Gottlieb Lasniewski

Early Settlers in Roseau County, MN: 1885-1910; Book 2 GOTTLIEB LASNIEWSKI - bio -page 334

Gottlieb Lasniewski, was born in Poland and immigrated to America in 1887. On 29 June 1887, at Reading, Pennsylvania he married Anna Gonshorowski who was born in Europe, the daughter of the Paul Gonshorowski's.

From Pennsylvania the young couple moved to Stephen, Minnesota, later moving to Polonia Township, Roseau County, MN where they took up a homestead in 1889.

The nearest railroad in the very early days was at Stephen and the nearest grocery store and blacksmith shop and post office was three miles away at Leo, Minnesota. Services for members of the Catholic Church were held in a shed at Leo until the time came to build a church.

Gottlieb and Anna (Gonshorowski) Lasniewski: Both Gottlieb and Anna Gonshorowski were born in Europe. Like many Polish immigrants they first went to Pennsylvania. In June of 1887, the same year that Gottlieb arrived in America, he and Anna were married at Reading, Pennsylvania. This was in the days when feathered hats were popular, and dresses draped bands around the hips, and tight bodices that buttoned down the front were the fashion. Two years after their marriage, Gottlieb and Anna homesteaded near Leo, after staying in Stephen for a while. Their home in Minnesota had two rooms and a small second story. The sounds of Minnesota included wolves howling at night, prairie chickens booming in the mornings, and frogs croaking early and late. Mosquitoes were a trial for both people and animals, and wolves raided the livestock. In the fall , the swamps and prairies had to be watched and checked often for fires that might start in dry grass and dead brush. Gottlieb worked very hard. Homesteading was not easy. Clearing the land of rocks and brush was a never ending chore, and flooding was a common occurrence. Oxen were used for clearing the land. When horses were purchased, they were a status symbol, but the oxen kept on working. The nearest store was at Leo, three miles away, which was where they had to go to fetch their mail. The nearest train service was at Stephen, Minnesota. In the early years, they attended mass in a shed at Leo, but later a church was built there. Gottlieb and Anna were the parents of eight children: Mary, John, Frank, Alex, Max, Agnes, Magnus, and Eleanor. From information submitted by MaryAnn Schires and Eunice Korczak.