Surname Saturday: Mudrowsky

Surname Saturday Post #1

Variations: Madrosky, Mudrowsky

In honor of Polish American Heritage Month I will be sharing the surnames of some of my Polish ancestors during the month of October.

Michael and Alexandra Madrosky immigrated from Poland to Canada. On May 15, 1911 they arrived in Quebec, Canada with their six children, all born in Medyn, Galicia. Their children were Fredrick, Paul, Henry, Alexander, Nicolas, and Teela- all boys and one girl. Alexander was my grandfather, who later immigrated to America.

Thanks to the help of Canadian Genealogy user Brett M. Clark, I now know that Michael had applied for a Homestead Grant on August 23, 1912. The Census lists him as a farmer. Stead, Manitoba where the Mudrowskis lived, is known as "The Sod Capital", apparently shipping sod as far south as Texas. I wish I knew what kind of farmer Michael was, maybe he was a sod farmer, like many of his Stead counterparts. The Census also states that all his sons, except Henry, worked on the farm, while Teela is listed as a student.

On September 19, 1928 my grandfather Alexander Mudrowsky came to America by way of Ontario. His given name is listed as Vladimir, I noticed this family seems to flip middle and first names so often that it can be hard to tell which is which. Alexander has a medium complexion, brown hair, and grey eyes. He was 26 years old and had $25 in cash. Maybe it's just me, but looking back at my ancestors often makes me think, "what am I doing with my life?" At 26, my great-grandfather was moving to a new country- the third one he would live in!

At this time 'Mudrowsky' is spelled 'Mudrowski', rather than 'Madrosky' as shown on the Canadian Census. Alexander's last permanent address is listed as Bridgeburg, Ontario, Canada. I wish an exact address could be found, but his Border Crossing papers only listed city and province. According to this paperwork, it looks like he made a previous lengthy visit to Buffalo, New York from April 25, 1923 to August 2, 1928. I think it's safe to assume this is when he met my great-grandmother, Mary Dombrowski, because Mary and Alexander are already listed as married on his Border Crossings papers and she is already a US Citizen!

I wonder what Alexander came to America to do during those years?

The address given for Alexander and Mary's U.S. address is 19 Lansing St, Buffalo, New York. I'm not quite sure how long they lived in this home, but according to the real estate website Zillow, the last time the house sold was in December of 2003 for only $11,000. It's current value is estimated at $51,293, which is astoundingly cheap for a 4 bedroom, 2 bath home. However, it doesn't have the best view.

In the 1930 Census Alexander's occupation is listed as a welder, in July of that year, Mary gave birth to their first daughter, Lora Helen Mudrowski.

In 1932 Alexander and Mary's address is listed as 63 Clay St, Buffalo, New York. This address wasn't far from their old one.

That year the couple also had their second and last daughter Rita Mary Mudrowski, my grandmother. Sadly, Mary did not survive the pregnancy. Family accounts say she hemorrhaged giving birth to my grandmother. It's also said that Alexander never forgave my grandmother for Mary's passing. Also, of note, Rita was born with six fingers on one hand.

Rita Mary Mudrowsky Smith

Alexander later remarried to a woman named Josephine. They did not have any children that I could find record of, though my mother and Uncle Bob, both recall my grandmother often mentioning a 'Baby Teddy' who passed away. Because Josephine and Alexander do not have living children, it's safe to assume in this picture, Josephine is pregnant with Teddy.

In 1953, Alexander and Josephine's address was 225 Gorton (Rear).

Alexander later died in May 1980 at the age of 77. My mom says he died of Prostate Cancer. If anybody has any information on any Mudrowsky's or you too, are related to a Mudrowsky, please contact me.