Marcin (Martin) Gonshorowski

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1886 Paul Gonshrowski (born 1836), Martin Gonshrowski (born 1864), Anna Gonshrowski (born 1867), Jacob Gonshrowski (born 1868), Marie Gonshrowski (born 1870), Wilhelm Gonshrowski (born 1876) & Aug Gonshrowski (born 1877) arrive in New York City, New York, United States.

Martin and Mary Gonshorowski Family

The family history about how the Gonshorowskis came to the United States was interesting and heart warming. Martin's parents were Paul and Mary Pilanz Gonshorowski who had eleven children, nine boys. The mother and two boys died in Poland.

The oldest, Adam (Anna Szcepanski) was the first to come to America in 1883. By 1887, all of them were in America. The early history was written by August Goroski (Gonshorowski), Martin's youngest brother. When the second brother, John, arrived he didn't care much for the factory in Reading, Pennsylvania. His father sent the address of Schultzes from Poland who had settled in Minnesota and later at St. Thomas, North Dakota. John was too late for a homestead in that area so he worked for Schultzes for a year and had enough money for brother Mike to come to America.

The three brothers worked to save money for the rest of the family to come to America. Martin was now of draft age, but played cripple and got across France where he straightened out. They went to Adam's place in Pennsylvania, but Martin didn't care for work either, so Paul, Martin, and William went to North Dakota to join John. Jacob and August came about a year later to help with harvest. Two years later, Adam came, but Jacob went back to Pennsylvania.

In 1896, when the rest of Roseau County was opened up for homesteading, "everyone who was eligible went file for one." (He probably meant those in his family.) In 1897, August filed a homestead claim in Roseau County and his father filed next to him, but only got an eighty.

This story is about family helping family get started. At different times family members stayed with one another, but were expected to pull their own weight. The ticket price was repaid to the older brothers, by each of the family members. August's ticket was paid off by the time he was fourteen.

Martin Gonshorowski was born in New Prussia, Europe in 1865. In 1885, at the age of 20 he came to America. In 1892, he married Mary Grevers, who was born in 1875, also in New Prussia. She came to America at age seven. After living in North Dakota and Montana they settled in the Leo, Minnesota community in Section 14 of PoIonia Township.

They had fourteen children: Melania (1899), Helen (1900), Henry (1901), Joe (1902), Frank (1903-1997 age 93), Johnny (1904-1904), Simon (1905-1915 age 9), Frances (1906), Richard (1907), Thomas (1908), Barney (1909 to 11-6-1989), Marie (1910), Ally (1911), and David (1912).

When two of the boys, Al and Tommy, went to Minneapolis to find work in the 1930s, they were refused work because of their Polish name, Gonshorowski. Employers refused to hire Poles. After many tries to get ajob, they decided to change their name to Ganter. They had no problem getting a job after that. Barney married Frances Gonshorowski. They lived in the area all their lives, farming in Polonia Township until moving into Greenbush. Frances worked in the Greenbush Hospital for many years.

By Shirley Gonshorowski Pederson and Myrna Sovde. Source: Gonshorowskifamily papers.