Tomasz "Thomas" Trzebiatowski

http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=:2218579&...

From Kathy Ganski:

Thomas & Josephine Trzebiatowski, married in 1874 in Poland. Came to America on a sailboat in 1879. Toting two small children and pregnant with their third child.

They settled in the Town of Pike Lake (Marathon County, Wisconsin) half was between Hatley and Bevent on 80 acres of land. The Township of Pike Lake was created on December 30, 1886. No one knows why he or she settled here, or how they acquired the land. The property on which they settled was all brush and wooded. There were Indians in the Town of Pike Lake when they settled on their new land. The Indians lived near and around the lake known as Pike Lake.

Thomas was a farmer all his life. He farmed for 52 years, until his retirement in December of 1931. When son Simon took over the farm. Simon farmed from 1931 until his retirement and his youngest son Chester took over the family farm. Chester and his wife MaryAnn farmed until they sold it in February of 1965. Besides farming Chester also worked out 1st at Curtis Co. and Minnesota Mining Co. and then for the Chicago North Western Railroad. Edward and Henry also worked for the railroad and in there younger years owned and operated Trzebiatowski Bros. Trucking. Joseph and Angeline were employed at Marathon Electric until their retirement.

Thomas would also have to walk to Polonia, Wisconsin in Portage County to get sugar and flour and other needs, because that was the nearest store at that time.

Josephine was a mail carrier three times a week going from Hatley to Jake Marks home, which is now owned by Felix Esker. She was also a Midwife in the Pike Lake and Hatley area. She had a certificate from a Doctor in which to do this. Her daughter Helen told me that she delivered around 700 babies. Josephine had kept records of all the babies that she delivered and had to register them with the courthouse. Josephine sometimes got paid $2.00 for delivering babies or got other things such as food and etc., or got nothing because they were to poor. She would go out at all hours in the day and night, rain or shine, snow and sleet.

The family farm is still on the corner of highway Y and II. There have been many changes, since the first home burned down in a fire and had to be rebuilt and then another fire destroyed the 2nd story of the home and that was tore down and was made into a half story home.

Thomas Trzebiatowski had one brother that we only know of, who was Anton Trzebiatowski. Anton and his wife Katherine B. (Glomski) Trzebiatowski came to America in 1885 and settled in Winona Minn. and lived there until moving to Dodge WI. In 1903.