Born in Chwalowice, Tarnobrzeg, Galicia, Poland to Ludwik Majewski and Ludwika Bierut. His brother Stefan Majewski stayed in Poland and worked the farm. After WWII Joseph signed over his portion of the inherited farmland to his brother Stefan who stayed in Poland. Town near GPS 50.76665 21.88683
Arrived at Ellis Island on July 3, 1912 on the ship Kronprinzessin Cecilie embarking from Bremm, Germany. A Metal finisher who resided at 11381 St. Aubin, Hamtramck. Worked at the Dodge Main, Hamtramck Plant.
Married Michalina Wicinski on January 14, 1922 at Our Lady Queen of Apostles Church, Hamtramck, MI.
During World War I often they conscripted people right off the street for service in the Army as the need was so great. Joseph went missing for months before it was discovered that he was taken off the street and forcibly enlisted in the US Army. He later received an honorable discharge and as a result, was considered a Veteran. He was not under legal obligation to enlist due to his nationality origin during the Great War.
Father to Genevieve and to Irene Majewski.
Tarnobrzeg was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the time of his immigration and his passport shows the name of Franz Joseph 1st the Emperor. The grave stone has an incorrect year of birth. His passport says 1891. His citizenship papers and all other documents state 1893. His Death Certificate says 1896 which is reflected on his cemetery marker. The birth certificates of his daughters show he was born in 1893. I'm not sure which is correct however my Mother says Joseph was 9 years older than Michalina. so I beieve that 1891 is the correct birth year.
Died North Detroit General Hospital.
Biography, the Watch and DNA:
The pictured watch belonged to my beloved Grandfather Joseph Majewski born in Poland and died in Detroit in 1972 at the age of 79 years. His clothes changed but he carried this watch with him every day of his life. It is a cherished and tangible memento of his life. I could not have asked for a better Grandfather. He was a very hard worker who provided for his family who he loved very much. Married to Michalina Wicinska he had two children. Irene 1922-1932 who died at the age of nine years and Genevieve. They also raised Helen Wicinski Wozniak Supina from birth till she was five years old. Her mother lived in Canada and the father was unknown. Joseph and Michalina raised Helen for five years until Helen's mother returned to reclaim her daughter with a husband. They lost both Irene and Helen and grieved the loss of both.
My Grandfather arrived on Ellis Island on July 3, 1912. He lived in Toledo, Ohio for a short time before moving to Detroit and Hamtramck. He bought the home and lived at 11381 St. Aubin, Hamtramck, Michigan. They rented out the flat above the home. He became a metal finisher who worked for the Chrysler-Dodge Automotive company and did metal repair work. If a vehicle had been damaged while coming down the line he did the bumping and repairing with specialized metal tools to restore the vehicle so it could be sold for the first time. He was a carpenter and handyman who could do anything himself. As a child I found his garage a place with wonderful items to explore. Possibly I can trace my handyman skills to him. I once saw a strange device that my mother had. She was reluctant to tell me that it was a "bottle caper" a device for putting caps on bottles. She then said that during prohibition my Grandfather was a bit of an entrepreneur who made small quantities of liquor for friends and family. My mother told me how once as a little girl the car they were in was stopped by police for a minor offense. She was quite scared because she was sitting on a the illegal liquor that my Grandfather was delivering to a friend or relative. She remembers the fear and the relief when only a warning was issued.
Joseph would have purchased this watch for about $15.00 sometime about 1916 and likely it took three or more days of work to pay for it. This watch is a size 12, Model 1894, Grade no. 210, Seven Jewell, open face pocket watch made by the American Waltham Watch Company in Waltham, Massachusetts. The movement serial number of 19,992,851 shows it being built in about 1916, give or take a year or so. There were over 1,087,000 of this model built from about 1897 to 1934. The case has an engraved design on the back and at some point my Grandfather's initials of "JM" were engraved there. The watch case is gold-filled and made by the Star Watch Case Co. Gold filled means that the case was made of a sheet of inexpensive, "composition" metal (brass), sandwiched between two thinner sheets of gold by applying heat and pressure. This produces a much heavier layer of gold than electroplating. It was common for case companies to indicate the quality of the case and the number of years it was guaranteed not to wear through. This specific guarantee was later outlawed. This watch states the guarantee was twenty years. There are small markings in the case "TD 9-28-7-MS" which is some type of code from someone who repaired the watch at some point. The code often only meant something to the person who repaired the watch. It might mean that the watch was repaired in 1928 as watches of this type would have required oiling and servicing at least every 10 years.
In 2014 I had my ethnicity provided from a DNA sample. Since all of my grandparents came from generally the same South East area of Poland not too far from the Ukraine border there may be some minor difference between the two sets of grandparents but it is unlikely after seeing the results. Ethnicity updated in 2019 to Lesser Poland (Southeastern Poland) and also the region of Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland & Lithuania. See Ethnicity map photo.
Chwalowice GPS 50.765997 21.887239
Arrived at Ellis Island on July 3, 1912 on the ship Kronprinzessin Cecilie embarking from Bremm, Germany. A Metal finisher who resided at 11381 St. Aubin, Hamtramck. Worked at the Dodge Main, Hamtramck Plant.
Married Michalina Wicinski on January 14, 1922 at Our Lady Queen of Apostles Church, Hamtramck, MI.
During World War I often they conscripted people right off the street for service in the Army as the need was so great. Joseph went missing for months before it was discovered that he was taken off the street and forcibly enlisted in the US Army. He later received an honorable discharge and as a result, was considered a Veteran. He was not under legal obligation to enlist due to his nationality origin during the Great War.
Father to Genevieve and to Irene Majewski.
Tarnobrzeg was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the time of his immigration and his passport shows the name of Franz Joseph 1st the Emperor. The grave stone has an incorrect year of birth. His passport says 1891. His citizenship papers and all other documents state 1893. His Death Certificate says 1896 which is reflected on his cemetery marker. The birth certificates of his daughters show he was born in 1893. I'm not sure which is correct however my Mother says Joseph was 9 years older than Michalina. so I beieve that 1891 is the correct birth year.
Died North Detroit General Hospital.
Biography, the Watch and DNA:
The pictured watch belonged to my beloved Grandfather Joseph Majewski born in Poland and died in Detroit in 1972 at the age of 79 years. His clothes changed but he carried this watch with him every day of his life. It is a cherished and tangible memento of his life. I could not have asked for a better Grandfather. He was a very hard worker who provided for his family who he loved very much. Married to Michalina Wicinska he had two children. Irene 1922-1932 who died at the age of nine years and Genevieve. They also raised Helen Wicinski Wozniak Supina from birth till she was five years old. Her mother lived in Canada and the father was unknown. Joseph and Michalina raised Helen for five years until Helen's mother returned to reclaim her daughter with a husband. They lost both Irene and Helen and grieved the loss of both.
My Grandfather arrived on Ellis Island on July 3, 1912. He lived in Toledo, Ohio for a short time before moving to Detroit and Hamtramck. He bought the home and lived at 11381 St. Aubin, Hamtramck, Michigan. They rented out the flat above the home. He became a metal finisher who worked for the Chrysler-Dodge Automotive company and did metal repair work. If a vehicle had been damaged while coming down the line he did the bumping and repairing with specialized metal tools to restore the vehicle so it could be sold for the first time. He was a carpenter and handyman who could do anything himself. As a child I found his garage a place with wonderful items to explore. Possibly I can trace my handyman skills to him. I once saw a strange device that my mother had. She was reluctant to tell me that it was a "bottle caper" a device for putting caps on bottles. She then said that during prohibition my Grandfather was a bit of an entrepreneur who made small quantities of liquor for friends and family. My mother told me how once as a little girl the car they were in was stopped by police for a minor offense. She was quite scared because she was sitting on a the illegal liquor that my Grandfather was delivering to a friend or relative. She remembers the fear and the relief when only a warning was issued.
Joseph would have purchased this watch for about $15.00 sometime about 1916 and likely it took three or more days of work to pay for it. This watch is a size 12, Model 1894, Grade no. 210, Seven Jewell, open face pocket watch made by the American Waltham Watch Company in Waltham, Massachusetts. The movement serial number of 19,992,851 shows it being built in about 1916, give or take a year or so. There were over 1,087,000 of this model built from about 1897 to 1934. The case has an engraved design on the back and at some point my Grandfather's initials of "JM" were engraved there. The watch case is gold-filled and made by the Star Watch Case Co. Gold filled means that the case was made of a sheet of inexpensive, "composition" metal (brass), sandwiched between two thinner sheets of gold by applying heat and pressure. This produces a much heavier layer of gold than electroplating. It was common for case companies to indicate the quality of the case and the number of years it was guaranteed not to wear through. This specific guarantee was later outlawed. This watch states the guarantee was twenty years. There are small markings in the case "TD 9-28-7-MS" which is some type of code from someone who repaired the watch at some point. The code often only meant something to the person who repaired the watch. It might mean that the watch was repaired in 1928 as watches of this type would have required oiling and servicing at least every 10 years.
In 2014 I had my ethnicity provided from a DNA sample. Since all of my grandparents came from generally the same South East area of Poland not too far from the Ukraine border there may be some minor difference between the two sets of grandparents but it is unlikely after seeing the results. Ethnicity updated in 2019 to Lesser Poland (Southeastern Poland) and also the region of Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland & Lithuania. See Ethnicity map photo.
Chwalowice GPS 50.765997 21.887239
Born in Chwalowice, Tarnobrzeg, Galicia, Poland to Ludwik Majewski and Ludwika Bierut. His brother Stefan Majewski stayed in Poland and worked the farm. After WWII Joseph signed over his portion of the inherited farmland to his brother Stefan who stayed in Poland. Town near GPS 50.76665 21.88683
Arrived at Ellis Island on July 3, 1912 on the ship Kronprinzessin Cecilie embarking from Bremm, Germany. A Metal finisher who resided at 11381 St. Aubin, Hamtramck. Worked at the Dodge Main, Hamtramck Plant.
Married Michalina Wicinski on January 14, 1922 at Our Lady Queen of Apostles Church, Hamtramck, MI.
During World War I often they conscripted people right off the street for service in the Army as the need was so great. Joseph went missing for months before it was discovered that he was taken off the street and forcibly enlisted in the US Army. He later received an honorable discharge and as a result, was considered a Veteran. He was not under legal obligation to enlist due to his nationality origin during the Great War.
Father to Genevieve and to Irene Majewski.
Tarnobrzeg was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the time of his immigration and his passport shows the name of Franz Joseph 1st the Emperor. The grave stone has an incorrect year of birth. His passport says 1891. His citizenship papers and all other documents state 1893. His Death Certificate says 1896 which is reflected on his cemetery marker. The birth certificates of his daughters show he was born in 1893. I'm not sure which is correct however my Mother says Joseph was 9 years older than Michalina. so I beieve that 1891 is the correct birth year.
Died North Detroit General Hospital.
Biography, the Watch and DNA:
The pictured watch belonged to my beloved Grandfather Joseph Majewski born in Poland and died in Detroit in 1972 at the age of 79 years. His clothes changed but he carried this watch with him every day of his life. It is a cherished and tangible memento of his life. I could not have asked for a better Grandfather. He was a very hard worker who provided for his family who he loved very much. Married to Michalina Wicinska he had two children. Irene 1922-1932 who died at the age of nine years and Genevieve. They also raised Helen Wicinski Wozniak Supina from birth till she was five years old. Her mother lived in Canada and the father was unknown. Joseph and Michalina raised Helen for five years until Helen's mother returned to reclaim her daughter with a husband. They lost both Irene and Helen and grieved the loss of both.
My Grandfather arrived on Ellis Island on July 3, 1912. He lived in Toledo, Ohio for a short time before moving to Detroit and Hamtramck. He bought the home and lived at 11381 St. Aubin, Hamtramck, Michigan. They rented out the flat above the home. He became a metal finisher who worked for the Chrysler-Dodge Automotive company and did metal repair work. If a vehicle had been damaged while coming down the line he did the bumping and repairing with specialized metal tools to restore the vehicle so it could be sold for the first time. He was a carpenter and handyman who could do anything himself. As a child I found his garage a place with wonderful items to explore. Possibly I can trace my handyman skills to him. I once saw a strange device that my mother had. She was reluctant to tell me that it was a "bottle caper" a device for putting caps on bottles. She then said that during prohibition my Grandfather was a bit of an entrepreneur who made small quantities of liquor for friends and family. My mother told me how once as a little girl the car they were in was stopped by police for a minor offense. She was quite scared because she was sitting on a the illegal liquor that my Grandfather was delivering to a friend or relative. She remembers the fear and the relief when only a warning was issued.
Joseph would have purchased this watch for about $15.00 sometime about 1916 and likely it took three or more days of work to pay for it. This watch is a size 12, Model 1894, Grade no. 210, Seven Jewell, open face pocket watch made by the American Waltham Watch Company in Waltham, Massachusetts. The movement serial number of 19,992,851 shows it being built in about 1916, give or take a year or so. There were over 1,087,000 of this model built from about 1897 to 1934. The case has an engraved design on the back and at some point my Grandfather's initials of "JM" were engraved there. The watch case is gold-filled and made by the Star Watch Case Co. Gold filled means that the case was made of a sheet of inexpensive, "composition" metal (brass), sandwiched between two thinner sheets of gold by applying heat and pressure. This produces a much heavier layer of gold than electroplating. It was common for case companies to indicate the quality of the case and the number of years it was guaranteed not to wear through. This specific guarantee was later outlawed. This watch states the guarantee was twenty years. There are small markings in the case "TD 9-28-7-MS" which is some type of code from someone who repaired the watch at some point. The code often only meant something to the person who repaired the watch. It might mean that the watch was repaired in 1928 as watches of this type would have required oiling and servicing at least every 10 years.
In 2014 I had my ethnicity provided from a DNA sample. Since all of my grandparents came from generally the same South East area of Poland not too far from the Ukraine border there may be some minor difference between the two sets of grandparents but it is unlikely after seeing the results. Ethnicity updated in 2019 to Lesser Poland (Southeastern Poland) and also the region of Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland & Lithuania. See Ethnicity map photo.
Chwalowice GPS 50.765997 21.887239
Arrived at Ellis Island on July 3, 1912 on the ship Kronprinzessin Cecilie embarking from Bremm, Germany. A Metal finisher who resided at 11381 St. Aubin, Hamtramck. Worked at the Dodge Main, Hamtramck Plant.
Married Michalina Wicinski on January 14, 1922 at Our Lady Queen of Apostles Church, Hamtramck, MI.
During World War I often they conscripted people right off the street for service in the Army as the need was so great. Joseph went missing for months before it was discovered that he was taken off the street and forcibly enlisted in the US Army. He later received an honorable discharge and as a result, was considered a Veteran. He was not under legal obligation to enlist due to his nationality origin during the Great War.
Father to Genevieve and to Irene Majewski.
Tarnobrzeg was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the time of his immigration and his passport shows the name of Franz Joseph 1st the Emperor. The grave stone has an incorrect year of birth. His passport says 1891. His citizenship papers and all other documents state 1893. His Death Certificate says 1896 which is reflected on his cemetery marker. The birth certificates of his daughters show he was born in 1893. I'm not sure which is correct however my Mother says Joseph was 9 years older than Michalina. so I beieve that 1891 is the correct birth year.
Died North Detroit General Hospital.
Biography, the Watch and DNA:
The pictured watch belonged to my beloved Grandfather Joseph Majewski born in Poland and died in Detroit in 1972 at the age of 79 years. His clothes changed but he carried this watch with him every day of his life. It is a cherished and tangible memento of his life. I could not have asked for a better Grandfather. He was a very hard worker who provided for his family who he loved very much. Married to Michalina Wicinska he had two children. Irene 1922-1932 who died at the age of nine years and Genevieve. They also raised Helen Wicinski Wozniak Supina from birth till she was five years old. Her mother lived in Canada and the father was unknown. Joseph and Michalina raised Helen for five years until Helen's mother returned to reclaim her daughter with a husband. They lost both Irene and Helen and grieved the loss of both.
My Grandfather arrived on Ellis Island on July 3, 1912. He lived in Toledo, Ohio for a short time before moving to Detroit and Hamtramck. He bought the home and lived at 11381 St. Aubin, Hamtramck, Michigan. They rented out the flat above the home. He became a metal finisher who worked for the Chrysler-Dodge Automotive company and did metal repair work. If a vehicle had been damaged while coming down the line he did the bumping and repairing with specialized metal tools to restore the vehicle so it could be sold for the first time. He was a carpenter and handyman who could do anything himself. As a child I found his garage a place with wonderful items to explore. Possibly I can trace my handyman skills to him. I once saw a strange device that my mother had. She was reluctant to tell me that it was a "bottle caper" a device for putting caps on bottles. She then said that during prohibition my Grandfather was a bit of an entrepreneur who made small quantities of liquor for friends and family. My mother told me how once as a little girl the car they were in was stopped by police for a minor offense. She was quite scared because she was sitting on a the illegal liquor that my Grandfather was delivering to a friend or relative. She remembers the fear and the relief when only a warning was issued.
Joseph would have purchased this watch for about $15.00 sometime about 1916 and likely it took three or more days of work to pay for it. This watch is a size 12, Model 1894, Grade no. 210, Seven Jewell, open face pocket watch made by the American Waltham Watch Company in Waltham, Massachusetts. The movement serial number of 19,992,851 shows it being built in about 1916, give or take a year or so. There were over 1,087,000 of this model built from about 1897 to 1934. The case has an engraved design on the back and at some point my Grandfather's initials of "JM" were engraved there. The watch case is gold-filled and made by the Star Watch Case Co. Gold filled means that the case was made of a sheet of inexpensive, "composition" metal (brass), sandwiched between two thinner sheets of gold by applying heat and pressure. This produces a much heavier layer of gold than electroplating. It was common for case companies to indicate the quality of the case and the number of years it was guaranteed not to wear through. This specific guarantee was later outlawed. This watch states the guarantee was twenty years. There are small markings in the case "TD 9-28-7-MS" which is some type of code from someone who repaired the watch at some point. The code often only meant something to the person who repaired the watch. It might mean that the watch was repaired in 1928 as watches of this type would have required oiling and servicing at least every 10 years.
In 2014 I had my ethnicity provided from a DNA sample. Since all of my grandparents came from generally the same South East area of Poland not too far from the Ukraine border there may be some minor difference between the two sets of grandparents but it is unlikely after seeing the results. Ethnicity updated in 2019 to Lesser Poland (Southeastern Poland) and also the region of Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland & Lithuania. See Ethnicity map photo.
Chwalowice GPS 50.765997 21.887239
