Wilhelm Jablonowski

Not much is known about my genetic great-grandfather.

From Karl's birth document:

Karl was born in Wattenscheid, that document says the father is a miner (Bergmann) Wilhelm Jablonowski who lives in Höntrop No 133 5/10 (Höntrop is the district) who is protestant in religion (evangelisch in German)

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bochum-H%C3%B6ntrop

http://64.233.179.104/translate_c?hl=en&langpair=de%7Cen&u=http://d...

Höntrop, is part of the quarter Wattenscheid of the city Bochum in North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr industrial area.

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RUHRPOLEN:

Was probably what is known in German as a Ruhrpolen:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruhrpolen

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://de.wikip...

From Wikipedia: "Ruhrpolen (“Ruhr Poles”) is a German term for Poles who immigrated to the rapidly-industrializing areas of the Ruhr Valley, mainly from historical eastern Germany, that is the Prussian provinces of Posen, (Upper) Silesia, and East and West Prussia, in a migration wave known as the Ostflucht. There they found employment in the mining, steel and construction industries."

From MartinaM on iStockphoto:

"The migration began around 1850, most of the poles came between 1870 and 1910. But they weren't real migrants because the western part of Poland was a Prussian province."

From http://www.ghs-mh.de/migration/projects/timeline/tl_ge_2.htm

The Ruhrpolen were discriminated against because they did not speak German, and because they were Catholic. German authorities were afraid the Poles might revolt, and restricted their freedoms.

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He probably married Maria Madeya around 1897. Based on the fact that his son Karl was born the following year.

I have photo of Karl with stepfather Zirkel around 1912 (date estimated because Karl looks about 15). Perhaps it was taken at the wedding or soon after.

If he was 25 when he married, then he was probably born around 1872. If he married @ 20, then he was born 1877.

So, very roughly: 1872-1910, died around age 38. Since no other children are known, perhaps he died sooner.

Younger scenario: it's possible he died in WWI (started 1914). Perhaps his years are more like 1882-1914. That would make him 32 when the war started, a little old but not impossible. And something like 16 when his son was born.