My Family History Research

Watkowski Family in Bayonne, New Jersey

Five of my Ancestry DNA matches trace their ancestry to the Watkowski family in Bayonne, New Jersey. KM is a descendant of Antoni Watkowski, CC is a descendant of Helena Watkowska Mierzicka, and EL, PD, and RE are descendants of Jan Watkowski, who later used the name John Reefer.

In some records, the family name was listed as Watkoskey or Władkowski. In Polish, w is pronounced like “v” and ł is pronounced like “w.” They would have pronounced their name as “vwodkovski”, so it was spelled different ways in America.

According to American records, Michał Watkowski was born in Apr 1952 in Prussia. Weronika Calińska was born in Mar 1852 in Russian Poland. They were married about 1874 in Prussia or Russian Poland.

Their daughter Marianna Watkowska married Wincenty Stachniewicz, son of Antoni Stachniewicz and Katarzyna Radziewicz, on 5 Jul 1896 in St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church, Bayonne, Hudson, New Jersey. He was 26 and she was 20 years old, and both were born in Russian Poland.

In 1900, the Watkowski family lived at 29 East 22nd Street in Bayonne, Hudson, New Jersey.

The census record is inconsistent; the couple’s names are transposed and the wife’s name is listed as Mary instead of Weronika. There may have been a language difficulty, or perhaps Michał and Weronika‘s daughter Mary was the informant. The children are listed as Tony, Joseph, Helen, and John.

On 18 May 1902, Antoni Watkowski married Eleanora Ignasiak, daughter of Jan Ignasiak and Jozefa Wabich, in Our Lady of Mount Carmel Roman Catholic Church, Bayonne, Hudson, New Jersey. Antoni and Eleanora and their descendants used the name Watkoskey.

On 15 May 1904, Józefa Watkowska married Stanisław Chuderewicz, son of Marcin Chuderewicz and Antonina Markowska, in Our Lady of Mount Carmel Roman Catholic Church, Bayonne, Hudson, New Jersey. This family also used the name Huderewicz, which sounds almost the same as Chuderewicz in Polish.

Franc./Frank Watkowski was a witness for all three of these marriages. I think Franciszek Watkowski may have been the brother of Marianna, Antoni, and Józefa. In Bayonne, New Jersey, Frank Watkowski registered for the World War I draft, giving his birthdate as 15 Jul 1876 in Russian Poland.

Franciszek Watkowski and his wife Teresa Swierzewicz were the parents of Józef (1901-1901), Jan (1902-1902), Stefan (1903-1903), and Władysława (1907-1912). These Watkowski children were baptized at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, but died and were buried in the same plot at Holy Name Cemetery in Jersey City, Hudson, New Jersey. Other children were Zygmunt (1904) and Edward (1909), but they also died young. Edward Wladkowski died in 1914 and was buried at Holy Name Cemetery. Zygmund, Frank, and Theresa Wladkowski were buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in North Arlington, Bergen, New Jersey, in 1929, 1931, and 1941, respectively.

On 3 Jul 1904, Helena Watkowska married Antoni Mierzicki, son of Wojciech Mierzicki and Dorota Wardenska, in Our Lady of Mount Carmel Roman Catholic Church, Bayonne, Hudson, New Jersey.

In 1910, siblings Anthony and Helen and their families lived on Avenue F in Bayonne, Hudson, New Jersey, along with their parents Michael and Veronica and their brother John.

On 12 Jan 1913, Jan Watkowski married Leokadia Zagórska, daughter of Kornel Zagórski and Wiktorya Kosmacka, in Our Lady of Mount Carmel Roman Catholic Church, Bayonne, Hudson, New Jersey.

As in most Catholic church records, the entries are in Latin, although Polish was their native tongue. In the other children’s American marriage records, Weronika‘s birth name is Caleńska, although Calińska would more likely have been the spelling in Polish. Surprisingly, in this record, Jan‘s mother’s birth name is listed as Weronika Jarosz. It is possible that Jan had a different mother named Weronika. It is also possible that when Jan was asked about his mother’s maiden name, he asked his mother and she answered with her mother’s maiden name, or something similar happened. It may have been an error.

More research is needed, but these look to be the children of Michał and Weronika Watkowski in New Jersey:

• Franciszek Watkowski (1876-1931)
  • married Teresa Swierzewicz (1879-1941)
• Marianna Watkowska (1877-1943)
  • married Wincenty Stachniewicz (1873-1941)
• Antoni Watkowski (1880-1958)
  • married Eleanora Ignasiak (1886-1964)
• Józefa Watkowska (1885-1965)
  • married Stanisław Chuderewicz (1884-1957)
• Helena Watkowska (1888-1960)
  • married Antoni Mierzicki (1882-1952)
• Jan Watkowski (1891-1960)
  • married Leokadia Zagórska (1895-1983)
• Michał Watkowski (1894-1894)

While Watkowski family descendants are related to one another through DNA, our shared Ancestry DNA matches show they are also related to my father’s Maciejewski/ Lewandowski family. Our DNA cluster includes the Faltynowski family who settled in Jersey City, New Jersey, and came from Prussia. Michał Watkowski was born in Prussia, as were my father’s grandparents, so that may be our connection in the old country.

Update December 2020 DNA testing with 23andMe showed I also share DNA with RC and TY, descendants of Helena Watkowska Mierzicka‘s daughters Florentyna and Irena,

Sources

• “Find a Grave,” database, Find a Grave (findagrave.com: accessed 6 October 2018), Michael Watkowski; citing cemetery records.
• “New Jersey Death Index,” database, Ancestry.com (online : accessed 20 October 2020), Michael Watkowski; New Jersey State Archives, Trenton, New Jersey.
• Newark Catholic Cemeteries (Newark, New Jersey), Find Your Loved One, database (rcancem.org : accessed 8 November 2020), Michael Watkowski Holy Name Cemetery 10/22/1924 Blk-K Sec-HC Gr-8 1D; Diocese of Newark.
• Find Your Loved One, database, Watkowski and Stachnowicz burials.
• 1900 Federal Census, New Jersey, population schedule, Bayonne Ward 5, Hudson, New Jersey, enumeration district (ED) Enumeration District: 0013, Michael Vatkoski; digital images, Twelfth Census of the United States (online : accessed 6 October 2018); National Archives and Records Administration, 1900. T623.
• “New Jersey Death Index,” database, Ancestry.com, Weronika Wladkowska.
• “New Jersey Death Index,” database, Ancestry.com, Watkowski stillborn.
• Find Your Loved One, database, Wladkowski family plot.
• Find a Grave, Francis Wladkowski.
• United States, Selective Service System, “United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918,” database, National Archives and Records Administration (online : accessed 7 November 2020), Frank Watkowski; https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/6482/images/005217845_01216.
• 1920 Federal Census, New Jersey, population schedule, Bayonne Ward 5, Hudson, New Jersey, ED 42, Page: 21B, , Frank Vatkowski.
• Find a Grave, Theresa Wladkowski.
• Find a Grave, Joseph Watkowski.
• Find Your Loved One, database, Jos Watkowski Holy Name Cemetery 6/15/1901 Blk-F Sec-C Gr-48 1A.
• Find Your Loved One, database, Watkowski burials.
• Our Lady of Mount Carmel RC Church (Bayonne, New Jersey), , Baptisms, page 15, Jan Watkowski; FHL microfilm United States, New Jersey, Hudson, Bayonne – Church records, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89C1-BSFG?i=50&cc=2106099&cat=295831.
• Find a Grave, John Watkowski.
• Find Your Loved One, database, John Watkowski Holy Name Cemetery 8/30/1902 Blk-F Sec-C Gr-48 1B.
• Our Lady of Mount Carmel RC Church, Bayonne, New Jersey, Baptism register, page 35.
• Find a Grave, Stephen Watkowski.
• Our Lady of Mount Carmel RC Church, Bayonne, New Jersey, Baptism register, page 69.
• “New Jersey Death Index,” database, Ancestry.com, Zygmund Wladkowski.
• Find a Grave, Zygmund Wladkowski.
• Our Lady of Mount Carmel RC Church, Bayonne, New Jersey, Baptism register, page 143.
• Find Your Loved One, database, Stachniewicz burials.
• Find a Grave, Maryanna Stackniewicz.
• “New Jersey Marriage Index,” database, Ancestry.com (online : accessed 21 October 2020), Mary Watkowski, Vincent Stahunemier; New Jersey State Archives, Trenton, New Jersey.
• St. Joseph RC Church (Bayonne, New Jersey), 1896, Wincenty Stachniewicz, Maria Watkowska; FHL microfilm United States, New Jersey, Hudson, Bayonne – Church records, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9ZM-4D69?i=443&cc=2106099&cat=230088.
• Find a Grave, Vincent Stachniewicz.
• “New Jersey Death Index,” database, Ancestry.com, Anthony Watkowski.
• Find a Grave, Anthony Watkosky.
• Find Your Loved One, database, Anthony Watkosky Saint Gertrude Cemetery 6/19/1958 Blk-16 Gr-229.5B 1A.
• “Polish Genealogy,” database, private Facebook group, Facebook (facebook.com: message from JW Dupon 28 October 2020), Watkowski marriages at Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Bayonne.
• Our Lady of Mount Carmel RC Church, Bayonne, New Jersey, Marriages, page 3.
• 1905 New Jersey State Census, New Jersey, population schedule, 2nd Precinct, Bayonne, Hudson, New Jersey, USA, 20, Tony Wotkoski; FHL microfilm .
• 1910 Federal Census, New Jersey, population schedule, Bayonne Ward 5, Hudson, New Jersey, Anthoney Watkosky; digital images, National Archives (online : accessed 6 October 2018); Thirteenth Census of the United States.
• “New Jersey Death Index,” database, Ancestry.com, Eleanor Watkowski.
• Find Your Loved One, database, Eleanor Watkowski Saint Gertrude Cemetery 1/18/1964 Blk-16 Gr-229.5B 2A.
• Find a Grave, Eleanor Watkowski.
• Find a Grave, Josephine Huderewicz.
• “New Jersey Marriage Index,” database, Ancestry.com, Josepha Watkowska, Stan Chuderewicz.
• Our Lady of Mount Carmel RC Church, Bayonne, New Jersey, Marriage record, page 13.
• Find a Grave, Stanley Huderewicz.
• “New Jersey Death Index,” database, Ancestry.com, Stanley Huderewicz.
• Find Your Loved One, database, Helen Mierzicki.
• Our Lady of Mount Carmel RC Church, Bayonne, New Jersey, Marriage register, page 3.
• 1910 Federal Census, New Jersey, population schedule, Bayonne Ward 5, Hudson, New Jersey, Anthoney Mernenski.
• National Archives, “World War II Draft Registration Cards,” database, Ancestry.com, Anthony Mierzicki.
• Find Your Loved One, database, Anthony Mierzicki.
• Find a Grave, John aka Wlackowski Reefer.
• Find Your Loved One, database, Reefer and Leacock burials.
• Our Lady of Mount Carmel RC Church, Bayonne, New Jersey, Marriage register, page 33, Jan Watkowski, Leokadia Zagórska; FHL microfilm United States, New Jersey, Hudson, Bayonne – Church records, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9ZM-3799?i=174&cc=2106099&cat=295831.
• Find a Grave, Lottie Reefer.