catholic

Margaret Emily (Morris) Thompson

(Grandma aka my Mom’s mom)

Born: July 10, 1920 in Skippack, PA Ran away from home when she was 16

because she had differences in opinion with her stepmother

Siblings: Mabel (farm in Punxatawney) Elwood Stanley (Pete) Lou

The Story

How did Margaret and Gregory meet?The Real Story:

• Both worked at Lansdale Tube Company

What I’ve been told since childhood by my grandparents:

• Grandma was a trapeze artist and the circus came to town one day. She fell off the trapeze and grandpa caught her and they fell in love.

A quick trip down Grandma’s history Father: Harry Corbin Morris

Born: 1886 in Wayne, PADied: 1950s

• His father: Elwood Morris married Margaret Archer Grant (relation to Ulysses S. Grant somehow)

Mother: Lillian BarrettBorn: Philadelphia PADied: 1920s

Owen F. Thompson(Great Grandpa aka my mom’s grandpa)

Born: June 24, 1898 in Silver Creek NY

Married: Alice Gamel on Feb. 10, 1923

Died: Feb 26, 1986 in Lansdale, PA

Found out their old house is now worth well over $.5 million

Ties to Prussia with the Thompsons

The further you go back in time, the Thompson’s origins were in Prussia as well.

Currently Prussia is Poland and Germany, so they are both part of my heritage

Sources Iowa Map:

http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/travel/dg/maps/f5/750x750_iowa_m.gif

Prussia Information: http://users.foxvalley.net/~goertz/faq.pom.ht

ml http://www.familysearch.org Text Messages with my Dad Interviews with my Mom