Jan Michal Zaborowski

Jan Michal was born around 1826, based on his age of 24 from his marriage record in 1850. However, his death record puts his age at 54 in Jan. 1876.

Jan seemed to have a decent life in the old country. He worked as a schoolmaster in Rog and owned his home in Plock Poland at 440 Parows St.. But conditions being what they were following the Polish Revolution in 1863, he chose to move his family to America a few years later. Life must have been very different for him in this country. He worked as a laborer and as a winemaker. He did manage to again become a property owner 9 years after coming to this country. Jan died in 1876, and the mortgage went into default.

He emigrated with his family in 1866, arriving in Chicago in the Fall of 1866 for a brief stay. Then resided for a short time in Chatsworth, Peoria & Belleville IL. He moved to Blufton MO in 1868 and worked for the Bluffton Wine Co., which went bankrupt in 1871 due to a crash in wine prices. He then moved to Creve Coeur, MO until he took a steamboat up the Mississippi and landed in Winona MN on April 1, 1875.

His death record lists his age as 54