Sunday, March 18, 2012
Little Blond Girl and Her Dolly (Mystery Photo #5) - Mystery Monday
Saturday, March 10, 2012
A Bride Named Kasi or Katherine? (Mystery Photo #4) - Mystery Monday
This photo appeared on my other blog, Heritage Zen, in one of my "mystery bride" posts. This young woman also appears in this photo here. I love the wedding ensemble--the short wedding dress, cloche-style veil with train, and the abundant spray of flowers. Look at the leaf trim on the dress. The photographer signed the photo, but it is an unreadable scrawl. There is an inscription at the bottom of the photo which says, "Dla Heli od Kasi 1921(?)" or "To Heli (my grandmother's sister, my great-aunt Helen Bulak) from Kasi 1921." Perhaps Kasi is short for Kasia or Katarzyna or Katherine. I believe the date is 1921, but it is a bit difficult to read. The bride was probably married at St. Mary's Church (Our Lady of Czestochowa) in Worcester.
Friday, March 9, 2012
A Lovely Young Lady (Mystery Photo #3) - Mystery Monday
This young lady looks as if she is celebrating a special occasion of some sort. A graduation or a confirmation perhaps? Might the white/light dress indicate a spring or summer activity? I love the pearls, the bracelet, and the gloves. Enlarge the photo, and take a look at the lovely pattern in the fabric and the overall detail of the dress. The style of dress seems to indicate the photo was taken sometime in the mid to late 1910s. Photographer information is not printed on the photo.
Grumpy Little Girl on a Pony (Mystery Photo #2) - Mystery Monday
I think it's pretty safe to say this little girl does NOT want to be on that pony! What do I know about this photo? Not much. The photo is mounted on card stock, but there isn't a photographer's stamp to indicate who took the photo. My guess is the photo was probably taken sometime in the late 1910s or in the 1920s. I have seen photographs of children on ponies and in goat carts that have a similar feel to them. My understanding is traveling photographers would travel with ponies or goat carts and take photographs of children with them for a fee. Often the photographer would travel the same geographic area, so someone else out there in Massachusetts or New England may have a photo of a child on this same pony. The pony's markings are pretty distinctive. The pony is also very fuzzy, almost like he has a winter coat. The little girl is also dressed for cooler weather. If you recognize either the little girl (or the pony) I'd love to hear from you. That said, I hope the little girl had a better day after she got off that pony...
First Communion (Mystery Photo #1) - Mystery Monday
Isn't this photo beautiful? I love the girls' faces, the flowers, the veils, and the dresses. I wish I knew who they were. My best guess is the girls and their families were members of Worcester's Polish community. I suspect, but I don't know for sure, that the photo was probably taken some time in the 1920s. The First Communion itself probably took place at St. Mary's Church (Our Lady of Czestochowa) in Worcester. Why did the girls have their photos taken together? Are they sisters? Twins? Cousins? There definitely seems to be a resemblance between the two girls. If you recognize either of these lovely young ladies I'd love to hear from you.
Update 3/10/12 - I have learned that large sprays of flowers, such as the ones shown here, are more typical of the 1920s than of the decades previous.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Welcome!
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| My Grandparents, Adolf Szerejko and Antonina (Bulak) Szerejko, February 11, 1920 |
Welcome to my new family history blog, Faces of Worcester Polonia!
In 1990 my grandmother, Antonina "Anna" (Bulak) Szerejko, died and left a treasure trove of photos of people connected to Worcester's early twentieth-century Polish immigrant community. While I have posted a number of photos of my family on my genealogy blog, Heritage Zen, I've come to realize that I have many "mystery photographs" of people I believe may be family, friends, and acquaintances of my grandparents and great-grandparents. I plan to post my mystery photograph collection here. The majority of my photos date between 1900 and 1930. If you are related or recognize anyone in any of my photographs I'd love to hear from you!
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