Up until just recently I did not have a photo of my Maternal Great-Grandpa Markiewicz. Thanks to a delightful interaction with the Serafin branch of my tree I have this one of he and my Great-Grandmother at the family farm. Jozef Markiewicz emigrated to this country before his wife and children.
Perhaps they did not have enough money to all come at once and had to rely on the Polish pipeline who helped their countrymen to get from the New York Harbor to Pennsylvania and points west. It has been reported that Poles sent billions of dollars back to Poland in support of those they left behind. Whatever the case Jozef worked hard to get here and hard to find a place where they all could settle down together.
Vintage Photos of Hamburg
Hamburg's Emigration Story
This passenger list notes that Jozef Markiewicz was a married man traveling alone which makes me confident that this is my Great-Grandfather. I have not gone into the Ellis Island Archives looking for him or any of my other relatives. Why? I don't know. Bigger fish to fry I guess. Besides The Markiewicz story is complex, historical, and the stuff of a tv miniseries. Honestly, There was a soap opera that had to happen before Jozef Markiewicz introduced his daughters to my Great-Grandmother Mary Kurzynowski, the woman on a mission. 😉
Millions of Polish immigrants began their emigration stories in the Port of Hamburg, Germany. Jozef was no exception. Hamburg made a hefty business out of emigration. The majority of Jackson's Polish immigrants came through Hamburg. The links below will hopefully help you better understand the "Hamburg Experience".
Vintage Photos of Hamburg
Hamburg's Emigration Story
