Flash Family History: Lipa and Laska

My grandmother, Karolina Lipa (1889-1940), was the only one of my grandparents that was born in America. Her parents, Szymon Lipa (1843-1916) and Ludwika Knot (1857-1912) married in 1876 and had 2 children before they left Bobrowa, Poland for the U.S. (Detroit, MI) in 1881. They had 10 more children after they arrived in Detroit including Karolina, child #7.

Karolina married (1907) Jozef Laska (1884-1949) and they had 11 children, Stanley, Walter, Anna, Ceily, Joseph, Genevieve, Edward, Eleanor, Florence, Eugene, Mary Jane. My father, Joseph (1914-1974), married (1944) Lucille Lisowski (1918-2007) and they had 3 children, including me, Jasia.

The Lipa and Knot familes lived in and around Bobrowa, Poland. Earliest records of the Lipa family date back to 1778 and the Knot family lines date back to 1796. These families were peasant farmers, practiced the Catholic faith, and served in the military as required. Both families appear in the earliest records for peasants in that area.

Being of the Polish peasant class, the Lipa and Knot family members were not formally educated and were mostly illiterate. Their village was in the section of Poland that was Austrian-ruled after the country was partitioned (1772, 1793, 1795). Only one other of Szymon’s 9 siblings also immigrated to the U.S. (Detroit, MI), Stanislaw (b.1862). He married (1888) Anna Nowak and they had at least 2 children. The others died young or stayed in Poland, though some of their offspring came to the U.S. Ludwika was one of 8 children but none of her siblings immigrated to the U.S.

I’m not aware of any Lipa or Knot family members still living in area of Bobrowa, Poland, though there may be.

Lipa-Knot Surnames: Kitrys, Kliviewicz, Lach, Szara, Seras, Łanucha, Grzyb, Wegrzyn, Galas, Osak

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My grandfather, Jozef Laska (1884-1949), was the first of his family line to immigrate (1905) to the U.S. (Detroit, MI). He was the oldest of Krzysztof Laska (1862-1918) and Karolina Furman’s (1864-1940) 6 children. Jozef married (1907) Karolina Lipa (1889-1940) and they had 11 children, Stanley, Walter, Anna, Ceily, Joseph, Genevieve, Edward, Eleanor, Florence, Eugene, Mary Jane. My father, Joseph (1914-1974), married (1944) Lucille Lisowski (1918-2007) and they had 3 children, including me, Jasia.

The Laska and Furman familes lived in and around Podborze, Poland. Earliest records of the Laska and Furman family lines date back to 1800. These families were peasant farmers, practiced the Catholic faith, and served in the military as required. Both families appear in the earliest records for peasants in that area. 

Being of the Polish peasant class, the Laska and Furman family members were not formally educated and were mostly illiterate. Their villages were in the section of Poland that was Austrian-ruled after the country was partitioned (1772, 1793, 1795). Jozef’s sister Genowefa (1887-1976) immigrated to the U.S. (Detroit, MI) in 1907 and married (1909) John Tabaka (1884-1971). They had 11 children. Jozef and Genowefa were the only two siblings who came to the U.S. Three others, Apollonia (b.1892), Anna (1901-2001), and Michał (1906-1994) remained in Poland. The sixth sibling died shortly after birth. Apollonia married (1910) Joseph Piątek (b. 1877). Anna married (1922) Sebastian Rys (b. 1893). Michał married (1933) Anna Dziekan (1912-1966).

There are still Laska and Furman families living near Podborze in the city of Dębica as well as elsewhere in Poland.

Surnames of the Laska-Furman family lines include: Kolacz, Lesniowski, Rzegocki, Wnuk, Partyka, Kilian, Midura, Pula, Surowiec.

[Written for the 115th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy.]