About My Family

I've been blogging about my genealogy research and my family history since 2005. Here is a "flash" history of each of my family lines. If you want more details about the people or places mentioned below, you can do a search using the search box in the upper left corner of this blog page. Come meet my family!
My grandmother, Zofia Mizera (1894-1970), was the first of her family line to immigrate (1913) to the U.S. (Detroit, MI). She was the second oldest of Piotr Mizera (1862-1943) and Anna Bober’s (1862-1941) six children. Zofia married (1916) Wincenty Lisowski (1884-1956) and they had 4 children including my mother, Lucille (1918-2007). Lucille married (1944) Joseph Laska (1914-1974) and they had 3 children, including me, Jasia.

The Mizera and Bober familes lived in and around Wojnicz, Poland. Earliest records of the Mizera family line date back to 1790 and for the Bober family line, 1760. These families were peasant farmers, practiced the Catholic faith, and served in the military as required. Both families lived in the area from the time of first written records.

Being of the Polish peasant class, the Mizera and Bober family members were not formally educated and were mostly illiterate, although Zofia was literate when she came to the U.S. Their villages were in the section of Poland that was Austrian-ruled after the country was partitioned (1772, 1793, 1795). In 1920, Zofia sponsored her sisters’ Mary (1890-1959) and Halina’s (1901-1996) immigration to the U.S. Mary married (1922) Baltazar Dembowski (1890-1948) and they had 2 children. Halina married (1924) Stanley Laba (1892-1953) and they had 2 children. Zofia, Mary, and Halina were the only siblings from the Mizera-Bober family that immigrated to the U.S. Remaining in Poland were their sister Michalina (b.1903) and their brothers Jan (b.1895) and Antoni (b.1898)

It is not known if there are still members from the Mizera-Bober family line still living in the area of Wojnicz, Poland. Some are know to have resettled farther west in Poland and others also live in Ireland.

Family surnames: Kubon, Piechowicz, Liszka, Baran, Turek, Molecki, Opiela, Palka, Banas
My grandfather, Wincenty Lisowski (1884-1956), was the first of his family line to immigrate (1912) to the U.S. (Detroit, MI). He was the oldest of Wojciech Lisowski (1855-1911) and Jozefa Adamski’s (1865-1924) 11 children. Wincenty married (1916) Zofia Mizera (1894-1970) and they had 4 children including my mother, Lucille (1918-2007). Lucille married (1944) Joseph Laska (1914-1974) and they had 3 children, including me, Jasia.

The Lisowski and Adamski familes lived in a number of small villages near Łódź, Poland. Earliest records of the Lisowski family line date back to 1823 and for the Adamski family line, 1794. These families were peasant farmers, practiced the Catholic faith, and served in the military as required. The Lisowski family colonized to the area from parts unknown. The Adamski family was in the area from the time of first written records.

Being of the Polish peasant class, the Lisowski and Adamski family members were not formally educated and were mostly illiterate, although Wincenty was literate when he immigrated to the U.S. Their villages were in the section of Poland that was Russian-ruled after the country was partitioned (1772, 1793, 1795). Following WWII (1952), Wincenty’s sister Waleria Lisowski Wojciechowski (1889-1966) and her two sons, Antoni (1926-2006) and W. (living), also immigrated to the U.S. (Detroit, MI). Wincenty and Waleria are the only two of Wojciech and Jozefa’s 11 children who immigrated to the U.S. More recently, in 1978, Wincenty’s grandnephew, M. Lisowski (living), also moved here.

There are still Lisowski and Adamski families living in the same area of Poland and throughout the country as well as in Germany, Sweden, and the U.S.

Surnames of the Lisowski - Adamski family lines include: Marcinkowski, Szalecki, Cieslak, Juszczak, and Janiak.


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

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.


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